Your top 3 pens

[thefenlander]

So, lets get this out of the way first: I'm rather shamelessly ripping the idea for this thread off from the UK fountain pens blog. But I also think it's a really good discussion starter: what are your top three pens from those you own (assuming that you own more than three. Unless you have an iron will I would imagine most people on this board have more than three).

I'm not asking which three pens you would recommend people buy, we've got enough threads to power people's acquisition disorders. One-offs that money can't buy, junker pens with sentimental stories, Frankenstein's monsters that only their creator could love: they're all in scope. How you interperate the question is almost more interesting than what you answer.

Unless you post photos too...

I'm working on my answer, but I'm not down to three yet. I'll post when i get there.

 

[hydro-magic]

Probably my 3 most expensive pens -
Lamy 2000
Pilot Custom Heritage 92
Pilot Vanishing Point.

 

[Doc4]

Well, I'll start with my all-time "best pen regardless of price" favourite ... Pilot Custom Heritage 92.

Second, I'll go with a pen I find myself reaching for more than most and very frequently ... the Noodler's Konrad ebonite pen.

Third? I'll go with the Pilot 78g ... great for an eyedropper mod and they were only $10 shipped (worldwide) from Hong Kong sellers ... and made in Japan. Discontinued ... and then (I believe) reintroduced a couple years later at a higher price ... the original was a staple of my daily use and a good go-to "first pen" recommendation.

If you are asking me about nibs, Sailor is going to be on the list for sure ... but they are almost always on c/c pens, and if you are fortunate enough to find one with a "realo" piston filler ... you pay through the nose for what is a mediocre piston.

 

[tankerjohn]

Okay, I'll play! I read the UK Fountain Pen piece as well. Funny, I think Anthony's blog postings have gotten better since he "retired" from the blog. Perhaps he can put more thought into his writing now that he doesn't feel pressured to crank out content. Anyway, a thought on Anthony's "Top 3". The only one of his picks that is remotely affordable for me is the Lamy 2000. I find that pen so challenging. It is about as universally praised as a pen can get. Its got everything - a reasonable price, solid build quality, gold nib, piston-fill, real design pedigree, and history galore. It should totally be up my alley. But I can't get over how ugly it is. Maybe Bauhus is just not my jam. Maybe it looks better in person than in pictures. I don't know. I understand that my opinion is clearly in the minority, so please don't take it personally if you happen to love the 2000.

Okay, so on to my "Top 3"

Platinum 3776 Century. If I close my eyes and think of a generic "fountain pen", this is pretty much what I picture. Perfect shape. Perfect size. Prefect weight. Its great posted or unposted. The converter is solid. But the real star of the show is the broad nib, which is amazing. Its got a hint of feedback and a hint of softness that feels incredible on paper. The outline of Mt. Fuji is a classy nod to Japanese culture, while the heart-shaped breather is a nice vintage touch. I pretty much love the 3776 so much, I scrapped plans to buy a Sailor.

Shaeffer Snorkel Admiral. This one is sort of a cheat, if only because this pen is by far my newest (to me), and I am still solidly in the honeymoon phase. That, and not but one month ago I had zero interest in owning a Snorkel. Then I read about it here in The Nib and started checking it out. Before I knew it, I had to have one. The quality is undeniable. The nib is fantastic and perfectly tuned - wet, but not too wet. Filling with the snorkel and touchdown mechanism is stupid fun. The Snork is a much narrower pen than I usually prefer, however it does fill a niche in my quiver as the fountain pen that will slip into pretty much any folio or notebook pen loop. I like this pen so much, I could definitely envision upgrading to a PFM in the future...

West German Gray-marbled Pelikan M200. This pen is my favorite, and most personal. The color scheme reminds me of my alma mater, my "Rockbound Highland Home". It also goes perfectly with Edelstein Tanzanite ink, my birthstone. The fine nib writes a perfect line and is just soft enough to add a little flourish my handwriting. I've thought about upgrading to a gold nib, but there really is no need. Capped, its nice and compact and sits my shirt pocket just so. Yet, uncapped, and especially posted, it is quite full size. Its just a joy to write with. I could say the same about my other, newer, M200. But aesthetically, I prefer this one, with its derby cap and double gold cap bands with "W. GERMANY" printed on the big one. Too cool.

 

[Avi]

I bought my wife the VP / fountain pen but she is really and 0.25 / 0.38 nib girl so does not use it enough for me not to steal it back (ahem)

Now that said I must admit I am super obsessed with the retro 51 pens but with the Parker refills (not their fountain pens) These work at work in the same way lunatic ties work.

We all need skulls at work:

http://www.retro51.com/newimages/fwi_gs_drgray_large.jpg

and this is for the mathemanerds:

http://www.retro51.com/newimages/fwi_gs_albert_large.jpg

On the fountain pen side the Lamy's and Pilots are my favorites.

Regards
Avi

 

[ShinyRex]

This is a harder questions than I thought it would be. My #1 and 3 were easy but number two is tied with several in my collection.

1. Pelican M405 Stresemann, this pen would be perfect if it was a little longer. What makes it special to me is I had it ground to a needle point and it writes like a dream. So we'll that I have never bothered to change inks.

2. This goes to my Edison Beaumont but it was close with 3 others in my collection. This might get replaced by a lamy 2k once I have it ground to a needle point.

3. Pilot VP Decimo, I reach for this pen the most. It is well used, I'm on my second job unit and I had to reglue the cap on but it writes well and is soo convenient.



Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

 

[AimlessWanderer]

At home, any old pen will do. I have cheapo <£5 fountain pens, assorted ballpoints, permanent markers, advertising pens, which have personal history attached. I'm not going to pick any of those for my Top 3 though. I'm not going to choose my Messograf with built in caliper, nor the excellent Tombow Airpress which I personally prefer to the space pens.

I'm going to choose pocket pens for my Top 3.

At home, I have everything to hand, and can pick and choose as required. If I'm not at home, the selection narrows drastically, and the chances are that it will be one of three pens that is in my pocket.

What better way to choose a Top 3?

Zebra F-301 and Pentel P207 shown for scale

Top is an OHTO Tasche
Middle is a Zebra Telescopic
Bottom if an Inka pen

All three pack small, and carry easily in a front jeans pocket, but become full size pens for writing with. They're the ones I'll be counting on when there's no back up.

Actually, that's not entirely true. I might have one of these tiny back up pens.

They're hellishly expensive, and very awkward to write with, but at least you get a Swiss Army Knife to carry it around in

 

[thefenlander]

Okay, I'll play! I read the UK Fountain Pen piece as well. Funny, I think Anthony's blog postings have gotten better since he "retired" from the blog. Perhaps he can put more thought into his writing now that he doesn't feel pressured to crank out content. Anyway, a thought on Anthony's "Top 3". The only one of his picks that is remotely affordable for me is the Lamy 2000. I find that pen so challenging. It is about as universally praised as a pen can get. Its got everything - a reasonable price, solid build quality, gold nib, piston-fill, real design pedigree, and history galore. It should totally be up my alley. But I can't get over how ugly it is. Maybe Bauhus is just not my jam. Maybe it looks better in person than in pictures. I don't know. I understand that my opinion is clearly in the minority, so please don't take it personally if you happen to love the 2000.

Okay, so on to my "Top 3"

View attachment 1104421

Platinum 3776 Century. If I close my eyes and think of a generic "fountain pen", this is pretty much what I picture. Perfect shape. Perfect size. Prefect weight. Its great posted or unposted. The converter is solid. But the real star of the show is the broad nib, which is amazing. Its got a hint of feedback and a hint of softness that feels incredible on paper. The outline of Mt. Fuji is a classy nod to Japanese culture, while the heart-shaped breather is a nice vintage touch. I pretty much love the 3776 so much, I scrapped plans to buy a Sailor.

Shaeffer Snorkel Admiral. This one is sort of a cheat, if only because this pen is by far my newest (to me), and I am still solidly in the honeymoon phase. That, and not but one month ago I had zero interest in owning a Snorkel. Then I read about it here in The Nib and started checking it out. Before I knew it, I had to have one. The quality is undeniable. The nib is fantastic and perfectly tuned - wet, but not too wet. Filling with the snorkel and touchdown mechanism is stupid fun. The Snork is a much narrower pen than I usually prefer, however it does fill a niche in my quiver as the fountain pen that will slip into pretty much any folio or notebook pen loop. I like this pen so much, I could definitely envision upgrading to a PFM in the future...

West German Gray-marbled Pelikan M200. This pen is my favorite, and most personal. The color scheme reminds me of my alma mater, my "Rockbound Highland Home". It also goes perfectly with Edelstein Tanzanite ink, my birthstone. The fine nib writes a perfect line and is just soft enough to add a little flourish my handwriting. I've thought about upgrading to a gold nib, but there really is no need. Capped, its nice and compact and sits my shirt pocket just so. Yet, uncapped, and especially posted, it is quite full size. Its just a joy to write with. I could say the same about my other, newer, M200. But aesthetically, I prefer this one, with its derby cap and double gold cap bands with "W. GERMANY" printed on the big one. Too cool.

I generally enjoy his blog and missed the new content while he was on hiatus. I can relate to his (over)analysing of his hobby, but I do find some of his posts a little challenging: some just have a "whoops, I just bought another Montblanc. LOL!" vibe to them. He's just on a level in this hobby that I hope I never reach.

As for the Lamy 2000: I think it looks fantastic. But if I could give one piece of advice to everyone starting out in this hobby it would by "don't buy it if you don't dig it, no matter how much everyone else digs it". It's the reason why I'm pretty sure I'll never own a Platinum 3776. I don't like the cigar shape, and I think the clip looks cheap. And no matter how good it writes, I won't end up using a pen if I don't like the look of the blasted thing.

Hopefully you'll get the chance to handle and write with a 2000 though sometime. I'd offer to lend you mine if the Atlantic Ocean wasn't in the way. The texture is like no other pen I know and the build quality has set the bar for me against which all other pens are measured. Even if it isn't for you, it informs how you think about pens.

I've "upgraded" from a snorkel to a PFM. As an engineer I have to own an example of the most over-designed filling system of them all. It still hasn't 'taken' with me yet, but we've not had that much time to get aquainted. I found the snorkel a little on the thin side too.

The Pelikan is a great choice - I'm told the M400 gold nib is a nail, which is a shame because I would like the bounce of the steel with the apperance of the gold.

Great choices!

 

[Rudy Vey]

Pelikan
Pelikan
Pelikan

Put any number in there...

 

[jar_]

Favorite three?

Hard.

For the last year though my constant companion has been an Aurora 888P from about 1955 IIRC. It is a cartridge pen based on the old DuoCart Arora cartridges. They were wider mouthed than the Parker standard Aurora soon switched to but the same as what the Japanese Platinum pen company uses.

Perhaps my favorite fancier pen is my Sho-Hakkaku Ancient Flowers design by Koichiro Okazaki .

A sentimental favorite has to be the first quarter first year Parker 51 that was the engagement gift from my Dad. The cap is Sterling silver with small tooth marks all over it since when we were teething mom would put the cap on her finger and let the babies chew on it. Of course being the eldest and perfect son I never did anything like that but I remember seeing my younger and far from perfect brothers and sisters do so.

 

[musicman1951]

Pelikan M600 ruby red with Pendleton Brown Butter Line Stub-italic nib.
Pelikan M600 blue stripes, stub nib by Mike it Work.
Pelikan old style M600 in black.

 

[tankerjohn]

I generally enjoy his blog and missed the new content while he was on hiatus. I can relate to his (over)analysing of his hobby, but I do find some of his posts a little challenging: some just have a "whoops, I just bought another Montblanc. LOL!" vibe to them. He's just on a level in this hobby that I hope I never reach.

Indeed! I presume he sinks his disposable income into fountain pens rather than other "lifestyles" (boats, horses, motorcycles, sports cars, etc) and doesn't seem to be supporting a family. I have too many other hobbies and interests, not to mention hungry kids.

As for the Lamy 2000: I think it looks fantastic. But if I could give one piece of advice to everyone starting out in this hobby it would by "don't buy it if you don't dig it, no matter how much everyone else digs it". It's the reason why I'm pretty sure I'll never own a Platinum 3776. I don't like the cigar shape, and I think the clip looks cheap. And no matter how good it writes, I won't end up using a pen if I don't like the look of the blasted thing.

What can I say, different strokes for different folks. There's a Frank Lloyd Wright house near my home. I rode my bike over to it once and was thoroughly overcome by "meh". I do wish that Platinum would put the 3776 nib in some different style pen bodies, not just pretty colors in the same basic "cigar" shape. Its a pretty big step up to a Nakaya if you want something that looks different. In general, I don't "get" Platinum's line up. Pen models are just sort of all over the place, whereas Pilot and Sailor have fairly orderly progressions of different sizes and styles.

Hopefully you'll get the chance to handle and write with a 2000 though sometime. I'd offer to lend you mine if the Atlantic Ocean wasn't in the way. The texture is like no other pen I know and the build quality has set the bar for me against which all other pens are measured. Even if it isn't for you, it informs how you think about pens.

Thanks for the offer. I just might get one, eventually. I like that the 2000 is an understated pen and anyone unfamiliar with hooded nibs (i.e. most people) wouldn't even think it is a fountain pen. The 3776 has an ostentatious look to it, even though we all know its not a particularly expensive fountain pen. Even a two dollar Jinhao looks "fancy".

I've "upgraded" from a snorkel to a PFM. As an engineer I have to own an example of the most over-designed filling system of them all. It still hasn't 'taken' with me yet, but we've not had that much time to get aquainted. I found the snorkel a little on the thin side too.

America! F---, yeah!

The Pelikan is a great choice - I'm told the M400 gold nib is a nail, which is a shame because I would like the bounce of the steel with the apperance of the gold.

Yep, that's what I hear. I figure, why "upgrade" if I love the steel nib already.

Great choices!

Thanks!

 

[tankerjohn]

I bought my wife the VP / fountain pen but she is really and 0.25 / 0.38 nib girl so does not use it enough for me not to steal it back (ahem)

Now that said I must admit I am super obsessed with the retro 51 pens but with the Parker refills (not their fountain pens) These work at work in the same way lunatic ties work.

We all need skulls at work:

http://www.retro51.com/newimages/fwi_gs_drgray_large.jpg

and this is for the mathemanerds:

http://www.retro51.com/newimages/fwi_gs_albert_large.jpg

On the fountain pen side the Lamy's and Pilots are my favorites.

Regards
Avi

Nice! I love me some Retro 51 too! If we were doing "Top 5", I'd probably put my Retro 51 Sherman Tank pen. Cuz, I mean, come on. You can probably guess why I like that pen so much. I kind of wonder where Retro 51 is headed after this summer, what with the owner retiring and all. That would make for another thread discussion.

 

[thefenlander]

As promised, my three:

from top to bottom, the Rotring Core, the Lamy 2000 and the TWSBI Precision.

First the Rotring. I would say that it was a pretty controversial choice, but I think opinion is almost unanimous that it is a very ugly pen. However, I was given it as a present by a good friend while I was at school. It was my only pen throughout, so I wrote basically all my exams with it. In a period of just over a decade it never skipped a beat. The nib is of folded steel without tipping, so in that time I've worn it in such a way that it has a "foot" - it feels very comfortable for me to write with, but anyone borrowing it finds it scratchy and horrible. It is quite literally my pen: no-one else can use it.

Lamy 2000. Pretty standard. But this pen taught me so much about what I want in a pen that I can't leave it out. This is the pen that made me realise that you do get something for spending more than $50 on a pen. Originally I got it with an OB nib because that's a really cool nib right? You get all sorts of line variation. And I barely used it. Got Lamy to swap in an M and I kept it in rotation for a solid year afterwards. Turns out I don't want lots of line variation. I'm a ball tipping kind of guy. I love the texture, the clip is still the Gold Standard for what a pen clip should be, the nib is springy but not flexy (turns out that I'm not a flex guy either, but I do like a bit of give in a nib). It's just the right weight, I used the tapered grip to work out what diameter section I like. Just a revalation.

The TWSBI Precsion. Working out #1 and #2 on this list was easy, but this is where it got tricky. I left off my Pilot Custom Heritage 912 with that lovely SM nib for this sucker. And my M200. But I have more TWSBIs in my accumulation than any other brand, and there is a reason for that. The design of this pen excites me, and it has the performance too match. The Precision does not seem to get as much milage out of the community as a lot of TWSBI's other pens, but I'm getting sick of demonstrators and I love the "technical" look it has. I'm an engineer, what can I say. You can tell that this is a heart-over-head decision, because it didn't write well out of the box - it skipped at the most annoying moments. I've got a Bock nib from Beaufort Inks in there now and I've tuned the feed so that it is just-so. There's even a bit of sping to the nib, although nothing like my Pilot.

Pretty drab photo though. The only splash of colour is the red ring on the Core. And all have medium nibs. So maybe not the most exciting to look at...

 

[thefenlander]

Perhaps my favorite fancier pen is my Sho-Hakkaku Ancient Flowers design by Koichiro Okazaki .

Fancy is the word jar, that is a piece of art.

A sentimental favorite has to be the first quarter first year Parker 51 that was the engagement gift from my Dad. The cap is Sterling silver with small tooth marks all over it since when we were teething mom would put the cap on her finger and let the babies chew on it. Of course being the eldest and perfect son I never did anything like that but I remember seeing my younger and far from perfect brothers and sisters do so.

That's a great memory to be able to share. Funny how the eldest sons are always the perfect ones, I happen to be one myself.

What can I say, different strokes for different folks. There's a Frank Lloyd Wright house near my home. I rode my bike over to it once and was thoroughly overcome by "meh". I do wish that Platinum would put the 3776 nib in some different style pen bodies, not just pretty colors in the same basic "cigar" shape. Its a pretty big step up to a Nakaya if you want something that looks different. In general, I don't "get" Platinum's line up. Pen models are just sort of all over the place, whereas Pilot and Sailor have fairly orderly progressions of different sizes and styles.

It certainly is, I'd love to see the Robbie House or Fallingwater.

Platinum's model line-up is pretty odd - they don't seem to be able to decide if they are Lamy or Montblanc. I would love the 3776 nib in some other form factor, and with the soft medium available on something other than a special edition. I'm not wild on Sailor or Pilot's approaches either, but I think I'll save that for a separate thread. That would be an interesting conversation too I think.

 

[thefenlander]

Pelikan
Pelikan
Pelikan

Put any number in there...

Pelikan M600 ruby red with Pendleton Brown Butter Line Stub-italic nib.
Pelikan M600 blue stripes, stub nib by Mike it Work.
Pelikan old style M600 in black.

So I see a lot of love for Hanover's finest. What inspires such devotion? I've seen a lot of positive comments about Pendleton Brown's work.

 

[KW Driver]

I haven't gone through a lot, or high end pens. I prefer thinner bodies, lightweight, and think posting full sized pens unbalances them. my three go to, favorite pens are:

(red) Esterbrook SJ with a 9450 XF nib. it flows a crisp, clean, tight, wet line.

(grey) SJ with a 9314-F fine stub nib. wetter and thicker than the XF above, with enough line variation if I do my part to class up what I'm writing.

TWSBI 530 mini, XF. it's my pocket pen, and foolproof enough to not worry about carrying it. fatter than I'd like, but otherwise, sized right to run around with.

the SJ's stay home, and get the primacy of my writing. if you unscrew the nib and syringe ink into the bladder, they hold a good fair bit of ink. all three are loaded with ESS Registrar's. all three get posted when I'm writing with them.

Honorable mentions:

a couple Shaeffer Imperials (II & 440), EF. I enjoyed them until I got the SJs, and they were my primaries for years.

my grandfather's 51. I wish I could love writing with it. but the body isn't perfect in hand, and the nib is M-F to my eye. it was my primary for a long time, and what I used to enter fountain pens seriously with. it's been uninked for years. and I'm keeping it.

 

[musicman1951]

So I see a lot of love for Hanover's finest. What inspires such devotion? I've seen a lot of positive comments about Pendleton Brown's work.

Both nibmasters do fine work. Pendleton's butter line really does feel "buttery." I have an M800 which is too top heavy for me with the cap riding on the back, but the Pelikan M600 looks beautiful and fits my hand like a glove. They hold a ton of ink and just work.

 

[dojpros]

Green Abalone Sheaffer balance with 14 kt nib. My oldest and best pen given to my by a co-worker after his mother passed away. All he really knew was is that I liked fountain pens.

Parker 45 NOS with 14 kt nib. The first "vintage pen" I purchased after starting out with Pilot Metropolitans and a Lamy Vista Demonstrator. I now have three inked with Parker Blue, Blue/Black and Black, respectively.

Ocean Blue Lamy Al-Star. My First Al-Star. They just work. The design, function, form, feel, are all spot on.


Frankly, if you pushed me and asked, one pen, ink in forever. I would say a Lamy Al-Star with Lamy bottled ink given the even more superlative design of the Lamy ink bottle and its integrated blotter paper roll.

I apologize for no pictures as these pens are presently on my desk at my office (along with several others.) When I am able to go back, I see having to clean each pen, but I digress.

 

[br553]

My personal favorites from my collection would have to be:
1. A vintage first generation Sheaffer Touchdown with the big conical nib. Nice, smooth writing with just the right amount of flex in the nib.
2. Baoer model 3033 if I remember correctly. All metal and a little top heavy while writing with the cap mounted, but a consistent performer.
3. Sheaffer Balance from the late 1930's, because it was the first vintage pen that I restored myself.