I am looking for an inexpensive pen ($50.00 or so), either ballpoint or rollerball. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance. :)
Regards,
Todd
Get a Fisher Space Pen, they'll write pretty much anywhere and will fit in your pocket so you'll always have it with you. While I generally use fountain pens, I always have a Space Pen on me for occasions when they aren't appropriate (anywhere the ink might run) or for convenience.Originally Posted by swedeone3
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Thanks Dave! Any other suggestions for a "dressier" budget pen? :?:
I've had Lamy rollerballs in the past which were very nice, with that Germanic quality to their design which I quite like. Lamy Accent is the one I had (and still have actually).
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Saw some half price Cross and Waterman pens in John Lewis Peterborough store today ... other John Lewis probably have some.
Dunk
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
I'm pretty sure that Swede is one of our colonial cousins from across the pond...
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
I agree with Dave: say the words "quality" and "budget" in a pen context and the name "Lamy" springs to mind. Rotring might be worth looking at: they've traditionally been more into draughtsmen's pens/pencils ("tool pens"?) but are now branching into fountain pens, so they may have a few quite classy cases for the rollerballs / ballpoints, which is really all that differentiates a nice pen from a Bic. Parker are a good solid bet, and still make metal cases, and aren't from memory hugely pricey. That might be a good bet, esp. as metal = dressy in my mind. Shaeffer are of course worth looking at.
I would say go metal rather than plastic for dressiness, but if you go plastic go German - the Lamy Safari, for example, whilst not being dressy, is made of plastic that has become my personal standard measurement of plastic quality.
Kamraj
Great reply. Thank you Kamraj! :wink:
Sheaffer are now owned by Bic and their customer service has seriously detriorated as a reult. :(
http://www.tz-uk.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... t=sheaffer
I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. :evil:
Best Regards - Peter
I'd hate to be with you when you're on your own.
Todd, last evening I saw a Waterman Phileas pen in an Office Max, here in North Texas for $25.99. It was a blue marbled finish. I am sure that some of the office supply chain-stores in your neck of the woods might offer similar bargains. Just a thought....
Waterman Phileas - that's a fountain pen. That said, it's one of the best fountain pens for the money. It looks like a million and writes like a dream. Rotring Core (now sadly discontinued, but may still be found NOS for less than $30) was another excellent and cheap fountain pen. They looked VERY odd and not "dressy" at all, but they were very good writers. Pelikan GO was still another discontinued cheap FP - genuine piston filler - that are very highly regarded by FP nerds.
BTW, fountain pens can be just as addictive as watches. I know from my own personal experience.
PMFJI - Not meaning to hijack this thread, but since I have a fountain pen related question, I thought I might ask here...
I would really like a fountain pen, but my job involves quite a bit of flying. I do remember a former boss of mine who had his stuff ruined because the low cabin pressure caused his fountain pen to leak.
Are there any "flight proof" fountain pens out there?
Guntram
I don't think, there's any completely "flight proof" FP. If there is both air and ink in the pen, and if the nib is pointed down, the expansion of air inside the pen, due to the lowered cabin pressure, may drive ink out of the pen.
The usual advice is to keep the pen either completely full (no or small amounts of air only expands little) or completely empty (no ink to escape), and keep the pen with the nib up (so it's air and not ink that escapes through the feed, if there is air in the pen).
Personally, I have flied with completely filled pens (mostly Pelikans and Parker 51s) in my shirt pocket many times with no ink leaking. However, I can't guarantee for all pens, because I don't have enough experience with them.
BTW, if you travel with ink bottles, be shure to screw on the cap tightly, or it may leak too. As a precaution, pack the ink bottle in an plastic bag and tie a not on it.
You may want to ask on the message board of http://www.pentrace.com (registering required to post there, but it is easy).
I've flown with Pelikans and Namiki FPs in the cabin with no ill effects, but it might just be that I got lucky!
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Thanks for your answers - much appreciated!
Maybe Pelikan and/or Namiki would be the way to go, then. Just to make sure I won't be a whole lot less lucky than Dave, I did post in the forum Leif suggested. :wink:
Guntram
If you're after a Rotring Core this guy has a good range in stock and is good to deal with:
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/PEN-SELLER-FROM-FRANCE
Pelikan is shurely a good way to go. Pelikans are sturdy, very well made, holds a lot of ink and writes well. If you don't break it (they are hard to break, though) you'll have a pen for life. They come in a range of sizes from the minute M 150 to the monster M 1000. Pelikan nibs are fixed to the feed and the whole unit screws into the grip section of the pen. As pelikan nibs comes in a several sizes from ultra fine to tripple broad, it is easy to find a nib for your personal taste. This way you just have to order a nib and not a whole new pen if you want to try something new. There are a few craftsmen in USA who shapes nib tips on a custom base. Among the best are Richard Binder ( http://www.richardspens.com ) and John Mottishaw ( http://www.nibs.com ). Both web sites has tons of information about fountain pens in general.
My daily workhorse pen - is a Pelikan M 800 fitted with a customized nib from Richard Binder, that is a 1 mm "cursive italic" when held normally and has a "fine" line when held upside down. Very convenient - two pens in one. Check out his web site to read more, if interested.
Wow - customized nibs... and here SWMBO thought WIS were weird. She ain't seen nothin' yet. :lol:
Thanks for your answer and the helpful links, Leif - I'll investigate some more on this topic.
Guntram
Well, like I said this pen thing can be just as addictive as watches - only are pens usually a lot cheaper than watches. Of course, some pen collectors must neccesarily compensate for this by owning closets full of pens. There are even specially designed furniture out there for storing pens.
She shure ain't seen nothin' yet!
I wonder - if a Watch Idiot Savant is a WIS, what is then a Pen Idiot Savant? A PIS? :wink:
Leif
Guntram,
I'd second the Pelikan recommendation (keep nib upright BTW) - apparently its due to their 'unique' filling system. Apparently the larger models (800 / 1000) are 'safer' than the smaller, but personally I keep my Pellys in a pen case in my laptop bag / handluggage - the reason being that Ive started using the Noodler's waterproof ink and i dont think it would wash out of my shirts!
Of course you could always use a pencil...
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote