Any thoughts on a good second fountain pen ?

[Bisquitlips]

Originally Posted by mongrelnomoad

Just to let you know Conid are releasing a batch of pens next week if you want to give them a try. As I said above, I truly believe they’re the best fountain pens ever made.

Thanks!

[Formulansx]

Originally Posted by Burlington

I have been thinking lately of adding a second daily use fountain pen into the mix.

My Platinum Izumo Urushi is absolutely fabulous to use after receiving the tip on the forum to try Iroshizuku ink, which has totally transformed how the pen writes.

I’m very patient to add a second pen, and indeed, will enjoy reading up on the options - but as you will know, the choices are so vast, it’s hard for a novice to know where to begin.

I’m in two camps really- either go for something similar, but ‘better’ such as a Nakaya cigar/dorsal fin.

Or - go for something totally different, probably European, and here I’ve been reading about the Pelikan M1000.

My thoughts with something totally different are that I’ll potentially have a second pen that gets a good amount of use….but, if I go for another nice urushi pen, will I ultimately end up just not using my current platinum, if I find something I prefer.

Any thoughts or recommendations on what to research more into would be well received.

I’m hoping in the summer to get into London and find a quality pen shop to test a few different options out as well.

I absolutely adore my Nakaya pens! I had to wait about 8 months for both of them. They're very simple pens. Nothing too exotic about them. Pretty much off the shelf Platinum hardware but, if you appreciate the tradition and methods to produce them, they're spectacular. You're also very much assured that they will run great out of the box. Never had to work on anything that I got from Platinum. There are small differences between the nibs on the two Nakaya's that I have. Both are music nibs but the feedback is slightly different. I assume this is due to the nibsmith.

[jar]

And I like Nakayas as well.

[IGY]

I can add value here.

I have owned an M1000 briefly, but returned it to the store. It is an oversized pen and not really an everyday pen for anyone that does not have massive hands. Sure, it can be nice to write with a large nib, but the pen was unwieldy.

The Pelikan M800 series of pens is identical quality and same basic look to the M1000. It is still a large pen, but no longer oversize. A good size I'd say for most male hands. I actually own an M815 and M900. The M900 Toledo (which is an extra fancy M800 really) is my favourite pen from my collection and the one I use the most. I have it with an EF nib.

Pelikan nibs are worth commenting on further. If you are used to Japanese nibs like the Platinum, just be warned that European pen nibs tend to be half to one size higher than the Japanese equivalent. In other words a Japanese fine is similar to a European extra fine. Pelikans tend to be particularly fat compared even to other European brands. So ideally try (wet dip) before you buy. There is no right or wrong here: some peoples' hand writing and style favours bolder nibs. I just prefer finer nibs in general. Some people say that the M1000 has a flexible nib. Not really. It is not built to flex. If you abuse the nib that way you will likely damage it. So dont buy into that. It is a relatively soft nib however. The M800 has a slightly firmer feel to it.

I also own some Montblancs. The pens themselves are boring 149s, but in each I bought them because they have special nibs. The first is a caligraphy flex nib, which is designed to flex (unlike the M1000). I think Montblanc still make a version of this, but it is hardly an everyday pen. The second is an Italic Edge nib by Fritz Schimpf in Germany. Very specialist. For Xmas cards and that sort of thing. Beautiful and fun nib to use.

I've also got a Scribo. I definitely recommend them. They offer a very interesting choice of nibs and there is a wide variety of interesting pen colours to choose from. Scribo actually bought the nib machines used by Omas (which in case you have not heard of them were like the Patek Philippe of the fountain pen world.) Very good pens, especially for the mid-price that they charge.

As for pen shops in London, it is slim pickings I am afraid. There are big department stores like Harrods and Selfridges that sell Montblanc, Montegrappa etc. The only Pelikan specialist in London that I know of is outer London and not worth a long trip to the middle of nowhere for. Most of the UK Pelikan dealers are mail order in places like Wales or Somerset (many hours away). I actually think that the best stores in Europe are in Germany (Fritz Schimpf) and the Netherlands (Appelboom). If your trip extends to any of these countries check out these stores.

Best of luck choosing a nice fountain pen to add to your collection.

(Oh, I have a Namiki Yakari on the way but I pick it up from a Japanese friend next month... looking forwards to trying my first Japanese fountain pen).

[mongrelnomoad]

How do you like the Yukari?

[IGY]

While 1000 is a bigger number than 800, it is not necessarily "better". M1000 is very large. Oversize really. M800 is still full sized and would probably fit most people better.

Are you the kind of person that likes wearing >=44mm case watches? So M1000.

Are you normal male sized and comfortably wear 40mm watches? M800 might be better.

In terms of the comment about nib scratchiness: Pelikan's nib quality control is not all it should be. Nib line widths vary considerably even in nibs on the same model of the same size category. In terms of nibs being too scratchy from the factory, I've not experienced this from any of the four Pelikan M-series fountain pens that I've owned. However I have had a Namiki which was a little too smooth which results in dry starts which is annoying. You actually want a pen to have a little texture on the nib to help it write well on smooth papers. Overly rough nibs are easily and cheaply fixed by a nib smith that you can easily find visiting pens shows or who will work for specialist dealers.

The M1000 nib has a bit more bounce and response to it compared to the M800 nib which is more inert. But it is not a flex nib and you should ignore Youtube reviews of the pen where people are flexing the splines out and risking permanent damage to the nib unit. True flex nibs usually have different metal composition (less gold) and feel much rougher to use than common, easy to use fountain pens. Specialist flex nibs are usually 100% steel in fact and replicable as a consumable.

Overall I really like the M1000 and M800. I sold my M1000, kept my M805 and bought another M800 series pen... an M900. And that's my favourite from my collection.

[Bisquitlips]

Originally Posted by IGY

I can add value here.

I have owned an M1000 briefly, but returned it to the store. It is an oversized pen and not really an everyday pen for anyone that does not have massive hands. Sure, it can be nice to write with a large nib, but the pen was unwieldy.

The Pelikan M800 series of pens is identical quality and same basic look to the M1000. It is still a large pen, but no longer oversize. A good size I'd say for most male hands. I actually own an M815 and M900. The M900 Toledo (which is an extra fancy M800 really) is my favourite pen from my collection and the one I use the most. I have it with an EF nib.


EXCELLENT!

Pelikan nibs are worth commenting on further. If you are used to Japanese nibs like the Platinum, just be warned that European pen nibs tend to be half to one size higher than the Japanese equivalent. In other words a Japanese fine is similar to a European extra fine. Pelikans tend to be particularly fat compared even to other European brands. So ideally try (wet dip) before you buy. There is no right or wrong here: some peoples' hand writing and style favours bolder nibs. I just prefer finer nibs in general. Some people say that the M1000 has a flexible nib. Not really. It is not built to flex. If you abuse the nib that way you will likely damage it. So dont buy into that. It is a relatively soft nib however. The M800 has a slightly firmer feel to it.

I also own some Montblancs. The pens themselves are boring 149s, but in each I bought them because they have special nibs. The first is a caligraphy flex nib, which is designed to flex (unlike the M1000). I think Montblanc still make a version of this, but it is hardly an everyday pen. The second is an Italic Edge nib by Fritz Schimpf in Germany. Very specialist. For Xmas cards and that sort of thing. Beautiful and fun nib to use.

I've also got a Scribo. I definitely recommend them. They offer a very interesting choice of nibs and there is a wide variety of interesting pen colours to choose from. Scribo actually bought the nib machines used by Omas (which in case you have not heard of them were like the Patek Philippe of the fountain pen world.) Very good pens, especially for the mid-price that they charge.

As for pen shops in London, it is slim pickings I am afraid. There are big department stores like Harrods and Selfridges that sell Montblanc, Montegrappa etc. The only Pelikan specialist in London that I know of is outer London and not worth a long trip to the middle of nowhere for. Most of the UK Pelikan dealers are mail order in places like Wales or Somerset (many hours away). I actually think that the best stores in Europe are in Germany (Fritz Schimpf) and the Netherlands (Appelboom). If your trip extends to any of these countries check out these stores.

Best of luck choosing a nice fountain pen to add to your collection.

(Oh, I have a Namiki Yakari on the way but I pick it up from a Japanese friend next month... looking forwards to trying my first Japanese fountain pen).

Great information from the owner/user perspective!

My Compliments!

[Michael1968]

Mont Blanc

[daveo5]

The Montblanc 146. It’s not as large as the 149, but very comfortable to write with. I use my 146 over my 149.


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[Rogdogg]

I like Pelikan M800 size pens or MB 146 size.
I generally collect Pelikan, MB and Visconti.
I'd recommend any one of them as a comfortable daily user.

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[Burlington]

Originally Posted by Bisquitlips

Any updates?

After quite a bit of looking around and deciding, I opted for a Sailor KOP Demonstrator with a Medium nib.

It’s quite the pen, alongside a lovely selection of sailor inks.

When I have chance I will post some photos and a bit of a write up on my experiences with it.

The pen writes quite beautifully and has been a delight thus far. Very different to my platinum Izumo, which is just what I was after.

Thank you everyone for all the thoughts and inputs !

Next step is make a case for it when I get some free time.

[mongrelnomoad]

Originally Posted by Burlington

After quite a bit of looking around and deciding, I opted for a Sailor KOP Demonstrator with a Medium nib.

It’s quite the pen, alongside a lovely selection of sailor inks.

When I have chance I will post some photos and a bit of a write up on my experiences with it.

The pen writes quite beautifully and has been a delight thus far. Very different to my platinum Izumo, which is just what I was after.

Thank you everyone for all the thoughts and inputs !

Next step is make a case for it when I get some free time.

Great pen, and a good choice. Enjoy writing in good health!

[JasoninDenver]

Oohh!!!

Photos are required.