Avi R.
July 21st, 2015, 09:39 PM
I'm not a pen fanatic like many posters here at the forum and my budget is low,
so with that in mind I wanted to get an everyday carry that had more going for it than the Pilot disposable Varsity pens that I usually use.
So, on July 1st the Yafa Outlet sent out a one-day sale notice of free shipping with no minimum plus a bunch of sale items, so I bought a pretty generic Schmidt in white plastic with a M nib.
I knew I was not investing in a lifetime highlight experience at just under $30, but even so, what arrived strikes me as more of a just under $9 offering, not a $30 purchase.
The pen arrives in a black cardboard box that is as generic and cheap as can be -- nothing printed on it, nothing fitted about the tray, and containing nothing but the pen,
no paperwork, no extra anything, just a standard cartridge rattling inside the barrel.
First impression is that the pen is strangely lightweight. Balance is off, even with a long cartridge installed. Press-fit cap does not post securely.
Inkflow is on the wet end of the spectrum. Nothing notable to say about the nib feel.
It does look better in the pocket of a dress shirt than a Pilot Varsity.
It's difficult to talk about value-for-money when it comes to pens, just as with wine. Sure, a thing that costs a magnitude or two magnitudes more than another works and looks better but does it work or look ten times better?
In the case of this Yafa Outlet Schmidt fountain pen, I'm not seeing it, especially in comparison to comparable priced Kaweco or Monteverde items.
And I also want to 'fess up to having some sour grapes that I bought this white plastic pen right around when the new TWSBI Eco finally became available,
and I knew that it was coming over the horizon -- should have waited! The TWSBI Eco list price it about the same as the Schmidt special sale price, and the TWSBI comes with an interesting box, and some insert paperwork, and a tool. I guess I'm learning my lesson about resisting impulse purchases, and it's a lesson that didn't cost me a whole lot of money, but it has me being more thoughtful about how much I'm growing to care about the unboxing and the transaction in a way that younger me would have considered frivolous.
so with that in mind I wanted to get an everyday carry that had more going for it than the Pilot disposable Varsity pens that I usually use.
So, on July 1st the Yafa Outlet sent out a one-day sale notice of free shipping with no minimum plus a bunch of sale items, so I bought a pretty generic Schmidt in white plastic with a M nib.
I knew I was not investing in a lifetime highlight experience at just under $30, but even so, what arrived strikes me as more of a just under $9 offering, not a $30 purchase.
The pen arrives in a black cardboard box that is as generic and cheap as can be -- nothing printed on it, nothing fitted about the tray, and containing nothing but the pen,
no paperwork, no extra anything, just a standard cartridge rattling inside the barrel.
First impression is that the pen is strangely lightweight. Balance is off, even with a long cartridge installed. Press-fit cap does not post securely.
Inkflow is on the wet end of the spectrum. Nothing notable to say about the nib feel.
It does look better in the pocket of a dress shirt than a Pilot Varsity.
It's difficult to talk about value-for-money when it comes to pens, just as with wine. Sure, a thing that costs a magnitude or two magnitudes more than another works and looks better but does it work or look ten times better?
In the case of this Yafa Outlet Schmidt fountain pen, I'm not seeing it, especially in comparison to comparable priced Kaweco or Monteverde items.
And I also want to 'fess up to having some sour grapes that I bought this white plastic pen right around when the new TWSBI Eco finally became available,
and I knew that it was coming over the horizon -- should have waited! The TWSBI Eco list price it about the same as the Schmidt special sale price, and the TWSBI comes with an interesting box, and some insert paperwork, and a tool. I guess I'm learning my lesson about resisting impulse purchases, and it's a lesson that didn't cost me a whole lot of money, but it has me being more thoughtful about how much I'm growing to care about the unboxing and the transaction in a way that younger me would have considered frivolous.