My growing collection

[gbryal]

Mostly inexpensive pens at this point, but I'm having fun with them.

11989

In this group shot, you will see:

L-R: Top
Wing Sung 233, Nemosine Singularity, Camlin retracting pen, Jinhao x450, Nemosine Fission, Esterbrook J, Esterbrook J Transitional, Esterbrook SJ, Cross Aventura, Hero 359, Jinhao 599, Lamy Safari, Lamy Al-Star, Baoer 388, Pilot Metropolitan (Dots), Wearever (not sure which one). Ranga Ebonite

L-R: Bottom
JML (As Seen on TV!), Lamy Nexx, Ranga 4cs Acrylic (Peyton Pens with Imperial nib), Edison "Hudson", YAFA Scenario, Knox Galileo, Knox Galileo, Waterman Kultur, Waterman Ideal 94 (sans clip), Jinhao 159, Jinhao X750, Fude nib pen: probably a Jinhao, Buelow Kurve

And a Pilot Varsity insisted on posing too.

[Cob]

Quite a selection you have there - glad to hear that you are having fun. The Watermans is very pretty indeed; you are fortunate!


Enjoy them and best of luck,

Cob

[StacyBean]

Enjoy and use them in good health! I get a great deal of pleasure from using my less expensive pens as well as the flagship ones. Through collecting different brands of pens with various nibs and filling systems I learned what works for me. Currently I am enchanted with large piston fillers with broader nibs. I learned a lot from taking apart and reassembling the Noodler's Ahab and the TWSBI 540.
All best,
Stacy

[Jeph]

That is a nice start. The beauty of the less expensive pens, other than the fact that they can easily write just as well as big money bling pens, is that it enables you to try different things to see what you like. And it also allows you to actually carry and USE the pens, unlike some that I have that are effectively vaulted. I picked up one my old 60's Sheaffer school pen ($5) last night and it made me smile. If I had to pick a favorite from that group based on appearance it would be the Ranga I think, followed by the red estie. It must be a red day for me today.

So here is the big question: In some horrid circumstance where you could only keep one of those pens and not get any more, which one would you keep?

[ChrisC]

Another nice tip: The vintage pens that Rick Krantz lists are great deals. $30ish can net you a solid, quality, restored lever filler with a 14k nib, often springy and wet, better writers than many pens 10x the price. Never skip. I have experienced 2 or 3 so far, and all have been wonderful writers.

[gbryal]

So here is the big question: In some horrid circumstance where you could only keep one of those pens and not get any more, which one would you keep?

Wow, that'd be horrible. But I'd take the Waterman 94, because it was my Grandma's, and because I like how it writes. The gold nib is springy and it makes me write in uneven thickness, so that everything I write looks like it was said by Delirium from Sandman.

There isn't really a stinker in the bunch though, except the JML one, which is advertised for being able to write after you throw it at a dartboard and shove it through a soda can. I think they must have used mine in the tests. It does write ok, but it's a hard starter and tends to dry up. Several were misaligned but once fixed up wrote as well as any of them.

[Cob]

[QUOTE=Jeph;82491]
Snip: There isn't really a stinker in the bunch though, except the JML one, which is advertised for being able to write after you throw it at a dartboard and shove it through a soda can. I think they must have used mine in the tests. Snip

That's very funny!

Cob