What is your costliest FP disappointment ?

[jar]

I suppose I could count the Franklin-Christoph pens I bought that use magnetic closure cap systems as a disappointment though hardly costly or a very large disappointment. I thought I'd give the concept a fair try even though it seemed butt silly from the gitgo. They are still okay pens and will likely appeal to someone else but just seem like a poor solution for a non-existent problem.

How does the magnetic closure system work ?

Magnet on body and cap with opposing polarity I imagine.

[Laurie]

It has been some time since I have used one of my fountain pens. I used my Waterman Hemisphere with the gold nib addition. Writes great but problem is that it a very short pen and posting is very poor. The cap doesnt want to sit securely and comes loose. Gladly trade it at this moment. So next I dragged out my Faber emotion. Again great writing experience but unable to post the cap and it is a relatively short pen. Again not so sure i would use it as my fall back pen. Next and last I inked up my Platinum Century 3776 Blue pen with a broad nib. Wow. Posts beautifully and just glides across the paper. My experience with expensive pens is not great but it would have to be a very good pen to exceed my experience with this pen (BTW inked with my J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche. So intoxicating)

[DaveBj]

By no means expensive, but a Chinese Cross that I bought on sale for $20 at OfficeMax simply would not write more than a few words. I've thrown away only two FPs, but this was one of them (the other was one of those $3 Zebras -- what a joke!). I haven't bought any high-end pens, but I've been pretty lucky with what I have bought.

[Sailor Kenshin]

By no means expensive, but a Chinese Cross that I bought on sale for $20 at OfficeMax simply would not write more than a few words. I've thrown away only two FPs, but this was one of them (the other was one of those $3 Zebras -- what a joke!). I haven't bought any high-end pens, but I've been pretty lucky with what I have bought.

I haz a sad...

[Scrawler]

Mont Blanc 149. 1980's vintage. . M nib. I was so bored as soon as I started writing with this pen. It's beautifully made and in immaculate condition, but the nib is just so uninteresting. I will be selling this asap as it was £400. I think I will look for a Waterman vintage flex with the money.

How flexi are you looking for? Do you have any model in mind? Would you consider an exchange?

[Sailor Kenshin]

Again...not terribly costly, but not cheap either...Platinum 3776 Bourgogne, M. Everything works as it should. It's one of my prettiest pens and I knew I had to have one the moment I saw it...but I just can't seem to write well with it, and I don't know why.

[junlon]

Got a Pelikan M250 recently and it skips very bad - but my Pelikan M200 writes very well.

[Aleks]

mine was an OMAS 360... that nib was a painful nightmare... it seems like newer OMAS have better nibs tho

[Freddie]

None..nada..zip..naught..nothin'..zero..nil.....

Fred
.....Admittedly the story you are about to read is bizarre...incredible
those of you who wish to avoid being unsettled who wish to avoid
thinking will label it insane and though you the reader would find
these facts almost impossible to substantiate that does not change
their nature facts they are I know I saw them happen................

~ Carl Kolchak ~

[Susan3141]

I just wrote an article for PenAddict about several of my bad purchases, some not too expensive, most VERY expensive. I think the most disappointing has to be the MB 146 that I thought was a true 1950s 146 celluloid. The seller said that the rings were "slightly bent" and the pen was priced accordingly (but it was, as I discovered, way over-priced). The rings weren't slightly bent. They were a disaster (pictures in the link). Superglued on and mangled. Plus, I later found out that the nib was from the 1980s. I put too much money in that pen, and I hate the nib.

Here's the link to my remorse article: http://www.penaddict.com/blog/2015/8...in-pens-online

[Special K]

That would have to be the Porsche solid. 3135 this gorgeous looking pen won't write a word. Secondly is the Visconti Pininfarina Carbon graphite. This pen dries out over night. The nib is among the smoothest I've used. It just dries too fast. Both pens have been sent back. Maybe they'll make them live up to their price.

[Crazyorange]

I just wrote an article for PenAddict about several of my bad purchases, some not too expensive, most VERY expensive. I think the most disappointing has to be the MB 146 that I thought was a true 1950s 146 celluloid. The seller said that the rings were "slightly bent" and the pen was priced accordingly (but it was, as I discovered, way over-priced). The rings weren't slightly bent. They were a disaster (pictures in the link). Superglued on and mangled. Plus, I later found out that the nib was from the 1980s. I put too much money in that pen, and I hate the nib.

Here's the link to my remorse article: http://www.penaddict.com/blog/2015/8...in-pens-online

Great article. Thanks for being honest. I thought it was just me....getting hosed by eBay sellers. It feels good to know I'm not alone.

[Kaputnik]

I just wrote an article for PenAddict about several of my bad purchases, some not too expensive, most VERY expensive...Here's the link to my remorse article: http://www.penaddict.com/blog/2015/8...in-pens-online

Definitely some things there that many of us can relate to, whether we buy pens in that price range or not. My one FPN classifieds purchase did involve a seller understating the pen's defects. And it took a long time to straighten out an issue with an eBay seller who was probably as much incompetent as he was deliberately deceptive. In the end, when I finally had all my money back including shipping costs I generously left him neutral feedback, only to get an angry message that I was being "nastie" (sic). He was right to object; I could not possibly recommend anyone to do business with him and should have left a negative.

[Laura N]

Well, I was egregiously cheated by a buyer here on FPG. So it goes both ways. If someone values their integrity at less than $100, and thinks it's okay to lie to and cheat other people, there's not much they won't do on either side of a transaction.

I think that's a people issue more than a pen issue. If that makes sense.

[lowks]

Sometimes I think the way a seller and a buyer perceives a pen condition is in the crux of the matter. Eg, "user grade" and "pristine" could carry different meaning to different FP users.

[FredRydr]

A Montblanc WE Fitzgerald, the only limited edition MB I ever bought new. It was pretty, especially the deco clip. Alas, it's weight was a turn-off, and the cap was a lead weight. Runner up was a new Visconti Wall Street LE, with its overly complex filling system that was impossible to flush well, and again, it was ridiculously weighted. A truncheon!

They were both purchased early in my fountain pen collecting experience. Live and learn.

Fred

[Scrawler]

A Montblanc WE Fitzgerald, the only limited edition MB I ever bought new. It was pretty, especially the deco clip. Alas, it's weight was a turn-off, and the cap was a lead weight. Runner up was a new Visconti Wall Street LE, with its overly complex filling system that was impossible to flush well, and again, it was ridiculously weighted. A truncheon!

They were both purchased early in my fountain pen collecting experience. Live and learn.

Fred

My only exposure to the Visconti Wall St was when a friend needed his pens cleaning. I found that it was almost impossible to flush completely without removing the nib. You almost get the impression they did not assume that people would want to change inks.

[Waltman]

A Montblanc WE Fitzgerald, the only limited edition MB I ever bought new. It was pretty, especially the deco clip. Alas, it's weight was a turn-off, and the cap was a lead weight. Runner up was a new Visconti Wall Street LE, with its overly complex filling system that was impossible to flush well, and again, it was ridiculously weighted. A truncheon!

They were both purchased early in my fountain pen collecting experience. Live and learn.

Fred

My only exposure to the Visconti Wall St was when a friend needed his pens cleaning. I found that it was almost impossible to flush completely without removing the nib. You almost get the impression they did not assume that people would want to change inks.

I have a Wall Street LE and it is a pain to flush w/o removing the nib. I rolled up my sleeves and, after soaking in warm water and a struggle (with colorful language), I finally finessed the nib off of the pen. Once the nib is removed, it is easy to clean with a syringe bulb and Q-tips. A thin layer of silicone grease will hopefully facilitate removal at a later time.

[pajaro]

A Montblanc 146 seemed to be a great disappointment after I got it, because it skipped pretty regularly. I set it aside for a long time. Then recently I sent it to The Write Pen and it came back perfect. So, you should keep the faith and not lose heart.

There are a lot of complaints about Pelikan M1000 pens in this thread. I have had two, and both were exciting (O3B nib) and perfectly fine writing (Fine nib).

What disappoints me in some pens now is when they won't start a day after filling or when they skip or otherwise miswrite. I find this kind of thing more with modern day pens than with pens of the 1960s and before, but a few modern day pens are perfect, the rest disappointing.

[Special K]

That would have to be the Porsche solid. 3135 this gorgeous looking pen won't write a word. Secondly is the Visconti Pininfarina Carbon graphite. This pen dries out over night. The nib is among the smoothest I've used. It just dries too fast. Both pens have been sent back. Maybe they'll make them live up to their price.

Someone mentioned, about hopefully avoiding having warranty work done on a Visconti. Is that simply because they are in Italy or they are a nightmare to deal with or all of the above? Also, is it the same with Pelikan? Thanx