How did you make the jump to "Expensive" pens?

[Kaputnik]

I haven't moved up to that range yet, and doubt that I will. It's not just a matter of money. Somebody else might spend $1000 for a single luxury pen and $50 each for a couple of everyday ones, and have spent less than I have in total. As I see it, it's a matter of whether you think that the price of an individual pen can be justified by what you get, not what the total value of your collection is. Others might not agree, and you have to decide for yourself where "too much for a pen" starts. It might be less than you can afford.

[bluesea]

I'm not so sure if I picked up a $1k pen, it would be about monetary value. I mean the money you pay for it has value, but a pen can bring other less measurable things to the table such as emotion.

[Dronak]

I'm not really at that level. My impression so far has been that I can get a very nice fountain pen for somewhere around say US$100 to US$300. I don't have all that much incentive (or the budget) to go for pens over $500 if I can get the kind of writing experience I want from less expensive pens. I do own one fountain pen with a retail value over $500, but that was a graduation gift from my parents. I know they got a good deal on it though, because they bought me a matching ballpoint. I wouldn't be surprised if they paid less than about $500 for both pens together.

[Wahl]

Collecting vintage pens makes you take that jump very easily.

[rpsyed]

I'm not so sure if I picked up a $1k pen, it would be about monetary value. I mean the money you pay for it has value, but a pen can bring other less measurable things to the table such as emotion.

I think you're exactly right. At those price points, "value" becomes almost meaningless. All my more expensive pens have been handmade "off-the-shelf", like Nakaya, Danitrio, or Eboya, or customs, also handmade, from Alvaro Romillo and Shawn Newton. To me, they are works of functional art.

You certainly do not need to spend $1,000 for a good writing experience. At that point, it's about what the pen does for you aesthetically.

[gbryal]

I think I would make the jump to expensive pens if:
- I found oil in my backyard.
- I found I was actually the scion of a wealthy family and they willed me some extraordinary amount of money (I'd get pens for my working class parents too in recompense.).
- I figured out some way, through stocks or bonds or buying railroads or some other capitalist scheme to make money by not working, to the point that the amount I today consider my salary was now considered a laughable sum I could spend on pens, a tip for a doorman or valet, or a manservant who undervalues himself.
- I become a fortune 500 CEO. This is probably the most possible. I place my chances at about 1 in 500 million. They still have to sort of work for a living, so can't spend their money on just ANYTHING, but since I am not into cars I might then have enough for an unobtanium alloy Krone pen made with the toenail of Henry the VIIIth and the footfall of a cat.

When I see people with multiple watches and pens that each exceed my yearly salary, I know I am doing something seriously wrong with my life. I know the key is something to do with creating wealth instead of making a wage, controlling the means of production, maybe getting myself on the social register, but it all makes my head swim and I buy another Esterbrook.

No knock on people fitting the above profiles. I am extraordinarily happy that they are around to help keep lower end pens affordable, and share photos and stories about pens I have as much chance to own as say, a small country, or the moon.

For collectors, I guess you have to pay whatever it takes to complete your collection and maybe sell duplicates you found on the side to fund it. For me, it's always about the writing, and in the $1-$400 range I haven't seen any evidence that there is some amount of money that will ensure a better experience (though it may increase the odds a bit until you hit about $30).

Maybe more seriously, I might make the jump in the process of selling off a lot of low/mid range pens in order to buy one that could replace them all, but that'd have to be interesting in a number of different ways. There is this deeply ingrained idea people have of buy quality, buy once, that maybe once was even possible based solely on a brand's reputation. But today quality is all over the place and a brand can't rest on its laurels and expect that to work.

[Kaputnik]

I'm not so sure if I picked up a $1k pen, it would be about monetary value. I mean the money you pay for it has value, but a pen can bring other less measurable things to the table such as emotion.

I'm not so sure if I picked up a $1k pen, it would be about monetary value. I mean the money you pay for it has value, but a pen can bring other less measurable things to the table such as emotion.

I think you're exactly right. At those price points, "value" becomes almost meaningless. All my more expensive pens have been handmade "off-the-shelf", like Nakaya, Danitrio, or Eboya, or customs, also handmade, from Alvaro Romillo and Shawn Newton. To me, they are works of functional art.

You certainly do not need to spend $1,000 for a good writing experience. At that point, it's about what the pen does for you aesthetically.

Well, certainly. But it still comes down to whether it is worth it to you to pay a particular amount for an esthetic experience not accompanied by an increase in functionality. For myself, at a level considerably below the $500 mentioned by the OP, the answer becomes a no. For others, it may well be yes.

[Miss Fountain Pen]

I'm with rpsyed. Functional art and all that. On a purely utilitarian level, I can get everything I want for less than $200. (It does help that I'm not into oversized pens.) My "expensive" pens are all hand-made. I do consider them to be works of (functional) art, and this is the reason I bought them. That's not to say that they don't write well: they certainly do, and I wouldn't have bought them if I hadn't expected them to. But my point is that they don't write better than some of my much cheaper (and yet excellent) pens, and I don't expect them to.

ETA: I completely understand that others might not find the purely aesthetic component of a pen to be worth that much. I am quite utilitarian about most of my possessions, but for some reason that even I don't quite understand, pens are my one big exception to the rule.

[rpsyed]

Well, certainly. But it still comes down to whether it is worth it to you to pay a particular amount for an esthetic experience not accompanied by an increase in functionality. For myself, at a level considerably below the $500 mentioned by the OP, the answer becomes a no. For others, it may well be yes.

That's definitely fair enough. It's certainly a personal decision.

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

I honestly could not get there. I actually saved the money for a Nakaya. That money is still there. I spent some, but I added more. I still want the Nakaya. Right now, I also really want a Visconti Homo Sapiens. It's great knowing I can if I want.

I am tempted, but it occurs that two pens would put me just over $1000 (and I'm not there in that savings category yet). That puts it into perspective for me.

So, to answer the question, what tempts me are workmanship, materials, and that both are extremely attractive pens.

[Miss Fountain Pen]

I honestly could not get there. I actually saved the money for a Nakaya. That money is still there. I spent some, but I added more. I still want the Nakaya. Right now, I also really want a Visconti Homo Sapiens. It's great knowing I can if I want.

I am tempted, but it occurs that two pens would put me just over $1000 (and I'm not there in that savings category yet). That puts it into perspective for me.

So, to answer the question, what tempts me are workmanship, materials, and that both are extremely attractive pens.

One question to ask yourself is whether these expensive pens are so expensive that you'd be scared to use them. Unless you're a collector, there's no sense in buying pens that you won't use, even if you can technically afford them. And even if you'll use the pen, if the thought of the money that you paid for it will significantly diminish your enjoyment of the pen, then don't pull the trigger. Not worth it.

With that said, I love my Nakayas, so if you ever do buy a pen in that price range, Nakaya could be a great choice. But, not if you won't use/enjoy it due to having shelled out "too much" money for it.

[SeminarianMike]

One thing I have found: my expensive pens... I don't use much... I'm scarred to hurt them. I will keep one or two for special occasions but I plan on unloading a few after I finish promised reviews. For me expensive pens just aren't the thing.. Anything about 300$ I will always be paranoid about

[jar]

One thing I have found: my expensive pens... I don't use much... I'm scarred to hurt them. I will keep one or two for special occasions but I plan on unloading a few after I finish promised reviews. For me expensive pens just aren't the thing.. Anything about 300$ I will always be paranoid about

Always is pretty strong.

Consider other things. Computers, some cell phones, stuff we use that costs far more than most, even expensive, pens. I still drive my car even though there is a far higher likelihood of breaking it than breaking a pen.

[I like mango pudding]

I wouldn't be scared to use them at all. In fact I use my 149 as a daily user at work. I think I actually left it on my desk. It rolled off onto the floor the other day.

I have a high end watch as my daily user as well, and that's several thousand dollars. Don't be afraid to use your pens or watches.

And the phone thing.. Good analogy. Iphone 6 prices are more expensive than most pens. Look what we do to those. It's all relative.

[ppmiranda]

Once I was chatting with two coworkers (both managers, one hierarchically below the other) and one was telling us about his new boat. At some point the other manager asked about the costs to maintain a boat, to which the first one replied: "if you're worried about these costs, then you should not buy a boat. Not yet".

I believe the same applies to pens (and everything else actually). If you're worried about spending that much on a single pen, or damaging it while using it, or paying for its maintenance, then you should not buy this particular pen. Not yet. In the other hand, if none of it concerns you, the "jump" is more like a seamless transition.

Having said that, I don't have any pen that costs more that 500 dollars, but I remember passing the $50 price point, then $100 and $150 after that. So far, seamless transition.

[SeminarianMike]

I wouldn't be scared to use them at all. In fact I use my 149 as a daily user at work. I think I actually left it on my desk. It rolled off onto the floor the other day.

I have a high end watch as my daily user as well, and that's several thousand dollars. Don't be afraid to use your pens or watches.

And the phone thing.. Good analogy. Iphone 6 prices are more expensive than most pens. Look what we do to those. It's all relative.

Here's the weird thing. I'll wear my GMT everyday. My vacheron and beyond. I never give it another thought. But my pelikan m805 or my 149 I struggle with using those. I don't get it! Lol I guess I'm just weird

[Miss Fountain Pen]

Here's the weird thing. I'll wear my GMT everyday. My vacheron and beyond. I never give it another thought. But my pelikan m805 or my 149 I struggle with using those. I don't get it! Lol I guess I'm just weird

For some perspective...

Scenario 1: You regularly use the pens, probably for a long time, and then (horror!!) one of them flies out of your hand, lands on a hard surface nib-first, and is now unusable. You either need to give up on the pen or pay to have the nib repaired/replaced, with all the hassle that this entails.

Scenario 2: You hardly ever use the pens.

In the long run, which scenario bothers you more?

Another thought, concerning the Pelikan in particular. Your m805 uses swappable nibs. If scenario 1 came to pass with your m805, you'd just need to order a new nib. I just checked the Writing Desk, and they sell m800/m805 nibs for £169.00 (about $245). Since the nib is by far the most fragile part of the pen, you're really risking just $245 (plus shipping), and not the full price of the pen. And you can probably get a better deal on Amazon (though Amazon obviously won't inspect your nib to see if it writes properly...).

[SaoDavi]

I wouldn't be scared to use them at all. In fact I use my 149 as a daily user at work. I think I actually left it on my desk. It rolled off onto the floor the other day.

I have a high end watch as my daily user as well, and that's several thousand dollars. Don't be afraid to use your pens or watches.

And the phone thing.. Good analogy. Iphone 6 prices are more expensive than most pens. Look what we do to those. It's all relative.

Here's the weird thing. I'll wear my GMT everyday. My vacheron and beyond. I never give it another thought. But my pelikan m805 or my 149 I struggle with using those. I don't get it! Lol I guess I'm just weird

Same thing here. I wear a couple of Omega watches as daily wearers. I also drive a reasonably nice mid-range luxury car. They all get scuffed and scratched as one might expect.

However, I have some nice LE pocket knives ($300-$500) and they rarely leave the safe. I don't have any expensive pens (yet) but I suspect they'll also get little use.

I think it might be because with cars and watches and most anything else, you really are getting better products as you move up market (to a point). Then, there comes a point, above which, there is no improvement in the product or it's usage; or the improvement is so miniscule as to be pointless. Once I get beyond that point, I'm reticent to use the item. I think fountain pens hit that point at about $500.

Personally, I'm still trying to imagine in what ways any pen could perform better than my Lamy 2000 or my Pilot PCH 92.

[sweetnightingale]

I probably wouldn't have purchased an expensive pen but my wife bought a M1000; fabulous pen in my estimation. I was hooked and bought one. Since then, I have bought $20 pens and other +$500 pens when they appeared have value to me. I enjoy all of them. If it is comfortable to you and you can afford it; go for it.

Like Hawk said, I bought a Pelikan M1000 almost 2 years ago. I saw it in a video and my eyes nearly popped out of my head! I did some research on it, read reviews, and watched more videos. I knew it was quite an investment and wanted to be sure it was really going to be worth it. It was far more expensive than the other pens I had in my (then) small collection. Anyway, I bought it and absolutely loved it. It's a fabulous pen and I don't regret the purchase one bit. Since then, I'd gotten some other high end Pelikans as well as a couple of Omas's. The next higher end pen I have my beady eye on is the Visconti Homo Sapiens.

[sweetnightingale]

Collecting vintage pens makes you take that jump very easily.

I quite agree! Those vintage pens can get up there in price in a hurry.