Vintage or New Fountain Pens

[ac12]

BOTH
I use whichever one I feel like using.
I try to have a mix of vintage and somewhat newer pens inked up.

However, when it comes to cleaning out the pen, a modern cartridge/converter pen wins hands down. That is the only one that I can use a bulb syringe on, to force clean the feed, with LOTS of water. And the cartridge or converter is easy to clean.

[catbert]

Curious what people prefer when they look to add another fountain pen. Do you prefer vintage (60's and later) or newer fountain pens? Do you prefer lever fillers or convertor filling systems?

There was a similar thread on FPN where post-1960 (c/c Parker 45) was modern.

I tend towards 'vintage' (1940s-1960s) pens with a 'modern' (sleek, unadorned) sensibility. An interesting nib is more important to me than an interesting filling system.

[tmenyc]

I generally favor vintage, but am starting to appreciate well-made, well-functioning modern pens. I learned on vintage and can now restore almost everything I see, and my collection of 50 is built on vintage. They are elegant, work incredibly well, are always reliable, and I get huge pleasure from using them. However, I'm learning that some modern pens also fit that bill. For, pens stopped being beautiful in the mid-60's until recently, my 1970 MB149 excepted. Now, I think the new Pilots and Sailors are elegant and handsome, and many of the plainer Italian pens, but that's it for me.

Tim

[Scrawler]

I have a preference for the appearance and feel of pens made during the 1920-1950 period. However I like C/C filler pens because they hold less ink and so I can change pens and ink more frequently. Recently my daughter let me use her 1983 MB 146 for a month and I really liked it, then I acquired a modern Edison pen which is just the finest thing I own. I always have a blue 1948 Esterbrook SJ with me, but have also taken to carrying a modern $5 Chinese pen. I would say that I am torn between the elegance of earlier pens, and the practicality of modern ones. There are some modern pens that just do not speak to me, for instance Lamy and Cross seem somehow clinical and devoid of character.

[HoLmeslice]

I currently have just two pens which qualify as vintage (a 40's Sheaffer Balance & a 50's Parker 51), but it is safe to say that they won't be the last of these types of pens that I own. I like them for their character & history, yet I like modern pens primarily for their accessibility.
Either way, I enjoy using both types as they allow me to add a bit of flair to the monotony of my day-to-day writing experience.


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[bjmoose]

I kinda like both, but tend to lean more towards the vintage side. I prefer the flexier nibs from the early 20th century. Love the Waterman #3 and the Eversharp Skyline and the Sheaffer PFM. Hoping someday for a Mabie Todd Swan with wet noodle....Although for daily use, I tend to go for more modern - right now I use a Franklin Christoph Pocket 66, a Jinhao 159 w/Goulet nib, or an Edison Glenmont

[myu]

Btw, on C/C vs. Piston, I think it also depends upon the brand.

LAMY did a remarkable job with the 27. I have a "fleet" of them. They are extremely easy to clean out. You simply unscrew the section and extract the nib+feed. You can clean all the parts really well. The piston head is made of a resilient plastic that is perfectly shaped to the cylinder so ink won't get past it. Still, if you do need to clean the piston, you can disassemble it without too much trouble. And the LAMY 2000 inherited these characteristics.

[ac12]

I kinda like both, but tend to lean more towards the vintage side. I prefer the flexier nibs from the early 20th century. Love the Waterman #3 and the Eversharp Skyline and the Sheaffer PFM. Hoping someday for a Mabie Todd Swan with wet noodle....Although for daily use, I tend to go for more modern - right now I use a Franklin Christoph Pocket 66, a Jinhao 159 w/Goulet nib, or an Edison Glenmont

Get a straight or oblique dip pen holder and a nice nib, like an Esterbrook 128.
I found it MUCH easier to write flex with an oblique dip pen holder than with a fountain pen.

[FredRydr]

This thread is six months old, but this seems a good place to put my question. What is a good website to learn about late 19th/early 20th century dip pen nibs, and their various types? I see little boxes of them for sale at antiques markets.

Fred

[Spoonage]

I'm still new to F.P. I have both modern (4) and vintage (1). I think its really what you like in terms of writing experience and aesthetics which will drive you in a direction.

[matteob]

In the case of Parker definitely vintage from the early days up to the pre Diamond Rubbermead takeover. I find the Diamond Rubbermead Parkers made in France to be inferior in quality to those made in North America and the Uk, in particular the lower priced pens. A good Parker 25 or 45 in brushed steel is a fabulous, light low cost daily pen still.

[Cob]

A couple of months ago I would have said "only vintage" by which I mean pre-1955. My favourite pens are Swans and Onotos, plus my Osmias, Croxleys and various Frankenpens.

However at the beginning of November I bought from a fellow London geek, a TWSBI 580 fitted with a stub nib. It is a delightful pen; I am very fond of it. I have tried numerous modern pens (clearly not enough!) and most them have nails for nibs and seem to be aimed at those who have used Biros all their lives.

And since I repair and restore fountain pens, buying vintage is the economical way to get a really high-quality item for a lot less (usually) than the modern equivalent. On the other hand when I came across the TWSBI, this was indeed a culture shock!

Cob

[matteob]

I have a TWSBI but the cheaper Eco with a medium nib. It is my daily use pen now so definitely a vote for new there. Also I carry a Jinhao x750 and that is a great workhorse too. Other lovely new pens I have are the Platinum Century 3376. However a vintage pen has a certain something. I don't pay a fortune but a Parker Victory say from the 40s with a 14k Newhaven nib: a lovely writer!

[ms8109]

I prefer Vintage, that is not working! that way i can over/haul the pen myself and get to know it better! Now there are some cases where i will spend the money to get a. new one, like i am wanting the Visconti SpeakEasy.........


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Best Regards,
Mike

[Zolt4n]

I am biased towards vintage pens, especially the era between 1920 and 1960. The materials pen manufacturers used on those pens are quite different from today's materials and there is nothing better than writing with let's say a Waterman 52 made of ebonite or a celluloid Montblanc. It feels so much better than today's plastic or metal pens.

[jar]

It's vintage AND new.

[KrazyIvan]

I have more modern pens but I have nothing against vintage.

[An old bloke]

I have both and I use both. That said, my vintage pens are my favourites because they, as artifacts of past events and people, appeal to the historian in me.