Reasonably priced pens.

[RocketRyan]

Just curious really, do any long term enthusiasts still collect reasonably priced pens from various manufacturers, or does everyone end up going high end or vintage?

[Scooby921]

What do you consider reasonably priced? It can be a variable range for everyone depending on income and fiscal responsibility.

[RocketRyan]

To be honest next step pens so £50- £200 so $60- $250. I'm a gas engineer not a footballer lol

[Kaputnik]

It would also be plausible ask what you mean by "long term" or "collect". Although the more pens one accumulates, the hollower it sounds to say "I'm a user, not a collector".

But I think that the more you have of what people call good starter pens, the harder it is to justify getting more. If you have a Pilot Prera, and a Lamy Safari, and a Kaweco Sport, and some sort of TWSBI, you can begin to get the idea that you're not going to get anything much better in that price range with modern pens. So you're tempted to move up a bit and start looking at the Pelikan M200 series, the Lamy 2000, the Pilot Custom pens, and so on. Or at least, I was.

And you can often get very interesting vintage pens for about the price of a modern "starter" pen. Of course, you have to make allowances for the likely cost of restoration, and whether you can do it yourself. But for me, this is more interesting that trying to find more bargain priced modern ones. And then, in the $100 to $200 range, you can find vintage pens that would cost much more if they were made today.

I gather that some people do like to get every new color of Lamy Safari that comes out, so that would be an example of people continuing to collect lower priced modern pens. It's not what I'm into myself. However, I do think I've about reached my price limit on new pens, which I'll just say is lower than it might be for others. It's likely that any further purchases I make will be vintage, and I'll be looking for bargains.

[EDIT] I'll add that of course, after getting your Safari, Prera, and Kaweco, it would make perfect sense to say that you have what you need to write with, and you're stopping there. But then you probably don't end up on web forums talking about the next step.

[RocketRyan]

I understand where you are coming from, I have myself picked up a couple of vintage pens out of curiosity. I do however like finding the "diamond in the rough " as it were, or maybe the best bang for your buck might be more apt.
I've always been similarly obsessed, once owning 6 cars all completely different to one another. ( still miss my v6 alfa ) I just wondered if it is just me. Don't get me wrong I'd love a visconti london fog, but the nerdyness of owning medium steel nibbed pens by 20 different manufacturers, and sitting comparing them for an afternoon appeals more.

[inklord]

After having owned and tried pens ranging in price from $10 to $500+ I found:
a) the best for me are not the most expensive
b) the best are best for me, and not necessarily the next person
c) I really like "super normal" designs (as outlined by Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukasawa) and finishes better than flashiness and extravagance
These three observations made me gravitate (back) to mid-level, highly functional pens like Lamy's 2000 and Studio, as well as the plainer offerings from Sailor, and the really plain p66 from Franklin Christoph: pens that excite by being terrific writers and have nothing to distract from that experience. Right now I'd rather have 10 L2k's or black p66's, each with a unique custom nib grind, than a flashier pen with yet another so-so nib...

[penwash]

I like a few high-end modern pens, but never could justify the price.

On the other hand my vintage pens are reasonably priced

[fountainpenkid]

In that price range, certainly. There are pens to be had at the high end of it which do everything a $600+ sort of pen will do in terms of performance.

[RocketRyan]

After having owned and tried pens ranging in price from $10 to $500+ I found:
a) the best for me are not the most expensive
b) the best are best for me, and not necessarily the next person
c) I really like "super normal" designs (as outlined by Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukasawa) and finishes better than flashiness and extravagance
These three observations made me gravitate (back) to mid-level, highly functional pens like Lamy's 2000 and Studio, as well as the plainer offerings from Sailor, and the really plain p66 from Franklin Christoph: pens that excite by being terrific writers and have nothing to distract from that experience. Right now I'd rather have 10 L2k's or black p66's, each with a unique custom nib grind, than a flashier pen with yet another so-so nib...

I know exactly what you mean.
I'm also quite curious about nib grinding, I'd quite like to buy a load of cheap pens (probably heroes) and just mess about with hacking the nibs about. I have done it with one that didn't write, it's now an italic/stub type nib writes like a dream. I think it was basically luck though.

[RocketRyan]

I like a few high-end modern pens, but never could justify the price.

On the other hand my vintage pens are reasonably priced

I like vintage but I would want to see them first rather than take a chance on eBay, but they seem a tad harder to find.
I've asked in a few antique shops, but so far been unlucky.

[View from the Loft]

I like vintage but I would want to see them first rather than take a chance on eBay, but they seem a tad harder to find.
I've asked in a few antique shops, but so far been unlucky.

If you can make the next London Geeks meet, there are usually some vintage pens for sale, along with inks looking for new homes.

[RocketRyan]

I hope I can, at the moment the wife and kids seem to be messing with my hobby time. lol

[inklord]

After having owned and tried pens ranging in price from $10 to $500+ I found:
a) the best for me are not the most expensive
b) the best are best for me, and not necessarily the next person
c) I really like "super normal" designs (as outlined by Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukasawa) and finishes better than flashiness and extravagance
These three observations made me gravitate (back) to mid-level, highly functional pens like Lamy's 2000 and Studio, as well as the plainer offerings from Sailor, and the really plain p66 from Franklin Christoph: pens that excite by being terrific writers and have nothing to distract from that experience. Right now I'd rather have 10 L2k's or black p66's, each with a unique custom nib grind, than a flashier pen with yet another so-so nib...

I know exactly what you mean.
I'm also quite curious about nib grinding, I'd quite like to buy a load of cheap pens (probably heroes) and just mess about with hacking the nibs about. I have done it with one that didn't write, it's now an italic/stub type nib writes like a dream. I think it was basically luck though.

...that's how it all starts - I did the same "hacking" with a Lamy steel nib once to learn how to go about nib grinding... good start!

[penwash]

I like a few high-end modern pens, but never could justify the price.

On the other hand my vintage pens are reasonably priced

I like vintage but I would want to see them first rather than take a chance on eBay, but they seem a tad harder to find.
I've asked in a few antique shops, but so far been unlucky.

Nice vintage pens are not hard to find, it's takes just a bit of asking around.

The thing to do with vintage pens is to find another collector, or go to a pen show. Also buy a vintage pen from restorers who are willing to talk with you prior to purchase as each pens has their own characteristics and quirks.

For instance this week I received from my sources two Conklin Toledo 2 nibs which look very similar. Both of them have nice long tines that you'd thought they flex the same way. Nope, one is easier to flex than the other, but the more rigid one produces very nice thin lines (also called hairlines). Go figure.

[Runnin_Ute]

I have 26 pens representing 18 models from 11 manufacturers........

My cost was $100 or less for all of them. Even the Pelikans.

My vintage pens (5 Esterbrooks and a Parker 51 Special) were all under $50 each.

[Scooby921]

To be honest next step pens so £50- £200 so $60- $250. I'm a gas engineer not a footballer lol

I think that range probably covers a lot, if not most collectors. Most true 'collectors' are the those looking to have one of every model of MB Meisterstuck, or every color and generation of Sheaffer Balance, or every color and generation of Esterbrook LJ, SJ, and J, or a green stripe Pelikan 400/M400 from every generation. Most of them are buying vintage pens, which means they are buying used pens. Unless they are after something rare and obscure you'll find that a lot of these pens fall into that price range. There are certainly those who collect Japanese pens and focus on the raden and maki-e variety, so they are spending a lot more on their collection. At the same time these pens are less common and readily available, so the collection is smaller. Both types of collector can spend $1000 on pens, but one is picking up 2 pens while the other is buying 8. In both cases that might be enough pens to complete whatever 'set' they were going for.

I suppose this means that over time you could have 100 different collectors spending exactly the same amount on their collections, but having vastly different numbers of pens in their collections.

[dneal]

After having owned and tried pens ranging in price from $10 to $500+ I found:
a) the best for me are not the most expensive
b) the best are best for me, and not necessarily the next person
c) I really like "super normal" designs (as outlined by Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukasawa) and finishes better than flashiness and extravagance
These three observations made me gravitate (back) to mid-level, highly functional pens like Lamy's 2000 and Studio, as well as the plainer offerings from Sailor, and the really plain p66 from Franklin Christoph: pens that excite by being terrific writers and have nothing to distract from that experience. Right now I'd rather have 10 L2k's or black p66's, each with a unique custom nib grind, than a flashier pen with yet another so-so nib...

I know exactly what you mean.
I'm also quite curious about nib grinding, I'd quite like to buy a load of cheap pens (probably heroes) and just mess about with hacking the nibs about. I have done it with one that didn't write, it's now an italic/stub type nib writes like a dream. I think it was basically luck though.

This Thread might be helpful...

[RocketRyan]

Indeed that is helpful

[brunico]

I've been using fountain pens since I was a schoolboy, and I got a "fancy" pen only relatively recently, a Sailor Sapporo with a custom grind. It's a great pen, and it scratched the itch for something a bit special, but everything else I have is Prera/Al-Star level. I use them all equally, and they all write perfectly. I've no desire to buy something more expensive.

[RocketRyan]

Would you say that the al-star is worth the extra over a safari? I have the vista, but all the others looked a bit kiddy to me.