Best daily fountain pen?

[techjunkie25]

Looking for a good, solid fountain pen for day to day usage.
Already own twsbi diamond 580 with F nib, Jinhao x750 with Goulet #5 nib, and a montblanc meisterstuck ballpoint.

Was considering the pilot custom 74, or pilot vanishing point

Any suggestions ?




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[kkinderen]

Vanishing Point fan here. Have one with another on the way. I like the way it seals up the nib with a click. Also, being able to swap out nib units, ink and all, is kind of nice. I'll have two VPs and three nib units (stub, med, fine). It doesn't hold a whole lot of ink unless I'm loading it wrong. It seems to hold quite a bit less than a typical cartridge.

[techjunkie25]

Vanishing Point fan here. Have one with another on the way. I like the way it seals up the nib with a click. Also, being able to swap out nib units, ink and all, is kind of nice. I'll have two VPs and three nib units (stub, med, fine). It doesn't hold a whole lot of ink unless I'm loading it wrong. It seems to hold quite a bit less than a typical cartridge.

Does the clip get in the way when you write? It looks a bit awkward with the clip by the nib


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[ambimom]

You've already got a few good ones, but here're some other suggestions: Faber Castell Loom; Retro 51 Tornado; Platinum 3776 Century; Pelikan M200; and anything from Fountain Pen Revolution collections depending on your preferred features.

[FredRydr]

Looking for a good, solid fountain pen for day to day usage...Any suggestions ?

One pen and no budget? I own vintage and modern, inexpensive and dear, and the most "solid" fountain pen I've ever owned is my Conid. Mind you, new Conids are not cheap. I snagged my Minimalistica from its original owner through FPGeeks's classified, and that's when I discovered how good they are. It is one of only a few of my pens always inked and ready to go.

Fred

[techjunkie25]

Looking for a good, solid fountain pen for day to day usage...Any suggestions ?

One pen and no budget? I own vintage and modern, inexpensive and dear, and the most "solid" fountain pen I've ever owned is my Conid. Mind you, new Conids are not cheap. I snagged my Minimalistica from its original owner through FPGeeks's classified, and that's when I discovered how good they are. It is one of only a few of my pens always inked and ready to go.

Fred

How about a max of $200.00 usd


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[fountainpenkid]

Vanishing Point fan here. Have one with another on the way. I like the way it seals up the nib with a click. Also, being able to swap out nib units, ink and all, is kind of nice. I'll have two VPs and three nib units (stub, med, fine). It doesn't hold a whole lot of ink unless I'm loading it wrong. It seems to hold quite a bit less than a typical cartridge.

Does the clip get in the way when you write? It looks a bit awkward with the clip by the nib


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From my limited experience using the pen, it depends entirely on the particulars of your grip and writing style. As someone who likes to hold his pens at the mid-section distance of a Pelikan 400, I found it uncomfortable. But you may not.
The Pilot Custom 74 (or 92) are both excellent options. Of course the Lamy 2000 is as well, as long as you can get over tabs and the ink that will unfailingly get on the metal section.
If you can handle a midsize pen, I can't help but recommend, as I often do, a Pelikan 400 for its seemingly unrivaled blend of expressive capability, reliability, performance, ease of maintenance, and affordability. If you prize a perfectly-engineered capping experience as well, there's nothing like a Parker "51" (aerometric).

More specificity always helps!

[techjunkie25]

Vanishing Point fan here. Have one with another on the way. I like the way it seals up the nib with a click. Also, being able to swap out nib units, ink and all, is kind of nice. I'll have two VPs and three nib units (stub, med, fine). It doesn't hold a whole lot of ink unless I'm loading it wrong. It seems to hold quite a bit less than a typical cartridge.

Does the clip get in the way when you write? It looks a bit awkward with the clip by the nib


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

From my limited experience using the pen, it depends entirely on the particulars of your grip and writing style. As someone who likes to hold his pens at the mid-section distance of a Pelikan 400, I found it uncomfortable. But you may not.
The Pilot Custom 74 (or 92) are both excellent options. Of course the Lamy 2000 is as well, as long as you can get over tabs and the ink that will unfailingly get on the metal section.
If you can handle a midsize pen, I can't help but recommend, as I often do, a Pelikan 400 for its seemingly unrivaled blend of expressive capability, reliability, performance, ease of maintenance, and affordability. If you prize a perfectly-engineered capping experience as well, there's nothing like a Parker "51" (aerometric).

More specificity always helps!

I’ve been strongly considering a restored Parker 51 aero...even considering shellacking In the new pli glass sac myself.

Your thoughts?


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[although]

+1 on the Pilot vanishing point. They are just great reliable quick draw fountain pens with gold nibs as a bonus.

That being said, a Sheaffer snorkel with a 14k triumph nib is also a pretty darn good daily writer, and it carries a lot of cool factor...

[fountainpenkid]

Vanishing Point fan here. Have one with another on the way. I like the way it seals up the nib with a click. Also, being able to swap out nib units, ink and all, is kind of nice. I'll have two VPs and three nib units (stub, med, fine). It doesn't hold a whole lot of ink unless I'm loading it wrong. It seems to hold quite a bit less than a typical cartridge.

Does the clip get in the way when you write? It looks a bit awkward with the clip by the nib


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

From my limited experience using the pen, it depends entirely on the particulars of your grip and writing style. As someone who likes to hold his pens at the mid-section distance of a Pelikan 400, I found it uncomfortable. But you may not.
The Pilot Custom 74 (or 92) are both excellent options. Of course the Lamy 2000 is as well, as long as you can get over tabs and the ink that will unfailingly get on the metal section.
If you can handle a midsize pen, I can't help but recommend, as I often do, a Pelikan 400 for its seemingly unrivaled blend of expressive capability, reliability, performance, ease of maintenance, and affordability. If you prize a perfectly-engineered capping experience as well, there's nothing like a Parker "51" (aerometric).

More specificity always helps!

I’ve been strongly considering a restored Parker 51 aero...even considering shellacking In the new pli glass sac myself.

Your thoughts?


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When well-restored or in original condition they're great. The original sacs often are are revivable with a good soak and flushing. You could certainly attempt to restore it yourself as long as you have the proper equipment and are willing to take some risk. But more likely than not a decent condition eBay find will only need a good flush. With your budget, you might as well buy from a reputable dealer though. Check David Nishimura's site, vintagepens.com, Peyton Street Pens, Five Star Pens, the Fountain Pen Recycler, Gary Lehrer's gopens.com...I'm forgetting many but those should give you a start.

[SIR]

+1 for both Lamy 2000 and Platinum Century #3776;
Get the Lamy if you like a solid piston filling pen with firm and broad nibs, get a Platinum if you like a cartridge/convertor fill with a soft-fine nib.

Then again... vintage Montblancs with Kugel nibs are very satisfying and well suited for dedicated daily duties.

[Paddler]

Esterbrook "J" series pens. Small hands? SJ. Large hands with thin fingers? LJ. Medium size hands? plain J. There are many types of nibs available and the nib units (nib and feed together) screw into the section. Many pen colors available. They are hell for strong. They cost about $50 reconditioned. Flea market price is about $10 and you replace the sac. I have carried the same one in my shirt pocket for probably 20 years. I only keep a dozen of them for their different colors.

[Kaputnik]

If you're already considering the Custom 74, I can confirm that it's a good, reliable pen. Mine doesn't get used that often because it has a broad nib, but with a fine or a medium, I would probably use it more. Make sure you get the CON-70 converter.

If you're looking at the Vanishing Point, consider the Capless Decimo instead, which is comfortably slimmer. At least, it's comfortable for me. You won't be sure until you try it whether the clip at the "wrong end" is going to bother you or not. That's why I mention the Decimo; to me, the clip seems less intrusive.

The closest I have to a personal favorite daily writer is a Pilot Custom Heritage 92 with a FM (fine medium) nib. But I always have other pens inked, too.

[naimitsu]

So my most reliable pens have been my Montblanc Brahms and my Visconti Voyager (gold nib).
Both of these tend to sit for weeks (months?) on end without being used, and as soon as I do, they write flawlessly... though with the Voyager, I sometimes need to fill the forechamber with ink before it will write without skipping.

However, I tend to reach for my Vanishing Points more often than any other pen.
I've only had hard starts when it's close to or actually empty.
The only main annoyance with it for me is the trap door. If you're not super finicky about cleaning, it will cross contaminate your inks in the pen.
Also, I tend to pull them because their EF is basically a needlepoint, which is my preferred nib width.
At the beginning, I did think the clip would be funky to grip with, but it turned out to be a good thing. It corrected the way I hold pens, though I still do tend to hold it more vertically than most pens nibs like.
The only other point I can add is that depending on your preference, the Decimo might be a better fit than the regular VPs. I didn't think I would like the thinner barrel, but for extended writing sessions, it seemed to cause less hand fatigue for me.

[Quantum Sailor]

Lately I've been alternating between the opus 88 from jet pens, some Karas Kustoms pens, and a TWSBI vac mini. I'm really enjoying the opus 88 though. It holds a ton of ink and writes really nicely.

[suzy01]

I only have one but I've been working with it daily since January and it seems to be holding up well to daily use (mostly sketching) Twsbi 700vac extra fine. I'm getting better at changing the ink without being covered in it too which is a bonus.

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[kia]

Chiming in for the vanishing point. It was my workhorse for several years before I had to retire, and it still is. Although the converters don't hold a lot of ink, the proprietary ink cartridges do hold a fair amount, and they are easy to refill. Nib units are easy to clean and swap out, too, but I'm one of those that likes to have the different colors of the pens, too, instead of just saving $70 by buying a new nib unit instead.

[nightvisitor]

Vanishing Point fan here. Have one with another on the way. I like the way it seals up the nib with a click. Also, being able to swap out nib units, ink and all, is kind of nice. I'll have two VPs and three nib units (stub, med, fine). It doesn't hold a whole lot of ink unless I'm loading it wrong. It seems to hold quite a bit less than a typical cartridge.

That sounds like the perfect pen, but I would use cartridges on the go. I usually have mine on my desk, the hand goes to it intuitively, I have not seen a good nib to go with it. I am on my 3rd nib now looking for the perfect fit on this Pilot VP, wish I could Find a 1.1 mm or 1.4 mm or even BB that I could send to be modified. Wouldn’t it be great ? Of course, I may not know it and they ARE available. Just asking as someone who doesn’t know much and would like a perfect solution for this pen. If that is not used, I usually go for a snap type of pen, which are easier to cap/uncap or a TWSBI mini, which I find more useable, even as I have to turn the cap on top to use it. Complex logistics.


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[titrisol]

whichever your hands feel comfortable with!
Give pens a try, and find one you really feel comfortable with and that you feel it is your work-horse.

in my case I use fountain pens to take notes at work, and finding a pen that fits in my hand and that i can keep writing with for more than 45 minutes is what matters
I have found that price is inmaterial A $1500 pen may really feel uncomfortable compared to a $30 pen

[welch]

Parker 51 aerometric. The P-51 was made to be used every day, back when people owned one fountain pen (maybe a second as back-up) and used it.

Get one from a pen restoration expert, someone who will have tuned the nib and will know what sort of nib they tuned. Also will have checked a few bits inside. The sac in the aero does not wear out; might be cut or punctured, but the aero filing system seems to last forever.