Holy Grail of Fountain Pens

[VertOlive]

Okay. Threads of this nature always get crazy so:



My other Grail Pen--Danitrio Chinkin Seiryu (Clear Stream) Fountain Pen on Densho

[AzJon]

Perhaps a "White Whale" is a more apt description as that seems more in line with the obsessive searching (and periodic availability) of most "Grails" out there.

Mine:

are you sure your grail isn't this super neat Golden Queen? https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread...een-pocket-pen

[penwash]

Perhaps a "White Whale" is a more apt description as that seems more in line with the obsessive searching (and periodic availability) of most "Grails" out there.

Mine:

are you sure your grail isn't this super neat Golden Queen? https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread...een-pocket-pen

Quite nifty! You should keep it

[Jon Szanto]

People so often (especially young people) make the grail concept all about the money. I see kids on reddit calling a $60.00 TWSBI pen a grail pen simply because they don't happen to have the money in their pocket at the moment. I get that we are all in different financial situations, at differing times of life and all that.

But it isn't (primarily) about the money. Because if you have the money and you can just dial up that pen, it's hardly something that is hard, if not impossible, to attain or achieve.

So, yeah, I take a pretty hardline approach to what someone would consider a grail. The un-gettable nature of the beast has to be beyond almost all circumstances. The closest I can come is the following pen. It may only float my boat, probably ugly to some, and is not nearly as expensive as many of the ultra-top-tier items. On the other hand, I've only seen two available in about 6 years and missed both. This model of Moore pen somehow lodged itself in my subconscious and I'll probably be on the lookout for it for the duration of my pen interest. I sincerely doubt I'll land one, but the hunt is fun and keeps me coming back.

[KKay]

I don't have a grail pen on the horizon. I've seen several that I've wanted, but can't afford.

[catbert]

Perhaps a "White Whale" is a more apt description as that seems more in line with the obsessive searching (and periodic availability) of most "Grails" out there.

I have a transparent whale ...

Ahab.jpg

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Closest I've been is my Ghost Koi custom pen. That turned out to be an albatross in the end. Not because of the pen though.


These days I don't have a 'grail' pen.

[Farmboy]

Szanto
Interesting choice. Good luck, will be hard to find, noting the fun is in the hunt.

[Kaputnik]

Concerning the Holy Grail in Le Morte D'Arthur, only one of the three knights who achieved the quest returned to tell the tale. And of course, he didn't bring it with him. So hopefully we're not too literal minded about what a grail pen would be. But I agree with Jon Szanto's point, that ideally it should be something that's difficult to find at all, a rare pen that you can't get just by showing up at a boutique with a wad of dough.

And nothing that I have or want quite fits that description. Getting a Pilot MYU and Murex was just a matter of waiting for ones in good enough condition to show up on eBay. Getting some of my higher priced modern pens was just a matter of talking myself into finally paying that much.

But there have been pens that I've wanted for a while before finally getting them, "someday" pens, I might have called them before finally buying. And given that the luster of anything will fade after you actually own it, there is a further division. There are the ones which, over time, just become another good pen that you own, possibly with a regular spot in the rotation. And then there are the disappointments, the "what made me think I would want this?" types. Maybe that's part of what keeps me away from the really expensive pens, the $300 and up ones.

[calamus]

Perhaps a "White Whale" is a more apt description as that seems more in line with the obsessive searching (and periodic availability) of most "Grails" out there.

I have a transparent whale ...

Ahab.jpg

[carlos.q]

"But I agree with Jon Szanto's point, that ideally it should be something that's difficult to find at all, a rare pen that you can't get just by showing up at a boutique with a wad of dough."

Based on this very wise definition this is my grail pen:

ChristofL139.jpg

[Sailor Kenshin]

Oooo...shiiinyyyyy!

[FredRydr]

"But I agree with Jon Szanto's point, that ideally it should be something that's difficult to find at all, a rare pen that you can't get just by showing up at a boutique with a wad of dough."

Based on this very wise definition this is my grail pen:

ChristofL139.jpg

Had these, and as lovely as they are, be aware they have entered the age of celluloid deterioration. It cannot be stopped. Luckily, there are a handful of craftsmen who can duplicate parts in modern material.

[calamus]

It makes sense that to be a grail pen it must be the object of a difficult, near-impossible quest. Still, it would be, I think, relative to one's resources. If $800 for a pen is more money than you've ever had at one time, getting your hands on a pen that costs that will be a difficult, near impossible task for you. And if you're a multi-zillionaire who can send out teams of buyers scouring the globe for a particularly rare and wondrous pen, it may be just a matter of waiting to see which team finds one first, or which team brings back the one in the best condition.

[Wuddus]

Your Grail pen is the one that you desire most, spend years trying to hunt down, so much so that you become obsessive about it, but never succeed to track one down.

I don't have a Grail pen. Sounds like too much hard work and disappointment.

[Jon Szanto]

Your Grail pen is the one that you desire most, spend years trying to hunt down, so much so that you become obsessive about it, but never succeed to track one down.

I don't have a Grail pen. Sounds like too much hard work and disappointment.

One person's hard work and disappointment is another person's engaging fun and adventure.

[calamus]

Your Grail pen is the one that you desire most, spend years trying to hunt down, so much so that you become obsessive about it, but never succeed to track one down.

I don't have a Grail pen. Sounds like too much hard work and disappointment.

The hardest part will be finding it for under £10.

[Wuddus]

Your Grail pen is the one that you desire most, spend years trying to hunt down, so much so that you become obsessive about it, but never succeed to track one down.

I don't have a Grail pen. Sounds like too much hard work and disappointment.

One person's hard work and disappointment is another person's engaging fun and adventure.

Very true, I can't argue with that at all

[Wuddus]

Your Grail pen is the one that you desire most, spend years trying to hunt down, so much so that you become obsessive about it, but never succeed to track one down.

I don't have a Grail pen. Sounds like too much hard work and disappointment.

The hardest part will be finding it for under £10.

I've still not found a reason to spend more

[penwash]

Your Grail pen is the one that you desire most, spend years trying to hunt down, so much so that you become obsessive about it, but never succeed to track one down.

I don't have a Grail pen. Sounds like too much hard work and disappointment.

One person's hard work and disappointment is another person's engaging fun and adventure.

Now that's an elegant response. I stopped at "yeah, but..."