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Thread: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

  1. #21
    Senior Member penwash's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    Quote Originally Posted by kaliuzhkin View Post
    But what is the appeal of high end Ballpoint, Ball, Rollerball pens or Pencils? I could spend over $300 for a new Pelikan Souveran 800 or 805 Ball Pen or Rollerball, and thousands for Montblancs.

    The only appeal I can see is that one of these and a suitable model fountain pen forms a set. But that doesn't seem sufficient to warrant these high prices.

    Please enlighten me.
    The appeal is the same whether it's fountain pen or rollerball or ballpoint.

    Example, if I'm a Queen fan (which I am), and if I have enough pen-fund to pay whatever Montegrappa is selling the "A Night at the Opera" for (which I don't), then I will buy the fountain pen or the rollerball (or both) because primarily of the Queen connection. Whether it's the fountain pen or the roller-ball, is secondary preference.

    I personally would (of course) prefer the fountain pen, but others may prefer the rollerball.
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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    Quote Originally Posted by penwash View Post

    The appeal is the same whether it's fountain pen or rollerball or ballpoint.

    Example, if I'm a Queen fan (which I am), and if I have enough pen-fund to pay whatever Montegrappa is selling the "A Night at the Opera" for (which I don't), then I will buy the fountain pen or the rollerball (or both) because primarily of the Queen connection. Whether it's the fountain pen or the roller-ball, is secondary preference.

    I personally would (of course) prefer the fountain pen, but others may prefer the rollerball.
    But there's no ballpoint model!

    Anyway, whether you want a FP or Rollerball, you'd better hurry. They only made 555 of each!

  4. #23
    Senior Member penwash's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    Quote Originally Posted by kaliuzhkin View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by penwash View Post

    The appeal is the same whether it's fountain pen or rollerball or ballpoint.

    Example, if I'm a Queen fan (which I am), and if I have enough pen-fund to pay whatever Montegrappa is selling the "A Night at the Opera" for (which I don't), then I will buy the fountain pen or the rollerball (or both) because primarily of the Queen connection. Whether it's the fountain pen or the roller-ball, is secondary preference.

    I personally would (of course) prefer the fountain pen, but others may prefer the rollerball.
    But there's no ballpoint model!

    Anyway, whether you want a FP or Rollerball, you'd better hurry. They only made 555 of each!
    There is the rollerball model, and you didn't single out ballpoint in your question, did you?

    So my point stands
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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    Quote Originally Posted by penwash View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by kaliuzhkin View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by penwash View Post

    The appeal is the same whether it's fountain pen or rollerball or ballpoint.

    Example, if I'm a Queen fan (which I am), and if I have enough pen-fund to pay whatever Montegrappa is selling the "A Night at the Opera" for (which I don't), then I will buy the fountain pen or the rollerball (or both) because primarily of the Queen connection. Whether it's the fountain pen or the roller-ball, is secondary preference.

    I personally would (of course) prefer the fountain pen, but others may prefer the rollerball.
    But there's no ballpoint model!

    Anyway, whether you want a FP or Rollerball, you'd better hurry. They only made 555 of each!
    There is the rollerball model, and you didn't single out ballpoint in your question, did you?

    So my point stands
    Touche

    And, the FP and Rollerball are each over $4,200.00 at Fountain Pen Hospital.

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    Senior Member welch's Avatar
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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    Quote Originally Posted by pajaro View Post
    During my life I have had little collections of ballpoints, pencils and fountain pens of various kinds. I had them because they interested me and generally I liked using them. I had a bunch of Lindy stick ballpoints, then Parker Jotters, Parker 51 ballpoints, and over the last forty or so years a few Montblanc, Pelikan, Parker, Sheaffer, Cross and other ballpoints. Some I used in college. Some I used in the Air Force. Some I used in an IT career. Some I found too thin, but a couple of Montblanc 164s in red and black had more comfortable girth, and these two I used from 1983 on. Very comfortable to use.

    I liked Pelikan K200 and K400s for their girth and the use of jotter type refills. Available in broad. Used them in the grocery store to check off the list items. After losing one I started using Papermates for this. Never risked the MB 164s in stores. Actually they were sentimental.

    For those who ridicule expensive ballpoints like Montblancs, the use of them might make no sense to you, but the use of them might have deep meaning to their owners. Every time I pick up the red or black Montblanc I am reminded of times in my IT career. They will probably be in my estate sale.
    I got a Montblanc Meisterstuck ballpoint in 2000, when I'd been recruited to another company that offered a big raise. Used it there all through my first (computer) system, a back-breaking $200 million thing that sometimes had as many as 500 people working in two twelve hour shifts. I still have it... in fact, it is sitting just by my left hand. It has plenty of nicks, but I alternate it with a stainless-steel Parker Frontier. A broad blue MB refill and broad blue or blue-black Monteverde refill for the Frontier. They will probably go to the grandchildren, rather than to an estate sale.

    The MB was about $75 or $90. The Frontier was about $25.

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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    I love those Parker 75s. Darn, FredRydr, you're a wretched enabler!!!!

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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    Newb here, but I have to agree with the overall sentiment. Sometimes that cost goes into the purchase of a historical perspective, or a relationship to an event or object that one is fond of. Sometimes, it's purely aesthetic. It's no different than knife collectors, or guitar collectors...the list goes on. Value is highly subjective, and is thus, not universally interpreted.

    In my stable, I'd have to sell several decent pens to acquire a single upper-hundreds of dollars, pen. That's simply not a balance that works for me. I'd rather keep a small stable of $200 pens, which remain in a rotation, than a single one which I'm fearful of dropping.

    If expense were no option, there are several custom pieces that I would acquire, immediately.

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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    I suppose one of the things that's relevant here is how much of what we pay for a FP is the nib, and how much is the rest? For instance, the Pelikan m400 breaks down as about 43% nib, 57% pen, based on the price of the available spare nibs.

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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    Some of us use pens for work

    Have you ever handed an expensive fountain pen to someone to sign a contract with

    Most look at like you handed them a dip pen

    Having a matching set allows you to enjoy your fountain pen and still hand a pen to a client to sign something

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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    I figure what someone else wants to write with is none of my business.

    I do have a Montblanc rollerball however...

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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    When I bought my first Montblanc fountain pen (a 144 Classique) at the Navy Exchange in 1992, I also bought a Montblanc rollerball so I would have a pen that would take the pressure required for carbon paper and carbon-less copy paper. And it made sense to me to have a matching set.
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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    My "high-end" ball point is Parker Jotter XL. The only other thing I use to write with, mainly checks, or when I need pressure for multiple copies, etc. Really nice pen.
    Sandy
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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    Quote Originally Posted by BlkWhiteFilmPix View Post
    When I bought my first Montblanc fountain pen (a 144 Classique) at the Navy Exchange in 1992, I also bought a Montblanc rollerball so I would have a pen that would take the pressure required for carbon paper and carbon-less copy paper. And it made sense to me to have a matching set.
    Wow, a blast from the (same) past.

    When I did my compulsory military service in the Royal Dutch Navy, I visited the Navy Exchange in Naples, Italy in the spring of 1992. Desperately short on cash at the time, I only allowed myself to buy one cd...Smells Like Teen Spirit from Nirvana...got my money’s worth though, I new the album by heart before the trip was over.

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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    I get my "high-end" rollerball every year when I meet our accountant. He always give one each to both my wife and I.

    And I kid you not, those rollerballs are the sturdy and reliable kind.
    - Will
    Unique and restored vintage pens: Redeem Pens

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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    There are some collectors out there that like "Sets"- FP/BP, or FP/RB aside from FP/MP

    I have collected pens most of my life, but only got into FPs around 2005.
    My Dad always collected BP and RB pens only, so I did not have guidance on them till I discovered "The Community".
    In fact, when I got into FPs- I started looking for FP variants of some of the BP/RB Pens that I liked/decided to keep!

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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    I did a considerable amount of writing by hand before 2000. Around 1992 I wanted a more pleasurable pen to use so I went to the pen & stationary shop and tried out pens.

    I really liked the fountain pens, especially the Pelikan 800 I tried, but none of the nibs suited my (very) tiny handwriting. I held a Montblanc rollerball with a fine point and loved the feel of it and the lines it made. It rendered my handwriting legibly, with ease, and the brass weight near the point helped with stability.

    So, I left the store with a "bird poop" rollerball and have no regrets 28 years later. It has served me well even if the cartridges have been inconsistent. And as I have aged and my and writing become necessarily larger I can now write legibly with a western EF nib.

    My 80s burgundy Parker Jotter was a real workhorse. It needed a foam cushion to be comfortable but it has laid ten thousand miles of ink and gone with me to places I would never bring a fountain pen of the rollerball MB. I could throw it in my pack with some books and take off for weeks of rugged urban camping, never having to worry about it breaking, being stolen, or finding it difficult to find ink should it run out.

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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    Outside of a set, I can't see it either. Okay, maybe for a pencil, especially if it's the ultimate high-tech drafting pencil. I don't know what the brand or specs on such a pencil would be, but in my 20s, I would very definitely have wanted the ultimate drafting pencil. That's back when drafting was done with a pencil, rulers and so on. Now it's all AutoCAD. Maybe someone with an artistic bent would like an ultimate drafting pencil.

    But a rollerball/ballpoint/gelpen as a high end pen outside of a set including a fountain pen? I can't really see it. Oh, wait. Maybe I can. A super-fancy Fisher Space Pen in Titanium and rare earth metals might be fun.

    True confession time: my favorite fountain pen is the Zebra disposable. It's inexpensive, it's reliable, and it fits my hand comfortably. My favorite gel pen is the Pilot G2 0,5 mm point in black. My favorite pencil is the Bic Clic mechanical pencil. None of those are particularly elegant or beautiful, but for everyday use, those are my choices.

    More confessions: I have paid as much as $400 for a fountain pen I wanted. I love all my fountain pens. I don't use my fountain pens at work because they wouldn't be appropriate (lab work). My fountain pens are purely for enjoyment, whether writing, collecting or just looking at them.

    So, to answer your question: I don't get it, either.

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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    My policy is never question or disparage the harmless pursuits of others. If someone happens to prefer a rollerball as their writing instrument, who are we to judge them buying one they consider to be an attractive, comfortable tool?

    God knows, I've had enough people look at me like I am a complete lunatic when they asked how much the pen I was writing with was worth. Especially when they found out how old it was...
    Vintage. Cursive italic. Iron gall.

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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    Good point, silverlifter!

    I had to use ballpoints when I was an employee but since then I haven't used them. Very hard on the hand. There are some Pilot G-2s around the house for form-filling. I like pencils for drawing, either the wooden kind or modern mechanical pencils like the Staedtler 925. These are very good but the pencil I usually grab is a Mabie Todd Fyne Poynt, one of the longer 1930s ones. It uses the common 1.18 mm lead which comes in a couple of grades.

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    Default Re: Why high end Ballpoint Pens? (Or Rollerball or Pencil or Ball Pen?)

    There is an advantage that rollerballs and ballpoints have over fountain pens; it is that the nib/refill is easily replaceable.

    A drop of your expensive fountain pen on the floor and you might have to replace your whole pen. Drop an expensive rollerball or ballpoint, and well actually you might not have to replace anything as the nibs of the ballpoint and rollerball point is quite durable in comparison.

    And plus everything about the rollerball and ballpoint pen just seems more convenient and you have to baby it much much less.

    Having said that I exclusively only use fountain pens now lol.

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