Thanks so much for the links, will definitely be placing an order!
Thanks so much for the links, will definitely be placing an order!
My favorite pocket pen is a "Franken-Pen." I found a hard rubber pen with no name at an antique store. It's similar in size to a Waterman 52v but has no marking on the barrel or cap. The nib that was on the pen was so covered with dried ink and corroded that it took some time to get to the metal. It's still not fully cleaned and I'm not sure it ever will be. The original nib says "Manos Special." I cleaned and restored the pen and fitted it with an extra Waterman Ideal nib that I had laying around. So I call it my Waterman "Anon" Pocket Pen.
With the original feed to the pen and the Waterman nib, this little guy lays down a bucket of ink on the page. I mean, when writing, it looks like those fancy invitations with raised printing and yet, I haven't seen horrible feathering, even on computer paper. This is a curse and a blessing. A curse because it take about 1.5 minutes for PR American Blue Fast Drying ink to fully dry and over 2 minutes for Diamine Ancient Copper. However, it's a blessing, because when flexing this nib, I have yet to see it railroad... ever. The feed looks like the Grand Canyon.
All in all, it's a great pen that I attach to my pocket watch chain when wearing a vest and it hides away in those little vest pockets perfectly.
20140702_052938_resized.jpg
Cob (July 9th, 2014)
I am surprised that no one has mentioned the TWSBI Mini. I like mine (which I had Shawn Newton grind to a .5mm Cursive Italic), because it fits in my smallest pocket on various polo shirts as well as in my pants pockets. It holds a great deal of ink and weathers pockets quite well. I highly recommend this model.
I get the point!
I found an ONTO Rook from Jet Pens, for 16.50, it is about 3" long and very narrow and only takes cartridges. It comes in about 4 colors, but mine is; Aluminum with Orange trim, and it writes like a dream!
Mike
Visconti Last Lira aka Luigi Einaudi # 63 of 975, Stipula Yellow Da Vinci Carbon Fiber T, Stipula Model T, Vintage Fountain Pens, Delta Amerigo Vespucci LE F/P, Pelikan Special Edition Sahara F/P, TWSBI Micarta, Danitrio Mikado,Genkai Nakaya Decapodl Cigar, Watley in Woodgrain!, Marlen Yellow Liberty LE, Santa Fe Style Custom "51" Made by Ralph Prather - president New Mexico Pen Collector's Club
jde (July 5th, 2014)
I love mine too! I have it in the same colour. I've managed to squeeze in the kaweco squeeze converter. It doesn't really fit properly but it almost gets the job done. Had to push it in with a chopstick to get it seated in the section properly.
I really like the Luoshi cigarette pens! They're not for everyone because they are very small and slim with a very skinny nib and no clip, but they are the smallest fountain pen I know of. The best part for me is that the nib is hooded with just the very tip showing, which makes the nib VERY slow to dry out. It's remarkable! I'm pretty sure I filled mine before Christmas and it still starts right away.
I don't know if that's the case for you but for me a pocket pen is strictly for emergency use - if I know I'll be writing I take the flavor of the month - so the pocket pen needs to be okay with staying inked but unused for weeks at a time. The Luoshi is the only one I've found that does that and I have tried many smaller pens because I love miniatures.
Otherwise, I haven't really tried a mini pen that was bad! Except maybe the ohto tasche, it was pretty skippy and I thought the design was awkward, but that's the only one.
Can't remember if I posted in this thread and at the risk of contradicting what I said before, my favourite pocket pen is the modern Parker Duofold Mini. (My review of the pen and three other pocket pens can be found here.
I like the Pilot Petit-1. The new ones are pretty cool looking, and they write well for a $4.00 pen. The nib gives some pretty nice shading on Rhodia paper.
Lady Onogaro
"Be yourself--everybody else is already taken." --Oscar Wilde
I work with Autistic teens, and a pen in a shirt pocket is just too vulnerable - and tempting. So, I HIP pocket carry. I use a stainless Liliput. I like it. Sports are a bigger lump, but the plastic ones eyedropper so well - Diamine Registrars, and if it messes up a nib (someday), they’re $11.50! I haven’t tried cart-filling with DRI, but it won’t be long: I just bought a brass Liliput.
C’mon, the price was right! And Yeah, it took a brass shim overnight to wet up a #5 M enough to flow DRI.
Last edited by ceebert; September 4th, 2019 at 04:37 PM.
Kaputnik (September 5th, 2019)
I like to carry my Safari in my front pants pocket clipped next to my pocket knife. It's pretty ideal for that I think.
That's an interesting special situation. Not sure what I'd do in your place, as I like having a fountain pen always with me, but strongly dislike carrying one in a pants pocket. I imagine I could do that with my Liliput, though, which isn't a favorite, but is certainly good enough. I have found, though, that the pocket clip for Fisher bullet style Space Pens will fit on a Liliput with a little widening, and stays on there very securely, so I can carry mine in a shirt pocket. Plus, it makes a good roll stopper if I put it down on a table.
"If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly."
G.K. Chesterton
ceebert (September 5th, 2019)
IMG-0954.jpg
While I forgot my Parker Jotter, this is my collection of Pocket Pens: Franklin Christoph PP 20, Aurora Mini (just purchased from here yesterday!), Pilot Prera, 3 Kaweco Sports, Wing Sung "Space Pen", Stipula, and Moonman Mini.
Mookie
Last edited by mookie2112; September 5th, 2019 at 12:24 PM.
What a cool thread!!
I find pocket pens fascinating for a very long time but I am not sure which is my favourite...
I definitely like all generations of the Kaweco Sport:
Kaweco Sport 12G 1 von -C.M.Z-
but I also like Pilot Birdies!
Pilot birdie 1980 von -C.M.Z-
the Myu is a classic!!
Pilot Myu1970 von -C.M.Z-
...but for the moment, I like my Pilot Elite sterling silver most:
Pilot Elite Pocket Pen Sterling Silver 1975 von -C.M.Z-
What a fine pen!
C.
PS: I forgot to mention my Sheaffer's Tuckaway which was a present by Richard Binder:
Sheaffer's Tuckaway Sentinel von -C.M.Z-
Last edited by christof; September 5th, 2019 at 01:36 PM.
I have a lot of pocket friendly vintage pens.
But one of my most favorite, which is atypical for me, is this modern pen:
Monteverde Jewelria Mini in Barley pattern. Why do I like it? Because it successfully incorporate design aspects that pay homage to vintage ones, but at the same time be a unique offering (not another minimalistic, not another cigar-shaped, not another demonstrator, not another acrylic kaleidoscope, not another all metal tough EDC pen, not another ... insert your favorite modern pen design cliche here).
I rarely see this combination on any modern pens.
azkid (September 5th, 2019), Lady Onogaro (September 7th, 2019)
My favorite pocket size pens are, top to bottom, Pilot Elite, Parker Duofold Jr., Parker Black-Tipped Jade Jr., and Pilot Stargazer.
Truth he told the Elite needs some nib work. The clip is great and I really like the long cap style so I kind of want to collect examples from other Japanese makers.
fountainpenkid (March 2nd, 2021), VertOlive (September 8th, 2019)
If I carry a pen in my pants pocket, its a Pelikan M300 green stripe, usually in a Cross leather pen carrier.
Not gonna touch this one.
How do you like the Stargazer? I have a 95s (sweeet!), and briefly had a 74 (broken at work with Great Spectacle), and since then I’ve been Kawecos at work. The Stargazer - I hope - has the sense of presence/mass that makes a Liliput handle-able. I miss Pilot nibs, and Stargazers look cool.
I like it quite a lot. It is on the heavier side, about the same weight as a Metropolitan. Nib (f) has quite a bit of feedback but is very nice to use. It came to me a wet writer. It is really quite attractive in person. The online pictures don't really capture it. I can definitely recommend it.
ceebert (October 3rd, 2019)
I’ve been using my fat little Moonman Wancai as my traveling pen. It’s an eye dropper, doesn’t leak, and starts every time. At $12, I don’t fret about losing it or roughing it up.
Last edited by VertOlive; September 8th, 2019 at 09:37 PM.
"Nolo esse salus sine vobis ...” —St. Augustine
ceebert (September 11th, 2019)
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