Anyone discovered/purchased any nice pens they would like to share? I want to buy one or two more fountain pens, but can't decide what to buy...
The shortlist I compiled:
Parker Duofold International in Blue Check
Graf von Faber Castell Guilloche in Indigo
Yard-O-Led Viceroy Standard in Barley
Waterman Exception Night & Day Black
Montblanc P145 'Chopin' or P146 'LeGrand'
Visconti Van Gogh Midi Sandal with 14k nib.
I've held the Parker, GvFB, YoL, MB in my hand before. The Duofold and Chopin are both very light pens. The Guilloche is slightly weightier. The Viceroy feels the most substantial.
I'm tempted to rebuy the Chopin which I sold awhile ago simply because it is such a classy-looking pen. However, I have never been particularly impressed by MB nibs. Like my Boheme, the Chopin nib is quite smooth, broad (for a medium) and very wet, but there almost no line variation even though the nib is slightly flexible. A rather uncharacteristic and uninspiring writer but what a looker! Will the LeGrand have a nicer nib?
The Viceroy I like quite a lot. Having owned, written with and subsequently lost
a Viceroy Pocket before, I know how incredible the Yard-O-Led 18k nibs are. Wet like the Montblancs, but much more flexible and interesting to write with. The build quality is also staggeringly solid and the attention to detail is nothing short of breathtaking. Who doesn't like a hand-crafted, solid silver pen?
The Duofold and Guilloche I've had a chance to try at a pen shop before. Nice pens, but the Duofold especially in Black Platinum, strikes me as too ordinary. There's nothing about it that jumps out at you. I've never seen a Blue Check, but I reckon it'll look more interesting. Anyhow, the Duofold is light, well balanced (doesn't need to be posted) and puts down a smooth line. The lightness and hollowness almost makes it feel cheap. I haven't spent much time writing with it so the nib is still a mystery to me. I wonder if anyone could help me out here?
As for the Guilloche... It's a nice looking pen. Good weighty feel. Nib is very smooth. Again, I haven't spent enough time with one to really get a good feel of the nib. I am
very impressed by the medium, flexible(!) stainless steel nib on my basic Faber Castell Ambition though, so I'm confident the GvFB will be a nice writer!
I have no idea how the Waterman Exception or Visconti Van Gogh are like.
I also recently went to my local pen shop to try out the Porsche Design Techflex Gold FP. Initially, everyone will be impressed by how it looks. The problem starts once you pick it up. It's ridiculously heavy and the weight balance is horrible. How the heck anyone could use this as a daily writer is beyond me. On the upside, the build quality is second to none. It feels indestructable and the materials are top-notch. Nice to look at, admire and show off to friends, but certainly not nice to write with.
OK. I'm finished talking.