[Tsujigiri]

Looks interesting, but pretty expensive for a ball pen.

Not as pricey as Montblanc's precious plastic lol. Their ballpoints are great pens, but I probably wouldn't have mine if it hadn't been given to me. I have been pretty impressed with the value of the Countycomm titanium ballpoint, though. It's well-built, very durable, uses a space pen cartridge, and was available for under $100. I'll try to get a picture of it later. Ballpoints aren't usually my thing, but they make great backups for when your FP runs out of ink or someone asks to borrow a pen.

 

[proton007]

Ballpoints aren't usually my thing, but they make great backups for when your FP runs out of ink or someone asks to borrow a pen.

Somehow I just don't get the idea of a ball mechanism in an expensive body, like the MB or the Pelikan rollerballs. Its like putting lipstick on a pig.

But I do keep a few giveaway ball points just in case someone needs to borrow a pen.

 

[Tsujigiri]

Somehow I just don't get the idea of a ball mechanism in an expensive body, like the MB or the Pelikan rollerballs. Its like putting lipstick on a pig.

But I do keep a few giveaway ball points just in case someone needs to borrow a pen.

I do think a lot of companies overcharge for ballpens considering they don't have gold nibs or complicated filling mechanisms. But ballpoints definitely have their place and you have to use them every once in a while (to loan to people, for carbon copies, glossy paper, when your FP acts up or runs dry). And somehow I don't feel like a true pen aficionado using a disposable as my go-to ballpoint. Also there are differences in refills; Montblanc's refills seem particularly smooth to me, while Fisher space pens refills are extremely reliable, even after sitting around for years.
 
Here's the Countycomm titanium embassy pen I was talking about. It has a nice low profile and understated look for a tactical pen, and is super sturdy. The clip is also particularly good; many of the legit pen companies have trouble with their clips and end up making flimsy pieces that tear at everything they touch. For an overbuilt metal pen, it's also not too heavy due to the titanium, and it has a good grip due to the knurling. And how many pens in this price range are serial numbered? Since the cap doesn't post on the back, you can hold on to it when you lend it to people so they don't walk off with it haha.
 


 
The other tactical ballpoint I quite like is the Surefire EWP-01. Like the Embassy, it's not ridiculous looking like many tactical pens out there. The neat feature on it is that it has an adjustable cartridge chamber that can accept many different types of refills. I've been happy enough with the Ti Embassy that I haven't gotten around to getting one yet, though.

 

[proton007]

^^
That's a good looker. Reminds me of the Lamy Dialog 3.

 

[Tangster]

Carried out an experiment today. Replaced the stock nib in a cheap Pilot Crystal with the nib from my deceased Cross Century II. Writes beautifully, although it being a Western medium it's a lot wetter than the Japanese F nib the Crystal came with, not really improved by my fiddling with the nib to get it to fit the Pilot feed spread the tines a little further than they were before so it writes closer to a medium-broad now. Either way, it's fun!

 

[Scott_Tarlow]

Besides liking thel ook of the duller, it has the same grip as a drafting pencil, my rotring 800, which makes it an easy transition when switching between the two. Do you guys have any recommendations for .5mm gel fisher style refills ? are the moleskin ones that jet pens sells any good?

 

[Scott_Tarlow]

anyone have a tip for unscrewing the back of a balloint pen... mine is tight and i dont want to ruin the finish....

 

[proton007]

  anyone have a tip for unscrewing the back of a balloint pen... mine is tight and i dont want to ruin the finish....

 
I think there's an iPhone app for that...

 

[Tangster]

 

 

 
Writes pretty good.

 

[Silent One]

Rhodia love! 

 

[brhfl]

  Rhodia love! 

The truest love there is

 

[GL1TCH3D]

Is there a huge difference between fountain pens in the sub$100 range (not disposable, I mean respected $80ish pens) against more expensive pens?
I assume nib quality and material of the pen are the biggest differences

 

[Silent One]

"Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!"

 

[Tangster]

Is there a huge difference between fountain pens in the sub$100 range (not disposable, I mean respected $80ish pens) against more expensive pens?
I assume nib quality and material of the pen are the biggest differences

Not that huge. The nibs are the biggest change, a steel nib vs a 14k gold or a titanium nib is quite a step up in feel, if not always in smoothness. Generally a high end pen will have a better quality feed, more exclusive materials (eg, resin or ebonite instead of abs), etc. Same as headphones. After the first delve you're chasing that last 10%.
 
Happy Turkey Day to those in the USA!
 
Also, something a bit different. A NOS 1970's Platinum BelAge pen, 14k white gold MF nib. Only £31.

Inked it up with Lamy Blue. Not very adventurous of me I know
 

 

 

[proton007]

Is there a huge difference between fountain pens in the sub$100 range (not disposable, I mean respected $80ish pens) against more expensive pens?
I assume nib quality and material of the pen are the biggest differences

I'm assuming you're talking about new pens.
 

• Yes, nib material is one factor. Most sub-100 dollar pens have stainless steel nibs.
• Then there's the filler type. Converter fillers are cheapest and most modular. Others like piston fillers etc make the cost go higher.
• However, cost is no indication of a pen's performance. A well made nib will write well, the material is of no consequence.
• The usual observation is that manufacturers don't really try that hard to improve on their steel nibs, well, because the pens don't sell for much.