[aeberbach]

Try a Pelikan 800 or 1000. There just isn't anything smoother.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Originally posted by stymie miasma kwkarth! many thanks for that lead. the 600 series are very hard to find in australia now - it is good to know that levenger has continued the style. i have a 600 series fountain pen, but the nib is EF and can be a little scratchy as i tend to write rather quickly. i also have one of the newer 600 series (is is "newton"?) in the trio - black/red/0.7 pencil. it is not quite as well made as the original 600 series, and it lacks the cool hatching on the grp surface. sadly, it seems as though levenger do not make the 600 series trio

Yes, in fact they do and they offer it in black or silver. Check both levenger links I posted earlier. I've got the black one.
Cheers,

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Originally posted by Gergor I'm not really into pen, but this is what I have. I bought it simply because I thought it's pretty.

I have one of the Porsche Design Faber Castel's as well and by the way, you can use the new Parker Gel refill with it which writes fantastically.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Originally posted by Vertigo-1 Hey, how does that thing work anyways? Something about it flexing when you press its button? Faber Castell pens are very nice too...very high quality stuff even in their low end products. The von Graf is high on my list of pens to conquer.

The Porche design ballpoint has a piece of tech-flex brakeline which covers its exterior, under which is a fairly conventional push-on/push-off ballpoint mechanism.

 

[JML]

The gene for pens is adjacent to the genes for headphones, audio equipment, computers, knives, watches, and tools (and also coffee). And it's on the Y chromosome.

Many pen lovers find the Rotring 600 to be among the most uncomfortable pens to use. I agree -- the shape of the body and the weight combine to make it painful. But YMMV.

Here are some excellent pen sites for you to browse for information and purchases:

www.fahrneyspens.com/
www.fountainpenhospital.com/
www.inkpalette.com/prod.htm
www.levenger.com/
www.pencity.com/
www.pendemonium.com/
http://swisherpens.com/
www.worldpen.com/

www.pentrace.com/ (the equivalent of HeadFi)
www.penlovers.com/stylophiles.htm (web 'zine)

 

[aeberbach]

The Levenger Rotring 600 is just not the same pen. I bought one because my 1991 Rotring 600 was wearing through to the brass and the cap was getting loose but the new pen feels totally different. The balance is a little off and the cap is help on with a different mechanism. About the only way to get a 600 now is to find one on eBay or NOS in a pen shop.

 

[Ari]

Originally posted by JML
The gene for pens is adjacent to the genes for headphones, audio equipment, computers, knives, watches, and tools (and also coffee). And it's on the Y chromosome.
____________________________

Hey JML

I completely and totally agree with you. Even in the coffee stuff. I may remember photography and cars for your gene list...

Thanks for the web links list. Very Good !!

Ari

 

[dohminator]

Quote:

The gene for pens is adjacent to the genes for headphones, audio equipment, computers, knives, watches, and tools (and also coffee). And it's on the Y chromosome.

No truer words have ever been spoken.

Lets see. I am into headphones. I bought my parents some super expensive knives (I'm not ready to get the super expensive knives for myself), I want to get a nice pocketwatch, I have a nice camera, I have nice computer stuff.

I want to get a really nice pen now. Been wanting to get one for a while. Right now I use a cheep parker roller ball, but It uses the same refills that the expensive ones use.

And it is so nice that we have found a place on the interenet that we can all talk and share in our addictions. Thanks a lot guys for making me spend money I don't have.

 

[jim]

JML: lol! Your theory definitely has some substance to it. I didn't know there were so many fellow pen geeks here!

I never really liked those levenger pens actually, since they blasphemously pasted their stinking logo on the side. Anyway, I just won an auction on ebay for the new style fountain pen (M nib), rollarball and .7 pencil, all in a rotring case for $38. not bad.

Eventually I will try to collect some of those nice old styled ones with the knurled grip, but I think this will suffice quite nicely for now.

BTW, another one on my (very, very distant) acquisition list:

Caran D'Ache Metwood

 

[wilbur]

As as alternative to the Roting 600, check out the remaining Sheaffer close-outs at arcamax.com. Most of them are heavy full metal pens (like the Rotring 600), the white dot ones come with lifetime warranty (unlike the Rotring 600), they are shipped free, and after the first order they usually send a 20%-off coupon for the next one. For like $15 shipped, you can't really go wrong with those. Can't choose the nib size though for most of them.

Just make sure you don't get a Montblanc (their `precious resin' translates to `cheap injection-molded plastic' that we will shatter when dropped, and no warranty whatsoever), at least if you actually want to write with the pen.

I use a Pelikan M850 with EF nib and an M900 (Toledo yeah!

) with OB nib as my everyday write pens and can recommend them heartily (but they are pricey).

BTW, since we are talking non-headphone gadgets here, how many of you guys here have ordered the KL1 bezel for their E1/E2/E1e/E2e flashlight?

 

[JML]

I love the white-metal-and-black look, I guess. For some reason I just can't get into any pens with gold (perhaps that's a good thing, financially).

My favorites: Lamy 2000 (fp, bp), Lamy Tripen (1 black, 1 brushed stainless), Lamy Pico (pearl, chrome) (neat little collapsable pen), Aurora Talentum (fp, italic fp -- wonderful!, rb, bp) (red and black sets), Cross Townsend (fp, rb/bp) (chrome and sterling sets), Pelikan 730 (rb, bp). Now there's this neat Cartier platinium, and that Visconti Skeleton...

I probably love those pens because they go well with the watches (Sinn 356, Oris Big Crown Commander, Limes Cartouche) and "tactical" folding knives (Benchmade, Spyderco, & CRKT).

 

[Dusty Chalk]

I'm not that into pens, but I have a Musical Fidelity pen. (I prefer my SGI pen, though.) And a couple others that I bought at Borders -- one that's a lot like the Sensa, only it's black chrome (my current favourite).

 

[ChenaynayC]

Quote:

Originally posted by JML The gene for pens is adjacent to the genes for headphones, audio equipment, computers, knives, watches, and tools (and also coffee). And it's on the Y chromosome.

I'm not so sure about that chromosome thing. I've got headphones, pens, and watches covered.

 

[Vertigo-1]

Hrm, well I just received two new writing utensils in my mailbox...a Lamy 2000 mech. pencil and a Rotring Quattro Executive.

I'm a little...shocked at the Lamy. Considering its cost, I was expecting it to be far heavier. It feels extremely light and rather cheap...the button mechanism makes a scratchy noise everytime it's depressed. It's quite a nice looking item with its clean, understated sophisticated look, but I do wish it were a bit heavier given its price tag.

The Quattro Executive is totally on the other side. Large, bold, and quite heavy. It definitely feels like its worth its money.

Still gotta field test the two with some in class notetaking, but I have a feeling neither will exactly replace my Sensa for comfort.

 

[JML]

The Lamy 2000 is made of a reinforced engineering thermoplastic called "Makrolon," with stainless steel elsewhere. The pens are light, as are all plastic bodied pens. The only metal in the body is found in the stainless steel nosepiece, in the mechanism to advance the lead or the ballpoint, and in the spring-loaded clip (which is solid stainless). The Makrolon is incredibly strong, and you can remove any scratches with some scotchbrite and polish (and some care). It's the furthest thing from Mont Blanc's "precious resin," which cracks if you look at it cross-eyed.

The mechanism should be smooth, however. I have had the fountain pen and ballpoint for about 25 years, and while the originals have been replaced for various reasons, I love them! I never bought the pencil because it lacks a sliding sleeve, and I didn't like the looks of the button advance, but I have the Lamy Tripen (with a pencil, pen, and underliner) and a Lamy Safari pencil, and they all operate very smoothly. I'd send it back for another if I were you, if you like the feel of the pencil. The ballpoint refill is a jumbo, and it's very smooth (not as smooth as Parker's new English refills), but it's up there. The fountain pen is a classic of design and writes wonderfully (but the nibs run large -- a fine is the one to get, as it's more like a medium nib and writes as smooth as anything).