Love the video. Yes, you nailed it. Some ask me if I am afraid my pens will break with use. To which I say... Then at least they will die happy doing what they were made for.
My first vintage pen was a Parker Vacumatic in azul made in 1947. I wanted it bc that’s the year my mother graduated from college and got married, so I could imagine someone gifting her a Vacumatic. And blue would be the color she would have liked. Then it wanted siblings so I got 1940s Vacs in green, red and pearl and 2 striped Duovacs and 2 1940s Parker 51s. And a early jade ringtop made for Hutzler’s Dept Store chain in Baltimore which no longer exists but where my mom and I shopped. And I got a Sheaffer Balance in the beautiful striped carmine to try their slightly upturned nib which I ADORE. And that’s the extent of my vintage collection. All the rest of my pens (150 or so) are modern. As a lefty I’ve never gotten into flex nibs. But it’s why I love the Sheaffer and other “waverly” type nibs -very smooth for lefties.
Thank you Gillian! I love the story you have imbued your pen with. It puts so much in context and it’s awesome how you have related them to things that related to your family. You sound as if you have a wonderful collection!
I love the idea of being a custodian of pens, and having them, some day, "dispersed" like dandelion seeds on the wind. We are here for such a short time -- lightning bug blinks in an eternal night -- and it's a comfort that something we loved might be adopted by someone else. It occurred to me during the video that what we consider "vintage pens" were thought of as cutting edge when my father and his brother were growing up in Los Alamos, New Mexico, not long after it became a state in 1912.
Hello, Hemingway - I’m enjoying your channel more and more. I appreciate your thoughtful, intellectual approach, your love of journals and classical music, and your overall classy approach to this passion. Thank you for your dedication to informative, high-quality production. A little about me - I have about 100 pens, mostly fountain pens and a few prized rollerballs, that I keep inked at all times, which most people find excessive. I write many pages a day, and switch pens every few paragraphs. This brings me great joy and keeps the ink in all those pens flowing. I look forward to more of your stimulating videos. I’ve started buying more vintage pens and I’ve restored about 10 recently, with great success. Writing longhand with fine writing instruments is a delicious joy in itself, then adding to that the pleasure of bringing old pens to life is frosting on that inky cake.
Thanks so much, Bob Berry and welcome! You have quite the collection. Congratulations. Thanks so much for the kind words. I appreciate you being here. Please check in again soon.
I've started down the vintage fountain pen rabbit hole. I think it's the history that really draws me in. When I get a new pen I like to go back and look at what was happening in the world when it was manufactured. It helps put things in perspective.
Most of my pens are vintage and I repair and/or restore them myself. It is a whole other level of the enjoyment. As I was watching this I was working on a very early Wahl Oxford that I bought in a lot. It has a flexible nib and shows essentially no sign of use. As you said, one wonders about the stories they could tell. Thank you for your videos.
I recently acquired (like a few days ago) a 1940's Waterman Skywriter 14k Fine Flexible Nib. The gentleman who I bought it from, restores Vintage Fountain Pens he finds at Antique stores and the like just for fun. I'm still somewhat "new" to the hobby of Fountain Pens and this was my FIRST step into Vintage pens. I am floored! This Waterman Skywriter is now my FAVORITE!!!
Nice summary of the sublime advantages of vintage pens, but without skipping the pitfalls. A great public service announcement. Your Red No. 5 looks like lots of fun. Great work!
I love all your vintage pens, I need to get mine together between my mom‘s my great aunts the stories I could tell. I think I’m gonna get them their own case, you inspired me to do just that, they deserve their own home at their age.
I feel fortunate to have been able to acquire a few vintage pens. I have 2 from the late '40's, a Sheaffer Triumph from a fellow pen club member & a Parker Vacumatic from an antique store and they write beautifully! Another rarer 1930's Watermans Lady Patricia from a flea market! I saw a lot of beauties at our local annual pen show! I would only practice with an old junk pen first. Personally, I'd rather give it to someone else very experienced.
I really like all of what you said about the delights of vintage pens, but . . . The reason I hunted down and eventually snagged my 1946 Parker "51" Vacumatic was "some-day syndrome." Some day I'll own a Parker but I don't know when. Back in the day when fountain pens were still a thing - and yes I go that far back in time - a Parker 51 was for me the alpha pen at the top of the heap. However lusting after one was one thing; actually acquiring one was the impossible dream for ordinary folks, let alone a kid like me. But what do you know? Stick with the quest long enough and good things can still happen. And, was it worth the wait now that I have and use a Parker in hand? You bet! Couldn't be happier.
I adore my vintage fountain pen collection. It's small but is slowly growing. When I say small, I mean small for my main collection. At the @BostonPenPeolple meet up, I met Pier Gustafson @PiersStudio now he has a collection of vintage pens, he said that it was 3,000 but I believe that it's more. When I went to the last meet up I saw a vintage pen that could write like a paint brush. I have been slowly learning more about vintage Fountain Pens -- For example I didn't realize that there were nibs that were stiff enouhg to write through carbon copies. I still love my modern pens, but I really want to explore some of the vintage. I do want a 51 1/2 -- For the flex. I am also looking at a Parker vacumatic but not sure if I want the swirls in Gold or Silver. I still have time to decide. I just found a pen I forgot I had. It is the Eversharp Skyline. I think when I first got it I was to scared to use it, so I put it away for safe keeping. When I filled it up, it worked like a charm after no use for at least 8 years. It's also because I am more comfrotable with replacing things on pens -- As I get more comfortable I may start figuring out how to resack them.
You are absolutely right, Hemingway. I've always wondered if we're doing the right thing buying new pens, often of dubious quality, when there are so many great quality writing tools just waiting to be used. Thank you once again for sharing such enriching content.
Excellent video, Hemingway! I carried the same Cross pen during college, and throughout my entire career until retirement. It is amazing how a ubiquitous item , such as a pen, can have so much meaning.
A bit late, as usual, but had to join this conversation even if only you read it, Hemingway. As usual, too, I thoroughly enjoyed this video because it concerns a sub-species of the fountain pen hobby to which I've become more and more attracted. Your observations also gave me some new insights, so thanks for that. My late father is responsible for my interest. Just a few years before he passed at age 97 in February of 2021, we chanced to discover that we had rekindled an interest in fountain pens just a few years previously. In his case, his initial interest grew during his senior year in high school (1941) when his mother continued her tradition of giving each of her 3 children her Sheaffer's fountain pen to use during that year. Since Dad was the youngest, he was the last to use it and thinks he returned it to her on graduating. He remembers loving it and asked if I could help him buy a new Sheaffer's. Being a senior, he had been getting many catalogues in the mail, including some from Goldspot. That is what renewed his interest so late in his life. I agreed and sent him a Prelude I bought at a local stationary store with a small but nice selection of pens. He loved it. I also decided to do some research and see if I could identify the pen his mother probably gave him. Ultimately, I decided it was probably a Balance made in the 1930s. I bid successfully on one on eBay, which had been restored beautifully by the seller, tbickiii. Dad loved it but found it too small for his hands which were large and somewhat limited in their range of motion by arthritis. He asked me to take it, therefore, and I have happily done so, using it regularly. I also printed out and mailed to him information I found on-line about the Sheaffer Balance which he kept and we had much fun discussing several times. I continued learning about vintage pens and started adding a few to my collection: a Montblanc 225, a Eversharp Skyline, an Esterbrook J, a Waterman C and a Parker 51. I love them all and almost always have one inked and in use in the 6 or 7 pen rotation I create every 2 weeks or so. I have purchased them on eBay, Japan Treasure Trove, Peyton Street and Anderson Pens. Each purchase experience has been very good. I recommend all those resources without hesitation. Like you, I hope one or all of my 4 adult children and/or 7 young grandchildren will take an interest in fountain pens and will be glad to inherit my collection when the time comes. It does my heart good to know that our children all have expressed some interest in fountain pens already, as have a few of the grandchildren! Cordially yours, Bill
Hello Bill, that was such an amazing story of you bonding with your father over fountain pens. What a wonderful generational influence pens have had on your family’s lives. I enjoyed reading it. You also have quite the collection yourself, but I am sure that Shaeffer pen is very Dear to you. All the best!
@@HemingwayJones It sure is! It is also a wonderful reminder of my grandmother, who was one of the grand ladies of McKinney, TX "back in the day." Too, I forgot to mention that I bid on and won the Parker 51 in large part because it had Dad's initials on it. That tickled him, too. Plus, of course, having the best selling fountain pen of all time as part of my collection at a very good price because the initials surely must have put off other bidders was a no-brainer. Lastly, since writing my first comment, I went to a local grocery store with my Opus 88 Koloro (green and orange) clipped to the outside of my tee shirt. The young cashier asked what in the world it was. She'd never even heard of a fountain pen. I happened to have a FPF note pad so I let her try it. There was no one behind me in line. She was just delighted with it. She commented that Benjamin Franklin must have used something like it. 😄
Really enjoyed the video as always. I have a small fountain pen collection among which my four vintage pens are my favourites. Especially my Conway Stewart 759 made in 1939. I have the original box as well upon which is written Sgt West, Royal Artillery. So that's a pen with a story to tell. Thanks for the videos I find them really inspiring.
I have two Esterbrook J’s, plus a Waterman 3. I am continually amazed how smooth the Esterbrook nibs are! That and the amazing number of replacement nibs that can be found. I can’t find much info on the Waterman, though the former owner said it dates to the 1927-30 era. The flex is fun to play with.
Thanks HJ for putting all your effort and time into this presentation. I want to obtain my first vintage pen. I just have to learn more about this interesting subject as I am really in the dark so far. RS. Canada
When my generous friend Gary gifted me a Waterman Ideal 56 from the 1920's, after I got him hooked on fountain pens, I was confused as to why it had none of that lovely vintage gold nib flexiness I had heard about. Someone in our pen group explained that the word "MANIFOLD" stamped on the #6 nib meant it was a stiffened nib meant for pressing hard on carbon paper. Still a lovely, and large, pen, but stiff as a Lamy. The Conway Stewart 75 from the 1950's that my sister got me is a beautiful petite brownish purple marbled pen with a VERY juicy flex nib. Inky fingers are inevitable. And Generous Gary also gave me a Sheaffer desk pen that is somewhat crudely engraved "Mr. And Mrs. Theodore B. Miller from Colonial Club 1878-1928." Sadly, the Sheaffers Lifetime nib lifetime nib has no flex either, but the pen and its black marble stand sure makes my writing desk look fancy! It would go beautifully with an inkwell like your Egyptian one. The Sheaffer and the Waterman are both inked with a beautiful blue green vintage ink that GG also gave me. I have to be careful what I say around that guy. Nothing makes him as happy as giving his friends the perfect gift, and he taught himself how to replace old ink sacks. He is now planning to make his own pens on a lathe, and he'll probably give a bunch of those away too.
Thanks, HJ for this informative video. You have inspired me to pull out my small collection of vintage pens, the 1923 Parker Lucky Curve Senior Duofold, the 2 Sheaffer PFM pens, and clean them with my home-made pen flush, and ink them up and write with them. Thank you for inspiring me to use these vintage pens. Well later on in the summer, when my eyes are recovered from the impending surgery, I think I will look to get a Waterman 58 pen, it is a larger version of your Waterman 52 1/2 pen. BTW, I have visited the original Gibson Guitar factory in Kalamazoo a few times, and I have tried out some real vintage Gibson guitars!!!!:):):)
Excellent video; I bought a Conway Stewart Churchill after seeing your video on that pen, and now I'm thinking about vintage pens (I have a large collection but all modern). BTW, your guitar analogy is spot on, as those early Fenders and Gibsons had individually wound pickups and hand finished necks etc. Nice Les Paul! I'm more of a Strat player, but I appreciate a good LP. I wonder if we're the only two guitar playing, fountain pen nerds on the planet (I doubt it but I don't think there are too many).
Thanks so much for the kind words. Congratulations also on the Conway Stewart. Great choice! Nice that you play. I enjoy it immensely. I usually play a Strat too. Back in the day, I was solid Gibson but now the scale of the Strat suits me much better. All the best and thanks!
One of the challenges with vintage fountain pens is making sure to find an ink that will not destroy the rubber ink sac. Some inks are very alkaline and can cause this to happen. I use Parker Quink black with my vintage fountain pens. Thank you for your video presentation.
Hello HJ. Another fine video that gets you wondering just what journey these pens have taken. I don't own one but I can appreciate the mystique of having one. Perhaps some day. On another note, I watched the video with the boot company. I commented on it and was surprised that someone else responded to me. I hope that you get to see the messages that are left for you. Great job. Keep them coming my friend.
My experience is similar to yours...vintage pens can be really awesome! The better pens of the vintage past have incredible gold nibs with a character modern gold nibs just don't have. Many vintage brands made their own nibs in-house. Few do today...the majority of modern pens source their nibs from third party large manufacturers who can "brand" them for the company that orders them. A few contemporary pen brands do still make their own nibs. Examples are Lamy and Faber-Castell. Another plus of vintage pens is the great variety of shapes, materials and details available. There used to be many more pen makers in the past than today, and they competed with each other for customers. Some companies didn't survive, but their pens have. Many of the brands that survive today are no longer independently owned, and some bear no real relationship to the historical companies whose name they resurrected. An example is Pelikan. While still manufactured in Germany, Pelikan has been owned by a Malaysian financial conglomerate since the 1980s. Pelikan collectors recognize a real difference between the gold nibs made before and after the sale in the 1980s. Sure, there are good things that came from modernization and standardization, one of which is generally pens that are more mechanically robust, but most nibs today cannot match their vintage counterparts.
As always another interesting video on an "old topic". W we will be in Europe for three weeks in about 12 days. If I'm lucky, I may find a vintage pen as a souvenir.
I rarely use modern fountain pens. I have a Sheaffer Sentinel DeLuxe from ~1947, a 1948 Esterbrook, a 2000 Waterman Harmonie, 1959 Lady Sheaffer…list goes on lol but my latest acquisition earns bragging rights: a 1930s Italian lever fill fountain pen with a glass nib. Apologies for the rant, I really enjoy talking about my old pens :)
I'm definitely a convert to vintage pens. Thanks for this. FWIW, my favourites so far are my Mabie-Todd "Swan", a Waterman 515 (both pre-war, I think) and a lovely Osmiroid - possibly from the 60s?
HJ, very well done as usual. Vintage pens are on my radar, one big problem though, another rabbit hole or even worse, a sink hole!!! (anyone from Eastern Pennsylvania will understand) oops there goes my house!
Excellent HJ !! I have a few vintage pens in my collection but have seldom used them, thanks for the inspiration. I recently purchased a Waterman 92 probably made in the 1920's. It writes very well, only needed a new ink sack but had no clip. Probably why I got it at a good price.
Thank you so much for suggesting a good source for pens. I've looked around a little bit, but it's hard to know which listings, if any, are reliable. That is a huge help. Thank you.
I loved the video and I love vintage pieces. It’s like my grandfather used to tell all the time about why vintage is better “ They don’t make things like they use too.”
Enjoyed the video and agree with many of your reasons for having a vintage pen. I have a vintage Esterbrook LJ that belonged to my mother. I had the bladder replaced and it writes great. It has a left oblique nib and it is my wettest writer. I'm a fan.
Last February I put up a notice on our local FB group for stuff people want to get rid of. I did it the other way around and asked people for unused pens. Someone offered me 12 wonderful (vintage) pens that used to belong to their father. Some of the pens: 1980s Pilot Justus, Pelikan 400 Souveran tortoise shell, Parker 45, Ohashido (Sendai Japan) with Tamamushi urushi, Platinum 3776 with Kaga-makie urushi and Pilot Custom 500Rs from 1974, Parker frontier. The Frontier is the only one without a gold nip, I think.
HJ, nice presentation! I don't have any vintage pens, but I just received an Esterbrook MV adapter and vintage (fine) nib. It's really an inexpensive approach to writing with a vintage nib, but on a modern pen. While I will likely purchase a vintage pen at some point, for now, writing with the Estie and nib adaptor is fun and writes well.
I'm going to attend the Chicago Pen Show on May 6th, and am hoping to pick-up another Esterbrook vintage nib while I am there. I love Esterbrook Pens and their many nib options. They all write great!
Ernest, I am new to your video's & fountain pens & I'm really enjoying them both very much. I took delivery of my first one yesterday, it is a Jinhao 599 demonstrator pen & it is great. Also, what is the incredible classical music 🎶 piece you play at the end of this video...? It is beautiful. ❤
Welcome and thank you very much! I am very happy to have you here. Congratulations on a great choice of pen. The music at the end is Eine kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart. Thanks so much for the kind words.
@HemingwayJones You are very welcome Hemingway, thank you for the pen reviews & and the introduction to Mozart & classical music. I shall look the piece up on UA-cam right now. Incidentally, who is your favourite classical composer & maybe you could say a little about your choice of music in future videos...? Also, thank you for replying. 🙏
You bring up a good point; why don't we see more flex nibs on the market? Look at how successful Pilot's FA pens are, surely other manufacturers have noticed?
What is a vintage pen? I asked several long term vintage collectors at the local pen club and they all said they were not aware of a common definition. May be a good topic for a video. I enjoy my few “vintage” pens as I them. A Parker Duofold from the 1980’s, a Sheaffer from the late 1940’s or early 50’s. Thanks for the video.
Thanks so much! AdventureDenali and I discussed this on our Live from last week. It is a very interesting topic. Thank you! For each of us, the vintage era begins 5 or 10 years before you were born!
Ive a few vintage pens - Parker 25, 45, 50, 61, 88, 180, Classic, Sheaffer Targa, Imperial, Pilot Long short, Elite 95s etc. and newly acquired vintage pocket pens from Sailor and Platinum. Honestly, I haven’t been using these vintage pens (except Elite) as much as I’d have liked.. Also, ebonite pens aren’t rare, here in India.. There’re quite a few manufacturers who’re still making ebonite pens.
Very good point! I have a Ranga Ebonite pen. It’s lovely. Are there many ebonite feeds? Can you recommend an elegant India produced Ebonite pen? I’d love to pick it up for the channel. Thanks!
@@HemingwayJones There’re quite a few manufacturers without their own websites. But some of the known manufacturers are asapens, lotuspens, Kanwrite, click etc.. Most of these manufacturers make ‘full’ ebonite pens (I.e., not just the feed).
@HemingwayJones I think Fountain Pen Revolution also sells ebonite pens, even imitating the classic Waterman ripple. I picked up a beautiful purple Himalaya from them with an ebonite feel and an Ultraflex nib, and it is fantastic. Very wet, so it needs refilling a lot and bleeds through more than my other pens. Next refill I'm going to try one of my Kyo-no-oto inks in it, as they are said to be dry. FPR exclusively sells pens made in India, from what I understand. Fountain pens are much more common there than in North America.
@@evilcritter I don’t quite agree that “fountain pens are quite common in India” in general. They were quite common during my school days in the 80s, but Ballpoint pens killed them eventually.. At the same time, I don’t think I consider them more common in the US too. I’ve stayed in the US for a total period of 5 years between late 90s and 2017, but I don’t remember seeing fountain pens being used (or maybe I didn’t have ‘eyes’ for fountain pens then) !
Hello, Celluloid is much rare and usually much more expensive in modern pens. Easy to come by in Vintage. It has a nice feeling in the hand; a bit warmer than plastics or some resins. Some resins are superior. It’s just a different choice and experience. All the best!
I have a few vintage pens of ordinary pedigree--nothing notable or special, and not "flex" either. However, the nibs offer bounce and control that are really superior to many modern nibs.
Hello HJ. I have a question for you and to me, it would be interesting to see how your followers would answer. The question, would you purchase a journal that was already filled out by someone that you didn't know and they were not famous? My answer is, I would. To look inside the mind of someone and learning their deepest secrets would be quite interesting to me. Just thinking out loud and was curious as to what you would do and why.
It sounds like a good side business! I wonder if those ever go up for auction at estate sales? I expect if there is no remaining family that wants it, it would just get tossed out.
Pens didn't impress me that much because I am sceptical that vintage works as well as modern tech of ink flow but that ink bottle at 9 : 50 ❤❤ it looks like from treasure of tomb of Akhnatan
Most pens: imagine, 80 years ago that pen could have sat on some guy's desk. It saw so many papers get passed over that desk, even got to write on a few. He always stored it upright, and rarely used it save for picking his nose. For many decades it was that way. One time, a clerk borrowed his pen to sign a check, but dropped it in the hallway and never returned it. Some schoolgirl picked it up and put it in her desk. It sat in that desk drawer for forty years, collecting dust. One time a spider crawled past it. Then, the pen that some guy bought for 10 cent in 1930 sells for 1,000 dollars in 2024. Amazing. 0.0000001% of pens: This pen was purchased by Ferdinand Porsche when he was a child and used to draw his first schematic for a race car. He dropped the pen and it was picked up by Eva Hart, who had it when she survived the titanic wreck. Once in new York, the pen ended up in the hands of Will Eisner, who drew an issue of The Spirit with it. He accidentally broke the nib and stuck it in a desk drawer. seventy years later, it sold on ebay for 2 dollars.
I used to love antiquing for fountain pens when I lived in the Midwest before “Antiques Roadshow” and eBay made everything collectible. There also were more people who could inexpensively repair ink sacs. I only wish I had bought more then, but was only working in a bookshop and taking classes I still love vintage pens and hope to learn how to fix them someday.
@@HemingwayJones Yeah its great when they resonates. I only have 4 pen but I am always trying to grow my collection. My favorite is my Reform 1745 it was my first pen and it didn't cost much. My second is the Picasso 902 gentlman it is also quite great. And my third one I don't know what he is. I like them because they are slim. If you have any suggestion I would really like to hear them.
Apparently I am a contrarian. I think the flex of vintage pens is exaggerated. In my hand, my current Waterman 52v (VERY carefully selected) flexes the same as my current Pilot 743 , and in actual use only slightly more flexy than my Franklin-Christoph Pocket 66. And these modern pens don't have a stupid sac inside them. Personally, I use Pilot Parallel stub pens much more often than any flexer, and at 1/10 the cost.
Hi Ichiro. Nothing wrong with a contrarian. You are always polite and insightful. I appreciate you. My vintage Waterman 52 1/2 and 5 outflexes everything modern, effortless and smoothly. I wish we lived closer so we could compare. Those Ideal nibs were amazing. Wish you all the best always.
Love the video. Yes, you nailed it. Some ask me if I am afraid my pens will break with use. To which I say... Then at least they will die happy doing what they were made for.
Thanks Awesome, JP! Love it. Thanks for the kind words.
My first vintage pen was a Parker Vacumatic in azul made in 1947. I wanted it bc that’s the year my mother graduated from college and got married, so I could imagine someone gifting her a Vacumatic. And blue would be the color she would have liked. Then it wanted siblings so I got 1940s Vacs in green, red and pearl and 2 striped Duovacs and 2 1940s Parker 51s. And a early jade ringtop made for Hutzler’s Dept Store chain in Baltimore which no longer exists but where my mom and I shopped.
And I got a Sheaffer Balance in the beautiful striped carmine to try their slightly upturned nib which I ADORE. And that’s the extent of my vintage collection. All the rest of my pens (150 or so) are modern.
As a lefty I’ve never gotten into flex nibs. But it’s why I love the Sheaffer and other “waverly” type nibs -very smooth for lefties.
Thank you Gillian! I love the story you have imbued your pen with. It puts so much in context and it’s awesome how you have related them to things that related to your family. You sound as if you have a wonderful collection!
I love the idea of being a custodian of pens, and having them, some day, "dispersed" like dandelion seeds on the wind. We are here for such a short time -- lightning bug blinks in an eternal night -- and it's a comfort that something we loved might be adopted by someone else. It occurred to me during the video that what we consider "vintage pens" were thought of as cutting edge when my father and his brother were growing up in Los Alamos, New Mexico, not long after it became a state in 1912.
That’s amazing, Ladd! Thanks for watching!
Hello, Hemingway - I’m enjoying your channel more and more. I appreciate your thoughtful, intellectual approach, your love of journals and classical music, and your overall classy approach to this passion. Thank you for your dedication to informative, high-quality production.
A little about me - I have about 100 pens, mostly fountain pens and a few prized rollerballs, that I keep inked at all times, which most people find excessive. I write many pages a day, and switch pens every few paragraphs. This brings me great joy and keeps the ink in all those pens flowing.
I look forward to more of your stimulating videos. I’ve started buying more vintage pens and I’ve restored about 10 recently, with great success. Writing longhand with fine writing instruments is a delicious joy in itself, then adding to that the pleasure of bringing old pens to life is frosting on that inky cake.
Thanks so much, Bob Berry and welcome! You have quite the collection. Congratulations. Thanks so much for the kind words. I appreciate you being here. Please check in again soon.
I'd like to see more of these vintage pens in your videos!
I don’t do a lot on vintage pens. I should. I do have a video coming up with some, or at least one! A few weeks.
I've started down the vintage fountain pen rabbit hole. I think it's the history that really draws me in. When I get a new pen I like to go back and look at what was happening in the world when it was manufactured. It helps put things in perspective.
I love this. It’s a great to know it’s time period. Thanks so much.
Most of my pens are vintage and I repair and/or restore them myself. It is a whole other level of the enjoyment. As I was watching this I was working on a very early Wahl Oxford that I bought in a lot. It has a flexible nib and shows essentially no sign of use. As you said, one wonders about the stories they could tell. Thank you for your videos.
Thanks so much. I am a big fan of Wahl.
I recently acquired (like a few days ago) a 1940's Waterman Skywriter 14k Fine Flexible Nib. The gentleman who I bought it from, restores Vintage Fountain Pens he finds at Antique stores and the like just for fun. I'm still somewhat "new" to the hobby of Fountain Pens and this was my FIRST step into Vintage pens. I am floored! This Waterman Skywriter is now my FAVORITE!!!
Wonderful! What a find! Well done, Indeed!
This one is right up my alley as I have restored vintage pens for years and particularly like your use of the word "heritage". Well done!
Thank you, Phil!
Lovely! I haven't had the pleasure of using a vintage fountain pen.
Yet!
Thank you, Norman!
Nice summary of the sublime advantages of vintage pens, but without skipping the pitfalls. A great public service announcement. Your Red No. 5 looks like lots of fun. Great work!
Thanks very much! I am glad that you enjoyed it.
This is an amazing video. I thoroughly enjoyed watching. There definitely was a magical aspect to the hosts presentation. I will keep on watching. 😊
Thank you very much, Scott! That was very kind of you to say. Thanks for watching and all the best.
I love all your vintage pens,
I need to get mine together between my mom‘s my great aunts the stories I could tell.
I think I’m gonna get them their own case, you inspired me to do just that, they deserve their own home at their age.
Thank you, Terri! That is a wonderful plan.
I’ve been looking forward to this episode and it did not disappoint. There’s always so much more to explore.
Thank you David! I am so glad that you enjoyed it!
I feel fortunate to have been able to acquire a few vintage pens. I have 2 from the late '40's, a Sheaffer Triumph from a fellow pen club member & a Parker Vacumatic from an antique store and they write beautifully! Another rarer 1930's Watermans Lady Patricia from a flea market! I saw a lot of beauties at our local annual pen show!
I would only practice with an old junk pen first. Personally, I'd rather give it to someone else very experienced.
Thanks Donna! Those are some awesome pens you have!
I really like all of what you said about the delights of vintage pens, but . . . The reason I hunted down and eventually snagged my 1946 Parker "51" Vacumatic was "some-day syndrome." Some day I'll own a Parker but I don't know when. Back in the day when fountain pens were still a thing - and yes I go that far back in time - a Parker 51 was for me the alpha pen at the top of the heap. However lusting after one was one thing; actually acquiring one was the impossible dream for ordinary folks, let alone a kid like me. But what do you know? Stick with the quest long enough and good things can still happen. And, was it worth the wait now that I have and use a Parker in hand? You bet! Couldn't be happier.
That is a wonderful and inspiring story! Thank you, Gerry.
@@HemingwayJones What a nice thing to say. Thank you.
I adore my vintage fountain pen collection. It's small but is slowly growing. When I say small, I mean small for my main collection. At the @BostonPenPeolple meet up, I met Pier Gustafson @PiersStudio now he has a collection of vintage pens, he said that it was 3,000 but I believe that it's more. When I went to the last meet up I saw a vintage pen that could write like a paint brush. I have been slowly learning more about vintage Fountain Pens -- For example I didn't realize that there were nibs that were stiff enouhg to write through carbon copies. I still love my modern pens, but I really want to explore some of the vintage. I do want a 51 1/2 -- For the flex. I am also looking at a Parker vacumatic but not sure if I want the swirls in Gold or Silver. I still have time to decide. I just found a pen I forgot I had. It is the Eversharp Skyline. I think when I first got it I was to scared to use it, so I put it away for safe keeping. When I filled it up, it worked like a charm after no use for at least 8 years. It's also because I am more comfrotable with replacing things on pens -- As I get more comfortable I may start figuring out how to resack them.
Wonderful, Ceit, thanks! I am so excited for this journey of yours! I am sure you will find some amazing pens. That group sounds lovely!
You are absolutely right, Hemingway. I've always wondered if we're doing the right thing buying new pens, often of dubious quality, when there are so many great quality writing tools just waiting to be used. Thank you once again for sharing such enriching content.
Thank you so much Santiago. I appreciate your watching.
Excellent video, Hemingway! I carried the same Cross pen during college, and throughout my entire career until retirement.
It is amazing how a ubiquitous item , such as a pen, can have so much meaning.
I agree. Pens mean so much in our culture. They help us to accomplish so much yet are under the radar. Your Cross pen sounds amazing.
A bit late, as usual, but had to join this conversation even if only you read it, Hemingway. As usual, too, I thoroughly enjoyed this video because it concerns a sub-species of the fountain pen hobby to which I've become more and more attracted. Your observations also gave me some new insights, so thanks for that.
My late father is responsible for my interest. Just a few years before he passed at age 97 in February of 2021, we chanced to discover that we had rekindled an interest in fountain pens just a few years previously. In his case, his initial interest grew during his senior year in high school (1941) when his mother continued her tradition of giving each of her 3 children her Sheaffer's fountain pen to use during that year. Since Dad was the youngest, he was the last to use it and thinks he returned it to her on graduating. He remembers loving it and asked if I could help him buy a new Sheaffer's. Being a senior, he had been getting many catalogues in the mail, including some from Goldspot. That is what renewed his interest so late in his life.
I agreed and sent him a Prelude I bought at a local stationary store with a small but nice selection of pens. He loved it. I also decided to do some research and see if I could identify the pen his mother probably gave him. Ultimately, I decided it was probably a Balance made in the 1930s. I bid successfully on one on eBay, which had been restored beautifully by the seller, tbickiii. Dad loved it but found it too small for his hands which were large and somewhat limited in their range of motion by arthritis. He asked me to take it, therefore, and I have happily done so, using it regularly. I also printed out and mailed to him information I found on-line about the Sheaffer Balance which he kept and we had much fun discussing several times.
I continued learning about vintage pens and started adding a few to my collection: a Montblanc 225, a Eversharp Skyline, an Esterbrook J, a Waterman C and a Parker 51. I love them all and almost always have one inked and in use in the 6 or 7 pen rotation I create every 2 weeks or so. I have purchased them on eBay, Japan Treasure Trove, Peyton Street and Anderson Pens. Each purchase experience has been very good. I recommend all those resources without hesitation.
Like you, I hope one or all of my 4 adult children and/or 7 young grandchildren will take an interest in fountain pens and will be glad to inherit my collection when the time comes. It does my heart good to know that our children all have expressed some interest in fountain pens already, as have a few of the grandchildren!
Cordially yours,
Bill
Hello Bill, that was such an amazing story of you bonding with your father over fountain pens. What a wonderful generational influence pens have had on your family’s lives. I enjoyed reading it. You also have quite the collection yourself, but I am sure that Shaeffer pen is very Dear to you. All the best!
@@HemingwayJones It sure is! It is also a wonderful reminder of my grandmother, who was one of the grand ladies of McKinney, TX "back in the day."
Too, I forgot to mention that I bid on and won the Parker 51 in large part because it had Dad's initials on it. That tickled him, too. Plus, of course, having the best selling fountain pen of all time as part of my collection at a very good price because the initials surely must have put off other bidders was a no-brainer.
Lastly, since writing my first comment, I went to a local grocery store with my Opus 88 Koloro (green and orange) clipped to the outside of my tee shirt. The young cashier asked what in the world it was. She'd never even heard of a fountain pen. I happened to have a FPF note pad so I let her try it. There was no one behind me in line. She was just delighted with it. She commented that Benjamin Franklin must have used something like it. 😄
Nice! You are inspiring a whole new generation. Well done My Friend.
@@HemingwayJones 🤞
Really enjoyed the video as always. I have a small fountain pen collection among which my four vintage pens are my favourites. Especially my Conway Stewart 759 made in 1939. I have the original box as well upon which is written Sgt West, Royal Artillery. So that's a pen with a story to tell. Thanks for the videos I find them really inspiring.
Hello Paul, thanks for the great comment. That is indeed a pen with an amazing history and story. You have the first and second clues. All the best.
I have two Esterbrook J’s, plus a Waterman 3. I am continually amazed how smooth the Esterbrook nibs are! That and the amazing number of replacement nibs that can be found. I can’t find much info on the Waterman, though the former owner said it dates to the 1927-30 era. The flex is fun to play with.
Brilliant, Gene! Great pens!
Thanks HJ for putting all your effort and time into this presentation.
I want to obtain my first vintage pen.
I just have to learn more about this interesting subject as I am really in the dark so far.
RS. Canada
Thanks Richard! All the best!
Custodian of pens, very nicely put.
Thanks!
When my generous friend Gary gifted me a Waterman Ideal 56 from the 1920's, after I got him hooked on fountain pens, I was confused as to why it had none of that lovely vintage gold nib flexiness I had heard about. Someone in our pen group explained that the word "MANIFOLD" stamped on the #6 nib meant it was a stiffened nib meant for pressing hard on carbon paper. Still a lovely, and large, pen, but stiff as a Lamy. The Conway Stewart 75 from the 1950's that my sister got me is a beautiful petite brownish purple marbled pen with a VERY juicy flex nib. Inky fingers are inevitable. And Generous Gary also gave me a Sheaffer desk pen that is somewhat crudely engraved "Mr. And Mrs. Theodore B. Miller from Colonial Club 1878-1928." Sadly, the Sheaffers Lifetime nib lifetime nib has no flex either, but the pen and its black marble stand sure makes my writing desk look fancy! It would go beautifully with an inkwell like your Egyptian one.
The Sheaffer and the Waterman are both inked with a beautiful blue green vintage ink that GG also gave me. I have to be careful what I say around that guy. Nothing makes him as happy as giving his friends the perfect gift, and he taught himself how to replace old ink sacks. He is now planning to make his own pens on a lathe, and he'll probably give a bunch of those away too.
Those are some very interesting pens with a lot of history. Thanks!
I appreciated your subtle homage to 007 in the end credits 😉
Thank you! That’s exactly what that is. Plus, I found it amusing. Thanks!
Thanks, HJ for this informative video. You have inspired me to pull out my small collection of vintage pens, the 1923 Parker Lucky Curve Senior Duofold, the 2 Sheaffer PFM pens, and clean them with my home-made pen flush, and ink them up and write with them. Thank you for inspiring me to use these vintage pens. Well later on in the summer, when my eyes are recovered from the impending surgery, I think I will look to get a Waterman 58 pen, it is a larger version of your Waterman 52 1/2 pen.
BTW, I have visited the original Gibson Guitar factory in Kalamazoo a few times, and I have tried out some real vintage Gibson guitars!!!!:):):)
Thanks Brother! So happy to hear. Take care of yourself and know that I am thinking about you!
Thank you, Brother Hemingway!!!!!
Excellent video; I bought a Conway Stewart Churchill after seeing your video on that pen, and now I'm thinking about vintage pens (I have a large collection but all modern). BTW, your guitar analogy is spot on, as those early Fenders and Gibsons had individually wound pickups and hand finished necks etc. Nice Les Paul! I'm more of a Strat player, but I appreciate a good LP. I wonder if we're the only two guitar playing, fountain pen nerds on the planet (I doubt it but I don't think there are too many).
Thanks so much for the kind words. Congratulations also on the Conway Stewart. Great choice! Nice that you play. I enjoy it immensely. I usually play a Strat too. Back in the day, I was solid Gibson but now the scale of the Strat suits me much better. All the best and thanks!
HJ, you convinced me with the description of the Waterman 52 1/2! It sounds magical. I don’t have any vintage pens yet but I shall start the hunt.
Wonderful! They are magical!
You've inspired me! The only difficulty is finding a vintage Waterman without rubber... latex allergies suck.
Oh No! I never considered this. Maybe the Waterman 5 in Celluloid? All the best!
Your handwriting is greatly improved! I liked your line with the Sheaffer Snorkel.
Thank you! I appreciate that very much.
how fun.. thanks for posting
Thank you for watching!
One of the challenges with vintage fountain pens is making sure to find an ink that will not destroy the rubber ink sac. Some inks are very alkaline and can cause this to happen. I use Parker Quink black with my vintage fountain pens. Thank you for your video presentation.
Very good point! Have you heard my story of the brown ink that was melting my Esterbrook sacs! I put a skill and crossbones on the cap.
@@HemingwayJones I have not heard that story. What ink brand was it?
I need to check it. I only use it for dip pens now.
Thanks HJ. Loved the video.
Thanks so much! You are the best!
Hello HJ. Another fine video that gets you wondering just what journey these pens have taken. I don't own one but I can appreciate the mystique of having one. Perhaps some day. On another note, I watched the video with the boot company. I commented on it and was surprised that someone else responded to me. I hope that you get to see the messages that are left for you. Great job. Keep them coming my friend.
Thank you, Richard! You are so kind! I appreciate the kind of words of encouragement.
My experience is similar to yours...vintage pens can be really awesome! The better pens of the vintage past have incredible gold nibs with a character modern gold nibs just don't have. Many vintage brands made their own nibs in-house. Few do today...the majority of modern pens source their nibs from third party large manufacturers who can "brand" them for the company that orders them. A few contemporary pen brands do still make their own nibs. Examples are Lamy and Faber-Castell. Another plus of vintage pens is the great variety of shapes, materials and details available. There used to be many more pen makers in the past than today, and they competed with each other for customers. Some companies didn't survive, but their pens have. Many of the brands that survive today are no longer independently owned, and some bear no real relationship to the historical companies whose name they resurrected. An example is Pelikan. While still manufactured in Germany, Pelikan has been owned by a Malaysian financial conglomerate since the 1980s. Pelikan collectors recognize a real difference between the gold nibs made before and after the sale in the 1980s. Sure, there are good things that came from modernization and standardization, one of which is generally pens that are more mechanically robust, but most nibs today cannot match their vintage counterparts.
Hello and thanks for the great comment. I agree completely. I love those Ideal nibs! Thanks so much.
Always great content. Thank you!
Thank you, Kendall!
As always another interesting video on an "old topic". W we will be in Europe for three weeks in about 12 days. If I'm lucky, I may find a vintage pen as a souvenir.
Wonderful! Have an awesome trip!
I rarely use modern fountain pens. I have a Sheaffer Sentinel DeLuxe from ~1947, a 1948 Esterbrook, a 2000 Waterman Harmonie, 1959 Lady Sheaffer…list goes on lol but my latest acquisition earns bragging rights: a 1930s Italian lever fill fountain pen with a glass nib.
Apologies for the rant, I really enjoy talking about my old pens :)
a 1930s lever fill with a glass nib. Wow. I have never even imagined such a pen. Awesome!!!!
@@HemingwayJones they are rare in the US but I bought it off a guy from Italy :) I highly recommend you get your hands on one when you can!
Thank you!
I'm definitely a convert to vintage pens. Thanks for this. FWIW, my favourites so far are my Mabie-Todd "Swan", a Waterman 515 (both pre-war, I think) and a lovely Osmiroid - possibly from the 60s?
Wonderful collection! Vintage pens are so interesting to me. Thanks
HJ, very well done as usual. Vintage pens are on my radar, one big problem though, another rabbit hole or even worse, a sink hole!!! (anyone from Eastern Pennsylvania will understand) oops there goes my house!
Yes, truly! Sink Hole is a perfect characterization!
Excellent HJ !! I have a few vintage pens in my collection but have seldom used them, thanks for the inspiration. I recently purchased a Waterman 92 probably made in the 1920's. It writes very well, only needed a new ink sack but had no clip. Probably why I got it at a good price.
Gino, My Man! So glad that I could inspire you. I hope that all is well!
Thank you so much for suggesting a good source for pens. I've looked around a little bit, but it's hard to know which listings, if any, are reliable. That is a huge help. Thank you.
Thank you Steve! Happy to help.
I loved the video and I love vintage pieces. It’s like my grandfather used to tell all the time about why vintage is better “ They don’t make things like they use too.”
Truly! Thanks Andrew!
Thank you for the lovely video. I don’t own any vintage pens nor have I tried writing with one. I am intrigued as I find the idea romantic.
Thank you very much, Kim! Romance, history, and heritage means a lot to me. I love imagining the journeys these pens have taken.
That is a gorgeous Les Paul you have.
Thank you! I appreciate that!
Enjoyed the video and agree with many of your reasons for having a vintage pen. I have a vintage Esterbrook LJ that belonged to my mother. I had the bladder replaced and it writes great. It has a left oblique nib and it is my wettest writer. I'm a fan.
Wonderful and such a. treasure from your Mom!
Going to my first pen show. I may be in the market for a vintage pen
Wonderful! Enjoy!
Last February I put up a notice on our local FB group for stuff people want to get rid of. I did it the other way around and asked people for unused pens.
Someone offered me 12 wonderful (vintage) pens that used to belong to their father. Some of the pens: 1980s Pilot Justus, Pelikan 400 Souveran tortoise shell, Parker 45, Ohashido (Sendai Japan) with Tamamushi urushi, Platinum 3776 with Kaga-makie urushi and Pilot Custom 500Rs from 1974, Parker frontier. The Frontier is the only one without a gold nip, I think.
HJ, nice presentation! I don't have any vintage pens, but I just received an Esterbrook MV adapter and vintage (fine) nib. It's really an inexpensive approach to writing with a vintage nib, but on a modern pen. While I will likely purchase a vintage pen at some point, for now, writing with the Estie and nib adaptor is fun and writes well.
That is a wonderful way of having your cake and eating it too. I have that MV adapter too. I need to use it.
Wonderful choices! Pen meetups are excellent.
I'm going to attend the Chicago Pen Show on May 6th, and am hoping to pick-up another Esterbrook vintage nib while I am there. I love Esterbrook Pens and their many nib options. They all write great!
I imagine Brendan will be there!
Ernest, I am new to your video's & fountain pens & I'm really enjoying them both very much.
I took delivery of my first one yesterday, it is a Jinhao 599 demonstrator pen & it is great.
Also, what is the incredible classical music 🎶 piece you play at the end of this video...?
It is beautiful. ❤
Welcome and thank you very much! I am very happy to have you here. Congratulations on a great choice of pen.
The music at the end is Eine kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart. Thanks so much for the kind words.
@HemingwayJones You are very welcome Hemingway, thank you for the pen reviews & and the introduction to Mozart & classical music.
I shall look the piece up on UA-cam right now.
Incidentally, who is your favourite classical composer & maybe you could say a little about your choice of music in future videos...?
Also, thank you for replying. 🙏
You bring up a good point; why don't we see more flex nibs on the market? Look at how successful Pilot's FA pens are, surely other manufacturers have noticed?
I do not know, Ricky! We have to keep nudging them.
What is a vintage pen? I asked several long term vintage collectors at the local pen club and they all said they were not aware of a common definition. May be a good topic for a video.
I enjoy my few “vintage” pens as I them. A Parker Duofold from the 1980’s, a Sheaffer from the late 1940’s or early 50’s.
Thanks for the video.
Thanks so much! AdventureDenali and I discussed this on our Live from last week. It is a very interesting topic. Thank you!
For each of us, the vintage era begins 5 or 10 years before you were born!
Enjoyed the video! I'd need something oversized to be able to use a vintage pen comfortably I think
That is a very good point, Shane, vintage pens tend to be, not exclusively, but they tend to be much smaller than modern pens.
My Waterman Ideal 56 is a large pen, even bigger than my Lamy Safari. Quite a brute when compared to other vintage pens!
Ive a few vintage pens - Parker 25, 45, 50, 61, 88, 180, Classic, Sheaffer Targa, Imperial, Pilot Long short, Elite 95s etc. and newly acquired vintage pocket pens from Sailor and Platinum.
Honestly, I haven’t been using these vintage pens (except Elite) as much as I’d have liked..
Also, ebonite pens aren’t rare, here in India.. There’re quite a few manufacturers who’re still making ebonite pens.
Very good point! I have a Ranga Ebonite pen. It’s lovely. Are there many ebonite feeds? Can you recommend an elegant India produced Ebonite pen? I’d love to pick it up for the channel. Thanks!
@@HemingwayJones There’re quite a few manufacturers without their own websites. But some of the known manufacturers are asapens, lotuspens, Kanwrite, click etc.. Most of these manufacturers make ‘full’ ebonite pens (I.e., not just the feed).
Brilliant. Thank you.
@HemingwayJones I think Fountain Pen Revolution also sells ebonite pens, even imitating the classic Waterman ripple. I picked up a beautiful purple Himalaya from them with an ebonite feel and an Ultraflex nib, and it is fantastic. Very wet, so it needs refilling a lot and bleeds through more than my other pens. Next refill I'm going to try one of my Kyo-no-oto inks in it, as they are said to be dry.
FPR exclusively sells pens made in India, from what I understand. Fountain pens are much more common there than in North America.
@@evilcritter I don’t quite agree that “fountain pens are quite common in India” in general. They were quite common during my school days in the 80s, but Ballpoint pens killed them eventually..
At the same time, I don’t think I consider them more common in the US too.
I’ve stayed in the US for a total period of 5 years between late 90s and 2017, but I don’t remember seeing fountain pens being used (or maybe I didn’t have ‘eyes’ for fountain pens then) !
I'm confused, modern pens are still sometimes made of celluloid, is there a reason one would want that?
Hello, Celluloid is much rare and usually much more expensive in modern pens. Easy to come by in Vintage. It has a nice feeling in the hand; a bit warmer than plastics or some resins. Some resins are superior. It’s just a different choice and experience. All the best!
I have a few vintage pens of ordinary pedigree--nothing notable or special, and not "flex" either. However, the nibs offer bounce and control that are really superior to many modern nibs.
Wonderful Peter!
Hello HJ. I have a question for you and to me, it would be interesting to see how your followers would answer. The question, would you purchase a journal that was already filled out by someone that you didn't know and they were not famous? My answer is, I would. To look inside the mind of someone and learning their deepest secrets would be quite interesting to me. Just thinking out loud and was curious as to what you would do and why.
I would love an old diary / journal. That sounds really interesting. Thanks for the great question!
It sounds like a good side business! I wonder if those ever go up for auction at estate sales? I expect if there is no remaining family that wants it, it would just get tossed out.
@@evilcritter I see them on eBay from time to time. Antiquarian Booksellers seem to have the older ones.
Pens didn't impress me that much because I am sceptical that vintage works as well as modern tech of ink flow but that ink bottle at 9 : 50 ❤❤ it looks like from treasure of tomb of Akhnatan
Thanks so much! That is an Egyptian revival inkwell that is around 100 years old. One of my favorite treasures. Thanks for watching.
Most pens:
imagine, 80 years ago that pen could have sat on some guy's desk. It saw so many papers get passed over that desk, even got to write on a few. He always stored it upright, and rarely used it save for picking his nose. For many decades it was that way. One time, a clerk borrowed his pen to sign a check, but dropped it in the hallway and never returned it. Some schoolgirl picked it up and put it in her desk. It sat in that desk drawer for forty years, collecting dust. One time a spider crawled past it. Then, the pen that some guy bought for 10 cent in 1930 sells for 1,000 dollars in 2024. Amazing.
0.0000001% of pens:
This pen was purchased by Ferdinand Porsche when he was a child and used to draw his first schematic for a race car. He dropped the pen and it was picked up by Eva Hart, who had it when she survived the titanic wreck. Once in new York, the pen ended up in the hands of Will Eisner, who drew an issue of The Spirit with it. He accidentally broke the nib and stuck it in a desk drawer. seventy years later, it sold on ebay for 2 dollars.
Where’s a good place to find antique pens for sale like this?
Hello, I like Peyton Street Pens. They stand behind them and have fair prices for completely restored pens. Thanks!
@@HemingwayJones thanks!!
I used to love antiquing for fountain pens when I lived in the Midwest before “Antiques Roadshow” and eBay made everything collectible. There also were more people who could inexpensively repair ink sacs. I only wish I had bought more then, but was only working in a bookshop and taking classes I still love vintage pens and hope to learn how to fix them someday.
I bought a Kanwrite heritage no.2 and the flex is worst than my Reform 1745 and it is really chunky and doesn't feel good in my hands.
So sorry. So great when a pen resonates.
@@HemingwayJones Yeah its great when they resonates. I only have 4 pen but I am always trying to grow my collection.
My favorite is my Reform 1745 it was my first pen and it didn't cost much.
My second is the Picasso 902 gentlman it is also quite great. And my third one I don't know what he is.
I like them because they are slim. If you have any suggestion I would really like to hear them.
Apparently I am a contrarian. I think the flex of vintage pens is exaggerated. In my hand, my current Waterman 52v (VERY carefully selected) flexes the same as my current Pilot 743 , and in actual use only slightly more flexy than my Franklin-Christoph Pocket 66. And these modern pens don't have a stupid sac inside them.
Personally, I use Pilot Parallel stub pens much more often than any flexer, and at 1/10 the cost.
Hi Ichiro. Nothing wrong with a contrarian. You are always polite and insightful. I appreciate you. My vintage Waterman 52 1/2 and 5 outflexes everything modern, effortless and smoothly. I wish we lived closer so we could compare. Those Ideal nibs were amazing.
Wish you all the best always.
@@HemingwayJones OK. Maybe I'll try flexing it a little further. Some day when I'm drunk and depressed.
Yes, I really don't like pens with sacs, either. I have several, which I regret buying.
@@ichirofakename Sounds good, My Friend. We’ll try to make you a Happy Drunk. Warmest Regards.
@@peterpuleo2904 Yeah, my one is one too many. Though I must say they sure fill fast.
Disappointed with your wordy commentary- introduce your pens first - then elaborate
That’s how you can do your UA-cam Channel. I’m sure you will be very successful.