At this point I agree with Toga. You need to let that Raden Stripes spread her wings and fly.
Wed: probably my Waterman Expert II, with its fine nib. Mostly for sentimental value, since it was my father’s, but also because it’s reliable and classic without being a cigar. I like flats, sue me.
If not then TWSBI 580 ALR Prussian Blue, 1.1 stub. Please and thank you. Also, if you have something in the grip, just using the pad of your thumb and rotating said pen with your thumb pressed against it works too.
Bed: now we’re in dangerous territory. I want to say a pen I haven’t tried yet…Lamy 2000? Just to feel things out. If I like it I’ll ask it out on a date. The one time I tried it it wrote well but I want to get a better, longer period of time and see how I like it then. Or maybe the Aurora 88, the older kind.
Behead: Platinum Preppy. I’m sorry, but I have to. I had two - emphasis on had. The first was the Platinum Meteor, which is a Preppy in an octagonal barrel and better design. The feed literally did not work enough to get the ink to the nib. I got it exchanged for another, used it well for a while, then acquired an actual Preppy, a red one with that red nib. That one wrote unnaturally scratchy, but I tried to convince myself it was a quirk. Then a month later I inked up the Meteor again and it wouldn’t write. The tines had gone wrong somehow while SITTING ON MY DESK UNINKED. So I exchanged the nib on that one for the one on the Preppy and used it for about a week before that nib started getting weirdly scratchy again. And then flat out wouldn’t write, even with really wet inks. Then to add insult to injury the feed started spewing ink. Suffice to say I was not impressed. Almost ruined the experience for me. Now I have Preppy body parts and no good nibs. Or feeds. It’s like having coffee beans without a mill to grind them.
I agree with you on Preppy nibs; I will say I’ve only ever used one and it was dry. It’s fine now with Carbon Black, but eh not worth the hassle. The Prussian Blue is such a great color isn’t it?
It is the exact shade of my soul. Teal with a hint of more blue.
Preppy’s are just so infuriating, I’m sorry, but they are. I’m still scared to death of pigmented or carbon or whatever inks and only use them with my quill, so I guess I’ll never know what happens in a Preppy.
This was fun to read. I personally do not like the looks of the Pilot Metropolitan. Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions regarding people that specialize in tuning/grinding Kaweco Sport nibs? I'd give up many of my other pens, except Kawecos, Sailors, TWSBI Ecos, and one Platinum 3776.
Thank you for the kind words except the part of the Pilot Metropolitan (just kidding). I’d say that any nib grinder would be able to do wonders on any nib, Kaweco Sport nibs included; if you’re going to a pen show soon, you’ll catch some great people who can fix the issues for ya. What is the one Platinum 3776 for you?
Wed: If there could only be one pen for me, it would have to be the Platinum 3776 Chenonceau white UEF. I adore it, simple as that. It was my first grail back when I thought pens that cost multiple £100's was steep (oh buddy, wait until you discover Montegrappa), but it lived up to its grail status & is still one of my most used pens.
Bed: Conklin All-American golden walnut. I love the way it looks. I love the way it writes. I love the way my writing looks with the Omniflex nib. Getting it to write is a pain in the proverbial. I should really get one of Flexible Nib Factories replacement feeds, but I'm waiting until I have my 743 FA so that I can order both at the same time & save on the hefty shipping cost.
Behead: My TWISBI Eco white & rose gold. I love the way it looks, but the broad nib in it has never written well. It constantly skips & hard starts. I should really take some time to figure out what's wrong with it, but it frustrates me so much each time I try to use it that I just want to lock it in the abyss for 1,000 years. The difference between the Eco and the Conklin is that when the Eco does manage to write it's nothing special. When the Conklin writes, it's wonderful.
Isn’t it amazing how different our experiences are? The Ecos have served me well. I’ll say that the only dry nib I’ve had is on the TWSBI mini. But Conklin… nothing worked well, and if it worked, it would be subpar.
At this point I agree with Toga. You need to let that Raden Stripes spread her wings and fly.
Wed: probably my Waterman Expert II, with its fine nib. Mostly for sentimental value, since it was my father’s, but also because it’s reliable and classic without being a cigar. I like flats, sue me.
If not then TWSBI 580 ALR Prussian Blue, 1.1 stub. Please and thank you. Also, if you have something in the grip, just using the pad of your thumb and rotating said pen with your thumb pressed against it works too.
Bed: now we’re in dangerous territory. I want to say a pen I haven’t tried yet…Lamy 2000? Just to feel things out. If I like it I’ll ask it out on a date. The one time I tried it it wrote well but I want to get a better, longer period of time and see how I like it then. Or maybe the Aurora 88, the older kind.
Behead: Platinum Preppy. I’m sorry, but I have to. I had two - emphasis on had. The first was the Platinum Meteor, which is a Preppy in an octagonal barrel and better design. The feed literally did not work enough to get the ink to the nib. I got it exchanged for another, used it well for a while, then acquired an actual Preppy, a red one with that red nib. That one wrote unnaturally scratchy, but I tried to convince myself it was a quirk. Then a month later I inked up the Meteor again and it wouldn’t write. The tines had gone wrong somehow while SITTING ON MY DESK UNINKED. So I exchanged the nib on that one for the one on the Preppy and used it for about a week before that nib started getting weirdly scratchy again. And then flat out wouldn’t write, even with really wet inks. Then to add insult to injury the feed started spewing ink. Suffice to say I was not impressed. Almost ruined the experience for me. Now I have Preppy body parts and no good nibs. Or feeds. It’s like having coffee beans without a mill to grind them.
I agree with you on Preppy nibs; I will say I’ve only ever used one and it was dry. It’s fine now with Carbon Black, but eh not worth the hassle. The Prussian Blue is such a great color isn’t it?
It is the exact shade of my soul. Teal with a hint of more blue.
Preppy’s are just so infuriating, I’m sorry, but they are. I’m still scared to death of pigmented or carbon or whatever inks and only use them with my quill, so I guess I’ll never know what happens in a Preppy.
This was fun to read. I personally do not like the looks of the Pilot Metropolitan. Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions regarding people that specialize in tuning/grinding Kaweco Sport nibs? I'd give up many of my other pens, except Kawecos, Sailors, TWSBI Ecos, and one Platinum 3776.
Thank you for the kind words except the part of the Pilot Metropolitan (just kidding). I’d say that any nib grinder would be able to do wonders on any nib, Kaweco Sport nibs included; if you’re going to a pen show soon, you’ll catch some great people who can fix the issues for ya. What is the one Platinum 3776 for you?
Oh come on, ink it already!!?!
Wed: If there could only be one pen for me, it would have to be the Platinum 3776 Chenonceau white UEF. I adore it, simple as that. It was my first grail back when I thought pens that cost multiple £100's was steep (oh buddy, wait until you discover Montegrappa), but it lived up to its grail status & is still one of my most used pens.
Bed: Conklin All-American golden walnut. I love the way it looks. I love the way it writes. I love the way my writing looks with the Omniflex nib. Getting it to write is a pain in the proverbial. I should really get one of Flexible Nib Factories replacement feeds, but I'm waiting until I have my 743 FA so that I can order both at the same time & save on the hefty shipping cost.
Behead: My TWISBI Eco white & rose gold. I love the way it looks, but the broad nib in it has never written well. It constantly skips & hard starts. I should really take some time to figure out what's wrong with it, but it frustrates me so much each time I try to use it that I just want to lock it in the abyss for 1,000 years. The difference between the Eco and the Conklin is that when the Eco does manage to write it's nothing special. When the Conklin writes, it's wonderful.
Isn’t it amazing how different our experiences are? The Ecos have served me well. I’ll say that the only dry nib I’ve had is on the TWSBI mini. But Conklin… nothing worked well, and if it worked, it would be subpar.