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One thing that hasn't been mentioned so far. We've seen comments that "race to the bottom" (Lamy Safari, Pilot Preppy, ...), or that aim for "timeless classics"

One thing that hasn't been mentioned so far. We've seen comments that "race to the bottom" (Lamy Safari, Pilot Preppy, ...), or that aim for "timeless classics" (basically any gold nib - Sailor 1911, Pilot Falcon, ~$150+ pens). There's a third way though. The "actual piece of history". In my opinion, no pen is better for this than a Parker 51. This for me is the embodiment (and a parent of) "the consumer fountain pen". Seen and used everywhere from 1940s to about 1960s. The best part - these can now be had for ~$100 and a good portion of them still works beautifully to this day. With minimal maintenance (cleaning, sometimes slight nib polishing to remove the flat spots that come from long time use by their previous owners) one can get a working Parker 51 for under $60. The best part - these pens can go neck to neck with a lot of modern $150+ pieces. All the while most of these pens are older than majority of HN users. Heck, having a small collection myself, most of my Parker 51s are older than my parents.

quantgenius 3y ago
Totally agree. Properly restored vintage pens are absolutely awesome. You don't have to go as high end as a vintage Parker 51. Try an Esterbrook. They were the BIC of their day and are amazing. Very important warning regarding Parker 51s or any modern Parker. Do not buy the modern Parker 51!! The brand Parker is now owned by a company that is choosing to take advantage of people who remember the Parker brand and foisting total garbage on them.
- nolan879 3y ago
  I love my Esterbrooks, I was gifted a green model J many years ago, and I use it frequently at home. I recently purchased an SJ from an antiques market, and revived it with a new ink sac ($20 all in), this pen now lives on my desk at work. I prefer their lighter weight to the Pilot Metropolitans.
cge 3y ago
I'd agree. This article was not at all what I assumed it would be about: it is primarily a listing of boutique manufacturer pens that are entirely modern and not at all classic in mentality. They fit the standard "limited edition, barrel-design-focused, standard section and cartridge+converter, generic nib" product design and business model that I think is intrinsically linked to the move of fountain pens to being marketed as mostly status items. There are great, actually classic pens, and being from a time when they were meant to be used, they can be far more interesting. Parker 51s are ubiquitous and reliable, and vacuum fillers in general seem significantly better than modern cartridge and converter pens. For mid century technically-interesting pens, I'm fond of Sheaffer snorkel fillers, where the pen can be quickly refilled without the nib ever touching ink and changing the line thickness or becoming messy. Even earlier, Waterman and other pens with fine, flexible nibs offer nib styles that range from very difficult to impossible to get in modern pens.
germyj 3y ago
Seconding the 51! Excellent pen for the price. If one doesn't mind jumping through a hoop or two regarding shipping, vintage Montblancs are just about as cheap from Japan as the 51 is in the US, and sometimes cheaper. The 12/14/32/220/etc are smaller than the flagship Meisterstucks, but they're also about 1/10 the price and really quite nice quality. Recently I've paid 30-50$ per pen to develop a little collection; the 220 was most expensive at 70$. Piston fillers that are still going strong after decades, minimal maintenance, pleasant gold nibs.

quantgenius 3y ago

Totally agree. Properly restored vintage pens are absolutely awesome. You don't have to go as high end as a vintage Parker 51. Try an Esterbrook. They were the BIC of their day and are amazing. Very important warning regarding Parker 51s or any modern Parker. Do not buy the modern Parker 51!! The brand Parker is now owned by a company that is choosing to take advantage of people who remember the Parker brand and foisting total garbage on them.

nolan879 3y ago
I love my Esterbrooks, I was gifted a green model J many years ago, and I use it frequently at home. I recently purchased an SJ from an antiques market, and revived it with a new ink sac ($20 all in), this pen now lives on my desk at work. I prefer their lighter weight to the Pilot Metropolitans.

cge 3y ago

I'd agree. This article was not at all what I assumed it would be about: it is primarily a listing of boutique manufacturer pens that are entirely modern and not at all classic in mentality. They fit the standard "limited edition, barrel-design-focused, standard section and cartridge+converter, generic nib" product design and business model that I think is intrinsically linked to the move of fountain pens to being marketed as mostly status items. There are great, actually classic pens, and being from a time when they were meant to be used, they can be far more interesting. Parker 51s are ubiquitous and reliable, and vacuum fillers in general seem significantly better than modern cartridge and converter pens. For mid century technically-interesting pens, I'm fond of Sheaffer snorkel fillers, where the pen can be quickly refilled without the nib ever touching ink and changing the line thickness or becoming messy. Even earlier, Waterman and other pens with fine, flexible nibs offer nib styles that range from very difficult to impossible to get in modern pens.

germyj 3y ago

Seconding the 51! Excellent pen for the price. If one doesn't mind jumping through a hoop or two regarding shipping, vintage Montblancs are just about as cheap from Japan as the 51 is in the US, and sometimes cheaper. The 12/14/32/220/etc are smaller than the flagship Meisterstucks, but they're also about 1/10 the price and really quite nice quality. Recently I've paid 30-50$ per pen to develop a little collection; the 220 was most expensive at 70$. Piston fillers that are still going strong after decades, minimal maintenance, pleasant gold nibs.