Left Hook Pens

This 21 pen questions tag was started by Ana of The Well Appointed Desk a while ago, and I recently found out about it via a Pen Addict post. It’s been interesting reading other people’s answers, so I thought it would be fun to answer these questions myself.

1: What is the pen they’ll have to pry out of your cold dead hands?

The Pilot Lucina. I have a pretty strong sentimental attachment to this pen because it’s well built and the cap seal is amazing. I’m still on the same damn cartridge of Namiki Sepia that was in the pen when I posted about it last October, and it had already been in the pen for a long time. I can go weeks without opening the Lucina and it’ll still be ready to write. The cartridge is getting low though, so we’ll see how much longer this can go.

2: What’s your guilty pleasure pen?

A full size Sailor Pro Gear in Kure Azure. I went with this one because it’s the most expensive pen I own. I don’t really think of anything as a guilty pleasure because that implies shame, and there’s no shame in using a really nice pen.

3: What’s the pen you wish existed?

A safety-type fountain pen with a vanishing point nib (not the nib unit, just the nib and feed). The VP already has kind of a safety mechanism, and the nib itself just slides off the feed. One day I’ll figure out how to make a standalone feed for that nib. I’m just looking for a traditionally shaped pen with the VP nib and this is apparently a latent obsession of mine.

4: What pen would you give to a new enthusiast?

For a new enthusiast that already knows that they like fountain pens it would be the TWSBI Swipe. You get two types of converters, a giant cartridge, and an excellent nib for $27 USD. The grip section is clear so it’s pretty easy to clean without removing the nib and feed. The converters are also easy to clean and take apart, and the cartridge is even easy to refill without spilling because it’s so big. Good value combined with ease of use. For a new enthusiast that has never tried a fountain pen before, I would say a Platinum Preppy. The Preppy nib is fantastic for $5, and it looks enough like a standard capped gel pen to not be off-putting.

5: What pen do you want to get along with but it just never clicked?

The Lamy 2000. I like the design, and the nib is nice, but the way the grip slopes down to the nib hurt my hands. Sometimes I’ll miss the L2K and then I remind myself about the grip.

6: What pen do you only keep only because its pretty?

I kept a Narwhal Schuykill pen for a while, but ended up selling it either earlier this year or late last year. It was the Porpita edition and had a very pretty blue and brown swirly resin. The pen wrote too dry for me though so I sold it after just taking it out to look at for months.

7: What pen (or stationery product) did you buy because everyone else did?

I think the Jinhao X159. I previously had no interest in that pen until they came out with the new design. I saw one Goulet video and some reddit posts and ordered one. It writes very well and is pretty comfortable to hold, I’m impressed.

8: What pen (or stationery product) is over your head or just baffles you?

The Opus 88 wine bottle pen. It seems like it would be difficult to hold, and that step between the “grip” and the barrel is obscene. This is the pen version of one of those wooden signs from Homegoods that say something like, “live, laugh, Merlot.” I mean no offense to anyone who likes this kind of thing, it’s just not for me.

9: What pen (or stationery product) surprised you?

The Zebra Sarasa Dry gel pen. I thought that I had found my favorite gel refill in the Energel, but it’s actually the Sarasa Dry. This pen surprised me becuase I had tried a regular Zebra Sarasa and thought that it was kinda scratchy and dry. I saw the Sarasa Dry on Jetpens and decided to give it a try because they recommended it for lefties, and it does indeed dry fast and write smooth. The ink is very saturated and consistent.

10: What pen doesn’t really work for you but you keep it because it’s a collectible?

I purchased a vintage Pilot Custom 68 on ebay last year that isn’t like other Custom 68’s. It’s a very lightweight pen even with a converter in it, and it feels cheap and half baked for a Pilot. It also has a #3 nib that I didn’t see on any other Custom 68. I want to research this particular pen more before selling it, because it might be a weird fluke prototype.

11: What is your favorite sparkly pen (or ink)?

The iced caramel latte Benu Euphoria! Look at her sparkle, she’s so pretty.

12: Which nib do you love – but hate the pen?

The Pilot Vanishing Point Decimo. The nib is so silky feeling, but there’s a sweet spot. If I hold the pen with my index and thumb on either side of the clip as Pilot intended, the nib won’t write without skipping a lot. This forces me to hold the pen so that my index finger rests on the clip which is awkward and uncomfortable.

13: What pen (or stationery product) gives you the willies?

I’m afraid to buy any more Monteverde bottled ink after all three bottles in my collection ended up smelling like sulfur (their cartridges are great though).

14: What’s your favorite pen for long form writing?

I think the Opus 88 Demonstrator. I got a Jowo #6 housing for a Pilot #10 nib from Flexible Nib Factory and it’s a good combination. The grip section on the Demo is very comfortable to hold for a while, and it’s wide enough that my thumbnail doesn’t dig into my index finger.

15: What pen (or stationery product) do you love in theory but not in practice?

Travelers notebooks. I like the idea of several small notebooks under one cover, but the metal nub on the spine of the Travelers Company cover bothers me. Also, the way the elastic band is positioned on the back cover creates a lump in the notebook. I should say that I like the Midori refills themselves, but the design of the leather cover I do not like in practice.

16: What pen (or stationery product) would you never let someone else use?

I would let people that I know and trust use any of my pens, and I would let a total stranger or someone I don’t trust use any of my cheap pens. If I ever go to a pen show or a meet-up I would be happy to let anyone there use my pens.

17: What pen (or stationery product) would you never use for yourself?

Organics Studio Nitrogen is an ink that I’m not using ever again. One time I was cleaning out a large glass bowl used for snack storage and there was a splatter of Nitrogen at the bottom. I also found a splatter inside my fridge.

18: What pen (or stationery product) could you NOT bring yourself to buy?

There are a lot of pens that I can’t bring myself to buy for financial reasons, but last week I saw that the green translucent Platinum Curidas was on Amazon for $46 USD. My wife hates the Curidas and warned me that I also wouldn’t enjoy it. I stubbornly did some research on my own and concluded that the raised plastic nub that holds the removable clip in place sits right where my fingers would be. My wife is right.

19: What’s your favorite vintage pen?

My favorite vintage pen that I do own is a ‘50s era Montblanc Monte Rosa. At some point in this pen’s life, the clip and finial got replaced with parts meant for a different model. I like it when this happens because it means that the pen has been through some stuff, and was given some TLC with whatever was available. My favorite vintage pen that I don’t own is the Sheaffer Tuckaway with the striated barrel, a stubby lil’ clip, and the cone nib.

20: What is your favorite EDC/pocket pen?

I love my copper Kaweco Lilliput and Travelers Company pocket pen, but the only pocket pen that I would actually carry in my pocket is a raw aluminum Kaweco Sport. I nursed it back to health after corroding the threads, and I feel like it would probably be fine if it got ran over by a car. Never soak a raw metal pen in an ammonia based pen cleaner.

21: What’s the pen (or stationery product) that got away?

This is the one I’m having the hardest time answering. I have no answer for this question.