@@InkquiringMinds Thats the one, I just got misled by the lack of a pen clip and the decorative rivets. Yours has a brighter silver colour but I'm looking at different computer pics and camera videos. Can you buy a pen clip at the same store? and did you get the gold nib?? It is not much more, I was surprised at the price, even with the Schmidt F nib. I thought it would be lower, but then again, I don't know what the original sells for.
@@mariatriesart8389 Those are screws and I have no idea what they are for. They might be for some kind of clip that I haven't seen yet. I put a clip from my Kaweco Sport on it and it fits perfectly and looks great as it is gold metal.
The slick steel grips on 2 of my Lamy Studios made them almost unusable but after getting the All Black Studio and feeling the rubberized grip on it, I special ordered 2 more rubber grip sections (Wonder Pens did this for me) and after swapping them with the slick steel sections, I now love writing with all my Studios.
This time of year, LOTS of folks have their "best lists" coming out; thanks for the incalculably valuable service of a worst experiences list! I take great comfort in knowing I'm not alone in...disappointments. For what it's worth, I still have my Lamy 2000 ...but it's in my storage case. Mine is an EF (to counteract the firehose, plus I write small) and I got tired of constantly hunting for the sweet spot on the nib.
Because of all the great pen reviews of the L2K, I got one for my daughter last Christmas (she and I share a love for fountain pens). She has very small handwriting, so I g got her an EF nib, since European nibs EFs are like Japanese Fs, as I have been told. I have never tried one out until I borrowed hers this year. I found it very unforgiving in terms of line consistency, especially if you are not concentrating on the "sweet spot." So it skips, writes very scratchily (is that a word?) and the section is too slippery. It may be great engineering for longevity, but ergonomically, it does little for me, and my fingers tire out easily with this pen. What does my daughter think of this pen? She says loves it, but that's her; she appreciates everything I get her, God bless her. In fairness, she does use it a lot.
Loved your videos over the year. Thanks to your vids I have bought a number of pens I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. You pen enabler you! Luckily I haven’t bought most of the pens on your worst list. Disagree with you on a few of your choices but variety is the spice of life. It took me a few goes to get the right Lamy 2000 for me. I hated the bold I originally bought, the fine is ok but I love the medium and it’s in my top 3 pens of 2021. I also loved the Jinhao 85, which surprised me. Maybe I just got a good one. The nib was smooth as butter straight out of the box and is just as good as my Parker 51 medium (2021) reissue, which isn’t saying much I know. 2021 has been a pretty good pen year considering. Thanks for the entertaining content and have a fantastic holiday season.
Ha! Hilariously awesome, as usual. Zing-a-ding-ding! p.s. my only real pen related disappointment this year is the three penBBS pens i ordered at the beginning of June that still have not arrived. And my inquiries of this order were all just shot down. It hurts mostly because i have a sincere love of the brand and i'd have loved to keep getting my pens directly from the source. Alas, I now do my penbbs business anywhere but there. Heart breaking, as far as this pen nerd goes. Awesome video, Doug! Cheers!!
Sad about your Penbbs experience, Dean. But, as you see, it can happen to anyone. The good news is the 14k Penbbs nib is awesome and it came in 10 days.
@@InkquiringMinds It's really ok. I feel very fortunate having successfully scored SO MANY other fantastic PenBBS pens this year. It's been incredible. In the grand scheme of my year in pens, I've felt like a king! And i haven't given up on my delayed beauties, quite yet. Goonies never say die!
- You placed the Lamy 2000 (a unique, venerated and beloved pen) at the same level (video) as a rebranded Chinese pen with a huge mark-up. - I was surprised I did not see the Narwhal Nautilus in this list considering the nib QC you complained about and it costs so much more.
I bought a Lamy 2000 Medium but it was far too wet for daily writing. Sold it and got the fine nib, which was good but the lines were still a touch thicker than I liked. Sold it and bought the extra fine. It is perfect. The pen is always inked.
Happy holidays! I like that "MadJohn". It might be a keeper! The A1 will be a while due to hold-ups from the factory to Etsy but the RS1 and T5 are here and you will see them soon.
I am using Lamy2000 EF and i completed half of my MBA with this pen. I have written exams, Assignments, notes with this single pen and it's been a great experience
Hi Doug. Thanks for your funny video about worst pen experiences of 2021. Hey, you mentioned a few pens that took me by surprise. Did you forget the awful Lanbitou copy of the Platinum Curidas? I remember that cheaply made mechanism was condemned by a lot of pen reviewers. Always good to see your hilarious clips of old TV shows during the video. Have a Merry Christmas, Doug.
I only talked about pens I bought or were loaned or given to me in 2021. I never even attempted to purchase the obviously horrible Lanbitou Curidas copy.
Oof. That 535 problem is a big blunder. Thanks for making us aware of it. Was thinking about getting a 456, but my favourite colour doesn't seem to be in stock right now. Anyway, I ordered a 699 to see if I like the vacuum-filling design, and I do, but when writing, found out that the pen did not dry up with the seal closed. I'm having suspicions that the seal is not fully blocking the ink, which is why I'm looking to upgrade to a 456. Does the seal on the 456 fully shut-off the ink from the main reservoir? Do you think that the 355s can have the same problem? Sorry for the questions and thanks
Oh, no, Doug. Moonman is taking on Pilot Capless. I've seen on Taobao their new pen A1. There are 3 versions, on of them is clipless (if anyone is in need of having a pocket pen without a clip).
Hahaha! Love the reviews, Doug - and of course, all the snarky clips you embed as well! I can’t disagree with any of your turds, including the Jinhao 85 - mine always hard starts, and if the nib isn’t at just the right angle, it skips. My own exception (as you expected) is the Lamy 2K. It’s one of my favorite pens, it IS an engineering marvel, and I use it reversed about 99% of the time. Happy Holidays!
I was at a pen show this year ready to buy the Lamy 2000, it was on my.list. I asked to hold it and write with it, and was disappointed. It wrote well but it just was much smaller than I imagined it would be. So I bought a Pelikan 800 instead.
As you always mention, my mileage varies on a couple of these pens (I love my Lamy 2000 once I figured out the sweet spot) but I always love your wit and find the video entertaining
Thank you for this valuable information, Doug. You're saving us from disappointment and wasting money. Looking forward to your 2022 reviews. Happy New Year!
It is a source of regular surprise when a pen branded as something different (usually for more money) turns out to have a Chinese counterpoint. There's the ones that you showed that the Chinese version is better, and there's the opposite as well. Whilst I recently purchased a pen for almost the cost of a used Lamy 2000, I, too, am not impressed with the way almost every Lamy looks. "Bauhaus" aesthetics leave me cold. Besides, though it's a lever filler, and there's those who dislike that filling system, I'm pretty sure that the Wahl-Eversharp Skyline pens I have from the 1940s are as smooth and wet as any Lamy 2000, for significantly less. Besides, what's not to like about a pen with the design aesthetic of a streamlined locomotive? Once again, a highly entertaining and informative video! Keep up the good work! Hope you have a happy Christmas!
Ever since Piers did his "Top 3" for Appelboom, I've been eyeing the Eversharp Skyline on eBay looking for one that might strike my fancy. Merry Christmas to you too, Paul.
My worst pen experience of 2021 was a PenBBS 308. EVERYTHING was defective with this pen. Conversely, one of my best purchases was - you guessed it - a Lamy 2000!
@@i.c.3157 The nib, the feed and the threading on the cap. I replaced the nib and feed, and found that by screwing on the cap JUST till it caught - and not a millimeter more - it stayed capped. Otherwise the cap went round, and round, and round …
@@marcihummel9715 damn tough luck, if you bought it from their Etsy shop, I'd ask for a refund. I've heard other people talk about "defects" only to realize they were just talking about the nib not being "smooth enough". I've had a similar issues with a cap but on a Monteverde pen instead, with it if I didn't push down on the cap hard enough then the threads wouldn't engage an the cap would just spin an spin.
Nice list Doug, but I have a minor correction. The new Parker 51 with the steel nib isn't realy that comparable with the Jinhao 85, and not due to the body materials. The Jinhao has the same nib that Jinhao uses in all their hooded fountain pens, whereas the P51 has the nib of a Parker Jotter (which isn't an actual hooded nib).
Always interesting to watch ‘worst of…’ lists like these. They are usually illuminating and thought provoking. 2021 was definitely the most I had ever spent on new pen purchases in one calendar year. I bought 16 pens, including 5 Auroras, a Visconti, two Montegrappa, an Omas, and yes, my second Lamy 2k (this time the stainless steel one with a luscious B nib) ❤️ I love the Lamy 2k. Both the makrolon and the steel. I’m aware that I never rotate my grip or writing angle while writing with any pen. And I’ve never encountered the infamous ‘sweet spot’ allegedly troubling so many owners of the pen. Luckily, I’ve had zero regrets or disappointments with my prolific pen buys this year. Not buying a single Chinese pen certainly helped on that count.
I give a satisfied thumbs-up to the Jinhao 85 (although it's no 51a w/ Bobby nib). I have not had much joy with a PenBBS 355 (hard starts) or Wing Sung 699 (very poorly machined threads between cap and barrel).
I have a few 355s and none of them inked. I find my three 456s to be quite sufficient. And the WS699 is a nice looking pen, but the nib is unremarkable.
I agree completely about the Lamy 2000 with the medium nib. It writes way too thick for me, so it stays in my drawer. I do have an L2K with an EF nib that I like and use quite a lot. As for penbbs, I love their pens except for their magnet fillers. I got so burned by the 2020 year of the rat pen that I didn't even try the 2021 version. That penbbs 500 is excellent though.
I have to say that I'm not totally surprised with your list of disappointments Doug. This year, apart from the Jinhao 85, I haven't had any major disappointments. Maybe I'm not buying enough pens.
@@InkquiringMinds I didn't expect that they all be special grinded for eastern calligraphy. Why they didn't make, let's say, fine nib in 14k and call it soft fine like Pilot does? I like line "variation" what provides calligraphy series nibs, but to be honest I not sure I want to pay more for spectial grind what I never use for its real purpose. So sad.
Funny you mention the VanGogh.... I had the same experience with my VG Orchard pen. It looks lovely, has a satisfying cap click, the ink that comes with it is a violet to die for (very interesting shade), BUT.... hard starts, skips, nib has a severe case of baby's bottom and the tines are not fully aligned. I have still plans for replacing the nib, but rose gold is not that popular now so it is hard to get one... and yeah, of course I want a cursive italic or at least a nice stub. A girl's gotta have goals :)
I got a Lamy 2000 broad nib, and I like it. However, I definitely understand that it (as well as any other Lamy gold nibs) are not for everyone. That's what's great about this hobby. There are so many different brands, models and nib styles that everyone has a chance to find what is personally best.
My worst of 2021 - Bespoke British Pens who now own and run Conway Stewart from the UK - I spent hundreds on the ‘Alan Turing’ pen and left full comments on how I’d like it to write. I got it with a nib that was not right, wouldn’t write properly, just way off being anything close to ‘good’. Some of the quality was poor, with damaged edges of the barrel where it joins the end cap amongst other things and it was sent out like it. Biggest disappointment. I returned it the day or so after for a refund. Just wasn’t worth half what I paid for it and to send it out with dinted edges near end caps. FFS 😠 #2 - Diplomat Elox (3 days ago actually) - loved that cap shut ‘clicky’ feeling and noise but to say it was metal, an absolute let down. Average nib whereas everyone else raves about them and the pen itself felt like too light. No way was it worth the money, even with a discount. Sent it back for a refund a couple of days ago. I just feel that I’m getting seconds all the time and not the real deal. In fact, I am now at a point where I have to buy from a pen show as I just don’t trust any quality now. It’s sad.
I'm sorry to hear that about the Conway-Stewart. I've been looking at a CS Winston. They are hugely expensive and would be incredibly depressing if they were crap.
@@InkquiringMinds - yeh I’ve been drooling over those too! 🙂 but yeah, I was not happy, Doug when I got the ‘Alan Turing’. It’d be awesome if you got a Winston though. Fantastic pen; great heft; they are now using Conway Stewart nibs instead of the ‘Flag’ nibs
@@Richard_Barnes Yeah from my research, the BBP Bespoke pens are not the best route. I'm toying with different options to get the next GRAIL pen to celebrate 1 Million views on YT and the CS Winston in classic brown with a Broad Left Oblique nib looks grail-worthy. Since BBP now own CS I'm a bit hesitant.
@@InkquiringMinds Sadly ever since the CS closed the real factory and sold all the stock parts and acrylics the quality has been very hit and miss . Most pens are made in small workshops by skilled people but the old quality and checks just don't seem to be there any more . I suppose when you have multiple people making different parts in different places then this is the result. If your after a true grail pen I would avoid unless you can find a pre 2000 pen .
My worst pen experience was being scammed on ebay. I thought I was buying a Montblanc 145. After receiving it red flags started popping up about somethings. After posting my concerns on a pen forum, the replies confirmed my suspicions.
Thanks, Doug! I too removed a wonderful titanium Bock nib from a Goldenritt pen. I put it on Yiren pen that cost less than $5 and is vastly superior. I got the other version of the Goldenritt, and I liked the brushed metal finish, but the heavy cap fit loosely on the pen and the barrel spun freely like a fidget. The supplier included several boxes of ink cartridges, which I appreciated. Maybe, they already knew what I would discover, soften the blow and so forth. Cheers!
Now that's a great combo. A friend fell in love with the Yiren pen (dark pewter coloured metal pen) so much that he had me buy him 16 of them for him to give away as gifts.
I do enjoy you personal honest review videos . Personally I don't agree with the fact that the moonman f9 or the lamy 2000 have made the list . But that's what I like a video producer that keeps his own views . My top 3 disappointing pens this year . 3, moonman c3 ( Rubbish nib) 2 Twisbi eco ( plastic cracked ) 1 Namisu Nova ( great pen but the bock nib unit sat way too deep) Have a great Christmas and all the best for the new year.
My worst experiences this year have not been with the pens themselves but with sellers who claim to have a relatively rare model in stock and then, after payments, offer me a lesser model in exchange, only to apologise when I let them know that they will lose their selling privileges because it is expressly forbidden by the TOS. This has happened to me twice this year. Bloody hidden dropshipping. And finally, I have two pens floating around abroad that never find their way to Canada. Fortunately, one of them will be refunded if it doesn't arrive next week and the second one… good luck getting it, it was flagged as a "security risk" (!?)
Thank you, Þórhildur Friðleifsdóttir! That experience is awful. I don't get how pissing off a customer is good business at all - especially in the time of the internet. Word spreads. I was upset with an Amazon seller from Japan who cancelled my Platinum 3776 purchase (very low price) saying it was "destroyed in transit" and that they had run out of stock and so did a refund. But the very next day they had them back in stock at the higher price. ~burrrrn~
Thank you, that was fun. My fountain mistakes this year were two Conklins. OK, I'm new to this hobby. I know better now. On the plus side, I just got a wonderful vintage Targa so the year ends in the plus column.
I too have had issues with the PenBBS Year of the Ox pen. The whole trouble is with those black o-rings. I replaced them with PenBBS Clear silicone o-rings and it works so much better, and can be easily disassembled and cleaned. It is also really comfortable to write with, just odd looking. My worst pen of 2021? - the Lamy Aion. Total crap.
@@InkquiringMinds I thought I would break mine too. I figured either it will break and I will continue to have a useless pen, or it wouldn't and I'd have a chance at fixing it. I did twist it while pulling, to theoretically unscrew the o-rings. Not sure if that helped.
I like to play a little game and guess what would be in your top 3 , I was surprised , shocked , but overall not disappointed. Can't wait to see what next year brings :)
Thanks, Doug! Not everyone will like every pen. Everybody has their own taste. Its good that you pass on the 2000. I m sure someone who loves it will enjoy better. 😊
Usually I don't take chances with Chinese pens. I tend to stick with major brands. The one exception was a Black Forest that I got off Amazon. The only reason I bought it was because it has a fude nib. I figured for 20 bucks, it it turned out to be junk; really haven't lost a lot. But, it turned out to be pretty decent. Or, at least; my copy is.
Thankfully, I read lots of reviews and asked many questions about the 2k before purchasing mine 3 years ago. Normally. I use a Lamy M, but everything I saw/read/heard said to get a F. So glad I did my research because it was perfect. And no so-called "sweet spot". That said, I prefer my Studio Paladium and Imporium. Those identical nibs are so much more pleasant to write with and I love the shape/form of them as well. The 2k is more of a "kick around" pen. Got it new for a bit over $100 and it has served me well. Biggest disappointment was a tie: Kaweco matte black Liliput, M and Avatar UR Blue Demonstrator, M. The Liliput was adorable, but too small to use except for brief notes and shopping lists (my hands are not large - it's just ridiculously small). Thankfully bought it new at half price and made a $10 profit when I sold it for the win. The Avatar nib was incredibly stingy and underwhelming to write with, even after improving the flow. A new Nemosine 0.6 stub fixed it right up and we're friends again 😄.
My only pen disappointment this year has been the Sainsburys fountain pen I bought for GBP2.99 (about CAD5.00) that never really wrote properly at all. Ah well, it was a whim and an experiment...
Love the snark, you had me fall off my chair at it can write in all directions, and badly for that Hero. 😂 I'd hire you for my elegy at my funeral and to watch everyone's expressions and boy I'd be glad I wasn't around to hear it. Thanks for skewering the Lamy 2000. I love all the things you dislike about the pen, it's design etc, but can't stand it's nib. The sweet spot is so horrible that the moment you rotate the pen even slightly the nib becomes scratchy. Otherwise a Fine pen.
My worst experience this year has been the Narwhal pen! Hated it! The pen itself was beautiful but the nib was so mushy I couldn’t even write without it bleeding like a stuck pig. I switched out for a fine nib and that was the most boring writing experience ever. I did manage to save the pen by putting on a Franklin Christoph nib which was absolutely wonderful!!! Crisis averted!
Haha… loved your thoughts and reviews, Doug. I do quite like a couple of pens on this list, (I especially love my Moonman 1000), but that’s what is great about this hobby, hey - something to suit everyone’s varied tastes?
You need to dip your glass in the eggnog Griswold style and get ready to leave town before the angry mobs come with the pitchforks. Great video as always
My worst pen purchase of all time was a Stipula Etruria - a beautiful pen that would not write consistently. I still have it in my collection and I love the celluloid material. I just can't write with it!
Stipula’s reputation in quality manufacturing has been notoriously dismal in recent years. I wouldn’t be the least surprised if Stipula was actually owned by Yafa, the contemptible losers responsible for the unfailing suck-fest, year after year, of Conklin and Monteverde pens. Stipula pens had always appealed to me a fair bit. Unique, stylish and just quite tempting. I bought six; three were great, the other three dispiriting duds. I haven’t bought a Stipula in years. It doesn’t help that most recent Stipula pens, beside being unpredictable in quality, are also rather ugly and meh. What’s worse, they are still pricey pens.
Hello and thank you for the great video. I have been using the PenBBS 535 for nearly three months now but to be honest I have not ever tried to flush it and clean it up. So I am starting to worry. It is a pity because the pen is really original and has a cool filling mechanism.
Great vid Doug! Always interested to hear your opinions and hot takes in the annual bottom 10 pens vids. My take is that the Lamy 2K is the new and improved Parker 51. Better material, nib, clip, filling system, disassembly. Great feed that never runs dry, snap capping, perfect balance, and excellent posting (similar to the 51). Better looks- I’d take the Mr. Roboto arm over the fountain pen disguised as a ballpoint any day.
Currently, my best pen is my new limited edition Leonardo Momento Zero Grande Jonathan Brooks Earth Magic 2.0 14k Dutch Pen Show 2021. A "grail" that is on my radar is a Montblanc Legrand 146.
I find the Lamy 2000 slippery a well. I have an EF and find it writes wide depending on the ink. This is why I rarely venture outside Japanese made pens.
Rebranding Jinhaos x450/x750/159... with a sort of rusty Zebra nib inside it's a classic. A marketing marvel that you can enjoy everywhere. They even make videos of it where an innocent hand seems to be dancing with a Waterman’s wet noodle.
That penbbs 535 was a disappointment for me and has turned me off of buying that brand. The pen was priced higher than usual and seems that the build quality has gone down. I did just get a Lamy 2000 in a Black Friday sale. Have resisted getting one because of its plain look. I got a fine. Have to say that I do like it so far. Time will tell.
By far, my worst experience this year was the crappy knockoff of the Platinum Curidas I bought. I won’t even go find the proper name for that clunker. It wrote poorly, dried out like crazy, and the mechanism wouldn’t work remotely right. It went in the bin rather quickly, to borrow a colorful phrase for ridding myself of complete junk.
Some day maybe I can have a real Montblanc Agatha Christie or Rouge et Noir, but for now, I rather like my Moonman Snake, which for me writes very well. I don't care about posting so it's alright for me. What disappointed me in 2021 was the Ranga Ebonite in Olive because the colour looks like baby poo (the nib is great). I'm still not fond of my new Narwhal Nautilus either, because it's a really big pen (looks cool, but huge) and the ebonite smells weird. But it could grow on me. Happy pen collecting for 2022.
Thanks, Julie! Some of those Ranga ebonite colours, especially when not highly polished, look awful IMO as well. That's why I got black and red in ebonite. My Abhimayu is highly polished, very chatoyant, acrylic in "Chestnut" and it just drop-dead gorgeous.
I do confess to allowing myself to be influenced into the purchase of a Penbbs year of the ox. The major issue I have with it is the complex refilling process even though Alan did make a good video on the subject- I just can’t be bothered. The other failures I steered clear of - whew. I have no issues with the Lamy Studio either from a design or function point of view. I do have a problem with the broad nib on my metal 2000 - namely the line. It’s too broad for my liking.. should I get a medium replacement or a medium oblique nib???. Best pen I’ve bought in 21 ? Sheaffer Legacy Heritage palladium with a medium nib. Merry Xmas Doug. Hopefully the Mounties will free you from your secret location in time to enjoy the festivities with your family and friends. Ps If someone tries to flog you an Omicron 2022 flex pen,don’t even think about it.
Your PenBBS Year of the Ox looks like the clear acrylic is cracked just above the grip section. My worst pen of 2021 goes to Monteverde (of course). A relative gave me this new NSA engraved pen in a gift box & it is by far the WORST nib I have ever attempted to use! It’s scratchy, blotchy & just absolutely disgusting to write with (just like every other Monteverde I’ve ever owned).
Yeah, I saw that it looked like that in the video as well. It is just silicone grease. It doesn't matter anyway. The pen is toast. I have in the past, looked at the Monteverde Giant Sequoia with some thoughts of snagging one. But my other Monteverde experiences tell me no.
@@InkquiringMinds Hah, I see. Well, with nothing more to lose, I suppose you could do "open barrel surgery", access and fix those o-rings, and then glue it up as water tight as possible. I'm envisioning Frankenstein's monster scars. Just pretend you're on Apollo 11 and you need to fix this to get home. It might be fun. Best of luck.
My only pen bummer was the Platinum pocket pen that would run dry after a few words. I even sent it to some guy that said he could tune it and it came back exactly the same. That was an extra 30 bucks. What helped was getting the $5 international cartridge adapter but by then I had no more love to give. It's my prettiest pocket pen too 😔 It's in the "I'm not f***ing with this anymore my heart can't take it" box.
@@InkquiringMinds No, it's a long cap pen like the Pilot Elite. They were just called Platinum Pocket I think. I have two others that are great but well worn. The bad one is sliver with a pink section. It needs a special tool to take it apart that Binder has diy directions for but I don't have to tools to pull it off 😩 and if I broke it I'd be pissed. It's persnickety and only writes with the plainest ink and paper IIRC. Damn diva pen.
Good to know about the sketchwriter- I almost bought that. The design looked kludgy enough that I had reservations, but the nib really did look good. My biggest disappointment came from a pen I actually loved a lot. It was a Jinhao 8802. One of the ceramic ones- incredibly heavy, and I wouldn't say it was particularly balanced but I like the feel of it, myself. The nib it came with was uncommonly good (I still have that, anyway). One day it just fell apart in my hands. It was almost comical. No component remains attached to any other component. It's beyond my skill to fix but I kept it, just in case I figure it out. I bought three of them at once, two years ago, and two of them are still going. At $24 for the lot, I can't complain TOO much, but I can still be sad.
With the nib and Bauhaus design it is a love or hate thing, and hardly anything in between. I like the positive click if the cap. Second only to the Aero in that.
the lamy 2000, one of the most beloved pens is on your worst pen list..this is why you said you'll leave town after posting this video..but based on your review, I understand your position.. my disappointing pen for the year is the PenBBS494..although i am not sure if it is really a PenBBS because of the lack of branding on the pen..my biggest surprise is the Jinhao 35..it's made of metal, inexpensive, with good inkflow, and suits my handwriting..
Doug, could you please review someday the Monteverde Essenza sunny skies fountain pen? I find it to be an incredibly gorgeous, high quality and relatively inexpensive alternative to a Visconti.
@@juandiegovillaloboscastane1803 I purchased the Monteverde Monza 3 pack. Total rip-off crap. I've reviewed the Monteverde Imprezza which was just okay but way overpriced for what it is.
Brave to put the Lamy 2000 on this list. I own 4 and have owned several more. As a model overall, they have represented some of the best and worst pens I've ever owned.
I don't think I articulated my disappointment clearly about the L2K though. It is an impressive pen, but the fact that a gold Lamy OM nib on the L2K is so dramatically different from the gold OM nib on the Lamy Studio is frustrating to say the least. Especially from such an incredible fountain pen company like Lamy.
Excellent video, sir! Well done! As for myself, my biggest pen disappointment in 2021 was the Hongdien 1841. I know that many have enjoyed this pen but mine dries out after just a couple of days and applying grease to the threads didn't help. The nib wasn't great, either, but that could be remedied with a few passes over a sheet of micromesh. But the dry nib? *sigh* On the other hand, your positive comments led to my best purchase of 2021 and it was a Pilot E95s. It is beautifully made and a pleasure to use! I wound up gifting it to a good friend of mine and she is very pleased with it! Again, thank you for another fine video and a special thank you for a year's worth of entertaining and informative videos, as well! Happy holidays, sir!
I was so disappointed with the PenBBS Year of the Ox pen. I simply can't write with it. It has the most uncomfortable section of any pen I've ever used. It's a shame, because I thought it was really handsome.
My worst pen experience of 2021 was the ONLINE 2nd life, and the Twsbi Diamond 580 B. I love all my Lamy pens. The Studio Lx All Black with the Z57B nib and my Lamy 2000 B are my favorites.
I've been lusting over that finish! I don't own a Studio yet, since I can't stand the normal chrome grip, and doesn't really fancy the brushed stainless finish either. But that one just set me off price wise. It's too much money for a steel nib in my book... But I guess they set a price and people keep buying them, so somehow they are worth it... I got the Terra Safari and have my Red Aion (another model that many love to hate) to enjoy until I find the right Studio for me.
@@gertahnstrom784 …I, for one, love the Aion. I have two, the silver and the dark green one, with F & M nibs, respectively. Next only to the Lamy 2k, the Aion is my favorite Lamy pen.
@@gertahnstrom784 yeah I get that. I live in Germany so Lamy pens are sometimes cheaper than other places. The LX all black studio was still 30€ more than the other colors. I’m tempted to get the stainless steel one in the future. It has the same grip section as the Lx all black.
Completely agree on the Hero 360, it is a trash pen. 360 degrees of scratchiness. However I love my Lamy 2k, one of my favs. I think you used too wet an ink. L2k and other lamy pens are probably designed for their dry inks - You should have tried Lamy Blue Black in it.
Hah...that Penbbs made me gag the moment I saw it. Penbbs was nice before I knew better, they lost me when they sent me the wrong pen and refused to make it right.
I won't buy Chinese pens on principle due to their government's political shenanigans, COVID malfeasance, and genocide against Tibetan and Uigars. It's nearly impossible not to buy some things made in China, but fountain pens are a hobby and fine pens are available elsewhere. (I was appalled that TWSBI pens, although labeled Taiwanese, are actually made in China. So no more TWSBI for me despite the fact that I actually like the one I own.
Personally the moonman F9 is one of my favorite slim pens, though I wish the barrel could be unscrewed to have access to the converter. I also noticed majohn (moonman) has a pre-sale on aliexpress for their copy of the pilot vanishing point called the majohn A1. And Hongdian released the N6 which is like a moonman p135 but in black and gold.
Another great review Doug! I went ahead online and bought all these pens mentioned.........wait.......these pens SUCK?? Dammit!!!!!! On a serious note, the pens that I bought in 2021 that didnt do it for me are the Delike New Moon pens. Seduced by the acrylic, I found the nibs small and surprisingly scratchy. Sure they could post, but the balance was off and puny in my Conan like overly sinewed hands. FAIL!!
I agree with the Delike New Moon. The first one I bought was so puny you couldn't write with it and it wouldn't post. I bought another because of the new acrylic and thinking it might post better or be longer, but, NOT. And the nibs are small and unremarkable.
Funny as always - agree with pretty much what you said :). Surprised to see the 85, but I get your drift. Oh man, you gonna get some flaming on that Lamy :D. Btw, in case you didn't know already, it looks like Moonman is after Pilot and specifically the capless versions :). Enjoy the 2022 lol :). My disappointment... Parker Jotter. Don't buy it... just... don't...
I've got a MaJohn A1 on the way. It will be a while as stuff is stuck between factory and retailer in China. I know, in advance, that I won't like the EF nib, but it will be a cool comparison with my wife's Pilot Decimo.
@@InkquiringMinds I got the version without the clip attached. I won't spoil it for you, but in case you don't have the version that I have, personally, I kind of like the no clip (I do have the pen).
I didn't like the Lamy 2000 either. I'm ok with the design but frustrated with having to find the sweet spot every time, and it was too light for my taste. That said, I love my 2000 stainless steel :-) Actually, the only Lamy nibs I really like are their obliques, and I consider myself lucky I could also get a OB nib for a Safari just before they were discontinued. I discovered Hero with the *vintage* (NOS) 329 I got 2 weeks ago, which is one of my favourite note taker ever. But I'm pretty sure the quality left the factory since then, like with actual Parker... So my recent disappointments : - Platinum Curidas : *my one and only Platinum pen that dries out in a few hours (closed)* ... I gave up and keep it as a fidget toy - Parker 51 steel nib, the current reissue you can find for 90€ in France. Dries as fast as the just mentioned Curidas. Gave up on Parker as a brand (edit: not my first bat experience with current Parker pens, this is why I gave up with them). The vintage Hero 329 does a far greater job. - Montblanc 146 : I'm already annoyed when I get a baby's bottom on a cheap pen, but on a >600€ I'm angry. I'm keeping it for when I'll be confident enough to grind the nib as a Concord.
Re: Baby's Bottom. Take the 146 to a nibmeister. The baby's bottom issue is fairly easy to do. I show how to do it in this video, but on a MB 146 gold nib, I would take it to a professional. It should only take an expert 10 or 15 minutes to fix. th-cam.com/video/Ip3O6HoFVec/w-d-xo.html
The Hero 360 is "Old-as-New" stock, i.e they discontinued it years ago. Lol! Mistakes like these make you wonder if the "designers" actually make a mock up first? Or do they just sling the design down on paper and say 'make it so'? Well, at least Picard knows the Enterprise can fly. Lol.
It's okay Doug, besides your lack of minimalist taste, I agreed with the rest of your video 😂. To be honest, I haven't many pen disappointments this 2021 so far, except for a vintage shaeffer vac filler that makes me have some distaste for the Sheaffer vacs in general, but that's maybe I will change my bias in the future. As for the pens in the video, yeah, I didn't like the moonblocks. Thank you for the video.
No major pen disappointments this year for me. I attribute this to one or both of the following: 1) incredbly good luck; 2) low standards; 3) extremely focussed and minimal buying. My one minor disappointment was the Pilot 743 . Back a while I bought a Nib Creaper and didn't like it, so I bought a FPR Ultra Flex and didn't like it, so I bought a Triple Tail and didn't much like it, so this year I bought a 743 which is faultless but why did I buy it? I don't like flex pens. Maybe I'll find a use for it tomorrow. I have some ideas...
Low standards is a good way to reduce disappointments. I always say I'd rather be a pessimist than an optimist. As a pessimist I'm often pleasantly surprised rather than constantly disappointed.
@@InkquiringMinds I'm an optimistic realist. This way I'm happy more often than not and never disappointed, because I know full well people can be, and are, disappointing 😁.
Worst for me: Fool me once (Momento Zero Positano = two nibs -- the first and a replacement -- both virtually unusable; and then a failed converter connection that necessitate me trashing the pen, really, it's gone to the landfill), shame on you Leonardo! BUT fool me twice (Leonardo Momento Zero Prugna Plum) shame, shame, shame ON ME! So lovely, I broke down (woe is me) and bought this other fountain pen from Leonardo. It would be wonderful (a stub nib) except for the fact that I need to prime it so hard I almost have to rely on my bathroom plunger to make it drip out onto a pile of toilet paper before any ink flows. Every time I uncap it. I am not going to make another, obvious allusion to my toiletry experience and loss of big US dollars having to digest Leonardo.
@@InkquiringMinds Yes, it is one thing to lose US$10 on an awful Chinese pen. It is another thing to lose more than US$350 to Leonardo in Italy on two crappy pens. Yuck! I wish I had a button like yours that would say: "No, no, no, no, no, Leonardo!"
I was pleased as punch with your addition of the Lamy 2000 to your list. I hate that damn pen and seldom find anyone that agrees. As for the Goldenwritt, the marketing seemed a bit sketchy but I bought it anyway for that nib. I like it. It's not attractive but it holds ink and writes well. My other fail this year was a Narwhal. I'm just not impressed. The plastic looks okay but it feels cheap and thin. The nibs also look cheap and are nothing special to use. The piston nob was snapped in two so there was nothing keeping the ink in. All I needed was a replacement nob but they insisted that I send it in for service. Then it got lost....5 months later they returned my repaired but disappointing pen.
I'm sorry to hear about your Narwhal. I haven't been overly impressed by Narwhal with either the Schuykill or the Nautilus. They feels as brittle and thin as TWSBI. And I won't ever attempt to remove the pistons from either of them as I've heard many stories of them cracking.
Nooooooo!!!!!!!! It's a good thing this video was made by Anonymous, since I would have to unsubscribe from the channel from if it was Mr. Inkquirring Minds talking so badly about my most desired pen of 2021, the PenBBS Year of the Ox special edition. One that I still hope to muster the money to buy in 2022.
I have had numerous Lamy fountain pens and have not had favorable experience with any of them, especially the 2000. The grip section is too smooth for me and there is a definite placement of the nib onto paper. It also wrote far too wide for my taste. I have since stuck with my 2000 ballpoint from the 1960s that works very well, especially since they had made a better ink for the ballpoint. Another disappointment was my first Hong Dian 1841. The nib was not cut correctly and the slit, well, slid to one side. My second 1841 worked perfectly. Caveat emptor. I bought a Noodler's Ahab. Heck, $23 for a flex nib? What's not to like? Plenty. Ink capacity is great but the nib is very unresponsive and very scratchy. Last in my quest for a flex nib was the Fountain Pen Revolution Jaipur, version 2. The pen arrived with the piston nob cracked off the shaft. Got another shaft. Originally I'd seemed to work well until it pen started to burp ink with every other word written.
I… I don’t… what?… Lamy 2000?… how could you? I don’t know what is real anymore. I’m going to go visit a nearby tower and throw myself off in an effort to… ok, ok back to reality… My biggest pen disappointment for 2021 has to be the Leonardo Momento Zero Prugna. Too much of the acrylic is dark, and the ink doesn’t flow reliably to the nib. This is an opus magnum of a video, Doug. Merry Christmas!
Considering your dislike for slippery sections, try reviewing a lamy 2000 that had seen years of near constant use. The pen is slick as an eel when all the texturing smooths out 😄😄😄 While I do adore my lamy 2k, I do have to agree with you that the pen is not for everyone. Merry Christmas!!!
At 12:25 you showed the Ma john rs1 and I have been looking for the one you bought, but cant find it. Please share the link? I love its look.
Here it is! tinyurl.com/j4ucbj5b
@@InkquiringMinds Thank you Doug, 😀
@@InkquiringMinds I tried looking for it on it there but couldnt find yours.
@@InkquiringMinds Thats the one, I just got misled by the lack of a pen clip and the decorative rivets. Yours has a brighter silver colour but I'm looking at different computer pics and camera videos. Can you buy a pen clip at the same store? and did you get the gold nib?? It is not much more, I was surprised at the price, even with the Schmidt F nib. I thought it would be lower, but then again, I don't know what the original sells for.
@@mariatriesart8389 Those are screws and I have no idea what they are for. They might be for some kind of clip that I haven't seen yet. I put a clip from my Kaweco Sport on it and it fits perfectly and looks great as it is gold metal.
The slick steel grips on 2 of my Lamy Studios made them almost unusable but after getting the All Black Studio and feeling the rubberized grip on it, I special ordered 2 more rubber grip sections (Wonder Pens did this for me) and after swapping them with the slick steel sections, I now love writing with all my Studios.
I've seen those grip swaps before. It is a great idea.
This time of year, LOTS of folks have their "best lists" coming out; thanks for the incalculably valuable service of a worst experiences list! I take great comfort in knowing I'm not alone in...disappointments. For what it's worth, I still have my Lamy 2000 ...but it's in my storage case. Mine is an EF (to counteract the firehose, plus I write small) and I got tired of constantly hunting for the sweet spot on the nib.
Yeah that's the other thing I didn't mention about the L2K.. the sweet spot.
Because of all the great pen reviews of the L2K, I got one for my daughter last Christmas (she and I share a love for fountain pens). She has very small handwriting, so I g got her an EF nib, since European nibs EFs are like Japanese Fs, as I have been told. I have never tried one out until I borrowed hers this year. I found it very unforgiving in terms of line consistency, especially if you are not concentrating on the "sweet spot." So it skips, writes very scratchily (is that a word?) and the section is too slippery. It may be great engineering for longevity, but ergonomically, it does little for me, and my fingers tire out easily with this pen.
What does my daughter think of this pen? She says loves it, but that's her; she appreciates everything I get her, God bless her. In fairness, she does use it a lot.
Loved your videos over the year. Thanks to your vids I have bought a number of pens I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. You pen enabler you! Luckily I haven’t bought most of the pens on your worst list. Disagree with you on a few of your choices but variety is the spice of life. It took me a few goes to get the right Lamy 2000 for me. I hated the bold I originally bought, the fine is ok but I love the medium and it’s in my top 3 pens of 2021. I also loved the Jinhao 85, which surprised me. Maybe I just got a good one. The nib was smooth as butter straight out of the box and is just as good as my Parker 51 medium (2021) reissue, which isn’t saying much I know. 2021 has been a pretty good pen year considering. Thanks for the entertaining content and have a fantastic holiday season.
Thank you, LisaPottinger! That is much appreciated. Happy Holidays!
Ha! Hilariously awesome, as usual. Zing-a-ding-ding!
p.s. my only real pen related disappointment this year is the three penBBS pens i ordered at the beginning of June that still have not arrived. And my inquiries of this order were all just shot down. It hurts mostly because i have a sincere love of the brand and i'd have loved to keep getting my pens directly from the source. Alas, I now do my penbbs business anywhere but there. Heart breaking, as far as this pen nerd goes.
Awesome video, Doug! Cheers!!
Sad about your Penbbs experience, Dean. But, as you see, it can happen to anyone. The good news is the 14k Penbbs nib is awesome and it came in 10 days.
@@InkquiringMinds It's really ok. I feel very fortunate having successfully scored SO MANY other fantastic PenBBS pens this year. It's been incredible. In the grand scheme of my year in pens, I've felt like a king! And i haven't given up on my delayed beauties, quite yet. Goonies never say die!
- You placed the Lamy 2000 (a unique, venerated and beloved pen) at the same level (video) as a rebranded Chinese pen with a huge mark-up.
- I was surprised I did not see the Narwhal Nautilus in this list considering the nib QC you complained about and it costs so much more.
I bought a Lamy 2000 Medium but it was far too wet for daily writing. Sold it and got the fine nib, which was good but the lines were still a touch thicker than I liked. Sold it and bought the extra fine. It is perfect. The pen is always inked.
Thanks for sharing!
Awesome video, love the clips, and love seeing your best and worst of 21. Happy holidays and looking forward to your madjohn RS1 and A1 reviews in 22
Happy holidays! I like that "MadJohn". It might be a keeper! The A1 will be a while due to hold-ups from the factory to Etsy but the RS1 and T5 are here and you will see them soon.
I am using Lamy2000 EF and i completed half of my MBA with this pen. I have written exams, Assignments, notes with this single pen and it's been a great experience
They are one of the best made fountain pens on the market. I didn't like mine at all and the nib was nowhere near a medium.
Hi Doug. Thanks for your funny video about worst pen experiences of 2021. Hey, you mentioned a few pens that took me by surprise. Did you forget the awful Lanbitou copy of the Platinum Curidas? I remember that cheaply made mechanism was condemned by a lot of pen reviewers. Always good to see your hilarious clips of old TV shows during the video. Have a Merry Christmas, Doug.
I only talked about pens I bought or were loaned or given to me in 2021. I never even attempted to purchase the obviously horrible Lanbitou Curidas copy.
Oof. That 535 problem is a big blunder. Thanks for making us aware of it.
Was thinking about getting a 456, but my favourite colour doesn't seem to be in stock right now.
Anyway, I ordered a 699 to see if I like the vacuum-filling design, and I do, but when writing, found out that the pen did not dry up with the seal closed. I'm having suspicions that the seal is not fully blocking the ink, which is why I'm looking to upgrade to a 456.
Does the seal on the 456 fully shut-off the ink from the main reservoir?
Do you think that the 355s can have the same problem?
Sorry for the questions and thanks
All of my 456 and 355 models shut off the flow of ink fine. So does my 699 by the way.
The disclaimer from anonymous 😂
Oh, no, Doug. Moonman is taking on Pilot Capless. I've seen on Taobao their new pen A1. There are 3 versions, on of them is clipless (if anyone is in need of having a pocket pen without a clip).
I have one on the way.
would like your thoughts on the capless pilot fountain pen
th-cam.com/video/4qN9KwfJXLM/w-d-xo.html
Hahaha! Love the reviews, Doug - and of course, all the snarky clips you embed as well! I can’t disagree with any of your turds, including the Jinhao 85 - mine always hard starts, and if the nib isn’t at just the right angle, it skips. My own exception (as you expected) is the Lamy 2K. It’s one of my favorite pens, it IS an engineering marvel, and I use it reversed about 99% of the time. Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays, Bob. You're a good fan to agree with my turds. :)
Did you ever get your hands on a Rotring pens?
No I haven't yet.
I was at a pen show this year ready to buy the Lamy 2000, it was on my.list. I asked to hold it and write with it, and was disappointed. It wrote well but it just was much smaller than I imagined it would be. So I bought a Pelikan 800 instead.
Now THERE is the perfect choice!
As you always mention, my mileage varies on a couple of these pens (I love my Lamy 2000 once I figured out the sweet spot) but I always love your wit and find the video entertaining
Thanks for sharing, Cathie! Merry Christmas!
Thank you for this valuable information, Doug. You're saving us from disappointment and wasting money. Looking forward to your 2022 reviews. Happy New Year!
More to come! Happy New Year!
It is a source of regular surprise when a pen branded as something different (usually for more money) turns out to have a Chinese counterpoint. There's the ones that you showed that the Chinese version is better, and there's the opposite as well.
Whilst I recently purchased a pen for almost the cost of a used Lamy 2000, I, too, am not impressed with the way almost every Lamy looks. "Bauhaus" aesthetics leave me cold. Besides, though it's a lever filler, and there's those who dislike that filling system, I'm pretty sure that the Wahl-Eversharp Skyline pens I have from the 1940s are as smooth and wet as any Lamy 2000, for significantly less. Besides, what's not to like about a pen with the design aesthetic of a streamlined locomotive?
Once again, a highly entertaining and informative video! Keep up the good work! Hope you have a happy Christmas!
Ever since Piers did his "Top 3" for Appelboom, I've been eyeing the Eversharp Skyline on eBay looking for one that might strike my fancy. Merry Christmas to you too, Paul.
@@InkquiringMinds I don't think that you'll be disappointed.
Oh, Doug - thanks for saying it how it is! “Pissed me off” sums it up perfectly. 👊🏻
My worst pen experience of 2021 was a PenBBS 308. EVERYTHING was defective with this pen. Conversely, one of my best purchases was - you guessed it - a Lamy 2000!
I'm sorry Marci, you're wrong! I'm just kidding. Sorry to hear about the 308. They are usually a very nice pen. I'm glad your Lamy 2K was a winner!
What were the defects?
@@i.c.3157 The nib, the feed and the threading on the cap. I replaced the nib and feed, and found that by screwing on the cap JUST till it caught - and not a millimeter more - it stayed capped. Otherwise the cap went round, and round, and round …
@@marcihummel9715 damn tough luck, if you bought it from their Etsy shop, I'd ask for a refund. I've heard other people talk about "defects" only to realize they were just talking about the nib not being "smooth enough".
I've had a similar issues with a cap but on a Monteverde pen instead, with it if I didn't push down on the cap hard enough then the threads wouldn't engage an the cap would just spin an spin.
@@i.c.3157 I agree. A note to Beini on Etsy might get a solution.
Nice list Doug, but I have a minor correction.
The new Parker 51 with the steel nib isn't realy that comparable with the Jinhao 85, and not due to the body materials. The Jinhao has the same nib that Jinhao uses in all their hooded fountain pens, whereas the P51 has the nib of a Parker Jotter (which isn't an actual hooded nib).
Thanks for that.
Always interesting to watch ‘worst of…’ lists like these. They are usually illuminating and thought provoking.
2021 was definitely the most I had ever spent on new pen purchases in one calendar year. I bought 16 pens, including 5 Auroras, a Visconti, two Montegrappa, an Omas, and yes, my second Lamy 2k (this time the stainless steel one with a luscious B nib) ❤️
I love the Lamy 2k. Both the makrolon and the steel. I’m aware that I never rotate my grip or writing angle while writing with any pen. And I’ve never encountered the infamous ‘sweet spot’ allegedly troubling so many owners of the pen.
Luckily, I’ve had zero regrets or disappointments with my prolific pen buys this year. Not buying a single Chinese pen certainly helped on that count.
I give a satisfied thumbs-up to the Jinhao 85 (although it's no 51a w/ Bobby nib). I have not had much joy with a PenBBS 355 (hard starts) or Wing Sung 699 (very poorly machined threads between cap and barrel).
I have a few 355s and none of them inked. I find my three 456s to be quite sufficient. And the WS699 is a nice looking pen, but the nib is unremarkable.
Bobby nibs are the best! I have one on a 51A 💗.
I agree completely about the Lamy 2000 with the medium nib. It writes way too thick for me, so it stays in my drawer. I do have an L2K with an EF nib that I like and use quite a lot.
As for penbbs, I love their pens except for their magnet fillers. I got so burned by the 2020 year of the rat pen that I didn't even try the 2021 version. That penbbs 500 is excellent though.
I have to say that I'm not totally surprised with your list of disappointments Doug. This year, apart from the Jinhao 85, I haven't had any major disappointments. Maybe I'm not buying enough pens.
My is:
- Blue Dew with misalignment nib and unable to write
- fake HERO 616 and 329
- PenBBS gold nibs models
Thank you, Андрей Ушаков! You didn't like your 14K gold Penbbs nib? They just came out! Mine is beautiful!
@@InkquiringMinds I didn't expect that they all be special grinded for eastern calligraphy. Why they didn't make, let's say, fine nib in 14k and call it soft fine like Pilot does? I like line "variation" what provides calligraphy series nibs, but to be honest I not sure I want to pay more for spectial grind what I never use for its real purpose. So sad.
Funny you mention the VanGogh.... I had the same experience with my VG Orchard pen. It looks lovely, has a satisfying cap click, the ink that comes with it is a violet to die for (very interesting shade), BUT.... hard starts, skips, nib has a severe case of baby's bottom and the tines are not fully aligned. I have still plans for replacing the nib, but rose gold is not that popular now so it is hard to get one... and yeah, of course I want a cursive italic or at least a nice stub. A girl's gotta have goals :)
Goals are good. Getting a stub or a CI for a Van Gogh would be a challenge. It would be better to get your existing nib ground to where you like it.
I got a Lamy 2000 broad nib, and I like it. However, I definitely understand that it (as well as any other Lamy gold nibs) are not for everyone.
That's what's great about this hobby. There are so many different brands, models and nib styles that everyone has a chance to find what is personally best.
Totally agree
My worst of 2021 - Bespoke British Pens who now own and run Conway Stewart from the UK - I spent hundreds on the ‘Alan Turing’ pen and left full comments on how I’d like it to write. I got it with a nib that was not right, wouldn’t write properly, just way off being anything close to ‘good’. Some of the quality was poor, with damaged edges of the barrel where it joins the end cap amongst other things and it was sent out like it. Biggest disappointment. I returned it the day or so after for a refund. Just wasn’t worth half what I paid for it and to send it out with dinted edges near end caps. FFS 😠
#2 - Diplomat Elox (3 days ago actually) - loved that cap shut ‘clicky’ feeling and noise but to say it was metal, an absolute let down. Average nib whereas everyone else raves about them and the pen itself felt like too light. No way was it worth the money, even with a discount. Sent it back for a refund a couple of days ago.
I just feel that I’m getting seconds all the time and not the real deal. In fact, I am now at a point where I have to buy from a pen show as I just don’t trust any quality now. It’s sad.
I'm sorry to hear that about the Conway-Stewart. I've been looking at a CS Winston. They are hugely expensive and would be incredibly depressing if they were crap.
@@InkquiringMinds - yeh I’ve been drooling over those too! 🙂 but yeah, I was not happy, Doug when I got the ‘Alan Turing’. It’d be awesome if you got a Winston though. Fantastic pen; great heft; they are now using Conway Stewart nibs instead of the ‘Flag’ nibs
@@Richard_Barnes Yeah from my research, the BBP Bespoke pens are not the best route. I'm toying with different options to get the next GRAIL pen to celebrate 1 Million views on YT and the CS Winston in classic brown with a Broad Left Oblique nib looks grail-worthy. Since BBP now own CS I'm a bit hesitant.
@@InkquiringMinds Sadly ever since the CS closed the real factory and sold all the stock parts and acrylics the quality has been very hit and miss . Most pens are made in small workshops by skilled people but the old quality and checks just don't seem to be there any more . I suppose when you have multiple people making different parts in different places then this is the result. If your after a true grail pen I would avoid unless you can find a pre 2000 pen .
@@stevenjohnson2806 Thanks for the excellent advice and info Steven!
My worst pen experience was being scammed on ebay. I thought I was buying a Montblanc 145. After receiving it red flags started popping up about somethings. After posting my concerns on a pen forum, the replies confirmed my suspicions.
Fake MB huh? There are few of those around. Sorry to hear that.
Thanks, Doug! I too removed a wonderful titanium Bock nib from a Goldenritt pen. I put it on Yiren pen that cost less than $5
and is vastly superior. I got the other version of the Goldenritt, and I liked the brushed metal finish, but the heavy cap fit
loosely on the pen and the barrel spun freely like a fidget. The supplier included several boxes of ink cartridges, which I
appreciated. Maybe, they already knew what I would discover, soften the blow and so forth. Cheers!
Now that's a great combo. A friend fell in love with the Yiren pen (dark pewter coloured metal pen) so much that he had me buy him 16 of them for him to give away as gifts.
I don't like Lamy 2000 too because of the square sharp clip. Come Doug let's leave town together.
Yeah. Time to leave. The peasants are revolting. Some of their pens are revolting too.
I do enjoy you personal honest review videos . Personally I don't agree with the fact that the moonman f9 or the lamy 2000 have made the list . But that's what I like a video producer that keeps his own views . My top 3 disappointing pens this year . 3, moonman c3 ( Rubbish nib)
2 Twisbi eco ( plastic cracked )
1 Namisu Nova ( great pen but the bock nib unit sat way too deep)
Have a great Christmas and all the best for the new year.
Thank you, Steven! Merry Christmas!
My worst experiences this year have not been with the pens themselves but with sellers who claim to have a relatively rare model in stock and then, after payments, offer me a lesser model in exchange, only to apologise when I let them know that they will lose their selling privileges because it is expressly forbidden by the TOS. This has happened to me twice this year. Bloody hidden dropshipping.
And finally, I have two pens floating around abroad that never find their way to Canada. Fortunately, one of them will be refunded if it doesn't arrive next week and the second one… good luck getting it, it was flagged as a "security risk" (!?)
Thank you, Þórhildur Friðleifsdóttir! That experience is awful. I don't get how pissing off a customer is good business at all - especially in the time of the internet. Word spreads. I was upset with an Amazon seller from Japan who cancelled my Platinum 3776 purchase (very low price) saying it was "destroyed in transit" and that they had run out of stock and so did a refund. But the very next day they had them back in stock at the higher price. ~burrrrn~
Thanks to you, Alan, Chris and a lot more of nice reviewers, I can say proudly..... no disappointing pen this year XDD
Thank you so much, Guiderina! That's good news!
Thank you, that was fun. My fountain mistakes this year were two Conklins. OK, I'm new to this hobby. I know better now. On the plus side, I just got a wonderful vintage Targa so the year ends in the plus column.
The Targa has one of the most beautiful nibs in the history of fountain pens.
Thanks for your great work and entertaining reviews :) I'm glad you are back! :)
Thank you kindly!
Good reviews , thank you
I too have had issues with the PenBBS Year of the Ox pen. The whole trouble is with those black o-rings. I replaced them with PenBBS Clear silicone o-rings and it works so much better, and can be easily disassembled and cleaned. It is also really comfortable to write with, just odd looking. My worst pen of 2021? - the Lamy Aion. Total crap.
I'd replace the black rings if I could get them out. Unfortunately, I'll have to break the barrel to get the piston out.
@@InkquiringMinds I thought I would break mine too. I figured either it will break and I will continue to have a useless pen, or it wouldn't and I'd have a chance at fixing it. I did twist it while pulling, to theoretically unscrew the o-rings. Not sure if that helped.
I like to play a little game and guess what would be in your top 3 , I was surprised , shocked , but overall not disappointed. Can't wait to see what next year brings :)
Let's hope I have to really get picky to even DO a list next year!
Thanks, Doug! Not everyone will like every pen. Everybody has their own taste. Its good that you pass on the 2000. I m sure someone who loves it will enjoy better. 😊
Well said!
Usually I don't take chances with Chinese pens. I tend to stick with major brands. The one exception was a Black Forest that I got off Amazon. The only reason I bought it was because it has a fude nib. I figured for 20 bucks, it it turned out to be junk; really haven't lost a lot. But, it turned out to be pretty decent. Or, at least; my copy is.
That is the thinner version of the General Black from HongDian. Good pen. It came with the fude nib which is a lot of fun.
Thankfully, I read lots of reviews and asked many questions about the 2k before purchasing mine 3 years ago. Normally. I use a Lamy M, but everything I saw/read/heard said to get a F. So glad I did my research because it was perfect. And no so-called "sweet spot". That said, I prefer my Studio Paladium and Imporium. Those identical nibs are so much more pleasant to write with and I love the shape/form of them as well. The 2k is more of a "kick around" pen. Got it new for a bit over $100 and it has served me well.
Biggest disappointment was a tie: Kaweco matte black Liliput, M and Avatar UR Blue Demonstrator, M. The Liliput was adorable, but too small to use except for brief notes and shopping lists (my hands are not large - it's just ridiculously small). Thankfully bought it new at half price and made a $10 profit when I sold it for the win. The Avatar nib was incredibly stingy and underwhelming to write with, even after improving the flow. A new Nemosine 0.6 stub fixed it right up and we're friends again 😄.
My only pen disappointment this year has been the Sainsburys fountain pen I bought for GBP2.99 (about CAD5.00) that never really wrote properly at all. Ah well, it was a whim and an experiment...
Sometimes you get what you pay for.
@@InkquiringMinds Sometimes you do.
I had a less than optimal experience with my Lamy 2000 OM nib as well. I have 5 others that I love, so I’m thinking it’s just that particular nib.
I expected the gold Lamy 2K OM nib to be the same as the gold Studio OM nib being from the same factory that custom makes their own nibs. But noooo!
Love the snark, you had me fall off my chair at it can write in all directions, and badly for that Hero. 😂 I'd hire you for my elegy at my funeral and to watch everyone's expressions and boy I'd be glad I wasn't around to hear it. Thanks for skewering the Lamy 2000. I love all the things you dislike about the pen, it's design etc, but can't stand it's nib. The sweet spot is so horrible that the moment you rotate the pen even slightly the nib becomes scratchy. Otherwise a Fine pen.
Yeah! I never even mentioned the sweet spot issue!
I must have really been so lucky with my fine nib on my Lamy 2000! It just does not have a sweet spot. Perfect flow and just a good western fine line.
What Nitin said!
The Lamy 2000 is at the top end of my pen budget and I _want_ to love it. However, the nib just spoils my writing experience :-(
My worst experience this year has been the Narwhal pen! Hated it! The pen itself was beautiful but the nib was so mushy I couldn’t even write without it bleeding like a stuck pig. I switched out for a fine nib and that was the most boring writing experience ever. I did manage to save the pen by putting on a Franklin Christoph nib which was absolutely wonderful!!! Crisis averted!
Which Narwhal, Tracie? The Nautilus? It is a good thing the Narwhal has an easily swappable nib so you could get your FC nib working on it!
@@InkquiringMinds the schuylkill Asfur Bronze
Haha… loved your thoughts and reviews, Doug. I do quite like a couple of pens on this list, (I especially love my Moonman 1000), but that’s what is great about this hobby, hey - something to suit everyone’s varied tastes?
Right on! Thank you, Glen!
You need to dip your glass in the eggnog Griswold style and get ready to leave town before the angry mobs come with the pitchforks. Great video as always
Cool, thanks, Sean! We'll have the hap hap happiest Christmas since Bing danced with Danny f'in Kaye!
My worst pen purchase of all time was a Stipula Etruria - a beautiful pen that would not write consistently. I still have it in my collection and I love the celluloid material. I just can't write with it!
Thanks for sharing!
Stipula’s reputation in quality manufacturing has been notoriously dismal in recent years. I wouldn’t be the least surprised if Stipula was actually owned by Yafa, the contemptible losers responsible for the unfailing suck-fest, year after year, of Conklin and Monteverde pens.
Stipula pens had always appealed to me a fair bit. Unique, stylish and just quite tempting. I bought six; three were great, the other three dispiriting duds. I haven’t bought a Stipula in years. It doesn’t help that most recent Stipula pens, beside being unpredictable in quality, are also rather ugly and meh. What’s worse, they are still pricey pens.
Hello and thank you for the great video. I have been using the PenBBS 535 for nearly three months now but to be honest I have not ever tried to flush it and clean it up. So I am starting to worry. It is a pity because the pen is really original and has a cool filling mechanism.
Thanks for sharing!
Great vid Doug! Always interested to hear your opinions and hot takes in the annual bottom 10 pens vids. My take is that the Lamy 2K is the new and improved Parker 51. Better material, nib, clip, filling system, disassembly. Great feed that never runs dry, snap capping, perfect balance, and excellent posting (similar to the 51). Better looks- I’d take the Mr. Roboto arm over the fountain pen disguised as a ballpoint any day.
Fair enough!
What is your favourite pen you own ? Grail you’d like to purchase ?
Currently, my best pen is my new limited edition Leonardo Momento Zero Grande Jonathan Brooks Earth Magic 2.0 14k Dutch Pen Show 2021. A "grail" that is on my radar is a Montblanc Legrand 146.
Nice ! I have Similar pens , leonardo momento zero rollerball in blue positano . And I have the 146 rollerball . Good taste !
I just started a TH-cam channel on my collection , showing them , two new pen videos a week . Check it out if you’d like .
I find the Lamy 2000 slippery a well. I have an EF and find it writes wide depending on the ink. This is why I rarely venture outside Japanese made pens.
"And it does... It writes horribly in all 360 degrees." LMAO
Thanks JP
Rebranding Jinhaos x450/x750/159... with a sort of rusty Zebra nib inside it's a classic. A marketing marvel that you can enjoy everywhere. They even make videos of it where an innocent hand seems to be dancing with a Waterman’s wet noodle.
It is even better in soft-focus, slo-mo!
That penbbs 535 was a disappointment for me and has turned me off of buying that brand. The pen was priced higher than usual and seems that the build quality has gone down. I did just get a Lamy 2000 in a Black Friday sale. Have resisted getting one because of its plain look. I got a fine. Have to say that I do like it so far. Time will tell.
Congrats on the Lamy 2k! Don't give up on Penbbs. They always have something interesting up their sleeve!
That L2000 writes so wet that I thought it was missing that front section of feed 😱
By far, my worst experience this year was the crappy knockoff of the Platinum Curidas I bought. I won’t even go find the proper name for that clunker. It wrote poorly, dried out like crazy, and the mechanism wouldn’t work remotely right. It went in the bin rather quickly, to borrow a colorful phrase for ridding myself of complete junk.
The Lanbitou. I never gave it a second thought. It was an instant NO from me.
Some day maybe I can have a real Montblanc Agatha Christie or Rouge et Noir, but for now, I rather like my Moonman Snake, which for me writes very well. I don't care about posting so it's alright for me. What disappointed me in 2021 was the Ranga Ebonite in Olive because the colour looks like baby poo (the nib is great). I'm still not fond of my new Narwhal Nautilus either, because it's a really big pen (looks cool, but huge) and the ebonite smells weird. But it could grow on me. Happy pen collecting for 2022.
Thanks, Julie! Some of those Ranga ebonite colours, especially when not highly polished, look awful IMO as well. That's why I got black and red in ebonite. My Abhimayu is highly polished, very chatoyant, acrylic in "Chestnut" and it just drop-dead gorgeous.
I do confess to allowing myself to be influenced into the purchase of a Penbbs year of the ox. The major issue I have with it is the complex refilling process even though Alan did make a good video on the subject- I just can’t be bothered. The other failures I steered clear of - whew.
I have no issues with the Lamy Studio either from a design or function point of view. I do have a problem with the broad nib on my metal 2000 - namely the line. It’s too broad for my liking.. should I get a medium replacement or a medium oblique nib???. Best pen I’ve bought in 21 ? Sheaffer Legacy Heritage palladium with a medium nib. Merry Xmas Doug. Hopefully the Mounties will free you from your secret location in time to enjoy the festivities with your family and friends.
Ps If someone tries to flog you an Omicron 2022 flex pen,don’t even think about it.
That Sheaffer Heritage Legacy palladium sounds delicious! Merry Xmas, Andrew. Thanks!
I bought a Lamy 2000 with an oblique broad nib and found it unusable. Exchanged the nib for a medium and now it's a great writer.
@@egondickau3678 Thanks for that. You didn’t consider an oblique medium nib?
Your PenBBS Year of the Ox looks like the clear acrylic is cracked just above the grip section. My worst pen of 2021 goes to Monteverde (of course). A relative gave me this new NSA engraved pen in a gift box & it is by far the WORST nib I have ever attempted to use! It’s scratchy, blotchy & just absolutely disgusting to write with (just like every other Monteverde I’ve ever owned).
Yeah, I saw that it looked like that in the video as well. It is just silicone grease. It doesn't matter anyway. The pen is toast. I have in the past, looked at the Monteverde Giant Sequoia with some thoughts of snagging one. But my other Monteverde experiences tell me no.
Maybe a sharp blast of compressed air could get those o-rings moving in your PenBBS. Just a thought.
If putting all my force into a steel rod won't budge it, compressed air hasn't a chance.
@@InkquiringMinds Hah, I see. Well, with nothing more to lose, I suppose you could do "open barrel surgery", access and fix those o-rings, and then glue it up as water tight as possible. I'm envisioning Frankenstein's monster scars. Just pretend you're on Apollo 11 and you need to fix this to get home. It might be fun. Best of luck.
My only pen bummer was the Platinum pocket pen that would run dry after a few words. I even sent it to some guy that said he could tune it and it came back exactly the same. That was an extra 30 bucks. What helped was getting the $5 international cartridge adapter but by then I had no more love to give. It's my prettiest pocket pen too 😔 It's in the "I'm not f***ing with this anymore my heart can't take it" box.
Is that the Curidas?
@@InkquiringMinds No, it's a long cap pen like the Pilot Elite. They were just called Platinum Pocket I think. I have two others that are great but well worn. The bad one is sliver with a pink section. It needs a special tool to take it apart that Binder has diy directions for but I don't have to tools to pull it off 😩 and if I broke it I'd be pissed. It's persnickety and only writes with the plainest ink and paper IIRC. Damn diva pen.
Hero 98 was my worst
Good to know about the sketchwriter- I almost bought that. The design looked kludgy enough that I had reservations, but the nib really did look good.
My biggest disappointment came from a pen I actually loved a lot. It was a Jinhao 8802. One of the ceramic ones- incredibly heavy, and I wouldn't say it was particularly balanced but I like the feel of it, myself. The nib it came with was uncommonly good (I still have that, anyway). One day it just fell apart in my hands. It was almost comical. No component remains attached to any other component. It's beyond my skill to fix but I kept it, just in case I figure it out. I bought three of them at once, two years ago, and two of them are still going. At $24 for the lot, I can't complain TOO much, but I can still be sad.
Thanks for this, Kari!
With the nib and Bauhaus design it is a love or hate thing, and hardly anything in between. I like the positive click if the cap. Second only to the Aero in that.
the lamy 2000, one of the most beloved pens is on your worst pen list..this is why you said you'll leave town after posting this video..but based on your review, I understand your position.. my disappointing pen for the year is the PenBBS494..although i am not sure if it is really a PenBBS because of the lack of branding on the pen..my biggest surprise is the Jinhao 35..it's made of metal, inexpensive, with good inkflow, and suits my handwriting..
Doug, could you please review someday the Monteverde Essenza sunny skies fountain pen? I find it to be an incredibly gorgeous, high quality and relatively inexpensive alternative to a Visconti.
Monteverde would have to give the pen to me as I refuse to use my own money for anything Monteverde.
@@InkquiringMinds oh, do you have a specific reason for that? I’m interested in knowing before I do any potential bad purchase
@@juandiegovillaloboscastane1803 I purchased the Monteverde Monza 3 pack. Total rip-off crap. I've reviewed the Monteverde Imprezza which was just okay but way overpriced for what it is.
Brave to put the Lamy 2000 on this list. I own 4 and have owned several more. As a model overall, they have represented some of the best and worst pens I've ever owned.
I don't think I articulated my disappointment clearly about the L2K though. It is an impressive pen, but the fact that a gold Lamy OM nib on the L2K is so dramatically different from the gold OM nib on the Lamy Studio is frustrating to say the least. Especially from such an incredible fountain pen company like Lamy.
@@InkquiringMinds I enjoy my Lamys, but I think for a company of their prestige and size their QC is unacceptable!
I have 3 fountain 🖋️ none ✍️ well. I'll settle for 1 that works consistently.
Love it. Thanks again.
Excellent video, sir! Well done! As for myself, my biggest pen disappointment in 2021 was the Hongdien 1841. I know that many have enjoyed this pen but mine dries out after just a couple of days and applying grease to the threads didn't help. The nib wasn't great, either, but that could be remedied with a few passes over a sheet of micromesh. But the dry nib? *sigh* On the other hand, your positive comments led to my best purchase of 2021 and it was a Pilot E95s. It is beautifully made and a pleasure to use! I wound up gifting it to a good friend of mine and she is very pleased with it! Again, thank you for another fine video and a special thank you for a year's worth of entertaining and informative videos, as well! Happy holidays, sir!
Thank you, sailcat9! The Pilot e95s is just a sublime fountain pen in all aspects, including the price!
I was so disappointed with the PenBBS Year of the Ox pen. I simply can't write with it. It has the most uncomfortable section of any pen I've ever used. It's a shame, because I thought it was really handsome.
My worst pen experience of 2021 was the ONLINE 2nd life, and the Twsbi Diamond 580 B.
I love all my Lamy pens. The Studio Lx All Black with the Z57B nib and my Lamy 2000 B are my favorites.
My TWSBI 580 RGT almost made the list. I sold it.
That All-Black LX is amazing! I really love the LX nibs in general, but the look and feel of that pen is really special!
I've been lusting over that finish! I don't own a Studio yet, since I can't stand the normal chrome grip, and doesn't really fancy the brushed stainless finish either. But that one just set me off price wise. It's too much money for a steel nib in my book... But I guess they set a price and people keep buying them, so somehow they are worth it... I got the Terra Safari and have my Red Aion (another model that many love to hate) to enjoy until I find the right Studio for me.
@@gertahnstrom784 …I, for one, love the Aion. I have two, the silver and the dark green one, with F & M nibs, respectively. Next only to the Lamy 2k, the Aion is my favorite Lamy pen.
@@gertahnstrom784 yeah I get that. I live in Germany so Lamy pens are sometimes cheaper than other places. The LX all black studio was still 30€ more than the other colors. I’m tempted to get the stainless steel one in the future. It has the same grip section as the Lx all black.
Even the lady gets to hide behind the Guy Fawkes mask ... Lol
Completely agree on the Hero 360, it is a trash pen. 360 degrees of scratchiness. However I love my Lamy 2k, one of my favs. I think you used too wet an ink. L2k and other lamy pens are probably designed for their dry inks - You should have tried Lamy Blue Black in it.
Hah...that Penbbs made me gag the moment I saw it.
Penbbs was nice before I knew better, they lost me when they sent me the wrong pen and refused to make it right.
It doesn't take much to throw someone off a brand. My instant NOs to brands are FPR and Monteverde.
@@InkquiringMinds I agree! The customer should always be the priority. Once the company loses sight of that...they lose customers.
I have trust issues with piston fillers
They refuse to commit in a relationship?
look on the bright side, you did not buy another Monza!
NEVER AGAIN!!!
I won't buy Chinese pens on principle due to their government's political shenanigans, COVID malfeasance, and genocide against Tibetan and Uigars.
It's nearly impossible not to buy some things made in China, but fountain pens are a hobby and fine pens are available elsewhere. (I was appalled that TWSBI pens, although labeled Taiwanese, are actually made in China. So no more TWSBI for me despite the fact that I actually like the one I own.
Personally the moonman F9 is one of my favorite slim pens, though I wish the barrel could be unscrewed to have access to the converter.
I also noticed majohn (moonman) has a pre-sale on aliexpress for their copy of the pilot vanishing point called the majohn A1. And Hongdian released the N6 which is like a moonman p135 but in black and gold.
I have one of each of those pens on the way.
Another great review Doug! I went ahead online and bought all these pens mentioned.........wait.......these pens SUCK?? Dammit!!!!!!
On a serious note, the pens that I bought in 2021 that didnt do it for me are the Delike New Moon pens. Seduced by the acrylic, I found the nibs small and surprisingly scratchy. Sure they could post, but the balance was off and puny in my Conan like overly sinewed hands. FAIL!!
I agree with the Delike New Moon. The first one I bought was so puny you couldn't write with it and it wouldn't post. I bought another because of the new acrylic and thinking it might post better or be longer, but, NOT. And the nibs are small and unremarkable.
The Pilot Metropolitan, having a similar sized nib, is better in almost every way.
Funny as always - agree with pretty much what you said :). Surprised to see the 85, but I get your drift. Oh man, you gonna get some flaming on that Lamy :D.
Btw, in case you didn't know already, it looks like Moonman is after Pilot and specifically the capless versions :). Enjoy the 2022 lol :).
My disappointment... Parker Jotter. Don't buy it... just... don't...
I've got a MaJohn A1 on the way. It will be a while as stuff is stuck between factory and retailer in China. I know, in advance, that I won't like the EF nib, but it will be a cool comparison with my wife's Pilot Decimo.
@@InkquiringMinds I got the version without the clip attached. I won't spoil it for you, but in case you don't have the version that I have, personally, I kind of like the no clip (I do have the pen).
@@mrN3w7 I ordered the clip version as I want it to be as close to the VP as possible.
I didn't like the Lamy 2000 either. I'm ok with the design but frustrated with having to find the sweet spot every time, and it was too light for my taste. That said, I love my 2000 stainless steel :-) Actually, the only Lamy nibs I really like are their obliques, and I consider myself lucky I could also get a OB nib for a Safari just before they were discontinued.
I discovered Hero with the *vintage* (NOS) 329 I got 2 weeks ago, which is one of my favourite note taker ever. But I'm pretty sure the quality left the factory since then, like with actual Parker...
So my recent disappointments :
- Platinum Curidas : *my one and only Platinum pen that dries out in a few hours (closed)* ... I gave up and keep it as a fidget toy
- Parker 51 steel nib, the current reissue you can find for 90€ in France. Dries as fast as the just mentioned Curidas. Gave up on Parker as a brand (edit: not my first bat experience with current Parker pens, this is why I gave up with them). The vintage Hero 329 does a far greater job.
- Montblanc 146 : I'm already annoyed when I get a baby's bottom on a cheap pen, but on a >600€ I'm angry. I'm keeping it for when I'll be confident enough to grind the nib as a Concord.
Re: Baby's Bottom. Take the 146 to a nibmeister. The baby's bottom issue is fairly easy to do. I show how to do it in this video, but on a MB 146 gold nib, I would take it to a professional. It should only take an expert 10 or 15 minutes to fix. th-cam.com/video/Ip3O6HoFVec/w-d-xo.html
The Hero 360 is "Old-as-New" stock, i.e they discontinued it years ago. Lol! Mistakes like these make you wonder if the "designers" actually make a mock up first? Or do they just sling the design down on paper and say 'make it so'? Well, at least Picard knows the Enterprise can fly. Lol.
Laughed hard an learned a lot, thanks
Glad to hear it!
It's okay Doug, besides your lack of minimalist taste, I agreed with the rest of your video 😂.
To be honest, I haven't many pen disappointments this 2021 so far, except for a vintage shaeffer vac filler that makes me have some distaste for the Sheaffer vacs in general, but that's maybe I will change my bias in the future. As for the pens in the video, yeah, I didn't like the moonblocks.
Thank you for the video.
Thanks for sharing! I didn't say all minimalist design, just the dull black on dull silver one. I like the minimalist look of the Studio.
No major pen disappointments this year for me. I attribute this to one or both of the following: 1) incredbly good luck; 2) low standards; 3) extremely focussed and minimal buying. My one minor disappointment was the Pilot 743 . Back a while I bought a Nib Creaper and didn't like it, so I bought a FPR Ultra Flex and didn't like it, so I bought a Triple Tail and didn't much like it, so this year I bought a 743 which is faultless but why did I buy it? I don't like flex pens. Maybe I'll find a use for it tomorrow. I have some ideas...
Low standards is a good way to reduce disappointments. I always say I'd rather be a pessimist than an optimist. As a pessimist I'm often pleasantly surprised rather than constantly disappointed.
@@InkquiringMinds I'm an optimistic realist. This way I'm happy more often than not and never disappointed, because I know full well people can be, and are, disappointing 😁.
@@stephaniehyatt309 …We’re nearly Siamese twins on this one. 🙂
I missed "the Shroud"! Some of those pens deserved "The Shroud....."
I shroud people, not pens. Except the FPR. LOL
@@InkquiringMinds ahhh, I understand! 😄
Thanks for saving me a bunch of loot
My pleasure.
Worst for me: Fool me once (Momento Zero Positano = two nibs -- the first and a replacement -- both virtually unusable; and then a failed converter connection that necessitate me trashing the pen, really, it's gone to the landfill), shame on you Leonardo!
BUT fool me twice (Leonardo Momento Zero Prugna Plum) shame, shame, shame ON ME! So lovely, I broke down (woe is me) and bought this other fountain pen from Leonardo. It would be wonderful (a stub nib) except for the fact that I need to prime it so hard I almost have to rely on my bathroom plunger to make it drip out onto a pile of toilet paper before any ink flows. Every time I uncap it.
I am not going to make another, obvious allusion to my toiletry experience and loss of big US dollars having to digest Leonardo.
That's awful! I'm sorry you had that experience, William.
@@InkquiringMinds Yes, it is one thing to lose US$10 on an awful Chinese pen. It is another thing to lose more than US$350 to Leonardo in Italy on two crappy pens. Yuck! I wish I had a button like yours that would say: "No, no, no, no, no, Leonardo!"
Before watching I’m going to predict a lot of Chinese made just like the 2020 worst list.
I was pleased as punch with your addition of the Lamy 2000 to your list. I hate that damn pen and seldom find anyone that agrees.
As for the Goldenwritt, the marketing seemed a bit sketchy but I bought it anyway for that nib. I like it. It's not attractive but it holds ink and writes well. My other fail this year was a Narwhal. I'm just not impressed. The plastic looks okay but it feels cheap and thin. The nibs also look cheap and are nothing special to use. The piston nob was snapped in two so there was nothing keeping the ink in. All I needed was a replacement nob but they insisted that I send it in for service. Then it got lost....5 months later they returned my repaired but disappointing pen.
I'm sorry to hear about your Narwhal. I haven't been overly impressed by Narwhal with either the Schuykill or the Nautilus. They feels as brittle and thin as TWSBI. And I won't ever attempt to remove the pistons from either of them as I've heard many stories of them cracking.
Nooooooo!!!!!!!!
It's a good thing this video was made by Anonymous, since I would have to unsubscribe from the channel from if it was Mr. Inkquirring Minds talking so badly about my most desired pen of 2021, the PenBBS Year of the Ox special edition. One that I still hope to muster the money to buy in 2022.
LOL
I have had numerous Lamy fountain pens and have not had favorable experience with any of them, especially the 2000. The grip section is too smooth for me and there is a definite placement of the nib onto paper. It also wrote far too wide for my taste.
I have since stuck with my 2000 ballpoint from the 1960s that works very well, especially since they had made a better ink for the ballpoint.
Another disappointment was my first Hong Dian 1841. The nib was not cut correctly and the slit, well, slid to one side. My second 1841 worked perfectly. Caveat emptor.
I bought a Noodler's Ahab. Heck, $23 for a flex nib? What's not to like? Plenty. Ink capacity is great but the nib is very unresponsive and very scratchy.
Last in my quest for a flex nib was the Fountain Pen Revolution Jaipur, version 2. The pen arrived with the piston nob cracked off the shaft. Got another shaft. Originally I'd seemed to work well until it pen started to burp ink with every other word written.
Don't get me started on the FPR pens. FPR is my worst fountain pen experience EVER!!
I hate Hero pens so much
I like the 616.
I like the Hero H718 with the 10k gold retractable nib.
I… I don’t… what?… Lamy 2000?… how could you? I don’t know what is real anymore. I’m going to go visit a nearby tower and throw myself off in an effort to… ok, ok back to reality… My biggest pen disappointment for 2021 has to be the Leonardo Momento Zero Prugna. Too much of the acrylic is dark, and the ink doesn’t flow reliably to the nib. This is an opus magnum of a video, Doug. Merry Christmas!
Sorry about your MZ Prugna. I was lucky and got one with some nice patterns. Merry Christmas, Oscar!
Considering your dislike for slippery sections, try reviewing a lamy 2000 that had seen years of near constant use. The pen is slick as an eel when all the texturing smooths out 😄😄😄
While I do adore my lamy 2k, I do have to agree with you that the pen is not for everyone.
Merry Christmas!!!
Merry Christmas!