Possibly the most often misunderstood aspect of luxury-true luxury-is the dimension of cost. To paraphrase Jean-Noël Kapferer, who has brilliantly theorized marketing in this field: "Luxury has a price. But the price does not make luxury." Your choice of favorite fountain pen is a perfect example, as the model you prefer, the Edison Collier Grande, is not necessarily the most expensive, although none of your favorites are cheap. What makes an item truly luxurious for you depends on a multitude of factors, and price is secondary, serving as a hurdle rather than a guarantee. It is primarily a personal journey, a unique exploration that only you can undertake. No one else can discover what amazes and excites you. I just wish cost wasn't such a limiting factor for me. Thanks for sharing your discoveries.
Thanks for such a thoughtful comment-it really got me thinking about why my experience with the Montblanc 149 left me so disappointed. Kapferer is right. The quote hits the nail on the head. When I bought the 149, I was expecting something that felt truly special-a pen with that heritage and craftsmanship Montblanc is known for. But honestly, it fell short. The packaging was cheap, it wrote horribly spewing ink all over (it was like an episode of Dexter), and details like the shift to laser-etching made it seem more mass-produced than handcrafted. It just didn’t have that sense of care or attention to detail I associate with luxury. On the other hand, my Edison Collier Grande, which costs way less, feels like it has that spark. The design, the materials, the way it writes-it just clicks with me. And that’s what makes it feel luxurious, even though it’s far from the most expensive pen I own. (I’m reminded of the scene in Indiana Jones where he chooses The Holy Grail, the cup of a carpenter, not an opulent spectacle.) Stay subscribed! I’ll be giving away some pretty luxurious items in 2025.
Love the background music you choose for your videos! :) Very soothing and perfect fit for your voice and vibe. I loved seeing the luxurious J. Herbin bottles lined up at the beginning. There's a reason we collect them - one of them for the beautiful aesthetically pleasing bottles and the second for the colors they paint our world when we get to use them. :) Very beautiful set of pens that you chose as your top pens of 2024. Such beautiful pens - that all gold Aurora is so interesting. I love how your pens have texture to them; I'd love to own some textural pens someday, aside from my Visconti that has a bit of volcanic rock feel to it.
"There’s a reason we collect them…" Very well put! Very poetic even. Ya know, I hadn’t noticed that about the pens’ textures, but you’re absolutely correct! I recently purchase a Homo Sapiens, Black Friday and half-off. I’d been holding out because I have lived on or near 5 volcanoes in my lifetime and didn’t appreciate what I saw as just sensational marketing. But boy am I glad I changed my mind. It’s amazing! The Visconti came very close to making the list.
Edison Collier Grande is a pen I would like to try. My favorite every day writer is the Lamy 2000 with an oblique (f) Thanks for sharing. I love year end favorite pen videos.
Hi, Dave! Thanks for another great video. I am also really enjoying the fountain pens, ink and stationery. I am enjoying it and make no apology for it. Much more happiness to us all who are having fun collecting and writing. Happy Holidays to you and everyone else enjoying this channel!
If it makes you happy go for it. Fabulous designs and innovation deserve a fair price. Your pens are amazing and the pen cases top drawer. Keep up the videos.
Yay! The much anticipated “Top Pens” video! I’m just starting to watch this, but I wanted to comment that the current Lamy 2000 pens have a 14k nib. The Lamy 2000s with 18k nibs were discontinued around 1980. While the Vanishing Point took the opposite path, starting out with 14k nibs and then changing over to the 18k nibs that they use now. Also, 18k nibs are not always softer than 14k nibs. For example, Stipula uses 14k and 18k for their normal nibs, but only uses 14k for their Sti-flex nibs. BTW, I love the Lamy 2000. It is the pen I carry in my bullet journal (to-do list/calendar).
Oh really?! Okay, noted for future reference. Thanks for the fact-check! The Lamy 2000 is with me everywhere I go. I moulded the leather pen loop on my wallet-slash-field-notes (using Lochby notepads though) notebook I carry with me. It fits the Lamy 2000, and only the Lamy 2000.
No need to worry about how fast the pen collection is growing. You’re among friends here 😅 Happy holidays and we may meet up at one of the pen shows sometime.
Can you please tell me what brand your leather pen case is that holds your first 6 favourites. I haven’t watch your entire video yet as today is a workday so apologies if you mentioned it in your video already.
Great choices! I tried my friend Mike’s Mag 600 recently and I really liked it! Super bouncy! Mike has a TH-cam channel, “Zen of the Pen”, that you might enjoy.
Possibly the most often misunderstood aspect of luxury-true luxury-is the dimension of cost. To paraphrase Jean-Noël Kapferer, who has brilliantly theorized marketing in this field: "Luxury has a price. But the price does not make luxury." Your choice of favorite fountain pen is a perfect example, as the model you prefer, the Edison Collier Grande, is not necessarily the most expensive, although none of your favorites are cheap. What makes an item truly luxurious for you depends on a multitude of factors, and price is secondary, serving as a hurdle rather than a guarantee. It is primarily a personal journey, a unique exploration that only you can undertake. No one else can discover what amazes and excites you. I just wish cost wasn't such a limiting factor for me.
Thanks for sharing your discoveries.
Thanks for such a thoughtful comment-it really got me thinking about why my experience with the Montblanc 149 left me so disappointed. Kapferer is right. The quote hits the nail on the head.
When I bought the 149, I was expecting something that felt truly special-a pen with that heritage and craftsmanship Montblanc is known for. But honestly, it fell short. The packaging was cheap, it wrote horribly spewing ink all over (it was like an episode of Dexter), and details like the shift to laser-etching made it seem more mass-produced than handcrafted. It just didn’t have that sense of care or attention to detail I associate with luxury.
On the other hand, my Edison Collier Grande, which costs way less, feels like it has that spark. The design, the materials, the way it writes-it just clicks with me. And that’s what makes it feel luxurious, even though it’s far from the most expensive pen I own. (I’m reminded of the scene in Indiana Jones where he chooses The Holy Grail, the cup of a carpenter, not an opulent spectacle.)
Stay subscribed! I’ll be giving away some pretty luxurious items in 2025.
Impressive collection. Thanks for sharing your favourites.
I was today years old when I heard about the Kaweco Supra and I’ve been collecting pens for a few years now. Thanks for penabling me :)
Love the background music you choose for your videos! :) Very soothing and perfect fit for your voice and vibe. I loved seeing the luxurious J. Herbin bottles lined up at the beginning. There's a reason we collect them - one of them for the beautiful aesthetically pleasing bottles and the second for the colors they paint our world when we get to use them. :) Very beautiful set of pens that you chose as your top pens of 2024. Such beautiful pens - that all gold Aurora is so interesting. I love how your pens have texture to them; I'd love to own some textural pens someday, aside from my Visconti that has a bit of volcanic rock feel to it.
"There’s a reason we collect them…" Very well put! Very poetic even.
Ya know, I hadn’t noticed that about the pens’ textures, but you’re absolutely correct!
I recently purchase a Homo Sapiens, Black Friday and half-off. I’d been holding out because I have lived on or near 5 volcanoes in my lifetime and didn’t appreciate what I saw as just sensational marketing. But boy am I glad I changed my mind. It’s amazing! The Visconti came very close to making the list.
Lovely pens, thank you for sharing!
Edison Collier Grande is a pen I would like to try. My favorite every day writer is the Lamy 2000 with an oblique (f) Thanks for sharing. I love year end favorite pen videos.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing your favorites with us; I love this type of video :)
Hi, Dave! Thanks for another great video. I am also really enjoying the fountain pens, ink and stationery. I am enjoying it and make no apology for it. Much more happiness to us all who are having fun collecting and writing. Happy Holidays to you and everyone else enjoying this channel!
Great to hear! Thank you.
Very enjoyable video thanks for sharing your wonderful collection, just subscribed looking forward for more fountain pen videos like this👌🏽
Thank you! Will do!
Great collection, enjoy them any minute.
If it makes you happy go for it. Fabulous designs and innovation deserve a fair price. Your pens are amazing and the pen cases top drawer. Keep up the videos.
I totally agree! The trays are from Galen.
Yay! The much anticipated “Top Pens” video! I’m just starting to watch this, but I wanted to comment that the current Lamy 2000 pens have a 14k nib. The Lamy 2000s with 18k nibs were discontinued around 1980. While the Vanishing Point took the opposite path, starting out with 14k nibs and then changing over to the 18k nibs that they use now. Also, 18k nibs are not always softer than 14k nibs. For example, Stipula uses 14k and 18k for their normal nibs, but only uses 14k for their Sti-flex nibs. BTW, I love the Lamy 2000. It is the pen I carry in my bullet journal (to-do list/calendar).
Oh really?! Okay, noted for future reference. Thanks for the fact-check!
The Lamy 2000 is with me everywhere I go. I moulded the leather pen loop on my wallet-slash-field-notes (using Lochby notepads though) notebook I carry with me. It fits the Lamy 2000, and only the Lamy 2000.
Edison collier and Mag 600 are so pretty and can be anyone's grail pen. Thanks for the video 😍
Wonderful collection!
No need to worry about how fast the pen collection is growing. You’re among friends here 😅 Happy holidays and we may meet up at one of the pen shows sometime.
Ha ha. Sometimes it feels like the patients are running the asylum. (In a good way.) :)
Can you please tell me what brand your leather pen case is that holds your first 6 favourites. I haven’t watch your entire video yet as today is a workday so apologies if you mentioned it in your video already.
The brand is Hiram, from Amazon, around $32, with sizes up to 12-slots. It’s marketed under several brand names.
Great choices! I tried my friend Mike’s Mag 600 recently and I really liked it! Super bouncy! Mike has a TH-cam channel, “Zen of the Pen”, that you might enjoy.
Cool! I'll check it out.
What is the ink in the Stipula ?
It is Diamine Ancient Copper.
Ebonite feeds…rah rah rah!