Here's the dill (fellow Utahn here!): Longevity is a huge part of the argument for fountain pens in the 21st century. No one really cares much if their 5 cent BiC Crystal or 75 cent Uni-ball Signo cracks because those pens weren't ever intended to last anyways. Pens that aren't disposable pens should be able to withstand regular use for prolonged periods of time and, yes, should even be capable of withstanding some "user error."
@@ZackN85 so true!! I haven’t been in this game super long (a couple of years) and I’m not one that buys very expensive pens. My “expensive” pen is a TWSBI Eco AL since my two plastic ones cracked. But I have been through the “regular round” with Metropolitan, Safari, and Preppy. I kind of feel like it’s a game of finding a pen that suits your personality and way of writing. For me it’s first and foremost that I enjoy the writing experience, and second about how the pen looks. Would I appreciate an expensive and fancy pen if it was nice to write with? Yes, of course, but I think I would also be kind of a bit afraid to use it. As it is now, I can just enjoy my fountain pens. I have a couple that I use on a regular basis. And unless the price is around the one of a ball point pen, I would not expect it to be a dispensable. And… speaking of ball point pens… even those don’t break easily… 😊 I wish you a fantastic day 😊
I have 5 Platinum Preppys and they have no cracking. Had them over 2 years now. Not sure why you would experience that. The only issues I had was with the 0.3mm nibs, they were scratchy and didn't write well at all. I'm surprised I didn't bin them but kept trying and after a few months they started writing smoothly. I think they needed to be broken in. Happy with all of them now. They're cheap, I could get a bunch of them in different colours to experiment with and have a decent writing experience with fountain pens so I am very happy with them and would highly recommend them. Great entry level pens. Easy to replace, easy to buy refill cartridges. Lots to like.
I love the Platinum Preppy also! I use the M nib. I've never had any of mine crack. And I use them every single day for years. [I have different bodies - a standard Preppy, a Prefounte and a lovely white Kokuyo collab, but they really are all the same]. Maybe it's luck? I keep at least one in my work bag, one-two on my desk at the office. I've tried the TWSBI Eco, Lamy Safari, and a bunch of other pens and I go back to the Preppy with the Platinum Blue Black ink every time. Though I confess, I do like my TWSBI Go - just not quite as much as the Preppy.
My preppy needed to be broken in as well, but also suffered from the cracking issues. First was the clip (not the clip itself, but where it connected to the top of the cap), then the cap itself. Love how the pen writes (now) but wouldn't really buy a low end Platinum again.
Yeah~! I love my Platinum Preppy too~! The price point is super friendly to beginner and the using experience is fine. I am using a 0.3mm F, it's a little bit scratchy on some paper, but it's totally fine when I use it on Muji weekly notebook.
My experience with Preppy nibs especially the .3 has been great. But my first preppy developed a crack in the body after about a year of occasional use. I love the nib so much, I pulled it in case the next one wasn't as nice.
1. I will never buy again a Safari. Dont get me wrong, I love my safari so much. Its just that I prefer the writing experience with my Alstar more. For some reason, Alstar feels more premium!
I agree on this. I started using my Safari again recently and I love it, but the first time I tried the AL Star I gifted to my mom I knew immediately that one day I'd have to buy one. Now I own two of them and are probably my favourite pens.
I liked everything about my safari but the cap pretty much lost all of it’s retention after a few months of carrying. I moved away from fountain pens for edc after that and got a space pen. Carried that for a year but the clip left a lot to be desired and I moved to a tactile turn slim bolt mini. So far, so good with that one.
I have loads of Safaris AND AL Stars, and I love them both. Twice a year I change the colour combo I take to school, and that's where the AL Stars stay at home. They are just not made for a rough school environment as the metal finish can get scratched quite easily banged around in a pencil case (I see that with my pupils frequently). So for me: Safari, when I'm out and about, AL Star when I'm at home at my desk.
@@scotosha I totally agree. I have two of them and a good number of different spare nibs and feeders. They have very good weight and balance when you use them and they are made with very good materials. They also take all kind of converters and universal type of ink cartridges.
How did you guys all cracked your Preppys ? I have had mine for years, it's even eyedrop converted with Baystate Blue (that's how confident I am with that pen) and never ever had any issues with it. It is my quick note taking pen, so it is always within arm's reach whereever I am, and while the pen has some visual deterioration from being transported all around the place including several 8+ hours plane trips, it has yet to show any strutural damage. TWSBI, sure. I had to replace the body of my Vac Mini pen because it cracked due making the vac filling leaking air and I had to fill it with syringe. Nothing hard tho, just contacted TWSBI support and have them shipped me replacement parts, only hard to pay for shipment fees.
My first Preppy that cracked was a green one that was eyedroppered with Noodler's Polar Green. I discovered the break at my desk because of inky fingers so the mess was minimal.
I love my Baystate Blue but I take no chances. There are legendary stories about leaking pens and a really good one about a gentleman who knocked over a full bottle of Baystate Blue. Old fountain pen users of BSB tell great stories. I'm trying not to be a story teller about BSB. 🥶
@@cmw9876 if you take good enough precautions with it, it will be fine. Just don't rush things around it, be slow and steady and there will hardly be anything happening. Plus, there isn't that many deeply saturated blue inks that are this level of water resistant
Same. My 0.2 Preppy is always inked with Baystate blue as my everyday writing. I even dropped it on the floor once or twice and it's still perfect. Honestly, can anybody find a better pen for 6 euros?
I loveeeee my Twsbis! I have 5 of them and have had no issues. I’ve switched nibs around and had no problems. Thank goodness. Also - for an inexpensive alternative fountain pen that I ADORE is the. Hong Dian 1862. I have all 4 of the color way options in fine and extra fine and I ADORE THEM. They’re my go-to pens!
I have to agree with the Kaweco sport, same problems. For the fun of It I bought a pocket pen from Hongdian on Amazon. it looks like the Kaweco sport AL ($100+)but it's only $20. now with the Kaweco you have to pay extra for a clip, and extra for a converter. The Hongdian (is similar but not an exact copy) comes with a converted and the included clip is spring loaded. I love pocket pens and I don't feel like I'm being ripped off.
Very interesting! It seems like people either have a lot of problems or none at all. Do you have plastic Sports or the metal versions? That seems to be a distinguishing factor.
@@DowntheBreatherHole I have plastic. If yours were new pens with problems you should contact Kaweco. I’ve had a Yard-o-Led, TWSBI, and Safari that were defective and I complained to each business/company. They were more than happy to either replace the nib, or the pen itself. You shouldn’t try to rectify the issue if it was defective when new.
There's something about the Kakuno I like better than the Preppy. Maybe the distance between the grip & the end of the nib, & the feel of the acrylic/plastic material? And the pilot nibs are always like butter.
The Kakuno is ten times as good as the Preppy, IMO. I haven't talked about it as much as I probably should on my channel. It's a great pen for the price.
I only enjoy Kaweco broad, double broad or italic nibs. The other sizes are too thin and dry. I totally agree about the Platinum Preppy. I started out my fountain pen collection with 7 Preppy pens and they all very quickly cracked and were unusable. I had heard from other pen friends that switching nibs on Ecos causes them to crack. I have had 4 TWSBI minis crack. My favorite TWSBI is the 580 ALR. The extra fine Safari nibs are scratchy for me too, especially the black coated ones. I haven’t tried the Pilot that you mentioned. Your complaints all seem justified. Great video!
@@1sanjuan60 Replacement Kaweco BB nibs are available retail, for example from jetpens. Beware, however, they come in two different sizes, according to what pen they go in.
@ JetPens and probably other online retailers have Kaweco replacement nibs for sale of every width. The regular steel double broad and italic nibs are great. They also have the premium nibs which cost more, but are a bit more smooth. The nibs screw in to the larger pens like the Student, but for the Sport I think you need to pull the nib out of the housing and friction fit it in the pen. If you need more explanation of how to do it, let me know.
I love Twsbi too for how much ink they hold. Great for writing copious notes. I live in SEAsia and Twsbi support in my country is awesome at responding to customer needs. I strongly recommend them. 🖋️
I have a platinum preppy, and it's great, no cracking at all. I had this pen for over 2 years and it's my first fountain pen. I use them a lot and it's very nice, I like the EF one, also my first fountain pen and my most used one so far but no cracking at all. But my preppy body is just have a lot of small scratches which is so normal and it's not a problem for me since I had it for few years and always bring that pen to my school.
You said what was not mentioned by many other bigger pen channels. Good one for being brave! I will share this information with any of my circle of pen friends. Thank you for making this video. I never had a preppie/prefounte, I never had the pilot explorer. I do have some bronze kaweco, never had a plastic kaweco, and my bronze models work just fine. I suspect they do more quality control on the higher end kawecos. As for the twsbi eco, I never owned an eco. Having said that, I do agree that TWSBI should use better materials for their pens, I think nearly everyone would pay a bit more to have a more "crack-resistant" TWSBI. My Diamond 580s have been working fine for several years, but I admit I do not switch nibs on any of my pens. As for the Safari, I hate the triangle grip section, so do not own any Safaris. I do have a friend who has a Safari with EF nib, and I did try it. It felt like writing with a rusted nail. I let my friend try my Platinum 3776 with Soft-Fine nib, and my friend agreed, it is like night and day difference.
Ein schönes Video, was deutlich zeigt wie unterschiedlich die Wahrnehmung oder Bedürfnisse bei Füllfederhaltern sind. Ich schreibe mit meinen diversen Kaweco Sport (sowohl mit Patronen als auch mit Konverter) einige DinA4 Seiten voll bevor die Tinte überhaupt zur neige geht. Und dabei benutze ich immer breite Federn. Ich habe lediglich eine medium Feder, die natürlich noch mehr Seiten schafft, und nur bei meiner extrabreiten Feder im BrassSport habe ich das Gefühl merklich weniger Seiten füllen zu können, aber diese Federstärke schreibt auch wirklich mit sehr viel Tinte. Meine Preppy und andere Platinum Füller habe ich schon viele Jahre und sie schließen alle wie am ersten Tag, generell ist keinerlei Materialermüdung zu erkennen. Vom TWSBI habe ich mich tatsächlich aus den hier im Video genannten Gründen ferngehalten und bin nun umso glücklicher mit meiner Entscheidung. Das ist wirklich ein No-Go, vor allem bei diesem Preis. Lamy (Safari) fand ich tatsächlich schon immer total langweilig, was wohl daran liegt, dass es unsere vorgeschriebenen Schulfüller waren und ich daher die Nase von diesem Modell voll habe 😅 Es macht auf jeden Fall viel Spaß die Kommentare mit ihren unterschiedlichen Erfahrungen zu den gezeigten Modellen zu lesen, daher vielen Dank für das Video und weiterhin viel Spaß mit diesem wundervollen Hobby. ^^
I'm surprised to hear that about the Sport. I have 3 that I've eyedropper converted and use nothing but shimmer in them and have never had a single problem with them. I like how cheap the Preppy is but I've also had all of mine crack.
I have an example of every model you listed except the Safari - I only have a couple of Al-Stars. They are all from different manufacturers and the materials, I imagine, are slight variations of the same material. Think about this - what does each of your pens have in common?? The answer would be you!! I can tell you i have never experienced the issues you have in over a years time. You may want to reconsider how you are handling your pens, or at the least analyze how the current pen handling plays a part in the pens longevity.
Well you have to stop dropping them :) Be careful about "always" and "never" ... those words can bite. I have had nothing but great experiences with all of the pens listed but I totally get it. If you had a bad experience "once burned, twice shy". Great channel and be safe!
I've only got one Kaweco Sport and it's one of my most reliable pens and has never dried out. Please note however that I prefer Broad and Double Broad nibs though so that probably factors in as I find that cartridge-only fed pens with Fine or extra fine nibs dry up more quickly and have more flow issues.
I agree about TWSBI. The cap of my Diamond 580 cracked, and they sent me a replacement. Recently I went to ink up my Eco and discovered a crack spiraling through the grip section. I've never removed the nib & feed, and the pen has been in storage without any movement! So far the only reliable TWSBI's I have are TWSBI Go's, which are a different plastic and holding up better. It's sad because their pens do appeal to me. Thanks for your video.
1. Interesting to hear about the hardware problems you have had. I don't carry my pens around too much, and tend to keep them well protected. So I have hardly ever had hardware problems with my pens. I did mess up a couple of TWSBI Eco pistons when experimenting but that's my bad. 2. I have been fortunate with my Kaweco Sports- have 4 pens from F to BB nibs and they all write great. 3. My personal list of pens I will never try again: - Diplomat Aero (2 pens, both very poor nibs. Not for me) - Lamy Studio (don't see the value) ,- all Nahvalur pens - overhyped pens in my view. They look great but nibs are just too dry
I'm with you overall. Even though I've not had cracking issues with my TWSBIs, I find them okay -- not great or even good -- writers. Similarly, I have some good Kaweco sport/AL sport writers and others that stop just like yours for no discernible reason. Finally, the Safaris. I prefer EF (I write small) in my pens but discovered as did you -- not on fhe Safari family. At least they benefit from easy and inexpensive nib swaps! I'm much happier with them using a F, M or even a 1.1 stub.
My experience with the Preppy, Prefounte and TWSBI were all on par with yours. I never carried them anywhere, yet they cracked. And the Preppy & Prefounte had issues writing. I no longer buy pens but have a few favorites including Narwhal Rockfish, Opus 88 and Leonardo Blue Hawaii.
I have never had any issues with any of my Preppys but I must admit I do carry the Platinum Meteor more instead - they use the same nib and housing and slip-n-seal tech as the Preppy but they body seems a little more industrious and hardy than the Preppy. I totally respect and validate your opinion as you have had actual cracking experience, but I still think that they are amazing starter pen because of the slip-n-seal cap tech, and I think for $6 they are definitely worth a go for pigment inks that we dont want to put in our 'good' pens :) Thanks for sharing!
Not to sound like a snob, but this is why I (mostly) stay away from the more affordable end of the spectrum now. I do have a handful of Kawecos and Lamys, but I don’t feel like I need every new color that comes out. Thankfully, so far I haven’t had too many issues with my cheaper pens. What’s truly upsetting for me is when I spend over $50 and have QC/build issues. I’ve had to get rid of some beautiful pens because of that.
@@aprils. I had some annoying experiences with both, cheaper pens as well as with more expensive ones. But especially some of the cheaper pens, like Safari-price-range, are working without any problems since many years, easy to maintain, etc. I still like to have and use something more fancy but I think there should be better Q/C at prices of 50$ and above.
@@marcorothley6039 I absolutely agree! A little trouble with a cheaper pen is inconvenient, but $50 + is a more substantial investment. That’s expensive for a lot of people and should definitely reflect a sense of reliability.
I have all of these pens except the Explorer. Although I have heard similar comments about the Kaweco Sport, mine has been performing well for several years. My clear Preppy .3 mm with Platinum Carbon Black ink is a workhorse performing way above its price point. No problem with my TWSBI ECO, and pictures of the new green one is very tempting. Your comments about the Lamy EF nibs are spot on, but my original charcoal gray Safari still stays inked up constantly.
I agree about the nibs. But, I have a dozen Lamy knock-off nibs I bought off ebay about 10 years ago for less than $10 USD. Sorry. Can't find the vendor now. Maybe they were forced out or they just could not sell enough to stay in business. But, I will say that the nibs are my go to for the Lamy. FYI. The Jinhao 35 also has a nib, without the breather hole, that is a copy of the Lamy nib and it works great. Have two and they both are smooth and work great with inkjet ink, my ink of choice. I have two Lamy Safaris and both came with bad nibs. Even with tuning they still didn't feel right. Have one more Lamy to arrive this week with to make sure I didn't get two pens that were rare exceptions to quality control. Humbly submitted for your consideration. Appreciate reviews that are detailed.
I've had three TWSBI ecos crack out of nine that I've purchased. Love them to bits. I need to contact them to see if I can get replacement barrels for them. Their material seems to be really vulnerable to cracking. Only removed the nib on one of those pens. I haven't had any trouble with more recent Ecos. My favourite part of the Lamy Safari is the Broad nib. Writes like a nail, but it's one of the broadest writing nibs I've come across on an inexpensive pen. The only Lamy nib I like better is the Lamy 2000 OBB nib. Fairly stiff with a light bounce and writes like a firehose.
1. Kaweco Sport - I have 2 and have had no problems with cracking. I find both lovely to use. My pearl version seems like a more durable plastic than my translucent one which feels brittle. So far no problem, but I am not optimistic about it surviving a fall onto a hard floor. 2. Pilot Explorer - I completely agree with you. Fantastic writer but the cap dies entirely too soon rendering the pen useless. Also I won’t buy another Metropolitan because they don’t fit my grip - the barrel to grip step is forever in a bad spot. I do recommend the Pilot Kakunas - dependable writers, fun colors, fun nibs and durable enough. Excellent bang for the buck. 3. Platinum Preppy - I half agree. The Prefounte (whatever) is not worth the extra money. It seems more fragile than the Preppy & both of mine leak annoyingly into the cap so the grip is all inky when you take the cap off. Grr. I totally recommend a Preppy to anyone who wants to try a fountain pen without committing. For $5-ish you cannot get a better pen. None of mine have died, but if one did, it owes me nothing. I got my money’s worth long ago. There are lots of throw away rollerballs that cost as much or more than a Preppy and are not nearly as much fun! 4. TWSBI Eco - I have 2 and have had no issues with cracking. I have swapped nibs a few times and not had any problems. You really should get the Irish Green one. Get it with your favorite nib and don’t swap it ;-) It looks so cool! 5. Lamy Safari EF - thanks for the warning. I am very happy with my F nibs in my Safaris but I have noticed they are not the wettest nibs I own. I guess I am not shocked the EF is not good and I will avoid it. Also, I have notice that black nibs in general tend to be drier than regular nibs. I suspect the black coating is the culprit.
Surprisingly, i can't argue with any of your "written-off" choices: the issue with TWSBI is is something of an open secret by now, and the only cheap pen that hasn't packed it in on me is Pilot's Kaküno. (my only other pens are a pair of Pilot Custom 823s and a Vanishing Point.) As deep into Lamy as I was over a decade back, I always found their nibs beyond M a hit-or-miss affair; I even had a F nib on a 2000 unusually rough and in need of tweaking. Interesting video!
yea i think in the booklet they send with the twsbi they say not to disassemble the pen, probably for this reason 😅 i guess not a lot of people have a reason to remove the nib but it's shocking the problem is so well known
"Here's the dill" Lol. I'm in Utah too and I try really hard to not slip into the accent. I appreciate the bold opinions on these. For me: barrel-filled (eye dropper) pens. Unless they have the shut-off valve, I just really don't like the burping issue.
I've never owned a Pilot Explorer or a Kaweco Sport but I agree on all the others. I love my TWSBI Eco, it's up there in my top 3 favourite pens, and so far it hasn't cracked, but I feel like the risk is too high to buy another, though I will probably replace mine if it does break in the future. And I have never liked Lamy Safaris at all - they feel cheap and lightweight and just not comfortable for me to hold. I do like the Al-Star better, being a bit heavier, and I like the 1.1 stub nib. But I still think they're over-priced for what they are. As for the Kaweco, I've heard lots of reports of poor quality and inconsistent nibs. I ended up getting a Hongdian M2 instead, and I love it. I now have no need to get a Kaweco Sport.
On the reddit fountain pen sub, there is a post almost every day from someone with a cracked TWSBI. Caps, barrels, sections. Cracked, cracked, cracked. Which makes you have to question the material, not the users.
You can have a TWSBI that's crack resistant but first you have to be gentle and not TIGHTEN things ... and using acrylic keeps the price down. You could buy a Diplomat Aero or a Lamy 2000 ...... but there's the matter of $$$. A Pilot 74 with a CON70 ink converter seems nice but I don't know what it's made of.
I am getting rid of six “beginner mistake” pens; my Monteverde Ritmas (too heavy!), a Monteverde Invincia Vega (heavy and squeaky), a Hongdian 517D with a fude nib (it starts out writing strong, and then quickly fades away), an Ellington (too heavy) and I really don’t like the Lamy Safari grip. At this point in the journey, I usually save up and spend between $80 and, $250 on a pen). Because of those prices, I have fewer pens, but they’re mostly of better quality. But I do have a cheap Preppy that I’ve used every day for three years, and it’s still in great shape-a $6 investment that paid off! I also have a couple of Eco Stubs from which I don’t remove nibs. So far, so good. No cracking yet.
Regarding the ECO, I see no reason to take one apart. So I've not had a cracking issue. For Safari or any other inexpensive pen, I always avoid EF nibs. My F, M and B nibs all write great. Same with my AL-Star and Vista. Thanks for posting this video.
I had the same issue with the Lilipup--which was more than ~$150. After tuning it, it became a usable pen as long as I just refill the catridge it came with. The new Kwaeco cartridges didn't work with it. I love the TWSBI eco. It's a decent and relatively cheap pens. So I can use them experimenting with tenting De Atramentis Document White Ink without worrying about destroying the pen.
I was actually pretty pleasantly surprised by my first Kaweco Sport. The ink flow was constant and smooth, and the nib never scratched or failed, no matter the paper. I've been using it at work every day for at least two years now (which is why I can't be too particular about the paper quality there). The only downside is that I have to re-ink it often due to its limited capacity. About the nib sizes: I believe German fountain pens generally are better with medium to broad nibs, while the Japanese ones have great fine to extra fine nibs. About cracking: So far, I've never had a problem with cracking on any of my fountain pens (touch wood). That being said, while I use them regularly, carry them around in my pencil case etc., I'm careful not to be too rough with them. That falling pen at the end there was a jump scare. 😅🙈
Agree about the brittleness of the plastic used in Preppies. I think that's a deal breaker for school use. Same problem with the Kakuno. Conversely, no problem with the Kaweco Sports. I have two - F and EF - and they've written beautifully and without problems for several years.
I’ve owned all those pens, and I think (good naturedly) you’re nuts. I’ve had all of these pens for years, and have never had one break or crack. The most egregious is what you think of Lamy Safaries. The two pens I will gift to newbies is the Pilot Metropolitan and the Lamy Safari-especially the Safari, but I’ve given away many Preppy’s. I did enjoy the video though, and will subscribe. 😊
0:50..DISAGREE ...I was hesitant with the *KEWECO SPORT* , b/c of the small ink reservoir. I have to carry around extra ink just to keep the scribbing going. I love the size of it for my field journals, and the fine tip is a bit scratchy , but the med tip is nice. 1:53.. *PILOT EXPLORER* ..never tried one. I don't like loose caps...having this prob, makes the pen useless. 2:46.. *PLATINUM PREPPY* ... is a good ,It is inexpensive and creates "no stress" when it is stolen or lost. 5:15.. *TWISBI ECO* ... I love my twisbi for it's larger size and ink reserve. never had cracking issues (..yet..) 7:21.. *LAMY SAFARI* ...The Lamy Safari are amazing scribbers. I agree the extra-fine nibs , do suck ...but the Fine & Medium is fantastic. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I will never BUY or VOUCH FOR are : 1) NOODLERs KONRAD demo FP. hate hate the Stink of this pen....skips to much . Cost me $40.oo cad 2) Platinum Curidas Retractable FP too damn expensive ..i dropped $155 cad (yikes) to complicated to disassemble, clean and reassemble
I got lucky - my Lamy EF is a good writer. But I use it in a Studio, because I just don’t like the Safari’s styling. Their 1.1mm stub is nice too. As for TWSBI, my Diamond 580 cracked in the cap. The company sent a replacement, but I’m done with them as well. As an alternative to the ECO at the same price, the Asvine P20 is a much nicer pen.
Me too! I have quite a few Kaweco Sports in various editions… the AL, the Brass, as well as basic plastic editions. I have never, ever had an issue with any of them. I have even been quite bad for letting them sit around inked up for long periods of time. They have been great!
lol, I just came here from the 5 pens you recommended and said in the comments you’ll probably not like the ones I like. Off the bat, I just bought a Kaweco Sport and I love it. The store I bought it from opens up each pen they sell and check the nib and make any adjustments needed and make sure you are comfortable with how it writes before you leave. They’ll also give it a “tune up” if needed. I cannot stand the Lamy Safari all because of the tripod grip. They look really cool but they are so uncomfortable to hold. I’ve never had any Platinum Preppy’s crack at all, but I don’t use them a ton. I warn off anyone from the Pilot Varsity (if they’re going for, I want to spend less than $6 to try fountain pens) because mine were sloppy writing, ink gets all over your hands right off the bat, nib is scratchy, and they feel really cheap (I have noticed with other pens of all types that I never, ever like the Pilot pens, and I have nothing against the company at all, I just don’t ever like them, who knows.) If you could change out that tripod grip on the Lamy Safari, it is a very cool looking pen.
I have a number of Kaweco Sports and I do enjoy them. However, I've had to tune about 2/3 of the nibs I've received. Every time I buy one, I hold my breath the first time I try it. I have to disagree with you on the Platinum Preppy. They are amazing for the price, they never dry out (I've left one inked for about a year and it wrote straight away), and none of mine have cracked. Certainly they are cheap pens, but I think they do the job. I will never buy another Lamy Safari. But these lists are personal and we will never all agree.
Completely agree with the Kaweco, and that makes me really sad because it's such a pretty pen and they have a nice color selection, but I've had one splotch all over my paper like crazy... Plus they are empty sooo quickly because they are so tiny. The TWSBI surprised me to be honest, because I LOVE the ecos and just ordered the Irish Green. The Indigo version is my to go pen ever since it came out, I'm carrying it to the office and back and I've never experienced the pen crack... Hope I won't because it's one ov my favorite fountain pens.
Finally some truth about these pens! My Platinum Prefounte has also cracked after minimal use. My TWSBI Eco is a fantastic writer, but the nib sits so loose in the section it has fallen out on occasion, so unreliable. And while I love my Safari, Vista, AL and Lx, the Lamy nibs are SO unreliable. I reckon I get a 50% chance of a good nib everytime I buy one. Thanks for the video!
The loose Eco nib is actually the problem I mentioned in the video that I contacted TWSBI about. They told me to remove the nib, place it against a slimmer round pen, like a disposable BIC, and flex the neck of the nib out a bit. After doing that, I put the nib back in and it stayed in place just fine. But fast forward several years and that pen is cracked. I don't know if what I did to the nib caused the crack though.
I understand what you are saying about every pen but I think that the preppy is a pen I will never regret just because I use to sketch using platinum carbon ink and it never dries out.
I’m also in Utah, so hello. I’m new to the channel. The pen that I would add also and I am sadden to say this but I must is the Conklin Old Glory limited edition. The nib is horrible. I have had to really work on the nib. Just to get the pen to write. It dries up in the middle of my time journaling. And it’s a hard start. I paid 60 dollars for it. Which is way too much for a bad experience.
I have several TWSBIs because I love them. I have changed nibs on the the Diamond 580s an the Vac700Rs but never on the Ecos. There are replacement nibs for the formers but not for the latter, so maybe one is not supposed to tinker with the Eco nibs? I never had any issues with the many TWSBIs I have. And I use all kinds of inks with them (shimmer inks, waterproof inks etc.) and are not very precious about them, I have one Eco always rolling around in my bag. I was/am fascinated with the Kaweco Sport Bronze, but was very disappointed in the writing experience (EF nib). But then I exchanged the regular nib with the premium nib and that is much better now (yet still not as good as the ordinary TWSBI nibs). One of my absolute favourite pens is the Pilot Custom 823. It looks very similar to my Montblank Meisterstück but writes far far better - and costs about half the price. That said Meisterstück (EF nib) would make my never-buy-again list. Other pieces on that never-buy-again list: Noodler's Tripple Tail (and probably no other Noodler either), Pineider (don't remember which one, was a limited edition demonstrator with flex nib), Visconti Torpedo. The Torpedo was a huge buyer's regret (ugly, horrible, useless thing!). I do like the homo sapiens though.
Lamy Safari EF is my first fountain pen. I agree it is scratchy. If I use Lamy ink or Lamy cartridge, it doesn't have problem with skipping. But when I use Parker or other ink, it will alwaya dry up when ink level reaches a ceetain level. I always have to push the piston down a bit when it happens.
I hate the colors of the plastic Kaweco. I have the dry up problem with Lamys, which I think are overrated. Their medium nibs are ok but anything smaller just doesn't work. Plus I often pinch my skin on the little viewing window when refilling it. That's probably just me lol
My Pilot Explorer cap liner cracked/split too after only a couple of months. Loved it when I first got it. Thought it was the perfect fp to replace the cheap ballpoint edc I kept in my shirt pocket. The Explorer was lightweight, relatively inexpensive, and a reliable writer. My first fp was the Pilot Metropolitan and the metal body sadly was too heavy to keep in my shirt pocket. Explorer could have been perfect. Sad to see someone else had problems with the cap liner breaking and no longer capping.
Yeah, with most of the pens I mentioned in this video, people's experiences vary widely, but it seems like 100% of Pilot Explorer owners who have commented have had the same experience, which is really disappointing.
My Kaweco Sport is reliable, but the fine nib is much too scratchy for me to enjoy writing with it. On the TWSBI front, I have never bought one of their more expensive pens and probably won't. What I do like is the TWSBI GO with the spring in it. I buy them in the broadest nib I can find, and at their price point, I keep them filled with inks I don't use often--my rare Iroshizuku's and such. They're great for that, and I don't have to worry about the acrylic construction, which I'd heard about from other people. Several years ago, there was a mania for giving certain pens an eyedropper fill. Two pens were primarily used--the Platinum Preppy and the Pilot Varsity. The Preppy was easier to convert, so I went with those. I bought a few, bought the o-rings and the silicone goo, and set to work. It was tedious and finicky, but I filled several. I do have to say that I have a couple of them lying around that are still working wonderfully with the remainders of their original fills. They just don't dry out. As for my Safari, I bought it when they first came out in the US, and that may be almost 30 years ago. It has a medium point. I loved it when I first filled it, and I still do.
I have 5 Lamy Safari pens - these actually were my first fountain pens - all have extra fine nibs. One of them is absolutely perfect. One of them is scratchy, and yes! feels like it just doesn't want to release the ink (your description of that was spot on). The last one I purchased (I think in the spring time) is the Violet Blackberry color. I don't remember which pen company I purchased it from, it came with a converter and a bottle of Lamy Blackberry ink -- I believe both were 'limited editions.' This extra-fine nib writes more like medium or even wider! All this time, I thought it was me, or maybe the ink itself. Now I'm wondering if it is actually the nib!
Yeah, I love Lamy, but the way they do their nibs is kind of weird. Each one is unique. I have half a dozen fine nibs, and they are all slightly different. My guess is that they polish them by hand, which would explain why they vary so much.
It sounds more like a user error or an ink problem than the Safari pen. I have a large collection of Lamy Safari and have never experienced the ink drying out just because it was left for a few days or a week or two. The closest I've come to that happening was with a Safari filled with 'Diamine Beau Blue', which I left for a few weeks and returned to an empty pen because the ink had evaporated. But this is a problem some inks have and rarely the pen's fault.
I haven't tried the pens of your list aside the Lamy ones which I agree that are not that good pens but not because of their nibs. The thing that I don't like in Lamy pens is the way that the front part of these pens is made with the cut flat shape for fingers that doesn't work for me. I also don't like these pens because they take only proprietary cartridges, only the Lamy ones that are not available everywhere. I use my fountain pens for urban sketching and it is more convenient to hold with me sealed spare cartridges instead of a bottle of ink in order to refill a converter. But the Lamy pens don't take the universal cartridges which are available filled with De Atramentins, Diamine, Kaweco, Platinum, Diplomat and other inks. My favourite pens are the JinHao that I bought years ago along with a set of different nibs including the fude ones. I can change or replace the nibs on these pens along with their feeders and they have a very nice and balanced for the hand shape.
I agree with your assessment of the Preppy, Eco, and Safari 💯 My favorite Platinum is the Plaisir. I love my TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR. I love my Eco but same problem, and I’m a tinkerer. I love my AL-Star (F) and the Safari (1.1) but not the (EF). Too dry!
I was disappointed with the Pilot Metropolitan. It always dries out in a day or less. Getting it going again takes a silly amount of effort and is not something I could do casually away from home. If I can’t just pick up a pen I used and capped the previous day, that pen is useless to me. And yes, I’ve tried inks that are well-behaved. This is not an issue in my other pens.
Interesting! I don't use my Metropolitans anymore because they have also cracked (I definitely take the blame for that though). I don't remember having too many issues with drying out, but they definitely didn't seal as well as other pens I have.
About platinum preppy, prefounte and twsbi, i think the crackings are made because of the brittle acrylic. Brittle acrylic has the advantage of being exactly that, crystal clear and brittle, and the disadvantage of being prone to cracks. You have to live with that if you like your pen crystal clear. It's like a satin clothe, you can't wash it with cottons, it needs the gently program. If they change the material, it won't be the same for me. About safari, my problem is that ink evaporates quickly, because of the way it is designed and because of the heat in Southern Greece. I don't have any pilot explorer, the cap design is similar to a pilot hi-tecpoint liquid ink rollerball but i prefer my tecpoint pen. I also don't have any kaweco sport either. Nice Casio btw !
Good video. In my case, what I can't stand about a pen is the feeling of touching the thread on the grip. I see that this doesn't bother many people, but for me it's definitive. From the list, I can't use the Kaweco Sport. I have them in a drawer so I can't see them.... The Pelikans also have this problem of sharp thread and short grip section, but they are saved because the nibs are excellent... If the grip section is short, at least the thread should be smooth!!..
Thank you for this. As a fountain pen newbie, I appreciate this video! So although I am going for a cheap 1st fountain pen to experiment with, I dont want it to be so bad its disposable!
Thank you for your review. Different things work for different people. YMMV. I have about 40 pens, but of them all, I have one TWSBI Eco that was never out of rotation. I have 4 TWSBI Ecos -- the baby blue; the white rose gold; the indigo blue with bronze; and the creme rose gold. The baby blue's been my workhorse pen, inked and never returned in its box since I purchased it. I do have a couple of Kaweco Sports and 5 Lamy Safaris. I don't use them as much, except for the Lamy Safari Stripe Japan Limited Edition.
Good to see that I never wanted any of these five pens. There's one pen that I was super into but will not buy again after buying three of them, Parker Sonnet. The cap design is so flawed that the pen dries out in no time. Especially frustrating for people who don't do super long writing sessions
My Kaweco Sport has taken a lot of abuse and still writes first time ever time. Preppies two years and counting no problems. I would not buy the Lamy Aion on the PenBBS 323 in aluminum due to slippery sections.
Great list! I just started Red Rising so I am excited you have it so high. The guts to list Potter. Way to go. Potter #1, Song of Ice #2, Lotr #3. Need to get to Gwynn.
I have watched your channel since way back and have never told you how great is the name of your channel. I had issues with a Twisbi D 580 cracking. I told the co that I bought it from and they didn't even reply. I saw a number of people in vids that had the same problem. Anyway thanks for your great videos. Blessings
I enjoyed your video, but I am wondering if you post your caps. I’ve spent a lot of time writing with the Preppy and Prefounte and I’ve never had cracking issues with either. I’ve always assumed the caps were too fragile to handle being posted, so I don’t. (And I have two Ecos - I’ll heed your warning on not nib swapping.)
I use my fountain pens 99% of the time for drawing. I carry them in a padded case, or they live in a jar by my desk. My Kaweco works just fine, I use my Platinum Preppy all the time, no cracks. I assume it's because I don't carry them in my pocket. I agree with you about the Lamy extra fine nibs. They're basically more like fine or even medium, and I only use mine for larger works. Also, it's not a fountain pen, but the Yookers refillable technical pen is just terrible. The fiber tip dries out in a couple of days, and the ink then decides to exit through the collar and onto my fingers. And the ink takes forever to dry if it does make it onto the paper. I have a LOT of pens. I'm not proud of it. I need help. Right after I buy another one.
I've never had the Kaeweco, but I agree on the Lamy. I also had one fail like the Pilot cap problem you noted. My Preppy cracked, but it writes so great I'm thinking I'll get he aluminum version and just swap the EF nib into it. My TWISBI Eco has not cracked (though I did pull it out and look!) but it is way to prone to plopping a big old drop of ink and making a mess of things for me to trust it, which is a shame, because I think it's a great pen beyond that.
as much as i have seen u have just listed all the best pens under 50$ according to other youtubers. And i agree with you somewhat. my preppy broke and also my kaweco didnt write at all. So can you make a video about best pens under 50$ according to you. pleaseeeeee.....
Nope bad experience with jinhao pens. I bought a 51A and the flow was really bad. It wrote for 2 lines or so and then went completely dry@@ichirofakename
I had a couple Sheaffer Targa fountain pens in the 80's that I wouldn't buy again. There were two problems. First they were cartridge pens and the cartridges were expensive, small, and then usually only half full. They had a rubber bladder adapter, but it was a pain to use and held almost no ink. The other problem was the nibs. The nicer ones with the gold nibs were fine. But the ones with the stainless nibs just did not write well. I'm sure they were fine for someone with a different style, but not for me. I will respectfully disagree with you on the Safari though. I like an extra fine nib and the Safari has worked well for me. Maybe I got the one good nib ;) Now the Lamy 2000 I've had trouble with, I had one that just did not want to feed ink properly. It was always dry. I finally sent it back to them and they rebuilt it. That was in the mid 80's and it's been fine ever since. That's a pen I certainly would buy again.
Adding the Lamy Safari on the list so you can place it on the video thumbnail... well played good sir. 😅 But seriously, as a beginner on fountain pens, I appreciate the honest insight and experience you shared here. 👍
I have several Prepies that i've had since they were first introduced that are still fine. I don't use them very much but when I was starting in my pen journey I used them a lot. Maybe you just got a bad production run.
The reason TWSBIs crack is that some pens are made from parts that have been poorly processed during injection moulding. It’s nothing to do with handling errors. Residual stress arises in the faulty parts and they fail, even in light handling. Not every part suffers the moulding heat issues in manufacturing. Hence some TWSBI owners never suffered a failure. $5 Preppies crack, perhaps expected? But $30-100 TWSBIs cracking??? BTW I have never heard/seen reports of Kakunos cracking. I have two in my EDC used frequently. No failures and caps still hold firm after 4+ years. Maybe the Explorer team need to learn from the Kakuno team at Pilot.
Personally I like vintage fountain pens. I like to restore them too. Just got done with a Mabie Todd Swan in green celluloid. Such a beautiful pen and writes as good as it looks!
I just found your channel, and thanks for your honesty. Some of the pens you won't ever buy again are right on. I will never give any of my money to TWSBI because their pens look like they came out of a KidsMeal, cost way too much, ("Eco" stands for "economical". More like "comical" imho) but mostly because of that unforgivable stunt they pulled on another pen company and on their own distributors. There is a small enough population in the pen world that it is worse than unnecessary to bully other companies, threaten the very companies whose goodwill and patronage are necessary to one's very survival, and file lawsuits for infringement of designs you do not own, never owned, and are guilty of stealing yourselves. It matters not a bit to me that the TWSBI reps and their victims have publicly kissed and made up; I hold my little grudge. I don't care how nice the new green trim is. I will gladly buy fake TWSBIs if a copy is available. The others, yeah, Safari is cute, their clip is brilliant, and the new releases are addictive. Preppy can be re-used, but it is stunningly cheap. The nibs are terrific, though. Kaweco, cute but not a sturdy cutie. I don't own an Explorer, and my wasband took the Metropolitans. I like their range of designs, but they are prone to scratching. Generally, why can't pen companies just include a converter and a couple of cartridges with all their c/c pens, rather than forcing buyers to overpay for a couple of cents' worth of plastic separately? Why not just use one of the few international standard designs rather than arbitrary proprietary sizes that become increasingly hard to find over time? Will it make us love those unusable older pens more?
You raise some good questions. I think one reason many companies don't include converters with their entry-level pens is that not everyone is going to use converters. The Lamy Safari, for example, is a popular pen for school kids in some countries. But I highly doubt that seven-year-olds are going to be taking messy bottles of ink with them to school to fill those pens from. Instead, I'm sure most of them just carry packs of disposable ink cartridges in their backpacks. When for something more expensive, such as a Lamy Studio, if someone is going to invest $80+ in a pen, then it's more likely that they're serious enough to be using bottled ink, so including a converter makes more sense. That said, I wish more entry level pens came with converters, especially when they are expensive like Platinum's converters. Also, I tend to agree about the proprietary vs standard cartridges and converters. I do think that some of the proprietary stuff is really nice, but I would prefer to have the broader options of standard international. The only reason I haven't bought a Lamy ballpoint is because the only refill options are Lamy's, and I've heard they aren't great. If I had the option to use other brands' refills, then I'd probably get one or two of their ballpoints as beater EDC pens.
I have dozens of TWSBI pens, most of them Ecos, and no cracking. I think I’m generally fairly gentle with my pens. I was super impressed with the Explorer, but haven’t tested it for longevity. I’ve had horrible luck with Lamy pens in general. Out of about seven pens, I only have two nibs that are decent. And one of those was a gold nib I bought to save one of my mid-range pens.
I had the same problem with the pilot explorer but the cap problem came like in just 1 month after purchase. I would love the explorer to be better and fix the cap, but the metropolitan is the one that works best for me.
I actually gave my Lamy Safari to my son. I bought it in fine and it wrote like butter on a hot skillet, but I hated the fact that it felt so very cheap for the price point. Also, when unscrewing the barrel, it got "stuck" for some reason and I had to twist a little harder to get the barrel to come off so I could get to the converter. When I did that, I heard a crunch inside and wondered what happened. All I did was apply a little more pressure to twisting, but I didn't manhandle the pen or pull on it or anything. When the barrel came away, I noticed one of the "teeth" where the converter slides in, was chipped and coming apart. I had NO idea how this happened as the only thing I did was twist the barrel like normal to get the thing unscrewed. So I basically took that one "tooth" off and it worked fine after that. But to break like that for doing something normal, no, not going to support anything Lamy after that. So, I gave it to my 9 year old son who had been eyeing my growing collection of pens. I also bought him a Wing Sung 3013 as a starter pen because they are so cheap and excellent writers. My bad experiences have mainly been with Jinhao and Hongdian pens. Hongdian N12 recently when the finial came off and the threads seem stripped as the finial will not screw back on. I just got this pen recently and it's already broken and unusable. I will not be buying this model again, but my other Hongdian pens are working great.
Yeah, I tend to avoid cheap Chinese pens. A lot of people love them, but I have concerns. Your experience with the Safari is very strange. I've never heard of that happening! It sounds very defective. I have quite a few Lamy pens, and for all of them the place where the converter inserts into feels pretty sturdy. Still, it's a bummer that you had that experience with the Safari.
@@DowntheBreatherHole Yeah I definitely checked every facet of the pen to make sure that it was a legit Lamy and everything checked out as it being real. However, where I got it, an Asian online store, kind of like Shein, Amazon or AliExpress, sent me the Lamy with a converter but no box. When I asked him where the box was because every review about the Lamy on his store page showed customers who received a box, he said that he was "sold out." Of a box? Don't all the pens come in their own box? How can they be sold out. The second red flag had to do with the price. For one, the Safari does not come with a converter, I checked a kiosk who said that I have to buy the converter separate as it is the low end pen. And the final red flag would be the price I paid for the pen. I paid under 10 dollars for the pen with the converter. I looked at how much this pen was online and at retailers and it is about 20 bucks. BUT, that said, everything checked out. It was a legit pen. I don't understand it. I got the pen with the cardboard ring intact, the pen was just thrown in a ziploc bag with the converter and cartridge and wrapped i bubble wrap. No real care was given. Did I get an authentic Lamy? It wrote VERY well and I loved how it wrote, but I couldn't get past how cheap it felt and that broken piece almost immediately. Since I paid so little for it, I didn't want to send it back, also it had been past 7 days since I bought it and the seller would have refused. Anyways, sorry for the LOOOOOONG response, but I wanted to share my one and only experience with a Lamy pen. I also didn't like the clip. I know it's different from all other pens, but I got more a paperclip vibe than a pen clip. hahah
@@Introversitive Your experience is very strange. It could be a real Lamy, but who knows? As for the box, Safaris are often on display in brick and mortar stores without the box. Sometimes they are in a cup on a shelf with a lot of other Safaris. So that could explain why yours didn't have a box. If you want to try again, I recommend going through a reputable online retailer, such as Goulet, Goldspot, Altas Stationers, Truphae, Jet Pens, and the list goes on. There are a lot of good ones out there!
I’ve been considering the Kaweco Sport, but given how I’m totally with you on the TWSBI, Safari, and Preppy (haven’t tried the Explorer) I think I’ll take you for your word and give it a pass…!
I have forced my preppy to survive by taping the cap closed. I love them, and I'm willing to do a little work to avoid throwing them away. I hate having to throw away things, so that's just a me thing.
I'm similar. I hate throwing things away, which is why I avoid the Preppy. But good for you for patching yours up and continuing to use them! That is awesome! I threw the bodies of my Preppies away, but I kept the nibs, feeds, and grip sections. Someday I hope to figure out how to turn them into dip pens.
I agree with you re: the Lami Safari extra fine nibs. Mine is very scratchy. I'm much happier with the glide of the medium and broad nibs. I've been lucky so far with my Preppys - no cracking. But I don't care so much for the round grip. I have to readjust the way I'm holding it all the time.
I've had preppy pens crack on me, but typically takes over a year of carrying one in the unpadded pen pouch on my work bag. This is why I'll never eye dropper one again. All that ink soaked through my bag when one gave up the ghost. Twsbi pens are garbage and can crack when you remember you still have one without a crack somewhere. Kaweco sports have really terrible nibs in my experience. Lamy Safari, I wouldn't even want to get one as a gift. The nibs are horrific (I have only ever bought broads) and I have yet to try one that didn't need hours of tinkering to get the nib right. It's aggravating how long I held off on trying a Lamy 2000 due to my hatred of the safari. Honorable mentions to anything from Monteverde and Conklin. They can't make a pen that seals properly to save themselves.
I won't buy Lamy Safaris anymore! Lamy's quality control is terrible. I only use M nibs, but none of the Lamys I own write the same. Every fourth Safari I order ends up being extremely scratchy, to the point where they leave scratch marks on my paper. Their *actual* nib sizes also always vary and the flow is never the same. Some write dry, some gush ink. I'm not interested in ordering pens that I'm not sure I can even write with.
Despite it being my first pen and I still love it out of nostalgia, it's the Pilot Metropolitan for me. The step down from the barrel to the grip is very uncomfortable for me.
I have a decent collection of Kaweco Sports (love the colours and the way they feel in the hand) but I totally agree that they are really inconsistent. I have some that write like a dream and others that are a nightmare. So frustrating! I don't think I will buy more but I really enjoy the ones I have that write well. (Also the converters are such a joke. Miniscule ink capacity.) I also love Safaris - I am a medium nib person and one thing I love about Lamy is that they offer a left handed nib. I find they work very well for me (even though I don't have issues with any of my other pens that don't have left handed nibs) but the Safaris hold a special place in my heart!
Same for me! I have lost interest in a lot of other pens, but I keep coming back to the Safari. I think there's something nostalgic about it for me now.
Wonderful video. I gave up on the less expensive pens. They all are junk. It sounds snobby but I only use my expensive pens ( $ 1,000 + each ) Pelikan and Mont Blanc. It is a shame they are so expensive
I think every fountain pen user has pens they will never buy again.
Here's the dill (fellow Utahn here!):
Longevity is a huge part of the argument for fountain pens in the 21st century. No one really cares much if their 5 cent BiC Crystal or 75 cent Uni-ball Signo cracks because those pens weren't ever intended to last anyways. Pens that aren't disposable pens should be able to withstand regular use for prolonged periods of time and, yes, should even be capable of withstanding some "user error."
@@ZackN85 so true!! I haven’t been in this game super long (a couple of years) and I’m not one that buys very expensive pens. My “expensive” pen is a TWSBI Eco AL since my two plastic ones cracked. But I have been through the “regular round” with Metropolitan, Safari, and Preppy. I kind of feel like it’s a game of finding a pen that suits your personality and way of writing. For me it’s first and foremost that I enjoy the writing experience, and second about how the pen looks. Would I appreciate an expensive and fancy pen if it was nice to write with? Yes, of course, but I think I would also be kind of a bit afraid to use it. As it is now, I can just enjoy my fountain pens. I have a couple that I use on a regular basis. And unless the price is around the one of a ball point pen, I would not expect it to be a dispensable. And… speaking of ball point pens… even those don’t break easily… 😊 I wish you a fantastic day 😊
I have 5 Platinum Preppys and they have no cracking. Had them over 2 years now. Not sure why you would experience that. The only issues I had was with the 0.3mm nibs, they were scratchy and didn't write well at all. I'm surprised I didn't bin them but kept trying and after a few months they started writing smoothly. I think they needed to be broken in. Happy with all of them now. They're cheap, I could get a bunch of them in different colours to experiment with and have a decent writing experience with fountain pens so I am very happy with them and would highly recommend them. Great entry level pens. Easy to replace, easy to buy refill cartridges. Lots to like.
I love the Platinum Preppy also! I use the M nib. I've never had any of mine crack. And I use them every single day for years. [I have different bodies - a standard Preppy, a Prefounte and a lovely white Kokuyo collab, but they really are all the same]. Maybe it's luck? I keep at least one in my work bag, one-two on my desk at the office.
I've tried the TWSBI Eco, Lamy Safari, and a bunch of other pens and I go back to the Preppy with the Platinum Blue Black ink every time. Though I confess, I do like my TWSBI Go - just not quite as much as the Preppy.
My preppy needed to be broken in as well, but also suffered from the cracking issues. First was the clip (not the clip itself, but where it connected to the top of the cap), then the cap itself. Love how the pen writes (now) but wouldn't really buy a low end Platinum again.
Yeah~! I love my Platinum Preppy too~! The price point is super friendly to beginner and the using experience is fine. I am using a 0.3mm F, it's a little bit scratchy on some paper, but it's totally fine when I use it on Muji weekly notebook.
My experience with Preppy nibs especially the .3 has been great. But my first preppy developed a crack in the body after about a year of occasional use. I love the nib so much, I pulled it in case the next one wasn't as nice.
1. I will never buy again a Safari. Dont get me wrong, I love my safari so much. Its just that I prefer the writing experience with my Alstar more. For some reason, Alstar feels more premium!
I agree on this. I started using my Safari again recently and I love it, but the first time I tried the AL Star I gifted to my mom I knew immediately that one day I'd have to buy one. Now I own two of them and are probably my favourite pens.
And I’m a huge fan of the Safari, not the Al-Star. I prefer the feel of the plastic more than the aluminum.
I liked everything about my safari but the cap pretty much lost all of it’s retention after a few months of carrying. I moved away from fountain pens for edc after that and got a space pen. Carried that for a year but the clip left a lot to be desired and I moved to a tactile turn slim bolt mini. So far, so good with that one.
I have loads of Safaris AND AL Stars, and I love them both. Twice a year I change the colour combo I take to school, and that's where the AL Stars stay at home. They are just not made for a rough school environment as the metal finish can get scratched quite easily banged around in a pencil case (I see that with my pupils frequently). So for me: Safari, when I'm out and about, AL Star when I'm at home at my desk.
Where do you get the alstar?
If you want an extra fine nib for your Lamy Safari, buy a Jinhao 80 and swap the nib. The nib is great and the whole pen costs less than a Lamy nib.
Works pretty good. Thanks for the hint!
Awesome idea, because my Lamy EF is really not very fine. Thank you!
Jinhao are awesome. All of them. And dead cheap.
@@scotosha I totally agree. I have two of them and a good number of different spare nibs and feeders. They have very good weight and balance when you use them and they are made with very good materials. They also take all kind of converters and universal type of ink cartridges.
Agreed. Jinhao has gotten so much better in the past decade or so. Love them too. 🖋️
How did you guys all cracked your Preppys ?
I have had mine for years, it's even eyedrop converted with Baystate Blue (that's how confident I am with that pen) and never ever had any issues with it. It is my quick note taking pen, so it is always within arm's reach whereever I am, and while the pen has some visual deterioration from being transported all around the place including several 8+ hours plane trips, it has yet to show any strutural damage.
TWSBI, sure. I had to replace the body of my Vac Mini pen because it cracked due making the vac filling leaking air and I had to fill it with syringe. Nothing hard tho, just contacted TWSBI support and have them shipped me replacement parts, only hard to pay for shipment fees.
Maybe older batches where more durable...
My first Preppy that cracked was a green one that was eyedroppered with Noodler's Polar Green. I discovered the break at my desk because of inky fingers so the mess was minimal.
I love my Baystate Blue but I take no chances. There are legendary stories about leaking pens and a really good one about a gentleman who knocked over a full bottle of Baystate Blue. Old fountain pen users of BSB tell great stories. I'm trying not to be a story teller about BSB. 🥶
@@cmw9876 if you take good enough precautions with it, it will be fine. Just don't rush things around it, be slow and steady and there will hardly be anything happening.
Plus, there isn't that many deeply saturated blue inks that are this level of water resistant
Same. My 0.2 Preppy is always inked with Baystate blue as my everyday writing. I even dropped it on the floor once or twice and it's still perfect. Honestly, can anybody find a better pen for 6 euros?
I loveeeee my Twsbis! I have 5 of them and have had no issues. I’ve switched nibs around and had no problems. Thank goodness. Also - for an inexpensive alternative fountain pen that I ADORE is the. Hong Dian 1862. I have all 4 of the color way options in fine and extra fine and I ADORE THEM. They’re my go-to pens!
I have to agree with the Kaweco sport, same problems. For the fun of It I bought a pocket pen from Hongdian on Amazon. it looks like the Kaweco sport AL ($100+)but it's only $20. now with the Kaweco you have to pay extra for a clip, and extra for a converter. The Hongdian (is similar but not an exact copy) comes with a converted and the included clip is spring loaded. I love pocket pens and I don't feel like I'm being ripped off.
I have two Kaweko Sports and I’ve never had any issues at all with either of them. They write beautifully.
Very interesting! It seems like people either have a lot of problems or none at all. Do you have plastic Sports or the metal versions? That seems to be a distinguishing factor.
@@DowntheBreatherHole I have plastic. If yours were new pens with problems you should contact Kaweco. I’ve had a Yard-o-Led, TWSBI, and Safari that were defective and I complained to each business/company. They were more than happy to either replace the nib, or the pen itself. You shouldn’t try to rectify the issue if it was defective when new.
There's something about the Kakuno I like better than the Preppy. Maybe the distance between the grip & the end of the nib, & the feel of the acrylic/plastic material? And the pilot nibs are always like butter.
The Kakuno is ten times as good as the Preppy, IMO. I haven't talked about it as much as I probably should on my channel. It's a great pen for the price.
I must have been lucky - my Kaweco Sport Steel is infallible! I won’t buy another but I love it dearly
Same with my AL sport
I have a Piston Sport M and the nib is amazing
@@softmkr how’s the piston mechanism? I’ve thought about one of these too…
My 1991 Sport is also great. I see lots of complaints about poor QC in current line up.
I only enjoy Kaweco broad, double broad or italic nibs. The other sizes are too thin and dry.
I totally agree about the Platinum Preppy. I started out my fountain pen collection with 7 Preppy pens and they all very quickly cracked and were unusable.
I had heard from other pen friends that switching nibs on Ecos causes them to crack. I have had 4 TWSBI minis crack. My favorite TWSBI is the 580 ALR.
The extra fine Safari nibs are scratchy for me too, especially the black coated ones.
I haven’t tried the Pilot that you mentioned.
Your complaints all seem justified. Great video!
Another vote for Kaweco BB nibs.
can you buy kaweco broad or double broad or italic nibs to screw in or put in ?
@@1sanjuan60 Replacement Kaweco BB nibs are available retail, for example from jetpens. Beware, however, they come in two different sizes, according to what pen they go in.
@ JetPens and probably other online retailers have Kaweco replacement nibs for sale of every width. The regular steel double broad and italic nibs are great. They also have the premium nibs which cost more, but are a bit more smooth. The nibs screw in to the larger pens like the Student, but for the Sport I think you need to pull the nib out of the housing and friction fit it in the pen. If you need more explanation of how to do it, let me know.
I have about half a dozen TWSBI Ecos and none of them has ever cracked
That's good to hear!
I love Twsbi too for how much ink they hold. Great for writing copious notes. I live in SEAsia and Twsbi support in my country is awesome at responding to customer needs. I strongly recommend them. 🖋️
I love my Twsbi too. They have great customer support where I live. I recommend eco for copious notetakers 😊
I have a platinum preppy, and it's great, no cracking at all. I had this pen for over 2 years and it's my first fountain pen. I use them a lot and it's very nice, I like the EF one, also my first fountain pen and my most used one so far but no cracking at all. But my preppy body is just have a lot of small scratches which is so normal and it's not a problem for me since I had it for few years and always bring that pen to my school.
That's really interesting! I wonder what makes the difference in people's experiences.
You said what was not mentioned by many other bigger pen channels. Good one for being brave! I will share this information with any of my circle of pen friends. Thank you for making this video.
I never had a preppie/prefounte, I never had the pilot explorer.
I do have some bronze kaweco, never had a plastic kaweco, and my bronze models work just fine. I suspect they do more quality control on the higher end kawecos.
As for the twsbi eco, I never owned an eco. Having said that, I do agree that TWSBI should use better materials for their pens, I think nearly everyone would pay a bit more to have a more "crack-resistant" TWSBI. My Diamond 580s have been working fine for several years, but I admit I do not switch nibs on any of my pens.
As for the Safari, I hate the triangle grip section, so do not own any Safaris. I do have a friend who has a Safari with EF nib, and I did try it. It felt like writing with a rusted nail. I let my friend try my Platinum 3776 with Soft-Fine nib, and my friend agreed, it is like night and day difference.
Ein schönes Video, was deutlich zeigt wie unterschiedlich die Wahrnehmung oder Bedürfnisse bei Füllfederhaltern sind.
Ich schreibe mit meinen diversen Kaweco Sport (sowohl mit Patronen als auch mit Konverter) einige DinA4 Seiten voll bevor die Tinte überhaupt zur neige geht. Und dabei benutze ich immer breite Federn. Ich habe lediglich eine medium Feder, die natürlich noch mehr Seiten schafft, und nur bei meiner extrabreiten Feder im BrassSport habe ich das Gefühl merklich weniger Seiten füllen zu können, aber diese Federstärke schreibt auch wirklich mit sehr viel Tinte.
Meine Preppy und andere Platinum Füller habe ich schon viele Jahre und sie schließen alle wie am ersten Tag, generell ist keinerlei Materialermüdung zu erkennen.
Vom TWSBI habe ich mich tatsächlich aus den hier im Video genannten Gründen ferngehalten und bin nun umso glücklicher mit meiner Entscheidung. Das ist wirklich ein No-Go, vor allem bei diesem Preis.
Lamy (Safari) fand ich tatsächlich schon immer total langweilig, was wohl daran liegt, dass es unsere vorgeschriebenen Schulfüller waren und ich daher die Nase von diesem Modell voll habe 😅
Es macht auf jeden Fall viel Spaß die Kommentare mit ihren unterschiedlichen Erfahrungen zu den gezeigten Modellen zu lesen, daher vielen Dank für das Video und weiterhin viel Spaß mit diesem wundervollen Hobby. ^^
I'm surprised to hear that about the Sport. I have 3 that I've eyedropper converted and use nothing but shimmer in them and have never had a single problem with them. I like how cheap the Preppy is but I've also had all of mine crack.
Which nib sizes?
I have an example of every model you listed except the Safari - I only have a couple of Al-Stars. They are all from different manufacturers and the materials, I imagine, are slight variations of the same material. Think about this - what does each of your pens have in common?? The answer would be you!! I can tell you i have never experienced the issues you have in over a years time. You may want to reconsider how you are handling your pens, or at the least analyze how the current pen handling plays a part in the pens longevity.
Dissenting opinion here. Don't change the way you write to accommodate the pen, find a pen that accommodates the way you write.
Well you have to stop dropping them :) Be careful about "always" and "never" ... those words can bite. I have had nothing but great experiences with all of the pens listed but I totally get it. If you had a bad experience "once burned, twice shy". Great channel and be safe!
I've only got one Kaweco Sport and it's one of my most reliable pens and has never dried out. Please note however that I prefer Broad and Double Broad nibs though so that probably factors in as I find that cartridge-only fed pens with Fine or extra fine nibs dry up more quickly and have more flow issues.
I have heard good things about Kaweco's larger nibs.
I agree about TWSBI. The cap of my Diamond 580 cracked, and they sent me a replacement. Recently I went to ink up my Eco and discovered a crack spiraling through the grip section. I've never removed the nib & feed, and the pen has been in storage without any movement! So far the only reliable TWSBI's I have are TWSBI Go's, which are a different plastic and holding up better. It's sad because their pens do appeal to me. Thanks for your video.
1. Interesting to hear about the hardware problems you have had. I don't carry my pens around too much, and tend to keep them well protected. So I have hardly ever had hardware problems with my pens. I did mess up a couple of TWSBI Eco pistons when experimenting but that's my bad.
2. I have been fortunate with my Kaweco Sports- have 4 pens from F to BB nibs and they all write great.
3. My personal list of pens I will never try again:
- Diplomat Aero (2 pens, both very poor nibs. Not for me)
- Lamy Studio (don't see the value)
,- all Nahvalur pens - overhyped pens in my view. They look great but nibs are just too dry
I'm with you overall. Even though I've not had cracking issues with my TWSBIs, I find them okay -- not great or even good -- writers. Similarly, I have some good Kaweco sport/AL sport writers and others that stop just like yours for no discernible reason. Finally, the Safaris. I prefer EF (I write small) in my pens but discovered as did you -- not on fhe Safari family. At least they benefit from easy and inexpensive nib swaps! I'm much happier with them using a F, M or even a 1.1 stub.
My experience with the Preppy, Prefounte and TWSBI were all on par with yours. I never carried them anywhere, yet they cracked. And the Preppy & Prefounte had issues writing. I no longer buy pens but have a few favorites including Narwhal Rockfish, Opus 88 and Leonardo Blue Hawaii.
I have never had any issues with any of my Preppys but I must admit I do carry the Platinum Meteor more instead - they use the same nib and housing and slip-n-seal tech as the Preppy but they body seems a little more industrious and hardy than the Preppy. I totally respect and validate your opinion as you have had actual cracking experience, but I still think that they are amazing starter pen because of the slip-n-seal cap tech, and I think for $6 they are definitely worth a go for pigment inks that we dont want to put in our 'good' pens :) Thanks for sharing!
Not to sound like a snob, but this is why I (mostly) stay away from the more affordable end of the spectrum now. I do have a handful of Kawecos and Lamys, but I don’t feel like I need every new color that comes out. Thankfully, so far I haven’t had too many issues with my cheaper pens. What’s truly upsetting for me is when I spend over $50 and have QC/build issues. I’ve had to get rid of some beautiful pens because of that.
@@aprils. I had some annoying experiences with both, cheaper pens as well as with more expensive ones. But especially some of the cheaper pens, like Safari-price-range, are working without any problems since many years, easy to maintain, etc. I still like to have and use something more fancy but I think there should be better Q/C at prices of 50$ and above.
@@marcorothley6039 I absolutely agree! A little trouble with a cheaper pen is inconvenient, but $50 + is a more substantial investment. That’s expensive for a lot of people and should definitely reflect a sense of reliability.
I have all of these pens except the Explorer. Although I have heard similar comments about the Kaweco Sport, mine has been performing well for several years. My clear Preppy .3 mm with Platinum Carbon Black ink is a workhorse performing way above its price point. No problem with my TWSBI ECO, and pictures of the new green one is very tempting. Your comments about the Lamy EF nibs are spot on, but my original charcoal gray Safari still stays inked up constantly.
I agree about the nibs. But, I have a dozen Lamy knock-off nibs I bought off ebay about 10 years ago for less than $10 USD. Sorry. Can't find the
vendor now. Maybe they were forced out or they just could not sell enough to stay in business. But, I will say that the nibs are my go to for the Lamy.
FYI. The Jinhao 35 also has a nib, without the breather hole, that is a copy of the Lamy nib and it works great. Have two and they both
are smooth and work great with inkjet ink, my ink of choice. I have two Lamy Safaris and both came with bad nibs. Even with tuning they still
didn't feel right. Have one more Lamy to arrive this week with to make sure I didn't get two pens that were rare exceptions to quality control.
Humbly submitted for your consideration. Appreciate reviews that are detailed.
I've had three TWSBI ecos crack out of nine that I've purchased. Love them to bits. I need to contact them to see if I can get replacement barrels for them. Their material seems to be really vulnerable to cracking. Only removed the nib on one of those pens. I haven't had any trouble with more recent Ecos.
My favourite part of the Lamy Safari is the Broad nib. Writes like a nail, but it's one of the broadest writing nibs I've come across on an inexpensive pen. The only Lamy nib I like better is the Lamy 2000 OBB nib. Fairly stiff with a light bounce and writes like a firehose.
What are 6iu doingbto your twsbi pens?
@@oraghailligh Writing with them. they aren't being abused or anything. The resin is just prone to cracks in that part of the pen.
1. Kaweco Sport - I have 2 and have had no problems with cracking. I find both lovely to use. My pearl version seems like a more durable plastic than my translucent one which feels brittle. So far no problem, but I am not optimistic about it surviving a fall onto a hard floor.
2. Pilot Explorer - I completely agree with you. Fantastic writer but the cap dies entirely too soon rendering the pen useless. Also I won’t buy another Metropolitan because they don’t fit my grip - the barrel to grip step is forever in a bad spot. I do recommend the Pilot Kakunas - dependable writers, fun colors, fun nibs and durable enough. Excellent bang for the buck.
3. Platinum Preppy - I half agree. The Prefounte (whatever) is not worth the extra money. It seems more fragile than the Preppy & both of mine leak annoyingly into the cap so the grip is all inky when you take the cap off. Grr. I totally recommend a Preppy to anyone who wants to try a fountain pen without committing. For $5-ish you cannot get a better pen. None of mine have died, but if one did, it owes me nothing. I got my money’s worth long ago. There are lots of throw away rollerballs that cost as much or more than a Preppy and are not nearly as much fun!
4. TWSBI Eco - I have 2 and have had no issues with cracking. I have swapped nibs a few times and not had any problems. You really should get the Irish Green one. Get it with your favorite nib and don’t swap it ;-) It looks so cool!
5. Lamy Safari EF - thanks for the warning. I am very happy with my F nibs in my Safaris but I have noticed they are not the wettest nibs I own. I guess I am not shocked the EF is not good and I will avoid it. Also, I have notice that black nibs in general tend to be drier than regular nibs. I suspect the black coating is the culprit.
Surprisingly, i can't argue with any of your "written-off" choices: the issue with TWSBI is is something of an open secret by now, and the only cheap pen that hasn't packed it in on me is Pilot's Kaküno. (my only other pens are a pair of Pilot Custom 823s and a Vanishing Point.) As deep into Lamy as I was over a decade back, I always found their nibs beyond M a hit-or-miss affair; I even had a F nib on a 2000 unusually rough and in need of tweaking. Interesting video!
yea i think in the booklet they send with the twsbi they say not to disassemble the pen, probably for this reason 😅 i guess not a lot of people have a reason to remove the nib but it's shocking the problem is so well known
"Here's the dill" Lol. I'm in Utah too and I try really hard to not slip into the accent. I appreciate the bold opinions on these. For me: barrel-filled (eye dropper) pens. Unless they have the shut-off valve, I just really don't like the burping issue.
I've never owned a Pilot Explorer or a Kaweco Sport but I agree on all the others. I love my TWSBI Eco, it's up there in my top 3 favourite pens, and so far it hasn't cracked, but I feel like the risk is too high to buy another, though I will probably replace mine if it does break in the future. And I have never liked Lamy Safaris at all - they feel cheap and lightweight and just not comfortable for me to hold. I do like the Al-Star better, being a bit heavier, and I like the 1.1 stub nib. But I still think they're over-priced for what they are. As for the Kaweco, I've heard lots of reports of poor quality and inconsistent nibs. I ended up getting a Hongdian M2 instead, and I love it. I now have no need to get a Kaweco Sport.
Agree about the Preppys and cracking issues, but I only buy Lamy EFs and they’ve all been fine.
You should get a refund!
On the reddit fountain pen sub, there is a post almost every day from someone with a cracked TWSBI. Caps, barrels, sections. Cracked, cracked, cracked. Which makes you have to question the material, not the users.
Yeah, it's a long standing issue.
You can have a TWSBI that's crack resistant but first you have to be gentle and not TIGHTEN things ... and using acrylic keeps the price down. You could buy a Diplomat Aero or a Lamy 2000 ...... but there's the matter of $$$. A Pilot 74 with a CON70 ink converter seems nice but I don't know what it's made of.
I am getting rid of six “beginner mistake” pens; my Monteverde Ritmas (too heavy!), a Monteverde Invincia Vega (heavy and squeaky), a Hongdian 517D with a fude nib (it starts out writing strong, and then quickly fades away), an Ellington (too heavy) and I really don’t like the Lamy Safari grip. At this point in the journey, I usually save up and spend between $80 and, $250 on a pen). Because of those prices, I have fewer pens, but they’re mostly of better quality. But I do have a cheap Preppy that I’ve used every day for three years, and it’s still in great shape-a $6 investment that paid off! I also have a couple of Eco Stubs from which I don’t remove nibs. So far, so good. No cracking yet.
Regarding the ECO, I see no reason to take one apart. So I've not had a cracking issue. For Safari or any other inexpensive pen, I always avoid EF nibs. My F, M and B nibs all write great. Same with my AL-Star and Vista. Thanks for posting this video.
I had the same issue with the Lilipup--which was more than ~$150. After tuning it, it became a usable pen as long as I just refill the catridge it came with. The new Kwaeco cartridges didn't work with it.
I love the TWSBI eco. It's a decent and relatively cheap pens. So I can use them experimenting with tenting De Atramentis Document White Ink without worrying about destroying the pen.
I was actually pretty pleasantly surprised by my first Kaweco Sport. The ink flow was constant and smooth, and the nib never scratched or failed, no matter the paper. I've been using it at work every day for at least two years now (which is why I can't be too particular about the paper quality there). The only downside is that I have to re-ink it often due to its limited capacity.
About the nib sizes: I believe German fountain pens generally are better with medium to broad nibs, while the Japanese ones have great fine to extra fine nibs.
About cracking: So far, I've never had a problem with cracking on any of my fountain pens (touch wood). That being said, while I use them regularly, carry them around in my pencil case etc., I'm careful not to be too rough with them. That falling pen at the end there was a jump scare. 😅🙈
Agree about the brittleness of the plastic used in Preppies. I think that's a deal breaker for school use. Same problem with the Kakuno. Conversely, no problem with the Kaweco Sports. I have two - F and EF - and they've written beautifully and without problems for several years.
I’ve owned all those pens, and I think (good naturedly) you’re nuts. I’ve had all of these pens for years, and have never had one break or crack. The most egregious is what you think of Lamy Safaries. The two pens I will gift to newbies is the Pilot Metropolitan and the Lamy Safari-especially the Safari, but I’ve given away many Preppy’s. I did enjoy the video though, and will subscribe. 😊
0:50..DISAGREE ...I was hesitant with the *KEWECO SPORT* , b/c of the small ink reservoir.
I have to carry around extra ink just to keep the scribbing going.
I love the size of it for my field journals, and the fine tip is a bit scratchy , but the med tip is nice.
1:53.. *PILOT EXPLORER* ..never tried one.
I don't like loose caps...having this prob, makes the pen useless.
2:46.. *PLATINUM PREPPY* ... is a good ,It is inexpensive and creates "no stress" when it is stolen or lost.
5:15.. *TWISBI ECO* ... I love my twisbi for it's larger size and ink reserve. never had cracking issues (..yet..)
7:21.. *LAMY SAFARI* ...The Lamy Safari are amazing scribbers. I agree the extra-fine nibs , do suck ...but the Fine & Medium is fantastic.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I will never BUY or VOUCH FOR are :
1) NOODLERs KONRAD demo FP.
hate hate the Stink of this pen....skips to much .
Cost me $40.oo cad
2) Platinum Curidas Retractable FP
too damn expensive ..i dropped $155 cad (yikes)
to complicated to disassemble, clean and reassemble
Thanks for your detailed comment. Those are good points! If I were to add another pen to my "nope" list, it would be the Noodler's Ahab.
I got lucky - my Lamy EF is a good writer. But I use it in a Studio, because I just don’t like the Safari’s styling. Their 1.1mm stub is nice too.
As for TWSBI, my Diamond 580 cracked in the cap. The company sent a replacement, but I’m done with them as well. As an alternative to the ECO at the same price, the Asvine P20 is a much nicer pen.
Never had any issues with my Brass Sport medium nib. One of my favourite pens!
Me too! I have quite a few Kaweco Sports in various editions… the AL, the Brass, as well as basic plastic editions. I have never, ever had an issue with any of them. I have even been quite bad for letting them sit around inked up for long periods of time. They have been great!
@@hthrlandry Same! Mine gets left inked for months at a time :D
lol, I just came here from the 5 pens you recommended and said in the comments you’ll probably not like the ones I like. Off the bat, I just bought a Kaweco Sport and I love it. The store I bought it from opens up each pen they sell and check the nib and make any adjustments needed and make sure you are comfortable with how it writes before you leave. They’ll also give it a “tune up” if needed. I cannot stand the Lamy Safari all because of the tripod grip. They look really cool but they are so uncomfortable to hold. I’ve never had any Platinum Preppy’s crack at all, but I don’t use them a ton. I warn off anyone from the Pilot Varsity (if they’re going for, I want to spend less than $6 to try fountain pens) because mine were sloppy writing, ink gets all over your hands right off the bat, nib is scratchy, and they feel really cheap (I have noticed with other pens of all types that I never, ever like the Pilot pens, and I have nothing against the company at all, I just don’t ever like them, who knows.) If you could change out that tripod grip on the Lamy Safari, it is a very cool looking pen.
I haven't had those problems, but I don't remove the nibs from my Eco's. I don't care for the Kaweco Sport's because they are so small for my hand.
I have a number of Kaweco Sports and I do enjoy them. However, I've had to tune about 2/3 of the nibs I've received. Every time I buy one, I hold my breath the first time I try it. I have to disagree with you on the Platinum Preppy. They are amazing for the price, they never dry out (I've left one inked for about a year and it wrote straight away), and none of mine have cracked. Certainly they are cheap pens, but I think they do the job. I will never buy another Lamy Safari. But these lists are personal and we will never all agree.
Completely agree with the Kaweco, and that makes me really sad because it's such a pretty pen and they have a nice color selection, but I've had one splotch all over my paper like crazy... Plus they are empty sooo quickly because they are so tiny.
The TWSBI surprised me to be honest, because I LOVE the ecos and just ordered the Irish Green. The Indigo version is my to go pen ever since it came out, I'm carrying it to the office and back and I've never experienced the pen crack... Hope I won't because it's one ov my favorite fountain pens.
I definitely agree with the Lamy extra fine. It has its uses, for example on cardstock, but overall I will likely not buy anymore of that nib.
Finally some truth about these pens! My Platinum Prefounte has also cracked after minimal use. My TWSBI Eco is a fantastic writer, but the nib sits so loose in the section it has fallen out on occasion, so unreliable. And while I love my Safari, Vista, AL and Lx, the Lamy nibs are SO unreliable. I reckon I get a 50% chance of a good nib everytime I buy one. Thanks for the video!
The loose Eco nib is actually the problem I mentioned in the video that I contacted TWSBI about. They told me to remove the nib, place it against a slimmer round pen, like a disposable BIC, and flex the neck of the nib out a bit. After doing that, I put the nib back in and it stayed in place just fine. But fast forward several years and that pen is cracked. I don't know if what I did to the nib caused the crack though.
I understand what you are saying about every pen but I think that the preppy is a pen I will never regret just because I use to sketch using platinum carbon ink and it never dries out.
I’m also in Utah, so hello. I’m new to the channel. The pen that I would add also and I am sadden to say this but I must is the Conklin Old Glory limited edition. The nib is horrible. I have had to really work on the nib. Just to get the pen to write. It dries up in the middle of my time journaling. And it’s a hard start. I paid 60 dollars for it. Which is way too much for a bad experience.
During many years of use I have NEVER had ANY problems, dry nibs or anything else, with any Kaweco Sport
I have several TWSBIs because I love them. I have changed nibs on the the Diamond 580s an the Vac700Rs but never on the Ecos. There are replacement nibs for the formers but not for the latter, so maybe one is not supposed to tinker with the Eco nibs? I never had any issues with the many TWSBIs I have. And I use all kinds of inks with them (shimmer inks, waterproof inks etc.) and are not very precious about them, I have one Eco always rolling around in my bag.
I was/am fascinated with the Kaweco Sport Bronze, but was very disappointed in the writing experience (EF nib). But then I exchanged the regular nib with the premium nib and that is much better now (yet still not as good as the ordinary TWSBI nibs).
One of my absolute favourite pens is the Pilot Custom 823. It looks very similar to my Montblank Meisterstück but writes far far better - and costs about half the price. That said Meisterstück (EF nib) would make my never-buy-again list. Other pieces on that never-buy-again list: Noodler's Tripple Tail (and probably no other Noodler either), Pineider (don't remember which one, was a limited edition demonstrator with flex nib), Visconti Torpedo. The Torpedo was a huge buyer's regret (ugly, horrible, useless thing!). I do like the homo sapiens though.
Lamy Safari EF is my first fountain pen. I agree it is scratchy. If I use Lamy ink or Lamy cartridge, it doesn't have problem with skipping. But when I use Parker or other ink, it will alwaya dry up when ink level reaches a ceetain level. I always have to push the piston down a bit when it happens.
I hate the colors of the plastic Kaweco. I have the dry up problem with Lamys, which I think are overrated. Their medium nibs are ok but anything smaller just doesn't work. Plus I often pinch my skin on the little viewing window when refilling it. That's probably just me lol
Kaweco Sports come in over 100 colors. I bet you could find one you tolerated.
Given that one must remove the barrel to refill a Safari or AL, it's not possible to pinch one's fingers in the ink window cutout while refilling.
I've heard many people complain about the Lamy EF. And the TWSBI cracks. I'm thankful that none of mine of these brands have problems!!
My Pilot Explorer cap liner cracked/split too after only a couple of months. Loved it when I first got it. Thought it was the perfect fp to replace the cheap ballpoint edc I kept in my shirt pocket. The Explorer was lightweight, relatively inexpensive, and a reliable writer. My first fp was the Pilot Metropolitan and the metal body sadly was too heavy to keep in my shirt pocket. Explorer could have been perfect. Sad to see someone else had problems with the cap liner breaking and no longer capping.
Yeah, with most of the pens I mentioned in this video, people's experiences vary widely, but it seems like 100% of Pilot Explorer owners who have commented have had the same experience, which is really disappointing.
My Kaweco Sport is reliable, but the fine nib is much too scratchy for me to enjoy writing with it. On the TWSBI front, I have never bought one of their more expensive pens and probably won't. What I do like is the TWSBI GO with the spring in it. I buy them in the broadest nib I can find, and at their price point, I keep them filled with inks I don't use often--my rare Iroshizuku's and such. They're great for that, and I don't have to worry about the acrylic construction, which I'd heard about from other people. Several years ago, there was a mania for giving certain pens an eyedropper fill. Two pens were primarily used--the Platinum Preppy and the Pilot Varsity. The Preppy was easier to convert, so I went with those. I bought a few, bought the o-rings and the silicone goo, and set to work. It was tedious and finicky, but I filled several. I do have to say that I have a couple of them lying around that are still working wonderfully with the remainders of their original fills. They just don't dry out. As for my Safari, I bought it when they first came out in the US, and that may be almost 30 years ago. It has a medium point. I loved it when I first filled it, and I still do.
Wow! A vintage Safari like that is a treasure!
I have 5 Lamy Safari pens - these actually were my first fountain pens - all have extra fine nibs. One of them is absolutely perfect. One of them is scratchy, and yes! feels like it just doesn't want to release the ink (your description of that was spot on). The last one I purchased (I think in the spring time) is the Violet Blackberry color. I don't remember which pen company I purchased it from, it came with a converter and a bottle of Lamy Blackberry ink -- I believe both were 'limited editions.' This extra-fine nib writes more like medium or even wider! All this time, I thought it was me, or maybe the ink itself. Now I'm wondering if it is actually the nib!
Yeah, I love Lamy, but the way they do their nibs is kind of weird. Each one is unique. I have half a dozen fine nibs, and they are all slightly different. My guess is that they polish them by hand, which would explain why they vary so much.
I've got three kaweco sport pens and they're my go to pens. Haven't had any problems at all.
I wish I could say the same. They really are cool pens.
I won't buy another Safari because I find that they dry out too quickly unless you use them every single day.
Agreed !
It sounds more like a user error or an ink problem than the Safari pen. I have a large collection of Lamy Safari and have never experienced the ink drying out just because it was left for a few days or a week or two. The closest I've come to that happening was with a Safari filled with 'Diamine Beau Blue', which I left for a few weeks and returned to an empty pen because the ink had evaporated. But this is a problem some inks have and rarely the pen's fault.
I haven't tried the pens of your list aside the Lamy ones which I agree that are not that good pens but not because of their nibs. The thing that I don't like in Lamy pens is the way that the front part of these pens is made with the cut flat shape for fingers that doesn't work for me.
I also don't like these pens because they take only proprietary cartridges, only the Lamy ones that are not available everywhere. I use my fountain pens for urban sketching and it is more convenient to hold with me sealed spare cartridges instead of a bottle of ink in order to refill a converter. But the Lamy pens don't take the universal cartridges which are available filled with De Atramentins, Diamine, Kaweco, Platinum, Diplomat and other inks.
My favourite pens are the JinHao that I bought years ago along with a set of different nibs including the fude ones. I can change or replace the nibs on these pens along with their feeders and they have a very nice and balanced for the hand shape.
Great video -- agree on all but must note that the Pilot Lightive (my very favorite) is said to be an Explorer with a better cap. FWIW
I agree with your assessment of the Preppy, Eco, and Safari 💯
My favorite Platinum is the Plaisir. I love my TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR. I love my Eco but same problem, and I’m a tinkerer. I love my AL-Star (F) and the Safari (1.1) but not the (EF). Too dry!
I was disappointed with the Pilot Metropolitan. It always dries out in a day or less. Getting it going again takes a silly amount of effort and is not something I could do casually away from home. If I can’t just pick up a pen I used and capped the previous day, that pen is useless to me. And yes, I’ve tried inks that are well-behaved. This is not an issue in my other pens.
Interesting! I don't use my Metropolitans anymore because they have also cracked (I definitely take the blame for that though). I don't remember having too many issues with drying out, but they definitely didn't seal as well as other pens I have.
Both TWSBI and Lamy Safari EF you are bang on!
About platinum preppy, prefounte and twsbi, i think the crackings are made because of the brittle acrylic.
Brittle acrylic has the advantage of being exactly that, crystal clear and brittle, and the disadvantage of being prone to cracks.
You have to live with that if you like your pen crystal clear. It's like a satin clothe, you can't wash it with cottons, it needs the gently program.
If they change the material, it won't be the same for me.
About safari, my problem is that ink evaporates quickly, because of the way it is designed and because of the heat in Southern Greece.
I don't have any pilot explorer, the cap design is similar to a pilot hi-tecpoint liquid ink rollerball but i prefer my tecpoint pen.
I also don't have any kaweco sport either.
Nice Casio btw !
Thanks! My watch is pretty cheap, but I like it. It fits my style.
Good video. In my case, what I can't stand about a pen is the feeling of touching the thread on the grip. I see that this doesn't bother many people, but for me it's definitive. From the list, I can't use the Kaweco Sport. I have them in a drawer so I can't see them.... The Pelikans also have this problem of sharp thread and short grip section, but they are saved because the nibs are excellent... If the grip section is short, at least the thread should be smooth!!..
I hear you on the threading. It doesn't bother me too much, but I know it bothers a lot of people, and that's valid.
Thank you for this. As a fountain pen newbie, I appreciate this video! So although I am going for a cheap 1st fountain pen to experiment with, I dont want it to be so bad its disposable!
That's how I feel too. I have a video coming (hopefully soon) with my top recommendations for beginners.
Thank you for your review. Different things work for different people. YMMV. I have about 40 pens, but of them all, I have one TWSBI Eco that was never out of rotation. I have 4 TWSBI Ecos -- the baby blue; the white rose gold; the indigo blue with bronze; and the creme rose gold. The baby blue's been my workhorse pen, inked and never returned in its box since I purchased it. I do have a couple of Kaweco Sports and 5 Lamy Safaris. I don't use them as much, except for the Lamy Safari Stripe Japan Limited Edition.
Nice! And yes, mileage varies widely.
Good to see that I never wanted any of these five pens.
There's one pen that I was super into but will not buy again after buying three of them, Parker Sonnet. The cap design is so flawed that the pen dries out in no time. Especially frustrating for people who don't do super long writing sessions
My Kaweco Sport has taken a lot of abuse and still writes first time ever time. Preppies two years and counting no problems. I would not buy the Lamy Aion on the PenBBS 323 in aluminum due to slippery sections.
Great list! I just started Red Rising so I am excited you have it so high. The guts to list Potter. Way to go. Potter #1, Song of Ice #2, Lotr #3. Need to get to Gwynn.
Did you mean to put this comment on my video?
I have watched your channel since way back and have never told you how great is the name of your channel. I had issues with a Twisbi D 580 cracking. I told the co that I bought it from and they didn't even reply. I saw a number of people in vids that had the same problem. Anyway thanks for your great videos. Blessings
I enjoyed your video, but I am wondering if you post your caps. I’ve spent a lot of time writing with the Preppy and Prefounte and I’ve never had cracking issues with either. I’ve always assumed the caps were too fragile to handle being posted, so I don’t.
(And I have two Ecos - I’ll heed your warning on not nib swapping.)
I use my fountain pens 99% of the time for drawing. I carry them in a padded case, or they live in a jar by my desk. My Kaweco works just fine, I use my Platinum Preppy all the time, no cracks. I assume it's because I don't carry them in my pocket. I agree with you about the Lamy extra fine nibs. They're basically more like fine or even medium, and I only use mine for larger works.
Also, it's not a fountain pen, but the Yookers refillable technical pen is just terrible. The fiber tip dries out in a couple of days, and the ink then decides to exit through the collar and onto my fingers. And the ink takes forever to dry if it does make it onto the paper.
I have a LOT of pens. I'm not proud of it. I need help. Right after I buy another one.
That's too bad about Yookers. I've always been curious about them, but the reviews were a turn-off.
I've never had the Kaeweco, but I agree on the Lamy. I also had one fail like the Pilot cap problem you noted. My Preppy cracked, but it writes so great I'm thinking I'll get he aluminum version and just swap the EF nib into it. My TWISBI Eco has not cracked (though I did pull it out and look!) but it is way to prone to plopping a big old drop of ink and making a mess of things for me to trust it, which is a shame, because I think it's a great pen beyond that.
as much as i have seen u have just listed all the best pens under 50$ according to other youtubers. And i agree with you somewhat. my preppy broke and also my kaweco didnt write at all. So can you make a video about best pens under 50$ according to you. pleaseeeeee.....
Recent Jinhao models are fabulous values; I re-bought some 82's so that I now have 4.
Nope bad experience with jinhao pens. I bought a 51A and the flow was really bad. It wrote for 2 lines or so and then went completely dry@@ichirofakename
I had a couple Sheaffer Targa fountain pens in the 80's that I wouldn't buy again. There were two problems. First they were cartridge pens and the cartridges were expensive, small, and then usually only half full. They had a rubber bladder adapter, but it was a pain to use and held almost no ink. The other problem was the nibs. The nicer ones with the gold nibs were fine. But the ones with the stainless nibs just did not write well. I'm sure they were fine for someone with a different style, but not for me.
I will respectfully disagree with you on the Safari though. I like an extra fine nib and the Safari has worked well for me. Maybe I got the one good nib ;) Now the Lamy 2000 I've had trouble with, I had one that just did not want to feed ink properly. It was always dry. I finally sent it back to them and they rebuilt it. That was in the mid 80's and it's been fine ever since. That's a pen I certainly would buy again.
Thanks for your comment! Yeah, I have some old Sheaffer pens as well. They are kind of cool, but I strongly dislike their cartridge setup.
Adding the Lamy Safari on the list so you can place it on the video thumbnail... well played good sir. 😅 But seriously, as a beginner on fountain pens, I appreciate the honest insight and experience you shared here. 👍
haha No well-playing intended. It's a weird relationship I have with the Safari. I love that pen, but I hate the extra fine nib.
I have several Prepies that i've had since they were first introduced that are still fine. I don't use them very much but when I was starting in my pen journey I used them a lot. Maybe you just got a bad production run.
Maybe. Who knows...
The reason TWSBIs crack is that some pens are made from parts that have been poorly processed during injection moulding. It’s nothing to do with handling errors. Residual stress arises in the faulty parts and they fail, even in light handling. Not every part suffers the moulding heat issues in manufacturing. Hence some TWSBI owners never suffered a failure.
$5 Preppies crack, perhaps expected? But $30-100 TWSBIs cracking??? BTW I have never heard/seen reports of Kakunos cracking. I have two in my EDC used frequently. No failures and caps still hold firm after 4+ years. Maybe the Explorer team need to learn from the Kakuno team at Pilot.
That would certainly explain why some people have a great experience and some don't!
Personally I like vintage fountain pens. I like to restore them too. Just got done with a Mabie Todd Swan in green celluloid. Such a beautiful pen and writes as good as it looks!
That's very cool. Vintage pens are not for the faint of heart, but they can also be very rewarding.
I just found your channel, and thanks for your honesty. Some of the pens you won't ever buy again are right on. I will never give any of my money to TWSBI because their pens look like they came out of a KidsMeal, cost way too much, ("Eco" stands for "economical". More like "comical" imho) but mostly because of that unforgivable stunt they pulled on another pen company and on their own distributors. There is a small enough population in the pen world that it is worse than unnecessary to bully other companies, threaten the very companies whose goodwill and patronage are necessary to one's very survival, and file lawsuits for infringement of designs you do not own, never owned, and are guilty of stealing yourselves. It matters not a bit to me that the TWSBI reps and their victims have publicly kissed and made up; I hold my little grudge. I don't care how nice the new green trim is. I will gladly buy fake TWSBIs if a copy is available. The others, yeah, Safari is cute, their clip is brilliant, and the new releases are addictive. Preppy can be re-used, but it is stunningly cheap. The nibs are terrific, though. Kaweco, cute but not a sturdy cutie. I don't own an Explorer, and my wasband took the Metropolitans. I like their range of designs, but they are prone to scratching. Generally, why can't pen companies just include a converter and a couple of cartridges with all their c/c pens, rather than forcing buyers to overpay for a couple of cents' worth of plastic separately? Why not just use one of the few international standard designs rather than arbitrary proprietary sizes that become increasingly hard to find over time? Will it make us love those unusable older pens more?
You raise some good questions. I think one reason many companies don't include converters with their entry-level pens is that not everyone is going to use converters. The Lamy Safari, for example, is a popular pen for school kids in some countries. But I highly doubt that seven-year-olds are going to be taking messy bottles of ink with them to school to fill those pens from. Instead, I'm sure most of them just carry packs of disposable ink cartridges in their backpacks. When for something more expensive, such as a Lamy Studio, if someone is going to invest $80+ in a pen, then it's more likely that they're serious enough to be using bottled ink, so including a converter makes more sense. That said, I wish more entry level pens came with converters, especially when they are expensive like Platinum's converters.
Also, I tend to agree about the proprietary vs standard cartridges and converters. I do think that some of the proprietary stuff is really nice, but I would prefer to have the broader options of standard international. The only reason I haven't bought a Lamy ballpoint is because the only refill options are Lamy's, and I've heard they aren't great. If I had the option to use other brands' refills, then I'd probably get one or two of their ballpoints as beater EDC pens.
I have dozens of TWSBI pens, most of them Ecos, and no cracking. I think I’m generally fairly gentle with my pens. I was super impressed with the Explorer, but haven’t tested it for longevity. I’ve had horrible luck with Lamy pens in general. Out of about seven pens, I only have two nibs that are decent. And one of those was a gold nib I bought to save one of my mid-range pens.
Wow! Sorry to hear that about your Lamy pens. It sounds like our experiences are the reverse of each other.
I had the same problem with the pilot explorer but the cap problem came like in just 1 month after purchase. I would love the explorer to be better and fix the cap, but the metropolitan is the one that works best for me.
I actually gave my Lamy Safari to my son. I bought it in fine and it wrote like butter on a hot skillet, but I hated the fact that it felt so very cheap for the price point. Also, when unscrewing the barrel, it got "stuck" for some reason and I had to twist a little harder to get the barrel to come off so I could get to the converter.
When I did that, I heard a crunch inside and wondered what happened. All I did was apply a little more pressure to twisting, but I didn't manhandle the pen or pull on it or anything. When the barrel came away, I noticed one of the "teeth" where the converter slides in, was chipped and coming apart. I had NO idea how this happened as the only thing I did was twist the barrel like normal to get the thing unscrewed.
So I basically took that one "tooth" off and it worked fine after that. But to break like that for doing something normal, no, not going to support anything Lamy after that. So, I gave it to my 9 year old son who had been eyeing my growing collection of pens. I also bought him a Wing Sung 3013 as a starter pen because they are so cheap and excellent writers.
My bad experiences have mainly been with Jinhao and Hongdian pens. Hongdian N12 recently when the finial came off and the threads seem stripped as the finial will not screw back on. I just got this pen recently and it's already broken and unusable. I will not be buying this model again, but my other Hongdian pens are working great.
Yeah, I tend to avoid cheap Chinese pens. A lot of people love them, but I have concerns. Your experience with the Safari is very strange. I've never heard of that happening! It sounds very defective. I have quite a few Lamy pens, and for all of them the place where the converter inserts into feels pretty sturdy. Still, it's a bummer that you had that experience with the Safari.
@@DowntheBreatherHole Yeah I definitely checked every facet of the pen to make sure that it was a legit Lamy and everything checked out as it being real. However, where I got it, an Asian online store, kind of like Shein, Amazon or AliExpress, sent me the Lamy with a converter but no box. When I asked him where the box was because every review about the Lamy on his store page showed customers who received a box, he said that he was "sold out." Of a box? Don't all the pens come in their own box? How can they be sold out. The second red flag had to do with the price. For one, the Safari does not come with a converter, I checked a kiosk who said that I have to buy the converter separate as it is the low end pen. And the final red flag would be the price I paid for the pen. I paid under 10 dollars for the pen with the converter. I looked at how much this pen was online and at retailers and it is about 20 bucks. BUT, that said, everything checked out. It was a legit pen. I don't understand it. I got the pen with the cardboard ring intact, the pen was just thrown in a ziploc bag with the converter and cartridge and wrapped i bubble wrap. No real care was given. Did I get an authentic Lamy? It wrote VERY well and I loved how it wrote, but I couldn't get past how cheap it felt and that broken piece almost immediately. Since I paid so little for it, I didn't want to send it back, also it had been past 7 days since I bought it and the seller would have refused. Anyways, sorry for the LOOOOOONG response, but I wanted to share my one and only experience with a Lamy pen. I also didn't like the clip. I know it's different from all other pens, but I got more a paperclip vibe than a pen clip. hahah
@@Introversitive Your experience is very strange. It could be a real Lamy, but who knows? As for the box, Safaris are often on display in brick and mortar stores without the box. Sometimes they are in a cup on a shelf with a lot of other Safaris. So that could explain why yours didn't have a box. If you want to try again, I recommend going through a reputable online retailer, such as Goulet, Goldspot, Altas Stationers, Truphae, Jet Pens, and the list goes on. There are a lot of good ones out there!
I’ve been considering the Kaweco Sport, but given how I’m totally with you on the TWSBI, Safari, and Preppy (haven’t tried the Explorer) I think I’ll take you for your word and give it a pass…!
haha I'm glad we're on the same page. It's a shame though because so many people love the Kaweco Sport! I wish I was one of those people!
An excellent presentation. I totally agree with you.
Thanks!
I never had my preppy pen crack. I like that it doesn’t dry out. Manuscript pens dry out too fast.
I have forced my preppy to survive by taping the cap closed. I love them, and I'm willing to do a little work to avoid throwing them away. I hate having to throw away things, so that's just a me thing.
I'm similar. I hate throwing things away, which is why I avoid the Preppy. But good for you for patching yours up and continuing to use them! That is awesome! I threw the bodies of my Preppies away, but I kept the nibs, feeds, and grip sections. Someday I hope to figure out how to turn them into dip pens.
I agree with you re: the Lami Safari extra fine nibs. Mine is very scratchy. I'm much happier with the glide of the medium and broad nibs. I've been lucky so far with my Preppys - no cracking. But I don't care so much for the round grip. I have to readjust the way I'm holding it all the time.
I agree with you on the Lamy extra fine. I like them but they are just a bit too scratchy.
I've had preppy pens crack on me, but typically takes over a year of carrying one in the unpadded pen pouch on my work bag. This is why I'll never eye dropper one again. All that ink soaked through my bag when one gave up the ghost. Twsbi pens are garbage and can crack when you remember you still have one without a crack somewhere. Kaweco sports have really terrible nibs in my experience. Lamy Safari, I wouldn't even want to get one as a gift. The nibs are horrific (I have only ever bought broads) and I have yet to try one that didn't need hours of tinkering to get the nib right. It's aggravating how long I held off on trying a Lamy 2000 due to my hatred of the safari. Honorable mentions to anything from Monteverde and Conklin. They can't make a pen that seals properly to save themselves.
I won't buy Lamy Safaris anymore! Lamy's quality control is terrible. I only use M nibs, but none of the Lamys I own write the same. Every fourth Safari I order ends up being extremely scratchy, to the point where they leave scratch marks on my paper. Their *actual* nib sizes also always vary and the flow is never the same. Some write dry, some gush ink. I'm not interested in ordering pens that I'm not sure I can even write with.
Despite it being my first pen and I still love it out of nostalgia, it's the Pilot Metropolitan for me. The step down from the barrel to the grip is very uncomfortable for me.
I have a decent collection of Kaweco Sports (love the colours and the way they feel in the hand) but I totally agree that they are really inconsistent. I have some that write like a dream and others that are a nightmare. So frustrating! I don't think I will buy more but I really enjoy the ones I have that write well. (Also the converters are such a joke. Miniscule ink capacity.)
I also love Safaris - I am a medium nib person and one thing I love about Lamy is that they offer a left handed nib. I find they work very well for me (even though I don't have issues with any of my other pens that don't have left handed nibs) but the Safaris hold a special place in my heart!
Same for me! I have lost interest in a lot of other pens, but I keep coming back to the Safari. I think there's something nostalgic about it for me now.
I appreciate this video, but I do love the Kaweco Sport and the TWSBI. But I do kind of baby my pens
Wonderful video. I gave up on the less expensive pens. They all are junk. It sounds snobby but I only use my expensive pens ( $ 1,000 + each ) Pelikan and Mont Blanc. It is a shame they are so expensive
$1000 is a lot for a pen! Pelikan and Montblanc are nice, but you could probably get a durable, reliable pen for $50-200 as well.
Thank you for that good advice. RS. Canada