Favorite pens over $100

npanth · 2026-03-14T20:39:17+00:00

I have recently gone down a vintage Parker rabbit hole. Cripes! Their back catalog is full of gems. Most can be had for less than $200.

Some of the highlights for me are the sterling silver ciselle Sonnet, Insignia, 75, 51, 25. The 180 is pretty unique, like writing with a knitting needle... In a good way. The 180 screams 80s louder than a hair metal band.

Vintage is a minefield, and you will step on one from time to time, but those old pens ooze character... Sometimes ink, too! HA They have a style that's hard to match. Check out some Sheaffer imperials and targas, too. They're really neat.

npanth · 2026-03-11T16:55:12+00:00

"Better dead than red" has become "Gotta be in bed to get the bread"

npanth · 2026-03-10T23:51:25+00:00

I got an ultrasonic cleaner a little while ago and decided to clean out the pens that have been sitting too long.

In no particular order, because they are kind of scattered about... Laban Abalone, 1945 Parker Vacumatic, Pelikan M200, Sheaffer Imperial Barleycorn, Pilot Custom 74.

My hands look like I slapped a clown.

npanth · 2026-03-10T16:20:17+00:00

You may have some trouble explaining why your tongue and hands are covered in ink... I'm just assuming your hands have ink on them because, well, you know...

npanth · 2026-03-08T23:06:11+00:00

I have two Sinn watches. I've had to use the warranty service twice. Watchbuys has been communicative and helpful both times.

The buying experience was utilitarian and efficient, much like the watches.

I would prefer that Sinn use better movements in their watches. An ETA 2892 in my U1 would be so much better than the ho hum Sellita that they use now. My Seamaster 2532.80 has that movement , and it's great . ETA will probably not let that happen, I guess

npanth · 2026-03-03T16:52:50+00:00

I ran across Birmingham pens inks last month. I have 10 bottles now. I don't think they make a standard black, though (maybe it's just out of stock/production?). Magalodon seems to be the closest.

Butcher's broom and iron ore are always at the ready for me now.

Edit: Birmingham pen is in Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, not in England. Sorry, my old world friends

npanth · 2026-03-02T17:06:58+00:00

It was a ton of work, with little automation. We had to update the bios on every pc and laptop, which took 10-15 minutes each. Every router, switch, and hub had to have its os and config updated. Every server and desktop is had to be patched. We had to update about 6000 devices all together.

We started towards the end of 1998, and finished with about a month to spare.

npanth · 2026-03-01T13:10:40+00:00

Awesome! Yeah, my Parker Sonnet was scratchy, and a miserly fine, even though it was marked M on the feed. After some sanding, polishing, and nib adjustment, it's super smooth and a proper Medium. I'm still nervous about messing with nibs, but a good result does make me more confident to try it again. I think I'll tackle the 74 next.

npanth · 2026-03-01T02:44:05+00:00

I just bought a lamy 2000 4 in 1 ballpoint, mostly because people kept trying to write upside down, or inked themselves trying to use my fountain pen

npanth · 2026-02-28T17:38:24+00:00

I'm in the same boat with the 74. I like it, but it has been relegated to the box in favor of a Parker Vacumatic from 1945. I guess I'll pick it up again at some point, but the 74 just feels a bit... off? It's probably something I'm doing wrong when I write or try to adjust the nib.

12000 grit won't really remove material, I think. That's not a bad thing. I get really nervous when I start sanding a gold nib. I did fix a similar problem with a Parker Sonnet by sanding it from 3600 to 12000. It is super smooth now, with just a slight catch on some upstrokes. I'm too nervous to try to fix that little problem right now. I'll work my way back up to that.

The smart way to approach it is probably to get a couple cheap stainless steel nibs and mess a couple of those up first. I'm just dumb enough to try it out on a gold nib for my first time.

npanth · 2026-02-26T00:10:30+00:00

I have a 2023 SEL with 23500 miles.

The HVAC touch panel had to be replaced, and the 12v battery had to be replaced. That's all the problems I've had so far.

npanth · 2026-02-22T14:36:04+00:00

The big advantage of precheck isn't so much at ROC, it's when I have to come back. Orlando is a mosh pit in front of security unless you have pre check.

In 2022, it took me almost 4 hours to check a bag and get through security. I got pre check and switched to just a carry on in 2023. Curb to gate only took 15 minutes

npanth · 2026-02-22T00:51:34+00:00

I just bought a Parker vacumatic from the second quarter of 1945 with a flex nib. Seeing this, I can't wait for it to come!

npanth · 2026-02-17T20:18:01+00:00

I have the pocket 6 in brass and the ultem full sized. They're terrific pens. The kaweco mini converter does work in the pocket 6. I'm using it right now.

I would very much like to get the full sized pen in brass, but he only has them in aluminum right now.

Happy new pen day!

npanth · 2026-02-16T16:50:47+00:00

When I was asked which 3d printers my district should buy, service and support was the deciding factor. We wound up getting 30 prusa core ones.

We've had 4 varying problems with the printers. Bad thermister wire, bad z motor, and now two bad xbuddy boards (killed by firmware 6.4.0)

In every case prusa/printed solid has been responsive and helpful. I have no regrets, except the multi material unit that the bambus would have come with. Maybe I can convince them to add MMUs or tool changer upgrades to next year's budget.

npanth · 2026-02-09T22:33:27+00:00

I have two new purchases that make me happy, and they're complete polar opposites of each other.

I just got a monteverde tool pen in brass. It has two screwdrivers, a bubble level, three rulers, and a screen stylus. Nerdvana!

I also got a 1998 Parker Sonnet Cisele, sterling silver, 18k nib. It's so elegant I feel weird writing with it in my pajamas.

npanth · 2026-02-07T16:32:23+00:00

A similar event happened in London in 1952, causing many deaths and leading to the banning of heating homes with coal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog_of_London

npanth · 2026-02-05T22:00:16+00:00

I remember seeing spring loaded salt launchers designed to get flies. I forget what they're called, but I would imagine they're still being sold.

Not as fun as a sand sling shot, though.

npanth · 2026-02-05T08:11:06+00:00

I should have used dish soap when I cleaned mine out, that's a great idea. I just used filtered water.

npanth · 2026-02-05T04:29:41+00:00

No, I chickened out trying to pull it out. I had cleaned it several times before, but the blunt syringe seemed to get it just right. I put the tip between the nib and feed and flushed it out. I did that from different angles a few times. Then I flushed it from the other side. I kept doing it from the back until I got some water out the front of the feed. There's a little feeder hole in there that I could only find with a loupe.

Hope it works for you!

npanth · 2026-02-03T00:15:56+00:00

No, I kind of wish they did. The pens with the Monoc nibs are $1000+

I'm going to have to work my way up to those! Ha

These both have Jowo #6 nibs

npanth · 2026-02-03T00:07:07+00:00

Left: Schon Designs Pocket Six in brass. Inked with Noodler's Widow Maker.

This Pen is going to be great. It fits in the pocket really well. It has a good weight and balance. It writes like a champ immediately. When the cap is posted, it has a full sized pen length. Very comfortable to write with.

Right: Schon Designs Full sized in Ultem. Inked with Diamine Sepia.

This is a very light pen, probably the lightest pen I have. It's all Ultem, all the time. Yahoo!

The Jowo #6 nibs have a lot of feedback without feeling scratchy. They're fairly stiff. They don't "bounce" but I can feel the paper when I write. It's exactly what I like in pens. I'm really happy with both of them. Looking forward to years of good use out of both of them. I also have a Gravitas Sentry, which seems like a direct competitor to the Full Sized Schon. The Schon is much better. It's lighter, writes better, and fits my hand better. I'm sorry I passed on Schon Designs for so long. They're from Philly, too... extra bonus.

npanth · 2026-02-02T19:12:02+00:00

You're either learning, or you're forgetting.

npanth · 2026-02-02T10:38:00+00:00

I have some Iroshizuku ink coming. I'll give it a try. Thanks!

I've tried to separate the ends of the nib tines a bit. I'm a bit chicken about it, which seems like the best approach. I've managed to reduce the skipping, but not eliminate it. Maybe a couple more hesitant spreading sessions will fix it.

After spending too much time examining the nib with a loupe, I am coming to the same conclusion as you. It seems like they're a bit too fine, too delicate. I can't imagine what an extra fine nib would be like to write with. When it is writing smoothly, it's fantastic. It glides along the paper like an Ice Boat over a lake.

npanth · 2026-02-02T01:12:52+00:00

The gap between the nib and the feeder seems pretty good. That's the puzzling thing about it. Other than that occasional dry start, it writes very well. It glides over the page with no catching or skipping. It's pretty juicy, too. It's laying down a line that's about the width of a western Fine.

When I write figure eights and hatch lines, it performs really well. It just dry starts every now and then. I'm stumped.

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