Nice selection of pens! Completely agree with you on “we never follow the path we set” regarding the grail pens we want to acquire!
@twms76546 ай бұрын
Indeed, it's a wonderful moneypit at times!
@slicvm3 ай бұрын
I bought the Montblanc Meisterstück 149 Platinum and to be honest, I regret it. It writes like a medium. I have the Visconti Homo Sapiens Dark Age and Skylight Steel Age . Nothing has surpassed those two Viscontis for me.
@tramzone4 ай бұрын
Im going through the same phase - most of the grail pens turned out to be grail pens for other people and it will be different for me. And the funny thing some of my old pens that were meh right away turned out to be great all of a sudden. Turned out it’s a matter of comparison and experience with pens. Some pens remained shit regardless but some (like the lamy) showed me something that I haven’t seen there before
@user-gl5ld9vm7i5 ай бұрын
The most consistent performance pen is my Pilot Varsity fountain pen
@darrinyhearm42405 ай бұрын
Good points in this vid. It is funny how peoples experience with pens can differ. I have two modern Parker 51 pens that are really good, not as good as my vintage 51 though. On the other hand I hated my 3776.
@webbdelasteve2 ай бұрын
The Platinum was an UEF, no? Cannot really compare an Italian EF with a Japanese UEF!
@jpa12143 ай бұрын
Very nice video
@MissMarilynDarling5 ай бұрын
if you like extra fine nibs the pilot falcon extra fine is one of the finest lines you can get
@HistoricGentleman4 ай бұрын
Having a "grail pen" without tons of pen experience only leads to disappointment and the search of the next grail...
@angelus_solus5 ай бұрын
I gave up on the idea of a grail pen. I bought a Lami Safari, a TWSBI Eco, a TWSBI Eco T, and then a TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR. All of them in extra fine.. I think I finally found a pen I'm happy with in the Diamond 580. I don't see the need to get any more.
@twms76545 ай бұрын
I don't own a Twisbi, but the Safari is a pen I keep coming back to, it's just so versatile.
@angelus_solus5 ай бұрын
@@twms7654 The only thing I don't like about the Safari is the converter dries up too soon. That issue is why I switched over to an internal piston pen... the Diamond 580 in particular. Not only can the piston assembly be removed for maintenance, but the grip section can be unscrewed to allow filling with an ink syringe when the bottle gets too low for standard filling methods. That and the cap screws on and seals very well so the nib stays wet longer. I've never had any hard starting even after a month of it sitting unused.
@twms76545 ай бұрын
I've not had any trouble with the Safari's convertor. However, the Twisbi filling systems do amaze me, especially with their own brand inkwells.
@angelus_solus5 ай бұрын
@@twms7654 I don't write much, so I'm sure that's why the converter dried up.
@rcbuggies575 ай бұрын
Grail pen is definitely more related to aesthetics than writing. We all have daily drivers that are cheaper and love using because they're just more useful pens, but still want that beautiful urushi lacquer Nakaya to baby and write at home with.
@autherion59533 ай бұрын
Late to the party but i thought I'd chime in as someone fortunate enough to own an m1000 it certainly continues the trend of German manufacturers liking a wider line mines a medium and it puts some of my broad nibs to shame.
@twms76543 ай бұрын
Yh, German manufacturers are a bit annoying in that regard. However, congrats on an M1000, how is it?
@autherion59533 ай бұрын
@@twms7654 Thanks! I'm super happy I picked it up, the nib is very smooth with a bit of spring and I love how hefty it feels in the hand definitely worthy of being a flagship pen. It's definitely a pen I'd recommend trying if not buying.
@dollishillwork5 ай бұрын
The Parker 51 (original), is miles and miles better than the re-incarnation in the video. I have 4 of them, B,M and F versions of the Aerometric. For my daily diary, I use the P51 M/B version - for diary purposes, it is even better than a Montblanc which I sometimes use for one very good reason - the ink dries up so fast and therefore does not mess up other pages. I have yet to find another such pen. The Lamy 2000 I got a few years ago and practically never used again. A bit too wet I suppose.
@twms76545 ай бұрын
Yh the new parker 51 is so shoddy, and I have an original in my sights to buy so I can compare, especially as I've heard nothing but praise about the original. What is the F like?
@dollishillwork5 ай бұрын
@@twms7654 they are all excellent. Being in finance, I tend to use the F more.
@twms76545 ай бұрын
Thanks, I'll keep a look out for one.
@knownaigm5 ай бұрын
What I've learned about "grails" after numerous years in several collecting hobbies is that your true grail will pick you, not the other way around. Often times your true grail ends up NOT being the one you expected it to be. For instances I've drooled over and even purchased many of my "grails," some of which were quite pricey, yet what ended up actually being the pen I love and use the most is a $100 Kaweco Special with a BB nib..... it is THE perfect pen for me even though it's wildly different than what I had always gone after in my other "grails." It hasn't ENDED my collecting but it has completely reduced my new acquisitions down to like maybe once every couple of years just to try out something new and interesting, yet the Kaweco Special remains my VIP.
@impendio5 ай бұрын
There’s no grail anything, collecting in general is just consumerism in disguise…
@gpepingco63 ай бұрын
@@impendiothis is the conclusion I came to as well, especially when some of my “grail” pens write flawlessly but it’s still blocked by the fact that I need to find the perfect ink to use with it. Finding that grail pen and ink combo just results in an endless cycle of consumerism 😓
@GigsTaggart5 ай бұрын
Heh the tablecloth made me think this was an atomic shrimp video. Little did I know alfieasthetic was also into pens. Anyway I'm not even interested in pens but it was a neat video, thanks.
@twms76545 ай бұрын
Sorry for the confusion, though I'm glad you enjoyed the video :)
@GigsTaggart5 ай бұрын
@@twms7654 it was all on me for not paying attention heh
@dollishillwork5 ай бұрын
Have you tried the Diplomat Excellence A2?
@twms76545 ай бұрын
No,I haven't tried any diplomat. How's your experience with it?
@dollishillwork5 ай бұрын
@@twms7654 Being a pen collector of the last 35 years, I found the Diplomat Excellence A2 which I bought a few months ago outstanding, having seen plenty of reviews about it. The distinctive feature is the clip cap - the best I have ever seen in any pen. Extremely pleasing. Other than that, it is a very good writer. They retail for around £170 or something from the premium websites but I did manage to get one from ebay for half that price, brand new. I have two - one in black and one in skyline blue which is stunning. Give it a go.
@twms76545 ай бұрын
Fair enough, I'll certainly check it out, thanks for the insight. Gotta save up for a CS Churchill first though :)
@tramzone4 ай бұрын
I own about 20 pens now and the truth I really can’t admit is that my favorite writer is still the first „expensive” pen I bought which is the diplomat aero with a fine steel nib.
@dollishillwork4 ай бұрын
@@tramzone The Aero and Excellence have the same nib - no 6 I believe- and it is just a matter of choice. Personally, I find the Excellence much more professional looking.
@LSF0005 ай бұрын
There is no Grail pen. It's just a grail-shaped beacon. Bad, bad Zoot.
@SD-ff1je5 ай бұрын
You want a silky smooth fat, dry EF? Try the Jinhao 9019.
@twms76545 ай бұрын
I'll check it out, thanks.
@bngr_bngr5 ай бұрын
It’s like spinning a roulette wheel.
@SD-ff1je5 ай бұрын
@twms7654 I have over 40. Every one perfect. I have a dozen high-end, and they compare extremely well.