Official Fountain Pen Aficionados Thread

[Marshdrifter]

Ink Review #1064: Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo — Mountain of Ink

I’ve almost made it through all of the Pilot Iroshizuku inks, so let’s take a look at Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo (aka Moonlight) today. A reader was very kind and sent me a sample so I could review it, but you can find this ink for sale at most retailers, including Pen Chalet .

www.mountainofink.com

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Iroshizuku Tsuki-yo is one of my go-to inks, although my current favorite is the Taccia Hokusai Sabi-midori.

 

[Marshdrifter]

Yep. M600

That's good, although I think the M60x is a little small to be a long writer. Also, modern Pelikans have a bit of feedback that isn't my favorite thing.

Other options worth checking out:

Leonardo Momento Zero Grande. They're beautiful and comfortable to hold. I would buy the Pura in a heartbeat if I didn't already have a MZG. The nib on mine is great, although it had some aftermarket shenanigans done to it. I'm not sure what they're like out of the box.
Pilot 823. Their SM nib is bouncy and smooth (if you can find one).
Sailor 1911L. Comfortable size, tons of color options. Really nice nibs (stiff with pencil-like feedback).
Pelikan M80x. Good size, lots of great colorways.
Cross Peerless. Sailor nib. Swarovski crystal in the finial. Mine has a Darth Vader theme, which I love.
Montblanc 146/Legrand. The benchmark mid-size pen. Pricey as hell new.
Wancher Dream Pen. Lots of interesting finishes. Spring for the ebonite feed and (stiff) gold nib upgrades.
Nakaya Naka-ai. My SM nib is terrific. Urushi is eye-catching. Pushing the boundaries of your price range unless you can find a used one.

That's my usual list for people and there a ton of others. Really though, my best recommendation is to try a lot of pens before buying. Some stores will let you test them, but if you can find people with a lot of pens, trying them for a couple of hours over coffee is the best experience.

 

[gomestar]

Nakaya

Nice.

 

[pasadena man]

That's good, although I think the M60x is a little small to be a long writer. Also, modern Pelikans have a bit of feedback that isn't my favorite thing.

Other options worth checking out:

Leonardo Momento Zero Grande. They're beautiful and comfortable to hold. I would buy the Pura in a heartbeat if I didn't already have a MZG. The nib on mine is great, although it had some aftermarket shenanigans done to it. I'm not sure what they're like out of the box.
Pilot 823. Their SM nib is bouncy and smooth (if you can find one).
Sailor 1911L. Comfortable size, tons of color options. Really nice nibs (stiff with pencil-like feedback).
Pelikan M80x. Good size, lots of great colorways.
Cross Peerless. Sailor nib. Swarovski crystal in the finial. Mine has a Darth Vader theme, which I love.
Montblanc 146/Legrand. The benchmark mid-size pen. Pricey as hell new.
Wancher Dream Pen. Lots of interesting finishes. Spring for the ebonite feed and (stiff) gold nib upgrades.
Nakaya Naka-ai. My SM nib is terrific. Urushi is eye-catching. Pushing the boundaries of your price range unless you can find a used one.

That's my usual list for people and there a ton of others. Really though, my best recommendation is to try a lot of pens before buying. Some stores will let you test them, but if you can find people with a lot of pens, trying them for a couple of hours over coffee is the best experience.

Good point on size, ergonomics are important at this price point. I am 6’ with slightly larger than normal hands. I would probably find an uncapped Pelikan M800 marginally more comfortable than my M600 for longer writing sessions. However, I have few long writing sessions, I much prefer the aesthetics of the Pelikan capped, and uncapped pens end up on the floor 100% of the time. At $150 + for replacement nibs, that’s a non-starter for me.

 

[MrCat]

all interesting points. For me, a pen is functional first and an art object second. I write a lot for work and prefer to write by hand, then type things up later. So my preferences are for a semi-wet nib, large ink capacity, smooth writing, and excellent ergonomics. With all these points in mind, I've settled and been very happy with a Lamy 2000 with a fine nib, which I've used for the past several years. It may be the only pen that I can write with for extended period of time without getting hand fatigue. The styling is also nice as it doesn't stand out, the clip is spring-loaded, and it's not exceedingly expensive if it needs to be replaced. The balance, for me at least, is near perfect.

As for ink, I have no use for special razzle dazzle inks that aren't water-resitant. I prefer Pilot's plain blue-black ink, which has excellent writing performance and is quite water resistant (not overtly one of its marketing points).

I have other pens I cycle through from Sailor (Pro Gear Slim 14K MF: is a little too stiff and fine for extended writing), Montblanc (Boheme M: a lovely pen but the nib is very wet), Montblanc Meisterstück Rollerball (again, gorgeous, but much too heavy to use for extended periods), the Lamy Safaris and Kaweco Sports.

Besides these, I've begun using mechanical pencils more and more lately.

 

[Marshdrifter]

Good point on size, ergonomics are important at this price point. I am 6’ with slightly larger than normal hands. I would probably find an uncapped Pelikan M800 marginally more comfortable than my M600 for longer writing sessions. However, I have few long writing sessions, I much prefer the aesthetics of the Pelikan capped, and uncapped pens end up on the floor 100% of the time. At $150 + for replacement nibs, that’s a non-starter for me.

I have to confess that it never occurred to me to put down an uncapped pen without recapping it first, so I have no experience the rolling issue other than a couple of pens with no clip or roll stopper. And, of course, that one time I dropped a VP nib unit when cleaning it.

The other thing to consider for me is that the different sizes have different widths of grip sections. I can jot a note with just about any pen, but for actually writing out a few pages or more a nice medium section matters. I find my M605 gets a little uncomfortable after four or five A5 pages, but can't say about an M80x because I haven't had the opportunity to try writing with one for that long. Given that the M605 feels a little narrower in the section, I assume that it's the issue.

 

[gmathio]

I've been using fountain pens and only fountain pens, for more that 30 years. My first one was a Parker 75 Cisele, which I found in my grandpa's drawer. Since then I have bought some, not many, but enough to use everyday. A PArker Duofold Centennial Lapis Lazuli in M, a Montblanc Meisterstuck in EF, 4 Pelikans, an M600 green striated, an M600 old from West Germany, an M800 blue striated and an M805 Stresseman, all in F. My latest acquisition is a Sailor Pro Gear II, black, with F nib. And there are some more, like a Parker 51, a Daniele Hechter and a Waterman. Except from the last three, all the others are inked and used on daily basis !

 

[rollerkilt]

Let me see if I can comment based on earlier comments.

Nice ballpoints can be nice, but they are still ballpoints. I try to avoid using ballpoints, and try to use them only as needed. Everyone has ballpoints. Ballpoints are something people give away. I mainly buy them if they match a real pen and/or the price is right. The writing produced by ballpoints depends all on the refill. You still have to press down at a high angle, and that makes my handwriting worse. For a good refill, you're hoping it writes without skipping or blobbing. Then it all still looks the same as any ballpoint in only so many colors. One could try for better with gels and rollerballs. Old Parker Jotters are fun because I like Parker and old.

Pencils are fun, even if they all write in grey. They are real. And there are old pencils. Back then, a full set was two pieces. There is very little chance of making a mess. They hold a lot of refill leads and you can tell when to load more.

For Pelikans, I'm in the small minorty for size. My favorite is the m300. It is the only size with a section that is thin, where the others are wide or widers. It seems like the only section that is longer than wide. The nib units are arguably stronger, as the metal collar goes all the way down. I like desk pens. A long body with thin section and wider barrel is good to me.

I stopped trying to collect all the m200 and m205 colors as they came out when the prices increased to higher than the m250 and m400 prices used to be. But those springing for the big pens should consider going all the way up to the m800 size to get the metal piston.

For Plano, you could get modern with flex if you buy from someone who modifies Pelikan nibs. I suppose that for inexpensive, old, and not fragile, one could try with Eversharp pens. They may have sold flexible nibs later than Waterman. Parker and Sheaffer went hooded and Triumph and inlaid, and flex is rare.

I'm disappointed that Waterman Charlestons break. They don't seem cheap or low end for Waterman. I'd consider the ivory or black colors. The good thing about the screw caps is that they don't depend on a snap inner cap that will someday wear out and go loose. Waterman of say the '80s and '90's can be nice, though snap caps, like Man 100 and Gentleman, and probably Man 200. The metal parts should dent but not break, but you have to keep from scratching or chipping the finishes, unless solid metal.

Similar goes for Cross snap cap pens like Townsend and Pinnacle and whatever. I hope they are still around with parts in a few decades. Same for Parker Sonnets.

 

[Mark from Plano]

Newly arrived Pelikan M600 Souverän. Thanks guys. Purchased from nibs.com with a medium nib.

 

[clothingfun]

View attachment 1588115
Newly arrived Pelikan M600 Souverän. Thanks guys. Purchased from nibs.com with a medium nib.

Thanks for sharing and congrats! Thanks to everyone else as well for the information. I kind of accidentally found this thread and it’s been a very interesting read.

I can’t see myself ever owning a pen like this as I don’t really have a need for one and probably wouldn’t use it much. I just find it an interesting topic. Particularly that there are still aficionados of this type of thing.

Heck who knows, maybe someday I may give it try to see what the attraction is all about! Once again, “Mr. Plano,“ congratulations and enjoy.

 

[brokeassp]

Perfect timing. I just picked up a montblanc 146 with f nib. Want a sailor 1911 large next

 

[rollerkilt]

MfP, good to see cursive. Regular shaped bottle, or pen rest versions? Did they try to sell you a nib with added flexibility? Or are you going to try it for softness and see if you want line variation? For me F is as big as I should go with my cursive. Do you write big enough for a Pelikan M to be the thin/up strokes if it were modified to flex?

CF, do you use ballpoints or rollerballs? If you want more than hunting for refills other than M in blue or black, or liquid ink that doesn't mean throwing away a refill really often, fountain pens are the way to go. A cheap fountain pen that works will still have a better looking output than any ballpoint or rollerball or gel refill, and it doesn't matter how nice the pen body is, you still have to push down on it. If you don't want to put much money in, there are inexpensive ones, and they don't all look like they are for teenagers. If it's the convenience, Pilot makes retractables in the Vanishing Point / Capless line.

BA, what color, black and gold trim? If I ever get lucky with a find, I want a 149, because it's the big old fashioned black cucumber of a MB. But then Mozart 114 is my size. Still haven't gotten lucky on a Mozart. With most other brands, a small pen used would go inexpensive. And which color for Sailor?

 

[gomestar]

 

[brokeassp]

@rollerkilt yeah black with gold trim.

Not sure on the Sailor yet. The Wicked Witch of the East looks great. Kind of want a Pelikan M600 though after seeing the above post. lol