Pen question, engraving

[East Bay Rider]

I know there are some pen afficianados here.
Someday I would like to buy a nice pen for my wife. I was wondering how the resin holds up to being engraved with her initials. She would use the pen daily.
My favorite store has ballpoint Cartier Diabolos for about $260-ish if I remember correctly but only black with gold with blue carbochon. Heck I'd like one but it doesn't look very lady-ish. Would you buy this pen for your wife or would you find something more feminine. My wife will probably like whatever I give her but I just thought I'd throw the question out there and see what feedback I get.
It is a classy looking pen for sure.

[vh_bu98]

I wouldn't engrave on the resin, unless that was the only option. The clip would be the better choice.

[Mrdi]

Ballpoint is bottom end.
Get her a nice fountain pen, gold nib and very nice writing
characteristics.
I carry a fountain pen daily and use it.
I find quite honestly it is more convenient than a ballpoint.
It will often break the ice as well.

[gmh1013]

Originally Posted by Mrdi

Ballpoint is bottom end.
Get her a nice fountain pen, gold nib and very nice writing
characteristics.
I carry a fountain pen daily and use it.
I find quite honestly it is more convenient than a ballpoint.
It will often break the ice as well.

Does ANYBODY use a pen anymore...without a PC and spellcheck
I would be lost....I dont even write checks anymore

[Mrdi]

Perhaps some of us are still required to sign several legal documents on a daily basis.
Many directives are attended to in a more efficient manner if presented on a personal level.

[East Bay Rider]

Never used a fountain pen before. Do they leak?
How does the refill process work?

[Mrdi]

A good fountain pen does not leak, is easy to refill in less than a minute
and is a fine tool to use.
My favorites are the Pelikan line, German in manufacture and simply elegant.
They come in various sizes to fit your hand comfortably.
They are also much cheaper to ink because you don't have to rely on having an extra cartidge, and you can fill it before it runs out of ink.
The Pelikan has an internal plunger system, insert the tip in the ink, you screw the top which operates the plunger , wipe the tip. A 30 second operation.
A small bottle of washable inks lasts a long time.

[Mort]

Fountain pens are wonderful. They write really nice, but they are not for everyone. They have to be used on a regular basis for them to write when you want them to,because ink dries up in the feed and clogs the pen.

I tell some of my customers that Roller balls sometimes make a better gift to some because they are very smooth, they leave a nice line like a fountain pen, but do not have the mess of inking it or cleaning it every so often.

Roller Balls also have the feel of a fountain pen because you have to post the cap they way you would with a fountain pen. On the other hand, that is why some people like ball Pens because they are one piece. You do not have to keep up with a cap. The only draw back on Ballpens is that true ball pen ink is not ink, but a paste. Still now days there are gel refills that will write like a rollerball that fit twist ball pens.

Still, fountain pens are beautiful, but for gifts it can be iffy if the person may or may not like using one.

BTW, Cartier pens are very nice pens. As I metioned in a post a few days ago to an inquiry about Cartier watches on TRF, Cartier has announced a price increase on september 1st. Not all the lines will go up but most of the staple lines will.

Best,
Mort

[oneillba]

I have been using a fountain pen since grade school. I am left handed and that presents some challenges as well, but I love them nonetheless. Currently, I am using my Mont Blanc. BTW, engrave her pen on the clip, not the body.

[DSJ]

We got my father-in-law a Visconti Opera rollerball for his 60th birthday. We had it engraved on the cap head - a classic design:
http://www.visconti.it/regular.html

I'd love to get the gray Wall Street at some point!

[Mort]

Originally Posted by oneillba

I have been using a fountain pen since grade school. I am left handed and that presents some challenges as well, but I love them nonetheless. Currently, I am using my Mont Blanc. BTW, engrave her pen on the clip, not the body.

Brian, you are not alone, I have many collectors that are south paws and use fountain pens. I do not know how you guys do it, but kudos. I guess you had good training as a child to hold the pen with out smearing ink as you write.

[Mort]

Originally Posted by DSJ

We got my father-in-law a Visconti Opera rollerball for his 60th birthday. We had it engraved on the cap head - a classic design:
http://www.visconti.it/regular.html

The Visconti is real cool. They come stock to be used with the my pen system. The Visconti insignia is actually magnetic so they make the letters to put in the cap. It is a neat item and real easy to put initails on the cap.

I love Visconti pens. They have some of the best designs and colors on the market.

[AJF]

Originally Posted by East Bay Rider

I know there are some pen afficianados here.
Someday I would like to buy a nice pen for my wife. I was wondering how the resin holds up to being engraved with her initials. She would use the pen daily.
My favorite store has ballpoint Cartier Diabolos for about $260-ish if I remember correctly but only black with gold with blue carbochon. Heck I'd like one but it doesn't look very lady-ish. Would you buy this pen for your wife or would you find something more feminine. My wife will probably like whatever I give her but I just thought I'd throw the question out there and see what feedback I get.
It is a classy looking pen for sure.

IMO the Italian Montegrappa Pens are the best on the planet. Check out their website. They offer limited editions in all gold or silver.

AJF

[DSJ]

Originally Posted by Mort

The Visconti is real cool. They come stock to be used with the my pen system. The Visconti insignia is actually magnetic so they make the letters to put in the cap. It is a neat item and real easy to put initails on the cap.

I love Visconti pens. They have some of the best designs and colors on the market.

I too am an unabashed fan of Visconti, it's a "PIS" (Pen Idiot Savant) writing implement!

[Mrdi]

I have Parkers, Mont Blancs and Pelikans.
All of these in 3 configurations, ball, roller ball and fountain.
I even have several fine pencils.
I find Mont Blanc to be heavy.
Parkers are OK!
Pelikans understated elegant German engineering.
Roller balls were a favorite for awhile, but at seven dollars a cartridge and limited access to refills it became expensive and bothersome.
A bottle of ink lasts me at least a year.
My Pelikan Fountain Pen spends the summer on my desk when I am off chasing trout
and it writes upon demand after being idle for an extended period of time.
Choose good ink, $8 for a bottle of Qwink, Parker ink.
Too clean a fountain pen, rarely, you just rinse it in warm water under the tap in
the kitchen sink.(Just like a Rolex)
Suck a little water in and out of the reservoir and you are back in business.
With a little forthought you need never run out of ink like you do
with a cartridge.
I was initially skeptical, my experience has quelled my skepticism.

[gmh1013]

Originally Posted by Mrdi

Perhaps some of us are still required to sign several legal documents on a daily basis.
Many directives are attended to in a more efficient manner if presented on a personal level.

Im retired!

[n9zez]

My wife works for my Mother/Step-Father as a graphic designer at the family owned Laser Engraving shop.

My local AD brings in thier Mont Blanc's to be engraved there. Mont Blanc pens (which I collect as well) are mostly all resin. Sometimes the name is put into the resin and sometimes people just want thier initials on the clip. Pretty much anything can be done with a laser.

If you are at all interested, PM me.

[rpryan55]

Bill, Mont Blanc has a series of special pens named for famous women and directly marketed for women. My wife uses the Greta Garbo ballpoint (very art deco) as her daily pen, but there are several others. They're pricey, but they are pens for a lifetime. The only problem is that some of them are so beautiful you wouldn't want to engrave them....

[mikey]

True, the $500-2000 Montblanc Pens are not the engravement type. Fountain pens take alot of practice. It can and will get messy during the learning process. I no longer write checks and rarely sign anything. The only Montblanc pen I own is a rollerball that stays unused in my briefcase. The ink will dry up and clog in a foutain pen if you only use it sparingly and not daily but you always need to screw the cap on after each use. FYI ANY fountain pen will dry up whether a $15 fountain pen to a $5000 fountain pen.