I think the video listing the best 5 inexpensive pens or China pens would be fun too.
Hi, Doug. Thanks for all your shows during 2023. I'm anticipating that '24 will contain some wonderful restorations. All the best to you and yours for '24 from The Wombats.
Wow, no x159 with a special nib from your other favorite nibmeister?
I own an E95S in burgundy, and another in black. The burgundy has a M nib and the black one has a F; I rarely use the black one, because I prefer the M nib. Both of those Pilots say "Elite" on the cap because I ordered them both directly from Japan, and that's what they are named over there.
What a wonderful selection of pens and a wonderful video. That Parker Vacumatic is stunning.
Thank you for giving me so much pleasure this year with both the pen reviews and the pen resurrections. Ive learned such a lot. Let us all have a penultimate 2024. 🥂🍾
Doug,
Love the intro. I totally agree with you on the Pelikan M800! There’s nothing else like it. It is superb. Thanks for all the great videos of ‘23. I am looking forward to all your videos of’24. Thanks for all the time, hard work and resources you expend in making these videos. The history lessons you often include about pens is a feature I hope you keep. Wishing you and yours a very prosperous and happy New Year! 🎆🎈
Thanks for sharing an intersting videos and reviews all over the 2023, Happiest new year
Thanks for all your videos. I rarely purchase a pen without checking your reviews!
In regards to the E95, if it didn’t even write I would keep it just so I could cap and uncap it repeatedly!!
One of the best top 5's that I have seen. Thank you for your honesty reviews. Looking forward to 2024.
Yours is a great list. I’m on vacation and away from most of my pens, so I’m sharing my list with some reservation: 5) Leonardo MZ Blue Hawaii, 4) Pilot CH 823, 3) Pilot CH 743, 2) Atelier Lusso Carina Hapalua, 1) Pelikan M805.
E95s...
I hope to get one someday somewhere somehow.
Happy upcoming year!
Thanks for all your videos. I see almost all of your videos. One of the best if not the best pen review channel on youtube. Also you have one of the best handwriting among many reviewers. Happy New Year.
And a list of truly great fountain pens it is. 😊 Happy holidays and an awesome 2024!
Great selection of pens! Love that Pelikan M800 - absolutely gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing!
Happy New Years to you and yours, I must agree about the Pelikan M800, they are simply sublime. I will note that this summer I was able to aquire a Pilot custom 823, talk about smooth but as you've noted about the finishing of pilot pens it simply doesn't have the same feel in hand as the Pelikan. Thanks for a wonderful year of entertaining videos, looking forward to 2024.
Thanks for all your very informative videos I have come to appreciate my meager fountain pen collection even more because of the content of your videos
Excellent selection Doug! Wishing you a Happy New Year and wishing you the best for 2024!
Happy new year sir. A lovely selection of pens. I agree - the M800 is superior in all ways (I have the blue and silver one! The E95 s is always superb. I have 3 of those. Very tempted by the leonardo pens … maybe I won’t bother now. I’ll save myself some money and wait until I can afford the Pilot Custom Urushi…. (Never at this rate!). HNY and thank you for the entertainment for the whole year
Such great taste in pens, Doug. I have an M800 in the same livery, but with a broad nib, that I picked up for an insanely good price a few years ago. After plucking up the courage to fix a minor tine misalignment issue, it has become one of my most favourite pens too. I'm hoping to get a Leonardo MZ in 2024 - your reviews of it have made it practically irresistible to me. 😁
Thanks for all the informative and so entertaining videos, have a great 2024 Doug!
Yeah, I do the same to my elite 95s ;-) I write also a lot with it
Well done sir. i hope you and your wife have a very safe and Happy New Year.
Cool list. FP resolutions? I’d have to think about that. Have a great new year.
Thanks for all your videos Doug. They are priceless. I have 4 or 5 M800s of all colors and love them. There is a reason why 4 or 5 of them. I also have a MB Le Grand. I rarely write with it. There is a reason for that too. The Stresemann is still on my list since it appeared. I would love to have a large Parker Vacumatic. They are gorgeous. Where can I find a very very clean one? I saw some on Ebay, Etsy and other places but I want a trusted source. Thanks for your help.
Follow seller tbickiii on eBay. He does perfect restorations and he sells about a dozen restored vintage pens a week.
👍👍 Wishing you and yours a Very Happy and Healthy New Year ... cheers! 🥂
Congrats on the 5 years!! I don't win anything but I'll give it a go! The first is the Jinhao X750.. and the favorite sounds like the Pelican M800. I'm a plastic pen lover myself, but I see the appeal!
That Vacumatic is absolutely gorgeous and I love the story behind it. I imagine the day I nurse a pen back to its prime that it'll become one of my favorite pens too.
I’m with you. Love both my M800 and my M1000. Bouncy!
I just got a 2003-2010 Pelikan M600 Broad in green striated. It is a NOS (new old stock). Never been inked.
The M800 is wonderful. I have the brown stripe version. It certainly ranks at the top of the pile.
I want to get a Parker 45. I just need to buy one. Swapping nibs seems to be a breeze.
I have considered the E95S or the 823 to get. Perhaps I will go for the former. Everyone raves about it. Maybe I will get a Medium nib. I never had a Medium from Pilot.
All the best to you and your family, Doug, for a fabulous New Year.
The Parker 45 is one of the greatest pens ever made and certainly one of the top designs from vintage Parker. They are inexpensive to obtain and easy to fix, clean, and swap nibs.
We have several of the same favorites! I recently FINALLY got a Parker Vacuumatic in azure blue pearl, the E95S was also my first gold nib pen & I love it! & not a Souveran m800, but recently got a vintage Pelikan 400nn which is a DREAM! Hoping to get a Leonardo in the upcoming year as well. You have been an awesome "penabler" this past year as I hurtled head long down the fountain pen rabbithole! All of my Pilot pens are in my "favorite pens" pen roll & my growing collection of vintage pens are favorites as well. I've also got quite a few inexpensive Chinese pens that are in that "favorite pens" case, mostly Hongdian at the moment. Such an awesome variety of options, there is literally something for everyone & a pen for every conceivable use. My only dilemma is trying to write with ALL of them! 🤣 🤣 🤣. Happy New Year to you & yours!
Great video. I remember when you got the Pelikan. I knew you would love it. I have a lot of what would be considered grail pens. But my Pelikan 800 brown tortoise with nib ground by John Mottishaw is still number 1. I’m with you Doug. Thanks for all the enjoyable videos. Happy New Year🎉
Wonderful stuff! Thank you for sharing your knowledge, opinions, and personality with us all. Happy writing and happy new year from Vancouver, BC
Wonderful top five list! I have the Pilot Elite (E95s) and the Pelikan m805, and share your enthusiasm for them. As to the Delta DV 2.0 Premium . . . one can dream. I "satisfy" myself with the same color combination on a Jinhao Centennial Frankenpen with a 14k nib. No comparison, of course!
Thanks for sharing this excellent list of exquisite pens, Doug!
Thanks for all the reviews you've produced and shared with love over the past few years. I wish you and your family a wonderful and healthy new year and look forward to watching and learning from your reviews in 2024.
Cheers!
A wonderful selection. Can't really fault your reasoning. Hope you had a great Christmas, and I wish you a Happy New Year!
What a fine line-up, from reformed vintage to the contemporary. In my 6 months of doing this hobby, mine would be: (5) My late father's Parker 180 (smoothed by Appelboom, great reverse writer of course); (4) seven Safari's and AL-stars with different nibs for writing practice; (3) Waterman Hemisphere I got for my birthday last year; (2) Asvine v126; (1) Kaweco Supra Black. Hopefully see you on-stream the 6th and in the meantime Happy New Year to you and yours.
Wonderful line up (as usual!) -- and inspirational. Every year as New Year's approaches, I think what I might put into rotation -- and one (or more) of my Parker Vacs rise to the list. I think you helped make my decision for me! For what it's worth, I went thru the "only one pen for life" exercise 1-2 months ago and my Pelikan M800 was tops on that list!
Great selection, Doug. I'm glad to see the Pilot E95S on the list. I believe , it was your review, that got me to purchase the pen, Thanks. KB
Nice surprise to see the E95S so high in the list of someone with such an astounding collection. It will be my first gold nib and I'm so excited for it to arrive.
You're so right about the sublime feel of the cap. I was between a lot of different pens but as soon as I felt that in action myself I knew I had to own one!
Happy New Year to you too, Doug. I've read/watched reviews saying that it's better to go down a nib size with the Pelikan but looking at your writing there, the medium looks medium to me (I was going to say the medium looks fine, no pun intended.)
Yes, and they are correct. Pelikans run thicker than normal. My medium Pelikan is just perfect running slightly thicker than medium but not as uncontrollable as a broad. They can be firehoses!
Happy new year everyone ✨🎉🧙🏻♂🥰
MB (149) - Black/Gold with ExtraFine nib
Pilot Capless - Black/Gold with Fine nib
Namiki Emperor - Black Urushi in FineMedium nib
Pilot custom 823 - Black with Fine nib
Montegrappa Extra Custom - Black charcoal with ExtraFine nib
Such a killer list Doug! I just got a Homo Sapiens Bronze age with a 23k medium Palladium Dreamtouch nib.... It's true what they say about the palladium nibs. If you get a good one it's one of the best nibs you'll ever have, when you get a bad one you never want another Visconti again haha I got one of the the good ones happy to say!! The Homo Sapiens is right up there with all of my Pelikans. Hope you and your family have a good new year!
I've only tried one HS and found it heavy, unbalanced, and the nib was a fire hose with baby's bottom. I'd like to try one that had a good nib.
@@InkquiringMinds I think you are correct when you said a medium is in your wheel house with the palladium. I don't know about Visconti 18k gold nibs. I only have steel, 14k on my Voyager 30, and this 23k Palladium. The pen to me is pretty damn perfect. I post mine. I think my hands are slightly larger than yours which is why it's more comfortable for me. The Palladium nib I have when writing normal is a bit more dry but not overly dry if that makes sense and when i put a little more pressure to her it gets a thicker wetter line. It's a great writer, one of the best nibs I have right now if not top 3 for sure. I also just got the Visconti Opera Gold in blue with a fine steel nib coming today. This has the same nib on the Mythos and is a double power filler. My Mythos medium is a beautiful writer, but at times is a tad bit too wet for normal use. I wouldn't of got it but it was 50% off so I couldn't pass it up... Too much of a steal for that. I got it for 40 dollars more than my Mythos.
@@williamcatalano1762Wow! Some great prices. I really like my Mythos. The nib is wet and smooth. It has some annoying baby's bottom that I just haven't gotten around to fixing yet. I DO wish the posted cap wouldn't rattle though.
@@InkquiringMinds I love my Mythos too even with the wetter nib. It's annoying the way it posts, but I'm willing to overlook that with how beautiful it is and how well it writes. I also am not fond of the converter in mine. It seems some ink has gotten past the piston ring into the back of the converter so that is a thing lol I haven't tried to take it completely apart yet nor do I know if you can. Also I was going to ask about the rod on my Visconti Voyager 30... It seems to need a bit of grease on it. What kind should I buy? Also I just got a Pineider Twin Tank Touchdown filler for 143 bucks from PenChalet. They have a blowout sale going I also coupled that with a Doodlebud10 coupon code for 10% off. It's the steel nib version and the darker blackish color.
@@williamcatalano1762 For lubrication I used silicone oil. You can get it on Amazon as "Treadmill Belt Lubricant (3 Pack)". For sealing against ink leakage I use silicone grease. You can find it as "silicone plumber's grease".
Nice video, as usual.
I have three Peiikans that I use regularly, M805 Stresemann, M800 Black, and M1000 Green. The M805 is the best of all. I just love all of them, if I had to keep just one, I'd keep the M805.
Fair enough- can’t argue with that. Have you seen Sebre Brown’s video of his personal collection?
I have! I'm not surprised at the SBRE Brown Leonardo. I've written with his. Nice pen.
Another great expose, Doug. As I learn more, the Pelikan M800, Leonardo MZ and e95s show up again and again. Now, I just need to improve my penmanship so such an investment does not go to waste. Happy New Year! I haven’t purchased a gold nib pen yet but almost pulled the trigger on the vanishing point konreki 2023 se (stunning red and flat black - to my eye) but converting $400.00USD to CAD plus shipping had me questioning too many of my life’s choices…
@@deandesrosiers6857 Also consider a Pilot Fermo. Better than a VP in my opinion.
@@MrAndrew1953 thx! I will check it out. (there goes my own budget for 2024 😉)
Thanks for your opinion on the M800. Sounds great. I've heard others say the nib on the M1000 is quite different and better. I gather that is not your experience?
The M1000 nib is VERY different from the M800. While the M1000 is a unique writing experience - very bouncy and big - I prefer my M800 medium.
👍🏼
Have you tried another Pelikan M800 to see if what you like abut it might be unique to yours?
No I haven't. I expect my Pelikan M800 is a fairly generic M800. I just acquired an M600 green stripe NOS the other day. Awesome broad 14k nib.
Boy! How many hands do you have? 😂🎉
Hey, I just want to know your best cheap fountain pen recommendations and their price. For now, Ill stick to the Jinhao x159 but, I would like to know your cheap pens recommendation
It isn't really cheap anymore, but the Pilot Explorer is my recommendation for the best starter fountain pen (with the Con70 converter).
Ok but at my home country, it costs a lot more. But is the Pilot Explorer a thin pen? And what is the smoothest pen you had. And what are cheap alternative fountain pens. Not looking for beginner pens
@@doin6 The Jinhao 9019 is the best, inexpensive, smooth writer out there at the moment.
@@InkquiringMinds Thanks but, I heard that its too thick. But does the Jinhao x159 have yhe same nib smoothness as the Jinhao 9019?
4:23 imagine launching an entirely new product line rather than admit the CON-40 is a bad design
What is that Ink again that you use at the start of your videos Please ???????
I Just took delivery of the J Herbin Kyanite du Nepal Doug and am In Love with it. I Have my my Esterbrook Estie Nouveau Bleu inked up and also My Laban 323 in Ocean. I is certainly my favourite ink alongside Iroshizuku Kon Peki and my Dark Cult Pens special Deep Dark Blue made by Diamine. 😃👍👍
@@chrismorley3074That's terrific, Chris! I'm down to less than 50% in my bottle now and I only use it in my Momento Zero Blue Hawaii!
I am not going to watch this today (Sat. Dec. 30, 2023). There is too much going on. So, I will wait to watch it tomorrow, Sun., Dec. 31, 2023, in my EST morning with a cup of coffee and a piece of toast. A fine way to begin the last day of 2023. Thanks for a year's worth of breakfast fun!
Hope you enjoy it!
Should really be a cup of English tea with toast!
Lucy Spraggen, Tea with Toast
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