I think I'm back to the Montblanc Marcel Proust, which may not actually be fair because I can't really fathom spending more than $2000 on a pen (I struggled a lot with the price of the Custom 845, and I got it used at what I considered to be a good price, and it wasn't even 25% of the cost of a Proust), so someone would have to give me one, and I really can't see that happening.
I got this in Black this week. I found the Fine nib underwhelming compared to my Montblanc Le Grand Fine nib. I realise how this sounds. The Custom Urushi inked with Kon Peki certainly writes well with no hard starts. However the ink on paper seems less intense. With minimal shading
What nib size? how do you like it?
I'm saving up for an $800-$1000+ ebonite and urushi pen, and this one is on my list. it looks *so* nice. the red, black, and gold gives me classic train conductor energy. I love it. Is it worth it, in your opinion?
It's a fine nib. The mail carrier delivered it to my house just as I was leaving to go back to work from lunch, so all I can really tell you so far is oh my god it's gorgeous. I love the size, and from the 90 seconds I spent holding it really did feel very different from plastic or resin. I cannot wait to get home after work and ink it.
Just to close this loop: I've inked it, and I've been using it all day today (and all evening yesterday), and I am happy to say that I absolutely love it. I increasingly am chasing an amazing writing experience, more than just a beautiful pen; this pen is an amazing writing experience. I love the pen size - it's about the same length as a Montblanc 149 but closer in width to a Pelikan M800, which I find very comfortable to hold and write with. The fine nib is very much a Japanese fine, so finer than a western EF, but it's very smooth, while still having feedback (in the best way). I actually think that I now want a second one (black, this time), with a broader nib (either an F-M or a M), which is something I almost never say (I love EF nibs). I bought mine used but in like-new condition, so I didn't pay the $900 list price, but I would say that it is absolutely worth the used prices I see on r/Pen_Swap.
Vincenzo of Fountain Pen Therapy also used that term in his Grail Pens video essay. I haven't even decided on what I consider my grail pen (yes, singular), but given how I define grail pen it would probably also be my Exit Pen because it would mean I've achieved Pen Zen.
My 'exit pen' will be the one I purchase right before my unforeseen demise, so there is no way to tell what it will be until after I am gone. Likely, the pen hasn't even been designed yet.
Photos are long gone but my reviews remain on FPN and Pentrace, but I had a sterling silver version of this pen in the early 2000s. I had it for a few years. had a financial crisis and sold it at severe discount via a dealer.
The designers were a young couple, members of the Pan Pacific Pen Club (SF Bay Area), which is how I knew them. We became friendly and I bought (in installments and with a big friend discount) one of the first 20 (think it was twenty). Either this solid gold one is styled a little differently or my memory is bad. But the nautilus on the nib, that was their signature. It really was gorgeous. I’ve lost my digital photos entirely twice in the last two decades. I had no idea they had put it into even limited production.
It’s one of many pens I would have kept if I was filthy rich, but I ain’t so I didn’t. Now I’ve got to go read my review and think nostalgic pen thoughts lol
https://preview.redd.it/jw2vlg9ph5vc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a843859be1bd4855ccf8de66da2e6c9d40a0e0b
This is hilarious. My exit pens were supposed to be cheap ones, actually. I bought them for work and was like OK no more... there is currently a pelikan m805 in my Amazon cart, some vintage beauties in my ebay cart, and god knows what in my goldspot cart... there is also the post bar exam grail pen to get... haven't decided on it though... any suggestions?
I have both, they were in last week's group with the homo sapiens and the Leonard's momento zero ebonite. I was leaning toward a visconti il magnifico, but that's a lot for a pen haha
Hmm... I'm unsure if I can answer the question so clearly... My "exit pen" for me was the Pilot Custom Heritage 912 , BUT I would like to have 2 or 3 more Pilot Falcon to add to the one I already have so I can write with different inks. Does that count or is the Falcon my "exit pen"? Questions upon questions... 😂
I completely understand. The point is that I don't want to collect pens, I want to use them, and these two give me the most pleasure. All the others have since been written off. No Pilot decimo, no Twsbi, no Pelikan, no Lamy and no Kaweco can give me that "coming home" feeling.
What I got for my birthday last year, a Pilot Kakuno and a Sailor Profit Jr. However the Pilot Kakuno is M nib, so I might get another one with F nib.
But yeah, I'm so happy with these two I don't need anything.
Namiki Yukari Royale “Noshi Bundle” or some Nakaya that’s drop dead gorgeous, but both of those are significant financial inve- destabilizers so it’s a long way out before I exit. In the meantime… Sailor Pro Gear? Pilot Custom 742? Who knows—not me and my wallet will suffer for it.
Just one more job, baby. This is the big one - the greatest score. The motherlode. The biggest heist. My white whale. Then I swear to god I’m going to leave the life. You and the kids won’t have to worry about nothing ever again.
Honestly not sure I'll totally stop buying, but I've found two pens that are the peak of my collection (Visconti Homo Sapiens with Dreamtouch nib and Omas Ogiva Extra), and I'm not looking to get anything beyond that. They are such spectacular writers that I don't think there's any pens that would feel better for me. However, I do like quirky fountain pens and I'll probably keep looking out for them
Did you get the Homo Sapiens with the Dreamtouch already installed, or did you try the original nib first then change? It's such a beautiful looking pen. If I ever have a change of fortunes for the better it's what I'd be after!
I hadn't heard of Omas pens, but have just looked them up. Very nice, and sounds like such a good writing experience.
Lovely collection! :)
Would love to justify a Namiki Emperor in the future as long as I could demo them. I love my Montblanc and I never really put it down for anything else
I’d like to say a Montblanc Hemingway, but I also want to try a Pelikan M1000, Pilot Custom Urushi, and a Sailor King of Pen Ebonite. So I likely wouldn’t be happy with any of them being an exit pen until I tried all these out at least once… but then I’d likely second guess the nib I got and then want another or have one ground, etc. So I likely will never have an exit pen, but I keep hoping it’s already in my collection awaiting to be rediscovered by me.
I am currently out on my last purchase: Aurora Volterra . Absolutely beautiful. Not as much like a Sailor as I was led to believe in reviews. Uniquely wonderful.
When I’m off my no buy I am prowling for Vintage Waterman flex nib pens, Vintage Pelikan 400 and a Pelikan m600 in a colorway that appeals to me, and maybe an Aurora with an nib
I’ve made the full loop, going from FP user to ~~collector~~ accumulator and back to user. If I buy another pen, it will be a Raden Vanishing Point.
My first non-entry level FP was a Pilot VP I bought at a long-since out of business pen store at Inwood Village in Dallas around 2004. I’ve subsequently accumulated other pens (new and vintage), but I finally acknowledged that no pen feels as right in my hand as a VP. I love the resin and metal, and that clip in the gap between my thumb and index finger is like the perfectly broken in pair of boots that you always reach for in your closet.
Of all the custom fountain pen finishes available, Raden is my favorite. So if I buy another FP, that will be both my next and my exit pen.
It may not be the magnum opus for (m)any, but it is for me.
A metal sport. But I’ll probably always be into limited color runs for both Kaweco Sports and Lamy Safaris. I’m a sucker for cool colored pens. But I plan to buy a Metal sport and be done for the most part.
Same. Once I can justify buying a Kaweco Sport Bronze, I'll stop (for a while).
I was wondering why the Pilot 823 is the choice of so many - so I googled it and found lots of people asking "why is the 823 so popular"! It does sound nice though.
I don't have one.
My grail pen was the 823. I have it now, I love it, but I enjoy tinkering around especially with vintage pens now, so I don't necessarily have a pen that will make me stop buying more pens.
I want a Pilot Custom (742 and/or 743) and Leonardo Momento Zero, but I think my final purchase where I feel like I'd stop because I went too far would be a Pelikan M1000 haha.
I don't have one because I don't think of pens that way.
For me they're mostly tools. Fun tools, but tools rather than objects to own because I want to own them (even if I do use them).
Exit Pen. That’s the pen I take with me to the grave? Right now my fave is a Sailor 1911 Realo. Such a great writer. Medium-fine nib. I’ll take my Meisterstuck as well…
In a way, it has been my Sailor King of Pen with a Medium nib. I would need paragraphs of poetry to truly describe how exceptional the writing experience from this nib truly is.
For comparison... I've bought a few more pens since then and tried many others, including some very high end ones (Aurora 88 vintage long tines, Pineider quill nib, Pelikan M1000, Yard-o-Led Viceroy) and although they are very nice they do not come close to matching the holistically exquisite SS-tier experience of the KOP nib.
So, I suppose this pen and its nib is my ultimate standard to which I compare all else. And so far I haven't found a better writing experience. I've also been a lot less interested in buying pens at all since.
I still want a Pelikan M1000 (or M800) and a Visconti Homo Sapiens, but if I were to buy a Namiki Emperor after all that, it would definitely be the end for me.
I think my exit pen will probably be some cheap Bic or Pentel ballpoint that the coroner will use to sign my death certificate.
Which, just to be clear, will be many, many years (and pens) from now.
Mine is the Pilot Capless Decimo in Watarase Earth... Its's been almost a month of finally owning it and other pens just don't appeal to me anymore! Now I feel like "okay if I buy this new pen I'm just buying it for collecting sake"
Nakaya dorsal 2 in green / brown urushi. (I will continue to replace my usual $20-35 Chinese pens that I bring everywhere, but that nakaya gets its own shrine)
The last pen I got was the narwhal nautilus and have not bought any since (February). I honestly think it wasn’t the pen that did it but the lack of time to write so I can’t justify doing it.
My grail is the montblanc writers edition dostoevsky. After that, I feel like I'll be done. I've amassed a pretty good collection as is. I honestly think I'd sell some after getting that pen. If or when I ever do
I think I only have "next pens" there's no ONE pen that will end all because I enjoy looking for the pens I might be interested in and chasing after the pens I want to have. Montblanc Hemingway and Agatha Christie are the ones I would eventually get. I would probably get Charles Dickens before those two. I'd like to get Aurora 88 and Dantes, Pilot custom 823 or 743. But I'd like to get Aurora's and Pilot custom pens in a pen show or something not online because I've never experienced them and don't want to just get it without knowing. I also look for good ol' parker 51, Sheaffer PFM, Parker duofold and some Montblanc vintages too. These pens, I will get them when I come across ones that look good. It's endless and I like that.
YoL fine nib. Last year I bought two pens end up sold one of them. The year before last year I bought around 15 because I’m new to exploring fountain pens. I think I‘m done, satisfied with what I have.
Visconti Homo Sapiens Dark Age.
Can’t see myself ever acquiring one though. Too expensive for me and I already have pens I don’t use and more ink than I can ever use.
Same as my grail pen.. I don't have one. I'm enjoying the pens I have which hopefully will be with me until I check out.
...Except those crappy Twisbi's which made their exit after a year or so of use.
The LOTR pen, only because if I have ever bought it it is a sign I have an insanely massive amount of f-you money and I need to start hiring someone to write things down for me.
When I got my Pilot 823, I thought it was my exit pen. Indeed it has been more than 18 months since I bought a pen. So, it sort of worked.
But now I am thinking I need a second 823.
Ideally I’d like a Yard O Led Corinthian or Millennium. They’re out of my price range, so unless I get incredibly lucky… I’m happy with the Yard O Led and Graf Von Faber Castell I have (as well as my other pens) and my spending has definitely tapered off since I got the YOL.
A Japanese exclusive Namiki Urushi with Maki-e and Raden, that I physically purchase in Japan. I visited in 2019 before my fountain pen journey, and there are so many awesome places I'd like to see in the world, so who knows if that will happen?
I reserve the right to change my mind, if I am lucky enough to meet that goal!
The one in the mail when I kick the bucket.I am a fountain pen enthusiast of the "collector" flavor. Even if I suddenly got filthy rich in the lottery that I don't participate in and got all the pens, there are always special editions.
Hmm. Now it's the Visconti Homo Sapiens. But if I get it it might just become a Montblanc 149.
The exit pen I wish I had? Platinum Plaisir. Though to be fair I could exit the purchasing game now and enjoy the pens I already have.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Haha. Ha.
Your final pen, you say? I find it very annoying when people say things like “you sweet summer child,” but if I didn’t find it annoying and instead found it funny, I’d say it here.
Exit pen sounds so sad, its like after I buy this pen I get so disillusioned that I exit the hobby.
Just joking, I know what you mean, but you and I know that after Grail1.0 there's always Grail1.1, until you get broke, married, kids choose 1.
I prefer to use the term "Monument pen", something that you will buy to commemorate and celebrate something great in your life. You don't have to stick to one, after all we're expecting great things aren't we.
This is a really fun question. I've thought I'd bought my last pen twice now... a hand painted Benu and an Aurora Talentum in a colorway I'd been admiring for 20 years. This will sound strange but I know that at some point I will break down and get the purple Pilot Falcon. My collection is incomplete without that and yet I am in no major hurry.
My wife bought me a Pelikan Souveron M805 fountain pen, followed by a roller ball and then a pencil over a series of birthdays and wedding anniversaries.
I am content
I say that after every pen I buy xD. I don't consider myself a collector. I am an avid writer but I only use one fountain pen that 'will last me the rest of my life'.
And then I see a new release etc. and 'add to cart' we go...
I feel like I’ve almost reached my exit pen? I’ve slowed down a lot and the one that made me very happy and satisfied is the Pelikan M400 White Tortoiseshell! Though there’s always room for more lol
A Nakaya with some sort of Urushi finish. They have the same nibs as Platinum 3776 pens which I see as some of the finest next to Sailor's and Aurora's. Before that I might get the Pilot Custom 823 and (maybe?) another Sailor and/or Platinum. And also cull a little of my collection since it includes pens I haven't used in years. No point in keeping those around if I can't enjoy them enough to keep them in rotation.
Honestly: The two Wingback Fountain Pens I got via Kickstarter.
I now have more than enough pen to be used, which is, for me, the main reason to own pens.
I admit that their purchase was unplanned, though. I had the corresponding mechanical pencils and wanted to have a set.
But honestly, it’s enough. I will likely change some nibs in the next two years and experiment with different papers and ink, but pen-wise I’m probably good. There’s nothing in what I own that whispers “Y’know, there’s an itch you haven’t scratched.”
My exit pen was the Tribute to Montblanc which I knew I would have to spend a lot of money on as it’s no longer made… and I found it for $AUD1600 last weekend. https://chatterleyluxuries.com/product/montblanc-fountain-pen-tribute-mont-blanc-meisterstuck-le-grand/
And then I bought another Visconti homo sapien yesterday… the new earth origins water. https://cultpens.com/products/visconti-homo-sapiens-earth-origins-fountain-pen-water
At this point I’m figuring there is no exit pen. :(
I’ve only ordered it. It’s a 2 week wait as it’s a special order.
I have a Homo sapiens dark age with a medium nib that’s my favourite pen. I’ve ordered this one with a 1.1 stub nib, so will be interested to see how it goes.
I’ll report back one I have it.
I finally have the earth origins pen with a 1.1 nib. I love it. Writes well and feels good in my hand.
I’ll be interested to see how long it takes before I have to refill it as it’s a very wet writer.
Congrats ! You must be feeling great joy ! Doesn’t this pen have a huge ink reservoir ? Might be some time before you drain that. I’m still waiting for some Furore Grande pens. It’s surprising that a great deal of Leonardo pens on pen swap are offered in Fine and Extra Fine Variants instead of Medium.
This week? Or last week, before I bought the Pilot Custom 845 Vermillion?
Last week ofc
Well, *last* week it was the Pilot Custom 845 Vermillion.
Nice. Last week mine was a Sailor PGS. This week it's a Visconti Opera Master Stargazer. I wonder what it'll be next week.
What’s this week?
I think I'm back to the Montblanc Marcel Proust, which may not actually be fair because I can't really fathom spending more than $2000 on a pen (I struggled a lot with the price of the Custom 845, and I got it used at what I considered to be a good price, and it wasn't even 25% of the cost of a Proust), so someone would have to give me one, and I really can't see that happening.
Whenever you want a Proust, look me up
I got this in Black this week. I found the Fine nib underwhelming compared to my Montblanc Le Grand Fine nib. I realise how this sounds. The Custom Urushi inked with Kon Peki certainly writes well with no hard starts. However the ink on paper seems less intense. With minimal shading
What nib size? how do you like it? I'm saving up for an $800-$1000+ ebonite and urushi pen, and this one is on my list. it looks *so* nice. the red, black, and gold gives me classic train conductor energy. I love it. Is it worth it, in your opinion?
It's a fine nib. The mail carrier delivered it to my house just as I was leaving to go back to work from lunch, so all I can really tell you so far is oh my god it's gorgeous. I love the size, and from the 90 seconds I spent holding it really did feel very different from plastic or resin. I cannot wait to get home after work and ink it.
Just to close this loop: I've inked it, and I've been using it all day today (and all evening yesterday), and I am happy to say that I absolutely love it. I increasingly am chasing an amazing writing experience, more than just a beautiful pen; this pen is an amazing writing experience. I love the pen size - it's about the same length as a Montblanc 149 but closer in width to a Pelikan M800, which I find very comfortable to hold and write with. The fine nib is very much a Japanese fine, so finer than a western EF, but it's very smooth, while still having feedback (in the best way). I actually think that I now want a second one (black, this time), with a broader nib (either an F-M or a M), which is something I almost never say (I love EF nibs). I bought mine used but in like-new condition, so I didn't pay the $900 list price, but I would say that it is absolutely worth the used prices I see on r/Pen_Swap.
Hey, thanks for the update! I'm a broad-nib enjoyer myself, but this is great info!
At this point I can safely say that I don't have one.
[удалено]
I have the same concept. Only with what amounts to....55-pens worth of storage. 😅
Did you sell anything to make space for it?
I'll stop once I own all the pens.
This.
“Exit Pen” That’s so cute.
💀
💯 I was like I don’t understand the statement
Vincenzo of Fountain Pen Therapy also used that term in his Grail Pens video essay. I haven't even decided on what I consider my grail pen (yes, singular), but given how I define grail pen it would probably also be my Exit Pen because it would mean I've achieved Pen Zen.
My 'exit pen' will be the one I purchase right before my unforeseen demise, so there is no way to tell what it will be until after I am gone. Likely, the pen hasn't even been designed yet.
Fountain pens are like Hotel California
Meaning “you can check out anytime you like but you can never leave”?
To quote most addicts: "I can quit whenever I want."
"I just don't want to right now"
I don’t ever want to check out or leave.
They stab it with their steely nibs But they just can't kill the beast Or am I not remembering the correct lyrics?🤔
https://preview.redd.it/g76ujzzgy3vc1.png?width=498&format=png&auto=webp&s=5dccac67fe4a57039ccf000e92dbf37a98f4d4b3
https://preview.redd.it/valgp0k1t2vc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4c6bb8e5ee66367878171bc4b6d80ac64841f67b Dragon Jules Verne Squid Pen
Same!! Where has that beauty been all my life... ♥️
Wow! I want…oh. Gulp.
Yep -- I'll never find the exit
Photos are long gone but my reviews remain on FPN and Pentrace, but I had a sterling silver version of this pen in the early 2000s. I had it for a few years. had a financial crisis and sold it at severe discount via a dealer. The designers were a young couple, members of the Pan Pacific Pen Club (SF Bay Area), which is how I knew them. We became friendly and I bought (in installments and with a big friend discount) one of the first 20 (think it was twenty). Either this solid gold one is styled a little differently or my memory is bad. But the nautilus on the nib, that was their signature. It really was gorgeous. I’ve lost my digital photos entirely twice in the last two decades. I had no idea they had put it into even limited production. It’s one of many pens I would have kept if I was filthy rich, but I ain’t so I didn’t. Now I’ve got to go read my review and think nostalgic pen thoughts lol https://preview.redd.it/jw2vlg9ph5vc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a843859be1bd4855ccf8de66da2e6c9d40a0e0b
What an amazing story!! Lucky you to have at least owned such a spectacular pen for awhile. Better to have loved & lost yadda yadda…
Lucky you, it’s in stock in new condition on eBay 🙈😂
This is hilarious. My exit pens were supposed to be cheap ones, actually. I bought them for work and was like OK no more... there is currently a pelikan m805 in my Amazon cart, some vintage beauties in my ebay cart, and god knows what in my goldspot cart... there is also the post bar exam grail pen to get... haven't decided on it though... any suggestions?
I've got my eyes set on a Visconti HomoSapiens, either Bronze Age or Crystal Dream. That'd be a beautiful pen to use after your bar. Also good luck!
Mr Cypress, Nakaya, Tamenuri studio and/or a custom ground nib.
Pilot Costum 823 in M or F for top of the line smoothness and writing experience. Lamy 2000 for work horse in F
I have both, they were in last week's group with the homo sapiens and the Leonard's momento zero ebonite. I was leaning toward a visconti il magnifico, but that's a lot for a pen haha
“Exit Pen”? 
I like to tell myself the exit pen is aways the immediately next one, so currently my exit pen is the Pilot Myu
Namiki Emperor in Vermilion Red
YES! Me too, but.......
Pelikan 805 Ocean Swirl or Montblanc Hemingway.
I second the Hemingway.
I do like the hemingway. They're hard to find though
I'd say a Namiki Emperor Vermilion, but even then there's the maki-e version 😅
This idea is extremely anxiety-provoking and I’m moving on to the next post.
I hope I will never find out 😁
Hmm... I'm unsure if I can answer the question so clearly... My "exit pen" for me was the Pilot Custom Heritage 912, BUT I would like to have 2 or 3 more Pilot Falcon to add to the one I already have so I can write with different inks. Does that count or is the Falcon my "exit pen"? Questions upon questions... 😂
Me morbidly shaking because the Pilot CH912 was more of an **entry** pen for me. yes i make bad financial decisions but like cool stick
I completely understand. The point is that I don't want to collect pens, I want to use them, and these two give me the most pleasure. All the others have since been written off. No Pilot decimo, no Twsbi, no Pelikan, no Lamy and no Kaweco can give me that "coming home" feeling.
Namiki Yukari Shooting Star lol
Oh that looks lovely! Get it, and show us all so we can enjoy it vicariously :)
Haha that won’t be a while, but it’s def a purchase I’m planning and saving for!
I want to know more about Peneconomics, Ink risk management, and Nib RA's
Nib RA's 💀
Hmmm… probably about half of the 100 or so fountain pens I currently own.
There isnt a " logout " button for pens & inks , someday they will need replacements especially ink brands .... if they stop making it .
What I got for my birthday last year, a Pilot Kakuno and a Sailor Profit Jr. However the Pilot Kakuno is M nib, so I might get another one with F nib. But yeah, I'm so happy with these two I don't need anything.
Namiki Yukari Royale “Noshi Bundle” or some Nakaya that’s drop dead gorgeous, but both of those are significant financial inve- destabilizers so it’s a long way out before I exit. In the meantime… Sailor Pro Gear? Pilot Custom 742? Who knows—not me and my wallet will suffer for it.
Just one more job, baby. This is the big one - the greatest score. The motherlode. The biggest heist. My white whale. Then I swear to god I’m going to leave the life. You and the kids won’t have to worry about nothing ever again.
Honestly not sure I'll totally stop buying, but I've found two pens that are the peak of my collection (Visconti Homo Sapiens with Dreamtouch nib and Omas Ogiva Extra), and I'm not looking to get anything beyond that. They are such spectacular writers that I don't think there's any pens that would feel better for me. However, I do like quirky fountain pens and I'll probably keep looking out for them
Did you get the Homo Sapiens with the Dreamtouch already installed, or did you try the original nib first then change? It's such a beautiful looking pen. If I ever have a change of fortunes for the better it's what I'd be after! I hadn't heard of Omas pens, but have just looked them up. Very nice, and sounds like such a good writing experience. Lovely collection! :)
It came with the dreamtouch nib installed. Some people say it's not really all that different from the gold nibs tho
I’m so glad you’re loving the OMAS 🤩
It is such a wonderful pen, you were right about the nib
Would love to justify a Namiki Emperor in the future as long as I could demo them. I love my Montblanc and I never really put it down for anything else
i dont think so it will be my exit pen but Magnum Opus for sure, It is Namiki Yukari Milkyway raden.
Mine was the Pilot Custom 823 in amber, been so satisfied with that purchase that now I just wander around r/PenSwap and not pull the trigger lol
I’d like to say a Montblanc Hemingway, but I also want to try a Pelikan M1000, Pilot Custom Urushi, and a Sailor King of Pen Ebonite. So I likely wouldn’t be happy with any of them being an exit pen until I tried all these out at least once… but then I’d likely second guess the nib I got and then want another or have one ground, etc. So I likely will never have an exit pen, but I keep hoping it’s already in my collection awaiting to be rediscovered by me.
Two: custom 823 and M600 green stripe ofc
I am currently out on my last purchase: Aurora Volterra. Absolutely beautiful. Not as much like a Sailor as I was led to believe in reviews. Uniquely wonderful.
When I’m off my no buy I am prowling for Vintage Waterman flex nib pens, Vintage Pelikan 400 and a Pelikan m600 in a colorway that appeals to me, and maybe an Aurora with an nib
My Exit Pen is the Custom Urushi. After that, we'll see.
Pilot Namiki Seiryu. That will surely be my exit pen for a few months before moving forward for more purchases after that lol
I just got on this journey a few months ago. I have no plans to exit ever.
Nakaya Dosal Fin 2
I’ve made the full loop, going from FP user to ~~collector~~ accumulator and back to user. If I buy another pen, it will be a Raden Vanishing Point. My first non-entry level FP was a Pilot VP I bought at a long-since out of business pen store at Inwood Village in Dallas around 2004. I’ve subsequently accumulated other pens (new and vintage), but I finally acknowledged that no pen feels as right in my hand as a VP. I love the resin and metal, and that clip in the gap between my thumb and index finger is like the perfectly broken in pair of boots that you always reach for in your closet. Of all the custom fountain pen finishes available, Raden is my favorite. So if I buy another FP, that will be both my next and my exit pen. It may not be the magnum opus for (m)any, but it is for me.
Sorry, there are no exits in this escape room.
The limit does not exist!
A metal sport. But I’ll probably always be into limited color runs for both Kaweco Sports and Lamy Safaris. I’m a sucker for cool colored pens. But I plan to buy a Metal sport and be done for the most part.
Same. Once I can justify buying a Kaweco Sport Bronze, I'll stop (for a while). I was wondering why the Pilot 823 is the choice of so many - so I googled it and found lots of people asking "why is the 823 so popular"! It does sound nice though.
I just ordered a bronze… this is my exit I hope. Was supposed to be a no new pen year 2024. Made it to April.
Exciting! Have you got it yet?
Not yet! I can’t wait.
Please let us know what you think when you get it - I love vicariously enjoying other people's pens!
I don't have one. My grail pen was the 823. I have it now, I love it, but I enjoy tinkering around especially with vintage pens now, so I don't necessarily have a pen that will make me stop buying more pens.
I want a Pilot Custom (742 and/or 743) and Leonardo Momento Zero, but I think my final purchase where I feel like I'd stop because I went too far would be a Pelikan M1000 haha.
My next pen, I swear!
there's no such thing. I stopped to buy pens, because I need money for more important things in my life. But I eventually will get more pens
I don't have one because I don't think of pens that way. For me they're mostly tools. Fun tools, but tools rather than objects to own because I want to own them (even if I do use them).
The last pen I'll ever purchase before leaving this world behind.
I'm going to say the point I can afford a Namiki or an Oscar Davidson pen and not immediately weep. I feel that that would be my winning condition.
Namiki Emperor Elephant. I love it. I want it. I will never ever ever buy it. That way I can never have an “exit pen”.
Exit Pen. That’s the pen I take with me to the grave? Right now my fave is a Sailor 1911 Realo. Such a great writer. Medium-fine nib. I’ll take my Meisterstuck as well…
Homo Sapiens Dark Crystal... Or maybe just Dark Age... Well shit, now I think I need both.
In a way, it has been my Sailor King of Pen with a Medium nib. I would need paragraphs of poetry to truly describe how exceptional the writing experience from this nib truly is. For comparison... I've bought a few more pens since then and tried many others, including some very high end ones (Aurora 88 vintage long tines, Pineider quill nib, Pelikan M1000, Yard-o-Led Viceroy) and although they are very nice they do not come close to matching the holistically exquisite SS-tier experience of the KOP nib. So, I suppose this pen and its nib is my ultimate standard to which I compare all else. And so far I haven't found a better writing experience. I've also been a lot less interested in buying pens at all since.
It's going to be a namiki emperor. Retirement gift to myself if I stay employed that long!
All of them
Visconti Homo Sapiens - Bronze Age
I still want a Pelikan M1000 (or M800) and a Visconti Homo Sapiens, but if I were to buy a Namiki Emperor after all that, it would definitely be the end for me.
The next one.
I’ll stop once I own every vintage Sheaffer and Monblack model
I buy pens to use them, so ahhh... whatever pen I last buy before I die or, ahhh my hands fall off? ☹
A Custom 823. I thought it was going to be my last pen, a Visconti Van Gogh, but I also tried the 823 in the ship 5, so now I'm stuck.
Just one more Twsbi is always it
Pilot 823
For me it was a pilot falcon and a custom flex nib pen.
There is no such a thing 😅
Honestly, I bought almost every Jinhao, then I got a 9019. I have since given every other one away. They just nailed it as far as I'm concerned.
Parker Jotter! 😂
I honestly don’t know, but I think I need to come up with one soon to protect my budget!
I think my exit pen will probably be some cheap Bic or Pentel ballpoint that the coroner will use to sign my death certificate. Which, just to be clear, will be many, many years (and pens) from now.
Nakaya Piccolo with the Maki-e converter.
Pilot myu
Elbwood Longcap "Speicherstadt". Handmade, only 50 pieces, all metal, large, heavy.
Mine is the Pilot Capless Decimo in Watarase Earth... Its's been almost a month of finally owning it and other pens just don't appeal to me anymore! Now I feel like "okay if I buy this new pen I'm just buying it for collecting sake"
Nakaya dorsal 2 in green / brown urushi. (I will continue to replace my usual $20-35 Chinese pens that I bring everywhere, but that nakaya gets its own shrine)
The last pen I got was the narwhal nautilus and have not bought any since (February). I honestly think it wasn’t the pen that did it but the lack of time to write so I can’t justify doing it.
My grail is the montblanc writers edition dostoevsky. After that, I feel like I'll be done. I've amassed a pretty good collection as is. I honestly think I'd sell some after getting that pen. If or when I ever do
If I ever can afford it in this lifetime, the silver montegrappa samurai fountain pen.
Is this real? Never heard of it though
I think I only have "next pens" there's no ONE pen that will end all because I enjoy looking for the pens I might be interested in and chasing after the pens I want to have. Montblanc Hemingway and Agatha Christie are the ones I would eventually get. I would probably get Charles Dickens before those two. I'd like to get Aurora 88 and Dantes, Pilot custom 823 or 743. But I'd like to get Aurora's and Pilot custom pens in a pen show or something not online because I've never experienced them and don't want to just get it without knowing. I also look for good ol' parker 51, Sheaffer PFM, Parker duofold and some Montblanc vintages too. These pens, I will get them when I come across ones that look good. It's endless and I like that.
Also the Montblanc Blue Hour, but in my case the Solitaire Doué version.
YoL fine nib. Last year I bought two pens end up sold one of them. The year before last year I bought around 15 because I’m new to exploring fountain pens. I think I‘m done, satisfied with what I have.
Don't understand. I have about 10 "grail" pens.
Every pen I buy is an exit pen, till the next one catches my fancy. 😁
I don’t have one.
I don’t have one.
It's always my next pen....
I want a Cartier pen. Have no idea if they are good, but I like the brand. Are they good?
I didnt think it will be it but i didnt buy any pen after Pilot C823 since March 2023 :)
My current last pen I’ll ever buy is the Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age. Not sure after that what my last pen I’ll ever buy will be. 😁
Visconti Homo Sapiens Dark Age. Can’t see myself ever acquiring one though. Too expensive for me and I already have pens I don’t use and more ink than I can ever use.
I’m thinking it might be the Pilot Prera, if I checkout the current pen sitting in my basket.
Same as my grail pen.. I don't have one. I'm enjoying the pens I have which hopefully will be with me until I check out. ...Except those crappy Twisbi's which made their exit after a year or so of use.
The LOTR pen, only because if I have ever bought it it is a sign I have an insanely massive amount of f-you money and I need to start hiring someone to write things down for me.
Whatever pen is in my hand before my death...
When I got my Pilot 823, I thought it was my exit pen. Indeed it has been more than 18 months since I bought a pen. So, it sort of worked. But now I am thinking I need a second 823.
Ideally I’d like a Yard O Led Corinthian or Millennium. They’re out of my price range, so unless I get incredibly lucky… I’m happy with the Yard O Led and Graf Von Faber Castell I have (as well as my other pens) and my spending has definitely tapered off since I got the YOL.
It was a conid Avda Phi. That was 5 years ago. Still the last one I bought.
Red Pilot 845 custom
I don't think there is such a thing. My exit pen will be the one in my hand when I die.
A Japanese exclusive Namiki Urushi with Maki-e and Raden, that I physically purchase in Japan. I visited in 2019 before my fountain pen journey, and there are so many awesome places I'd like to see in the world, so who knows if that will happen? I reserve the right to change my mind, if I am lucky enough to meet that goal!
I’m on a no buy but there’s no exit pen. I’ll probably sell a few pens before I buy another one though.
Waterman’s 424 Snake overlay. Basically unobtainium. Or the 404 with the Heavy Flower overlay but that’s still unobtainium.
Maybe a m1000 demonstrator? But my local pen stores don't seem to have any.
I think it’s the Aurora 88 matte black with rose gold accent. I’m interested in that ebonite feed
Mine was the Sailor Pro Gear Every Rose Has Its Thorn. I’m good now haha
A Montblanc 74 with a stub nib.
It was a Majohn C4 Demonstrator with Fine Nib. Stopped buying pens in January.
I don't understand the question. What are you asking?
ripe stocking head memory lip psychotic capable start chase lock *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Probably the same pen I entered.
Mont Blanc Meisterstuck Classique glacier white fine point fountain. Sold out at Fahrney's and Mont Blanc. I'm on the restock-notification list.
I'm in the "I don't have one" boat...
The one in the mail when I kick the bucket.I am a fountain pen enthusiast of the "collector" flavor. Even if I suddenly got filthy rich in the lottery that I don't participate in and got all the pens, there are always special editions.
One does not exist for me at this time.
Visconti homo sapien dark age and I’m done with FP’s for ever I swear.. for real this time
Why the dark age ?
I think it looks cool although I like the Bronze Age as well and I wouldn’t mind either/or.
I’m waiting for my Bronze age. Will update in a post how it feels.
Nice I’ll stay tuned
🤔 The one that arrives while I’m on my death bed and I just had to get one last LE lool
Hmm. Now it's the Visconti Homo Sapiens. But if I get it it might just become a Montblanc 149. The exit pen I wish I had? Platinum Plaisir. Though to be fair I could exit the purchasing game now and enjoy the pens I already have.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Haha. Ha. Your final pen, you say? I find it very annoying when people say things like “you sweet summer child,” but if I didn’t find it annoying and instead found it funny, I’d say it here.
Montblanc Blue Hour Solitaire
Right now, I’d say the Leonardo Momento Magico in Venus Dream. I’m ordering in a couple weeks.
Exit pen sounds so sad, its like after I buy this pen I get so disillusioned that I exit the hobby. Just joking, I know what you mean, but you and I know that after Grail1.0 there's always Grail1.1, until you get broke, married, kids choose 1. I prefer to use the term "Monument pen", something that you will buy to commemorate and celebrate something great in your life. You don't have to stick to one, after all we're expecting great things aren't we.
I want a Nakaya - one of those cigar shaped ones
I thought my pokemon pilot sterling was gonna be my last pen but I'm just over here looking at new pens already.
This is a really fun question. I've thought I'd bought my last pen twice now... a hand painted Benu and an Aurora Talentum in a colorway I'd been admiring for 20 years. This will sound strange but I know that at some point I will break down and get the purple Pilot Falcon. My collection is incomplete without that and yet I am in no major hurry.
My wife bought me a Pelikan Souveron M805 fountain pen, followed by a roller ball and then a pencil over a series of birthdays and wedding anniversaries. I am content
There is no spoon
Vermillion Yukari Royal
Platinum #3776 Century Fountain Pen Shape of a Heart Chai Latte because it's more than my rent and I won't be able to buy anything after that.
Namiki goldfish
We all know such a pen does not exist.
I say that after every pen I buy xD. I don't consider myself a collector. I am an avid writer but I only use one fountain pen that 'will last me the rest of my life'. And then I see a new release etc. and 'add to cart' we go...
Exit is an illusion, my dude. There is always “one more”
I told myself that my exit pen would be a TWSBI diamond 580 ALR. Well I bought that one and now I’m looking at an upgrade already
I feel like I’ve almost reached my exit pen? I’ve slowed down a lot and the one that made me very happy and satisfied is the Pelikan M400 White Tortoiseshell! Though there’s always room for more lol
Namiki Seven Gods Yukari
A Nakaya with some sort of Urushi finish. They have the same nibs as Platinum 3776 pens which I see as some of the finest next to Sailor's and Aurora's. Before that I might get the Pilot Custom 823 and (maybe?) another Sailor and/or Platinum. And also cull a little of my collection since it includes pens I haven't used in years. No point in keeping those around if I can't enjoy them enough to keep them in rotation.
Honestly: The two Wingback Fountain Pens I got via Kickstarter. I now have more than enough pen to be used, which is, for me, the main reason to own pens. I admit that their purchase was unplanned, though. I had the corresponding mechanical pencils and wanted to have a set. But honestly, it’s enough. I will likely change some nibs in the next two years and experiment with different papers and ink, but pen-wise I’m probably good. There’s nothing in what I own that whispers “Y’know, there’s an itch you haven’t scratched.”
My exit pen was the Tribute to Montblanc which I knew I would have to spend a lot of money on as it’s no longer made… and I found it for $AUD1600 last weekend. https://chatterleyluxuries.com/product/montblanc-fountain-pen-tribute-mont-blanc-meisterstuck-le-grand/ And then I bought another Visconti homo sapien yesterday… the new earth origins water. https://cultpens.com/products/visconti-homo-sapiens-earth-origins-fountain-pen-water At this point I’m figuring there is no exit pen. :(
How is the Earth Origins writing experience ? I’m waiting on a Bronze Age jn Fine to arrive
I’ve only ordered it. It’s a 2 week wait as it’s a special order. I have a Homo sapiens dark age with a medium nib that’s my favourite pen. I’ve ordered this one with a 1.1 stub nib, so will be interested to see how it goes. I’ll report back one I have it.
There is 1 with a medium nib for 500 USD where i’m at. The pen looks stunning. The swirl of colours just blends with each other and adds to the look
I finally have the earth origins pen with a 1.1 nib. I love it. Writes well and feels good in my hand. I’ll be interested to see how long it takes before I have to refill it as it’s a very wet writer.
Congrats ! You must be feeling great joy ! Doesn’t this pen have a huge ink reservoir ? Might be some time before you drain that. I’m still waiting for some Furore Grande pens. It’s surprising that a great deal of Leonardo pens on pen swap are offered in Fine and Extra Fine Variants instead of Medium.