Fountain Pens I Wouldn't Buy Again - My Pen Regrets 

Me watching this as a complete fountain pen noobie: “hmm, yes, i know some of these words”

There's a trick to avoid cross threading I learned from Dave over at EEVBlog: as you press the components to be mated together, first turn them against each other in their *loosening* directions until you hear or feel a click, *then* tighten. The click indicates the threads of both parts are correctly engaged.

My regrets: Jinhao, Amazon Basics, Wing Sun, Pineider, one brand that had Sword in the name that escapes me. A Lamy or two has been crappy. The only brand that has NEVER let me down, and I mean NEVER, is Pilot.

Not me skipping straight to the trash pens section because im here for the shade lmao

Hey, I'm the Esterbrook guy! I've been using FPs for about 50 years. I've gone through probably 200 of them. This video reminds me that like any tool, if a pen doesn't feel good in my hand, even if it works perfectly and is beautifully made, it's not for me. Thanks for another interesting, informative, very enjoyable video!

As someone who has never touched a fountain pen in my life I agree with your assessments

I chuckled when you taped your pen to your windshield and drove it through a carwash. It instantly reminded me of the trials that John Cameron Swayze put Timex watches through in his commercials from the 60s, always concluding: "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking!"

I adore my Eco and Kaweco Sport! But I also have small hands so they feel very comfortable to me! But I totally understand they’re not everyone’s bread and butter!

The ink-barnacle buildup on the Curidas clone is one for the record book!

What we need is s DoodleBud special edition fountain pen. I would love to see your logo on the nib because I would know that every part of the fountain pen has gone through rigorous quality control. Take care.

The Trash Pen section at the end had me laughing out loud! I learned quite a few new pen terms. 😂. My husband was wondering what I found so funny on a pen review video, and when I repeated a few of your phrases he understood. Loved “I can’t remember the model number…don’t care…I hate this pen.” Hadn’t heard the great term “gnarly” for ages! Great video…thank you!

Your videos are entertaining and fun to watch and pretty well made with a lot of details covered. Keep doing the great work Bud.

I’m not a fountain collector, but a user. I’ve bought 15 fountain pens in the last 6 years, and now I’m down to 6. If I’m not using a pen much I sell it. My two favorites are my Momento Zero stub, an ideal fit for my hand, and Pineider Avatar UR.

Using silicone on the threads will help with the blind cap or a round of plumbers tape.

Great video. I went to the SF Pen Show yesterday and I saw some of those pens there. Thanks for your opinions on the build and functionality of these pens. It is very helpful. Pen mistakes can be costly

I think I audibly gasped when I saw the Leonardo in the first case😲 lol. I appreciate your honesty and constructive criticism; because of your engineering background, you're able to point out defects and offer solutions. I hope the pen companies are watching (I'm looking at you, Conklin!) I have a Jinhao 166 (the penultimate pen you showed) and reminds me of a Faber-Castell "Hexo" - - cheap pen but hey, if you lose it, you won't cry about it.

The great thing about pens is that one person may not like one brand, another person loves them. Twsbi is loved by many because of the price. Visconti is a brand I love, from lowest to highest. I have 2 Rembrandts, 2 van gogh without any of the problems noted in the video. I do agree with the Montegrappa problems though

That Esterbrook from the "nothing really wrong with them" box reminds me of my first fountain pen. Don't know what brand it was and it's long gone I'm sure. But it was one of Mom & Dad's old pens, just laying in a desk drawer along with the usual mix of ballpoints, pencils, and such. Probably from the 50's. Celluloid body and I remember that little lever for filling the pen. That fiddly bit, and a general liking for old things, was what got me started.

Since I started using TWSBI ECOs over 5 years ago, I've stopped using any other pens. I've never experienced any problems with them in all that time, and I now own at least 7 of them, with plans to buy more. I own a Pelikan M800, and I don't even use it anymore, because I love the ECO so much. They are gorgeous, work well, write well, and are cheap enough that if one gets lost or stolen or accidentally broken, I won't freak out. And I can almost completely coordinate them with the ink colors I use! I'm hoping for a solid red one for my red ink, but in the meantime, red ink goes in my clear ECO.

I can tell that my eco and 580 was not in use for maybe 2 years and when I reuse the pens I find the same level of ink and both pens writing with no problems .........amazed me Sorry for my English but I am Italian ps great video

This vid was informative & engaging with sone comedic elements in the delivery that made it great to watch! The “Trash Pens” overdub was really funny and i got a chuckle every time it made the announcement! No objections here, on any of the featured pens. It has to feel right. Some things are just manufactured so poorly they have zero redeeming qualities...which can be shocking given the price point for some of the items.

You inspired me to ink up my metropolitan. First pen I ever bought and the one that convinced me I might like this kind of pen :). Still such a fantastic pen, maybe better than my Sailor 1911. I do recall the stepdown being rough for long writing sessions though.

I have no idea why this channel was recommended for me, i literally have no interests in writing, pens, pencils, anything like that, and yet, i am enthralled

I love my TWSBI Ecos! I mainly use them for drawing/sketching and find the EF nib makes just the right sized lines for my sensibilities. They're not perfect but they're reasonably priced so I have a few with my most regularly used ink colors ready to roll.

I learnt a lot about threads and thread stops from this video, I'll be watching more of your videos. Thank you.

My biggest regret by far is my TWSBI Eco. I'm a left-handed writer, and I don't have any issues with any of my other pens, but my Eco is scratchy as HELL when I write the way I usually do. I have to contort my hand into a position that mimicks a right-handed writer for it to be smooth, and that's just not acceptable IMO. Every other pen I own, I'm at least moderately happy with, but I've barely used my Eco since I bought it, and it makes me sad because it's such a nice-looking, well-made pen aside from the nib!

Loved this video. Very fun to watch and appreciate that you highlighted the good qualities of certain pens along with why you didn't get on with them.

1. Great video, thanks. Similar videos about inks and paper would be fun and if possible even more useful. 2. My opinion of Faber-Castell steel nibs is so high that I am very curious about their gold nibs. Unfortunately I believe they are only available on their super high end GVFC pens, which I can't afford. 3. Biggest lesson from this video: do not by anything on sale, never ever.

My Montblanc 149 has been a pen I regretted getting. I have $40.00 pens that write better. I have had absolutely no dry out issues with my Diplomat Aero, I have a gold nib in it. I agree with all your other comments.

Thanks Doodlebud, Been lovin' your take on fountain pens. Keep up the good work! I've gone down the fountain pen rabbit hole about 4 years ago and could write a novel on some regrets... I'll keep it to a couple of brands. Kaweco Sports; I like the form factor even though the plastic feels cheap and light. What drives me nuts is when my OCD kicks in due to the scratching round the barrel. I get it! Pens are made to be used but the fact that they scratch, For some reason, I can't ink them up. I purchased the stainless steel version a month ago, hoping would be more resistant however, I am now seeing some wear, so in the drawer it goes... Faber Castell; I purchased the Loom and was blown away by the pen so I decided to buy the Ambition in a 3D Croco print. Bad choice. For a $100 (CDN) pen, the cap does not seat well, as though it needs harder surface to but against. As always, it has it great nib, but the plastic print feels flimsy. Probably thinking that FC could have reinforced this with an internal brass sleeve. I could go on but these are a couple that stick out due to recency. Thanks for these videos!! Carlos

I absolutely love my Diplomat Aero. I have the Orange with the black section, and I feel like it's a hair more matte maybe? Or it's all in my head; I don't own more than that one to compare side by side. I would love to have a Gravitas section on it. The Momento Zero blind cap... (bought one last year?) still feels very very light and easy to break, lol. More importantly, the convertor end rattles around so much in there that it bothers me. But easily managed with paper shims.

Great video. It was interesting to see the issues with design flaws on some models. Nice to have some knowledge when trying to diagnose what it is exactly that makes one pen great and another a polished turd 🙃

Thanks for the vid. I don't know the others but love the TWSBI Eco.

The last two out of the box are lovely pens. I was given the same Esterbrook but in green. I bought a new nib for it and I like it. The last one (leonardo) is a lovely colour to me.

Well done, Doodlebud. I do enjoy your more critical approach. FWIW there's an Omas 556 desk pen in front of me and I love it but, like you, they are soooo expensive. Cheers from Australia.

I can agree with the TWSBI Eco. In the 4 years I've had it, my grip section has cracked twice, right at the bottom at the lip, and one cracked cap. I am done with TWSBI. The blind cap on the MZ I have, does not have the dust problem, and the threads don't feel sharp. I also have the Hawaii, but I don't know if it's from the same year, because the number on mine is 1827. The Rembrandt Azure I have closes well, but I have to turn it slightly and then the magnets snap the cap. It's the only way it closes. Not much of a problem, but not as annoying as your seems. Try my way, and see if that works for you. I have a 1.5mm stub on it. It writes well, but it does have it's start up issues, but once it gets going, it goes, and is smooth, wet, and nice. Looks like you really don't like treaded converters. I love them because them I feel the converter is secure, but I don't have any of the issues with the MZ, the Montegrappa Fortuna, or a Conklin Duragraph I have. That is the pity of it all, everyone should have the same quality experience. Either good or bad. It's nuts when two people have two different quality issues. Excellent video. Do one on pens you definitely would buy again.

Jinhao 100. I've bought 3, now. I'm sure that many will deride me just for mentioning the brand, but I'm a happy user of them. First one was a treat for myself based on positive reviews and it is an extremely smooth writer. Second was for my youngest who is a tomboy who loves pink, and it was the first pink fountain pen that showed up on Amazon when she was sat with me looking for one; this, also, writes beautifully smoothly. Third has just arrived, and is a christmas gift for my Mum who writes with a fountain pen. Of course I tried it, and it too writes beautifully smoothly. Very comfortable to hold and write with, very smooth nib, and the only snag is that the thread on the cap doesnt have a proper stop and takes multiple turns to put on or take off.

Have you used any of the other Jinhou pens? If so are the others much better than the one in the video? I have their x350 and feel it writes really well, the ink it came with was crap, but i plan to see how it goes with better ink, im eyeing a bottle of van diemans ink atm.

I have a Pilot Metropolitan too and while there’s nothing wrong with the pen it just isn’t one of my favourites. But I really like Pilot pens (the light plastic Pilot Kakuno was my first fountain pen) and so for my birthday I got a Pilot Cavalier because I like its slim profile and have been very happy with it.

I bought a Stylograph during a pen chalet fountain pen day sale in 2020... Sound familiar? I also bought the Monteverde 20th anniversary Innova. My package was stolen by the neighbors and then they through it in the dumpster which i said, found, cleaned up and figured out why. Yafa owns both Monteverde and Conklin so they're not the great companies they once were. They use the same Chinese feeds as Jinhao and a few dozen others, they're China parts screwed together in California with a "made in the USA" sticker and price tag slapped on them. Aaannnddd... I know I'll have to hand over my own club membership for saying this but if Jowo is really making their nibs now I'd be embarrassed for Jowo. All of their other minds have a certain profile... Even the heavily modified ones... But these Monteverde branded "Jowo" nibs feel stamped and you can't even use with s standard Jowo feed housing like most all other Jowo nibs... Again... They feel more like Jinhao nibs...i bought a total of six yafa band pens over two years to see if they improved at all...3 we're broken out of the box, 2 broke while trying to clean/fix them out of the box, and the Inova does work but hard starts within an hour of being capped. But so of the spare parts they gave me made a while bunch of 5-10 Jinhao pens write real nice lol Thank you for all the vids and technical stuff...i look forward to every new one!

Another good one DB! If you want to send that Leonardo MZ my way, I wouldn’t be mad about it! 😝😜😂

The Eco is a good pen and I have no problems with it, so the following observations should be tempered by that. It's smooth but because of the smaller, number 4, nib character comes from the ink. Obviously a lot of pens share slightly modded rebranded German nibs (like Schmidt, Jowo, Bock ...) so there is a certain amount of convergence but, and I think the Kaweco Sport has the same issue, I can usually tell which of my pens I've written with regardless of ink but not so much the Twsbi Eco because it could be a host of other pens with similar nibs. It's also a positive because like a good general purpose badminton racquet it has quite a large sweet spot. I find the T version better to write with, my hands are big but not especially big and I generally hold the pen that way. The ink capacity is, simultaneously, useful for its duration and annoying for duration, if a person wants to change ink but hates waste. I think it is a safe daily carry because of cost, build and capacity. With intermittent use a full ink chamber can be a slog.

Diplomat Aero: have it for 2 years, never had an issue with hard start or leak travelling by plane. It also has one of the best steel nibs in the market in my opinion, it’s a brilliant pen!

I have one no one should ever know or use: it’s a fountain pen I bought at five below on a whim. No brand, just from five below. It had two pens actually, for two different nibs, and 4 ( very small ) non-refillable cartridges that don’t last very long and dry out extremely quickly even when you have the cap on tightly secured. You might get a couple days of writing out of it before it dries out, and you might run out of ink quickly if you write several paragraphs every day, but even then it probably wouldn’t support more than a 3 page essay. ( I used mine to draw, so I wouldn’t know ) It was sooo bad and the ink bled and feathered out a Lot with every stroke, no matter how light. I look forward to investing in an actual fountain pen someday lol

How much did the Momento Zero Grande cost in the end (and would you sell it?)🤗

I enjoyed this. I don't have all these pens, but I shared your opinion on the ones I do have. I don't care for the Kaweco Sport. And I like the Esterbrook J, but I have plenty of other vintage pens I like better. I don't ink them up. When you brought up the Ondoro and mentioned the fingerprints I was sure we were on the same wavelength! I was glad to sell mine! We did finally disagree on the Diplomat Aero. That was one of my surprises of the year. I loved it.

always been really fascinated by fountain pens and such, never bought one, but man getting one of those trash pens as a first pen would have turned me off. Creating those pens is basically gatekeeping xD

I took two of my 5/10 pens and made a 10/10 pen. I had an Esterbrook Raven Esti and a Platinum Century 3776. I loved the body and section on the Esterbrook, but hated the nib and feed. I loved the nib and feed on the Platinum but hated the body and section. So I took the body and section of the Esterbrook, drilled out the top of the section a hair wider to accept the platinum converter, got a Jowo converter for the platinum nib and feed. Then I installed the platinum nib, feed and converter into the Esterbrook. Total cost of the pen is the combined cost of the two pens together and I can't see anything beating it at that price point. My next step will be checking out Graf Von Faber Castell. Just got a tamitio ballpoint pen for work to test out Graf Von quality of the body and sections. (we have to use ballpoint at work) If it impresses me I will save up for one of the Pen of the Years, really like the looks of the 2023 pen.

Great review. Pity about the Conklin. I have a number of Conklin pens and never had this problem with the threads or the feed. The nib is supposedly made by Jowo but I made had to do some refinement to the nibs. Something I have not had to do with other pens with Jowo nibs.

My biggest grip with fountain pens is when they dry out. I like to use several at the same time also. I think by this time in the history of fountain pen should be able to write no matter how long since you have written with it.

“I’m not going to apologize, I think it’s terrible “. 😂 . Great videos, thanks so much for doing them. I’m new to this at a late age and I’m wondering if I should have all of my pens inked up at the same time. I use them a lot for doodles and writing and I do try to use everyone. I find it therapeutic. Thanks for any advice. Keep up the great work! ❤

Nice little video , where did you purchase t house colorful cloth pen bags/cases ?

I have to thank you for your video on ultrasonic cleaning. I tried it on my Stipula Etruria 1407 which has been a hard starter since I purchased it, no matter how much I cleaned it. I decided to try my ultrasonic cleaner with a little amount of Windex in the water. I left it in much longer than I wanted, but it has not had any trouble writing since its ultrasonic cleaning. Thanks again for the tip!

My Father had an Easterbrook in his desk, looked just like the pen @ 5:42. There is also a matching mechanical pencil.

My 16 old daughter is looking for a pen. We got her a Dryden last year for Christmas but she is having problems with it. Don't know if it is her or the pen. It keeps stopping and starting when she writes with it? We have cleaned it with warm water and I can get it to work but she keeps having problems. I am thinking it is the way she holds it. Maybe there is a pen that is more forgiving for her to use? Any suggestions welcome. Good Video. Put some Teflon tape on the threads on the pen that is cutting the cap. That will fix it and you will only see it when you take the cap off.

Dear Mr Doodlebud, I really enjoyed this video, I liked how you gave good as well as bad points to these pens. I agree the Moonman M8 is a terrible pen, I had two and sold both of them for next to nothing. However, I kinda like the Moonman P135 (the little Prince inspired by), it's got a little mini fude nib, and it feels better made in the hand. I enjoy that Moonman. Great video, thanks Chelsea

I was wayy too entertained by your taking the pen for a car wash. Seeing the ink get cleaned out was so satisfying. I don't agree with your list, but I appreciate your reasoning.

Darn, you are so good. My sentiments exactly, on the Leonardo especially.

My regrets: Parker Frontier, IM and Parker maybe an Urban? The IM performed solidly, until two months later until it started scratching like crazy! Never dropped any of them. The Frontier nib section started falling apart on me from week two during my exams. The IM... oh my good lord the IM... So the nib died on me for no reason, but the cap started getting loose, the feed was either super dry or super wet, and also fell apart, but in a far more spectacular fashion. The nib section had three partitions, the nib and feed inside the pen itself, a chrome/shiny metal pieceholding the feed and a barrel around the chrome piece. The barrel part was held onto the chrome piece by some sort of elastimer/epoxy that held it in place on the pen as it was too short to touch the end of the section, but that disintegrated into the cap and left crud all over the barrel that was impossible to see. With the barrel now unsupported, it rattled, span and made it incredibly difficult to write with. The maybe an Urban's feed is awful, being dry and draggy and in general a pain to use. This might be a function of it being second hand and mistreated, so I need to do another full clean. I am currently looking into that Majohn A1 mentioned after seeing the engineering breakdown that you posted, as my Nahvalur Original Plus was taken out of my jacket pocket while I wasn't looking.

Hello gentleman, From your Experience of Indian fountain pens, which would you pick for a great writing feel and reliability - ASA or GAMA or Mohi or RANGA or ANY other Indian ebonite pens ?

I laughed when the first pen you pulled out was the Kaweco Sport. I love it because it’s so small. It’s perfect for my hands. It’s the pen that lives in my purse. It’s a fine point, a tiny bit scritchy, but I like it. To each their own, I guess. 😂 The Metropolitan was my very first fountain pen. I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. I don’t even know where it is now. I have added many more fountain pens to my collection. Of all the fountain pens I’ve owned, it definitely was my least favorite.

Back in the 90s , I was a gold nib snob. But these days I love a good inexpensive (Jowo or Schmidt) steel nib. I have lots of ECOs, and a bunch of Opus 88s. And I like these, in addition to the wonderful 20 year old Pelicans and Shaeffers. With you, I feel that nib dry out is a deal buster.

A surprising update on the Montegrappa Chrysocolla. I inked it up with Diamine Eau de Nil about 6 months ago and haven't had ANY hard starts/ drying out while actually using it about once a week.

hahaaa Doodlebud coming for ya faves! lol Im with you all the way on that Diplomate Aero. I already have a case for my travel toothbrush. 😎 Killer video!

My regret: TWSBI Diamond 580. I like to post. Can't comfortably post the 580; too long. Also, the posted cap can inadvertently turn the piston causing an ink disaster all over one's paper, desk, and/or hands. I really like the look of the pen, the feel of the nib, the ink capacity, and the fact that it seals very well. But having a cap all loose on my desk creating a situation where I could potentially lose it, or drop and damage it, because I can't post it, drives me crazy.

To avoid the threads to gripe just put some vegetable oil on a rag and gently wipe it on the threads. Makes them very smooth.

I understand your logic on the pens. For me the Kaweco Spoert is my EDC in my shirt pocket for quick note taking during the day. TheMetropolitan is my daily work note taking pen, snap cap, drop it and it is ok and if you loose it is not a financial burden. m nib for notes, F nib to annotate documents with my custom mixed Orange ink. great video, thanks.

Any noodlers fountain pens. I got a big one and a small one from them with different fill mechanisms. They both leaked when stored nib down and the ink dried up in them after just 15 minutes with the caps on and stored nib up. Literally unusable. They were my first fountain pens and they really soured the hobby for me. I didn't touch a fountain pen for years after that until I decided to buy a nice used fountain pen from the flea market for $8 that writes like a dream. Do you guys have recommendations for affordable pens with fun and unique fill mechanisms?

I lost my Jl Esterbrook . still have the swapable nibs for it. Schneider black ink is a good option for pens that drie out. It stays quite oily and work quite normally when you begin using and after a word or two the pen works normally. A fantastic and super dark black ink. Man, that Omas is quite wonderfull.

Now I feel like I need a video of your very favorite pens or pens you would recommend/buy again if you lost them. I realize you've done cheap and expensive pen videos, but I would love to see an overall video.

FWIW: be careful what you wish for. In the '90s, I had a 5 pen grail list. I already owned one (the MB 149), and got a windfall, so I bought my Pelikan M1000 instead of the OMAS 360. I kept buying others and then, oops - OMAS went under. Prices of the 360 went way up, and eventually I found a 360 Midi at a price I liked. Yippee! I found that I could not tolerate that sharply cut grip shape (because I "roll" my pens a bit when I write). I sent the 360 along to someone who appreciates it. Moral of the story is, try one before you buy one, unless you know that shape and the sharp edges won't bother you.

Great video! Subscribed! Can you tell me, what can of pencase you use (where the pens are in, sorry don’t know the exact word) and where you can get them?

I like my Esterbrook J-pen. It has the hardest nib ever. Then I found out that they made these nibs really solid to deal with copy paper. Imagine that, a fountain pen for copy paper! Still the nib writes well. The pen needed some care but now it's a solid writer. I often have red ink in it for marking up papers so it doesn't get used that often but I enjoy using it whenever I take it out.

Oh man, that blue Esterbrook reminds me of vintage drum wraps and it definitely speaks to me!

I love your reviews and I hate your reviews 😂. Really I appreciate your engineering perspective. You’ve made me look at fountain pens in many ways and yes some are OK-Good-enough but I don’t always want to use. Thank you for your perspective.

Totally agree on dry out and screw in converters. That is one area were twsbi and opus 88 are major winners - although I don't know the durability of opening the valves yet.

May I know where u got the cases from? Specifically the red one with the Sakura patterns? Thanks!

How do you rate Pelikan pens? Did you sell your flex nib pen? How much will you sell it for?

Great review! I generally agree with your assessments or at least understand them. I do, however, have three Aeros and an Elox and none of them dry out. The sections are no problem for me, either, but that may be a personal thing. Otherwise, excellent reviews! Well done!

I started using nib pens in the 50s when we were learning cursive writing. We had the ink wells in our desks, and using them at that time was a challenge. Overfilling and splatters were common. My funniest memory was when a classmate accidentally sprayed turquoise ink on a girl's white sweater. She sat in front of him and had her sweater on the back of her seat. Part of the problem was that the desks were not attached to the floor, so she had her desk touching the front of the desk behind her. 😂 I decided I would go back to cursive writing as I approach my 75th birthday, so thank you for all your recommendations.

Great review, the thing is about Twsbi I can’t agree, I have 3 Twsbi Eco and about to buy one more, they are incredible, very smooth writing, holds a lot of ink, fun to use, very durable.

My Diplomat Aero dries out too. The grip section doesn't bother me, but it it a little on the heavy side , for longer writing sessions for me. But that could be forgiven if I could leave it around inked for when I want to use it for notes, but I can't, because it dries out after a few days.

Thank you for presenting them with ++ and ---. The last part (garbage pens) was really fun! :))

Thank you for taking the time to do this! I'm 6'6" so my hands are huge, pen size matters for long writing sessions. Therefore my Kaweco Brass Sport is my "quick" writer due to how small it is for me.

Something I do for pens that I find that dry out: remove the cap, put it in your mouth and blow. It you're able blow air out through the cap, its a pen that will dry up.

@Doodlebud what ink do you have in the Omas? It's beautiful.

I had the same issue with a twsbi eco. Customer support taught me how to fix it.

Kaweco sport: try the brass! Similar heft to the stainless steel and will patina. I think you'd like it Wood Ondoro: this goes below trash tier for me. Even its excellently smooth nib cannot save it for me. I had the smoked oak version and the facets are hilariously uneven such that the way it seats the cap means it dries out within half a day. Faber Castell's Canadian branch was supremely unhelpful, to the point that I'll never buy a pen from them again though, the GvFC higher end ones I may consider second hand.

I too have the Goulet Montegrappa, but mine is the next iteration. I had the same nib and drying out experience. I tuned the nib no problem. I solved the dry nib by loading it with Private Reserve Infinity Turquiose. The ink claims to never run dry. So far, I can leave the Elmo stored vertical, nib up for a week, and it writes. The ink is worth a try as it has improved a few other pens with poor flow or dry nib.

Hmm, interesting list that overlaps with some of my experiences as well. I have a few Kawecos (one sport, one Al sport) that are (literally) handy for summer but now that fall is near, off to storage they'll go. The Diplomat Aero: while I don't think of the sections as slippery, I find myself constantly adjusting my grip (so it is slippery) to the point where the barrel comes half-unscrewed. Mine is in brown -- kinda a fall color so I'll soon put it in rotation -- do love that nib! -- but just for a few months. Ah, the Montegrappa Chrysocalla -- a beautiful resin and a beautiful pen -- that spends most of the time in storage for much the same reason as yours; it dries out pretty quickly (3-4 days) and then has a hard start, pretty annoying. I'll disagree with you (partially) on the Leonardo -- I have the "regular", the Grande and the Magico (piston filler) with the latter as my favorite.

So much to agree with and so much that isn't on the same vibe at all :) I'll trade you my medium MB149 for the Omas in a heartbeat...

Bear in mind that my benchmark pen is a Pelikan M200. My first M200 was my first Pen of a Lifetime. I will never give it up. My wife later got me an aqua M205, and it is perpetually inked with Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku ink, which she also gave me. That's just about the only pen I always have inked. There are a few I would never bother to replace if lost. Jinhao X450. Too doggone heavy. And I don't like faceted sections. Jinhao X750. Not as heavy as the X450, and doesn't have the section facets. But it's still just a bit too heavy. And I've never had a Jinhao that I could call durable. Esterbrook SJ. I really like my medium manifold nib, which is kind of stubby. But this pen is too slim, and it's a bit of a pain to rinse, and I fret about sac failure when it comes to some inks. Platinum Plaisir. The first pen I ever bought two of for myself. These never dry out. They have the right weight and the right section profile for me -- about 10mm diameter +- 0.5mm, relatively straight. I recommend them as a good starter pen for people who think they might not like the slimness of the Metropolitan and Safari. But they're hard to flush, and a bit toothy. But I now have a better pen for jotting, the Jinhao 51A. Pilot Capless. Too heavy, and I don't like the clip where I hold the pen. Pilot Decimo. I got a stub for it, and it's nicely bouncy. It's not too big, and it's not too heavy, but I still can't stand that clip under my fingers. Parker 25. Probably the most affordable c/c Parker from before the company was ruined. I think Parker's FP cartridge is quite possibly one of the best ever designed. But I still find myself using the Jinhao 51A XF for jotting. Pilot 78G. Just a bit too slim. Pilot Metropolitan. I think it actually has the same section as the 78G. And the brass body makes it heavier. Lamy Safari. The section is too narrow, and then the facets take away even more girth. Between this, the X450, the Capless, the Decimo, and a triangular brass ballpoint that I've loaded with a Fisher Space Pen refill, I've concluded that there's no pen with section facets that I'm ever going to like. Noodler's Ahab. The section is just a little too small, and the barrel quite a bit too big. And some of them just dry out. Noodler's Konrad (resin). I would LOVE this pen if it didn't dry out in four hours. FPR Indus. It's a fairly close match to the M200 in form factor, just a little bit longer. But I've bought four or so, and they all dry out overnight. FPR Jaipur. These are hit or miss. I had a red Jaipur that was my favorite EDC pen ever, until one of my puppies got hold of it. I have a yellow caps demo Jaipur that's unusable, because the pen has to be pulled out of the cap after you unscrew it. I have two others that are largely serviceable, but nowhere near as nice as my emerald Himalaya, now my favorite EDC pen. Jinhao 992. Mine cracked at the end of the barrel, but never failed the way my Jinhao 599 did. I gave it away anyway. Jinhao 599. A Safari "homage" with all the problems that copying the Safari's section gives it. I lent it out to people for days or weeks at a time to get them to try and maybe like fountain pens. It broke into pieces. Beiluner BL-06, brushed stainless and chrome trim. Dried out worse than the Konrad. AND it's heavy, and the chrome plated section is slick and hard to hold. Dryden Designs. The clip has a 1mm ball welded to its underside. It's too slim. It dries out. The overall aesthetics are weird.

Hard starts can be cause by leaky Cap. To test you can fill with water and let rest in a paper towel lined pill bottle. If the paper gets wet, water is leaking out, air is leaking in. Some pens cannot be modified if there's a spring loaded clip, or in the case of a Pineider pen, the clip may have a roll pin, which is exacerbated by not having a Cap liner. If the cap is air & water tight you may need to add an o-ring to the Section thread tube. (Notice that the Jinhao Centennial has an o-ring on the Section thread tube.) If a barrel has a screwable finial/build that can also allow air infiltration and should be Silicone Grease, hopefully making it air-tight. Re: Schmidt K6 screwable Converter: you'll always want to apply Silicone Grease to the Converter outer threads, and since they are plastic you should always turn counter-clockwise until the threads fall into place, then twist clockwise to fully tighten. Screwable Converters are great for when a C/C pen is dropped as it will prevent the Converter from loosening and leaking inside the pen; always inspect a C/C pen immediately after dropping as there's a good chance that the cartridge or Converter has popped out. You may be able to use the Schmidt K5 Converter if you don't like to screw in the K6, but with some, like the Pelikan C499, you may find that you will need to screw it in, any way, so you'll be cutting new threads in a Converter that doesn't have threads. A Schmidt K2 should be able to slip in easily enough, depending on the Section tube length. IMO, the twsbi Section o-ring should be kept pliable by Silicone Greasing it after every cleaning & flushing. It cushions when closing the pen, allowing one to modulate the torque. With a dry o-ring you will probably find that you are twisting the Cap more than if was greased. Surprised by your magnetic cap finding. I tend to think that no Magnetic slip Cap can 100% air seal.

I love that box where did you get it from? Rough cost?

Where did you get those pen cases? They look amazing. Also Conklin pens are terrible, both the Duragraph and All-American I bought had issues. I even slotted goulet nibs into both pens and the feed couldn't keep up.

The moonman pen was so bad the camera didn’t want to focus on it.

Little late to the party here but if you see this I was wondering how you felt about the section on the conklin . I was aware people found the aero grip could be slippery. I didn't have an issue with it but I found the duragraph's section to be way too slippery and it's not metal. I find it a bit too short of a section and don't enjoy the step down like you mentioned.

I have the exact same Ondoro (gift), for me the problem was the grip section. I think It's just too concave and slippery for me (I have very small thin hands). I can never write for long with it. Also although I love the look of the wood, with the metal cap and grip section it's incredibly unbalaced for me.

nice video, straight to the point , I agree with a lot of the content, same frustrations

The new Leonardo’s are not metal for the blind cap. I was worried from this review but they have quickly become one of my favorites (the internal piston fillers). I have 1 cartridge. They write beautifully out of the box and as you said their stubs are ridiculously good.