My grail pen is the Kaweco Brass Sport or the Kaweco AL sport in the gold colour. They are easy to come by but the high price (for me) is what makes it a grail pen. I got my first fountain pen a few days ago and its the Kaweco Sport Classic in green and I'm just so in love with the design and shape language. Its so little and cute but also very stylish and my one writes like a dream with the Diamine Safari ink I bought for it. I know its a bit of a gamble with Kaweco nibs so I hope when I someday get the Kaweco Sport of my dreams, the nib will be good!
You are soooo right! pens need to bring you joy when you hold them. the one that gives me always a lot of joy is the Conklin Mark Twain demonstrator.. I just love the Steampunk effect of the pen, the rose gold trims and the overall layout, very unique. The writing experience is different with every different inks!
I managed to acquire three of the pens on my grail list this year. Two were Franklin-Christoph pens, one in the Antique Glass and the other in Italian Ice, which I got in time for Christmas. I wasn't concerned about which model for either, just the color. I finally was able to get both those this year and I'm very pleased I got them. The third pen is a Visconti Rembrandt in the Ivory Bronze color. I really wanted that one. I lucked out and managed to find one at an online store. It's the one pen I own that never leaves the pen rotation, it's always inked.
Since reading Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s “Shadow Of The Wind,” back in 2005, my Grail pen has been the Meisterstück 149. I actually found-literally found, like on the ground-a broken Meisterstück 164 Classique ballpoint shortly after beginning my Grail Quest, and after having it repaired by Montblanc, that scratched the itch for a while, but I finally got my 149 this year after 15 years intermittent search and repeated feelings of hopelessness and defeat. Next up, perhaps one of the Pilot Custom models? It’s not a Grail pen, but I have my eye on the Custom 823 in translucent amber. We’ll see. Graduation is fast approaching.
I don't have Grail Pens, I have go-to pens. I'm a writer, and for me, a pen needs to be a smooth writer with a hint of feedback, hold a decent amount of ink and be comfortable to write with for long periods. My go-to pens (in no particular order): 1. Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze oversize (F nib because it's almost a Medium and is so wet) 2. Mont Blanc 146 Le Grand Le Petit Prince M (prefer the 146 to the 149 for less girth) 3. Pelikan M805 (have the Demonstrator in M and Stresseman F) 4. Pilot Custom 823 B 5. Omas 360 M 6. Omas Paragon Europa Limited Edition M 7. Lamy 2000 Black Makrolon OB 8. Sailor Pro Gear Realo M Waiting to pick up an Edison (surprised you didn't have them in your list), and a Conid Bulkfiller King Size. You have an excellent channel. Congratulations and keep it coming.
Edison is great. I considered them for the Next-Level list. If I would have included any honorable mentions on that list, they would have been mentioned.
I stopped all my hobby purchases and started a savings deposit as soon as I saw the Conid. It's a love from the first sight. I'm figuring out where I can try it before I buy it, but given how long I'll need to be saving for it, I hope I'll be able to accomplish that.
The King of Pen Ebonite pen should have been in your top 10. It is so beautiful to handle and use. The nib is wonderful, exceptional, actually. Yes it is austere but it is not always bling that works. I will never let it go ever.
i just ordered my first grail pen!!! A black 1911L with rhodium plating. It was my grail due to the price that I just couldn't justify until now.. Next is the King of Pen. Some day!
My 2017 grail pen acquisition was the Visconti Opera Master Luna, and 2018 acquisition is the Visconti Ocean Breeze Rose Gold. Prior to that my Vanishing Point Raden Galaxy was a grail pen for years. On my grail someday list are: Namiki Yukari Nightline Moonlight, Pen 18111 (the night sky is in consideration), and Taccia Reserve Winter Breath I love the Sailor zoom nibs, Edison pens (I have 3 now), and Pelikan m600 - so a particularly striking color/material combo would compel me to consider additional purchases.
My two grail pens were the Montblanc Writers Edition Hemingway & the Conid Kingsize LE Flanders Fields. So far I’ve only managed to find the Hemingway and love it. I’ll continue to look for a Flanders Fields and hope I can afford it when I do. Till then my two Conid Kingsize pens I own tend to be my all time favorite pens and what I find myself writing with the most
The problem with grail pens is that they never meet the expectations. Each $500+ pen I have was a bit less than I hyped it and hoped it to be and none wrote as good as $100 Pilot.
After a certain price point the focus is less about the nib performance and more about the artistry. A buttery smooth gold nib's performance is the same in a cheaper pen as it is in a fancier one.
@ That's odd. My CH 92 nib is one of my favorites. It has never misbehaved in any way, with any ink. I've actually never had a bad experience with a Pilot nib.
New to fountain pens. Anyone have experience with a Sailor 1911 with a medium fine 21k nib. At first I thought it was smooth then I noticed it became scratchy. I then compared it to my Twisbi eco in E.F. and the eco was smoother. Does the nib need to be adjusted or is the way the Sailor writes?
Interesting video David, thanks. I'm lucky to also own the MB 149 and Nakaya Dorsal fin v2, they were enough to 'wipe out' my funds for further pen buying! lol. Although I must admit, I have done a lot of looking at the Pilot Custom 845 in Vermillion Urushi, however, they are not available and have not been for over a year I believe now. The waitlist was closed with a 2018 delivery estimate and they are still waiting as far as I know.
My "student Grail" (i.e. grail for a broke college boi who happens to be into fountain pens) is a Platinum 3776 Century. Literally a tenth of the price of the pens on your list haha. But for me it does fit into the "Price" aspect of a grail pen, added to the fact that the one I specifically want (Chatres Blue-Gold) isn't easily found in my country.
Same tho. I'm a highschool student who usually gets their pens as a birthday gift. I love the 3776 in Nice Lavande, and it's my grail pen right now. Eventually, when I have a job and more money, the Visconti Homosapiens Magma will be my new grail pen.
My grail would be the Nakaya Dorsal Fin in the deep red urushi, with of course a custom nib. Everything about this pen speaks to me, design, craftsmanship and nib! The price places it solidly in the grail category for me.
W H A O W ! What a collection of great pens, special in different ways from each other. My first Grail was the Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze age and because of " not having a pot to piss in" (Google the saying) I was saving best to get it when a load of bad experiences were had with the nibs and I just couldn't risk getting one of these. My next that came to my attention is the Conid King Size with all Titanium bits. I eventually filled in the form and got the specification that appealed to me, got to the end of the form and the VAT blew it to bits, so I'm saving up the VAT now, hopefully 2019 will be the year of acquisition. The design of the Conid really appeals to me because of my engineering background. Thank you for a great review David,,, your reviews and presentations are really outstanding (my opinion). As everyone I look forward to 2019s reviews. Best wishes as always to all PenPeople... And for the New Year. LeZc @@
Great video. I tend to not pay so much attention to the looks though and focus on two things. First the writing performance and the ink capacity. My favourite nibs so far are sailors but I hate the ink capacity. I have to fill the converter in mine three times each day wich is very annoying. With that said I have two kinds of grail pens: Practical Grail Pens: A. Sailor Profit Realo F (waiting for a good deal to come up) B. Pilot Custom 823 WA (already ordered) C. Pilot Custom 823 M Fantasy Grail Pens: A. Pelikan M805 blue swerls 2 tone ef nib B. Visconti HS Oversize Bronge EF C. BulkFiller Kingsize Medium Italic
Very fun video to watch, even though I'm more of a traditional low-range pen guy, it was pretty entertaining and informative. Thanks David and keep it on
Great video as usual. The Visconti Homo Sapiens was my first grail pen, and I got it as a surprise gift for a Valentine's Day. My current grails are a Pilot 823 and Kanilea Maui Makai so it was nice to see some near nods there. I think my problem with custom pens is although some of the makers show some real great things on Instagram, and although I can appreciate the time it takes for something for like Urushi, I've never held them so they all just seem sort of like "super polished plastic" from afar. I unfortunately don't have a local shop near me anymore, so getting my hands on that stuff to test would require some significant effort, and there isn't a large local-esque pen community around me where I could pen swap either. I also think some of the custom pens, although neat resins, just look too "classic" to me. The Pilot 823 comes to mind, or the Montblanc 149. The HS, in comparison, has a very unique look and such a heft to it there would be no confusing it for any other pen. This hobby is so interesting seeing what other people love. I'd also love to to try a KOP Sailor, but I picked one up at a store when I was in San Francisco (couldn't try it, store was super busy) and I was surprised by how light it was. I think my brain still equates "weight" to "quality", which might be some of my issue with these other pens.
Great video! I appreciate the price as a grail criteria. I don’t have any pens over $75, so even a regular edition Sailor PG is in grail category for me. I find the Taccia Winters Breath stunning. I might call that my “lottery” pen, rather than a grail though. Happy new year!
Beth Hobson sane boat. For me my “grail” is a waterman 52. My current most expensive pen would be a Noodler’s Neponset that I bought last week, I’m already unhappy with it though.
Nice pens! I think a grail pen is simply a pen that one needs to go on some sort of quest to obtain, whether that be a quest to save up the money for it or the quest to find a rare pen or some other situation that requires one to do some real work to acquire the grail. :)
I have the Pineider Arco Oak and the simulated Arco celluloid in acrylic is gorgeous to me. Of course I'd still like to have the real thing also. I just received my Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age last month, which took a month to get. I wish I had ordered one a long time ago, and it looks like Mount Etna is pouring out more future pen material.
For me, the Montblanc Antoine de Saint-Exupery writers edition is what I dream about. I just love the look of it and I'm a huge fan of his. I know it's not the best pen in the world, but I just think it's so cool. The Homo Sapiens Bronze Age is a close second though.
My first pen was Waterman Leman 100 with two nib sizes F and M gifted to me by my father many years. I am slowly getting in pens I am already going to get my first Montblanc 146 in the mail and I have a Pilot Custom 74 and a Sailor 1911 L on the way too. My next grail pens are the Sailor King of Pen, Pilot Custom 823, and Edison Menlo or Edison with a Linda Kennedy flex nibs. I also plan to expand my collection of vintage flexible pens, I started with a vintage flex Wal Eversharp.
Well, that’s quite a group of pens. Several would make my grail list. But of my own pens, my grail would be my Visconti Il Magnifico. Way too expensive, but truly something special.
Nice review. I have also commissioned Shawn Newton to make a pen for me with one of my king of pen nibs. It will be an eyedropper so I won’t be continually filling it. The conid is my current grail and I may need to pull the trigger based upon your comments. I have heard that AP pens may be using them for their filling mechanism and may wait to see if that comes to fruition. Happy new year.
Then you have an extraordinary collection. Visconti Opera Elements is a grail pen for me. They came in several colors but it seems only the red and white is occasionally available. It is Steven Brown's favorite pen.
I like your last recommendation, but I did find your list helpful. I confess that your list includes some pens that I would not view as a pen I would aspire to own. Your first (18111, e.g.) come close to evoking my comments about the Game of Thrones ultimate pen, which was to me so over-the-top I had to use both adjectives gaudy and garish! Now, to understand my point of view, I would not rule out great work-of-art pens produced in Japan, because the most frequently get the delicate balance absolutely right. The pen is a masterfully rare work of art, but it still is a pen could carry without seemingly needing the in-your-face, over-the-top “display of wealth” factor. Such a pen evokes for me the era of greed and display-of-wealth of the executives whose egomania led to the collapse of World Com, Tyco, and
I got mine this Christmas. I am a Doctor Who fan and I really love the look, feel and writing experience. It is the Opus 88 Fantasia blue. It reminds me of the TARDIS and the 13th Doctor. I also want the red one because it reminds me of the 4th Doctor. I will have to save for it, but that makes it all the more special!
My Blue Fantasia with a broad nib is a great writer, and the only thing I don't like about it is that I have to post it, and it is a screw to post type. I wish it was a slip fit instead for quicker action. The Demonstrator model is even more awesome to me.
I think a grail pen is the one you find yourself always coming back to after using "other pens" for a while. It doesn't need to be a very expensive or rare pen, it is just the one that because of a combination of aesthetic appeal, performance, and dependability, would be the one you would choose if you could only have one single pen. And in my case, the name of this pen is Aurora Optima. How I very much like this pen! Italian pens in general are the ones who keep most loyal to the vintage designs, and the Optima is just so: refined, convenient, and with one of the best nibs made nowadays. I like it so much that I have three of them, in different colours and nib sizes.
I have 2 out of my 3 "grail" pens. MontBlanc Meisterstuck 149 and Omas Ogiva Arco Celluloide . A vintage MontBlanc Agatha Christie is still waiting to be found.
For me it’s always been the Pineider Homage to Arman set. I love the industrial look and the packaging it comes in, and I can just tell how amazing they would feel in the hand. My realistic grail pen is Visconti homo Sapien skylight
My grail pen is a Pilot Falcon. I draw with my fountain pens, and it has some unusual and unique features. It qualifies as a grail for me personally as its price is over double my limit.
If you decide to purchase a Pilot fountain pen with an FA nib, instead of the Pilot Falcon, I recommend replacing Pilot’s plastic feed with an ebonite feed from Flexible Nib Factory. I consider that to be a mandatory modification to keep up with the FA nib’s demand for ink. It’s now difficult to get my Pilot 912 and 743.to railroad.
Very interesting video. Thanks. I'm a very new fountain pen enthusiast. I have only purchased 2 pens so far, the Lamy 2000 and a Conklin Classic Firelines. I do have 2 others that were gifts. I'm trying to learn from my own history collecting folding pocket knives where I started with budget knives and eventually worked up to half a dozen grail knives. In fountain pens, I decided to skip the budget pens and make my first 2 purchases pens that spoke to me and that I would want to use no matter what other pens come my way. I work in forestry, so I believe I will focus on forestry themes whether based on materials or design. I've done a couple of videos on the 2 pens I own. What is catching my eye next is either a Visconti or Namiki Chinkin Pine Tree. Your thoughts on those grail pens?
My GOAT pen is the Conid Bulkfiller Kingsize with CAISO (cap activated ink shut off). Sadly, they don't make it anymore. I have owned this for over 2 years and it's still my most favorite pen.
Hello Ian, I just was looking at David's video and your note about the Delta Oro. You talk about it being celluloid, but the standard range Oro is unfortunately no celluloid, it is resin. Or do you have a special one, like the Chatterley ones, they are often celluloid. Please let me know, I am always willing to learn😀
I only have two of the grail pens on David’s exquisite list shown here. I confess to be long drooling over and desperate to get hold of a Nakaya Dorsal fin shown here.
Wow that tipping on MB 149 is cut way off center . Still looking forward to buying one of these (146) as far as I can tell they make gushing wet writers , overpolished , stubby nibs also a piston filler with a large ink window. Maybe you guys can help me out , is there anything else that would fit the bill?
Very interested to the company that made Pen 18111 Night Sky Sakura, it kinda suits my taste and Im very surprised that It kinda cost below my expectation, lol, probably my pens are mostly from namiki/pilot, whenever I saw any nice pen with urushi or maki-e or chinkin I thought it will be at least costing for above 1000$. Although Im quite happy with their product but damnnn the price just restrict my collection, have to trade 6~7 potential collection for only 1 of them.
Love you collection! Your eyes get glossy kinda like mine sometimes hahaha I’m sure you are a cool guy and if you happen to find yourself in Pueblo Colorado hit ya boy up!
"Oh no...my little yellow twsbi eco was watching this vid...now it says it needs therapy and botox". Very beautiful collection...thank you for sharing.
Incredible Grail Pens. I’m just starting my pen collection journey. Can you have another “Grail” list with the same criteria but they are readily available - in price and not limited edition? More power.
If you take a look in my channel history, I do have a number of other top 10 lists from previous years. The lists from one year are split out by price. Thanks for watching!
I have a crimson tide opera master that took me a year to finally acquire. My grail pen now is the visconti knights templar pen. One of those tree pens I really want, not a grail status for me but I will own one eventually, a conid and diffusion bonded acrylic pen too.
If you don't do anything else with pens, do whatever you have to, but get a 'Yard o Led' Viceroy Grand Victorian. The price is high but the quality is honestly astounding. Look on RU-vid - there's a video of them being made. Also Mr Brown has a review. Please do it.
Sorry, I thought grail pens were ones you didn't already have, but wanted (and met the other criteria you mentioned). You seem to have all of these, so I didn't think they qualified as grails... I'm curious what your, um, grail pens are? (i.e. that you dearly want but don't have)
I think this video was created to show a variety of pens that are „grail worthy“ and to help people that look for their next pen in the grail pen range.
Do you have no interest in vintage pens, I wonder? Personally, I always thought of a grail pen as something like, for example… a really clean mandarin yellow Parker Duofold, or maybe a lapis blue Wahl-Eversharp Gold Seal Deco Band.
I don't believe Wahl-Eversharp made a lapis blue decoband in the 1920s-30s, but if they did, I'd have to give it a look. I love old decobands, I just wish they would have made oblique nibs.
The solid system WAS proprietary until Monday! Penbbs just released the 355 which uses the same filling system. That will be my test for whether or not I want a conid. For me, the start and finish with grail pens was my visconti divina metropolitan in stacked green celluloid.
Thanks for another excellent video, David. My grail pen is currently an Aurora Optima limited edition clear demonstrator with red end caps that I bought from the gentleman who owns ASC. It writes like a dream and it took many years to find one at a price that made sense. I really enjoy the journey of pen acquisitions. I'm currently searching for my next grail pen which is an Omas Ogiva Cocktail in blue. It would be my first Omas. Maybe 2019?
