My Favorite Pen Dealers

by Tony Thomas

As many of us look for places to shop for gifts this holiday season, I thought I would take a few minutes and share some of my favorite pen dealers:

The Goulet Pen Company: I have followed Brian and Rachel since they were selling fountain pens, paper, and ink out of their house. In recent years, Goulet has grown become the one of the premier fountain pen dealers in the United States, with a strong emphasis on customer service and education. They have a You Tube channel with an exhaustive library of videos on fountain pens, ink, paper, accessories and tips. Goulet also has one of the broadest ranges of products of any fountain pen dealer.  Their website is top notch with plenty of custom tools to help you find the best pens, paper and ink for your needs.  In addition, they offer great service with a personal touch. I only wish they offered free shipping options and faster fulfillment when they are backed up with orders.  https://www.gouletpens.com

Jet Pens: Jet Pens is another great dealer that offers all kinds of writing instruments (fountain pens, ball points, roller balls, dip pens, pencils, etc.) as well as paper, ink and more. Most of their products come from Japan, and I have a great affection for Japanese products. I love the fact that they offer free shipping for all orders over $25. I also really like their online product guides and have found them to be helpful. Jet Pens offers prompt shipping and most of my orders ship the same day or the next. http://www.jetpens.com/

iPen Store: I have probably done business with iPen Store longer than any other dealer. They sell a wide variety of writing instruments, including ballpoints, rollerballs and mechanical pencils. Aside from the brand names, they also sell their own line of quality pens under the "Rosetta" brand name. IPS has an ebay store under the name "Streetfair" and I believe that is where I bought my first Lamy Safari many years ago. As they are in the next state (MI) and they ship First Class USPS, I have found them to be a quick and reliable source. http://www.ipenstore.com/

Pen Chalet: Pen Chalet has also become one of my go to dealers for fountain pens, although they also sell rollerballs, ball points and mechanical pencils. Their web site is easy to navigate, their prices are very competitive and they offer fast and friendly service.  https://www.penchalet.com/

Anderson's Pens: I have only placed one or two orders with Anderson's, but Brian and Lisa are well known and respected in the fountain pen community. They have a brick and mortar store in Appleton, WI with a wide range of products and I have found their customer service and shipping speed to be exceptional. They also have a lot of knowledge about vintage pens, especially Esterbrook. http://www.andersonpens.com/

I hope you will check out these dealers and give them a try.

Happy shopping!

My Problem Pilot Prera

by Tony Thomas

I bought a Pilot Prera demonstrator fountain pen three months ago.

I've always liked Pilot pens and I thought it was time to try one of their mid-priced offerings. The pen itself is great and sports an italic nib. It is a great writer and it's up to the quality that I have come to expect from Pilot--except for one small thing. Ink tends to collect in the cap and finds its way into the space between the opaque cap liner and the cap.

Brian Goulet of The Goulet Pen Co. documented this flaw and found an ingenious way to remove the cap liner using a common tool. You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc3OTVJIv0A

I tried his method and discovered that, on my pen, the cap liner was attached very securely and would not budge. I contacted Jet Pens (the dealer I bought it from) and they suggested I contact Pilot directly since it was a warranty issue.

I e-mailed Pilot customer service and the rep I dealt with (Holly) was very nice. She told me to send the pen back to them and they would repair it under warranty. The whole process took about three weeks from the time I mailed it to the time I received it back. From what I was told, they replaced the cap.

Fast forward a few months. It happened again. More ink under the cap. Not nearly as bad as the first time, but it still detracts from the pen’s appearance. And, again, the cap liner was tight and would not budge. I contacted Holly at Pilot again and told her that is definitely a design flaw and is something that Pilot needs to address. She forwarded my e-mail to her repair department.

I received this response:

“This is not a defect. If ink is getting under the cap then most likely there is too much ink pushed out from the converter and is on the nib neck when he puts the cap on or possibly he is not cleaning off the nib neck after filling the converter and before putting the cap on. Unless the nib is leaking so bad that it fills the cap and ink goes past the sleeve there really is no reason why ink would get under the sleeve. He should make sure there is no ink on the nib neck and that he is not over filling it before he puts the cap on.”

What? Pilot is blaming me for what is clearly a documented design flaw?

Needless to say, I am not happy with their response. I did receive an apology from Holly for what I consider an insulting response. She told me that I could send the pen in again for repair, but I already paid for postage to send it back once and I don’t want to do it again.

The moral of this story is to steer clear of the Pilot Prera demonstrator. Warranty repair isn’t the solution to this issue. The pen design needs to be be revisited. Caveat emptor!

Update: Received this message from Pilot USA via Twitter on 6/28: "We want to apologize for your negative experience. We've recently heard from other users of the Prera as well, and the issue with the leaking caps has been referred to our parent company in Japan. We wanted to let you know that we have addressed the problem and hope to have updates and design changes soon."


Ink under the cap liner again at the bottom

Jet Pens Chibi 2 Pocket Pen

by Tony Thomas

While filling up my shopping cart at Jet Pens, I decided to pick up a few of their Chibi 2 pocket fountain pens.  At less than $3 each, the price was right.  Plus, I noticed that they have received good reviews on their web site.

After testing it out, I have concluded that it is a great little pen.  It has a smooth IPG fine nib, it posts (but not all that securely) and is comfortable to write with.  It comes with a black cartridge and accepts a Monteverde converter (which, sadly, costs almost as much as the pen).  I have decided to stick with cartridges and re-fill them when they run out.

The Chibi 2 is a great snap-cap fountain pen to carry with you in your pocket or purse or to give away to people who would like to see what it is like to write with a fountain pen.  At $2.99, you really can't go wrong!

For more information: 

http://www.jetpens.com/JetPens-Chibi-2-Mini-Fountain-Pen-Fine-Nib/pd/14752

Chibi 2 next to Kaweco Sport and Rosetta Napoleon

Cap, Section and IPG Fine Nib

Writing Sample Mnemosyne 192 Pad

Pilot Metropolitan Roller Ball Gel Pen

by Tony Thomas

The Pilot Metropolitan is probably my favorite cheap fountain pen.  I carry one with me daily.  It is well balanced, writes beautifully and the construction is great.  (See my review here.)

Although I write with fountain pens as much as I can, I also use pencils and gel roller balls.  My favorite gel roller ball of all time is the Pilot G4.  It is a great and reliable pen.

You may not realize it, but Pilot offers a Pilot Metropolitan in a gel roller ball version and it accepts the standard G4 refill (yea!).  It is the best of all worlds in my opinion.

Check one out if you get a chance.  They are available from my friends at Jet Pens!

http://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-Metropolitan-Roller-Ball-Gel-Ink-Pen-Fine-Point-Black-Plain-Body/pd/11038

Pilot Petit 1 Mini Fountain Pen

by Tony Thomas

I picked up one of these tiny beauties on my latest order from Jet Pens.  It was less than $4, so I decided to give it a try.  It has a clear, injection molded body and a nib that is very similar if not identical to the one on the Pilot Varsity.

It posts easily and has a plastic clip that seems usable even if a bit fragile.  The Petit 1 is comfortable to hold when posted (and I have very large hands).

It came with a black cartridge and a pack of 3 replacement cartridges will set you back less than $2  (other colors are also available).

How does it write?  Very smooth with a fine line and  just a touch of feedback. Pretty amazing for such a tiny and inexpensive pen!  It is a decent little pocket or purse pen that won't put a dent in your wallet.