Nice top 10… so Sailor pretty much on top :)… for me KOPs are next. As far as grails I stand on the classic black/gold. Not much attracted on those colorful resins, I see them as more designer/fashion pieces, but I get your attraction for the MB Alfred Hitchcock … I was lucky to check the Victoria and Alfred and I get it … what fantastic pieces of art. The basics are around $ 4k and there are the limited edition in the $10k, unrealistic grails but I get it now 😊 And for those afraid of the price range, watch for online shops flash sales pattern… past year I picked up 2 M1000 under $500 from an AD ($440 for the green and $480 for the black)… patience is key to score those grails. MB are difficult to get but Pelikan, Sailor and Pilot you can get well below MRSP.
1. Another fun list, thanks. 2. Hey, MY grail pen is on this list! The KoP Ebonite rings my bell. I recently came into some unearned, unexpected money, that I'm thinking of blowing on it. It's either that, or go to Croatia.
Great list David! Beautiful collection I have a Pelikan M1000 in “Fine” that writes like a BB! It is on my list to get adjusted to a Japanese Medium. Also, I have a standard Gold/Black KOP and that nib is one of my favorites to write with, I love the KOP’s quite a bit.
This is a rarefied zone in terms of prices, especially at the upper end of the range. Again, yours is a very splendid list. Frankly, the honorable mentions alone make a pretty awesome list on its own. I own many pens in this price bracket. My own firm favorites in a Top 10 list are (in random order): Aurora 88 (I have ten of them and it is my #1 pen on the planet) Aurora Optima Aurora Internazionale Sailor King of Pens Pilot Custom 845 Urushi Vermillion Nakaya Decapod Twist Visconti Homo Sapiens (Bronze Age) Visconti Divina Elegance Bordeaux Montegrappa Miya 450 Montegrappa Queen: Night at the Opera (priced over $5000)
@@ichirofakename ..Rich and reckless, too. 😀 That Montegrappa Queen pen, particularly, was one I bought in a flight of untamed desire and madness. But truth be told, no regrets at all. I love it to death. Expensive pen purchases have been my only self-indulgent vice. Or so I think.
Nice grouping. You remind me of where I was at about a decade ago. Solid pens all. The cool thing is that your concept grail pens are continuously redefined. Happy hunting.
so glad the Nakaya dorsil fin 2 is on your list: this would be my grail pen:); but would like one of those Sailor 1911 King of Pen/Classic Pens too - Sailor make a very good gold nib(as do Pilot and Platinum - my favourite of all time is my humble Platinum 3776 century EF w rhodium trim - the perfect pen, for me!:)
David, pardon me, but I'm still drooling over quite a few of your top ten! Nakaya in particular, but then there's the Montblanc Hitchcock, and then there's...well, there's more but I'll stop there. I also like the range of your top ten, all wonderful and different.
Your top ten over $500 are very beautiful. My grail pen has always been an LB the faceted one, I don't remember the number, but I had seen it on SBRE Brown's channel. It was in red. A georgeous pen! But your LB5 in brown, really showcases the layers and until now I did not know the pen came in that colour. That being said I was smitten by your dorsal fin 2!! For its beauty and uniqueness.
Very interesting list David. I am surprised I actually have a few: Sailor King of Pen Leonardo Momento Zero Grande Mosaico Omas Milord Arco Someday I may find a Montblanc 149 that I can afford, lol.
Thanks for sharing! I'm surprised that a Sailor beat out the Alfred Hitchcock. While I like my Pro Gear 21k, my 146 Around the World in 80 Days, Calligraphy Flex and Pilot CH92 definitely beat out the Pro Gear.
Very beautiful pens, all of them! 😍 From this list I only own the Visconti Homo Sapiens, not the silver edition but the Dark Age. It was on my grail list forever and I wanted to buy it in their flagship store in Florence, Italy. And that dream came true several years ago. It was an amazing experience, and Florence is well worth a visit as well ❤
Are you happy with it? They look amazing but I don’t see many people saying it’s their favorite pen to actually write with - currently thinking of picking one up tho…
@@meshzzizk I'm very happy with it, and it is in the top 3 of my favourite pens. The other two being my TWSBI VAC 700 R Iris and my Lamy Logo. The Homo Sapiens is the most expensive pen in my very modest collection 😊
Lots of amazing pens on here. I only own one of your honorable mentions, the Pelikan M1000. Hope to get the custom urushi this year. I already have the 845 and it’s one of my favorites.
I have several of these pens in my collection of about 30 pens. I am glad Delta is coming back, The DolechevitaI have two Visconti pens above 500 and the feel and writing are superb, One of them ,the Cosmos, has the Dreamtouch nib, while the other, which is the Medici has a 23k nib. Another set of pens that doesnt get thier just due is the ST Dupont Line D Atelier with gold nib. Smoothest writer in my collection. Great weight and balance.
I've never been a Montblanc fan, but the Egyptomania is irresistible. I'm just about positive that it will be my next expensive pen. It is unique. I like Namiki a good deal more than Sailor, but Sailor still makes excellent pens.
Interesting list. Also nice to see I am not the only one who gets ink on metal threads (as with Figboot’s Hitchcock). In the beginning I cleaned the threads with a toothpick, but I quickly gave up on that.
Thank you for this list. I love the Leonardo grande as well.. I was inspired by your channel and finally saved up and got a Namiki Emperor 6 months back. It has been addictive writing with that. First I would just journal with it and now i write everything with it. That nib is phenomenal, feels like writing with a quill. And now I cannot enjoy any other fountain pen for more than 2 days before going back to the emperor. I feel like after months of writing only with it, my hand does hurt a bit. Can you recommend another pen which might be smaller but feel close to writing with the emperor?
Recently purchased a Starry night model from Cyress and their titanium barrel carving is amazing. Regarding how hard it is to process titanium alloy, they did a great job presenting gorgeous pieces, making the super-hard metal look flowy and soft. So I do recommend to try their metal series. Also, they make beautiful hand-carved nibs and they are kind of rare since the craftsman only makes a few batches per year. I got a karakusa themed nib for my Homo Sapiens bronze age, and it is candy to my eyes! Though it does not do flex as the Visconti nib does, it is nicely consistent and has a soft touch gliding across pages.
@@FigbootonPens Depending on where you're from, "Adjacent=close enough" could be considered fighting words. (Written as an Ohio native who won't tolerate being accused of being from Michigan.)
Even my Grail Pens aren't in this price bracket! 😄 Some very beautiful writing instruments here, but, at this point, they just don't fit my personal aesthetic and lifestyle. 😀
Nothing wrong with that. I have a twelve thousand dollar Namiki, and an almost four thousand dollar Namiki, and while I think they were worth every penny and more, one of my favorite pens is the Kaweco Brass Sport with a gold nib. I think I paid about two hundred and forty dollars, but it goes with me everywhere. I find writing with it almost addictive. I also prefer the Bronze Age and the Feel over anything on this list, just for person preference reasons. I love the way they look, and I can spend several hours at a time writing with either. That's important to me. I am glad I manage d to get my grail pens, and I think both are true works of art, and worth very penny and more, but there are some excellent pens out there that are much cheaper. I love putting gold nibs on steel nib pens. It's a good way of getting a pen that writes fantastically at a lower cost, but, for me, it's because I love the particular pens, but prefer gold nibs. And all that said, I have a big bunch of TWSBI pens. I bought them out of boredom during the Covid lockdown, I bought twenty0eight, I think, because I found I love how they write. I really prefer the Diamond 580 ALR, and against my better judgement, the Vac700, but even the GO and the Swipe are excellent writers, as is the ECO. I do greatly prefer soft gold nibs, and I do think the very expensive pens are worth every penny, but I also think a lot of steel nib pens are excellent writers, and can give the owner just as much pleasure as a far more expensive pen. I have a Bebu Talisman Dragon's Blood that I love to death, though I am going to see about putting a gold nib on it.
May be we can call it top 11 and just throw Danitrio in there. That guy is sitting there shouting... DAVID!! YOU KICKED ME OUT OF THE LEAGUE!!! I'M THE TALLEST IN THE LIST..
As a complete beginner to collecting these listings have been very valuable. Thank you. However, as a european/ British collector I am surprised at the lack of reference to the three manufacturers most familiar to me , Ie Parker, Waterman and Schaeffer. Are these makers not widely valued or stocked in USA?
Over five hundred kind of messes me up. It's such a massive range. Honestly, the Bronze age would be in the top ten of any list I could create. So would the Scribo Feel, and the Conway Stewart Chruchill. I simply haven't found another pen under twenty-five hundred dollars that I like nearly as much as these. I don't have several of the same pens you do. It's all so personal. I know they're great pens, but I just don't like the way most of them look. For me, probably for most fountain pen lovers, the way a pen looks counts for as much or more than how well it writes. I have a Namiki Maki-e Emperor, and a Namiki Chinkin, and these were always my grail pens, and they're both better than I had hoped, but it sure didn't stop me from buying others, though it did make me much more selective. I'm sure very few would agree, but if I were just making a list of favorite pens without regard to cost, the Kaweco Brass Sport with a gold nib would be up there with my over five hundred dollar pens, even though I paid only two forty or so for it. I find writing with it almost addictive, and I love the way it looks. I have my dozen five hundred and up pens, so now I really am very selective about what I buy above five hundred dollars. I'm having more fun now buying steel nib pens that I really love, most from India, and putting gold nibs on them, while I try to decide what expensive pen to buy next. I think it's going to be the Montblanc Egyptomania. It's just such a different pen, and I love everything about the way it looks, which I usually do not with Montblanc pens. If You haven't seen it, take a look. I think it's spectacular.
Yes, they are currently back, producing limited numbers of pens available only through a specific retailer. Check out Conid's site for additional details.
Had to stop watching after seven minutes due to the plethora of intrusive ads. Also, you mispronounce “Mont Blanc” - a surprisingly common practice with a simple two syllable name. Please avoid using the pen if you can’t pronounce the brand name !
I didn't see any ads at all. Spurge a little. For ten bucks you can get RUclips Premium and get rid of ads, and download videos. And Montblanc is NOT a simple word to pronounce. I've had people who work at Montblanc pronounce it about a dozen different ways. And who cares, anyway? How you pronounce the word has nothing to do with the pens. It's ridiculos to say you shouldn't use the pen if you can pronounce the name. Childishly silly. Especially since many people at Montblanc say it every which way. But what pronouncing the name and buying and using the pen have to do with each other is beyond me. But then, I'm not as poor as you, and I actually have a high IQ.
I’ve never tried any of these except the Leonardo, but based on these videos I’d crush every pen on this list in a vice just to lay my hands on one of those urushi nakayas 😍
Nice top 10… so Sailor pretty much on top :)… for me KOPs are next. As far as grails I stand on the classic black/gold. Not much attracted on those colorful resins, I see them as more designer/fashion pieces, but I get your attraction for the MB Alfred Hitchcock … I was lucky to check the Victoria and Alfred and I get it … what fantastic pieces of art. The basics are around $ 4k and there are the limited edition in the $10k, unrealistic grails but I get it now 😊
And for those afraid of the price range, watch for online shops flash sales pattern… past year I picked up 2 M1000 under $500 from an AD ($440 for the green and $480 for the black)… patience is key to score those grails. MB are difficult to get but Pelikan, Sailor and Pilot you can get well below MRSP.
1. Another fun list, thanks.
2. Hey, MY grail pen is on this list! The KoP Ebonite rings my bell. I recently came into some unearned, unexpected money, that I'm thinking of blowing on it. It's either that, or go to Croatia.
Croatia can wait. The ebonite Sailor KoP cannot, any longer. Just get it! 🙂
Really enjoyed this list. Some stunning pieces in your collection and great choices for a top 10.
Edited: "Really enjoyed this list. Some stunning prices in your collection."😬
Great list David! Beautiful collection
I have a Pelikan M1000 in “Fine” that writes like a BB! It is on my list to get adjusted to a Japanese Medium. Also, I have a standard Gold/Black KOP and that nib is one of my favorites to write with, I love the KOP’s quite a bit.
This is a rarefied zone in terms of prices, especially at the upper end of the range.
Again, yours is a very splendid list. Frankly, the honorable mentions alone make a pretty awesome list on its own.
I own many pens in this price bracket. My own firm favorites in a Top 10 list are (in random order):
Aurora 88 (I have ten of them and it is my #1 pen on the planet)
Aurora Optima
Aurora Internazionale
Sailor King of Pens
Pilot Custom 845 Urushi Vermillion
Nakaya Decapod Twist
Visconti Homo Sapiens (Bronze Age)
Visconti Divina Elegance Bordeaux
Montegrappa Miya 450
Montegrappa Queen: Night at the Opera (priced over $5000)
Man, you rich guys take my breath away with your pens.
@@ichirofakename ..Rich and reckless, too. 😀
That Montegrappa Queen pen, particularly, was one I bought in a flight of untamed desire and madness. But truth be told, no regrets at all. I love it to death. Expensive pen purchases have been my only self-indulgent vice. Or so I think.
Nice grouping. You remind me of where I was at about a decade ago. Solid pens all. The cool thing is that your concept grail pens are continuously redefined. Happy hunting.
Excellent video. I threw a No. 6 Watermans nib from a broken 56 in my sterling Homosapian. Oofta. It’s a beautiful pairing.
so glad the Nakaya dorsil fin 2 is on your list: this would be my grail pen:); but would like one of those Sailor 1911 King of Pen/Classic Pens too - Sailor make a very good gold nib(as do Pilot and Platinum - my favourite of all time is my humble Platinum 3776 century EF w rhodium trim - the perfect pen, for me!:)
David, pardon me, but I'm still drooling over quite a few of your top ten! Nakaya in particular, but then there's the Montblanc Hitchcock, and then there's...well, there's more but I'll stop there. I also like the range of your top ten, all wonderful and different.
It would be great to see a part two with some writing samples! 😁
Your top ten over $500 are very beautiful. My grail pen has always been an LB the faceted one, I don't remember the number, but I had seen it on SBRE Brown's channel. It was in red. A georgeous pen! But your LB5 in brown, really showcases the layers and until now I did not know the pen came in that colour. That being said I was smitten by your dorsal fin 2!! For its beauty and uniqueness.
Hi David, wonderful list. Thank you for the eye Candy. The Primary Manipulation looks like version two to me ;)
The series finale was better than I imagined, thank you.
Earbuds in, being asked, "Are you ok? What are you watching that's making you gasp so loudly?" 😄#ifyouknowyouknow
Very interesting list David. I am surprised I actually have a few:
Sailor King of Pen
Leonardo Momento Zero Grande Mosaico
Omas Milord Arco
Someday I may find a Montblanc 149 that I can afford, lol.
Thanks for sharing! I'm surprised that a Sailor beat out the Alfred Hitchcock. While I like my Pro Gear 21k, my 146 Around the World in 80 Days, Calligraphy Flex and Pilot CH92 definitely beat out the Pro Gear.
Great video.
love your golf polo shirts
Very beautiful pens, all of them! 😍
From this list I only own the Visconti Homo Sapiens, not the silver edition but the Dark Age. It was on my grail list forever and I wanted to buy it in their flagship store in Florence, Italy. And that dream came true several years ago. It was an amazing experience, and Florence is well worth a visit as well ❤
Huh. Never thought this way. I hope there are authorised Visconti shops there. I'm afraid to end up getting scammed.
@@pavanhuliyar It's Visconti's flagship store in Florence, Italy. So no worries of getting scammed!
Are you happy with it? They look amazing but I don’t see many people saying it’s their favorite pen to actually write with - currently thinking of picking one up tho…
@@meshzzizk I'm very happy with it, and it is in the top 3 of my favourite pens. The other two being my TWSBI VAC 700 R Iris and my Lamy Logo. The Homo Sapiens is the most expensive pen in my very modest collection 😊
Lots of amazing pens on here. I only own one of your honorable mentions, the Pelikan M1000. Hope to get the custom urushi this year. I already have the 845 and it’s one of my favorites.
I have several of these pens in my collection of about 30 pens. I am glad Delta is coming back, The DolechevitaI have two Visconti pens above 500 and the feel and writing are superb, One of them ,the Cosmos, has the Dreamtouch nib, while the other, which is the Medici has a 23k nib. Another set of pens that doesnt get thier just due is the ST Dupont Line D Atelier with gold nib. Smoothest writer in my collection. Great weight and balance.
I agree, Montblanc is very creative in their thematic range and their production is incredibly beautiful. As for Sailor, these are proverbial pens.
I've never been a Montblanc fan, but the Egyptomania is irresistible. I'm just about positive that it will be my next expensive pen. It is unique. I like Namiki a good deal more than Sailor, but Sailor still makes excellent pens.
I like the "Danny Trejo" pen. 😉
My fear of buying a pen at that price range, is purchasing such an expensive pen, and it not writing well.
Nice selection
Thanks, an amazing series of pens.
Interesting list. Also nice to see I am not the only one who gets ink on metal threads (as with Figboot’s Hitchcock). In the beginning I cleaned the threads with a toothpick, but I quickly gave up on that.
Thank you for this list. I love the Leonardo grande as well.. I was inspired by your channel and finally saved up and got a Namiki Emperor 6 months back. It has been addictive writing with that. First I would just journal with it and now i write everything with it. That nib is phenomenal, feels like writing with a quill. And now I cannot enjoy any other fountain pen for more than 2 days before going back to the emperor. I feel like after months of writing only with it, my hand does hurt a bit. Can you recommend another pen which might be smaller but feel close to writing with the emperor?
Recently purchased a Starry night model from Cyress and their titanium barrel carving is amazing. Regarding how hard it is to process titanium alloy, they did a great job presenting gorgeous pieces, making the super-hard metal look flowy and soft. So I do recommend to try their metal series. Also, they make beautiful hand-carved nibs and they are kind of rare since the craftsman only makes a few batches per year. I got a karakusa themed nib for my Homo Sapiens bronze age, and it is candy to my eyes! Though it does not do flex as the Visconti nib does, it is nicely consistent and has a soft touch gliding across pages.
A small correction. Conid isn't German, as far as I know. They're Belgian.
Indeed they are based in Antwerp!
Germany adjacent. 😁
@@FigbootonPens So is South Africa...
@@FigbootonPens Depending on where you're from, "Adjacent=close enough" could be considered fighting words. (Written as an Ohio native who won't tolerate being accused of being from Michigan.)
@@FigbootonPens You must be Mexican.
you know the list will be hot where mob149, pelikan m1000, danitrio are honourable mentions.
Do you have a favorite under $15 pen?
I have just recently started watching you. I would love to know how many pens are in your collection. You have some truly beautiful pens.
The answer I always give to that question is...too many! Thanks for watching.
Even my Grail Pens aren't in this price bracket! 😄 Some very beautiful writing instruments here, but, at this point, they just don't fit my personal aesthetic and lifestyle. 😀
me too
Nothing wrong with that. I have a twelve thousand dollar Namiki, and an almost four thousand dollar Namiki, and while I think they were worth every penny and more, one of my favorite pens is the Kaweco Brass Sport with a gold nib. I think I paid about two hundred and forty dollars, but it goes with me everywhere. I find writing with it almost addictive. I also prefer the Bronze Age and the Feel over anything on this list, just for person preference reasons. I love the way they look, and I can spend several hours at a time writing with either. That's important to me.
I am glad I manage d to get my grail pens, and I think both are true works of art, and worth very penny and more, but there are some excellent pens out there that are much cheaper.
I love putting gold nibs on steel nib pens. It's a good way of getting a pen that writes fantastically at a lower cost, but, for me, it's because I love the particular pens, but prefer gold nibs.
And all that said, I have a big bunch of TWSBI pens. I bought them out of boredom during the Covid lockdown, I bought twenty0eight, I think, because I found I love how they write. I really prefer the Diamond 580 ALR, and against my better judgement, the Vac700, but even the GO and the Swipe are excellent writers, as is the ECO.
I do greatly prefer soft gold nibs, and I do think the very expensive pens are worth every penny, but I also think a lot of steel nib pens are excellent writers, and can give the owner just as much pleasure as a far more expensive pen. I have a Bebu Talisman Dragon's Blood that I love to death, though I am going to see about putting a gold nib on it.
@@jamesaritchie1 28 TWSBIs? Which Namikis did you get? I'm interested in these Japanese art pens.
That’s an impressive collection
At 4:23, Conid is based in Antwerp, which is not in Germany but in Belgium. Neighbours though. :)
Where can I buy a Conid? It looks like their website says everything is sold out and has been for some time. Would love a king size
May be we can call it top 11 and just throw Danitrio in there. That guy is sitting there shouting... DAVID!! YOU KICKED ME OUT OF THE LEAGUE!!! I'M THE TALLEST IN THE LIST..
As a complete beginner to collecting these listings have been very valuable. Thank you. However, as a european/ British collector I am surprised at the lack of reference to the three manufacturers most familiar to me , Ie Parker, Waterman and Schaeffer. Are these makers not widely valued or stocked in USA?
A Parker made my $250-$500 list. 😀 Thanks for watching!
Over five hundred kind of messes me up. It's such a massive range. Honestly, the Bronze age would be in the top ten of any list I could create. So would the Scribo Feel, and the Conway Stewart Chruchill. I simply haven't found another pen under twenty-five hundred dollars that I like nearly as much as these. I don't have several of the same pens you do. It's all so personal. I know they're great pens, but I just don't like the way most of them look. For me, probably for most fountain pen lovers, the way a pen looks counts for as much or more than how well it writes.
I have a Namiki Maki-e Emperor, and a Namiki Chinkin, and these were always my grail pens, and they're both better than I had hoped, but it sure didn't stop me from buying others, though it did make me much more selective.
I'm sure very few would agree, but if I were just making a list of favorite pens without regard to cost, the Kaweco Brass Sport with a gold nib would be up there with my over five hundred dollar pens, even though I paid only two forty or so for it. I find writing with it almost addictive, and I love the way it looks.
I have my dozen five hundred and up pens, so now I really am very selective about what I buy above five hundred dollars. I'm having more fun now buying steel nib pens that I really love, most from India, and putting gold nibs on them, while I try to decide what expensive pen to buy next. I think it's going to be the Montblanc Egyptomania. It's just such a different pen, and I love everything about the way it looks, which I usually do not with Montblanc pens. If You haven't seen it, take a look. I think it's spectacular.
Hey I'm looking for a great looking pen but also have good ink flow; I have a fountain pen that is always drying up when I'm writting x.x
Are Conids coming back?
Yes, they are currently back, producing limited numbers of pens available only through a specific retailer. Check out Conid's site for additional details.
Wasnt Conid from Belgium?
This collection of pens cost more than my car lol
Time to get a new car! I saw the Porsche electric car on the street the other day, the Taycan. Looks good.
@@ichirofakename Looks expensive. Have you checked the cost of replacing the batteries?
Most beautiful bunch of pens I’ve ever seen…….but all those honorable mentions …….figboot out of control….yikes . All the best to you and yours.
Had to stop watching after seven minutes due to the plethora of intrusive ads. Also, you mispronounce “Mont Blanc” - a surprisingly common practice with a simple two syllable name. Please avoid using the pen if you can’t pronounce the brand name !
I didn't see any ads at all. Spurge a little. For ten bucks you can get RUclips Premium and get rid of ads, and download videos. And Montblanc is NOT a simple word to pronounce. I've had people who work at Montblanc pronounce it about a dozen different ways. And who cares, anyway? How you pronounce the word has nothing to do with the pens.
It's ridiculos to say you shouldn't use the pen if you can pronounce the name. Childishly silly. Especially since many people at Montblanc say it every which way. But what pronouncing the name and buying and using the pen have to do with each other is beyond me. But then, I'm not as poor as you, and I actually have a high IQ.
you must be a very sad person
I’ve never tried any of these except the Leonardo, but based on these videos I’d crush every pen on this list in a vice just to lay my hands on one of those urushi nakayas 😍