[avian]

> One lasts generations

Multiple Parker Vectors I had typically lasted a few years of use each before the plastic windings between the pen head and the holder wore out or broke.

My Pilot Metropolitan did the same just a few months back.

I still have the high-end pens my grandfather used that, while mechanically still sound, I am unable to get the ink flowing through them.

I love writing with fountain pens, but long lasting they are not in my experience.

[noufalibrahim]

I disagree. I used a Waterman Expert for a long time. It conked out when someone I loaned it to dropped it. I switched to a Noodlers Ahab (which has a flexible nib) so you can do a little bit of flourishing for headings etc. I've used it for a long time and still do. Recently, I switched to a broad tipped Lamy Safari (which was a birthday gift).

My main problem is that most papers can't really handle the inkflow from fountain pens anymore and since the place I come from is somewhat humid, the papers quickly start to bleed ink. So, my more common instrument is a Pentel graphgear mechanical pencil.

I do calligraphy as a hobby so I have separate arsenal of dip pens and nibs but those are not for daily use.

[DrewADesign]

I’ve also got a noodler ahab that’s been going strong for years- vegetable resin body, plastic everything else except the metal nib, clip and ring around the opening of the cap.

[bayindirh]

I have multiple pens which are a decade old, incl. a Metropolitan and Safari, and write like day one despite being used frequently.

I also have a couple ones older than 50. They also work. Clogged ones generally need a good flush with a fountain pen flush.

[anu7df]

Also, if you do not want to spend on any specialized fountain pen flush solution, diluted windex works very well. From the smell I am willing to bet that most fountain pen cleaning solutions are exactly that.

[bayindirh]

Thanks! Unfortunately we don't have Windex here. Many of them here contain alcohol, and some others contain lemon juice to remove calc stains from glass. I wouldn't risk that, actually.

I use J. Herbin's flush, which doesn't mind being used over and over. I filled an old Lamy 30ml ink bottle with one, and flush my pens with the same "liquid". From what I feel, it has some soap, some other surfactants, which it doesn't react with the rubber and seals inside the converters and pistons. Alcohol eats them from my experience.

The bottle I have gained interesting properties. It's a green-turquoise hue, which becomes reddish if you shine strong light through it :)

But it cleans like it's never used, which is nice.

[Telemakhos]

Have you tried ultrasonic cleaning with plain water? I got a cheap ultrasonic jewelry cleaner and started cleaning my pens with it, and they work beautifully.

[bayindirh]

I have an ultrasonic cleaner too, but no pens were stubborn enough to necessitate a bath inside it.

I generally "power flush" my pens with a syringe: Get a 50ml syringe, cut the sealed end of a cartridge, fill the syringe, mate the syringe, cartridge, pen, and push the water through. After a couple of times, the pen is thoroughly cleaned. Shake a couple of times, let it dry.

On the other hand, many (if not most) inks have some detergents in it, and keep your pen clean and clog free as long as you use them. Older inks used Solv-X which was more effective but deemed carcinogen and banned in modern inks.

[criddell]

I have a Metropolitan and the only reason I don't use it is because the cap doesn't seal well and the ink evaporates quickly.

[bayindirh]

Yes, metropolitan is not a “super sealer” which you can leave for a period, then pick up and write. It demands to be used regularly. It also doesn’t like to stand nib-up for long periods.

Because of it, I generally EDC it with a good, low maintenance inks, and try to use it very regularly. As an EDC pen, the nib balances its quirks.

Lamy 2000 and Pilot Custom 823 are two of the most patient pens I have ever used in that regard.

[tom_]

The stainless steel Parker Vector is much harder-wearing and available for under £15. Same nib unit as the plastic ones.

(I found them particularly good when used with the washable ink cartridges, never drying out even after long periods of disuse. The permanent ink isn't as good in this respect and the pens need more regular use.)

[triknomeister]

Parker Vectors were cheap Parkers in my experience. They were like the 40 dollar nikes that you used to get. More money was spent in the brand than the quality.

I got a Parker Sonnet as a prize in a competition. It is still good, even though I rarely use it nowadays.

[sudhirb]

I've had an ancient Parker 51 for a good decade or so now which I use almost daily, that originally belonged to my great-grandmother.

I'd expect there to be a reasonable amount of variation in how long these pens last due to differences in usage, machining tolerances, ink types and materials - though mine has done very well considering how many times I've chucked it into a bag, dropped it on hard floors, etc. (I've probably just been lucky so far).

[kps]

Parker, Waterman, Rotring were all bought by Newell (Rubbermaid) and gutted. You have to go back to 20th-century production to get the real thing.