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A primary goal for the pen collection in 2025 is to move out those I don’t need or want anymore. These pens are headed out the door.
Franklin-Christoph 20p & 45 — nice designs but they aren’t the pocket pens I reach for and the 65 is a better F-C pen for me to write with.
Pelikan Steno — has an interesting nib but I don’t get the best out of it with my handwriting.
Pilot E95S — love this design but the fine nib feels too delicate for me. Have another one in black with a medium nib that I like better.
Lamy Safari — a Safari may be identical to the Vista in every way other than appearance but I’ll always go for the Vista.
Lamy Studio — the glossy black finish is great but this Studio has the slick metal grip which I don’t prefer.
Diplomat Aero — excellent writer with a cool design but it’s missing something for me that I can’t quite put a finger on.
Cross Townsend — nice pen but it doesn’t compel much interest.
Sailor 1911 — Doesn’t do anything I can’t get from several other pens and I like the Pro Gear design better.
Sheaffer Craftsman — nice writer and the Touchdown filler remains different & interesting, but I’d rather use other Sheaffers before this one.
Teranishi Guitar — got this out of curiosity because I didn’t know Teranishi had non-glass nib pens. Quite good quality for short money but it doesn’t ring my bell.
Opus 88 Picnic — had this for close to 4 years and figure I’ve used it less than 4 times. The traditional eye dropper system is cool but that’s not enough.
Aurora Optima — a grail-level pen at the time I bought it, but never connected like you’d want from that kind of purchase. That’s more on me than the pen. In hindsight, I bought it because it felt like a step I was supposed to take as someone who was “serious” about pens. Instead, it would have been better to try understanding how & why the pen would/wouldn’t be a fit for me.
That’s 13 pens, more than 10% of my collection. The fact that this doesn’t feel drastic or difficult means it was overdue. Any real sense of attachment to them has passed by, if it was there at all. I hope they can end up in good homes where someone can use and appreciate them more than I’ve been able to.
