The Parker Reflex, a loathesome pen

Happy reflex user here, different to hold in the begin, weird feeling rubber
on an FP, however it controls nice for a light pen. Good starting pen, or
even an everyday.

I agree with who ever it was that said you should have returned it.

Ultra Collections

For $8USD, I can afford to stuff it in notebooks, binders, etc., and
not care if it gets lost when I travel or if I loan it out. I just
keep a Waterman around in my office for my regular use.

For $8USD, I can afford to stuff it in notebooks, binders, etc., and
not care if it gets lost when I travel or if I loan it out. I just
keep a Waterman around in my office for my regular use.

I was reading in the archives this evening, and happened on one of your
exchanges with the late Frank Dubiel over the effect that ink has on a
pen's writing characteristics. I agree with you that ink has a very
noticeable influence on how a pen will write. A couple of years ago I
bought a dozen or so brands of black ink and tested them in my favorite
pens. I settled on Quink black as the best all-round ink - smoothest,
wettest, etc. I used to use Skrip before they changed the formula.

BUT, I notice that you found Quink to be scratchy in your Reflexes. So
perhaps if I had tried some other ink in the Reflex, I would not have
found it to be quite so loathesome a pen..

On a slightly different topic, I have noticed that most modern pens
write a lot drier than pens from the 50's, for example, so much so
indeed that I am in the habit of adding several drops from a 3cc
syringe of detergent to my ink.

"virgiliopoeta" wrote in message
ps.com...
I was reading in the archives this evening, and happened on one of your
exchanges with the late Frank Dubiel over the effect that ink has on a
pen's writing characteristics. I agree with you that ink has a very
noticeable influence on how a pen will write. A couple of years ago I
bought a dozen or so brands of black ink and tested them in my favorite
pens. I settled on Quink black as the best all-round ink - smoothest,
wettest, etc. I used to use Skrip before they changed the formula.

BUT, I notice that you found Quink to be scratchy in your Reflexes. So
perhaps if I had tried some other ink in the Reflex, I would not have
found it to be quite so loathesome a pen..

slapping myself upside the head

Man, I forgot all about that! Yes, both ink and paper affect the writing
experience and because two exact same pens may feel very differently with
the exact same ink and paper, you really do need to experiment. For example,
I have two fine Namiki Falcons and I discovered early on that one does well
with Quink while I had to use the other with Skrip. (No matter now, I'm
using Noodler's Black and Legal Lapis with them.)

For the past year, I've kept Pelikan violet, Noodler's blue, Quink green,
and Noodler's Shah Rose in my Reflexes. If you can get around your aversion
to the looks and feel of the pen, you might want to buy another Reflex and
do some experimenting with ink again 'cause it really is a great pen for the
price. IMO, of course. (Standard YMMV disclaimer.)

All the best.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

I agree -- so much that I didn't know 'cuz I would purchase a pen and
quickly give it a "thumbs up/thumbs down." Very often, the pen would end up
with my sister or a friend as "I can't take this anymore" gift. Little did
I know about smoothing papers to correct scratchy nibs and that inks behave
differently in pens.

I also found out recently that some cartridges have a tendency to cause the
ink to "stick"...yep, that happens with my Sonnets (need to gently tap the
side of the cartridge before the ink will flow back towards the nib). I
laugh now...but did not realize that many nibs are screwed into the barrels
of the pens (wow, much much easier cleaning!).

Just wish this board was more active.

My best to all,

Paul

"Bluesea" wrote in message
...

"virgiliopoeta" wrote in message
ps.com...
I was reading in the archives this evening, and happened on one of your
exchanges with the late Frank Dubiel over the effect that ink has on a
pen's writing characteristics. I agree with you that ink has a very
noticeable influence on how a pen will write. A couple of years ago I
bought a dozen or so brands of black ink and tested them in my favorite
pens. I settled on Quink black as the best all-round ink - smoothest,
wettest, etc. I used to use Skrip before they changed the formula.

BUT, I notice that you found Quink to be scratchy in your Reflexes. So
perhaps if I had tried some other ink in the Reflex, I would not have
found it to be quite so loathesome a pen..

slapping myself upside the head

Man, I forgot all about that! Yes, both ink and paper affect the writing
experience and because two exact same pens may feel very differently with
the exact same ink and paper, you really do need to experiment. For
example,
I have two fine Namiki Falcons and I discovered early on that one does
well
with Quink while I had to use the other with Skrip. (No matter now, I'm
using Noodler's Black and Legal Lapis with them.)

For the past year, I've kept Pelikan violet, Noodler's blue, Quink green,
and Noodler's Shah Rose in my Reflexes. If you can get around your
aversion
to the looks and feel of the pen, you might want to buy another Reflex and
do some experimenting with ink again 'cause it really is a great pen for
the
price. IMO, of course. (Standard YMMV disclaimer.)

All the best.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.