Fountain Pens from MrPen

Why the internet is a great place to buy quality pens.
Quality pens are not as readily available as they once were, ten years ago nearly every stationer, all branches of stores like W.H.Smith and Boots had their pen counters with huge displays of Parker, Sheaffer and Cross pens. Modern mass merchandising does not lend itself to the retailing of such items where customers of the past could obtain leisurely advice from trained retail personnel and examine fine pens in detail before making what was often a once in a lifetime purchase. Opportunities to obtain such items are now the province of the large department store or the specialist retailer in the shopping mall, options that are not always convenient. The Internet offers a unique opportunity to make such beautiful items easily available to discerning people who wish to own, use or give a pen of quality.

The importance of owning a fine quality pen.
A precious pen like a fine watch is all about ownership, the desire to own a prestigious writing instrument. Additionally when you write to someone with a fountain pen or sign a letter with ink it is a great compliment to the recipient. Quality pens improve writing and give a sense of satisfaction that an inexpensive ballpen could never do. A beautiful pen makes a thoughtful retirement gift, anniversary, birthday, or a present to say thank you and what better way to say "I love you" than an engraved pen that will make that statement every time it is used for the rest of your life.

I have been fascinated by fine quality pens since I packed myself off to a Parker pen training course in Bush House London when I was just sixteen years old back in 1963. I spent some years as a sales representative for the Sheaffer Pen Co and my love of Sheaffer as one of the premier manufacturers remains ever strong.

Who makes the best pens.
Who makes the best pens today? We have been very selective in the brands we sell at MrPen, we prefer classical design like Legacy from Sheaffer, Parker Duofold, Waterman Edson and the traditional near design perfection of Pelikan. It is also nice to see the resurgence of Conway Stewart as a manufacturer that is so quintessentially English. Of the newer makers I am very impressed with the Sigma 'Style', a fountain pen beautifully designed and crafted and one of the smoothest writers I have ever used. We have introduced our very own Italix brand pens. We were disturbed by the larger makers deserting the italic pen market (with the exception of Parker and Waterman) within the price band of £50 to £75 so we commissioned our own. The Italix range offers a choice of fourteen nib styles. Lastly, we noticed that the medical profession are amongst the keenest users of fountain pens, the 'Doctors' pen is just for them. It is designed with specific qualities, for example the cap stays securely on the barrel when the pen is in use it also adds to the instruments balance. Very free flowing so no starting problems, always ready for immediate use. The 'Doctors' is designed for hard continuous every day usage.

Where are prestigious pens made?
I have added this heading because I am becoming increasingly disturbed by manufacturers moving their source of production. Once upon a time we knew that a specific brand came from its homeland factory, now makers increasingly have their products made in China and the Far East. There is certainly nothing wrong with the products from these areas but many of these writing instruments have prestigious brands and it may be disturbing for the customer who may believe their purchase is coming from a well established factory in the USA with a long history of pen making when in fact it is not. You are certainly safe if you select Parker (UK/France), Waterman (France), Sigma (UK), Pelikan (Germany), Caran d'Ache (Switzerland), Conway Stewart (UK),  Faber Castell (Germany) and Harrison Brothers (UK/Germany). We are only a telephone call away if you need guidance in this important area of pedigree.

Try a pen at home.
We welcome your telephone calls and we are free with advice and help. You can try any pen in your own home, check it out for balance and smoothness, and if you are not delighted return it for a full refund. All we ask is that you do not fill the pen with ink rather dip it in the ink to try your selection. We also ask that you do not select engraving unless you are certain you wish to keep the pen. A pen can always be returned for free engraving at a later stage.

Our standards of service.
Our aim is to become the very best pen company on the worldwide web by offering a level of service second to none.

• To endeavour to maintain a full stock policy and deliver orders within twenty-four hours, and that includes engraved pens.
• To deal with customers questions,queries and complaints with fairness and courtesy.
• To give honest advice on products always biased to the best interests of our customer.
• To offer an aftersales service over and above even that of the manufacturer.
• To buy only the finest products available from the industry's best makers.

If we fail to keep these undertakings, let us know and we will take the steps needed to rectify our procedures or standards of service.

My personal choice
Incidentally for the past twenty years I have used a Mont Blanc fountain pen, it writes well but leaks. It has always leaked in spite of service attention by Mont Blanc. Recently I bought myself a Sheaffer Legacy Heritage and I must say its an absolute joy, never skips, no starting problems, very smooth and only has ink where its supposed to be, at the point of the nib. If you have a pen that you tolerate rather than enjoy using why not treat yourself to a superior one, or better still get someone to treat you.

Our Special Offers
We are very fortunate in having close relationships with our suppliers. Major manufacturers have a problem when ending production of any specific model as they will usually have a number of pens remaining. Sometimes these end of line products consist of just a dozen or so, or maybe at other times several hundred. The major stores are not interested in such oddments but with our national base of customers we certainly are. We can also buy whole consignments, for us purchasing 500 pens at a time is not unusual. Current offers include Cross Townsend fountain pens from as little as £50 inc. VAT, a large selection of special edition Cross Pinnacle, Cross Century and Sheaffer Prelude. Quality pens have never before represented such good value.

If you do decide to purchase a pen from MrPen we know you will enjoy using it and the pleasure of owning and writing with a quality pen will last your lifetime.

Peter Ford
MrPen at P.J.Ford & Associates Ltd

Peter Ford is a member of
The Writing Equipment Society