As I think most of us, when I started collecting pens, I only had eyes for the well known brands. I focused first on Parker and Sheaffer and later changed to Pelikan, Montblanc and Soennecken. That has changed a bit over the years and now I also actively look other less known but equally well built and beautiful pens.
In the past I ended up buying some unknown pens, most times in bulk buys only to be able to get "that other known" pen, most times Pelikans or Montblancs.
Brand recognition and scarcity are probably the most important aspects when it comes to pen value, but some times they have not better quality, nor are more well build, or even more beautiful, they are only from a famous brand that correctly and methodically built a name associated with quality, prestige and luxury over the years because they started earlier, invested more in marketing campaigns, were more innovative that competitors, or any other valid reason to get a competitive advantage.
I want to start this thread so all of us can show some of the pens we think are good enough and look great enough to be able to stand by their own along side with the famous ones but are from less known brands or even unbranded pens.
I am posting 3 pens that I feel can match any same style and period Pelikan or Montblanc pen in overall quality and beauty but are just not branded or are simply disregarded because they are not from the " big ones"
1) Unbranded lizard pen, with a excellent piston mechanism. It was a kind offer of pmn, also member here and arrived to me with a section that was not fitting properly, so I machined a new one and installed it. I have also installed a Degussa steel nib.
2) Bohler Glorex. arrived to me with a clip all worn and already silver colored because the gilded was gone and with a bad nib, I installed a better looking clip and a 14Kt Degussa nib. Now it writes wonderfully and looks great but still need to sand and polish the section
3) Luxor Grand visible G2, already posted this thread - all original.
Share yours also!!
Regards
Vasco
Edited by piscov, 19 December 2013 - 09:52 PM.