There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
I have collected a number of pens over the years that I include among my favorites. My favorites at this time are Pilot/Namiki, Sailor, and Platinum. This is primarily because I can get fine nibs that don't skip or scratch (although if they've sat for a while there might be a few skips till I get the ink flowing properly again), and at the same time don't blob on the page or smear (the perils of being left-handed, even though I'm an underwriter). No matter which way I hold the pen, and I do adjust my grip regularly while writing, they are always able to adapt.
That said, however, my all time favorite is from Reform, a company that no longer exists. Back in the 1980s I purchased several sets of their Fountain/Ball pen bundle with a fine nib, and they are always my fall-back. Reform stopped producing pens, but continued to produce nibs for a short time, I believe, so occasionally I find a pen with a Reform nib on eBay, but the version of the pens I like is a rare thing to find, especially with a Fine nib. These pens were relatively inexpensive, even for the time, at about $20 to $30 a set, but are among the best performers I have.
I also have a Namiki vanishing point (fine) that I absolutely love, and is my go-to pen for most applications. I have a Platinum Carbon Black desk pen which is always inked and produces a beautiful, clean line on almost any paper. The Lamy Safari/Al-Star series is also a regular (I have several).
I find that price is really not a consideration when choosing a favorite pen. My expensive Vanishing Point and my Carbon Black are wildly different in price, but they tend to be my favorites because of the way they feel in my hand and the way they write. I even like my Preppy collection (partly because of the array of colors and the choice of nib size).
My suggestion for anyone trying to choose a new or favorite pen, is "close your eyes and think of how it feels when writing" because that will identify your favorite. Then take into consideration your perception of filling the pen, how fragile or stable it is before deciding whether it is worth the work involved with cleaning and refilling to break the tie. The last thing to consider is price. Often the most expensive is not a favorite.