What I think represents a Third Tier pen...
Edited by AndrewC on September 9, 2014, 11:38 pm
I am not really a collector, more of an accumulator, really, and not very learned when it comes to these sorts of things, so please bear with me. When I look at a pen and say, oh, a third tier pen, usually the first thing I look at is the clip-a lot of 3rd Ts have the clip that is rolled over at the top where it goes into the cap, as if someone just bent a flat clip over a rounded form, then slipped it into the cap. Then I look at the nib and lever. It seems the bigger names usually had a pretty solid lever. Some levers feel pretty flimsy or easily slip under the fingernail, whereas the "first tier" levers seem more solid or have something that makes it easier to get hold of. I don't know a lot about nib makers, but some nibs-spoon type or the ones with the end rolled under- I always assume to be of lesser quality. I used to assume "Warranted" nibs were 3rd T, but I have used some that were just wonderful. It seems many 3rd Ts used great plastics, although I frequently associate brighter, even lurid, colors with the 3rd tiers. Are some brands third tier because they never were big sellers? I know there are Third Tier pens that are great pens. Are they still qualitatively "less" than others? Is it always a quality/build issue? I have always felt Wearever to be a Third Tier, even though some of the pens seemed to be good quality. I have some modern Chinese pens I deem third tier because of build or materials, or just because it "feels" cheap, and does not write well. I ask all this because, yes, I want to see lists of brands, and, I think more importantly, a list of what things define those third tiers. I figure with enough input, perhaps a concensus/definition could be reached. I know as a newbie I was pretty confused about Third tiers. And, I am still wondering about Second Tiers.
|
Message Thread | This response ↓
- We hear talk of Third Tier brands, so what defines them, and> - AndrewC September 8, 2014, 7:20 pm
- Re: We hear talk of Third Tier brands, so what defines them, and> - Giovanni Abrate September 8, 2014, 9:17 pm
- Re: We hear talk of Third Tier brands, so what defines them, and> - Lynn Brant September 9, 2014, 1:33 pm
- Criteria - DanDeM September 9, 2014, 1:55 pm
- A few I've accumulated. . . - SteveE2014 September 10, 2014, 8:20 am
- Re: We hear talk of Third Tier brands, so what defines them, and> - Lynn Brant September 10, 2014, 1:33 pm
- I would say Dollar is a 3T brand, even though - George September 12, 2014, 1:23 pm
« Back to index |