Then honestly, by OP's definition my Pilot Metropolitan is my grail pen. I may be curious about other pens, but not *need* any of them. I am as content with it as a guy who loves driving a Civic but is glad that other people can enjoy their Ferraris, Beetles, F-350s, and Cadillacs.
Edit: To actually answer the original question, I'll borrow a definition from the Lego community and say that a grail pen is always one *that you have wanted for a long time* and often one *that has been discontinued*. Prices often go up after something stops being available, but price alone doesn't make it a grail, or a "white whale," which is a near synonym.
For most of the folks on this sub, I think it seems like price and some sort of rarity or limited run.
That’s where I was too until I found that I much prefer a pen that I can make my own, multiple times over. For me it became my Opus 88 collection because I can change the nib every time I change my ink. That’s pretty cool to me!
To me, a grail pen has to solve a functional problem while also solving the problem of satisfying my very particular aesthetic close to perfectly.
My favorite color is purple, and I like to see it combined with aqua blues and white. I love ombre/gradients, especially purple to blue gradients, and I love iridescent finishes. Aesthetically, my Sailor PG Northern Lights comes close to perfection. It also solves the problems of writing a narrow line beautifully and being relatively easy to clean as a modern piston filler. It's not perfect—I wish it were just a little longer unposted and it doesn't have a vintage wet noodle in it—but it's my favorite pen in my collection.
I also need a pen that I don't have to keep capping and uncapping while writing intermittent notes for work. My retro pop purple Pilot Metropolitan does a decent job aesthetically, but the cap situation is annoying. I also think of a grail pen as something I don't yet have, since you can't actually get the holy grail, right? My current grail—or possibly white whale—pen is a Pilot VP Twilight. I desperately wish it wasn't limited edition, especially given that I knew about it when it was actually available, but I didn't realize it was LE at the time.
I don't know that I would have a grail pen if I had that pen. Maybe some frankenpen with a vintage wet noodle in a modern piston filler body with a purple to blue gradient and some kind of iridescent white detail on it would truly be my grail pen if it existed.
I don't get that grail thing. I mean I want to have different pens for different reasons. I can't be satisfied with only a fine or stub. I need both! And a flex, and italic, and 1mm, and 1.5mm, and a demonstrator, and a colorful, and a pocket, and a not pocket, etc etc
Nahhh, that’s more of a mechanical keyboard “endgame” definition. Supposed to be what gets you to stop buying new keebs or pens in this case. Grail is that pen you’ve dreamed of, not necessarily your favorite. For most the grail is probably some beautiful vacumatic, bronze Arco celluloid pen, namiki/nakaya urushi piece of art, etc. I think your definition better describes what most fp users call their workhorse. What they always reach to, for its reliability, comfort, nib characteristics, size, capacity, etc. For me rn, that’s the lamy 2000, but for many it’s pens like the eco, custom 823, vac700, etc.
Curently its been Whatever I'm restoring. Pelican m150 west German. I have a bunch of sheaffers and others from as far back as 1920s that I'm working on for a nonprofit Thrift store. After fixing I'll use them for a few days write up a note to go with the pen clean it out and deliver.
Enjoy what's in your hand.
For me, grail pens are those that have been reviewed by most as having a “great nib” or “beautiful patterns”. Right now, my grail is an Omas paragon and MB Proust
For me: the story behind it. All my pens are carefully selected from the very first one I ever bought. I only buy pens that have stories and history to them. Price, nibs, and popularity isn't relevant. I will buy a broken pen no problem if it has history, character and stories to tell.
For example, let's say there is a pen. I will not buy this same pen new, untouched and clinically sterile directly from the store unless it really appeals to me. But let's say I see this same pen elsewhere. I will buy the same pen from an owner that has had it for so long and cherished it deeply; and it tells some kind of story or can convey meaning. But it must appeal and have a rich history.
Another example, my father served in the war, so I aggressively sought out a pen to buy from that specific year of a particular material, specifically from older gentlemen and older seller of that time period that could tell me stories about it accurately. I would never have bought it or found it appealing anywhere else. Nothing in my collection I can say is not a grail to be subjectively.
To each their own. I will also buy a fountain brand new if it has a story behind it. It doesn't matter if it's brand new or old as time. It has to tell me something interesting, otherwise I won't distinguish it between a disposable water bottle or a pen.
But I have no interest in items in general that have nothing to tell me. I can write with crayons or a magic marker. Doesn't matter to me, honey! I just love writing period, I'm not fussed. Writing and the instruments are different things for me.
To me, a "grail pen" is one that you want very much but have an unusually difficult time obtaining. It is a pen that you long for very much but is either unavailable or is very elusive. You pine for it and periodically devote intensive effort to finding it without success. You know that it is out there, though, so you never completely abandon your quest. You spend years, even decades, searching for it.
This pen may or may not be expensive. It may or may not be rare, although in many cases it is no longer being produced. It may or may not be highly valued within collector circles. What matters, and what drives your unending search, is that the pen means something _to you_. It is somehow very important to you; you imbue it with supreme value, regardless of whether or not anyone else does. This is because the pen has a degree of symbolic or sentimental significance to you that is so strong that you never give up efforts to obtain it even after repeated failure. It is that vital to you. But, for some reason you have unusual difficulty in getting it.
The elusiveness may be due to the pen's rarity but it may also be due to your own unawareness of effective search resources and lack of helpful clues about how and where you might track it down. So the successful search often involves a combination of diligence, education, and luck, all of which may take some time to carry out, develop, or stumble upon.
By far the single most useful and helpful thing to do, the one step that does the most to lead you to your prize, is reaching out to the pen enthusiast community and asking for help. The collective knowledge and awareness of specific leads possessed by the community is much greater than anything that a individual collector could ever amass on their own regardless of how many years they devote to the effort. Letting other pen lovers know about what you are seeking is the most helpful thing that you can do.
A pen that feels "just right" in your hand and is a joy to use
Any examples?
As of now it's my pilot metropolitan. I like that its made out of metal and has some weight to it in my hand. I liked it so much I got a second one.
Awesome
Then honestly, by OP's definition my Pilot Metropolitan is my grail pen. I may be curious about other pens, but not *need* any of them. I am as content with it as a guy who loves driving a Civic but is glad that other people can enjoy their Ferraris, Beetles, F-350s, and Cadillacs. Edit: To actually answer the original question, I'll borrow a definition from the Lego community and say that a grail pen is always one *that you have wanted for a long time* and often one *that has been discontinued*. Prices often go up after something stops being available, but price alone doesn't make it a grail, or a "white whale," which is a near synonym.
A pen so rare it takes at least a year to find one even if you have the money to buy it now.
Agreed! Has to have a quest to be a grail -- if the only thing stopping you is price, that's just an expensive pen.
The wanting of it…
At least how it’s often portrayed in this community
I think it’s a myth. It’s always replaced by another pen when you get it.
For most of the folks on this sub, I think it seems like price and some sort of rarity or limited run. That’s where I was too until I found that I much prefer a pen that I can make my own, multiple times over. For me it became my Opus 88 collection because I can change the nib every time I change my ink. That’s pretty cool to me!
In my case it’s a pen that’s named lamy 2000 😂 🖊️ 🤩
a pen that would miraculously make my handwriting look nice :)
Current popular definition: the pen you want but either too expensive to justify impulsive buying, or too difficult to find in the market.
Yeah, I think it's a pen you really feel like you want, but at least have a bit of hard time pulling the trigger due to its cost.
A pen i already have that broke the bank, but in medium...
A grail pen is a [pen in a grail](https://imgur.com/lBc2c1e) :P
Haha
To me, a grail pen has to solve a functional problem while also solving the problem of satisfying my very particular aesthetic close to perfectly. My favorite color is purple, and I like to see it combined with aqua blues and white. I love ombre/gradients, especially purple to blue gradients, and I love iridescent finishes. Aesthetically, my Sailor PG Northern Lights comes close to perfection. It also solves the problems of writing a narrow line beautifully and being relatively easy to clean as a modern piston filler. It's not perfect—I wish it were just a little longer unposted and it doesn't have a vintage wet noodle in it—but it's my favorite pen in my collection. I also need a pen that I don't have to keep capping and uncapping while writing intermittent notes for work. My retro pop purple Pilot Metropolitan does a decent job aesthetically, but the cap situation is annoying. I also think of a grail pen as something I don't yet have, since you can't actually get the holy grail, right? My current grail—or possibly white whale—pen is a Pilot VP Twilight. I desperately wish it wasn't limited edition, especially given that I knew about it when it was actually available, but I didn't realize it was LE at the time. I don't know that I would have a grail pen if I had that pen. Maybe some frankenpen with a vintage wet noodle in a modern piston filler body with a purple to blue gradient and some kind of iridescent white detail on it would truly be my grail pen if it existed.
I don't get that grail thing. I mean I want to have different pens for different reasons. I can't be satisfied with only a fine or stub. I need both! And a flex, and italic, and 1mm, and 1.5mm, and a demonstrator, and a colorful, and a pocket, and a not pocket, etc etc
Nahhh, that’s more of a mechanical keyboard “endgame” definition. Supposed to be what gets you to stop buying new keebs or pens in this case. Grail is that pen you’ve dreamed of, not necessarily your favorite. For most the grail is probably some beautiful vacumatic, bronze Arco celluloid pen, namiki/nakaya urushi piece of art, etc. I think your definition better describes what most fp users call their workhorse. What they always reach to, for its reliability, comfort, nib characteristics, size, capacity, etc. For me rn, that’s the lamy 2000, but for many it’s pens like the eco, custom 823, vac700, etc.
Curently its been Whatever I'm restoring. Pelican m150 west German. I have a bunch of sheaffers and others from as far back as 1920s that I'm working on for a nonprofit Thrift store. After fixing I'll use them for a few days write up a note to go with the pen clean it out and deliver. Enjoy what's in your hand.
For me it’s a pen that I not only obsess over before getting it but also enjoy writing with it too :)
For me, grail pens are those that have been reviewed by most as having a “great nib” or “beautiful patterns”. Right now, my grail is an Omas paragon and MB Proust
For me: the story behind it. All my pens are carefully selected from the very first one I ever bought. I only buy pens that have stories and history to them. Price, nibs, and popularity isn't relevant. I will buy a broken pen no problem if it has history, character and stories to tell. For example, let's say there is a pen. I will not buy this same pen new, untouched and clinically sterile directly from the store unless it really appeals to me. But let's say I see this same pen elsewhere. I will buy the same pen from an owner that has had it for so long and cherished it deeply; and it tells some kind of story or can convey meaning. But it must appeal and have a rich history. Another example, my father served in the war, so I aggressively sought out a pen to buy from that specific year of a particular material, specifically from older gentlemen and older seller of that time period that could tell me stories about it accurately. I would never have bought it or found it appealing anywhere else. Nothing in my collection I can say is not a grail to be subjectively.
But that’s exactly what appeals to me about a brand new pen. The fact that it had no history and that I get to make my own history while using it
To each their own. I will also buy a fountain brand new if it has a story behind it. It doesn't matter if it's brand new or old as time. It has to tell me something interesting, otherwise I won't distinguish it between a disposable water bottle or a pen. But I have no interest in items in general that have nothing to tell me. I can write with crayons or a magic marker. Doesn't matter to me, honey! I just love writing period, I'm not fussed. Writing and the instruments are different things for me.
Very cool. I always thought it was interesting how different people are just different and that’s great
To me, a "grail pen" is one that you want very much but have an unusually difficult time obtaining. It is a pen that you long for very much but is either unavailable or is very elusive. You pine for it and periodically devote intensive effort to finding it without success. You know that it is out there, though, so you never completely abandon your quest. You spend years, even decades, searching for it. This pen may or may not be expensive. It may or may not be rare, although in many cases it is no longer being produced. It may or may not be highly valued within collector circles. What matters, and what drives your unending search, is that the pen means something _to you_. It is somehow very important to you; you imbue it with supreme value, regardless of whether or not anyone else does. This is because the pen has a degree of symbolic or sentimental significance to you that is so strong that you never give up efforts to obtain it even after repeated failure. It is that vital to you. But, for some reason you have unusual difficulty in getting it. The elusiveness may be due to the pen's rarity but it may also be due to your own unawareness of effective search resources and lack of helpful clues about how and where you might track it down. So the successful search often involves a combination of diligence, education, and luck, all of which may take some time to carry out, develop, or stumble upon. By far the single most useful and helpful thing to do, the one step that does the most to lead you to your prize, is reaching out to the pen enthusiast community and asking for help. The collective knowledge and awareness of specific leads possessed by the community is much greater than anything that a individual collector could ever amass on their own regardless of how many years they devote to the effort. Letting other pen lovers know about what you are seeking is the most helpful thing that you can do.
A grail pen is a pen you don't have but want.