The dream pen dilemma

Not that I am itching for getting another pen (okay, maybe just a little bit). I very happy with the pens that I have now, not to mention that some pens in my collection are yet to be rotated. For example, a Lamy 2000 and a Namiki Vanishing Point that Ann and I got as wedding gifts several years ago are still new in the box. But reading the “dream pen” discussion at FPN got me started to think about this interesting hypothetical question.

I guess my definition of a dream pen is something that’s a little bit out-of-reach (either difficult to find or too pricy, thus qualifying the “dream” part) but is not entirely impossible to get (otherwise there’s no point to think about it).

For a vintage pen that satisfies these two criteria, it would be a Wahl-Eversharp Doric with an adjustable nib for me. I already own one of these, but certainly would be more than happy to get a couple more in different colors.

For a modern pen the choice is much tougher for me. Two pens that I am contemplating now are in the opposite end of the spectrum. The first one, Omas Arco Milord, is just the right design/material/color for me and is an extremely showy pen. I guess this is something that can be called 騷包. The other one, a custom-made Nakaya, would be a very understated pen with its simple design. However, because I can have one made to my specifications, every single detail of it would be screaming mine (in other words, 悶騷). So this really is a tough question and I can’t make up my mind about which would be “the one”. Fortunately, all of these are out of reach for now, and I have a lot of time to entertain this dilemma.