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The Parker 25 is much maligned, I have seen it described as 'an ugly writing stick'.  I disagree, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder after all and the 25 has a quirky, rugged, and functional appearance that appeals to me.  As for the 'writing stick' bit, well, yes, that's exactly what it is, and it does its job very well indeed. Its all steel construction and lack of moving parts make the Parker 25 virtually indestructible.  The steel tubular type nib isn't going to break if you look at it the wrong way and it writes very well....

The odd thing about the Parker Duofold Junior is that there is nothing 'Junior' about it!  It is actually a very long pen at 16 cm., well over 6 inches when posted.  It also has a very 'grown up', distinguished appearance, it's almost as if Parker took the very 'stubby' Duofold standard and stretched it to the correct proportions.  It is even comfortable in my great lump of a hand: And here it is alongside a modern, good sized pen, the Parker sonnet, and the real 'Junior' sized Parker Lady: Apart from being well sized the Parker Junior is also a...

The Sheaffer Intrigue is a different kind of pen in terms of innovative design in structure and function: It has a filling system that could be described as a hybrid converter/cartridge affair, very well engineered and designed.  The pen is large and, whilst not being particularly long feels quite heavy and very 'chunky', a very tactile pen. You're either going to love or hate this pen, I love it. I have a Sheaffer Intrigue 616 triple set, this model, available here.

I recently restored two swan leverless pens, one an early Gold filled pen and the other a 1930s 0160.  The sac replacement is really straightforward, fully clean out old sac and fit new one with a good dusting of chalk.    The action of the system is usually described as 'twisting the sac' but I don't think that is actually what happens.  When the button is turned the bar moves in such a way that the edge of the bar presses along the length of the centre of the sac pushing air out.  When the button is tightened the bar  returns to...