Almost exactly two years ago, I wrote a piece about the trend towards “oversized” pens, and how fountain pens were seemingly ever-increasing in size. I do think that things have calmed down a bit, with companies not chasing the extremes with pens as large as the Wahl-Eversharp Decobands and some of the ASC Pens special and limited editions. But companies continue to make oversized versions of many designs, and I sometimes find myself having to decide whether to buy the standard or “big version” of a given pen. How do I personally make this choice?
Unposted, I find the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande to have near-perfect balance. But what if I almost always want to post my pens?
For me, by far the most important consideration when evaluating any fountain pen is balance. I use the term “balance” to refer to how the weight of the pen sits in your hand as you write. I like my pens to be either front-weighted (towards the section), or centered in the web of my hand between thumb and forefinger. Too much weight at the back leads to skipping and hand fatigue, at least for me.
I love freaking people out by posting fancy pens. Yes, I know that posting might leave marks on the barrel, but (1) it hasn’t so far after 4 years of use; and (2) I don’t care that my pens look like they’re actually written with.
Even a very large pen can be well-balanced. For example, both the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande and the Esterbrook Estie “Oversized” have excellent balance unposted. (The Estie Oversize won’t post by design.) That said, both of those pens use a cartridge-converter system or lightweight piston to keep the pen from getting too back-heavy.
The Leonardo Momento is probably just a touch too long for me to enjoy using posted, but it’s light enough that it’s workable to post the cap.
The issue I run into is how balance intersects with practicality. While there are always exceptions, it’s a general rule that unless you have larger hands, larger pens can be more difficult to post. The Estie Oversize doesn’t post at all, and the Momento Zero Grande sits at the threshold of what I can comfortably use. Even if the weight of the pen doesn’t cause an issue, pure length might make it look unwieldy. I enjoy posting my pens and nearly always have to do so at work. Most weekdays, I find myself running between meetings in different conference rooms, and I hate setting caps on crowded tables where they might get knocked onto the floor, covered with someone else’s papers, or, annoyingly, commented upon (“Why do you use that old pen?”) when I’m trying to focus on something else. It’s one of the many reasons why I will always love the iconic, yet extremely subtle, Lamy 2000. It posts deeply, is the perfect size for me, and looks relatively inconspicuous.
Three of my favorite fountain pens that I think hit the sweet spot in terms of balance and practicality: From left, the Leonardo Moment Zero, the Montblanc 146, and the Lamy 2000.
Takeaways and Where to Buy
I have a decision to make. At the end of the day, modern oversized pens typically don’t fit my hands as well as the “standard” model. While there are certainly exceptions, the inability to post these larger pens without sacrificing balance, and the, ahem, “lack of subtlety” when using them at work, makes it hard for me to give them a regular spot in the rotation. Even though I enjoy pens such as the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande and Montblanc 149, I go back and forth on whether to keep them in my primary collection or sell them off in favor of acquiring what would be, to me, more usable pens in the standard size.
I do think it’s important to push back on the narrative - often implied but sometimes express - that the “better pen” or “more luxurious pen” is always the larger version. Companies subtly push this by making the larger version more expensive, and the thread of FOMO that tends to run through the community whenever a new model or design is released encourages that nagging voice at the back of your head asking whether you’ll later regret not picking up the “more expensive” or “upgraded” version. Don’t fall prey to this - I certainly have in the past - because bigger is NOT always better, especially with writing instruments, and the best pen for you is the one you will comfortably use long-term.
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