My grail pens are vintage fountain pens. I like to get older pens and think about the letters that were written in the past using it. Maybe some one had it during WWII and wrote letters to family members while they were away.

Shortly after entering this hobby, my grail pen became a Visconti Homo Sapiens Magma. I’m glad to say I have one in my collection now and I absolutely love it.

9:39 - "I needed to go into a two-minute explanation..." Come on, David. We all know it was more like 20 minutes. 😂This is a heck of a collection, man. Props to you for building it!

I have found that because I'm on a very limited budget (was in graduate school, and am now still very early career), my grail pen is usually just the pen I'm eyeing next. So a year ago my grail was a Pilot Falcon (which was the pen that got me into fountain pens to begin with). With the Falcon acquired, my grail it is now the Diplomat Aero, for which I'm keeping an eye out on the resale markets if a good deal comes around when I have the money budgeted. This approach also helps me really appreciate the pens I have currently. While yes my DREAM grail is anything from Nakaya, and I'd love to have the classic grails too, those are all just fully unattainable for many many years. If I spent any time yearning over them, I don't think I'd have as much gratitude for my very small, but very deeply considered collection that I currently use

Wonderful, now one of my "grail pens" is literally just a cube of celluloid material!

I have recently realized that, for the moment, there aren't any grail pens calling to me. I just got the Radius Prisma after watching David's review, and am presently content to bask in my enjoyment of that pen. There are a couple easily attainable pens, such as a navy TWSBI, I would like to acquire, and probably will, but nothing that feels like a stretch or a goal. It's kind of a nice break, but I hope the feeling doesn't last too long. I fully expect that soon there will be some new marvelous writing instrument that will catch my eye, and that new chase will be equally enjoyable. David: this was a fantastic tour of grailery. Thank you for sharing all these wonderful pens with us.

Ha, ha. I liked the post production dog barking scene. I don't know if you forgot to edit it out or not, but that was great. It IS too bad that I will be be in position to acquire ANY of the like of these Grails which you showed, although I do have a some few fountain pens which I have admired over time and have actually become the curator.

This video is awesome, thank you for this great content

Love all your videos and I have watched many of them multiple times. My favorites are your grail pen videos

Oooh, that Brothers Grim Mont Blanc looks intriguing!

Wonderful collection! My tastes are rather different (I prefer smaller pens like the Sailor 1911 Large, Platinum 3776 Celluloids or Pelikan M800s and M600s) but your collection was inspiring and all the more interesting because you so vividly shared your personal enthusiasm. Your reviews are always interesting and thorough- so thank you for sharing these pens with us.

Beautifully presented

That X-ray shot of the Nakayas is just so dope!!! Amazing work done by the artisans!!!

Enjoyed seeing some of my favorites of your favorites again. And now I know someone who has an OMAS Ogiva Blue Angel Cocktail. I have wanted one ever since they came out and thought I would never spend that much on a pen -HaH. Thanks for highlighting the celluloids. Love your “Gray Polished” Arco sample.

Woof woof! 😄 Tremendous selection. My Grail is more modest, but definitely something I desire more than any more expensive pen. It's a Pilot Myu 701 (M). Quite the most beautiful pen ever created ❤

I bought the cross year of the horse pen, which was one of the ones I wanted…in cream with the 14k nib. So pretty and lovely to write with!

I got my first grail pen not too long ago which is my Pilot Falcon. I absolutely love it and your video on the Pilot Falcon gave me realistic expectations for what the pen was capable of. It has allowed me to fully enjoy my pen and not be let down by it!

Duo Dorsel Fin Danitrio most gorgeous creation. ❤

just ordered my first KOP model, it arrives in 2 days! hyped!

Awesome ❤ Beautiful ❤ amazing collection ❤

I think I loved the eggshell and the Blue Classic Pens LB5 pens the best.. thanks for sharing

loved the barking break! Also love my Montblanc Ultra Black LeGrand.

26:27 love those special moments captured in simple beautiful tangible objects

Amazing video. Figboot rules!

KNG OF PENS MENTONNED!! I adore my Progear Ocean! When I started working at the pen store that made me discover my passion for fountain pens, we had 2 K.O.Ps for sale. The Pillow Book Midnight Sky and the Ocean. I had absolutely zero knowledge in fountain pens but those two just... Stuck with me. I was obsessed with them (and subsequently, Sailor as a whole). They were calling me, begging for me to purchase them... But with a price tag of over a thousand CAD, and with me barely knowing anything about that big big world, safe to say I didn't aquire them immediatly. It's only a year later, after learning more about pens, gaining work experience and starting my collection that I finally felt ready. I chose the Ocean because the green/teal colour was just... Gosh... It's mildly see,through when looking at it up close, and off course, you mentionned it, the nib in B is fantaaaaaaaaaastic! I've had it for over a year, I still work at that pen store and it's still my most expensive, my best writer and my favourite piece in my collection! As for my next graal pen... Oof that's hard. We have 2 Porsche Designs that have been sitting in our store for years. They're made from Tec Flex, a metalic material used to isolate electrical wires in Porsche's endurance cars. Couple that with an 18kt nib from Pelikan and you get... 1600$ CAD for the most expensive of the two hehe... Still looks awesome I want one of them one day. This and anything from Namiki. I don't really care which they're all stunning lol. We also have Maki-Es from Sailor, my favourite (and off course the most expensive) is the K.O.P Endangered Mammals. Last one is probably the Visconti Black Divina that we have. I was shocked to learn that the bands were made of real silver! And I was so impresssed by the Palladium nib! It's soft like gold andf it's so tiny! Truly a dream touch! And it's the cheapest yet at 999 CAD! Almost free!

12:29 ah! high end snap cap! 😍

Thank you for the video! One point on OMAS nibs: My understanding is that they did not make them in-house. They were a proprietary design, but were made for them by Bock. That is how SCRIBO is able to essentially continue to offer OMAS nibs today: They acquired rights to the nib tooling, which Bock now uses to make nibs of identical properties for SCRIBO.

Wonderful fountain pens. 👍 I only collect vintage Montblanc fountain pens, the older the better. Holding an exciting piece of writing culture/history in my hands and then restoring it as best I can is what I enjoy most about collecting. I like your videos.👍

The Night Sky Sakura is an honorable mention now!!???!! Whelp, my jaw is officially on the floor. Now I'm hyped to see what new pens made it into the list to unseat one of the OG champions!!

Good day dave , although its been a while since i watch youre vedeo , watching youre new top 11 pen compare to youre vedeo 5 years ago i xan say its much more colorfull , but that visconte homosapien of yours are beautifull that two extra ring in the mid are nice. As a parker 45 user it will just a dream to have one of those.

I had a grail pen that I expected always to be out of reach, both in terms of price and in terms of availability. But then I found one at an estate sale, and the seller was pricing well below the online market price. I'd have been happy just to have held the pen one time, since I never expected even to see it in person. It never really stopped being my grail pen after I purchased it from the estate sale; it feels like a special occasion whenever I ink it and write with it.

My grail pen is my humble namiki nippon art kabuto, and im very grateful to obtain it 😊

Always a fun -- and enviable list. I had the Conid on my grail list but after trying out a similar filling mechanism, decided it was too fiddly for me. The Sailor KOP comes on and off my list but I"m disappointed that such a nicely large pen has the usual, smallish Sailor converter. Finally, I tried for a while to get a Carolina Pen but I think I got in line when Jonathan was (still is) busy making resins for other pens; 12 months became 24+ which was more than I could personally tolerate. Now I'm getting old enough that I ask myself who'd inherit any special pens but none of my kids got the bug!

The Nakaya Dorsal Fin 2 is now my favorite pen of all time. Wow.

As a passionate Dantista, my grail pens are the Visconti Dante pen and the Montegrappa series illustrating each of the three canticles of the Commedia. My favorite canticle is Purgatorio, so I most want that pen from Montegrappa. It features the seven terraces of Purgatory with a little illustrated scene in each, the mountain itself at the bottom of the pen, and the golden and silver keys to the gates of Purgatory (from Canto IX, one of my favorite cantos of Purgatorio) are on the cap. Since I can't justify that kind of purchase, I have to be happy with my two Leonardo pens with very Dantean symbolism.

Mine, a Wahl Eversharp Decoband Modern.

The Custom 845 is not resin, but like its larger sibling Custom Urushi is also urushi over ebonite.

I also have the Writers Edition Homage to Brothers Grimm Limited Edition 1812 Fountain Pen by Montblanc. From the looks of your Montblanc piece It finds inspiration in the story of Sleeping Beauty demonstrated by the twining leaves and thorns around the cap and barrel. The Clip is shaped like an old walking stick. Enjoy! I'll look forward to your foreseeable review of the pen.

I reckon I’ve already acquired all the pens I had yearned for in the personal ‘grail’ category. But I know that I still really badly want the Taccia Empress Winter’s Breath. So, that’s the one!

Having tried both at the Triangle show, the Yukari Royale is at the top of my grail list. I loved the feel of the Emperor, but it's big enough and my hand is small enough that it looked like I was holding one of those gigantic pencils you win at the carnival. Now to rework my budget for a couple of years to afford (and justify buying) the Yukari...

I'd love to hear more about the maki-e pens--but especially, if you use them, if you have any thoughts or tips on how to use the pens without staining or discoloration. I recently bought a raw ebonite pen that stained the first time I dipped it into ink, and I've heard that some urushi pens will discolor in sunlight. A review combined with a primer would be great. These are grail pens for me--I think I might get one *one day* but not in the immediate future--and it's nice to combine the longing with a bit of education.

My own pen is Parker Sonnet Sky Blue. Followed by Rotring Artpen. Getting a Kaweco soon

I think for me the grail was the Pilot Myu/Murex - not terribly expensive, but also difficult to get. I managed to snag one off ebay and have largely felt like theres not really much left to collect after that. Maybe I'll get a custom tuned nib at some point...

Just one correction, according to Pilot's website the 845 is also ebonite in the same way that the Custom Urushi is, where the parts that have urushi are ebonite and then the finials and such are plastic.

My grail pen for a very long time was a Visconti Homo Sapiens and I ended up finding a fantastic deal on a Homo Sapiens Chiantishire and I have not really had a single grail to work towards since, I just mark pens I like down for later and see how I feel about them in the future.

My not yet obtained grail crosses a few categories. I haven't yet been able to justify a Taccia pen that goes nujts on the raden, maki-e, and urushi (and an 18k King of Pen nib), but they're some of the only ones in that price range I think I could justify at some point.

Thank you for showing off your amazing and great collection. You have many URUSHI lacquered fountain pens that even I, who live in Japan, don't have. I'm so jealous ☺️

Here’s my top three grails: -Montegrappa Miya in Red Celluloid -MB Meisterstuck 149 -Pilot Custom Urushi in Red

I love Parker :).

My boy has a six figure fountain pen collection.

While our tastes may vary I was glad to hear that you actually ink up your pens snd use them. I feel that people who collect anything only to put it in a safe deposit box are really missing out. Perhaps that dog barking at the end of the video was agreeing with me. 😉🐕

16:36 I think you mean vacumatics not 51s, but if there are any 51s like that, I want one.

Thanks for the beautiful show. The four pens I want but won't pay for: 1. Sailor King of Pen 2. Pelikan M1000 3. Pilot Silvern 4. Conid Giraffe.

I noticed that all of your grail pens were rather recent. Is there a reason there isn't anything vintage in your grail category? Say a Waterman 58 or anything else - is it lack of design appeal, does the age eliminate practicality for you, or is it something else? PS. Like the dog blooper at the end!

I have been beyond fortunate enough to acquire a few of my grail pens. And I must thank you for at least two of them, The dragon slayer from Ryan krusac and the Wetland Cypress from Papie Plume.

I had to listen to the end to hear if there'd be a dog barking... and was not disappointed ;)

How wonderful. Any of your beautiful pens would be my “grail” pens. Sadly I’d say “unattainable” pens as I’m on a low income and could never save enough. So glad you’re able to enjoy such wonderful pens. My best wishes sir. (The barking dog outtake should have been kept in!).

Great video! The Silver Homo Sapiens... I've been trying to find it for years, unfortunatelly without sucess. Please let me know if someday you decide to sell it!

Lovely collection David. Thank you. The Visconti stripey job is also reminiscent of the Parker Vacuumatic?

Hey there, David. I do have to make a correction regarding your comment about celluloid no longer being manufactured. The new OMAS company actually did restart production on new stocks of various celluloids, at least according to their website. Great video!

When I got into fountain pens in 2016, the Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age was the first pen that really caught my attention. The price has kept it well in 'grail' status for me, despite it not being hard to find or extremely rare. Someday I might pull the trigger, but who knows! It's something for me to admire from afar until such a time haha. A close second that also caught my eye when I first got into pens is the Pilot Myu. I adore the look of the integrated nib. I have been able to scratch that itch to an extent with some inlaid nibs (I adore my Sheaffer Targa), but it is still up there for sure. My main hesitation on it is the nib size - I have a preference for broad nibs, so I feel like if I got one it wouldn't see as much use as it deserves.

My Grail Pen is the Namiki Emperor - White Rabbit. Well - honestly, ALL the Namiki Emperors - 🤣😆🤣

I just got my first grail pen just recently, a Waterman 52, a 52v in this instance. My advice, don't get them near the holidays like I did, the bidding goes about x2 during that time. Good luck getting your grail pens.

You must be a very rich man to own all of these grail pens. ;)

My is Kawuska in good condition. Sometimes it can be found at Polish auctions, but I never saw one, capable of writing, or even being refurbished… ok maybe in a museum ;). It’s a Polish, pre-war brand.

I currently don't have a grail pen because there are too many great pens on the market to choose from.

David, always enjoy your videos. Question - where can I buy the ridged blue material you use to place your pens for size comparisons. I have looked high and low for that and cannot find it. Thanks! Bob Holt, Virginia

I own a few of my grail pens

If I asked somebody to be careful with something of mine and they ARGUED WITH ME?! They can borrow somebody else's pen, I don't care if they wanted my Gelly Roll. For decades my grail pen was a pale blue Aurora Talentum. It taunted me from the pen counter where I worked but I never had the price of it comfortably. Then for years I didn't run across any. The stars aligned recently. But most of the time my grails aren't that specific. I have categories like "the perfect hand painted Benu" or "the right colorway of Sailor Pro Gear." I know it when I see it, and I won't get anything that's just nice. It has to be just right.

My only real grail pen is the Waterman Carene in sea green, it's the first and only pen that really makes my jaw drop every time I see it. I love the maroon version as well, but the green with the gold is just too stunning. Unfortunately I could never justify spending that much on a pen!

Great video. I really enjoyed watching this one in particular because you presented the pens as categories and I got to see a lot of beautiful pens. After your final remarks, there's a black screen for a few minutes followed by your visconti homo sapiens moment. Probably some editing issue. Otherwise, great work!

THERE'S A BROTHERS GRIMM EDITION MONTBLANC?! My wallet cannot handle this.

« These go to eleven. »

My grail pens are a Lamy 2000 and a Lamy CP1 with gold nib. I am a simple man.

Where did you get your pen tray? I’m looking for something like that to line drawers.

I love the KOP! Why were the LB5 rods overpriced at $1000 when the base LB5 pen is worth $5000-$6000? Without the material, the pen would only be worth also $1000 since it's just a modified KOP right?

30:39 oof those are really gorgeous too 31:31 I think I fell in love

I am not sure I really have "a grail pen". I definitively have some nice pens that I wish to own someday. Nothing outlandish too. My next "aspiration" of getting one pen is probably an M nib pilot custom 823

I'd love to know more about that pen with eggshell and raden! Who are you buying it from?

Leonardo Vesuvio - or any other gold leaf and lacquer Leonardo pen that was/will be produced. However, for some reason I'm generally not into higher end pens and there are pens that I'd like to experience that are a lot more affordable.

I will only spend over $100 on a pen that has a gold nib, and I'll never spend $200 on a pen. Given that, my most grailular pen is the Pilot E95S or vintage Elite, or a Sheaffer Taranis. That style is really cool and weird

That Visconti demonstrator is kinda sexy damn

Firstly, a disclaimer, I am not a collector. For me a pen is a tool to be used. That said, if I were to get a grail pen that I ended up not using then it clearly wasn't the grail I thought it was. This is one of the main reasons I have held off from mindless consumerism and throwing money at expensive pens for no good reason.

Hmm . . . a grail pen that I have yet to see in person is a MONTBLANC Her Serene Highness Grace of Monaco Limited Edition 29. This is definitely a grail pen and likely unobtainium for me. But it is a stunning pen.

David, are you sure Pilot Custom 845 made from resin? It should be ebonite pen as well as Custom Urushi.

I have a mont blanc gold in box fromthe Sultan of Brunei never used It is a beautiful ballpoint very rare item Iam sure lookin to sell if price is right they are I think around 5 thou dollar mbe higher .

Aurora Black Mamba is one of my grail pens. No longer made, and expensive.

Try ranga pens

I need visconti homo sapien lava maxi large sterling silver trim Extra fine nib

My grail pen doesn't exist yet. Lamy Petrol Scala. I'm holding out hope they will make one some day.

My problem with expensive pens is that you got to select a nib size, and you can't switch it like a 10$ Lamy steel nib. I would go with fine, but some inks would make me select medium. And then paper! I'm good with fine on cheap paper. With Rhodia? Maybe broad then!

My grail pen is the Mont Blanc writers edition Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I love the style and look of it, just not the price.

Love how you say eleven pens and then proceed to show us exponentially more. 😅

@25:35 Celluloid is more durable than hard rubber? In what sense? I always thought of celluloid as fragile - prone to ink-staining, yellowing with age, crazing, shrinking. ukposts.info/have/v-deo/aJx_na2MpGd7yYE.htmlsi=6JFhvLYxDoeTKWrv&t=298 made me think ebonite was basically bulletproof except the fade-to-olive from UV+water. I love the look of celluloid, would love more excuses to get celluloid pens. I'm jealous of your arco :)

I've just been served up 30 seconds of ads every new selection of pens. I made it half way through your video before I gave up. No more views from me.

Guess That eggshell pen from India you’re about to receive is from Delmoon ?

I was disappointed that you didn't cap the pens especially the eggshell pen.

There's another UKposts "David," and he is from the UK. Im sure you know him. He owns my grail, which is a gorgeous Visconti Manhattan Arco in swirls of carmel and cocoa. I don't really care for the Homosapiens. It looks too industrial 😅

My grail pen has been a Visconti Homo Sapiens but I've always held off from it because I've heard many things about the issues people would have and then their customer service not being too helpful. I'd hate to spend that money and not get the help I need.

I don't think I have grail pens anymore, because I've realised every pen has something "wrong" with it that makes it fall short of being worth chasing. I've come to the stage where I've finetuned my collection to the point where I have a bit of everything I was looking for and I just enjoy using my pens, even if each of the individual pens could be improved, e.g. different material, different nib, different filling system. I'd have to learn to create every part of a pen to my specifications and make my own design to get my hands on a grail pen, and that's not very likely to ever happen. By the way, The Great Wave Off Kanagawa is a woodblock print, not a watercolour painting.