The "feel" of a pen is as much a function of its
thickness as its length, weight, and balance. The listings on this page
should help you in selecting a vintage pen that best suits you. The
measurements given here denote the outside diameter of the barrel at its widest
point. The diameter at the point where the fingers grip the pen might have
been a more useful indicator, but since that point varies from writer to
writer, where to make the measurement would have been rather
subjective. Note that the measurements
given are necessarily approximate, due to normal manufacturing tolerances.
Click here to download a much more comprehensive list of measurements in .pdf format, compiled by John R. Gleason.
Alternative download site here.
| Aurora Optima |
|
12.7 cm long |
14.0 mm diameter |
| Lamy 2000 |
|
13.7 cm long |
13.0 mm diameter |
| Montblanc 146 |
|
14.0 cm long |
13.2 mm diameter |
| Montblanc 149 |
|
14.7 cm long |
14.8 mm diameter |
| Parker 75 |
|
12.8 cm long |
10.7 mm diameter |
| Parker Sonnet |
|
13.3 cm long |
11.0 mm diameter |
| Parker Duofold Centennial |
|
13.7 cm long |
13.2 mm diameter |
| Parker Duofold International |
|
13.1 cm long |
11.7 mm diameter |
| Pelikan 400 |
|
12.6 cm long |
12.2 mm diameter |
| Pelikan M600 |
|
13.3 cm long |
12.7 mm diameter |
| Pelikan M800 |
|
14.1 cm long |
13.5 mm diameter |
| Sheaffer Legacy |
|
13.8 cm long |
12.7 mm diameter |
| Sheaffer Targa |
|
13.6 cm long |
11.4 mm diameter |
| Vanishing Point (old style) |
|
13.7 cm long |
12.0 mm diameter |
| Waterman Liaison |
|
14.3 cm long |
12.2 mm diameter |
| Waterman Phileas |
|
13.5 cm long |
12.0 mm diameter |
| Waterman Preface |
|
13.3 cm long |
10.7 mm diameter |
Pen diameters at widest point on
barrel, in millimeters:
| Conklin 25P: |
9.5 |
| Conklin P5: |
11.5 |
| Conklin 75: |
13.0 |
| Conklin Senior Endura: |
13.1 |
| Esterbrook J: |
11.8 |
| Esterbrook LJ, SJ, CH: |
10.5 |
| MT Swan GF #2 Leverless: |
9.7 |
| MT Swan #2 size LF (1940s): |
11.7 |
| Montblanc 134: |
11.6 |
| Montblanc 644: |
11.6 |
| Montblanc 149: |
14.8 |
|
|
| Pelikan 100: |
11.5 |
| Pelikan 100N: |
12.0 |
| Pelikan 400: |
12.2 |
|
Sheaffer Oversize Flat-Top: |
13.0 |
|
Sheaffer Oversize Balance: |
13.0 |
| Sheaffer 1949 Touchdown: |
11.3 |
| Sheaffer Touchdown/Snorkel: |
10.5 |
| Wahl HR roller-clip, #2 size |
10.7 |
| Wahl Oversize Signature: |
13.7 |
| Wahl Eversharp Bantam: |
8.4 |
| Eversharp Skyline (full-size): |
11.5 |
|
|
