Why People Love Demonstrator Pens?
People were always fascinated by fountain pens, and how they worked. The manufacturers were keen to show off their innovative filling systems, clip assemblies, and novel methods for sealing the nib inside the cap. As a result, from the very beginning, all of the big manufacturers gave their salespeople hard rubber pens with the inner workings taken away. This is where the demonstration pen got its start.
By placing a window in the side of the barrel that allowed a view of the pressure bar compressing the bladder when the button was pressed, Parker demonstrated how a button filler operated. Sheaffer's followed suit with their lever-action pen. Later, when vacuum-filled pens were popular, a few versions were created with clear materials so that the filling could be seen without cutting a hole in the barrel and without jeopardizing the barrel's structural integrity. Many of these pens are now considered rare and collectible.
Today, all of the big pen producers, including Japanese, German, and Italian manufacturers, have modern demonstrator pens on the market. Great pens that you can look right through have been made feasible by the invention of clear and durable polymers.
[Image: Pilot Prera]
The allure of demonstrator pens for many pen aficionados is seeing the pen fill with ink, watching the bubbles dissolve as the ink rushes the reservoir, and knowing exactly how much ink is in the barrel. So much information is exposed. It's particularly satisfying to see the gripping area of a pen, such as the Pilot Prera, seal with the inner cap, as it demonstrates why the nib does not dry up when the pen is capped.
[Image: Pilot Prera]
Personally, I like being able to tell which color of ink is inside my pens when I have more than one on the go. Red ink is especially useful for editing.
Keep in mind that demonstrator pens reveal everything. There's ink in the barrel, in the section, and a few droplets of ink in the cap. However, you will never be caught off guard by ink in an unexpected location.
[Image: Kaweco Perkeo]
See our Demonstrator Fountain Pen Collection Here.