I've been wanting to get an italic nib. In light of what you wrote, Bagels, I was wondering if the Lamy one was okay? Originally I was going to get a Lamy Al-Star with a M nib and as well as an italic (1.5 mm) for calligraphy purposes. But maybe I'd be better off with an F vs M based on your impression plus of course the italic nib.
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Fountain Pens 2k16
- Thread starter Bagels
- Start date
I've been wanting to get an italic nib. In light of what you wrote, Bagels, I was wondering if the Lamy one was okay? Originally I was going to get a Lamy Al-Star with a M nib and as well as an italic (1.5 mm) for calligraphy purposes. But maybe I'd be better off with an F vs M based on your impression plus of course the italic nib.
orthodoxy1095
Banned
I heard that about the M so I avoided it and picked up an F nib. Still seems a bit on the "fat" side to my amateur hand.
deadbluesky
Neo Member
FWIW having used M to EF nibs with Lamy Safari pens since middle school, I´ve been using the italic nib (1.1) with my Lamy Al-Star/ Safari for nearly everything these days = It is that perfect of a nib. Best of both worlds.
perfect free
Member
I saw this on Reddit this morning and thought former Ink Drop members like myself might be interested:
Announcing inkcrate.com, a New Ink Subscription Program
Note: I am not running or affiliated with this program and have no idea what they'll be sending out, whether I'll get a box filled entirely with silly string in a month, etc. That said, I imagine word of mouth will spread pretty quick if it's a bust.
Announcing inkcrate.com, a New Ink Subscription Program
Note: I am not running or affiliated with this program and have no idea what they'll be sending out, whether I'll get a box filled entirely with silly string in a month, etc. That said, I imagine word of mouth will spread pretty quick if it's a bust.
Out of the brands of pens i have used, TWSBI and Lamy nibs write the best and consistent. I should add I have only have 3 TWSBI eco pens and 3 TWSBI 580 pens. My pilot metro EF nib pen works sometimes off and on. I have 2 sailor pens and they are the worse
ThisGuy
Member
It finally shipped early last week. The cover and supplied notebook are fantastic. The notebook is somewhat large for my pocket, but it is something that can be gotten used to. I'm not an expert on quality of paper, however I feel that this is a very good paper. The metropolitan medium nib is great for this paper. Wonderful experience with this product and am really hesitant to buy notes from another company, but I know I should. Variety is nice for the experience alone.
Now for the pilot metropolitan medium nib polka dots. I love this pen. The feel, look, and weight are perfect. I find myself writing cursive, is this normal? I do like that effect the pen is having on me. However there are gripes.
1. Posting the cap to take field notes takes longer than I had anticipated, I think I will get use to this with time. If not, which is fine, I will probably fall back to clickable zebra pens at work. Relegate the pilot pen to school notes. Either way, I have a strong desire to use this pen all the time.
2. I find that I need to keep the nib at a certain degree. As in I cannot rotate the nib at much at all, or the ink will not be released (I'm new to fountain pens, but I think release is the correct action). Which can be frustrating because I'm seeing how much I rotate a utensil as I write for the first time. Are all fountain pens like this? Does this get better with time?
Number 2 is perhaps my only concern. Over all I'm very satisfied with my purchases and still feel somewhat excited when I pull out my notes. Those are my first impressions, keep in mind that I have never owned a pocket notebook of that caliber nor a fountain pen.
Glad it's not just me then that has an erratic pilot metro. I'll try a lamy and see how it goes.
Aliquidmeri
Member
All fountain pens need to be held in a specific way in order to write; some are less forgiving then others. If you keep writing with your metro I think you'll eventually adapt to holding the pen at a constant angle and you'll stop having any problem.
Lamy is cheap and good but don't pass up a TWSBI eco which is also around the same price but has a built in converter for ink.
Is it Parker Quink?
The ink arrived today, and it seems legit, so I can recommend these if you live in Europe and purchasing an Iroshizuku anywhere else is super expensive.
The guy who sells them is hobby_japan
Not sure how he does the free shipping, the ink box was covered in bubble wrap and there were japanese newspapers used to protect against shocks.
So I picked up "The Italic Way to Beautiful Handwriting" by Fred Eager (recently re-printed!) and I'm not sure what type of nib to use...
I own a Pilot Metro with a fine nib, but I don't think that is going to work well enough. Trying not to spend more than $30 and less if possible - would the Plumix be sufficient?
I own a Pilot Metro with a fine nib, but I don't think that is going to work well enough. Trying not to spend more than $30 and less if possible - would the Plumix be sufficient?
Massdrop has some good basic guides up on fountain pens:
Massdrop 101: Intro to Fountain Pens.
What Makes A Good Fountain Pen?
If you cannot access the articles, sign up for Massdrop [link removed - I've used my referral link in the past, but I guess that is technically not cool on GAF]! The writing community is a great place to find deals on pens, ink, and paper. I got my Lamy2000 for $100, which is half of the retail price! Not every deal is amazing, but some are killer! You can also find some great discussion about various writing tools and request products you'd like them to carry. Signing up costs nothing and you can join the writing community so you don't have to see, say, the RC car parts and stuff that they also sell.! I actually just got an email saying I have earned a gift box because enough people I referred have purchased things!
The other big news is that the new J. Herbin 1670 Anniversary ink is out! Caroube de Chypre (named for the carob pods J. Herbin used to pick up in Cyprus) is brown with lots of red sheen and their signature gold particles. I signed up early through ipenstore. I'm hoping my bottle arrives soon, as I have a feeling this is going to be an instant classic. If you want some, order early, as the initial batches always sell out instantly. After the bottles sell out, Goulet Pens often has some sample vials you can pick up. In my experience, the sample vials are light on the gold particles, so the full bottles are way more impressive.
The J. Herbin 1670 Anniversary inks keep getting better and better. Rouge Hematite still gives me problems (I like the look, but it clogs my pens like crazy), and the original Bleu Ocean (w/o gold) was a letdown (the new version, with gold, is better), but Stormy Grey is one of the all-time greats, and the last release, Emerald de Chivor, is probably my pick for world's greatest ink. The images of Caroube de Chypre I have seen point to another stellar release.
BureauDirect (a really nice UK retailer) runs regular contests for nice pens and notebooks. Another one went up today! As far as I know, the competition is open worldwide.
Massdrop 101: Intro to Fountain Pens.
What Makes A Good Fountain Pen?
If you cannot access the articles, sign up for Massdrop [link removed - I've used my referral link in the past, but I guess that is technically not cool on GAF]! The writing community is a great place to find deals on pens, ink, and paper. I got my Lamy2000 for $100, which is half of the retail price! Not every deal is amazing, but some are killer! You can also find some great discussion about various writing tools and request products you'd like them to carry. Signing up costs nothing and you can join the writing community so you don't have to see, say, the RC car parts and stuff that they also sell.! I actually just got an email saying I have earned a gift box because enough people I referred have purchased things!
The other big news is that the new J. Herbin 1670 Anniversary ink is out! Caroube de Chypre (named for the carob pods J. Herbin used to pick up in Cyprus) is brown with lots of red sheen and their signature gold particles. I signed up early through ipenstore. I'm hoping my bottle arrives soon, as I have a feeling this is going to be an instant classic. If you want some, order early, as the initial batches always sell out instantly. After the bottles sell out, Goulet Pens often has some sample vials you can pick up. In my experience, the sample vials are light on the gold particles, so the full bottles are way more impressive.
The J. Herbin 1670 Anniversary inks keep getting better and better. Rouge Hematite still gives me problems (I like the look, but it clogs my pens like crazy), and the original Bleu Ocean (w/o gold) was a letdown (the new version, with gold, is better), but Stormy Grey is one of the all-time greats, and the last release, Emerald de Chivor, is probably my pick for world's greatest ink. The images of Caroube de Chypre I have seen point to another stellar release.
BureauDirect (a really nice UK retailer) runs regular contests for nice pens and notebooks. Another one went up today! As far as I know, the competition is open worldwide.
Sorry, it's me again. Here's a new thread about ballpoint pens.
33-Hit-Combo
Member
Finally got my Lamy Joy, writes pretty nicely! The 1.5 nib might be a little too large for my handwriting though, but still legible.
I'll need to get some pics after I put it in some more pens (especially wetter writers), but J.Herbin 1670 Anniversary Caroube de Chypre looks like another out of this world release. When I heard that the next one was a brown ink, I wasn't super pumped, but I should have been more hyped. It's such a great base color, and I can tell that getting more sheen and sparkle with a different pen will put this over the top.
J. Herbin seems to have learned their lesson and it looks like you can actually find bottles of this still! Usually the newest release sells out in nanoseconds. I feel like every 1670 Anniversary ink is an instant must-buy, but I'm getting this giddy, this-is-the-next-stormy-grey-or-emerald-de-chivor, feeling here.
J. Herbin seems to have learned their lesson and it looks like you can actually find bottles of this still! Usually the newest release sells out in nanoseconds. I feel like every 1670 Anniversary ink is an instant must-buy, but I'm getting this giddy, this-is-the-next-stormy-grey-or-emerald-de-chivor, feeling here.
orthodoxy1095
Banned
So if I want to mess around with a flex nib, what's my best bet.
Bboy AJ
My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
I'm going to buy a red ink. I'm undecided. I'll probably grab a goulet sampler. Ideally, I'd like a bright, shimmering one for making corrections on office documents.
Or, if you have other color suggestions for that purpose, I'm all ears. In fact, I think I'd prefer a non red just to add a little fun to my harsh criticisms.
Or, if you have other color suggestions for that purpose, I'm all ears. In fact, I think I'd prefer a non red just to add a little fun to my harsh criticisms.
Teriyaki Blues
Member
This seems to be Noodler's speciality, they're the only ones who make affordable modern flex nibs as far as I know. Just Google around for this one. Flex nibs aren't as durable and will wear down more quickly.
Samplers are a great idea for the red. As far as alternate colors go, as long as your place of employment is cool with it, just make sure it is dark enough to be legible and different enough from Black & Blue to stand out. Green and Purple might be good options to explore. If you have a cartridge pen, you might even be able to get a multicolor pack premade. Pilot Mixable Colors has one, for instance.
I'm not sure who's turning in marking up paper good enough for fountain pens, so you might want to avoid glittery or shimmering inks. Sheen and sparkle lose their effectiveness on crappy paper. They come out best on Tomoe River for me.
I purchased a Pilot Metro and a con-50 converter. I also ordered a bottle of Noodles Bernanke black due to being left handed. I am tempted to teach myself underwriting so I can truly experience quality ink without smearing it everywhere. I've already written more in the past 24 hours than I have in a few months. Time to get back to writing stories again without the distractions of a PC.
Funyarinpa
Member
With my only previous experience being with a Pilot Vpen (nondisposable plastic fountain pen pretty much), which was incredible, today I decided to buy a Sckriss fountain pen on a whim after seeing it's on sale (for about $20)! I love it so far, though I couldn't find any place that sells black cartridges, which kinda sucks since I wanted to use it for note-taking at school.
After buying it me and my best friend tried to figure out just how to use a cartridge for like half an hour lol (he insisted that it had something to do with the pump like thing I presume is used for bottles of ink instead) it was hilarious.
Apparently Sckriss is a Turkish brand, I knew that their versatile pens and such are of great quality- great to see in a local product!
It came in a really neat box with three blue cartridges and a blue roller pen. I love it, writes quite well! Pilot felt like it had a better grip to it, however, I haven't gotten used to the weight of this pen yet. Glad to be a part of this thread in full now!
After buying it me and my best friend tried to figure out just how to use a cartridge for like half an hour lol (he insisted that it had something to do with the pump like thing I presume is used for bottles of ink instead) it was hilarious.
Apparently Sckriss is a Turkish brand, I knew that their versatile pens and such are of great quality- great to see in a local product!
It came in a really neat box with three blue cartridges and a blue roller pen. I love it, writes quite well! Pilot felt like it had a better grip to it, however, I haven't gotten used to the weight of this pen yet. Glad to be a part of this thread in full now!
So I bought a Pilot Metropolitan and a bottle of Iroshizuku Kon-Peki thanks to this thread (and the previous one). It's a pretty nice pen but I'm thinking of updating to something else.
I kind of wanted a demonstrator pen that wouldn't super expensive, like over 200€ including shipping to Europe. But I was wondering how durable demonstrators are compared regular plastics/metals etc. I have heard Twisbi pens cracking somewhat easily from just stress. I use my Metro at a hospital where I work and have already dropped it a few terrible times.
I have Pilot Custom Heritage 92 in my Amazon cart but I'm now eyeing Karas Kustoms Ink, it looks pretty nice and should be real durable. I'm not sure which one to buy, but now I'm slightly leaning towards olive coloured and copper or brass gripped Ink.
Edit. Bought the Ink in olive and brass with a fine nib.
I kind of wanted a demonstrator pen that wouldn't super expensive, like over 200€ including shipping to Europe. But I was wondering how durable demonstrators are compared regular plastics/metals etc. I have heard Twisbi pens cracking somewhat easily from just stress. I use my Metro at a hospital where I work and have already dropped it a few terrible times.
I have Pilot Custom Heritage 92 in my Amazon cart but I'm now eyeing Karas Kustoms Ink, it looks pretty nice and should be real durable. I'm not sure which one to buy, but now I'm slightly leaning towards olive coloured and copper or brass gripped Ink.
Edit. Bought the Ink in olive and brass with a fine nib.
perfect free
Member
I can't really speak to their long-term durability since I've only had one for a couple months, but I love my TWSBI 580 demonstrator. It's gorgeous, and it's also probably the smoothest-writing pen I have. And at $50 IIRC, it's not super expensive. I hear lots of good things about the Eco, too, which is even cheaper.
(I love that I've gotten so into this hobby that I'm handwaving $50 for a pen like it's no big deal.)
(I love that I've gotten so into this hobby that I'm handwaving $50 for a pen like it's no big deal.)
Yeah, they make real nice looking pens but I didn't feel comfortable buying one constantly worrying about it cracking even though you can get replacement pen for free a few times.
Maybe the next one I buy will be a demonstrator.
TWSBI pens are the best
Threads like these are why I love NeoGaf. Thanks OP.
I went to the shops today looking for a Pilot Metro, but apparently they don't sell them in Japan. I tried out a bunch of different pens, and I settled on a Pilot Cocoon for me and a Pilot Kakuno for my kid. Does anyone know anything about these pens?
The next thing is to find good online resources to correct my atrocious handwriting. I'm hoping a nice pen will give me motivation to improve it.
I went to the shops today looking for a Pilot Metro, but apparently they don't sell them in Japan. I tried out a bunch of different pens, and I settled on a Pilot Cocoon for me and a Pilot Kakuno for my kid. Does anyone know anything about these pens?
The next thing is to find good online resources to correct my atrocious handwriting. I'm hoping a nice pen will give me motivation to improve it.
They don't sell them in Japan??? Wow.
The Cocoon is basically the same oen, I believe. I have the ballpoint version and it is very very Metro-like.
The Kakuno is amazing! The smile face nib is the best thing ever and I dig the bright colors of the caps. I have two that I need to put back into my work bag. That is a really solid choice for a starter pen or as a fun, funky cheap pen to add to your collection.
Great choices!
Noodler's is indeed the place to go if you want something cheap. The quality control on the cheap flex nibs has been awful in my experience. I end up adjusting and fiddling with them more than any other pen I own.
My ugliest pen, by far, is a Noodler's Neponset. I have not checked recently, but they were impossible to find for so long, I had to jump on a yucko brown one.
The Neponset is a pricier Noodler's pen but mine works flawlessly and the big draw is the flexible music nib. It's super fun to work with and it writes ultra wet, meaning your J. Herbin anniversary inks are super duper golden.
My favorite, by far, is Iroshizuku Momiji. It looks more pink in the bottle, but it is a gorgeous red on paper with crazy sheen and shading. It was my first Iroshizuku and it is still a top five choice for me.
It does sound like underwriting may be your best choice. My hands are perpetually covered in ink and I am a righty. I don't mind having inky hands, but smearing my writing would drive me insane.
My experience with TWSBI has been superb. My pens bang around in my work bag all day, I've dropped them, or had others drop them, and they are still working perfectly. I had heard the cracking problem has gotten a lot better, but I can't really speak to that. I have not had that problem.
The Eco, for 30 bucks, is an amazing value. And, if it gets busted, that's not crazy money you have lost. I'd grab the smaller stub nib for everyday writing. Mine has J. Herbin Emerald de Chivor in it and it looks bangin'. If it eventually clogs with gold particles or dies from daily use and abuse, I'll have gotten my money out of it.
At the higher end, check out the Franklin-Christoph offerings. I forget which model I have (I hate trying to do this from mobile. I'll look it up in a sec), but it was basically the cheapest way to get an amazing custom ground nib. They have a ton if nib options, but you are talking around $100 at the low end for a pen. I LOVE mine, but we're starting to talk serious money.
I've never heard of scrikss! I'll have to check them out!
You can always post pics here and people can walk you through any assembly questions.
Oops. I kind of combined the italic nib and demonstrator answers. I hope you like your pen! Give a TWSBI Eco a try some time! I think you'll really enjoy it!
Yup! Haha! At some point I realized I could take the money I would spend on several cheaper pens and get one really nice pen. I'm smart like that.
I still buy lots of Metros, Kakunos and the like. I give them away a lot and I like having a pen around and ready to go if I get some new ink I really want to try.
Getting back to flex nibs, I *think* my next purchase will be a Pilot Falcon. I've been good about saving up, so I should probably treat myself.
New pen hasn't even been sent yet and I already know the next pen I'll buym which is that Eco. Read a review and it looks and sounds great. Got to buy some new ink for it, probably something purple.
Mont Blanc has an amazing purple! It was maybe $15? I was imprested by both the color and price!
17 bucks.
Lamy Dark Lilac is amazing, too! Good luck finding it
I have a Konrad.
When it arrived the nib wasn't aligned well with the feed. So I had to adjust it a bit to make it work.
It's the most finicky pen i have. You have to be quite "aware" of your pen position and angle when writing, so i would say it isn't suitable for everyday use.
It is quite scatchy as well. And even though i would say it's a wet pen, it can't keep up when i am drawing technical sketches/diagrams.
If you want to mess around with a flex it is probably the cheapest option (or any other noodler's flex). But don't expect a great every-day use pen.
I also ordered the noodler's nib set for 5-6$, so i can turn the konrad into a regular broad if i want to.
You might also consider the pilot parallel for caligraphy, if that's what you are after. They are quite cheap.
Nice! That'll be my next ink then.
Funyarinpa
Member
Two things. I'm an utter beginner.
1) Tried out the Sckriss, and for whatever reason it is just really bad at vertical lines- it keeps skipping. It seems that it requires a bit more pressure than the Pilot Vpen to work, but it still isn't consistent. Love the design, but it is a letdown as far as writing itself goes. Don't know what type of nib it is- no info save for an "S" on the top of the cap although I think that's just the first letter of the brand. (no Turkish words that'd correspond to it when it comes to nib sizes) (fake edit: seems to be more or less as thick as the Pilot Vpen if not a little thicker)
I'll post pics whenever I have the time. Anyone want any text written for writing samples? ^^
2) Looking into a Lamy pen now, what exactly is the difference between the Safari, Al-star and Vista (beyond the colors of course)? I remember seeing a blue/green Al-star and I loved how it looked so that's my prime pick for now. Fine or medium nib for a beginner? Also, it's unlikely that I will get it online, so how can I understand that I'm writing with a fine nib Lamy or a medium one while using one (staff don't seem all that knowledgeable about it.)? I feel like I'd be fine with both, but I'm unsure on which.
For what it's worth, I really like the medium-nib Pilot Vpen I have, in terms of text thickness, but I don't know how it feels to use a fine nib.
1) Tried out the Sckriss, and for whatever reason it is just really bad at vertical lines- it keeps skipping. It seems that it requires a bit more pressure than the Pilot Vpen to work, but it still isn't consistent. Love the design, but it is a letdown as far as writing itself goes. Don't know what type of nib it is- no info save for an "S" on the top of the cap although I think that's just the first letter of the brand. (no Turkish words that'd correspond to it when it comes to nib sizes) (fake edit: seems to be more or less as thick as the Pilot Vpen if not a little thicker)
I'll post pics whenever I have the time. Anyone want any text written for writing samples? ^^
2) Looking into a Lamy pen now, what exactly is the difference between the Safari, Al-star and Vista (beyond the colors of course)? I remember seeing a blue/green Al-star and I loved how it looked so that's my prime pick for now. Fine or medium nib for a beginner? Also, it's unlikely that I will get it online, so how can I understand that I'm writing with a fine nib Lamy or a medium one while using one (staff don't seem all that knowledgeable about it.)? I feel like I'd be fine with both, but I'm unsure on which.
For what it's worth, I really like the medium-nib Pilot Vpen I have, in terms of text thickness, but I don't know how it feels to use a fine nib.
CheesecakeRecipe
Stormy Grey
Lamy's beginner-range fountain pens all use nearly identical barrels, grips, and caps. The Safari is the 'base' model, with plastic parts. Al-star is functionally identical, but with Aluminium parts instead. Vista is made of the same material as the Safari, but with a transparent 'demonstrator' body. Feel free to pick whichever color/material calls out to you!
As for nibs - this is a bit of a tricky area. Nib sizes aren't an exact science, and the size of the line put down by a nib differs even between pens made by the same company. There's even some regional differences based off of the needs of a company's home market. Japanese pen makers, like Pilot, grind their nibs to be a bit smaller than the equivalent western nib grade. A Lamy Medium would be closer to a Pilot Broad, with a Lamy Fine being a hair smaller than a Pilot Medium. Goulet Pens has an exhaustively comprehensive comparison tool called the Nib Nook, which allows you to directly compare the line widths of hundreds of pens, including a few they no longer stock. Line widths are also affected by the absorbency of the paper, the 'wetness' of the nib and feed, and how lubricated the ink you're using is.
As for telling what you're using while testing out pens in person, most companies etch the nib's grade onto the nib itself, which is usually plainly visible. While using a Lamy, the letter will be just above the grip section:
Funyarinpa
Member
Thanks a whole ton! Watched a couple videos and now I'm quite positive that I want an Al-star. As for the nibs, them being interchangeable is reason enough to be just fine with going medium for the time being! ^^
So excited.
I had some skipping with Lamy M nibs on vertical strokes - maybe just like what you are seeing with your other pen. The broader the nib, the more ink flow it needs to keep up with the pen strokes you make. My vertical strokes tend to be very quick, so the ink flow could not keep up. I switched my Lamy M's for F's and things were a lot better. I eventually settled on the Lamy XF. As CheesecakeRecipe discussed, German nibs run larger than their Japanese counterparts. The XF does not lay down a super fine line, actually.
I own a few Safaris and an Al-Star. I'd really recommend the F nib to start, especially with what you have seen with your other pen. I didn't become a big Lamy fan until I discovered that I could eliminate all skipping by just using an F nib or smaller. I love my Lamy pens now!
You might want to check your PMs ASAP.Getting back to flex nibs, I *think* my next purchase will be a Pilot Falcon. I've been good about saving up, so I should probably treat myself.
Funyarinpa
Member
Woah, thanks! o.o'
I guess I'll go with an F, then. I'll also try writing a bit slower and see if that mitigates the skipping issue with my current pen!
Also for some reason fountain pens are the only pens I can write legibly at all while holding it with 3 fingers (for mechanical pencils and such, I need 4 fingers which really bugs me).
Glad I found this, I'm a relative noob at this stuff. I've had a Lamy 2000 for roughly 3 months. Love the pen, but it's been having some flow problems as of late, the pen will have plenty of ink and will take quite a bit of pressure to get any ink onto the page. Significantly more then when I bought it.
I'm using the ink I got from Lamy when I bought my Safari. I've tried flushing the pen several times and now think I need to try a different, wetter ink. Any recommendations for that, or any other ideas on resolving this? Thanks!
I'm using the ink I got from Lamy when I bought my Safari. I've tried flushing the pen several times and now think I need to try a different, wetter ink. Any recommendations for that, or any other ideas on resolving this? Thanks!
Funyarinpa
Member
Two things:
1) Parents treated me to a Blue/Green Lamy AL-Star for a birthday gift! It's ordered
(medium nib because apparently the alternatives didn't sell well in Turkey and were thus unavailable)2) Scrikss is apparently great when it comes to maintenance- the store I went to see how the AL-star writes accepted to send the pen to repairs (I explained that it'd had the skipping issue since I got it, and they got it in for free even without needing any documents!). Should be back in my hands by October at worst!