I thought I was out, but this topic pulled me back in... I have a few inks in my Amazon shopping cart again... must resist...
My ever day note taker is a Pilot Decimo - the thinner version of the Vanishing Point. Filled up with rather plain but functional Pelikan 4001. Also have a nice Pelikan pen for journal use at home, although I don't know the model. Got a charcoal Lamy Safari in my bag in case I forget my pencil case. Also a few cheaper plastic pens lying around, don't use them very much now though...
I usually don't use fancier inks because I use fine point nibs, so I feel like the shading and colours wouldn't show as well. Might get a bottle of that P.W. Akkerman though, I love that bottle design! Anyone here use it before?
I've never tried that ink! Care to post a picture of what it looks like?
I've been writing with a kakuno for the past month. It's my first fountain pen. I got it out of curiosity for use with my Hobonichi Planner.
A coworker today wanted to sign something today and it was the only nearby pen, she said she's impressed and that she's really interested in pens. I didn't get it to be impressive (and it isn't the one to get for that) but it could be a good conversation starter.
I've read it isn't good for others to use a fountain pen since people write differently and it changes the nib. Is there much to that?
I had heard this too when I first started using fountain pens. I read up on the issue and it sounds like it's a big deal for vintage fountain pens, especially pens with gold nibs. A nib will be altered by your writing style over time, more so if it's a soft metal. This is not much of an issue with modern steel nibs, which are pretty firm. Modern gold nibs are supposed to hold their shape more, too.
In any case, a coworker writing a line or two is not a big deal. The issue is more having someone take your vintage pen and writing out a few pages of text.
I will say my 5-year-old wants to be like his dad (hopefully he'll grow out of that!), so yesterday he grabbed a few of my pens and started writing. He jams those suckers into the paper in a way that makes me hyperventilate.
Hey, Bagels. Thanks a lot for this write up. I've been considering buying a decent fountain pen for awhile, but I'm not sure what to buy. I wouldn't really use it very often -- I just want to buy one, and maybe try to write a bit more, and practice handwriting (Any tips or guides for this that you know about?).
Anyhow, it's between one of these -- I would really appreciate some tips about which to buy:
Waterman Graduate
Waterman Hemisphere
Parker I.M
Cross Bailey
Cross Classic Century
Sheaffer 100
Sheaffer 300
Sheaffer Sagaris
Diplomat Esteem
Diplomat Traveller
Lamy Al-Star
Lamy Logo
Lamy Safari
Lamy ST
Lamy Vista
If I buy Lamy Al-Star, Lamy Logo or Lamy Safari I'd probably also buy their ball-point and/or rollerball pen versions.
Hey! Got your message! I'm not sure I can give a great recommendation because I only have experience with a few of those Lamy pens. Is there a price point you are looking at? Any specific things about the pens? If I know more generally what you are looking for, I can probably help more.
So, if I followed you correctly.
If I get the pen I should also get a con-50 to go with it and some bottled ink. And the con-50 is easily refillable with different colour inks
That's the take-home! I'd try it with the cartridge first. If you like that, bottled inks open up so many options.
I have a couple Lamy Safaris I use at work and I really like them. And yeah, you do get some interesting comments from people who barely realize fountain pens are still even being made, let alone that people use them for daily work.
I've tried a lot of different types of paper and Mnemosyne has worked best for me. I have a few pads of the Rhodia paper and I find it smears the ink pretty bad if I'm dragging my hand across the page.
My one issue with the pens is refilling the ink. I use a piston type convertor in both pens. Even though I've been using them for quite a while, it's still impossible for me to do a full refill without getting at least some ink on my hands or the pen. I've heard of people using a syringe to refill the converter but taking a syringe to work doesn't sound like the best idea.
Mnemosyne does make some really nice paper. Are you a lefty? I'm right-handed and the way I hold a pen, my hand stays well below the line I am writing.
Goulet pens' syringes at least have flat tips, so they look less heroin-y.
How often does TWSBI make new models?
My impression is that they are picking up steam a bit. The Vac Mini came out not too long after they announced it. The limited edition 580s come out at a pretty good clip, too (green is up next!). New prototypes show up on
their twitter, so that's the place to look.
Kinda wanting to get that Metropoliton but thinking about how much I write this would hardly ever get used. Going to have to think this over a bit and see if I want to start documenting stuff or something.
I like having pens and inks (and pencils, etc) I love because it encourages me to write more. I do realize that I'm close to 35, so I'm from a generation that still wrote by hand for a long time before everything went digital. I've always preferred, but I realize it may be more novel to younger people.
I'm also big on keeping journals, like my Hobonichi Techo, so I don't really need to add on more ways to write by hand. Spending 20 bucks for a pen may ultimately be a waste if you just can't imagine yourself actually using it for anything.
I bought a TWSBI Eco in 1.1. I'm going to return this Lamy Safari. Even if it writes well, I think it's ugly. I can't live with myself using it.
Edit: Nevermind. Canceled it. I didn't realize it's a twist off pen.
Isn't there a demonstrator pen, pop off cap, broad 1.1 nib? With a fill mechanism like the TWSBI. Sigh.
Not big on the twist-off cap?
The Pilot Prera is a pop-off cap. You can see that mine has a clear barrel with a clear converter in it. That's a pseudo-demonstrator look. I think you'd like the Prera's CM nib.
If you are feeling adventurous, I think you can convert the Prera into an eyedropper pen. Eyedropper pens are pens where you directly fill the entire body with ink, often using an eyedropper. For the Prera, you'd need an O-ring to sit between the front and back sections of the pen to seal the ink in. That should not be too hard to find. A lot of people do this with Pilot Parallel Pens so they can have a huge amount of ink on board (the largest Parallel Pen goes through a lot of ink). I have the correct size O-rings on my TWSBIs so they should not be too hard to find.
My wife and I share this hobby and I think we have around 12 pens total. I know for sure that we have two Pilot Metropolitans and 3 TWSBI Ecos. I agree with Bagels about the Metro. Its price fluctuates between $11.50 to $16 on Amazon and it is practically unbeatable at that price range. I will say that the included pressplate converter is adequate for use. Our most expensive pen is a plasticky $80 Pilot Custom and hands down the $15 Metro is better designed and more premium feeling than that.
We would have bought more Metros if we didn't want more variety in our lineup. The Kakuno is also $15 with no included converter and it is pretty cute. I love that little thing man, it's like it's a cheerful little child fountain pen that's super fun and reliable. I have it inked up with Sailor Sky High which is my current favorite blue color.
We also have 4 TWSBIs (Mini 1.1, Eco 1.1 x2, Eco M) and the Mini no doubt feels twice as expensive as the Eco and definitely worth the extra $20-25. However, we prefer variety and I can't write with the cap unposted on the Mini like my wife does so we ended up with 3 Ecos. The construction of the plastic makes me feel that our Ecos will outlive the Mini. We almost bought a Vac Mini a few weeks ago but decided on our 3rd Eco instead.
The Eco is such a good value at its price because you don't need to buy a converter and it is easy to clean. We have 2 Lamy Safaris and 4 spare converters (2 dedicated to shimmering inks - Chivor and Purple Pazzaz) and while they are excellent writers, they aren't as smooth and cost almost $30 total to buy with one converter each after tax and shipping. Now we have a 4th Eco on the way from Amazon in ExtraFine.
At $31 shipped from Amazon for a clear demonstrator with super smooth nibs, I think they're a winner. They probably won't survive being dropped more than a few times but I think they are worth it.
Dang. That is some rel TWSBI love! I'm sort of the same way (although I ended up with 3 TWSBIs before the Eco came out. I have 6 total now) in that I love having inks on hand to use and I care more about how a pen writes than how it looks. I do think the TWSBI 580s, Diamond Minis, VAC 700s, and Vac Minis are worth the extra cost if that will be one of your main pens. They just look so nice! But I like having a 1.1 Eco for my Emerald of Chivor. The gold accumulates in the ink feed and although I have not had a problem with it yet, I imagine it will eventually junk up any pen I use it in. If the Eco dies, it's not big loss. The Vac Mini was a bit more of an investment.
The filling mechanism on the Vac pens is super cool! If you and/or your wife start thinking about another pen, I'd really recommend a Vac pen just for something a little different.
Great thread.
I've been interested in a good set of pens for a while and whilst my writing isn't great you do get a certain feel from writing with non 'bic' stationary.
Problem being, i'm a leftie and I've always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with fountain pens. Smudging and plenty of inked up cuffs! Any advice?
Let me see if I can find the links I had for lefties in the old thread. Plenty of lefties use fountain pens, but the problems with doing that are immediately obvious.