On April 27 2013 22:11 Dangermousecatdog wrote: Anyhow, I owned several fountain pens starting from primary school, just cheap ones, it's a tool, nothing more, not a fashion statement.
I dunno. They could be a fashion statement, as much as anything else. It depends on the person observing. I don't notice pens, but then I don't notice watches or shoes either unless it's blatantly silly (someone wearing a watch of Flava Flav proportions, three piece suit with high heels or extreme contrasting color, or a genuine goose quill with pot of ink) - everyone has different things they will take notice of when seeing or meeting someone.
Pens are less silly than some others. And really, fountain pens are actually pretty cool - if practically a potential disaster when refilling.
I bought a Pilot Vpen today. I have tried for a little bit and nothing too special for now because I am used to press hard with a ballpoint pen. It will take some time to get used to it and to make a difference.
Edit: I just wanted to mention that I tried to buy a Parker reflex, but the shop did not have any in stock.
Those makie pens are really just amazing art. Some cost $40,000 (yes, forty-thousand)Here's a video that shows how they are made:
On April 27 2013 22:11 Dangermousecatdog wrote: To be fair most fanatical enthusiasts have a pretty insufferable attitude that they are better people than others based merely on differing taste or attitude like "If you walk into a meeting with a $840 (USD) Montblanc pen, everyone in the room notices.". Really? Maybe in your head yes. You generally see it on fashion items like for example the threads here on fashion or watches, possibly the worse case I have ever seen, where people were posting the most expensive watches/clothes, from googled images, trying to encourage others to buy these same items, whilst blatantly not owning it themselves, with the most badly self justified reasons.
Anyhow, I owned several fountain pens starting from primary school, just cheap ones, it's a tool, nothing more, not a fashion statement.
Why does everyone take that so literally? Of course not everyone is going to notice wtf. It's like a Rolex watch. Not everyone will recognize it, but when someone knows what it is, they know the prestige that comes with it, just like Montblanc pens. The only things I was trying to get across were 1. They're expensive. 2. They are very widely considered the kings of fountain pens. Rolls Royce, Brioni, etc.
In Stockholm there are two stores (that I know of) that carries a wider selection of fountain pens. One is catering mostly to people who like good pens to write with. The other one caters to people who sees pens as a status symbol. I think this absolutely sums up the state of the fountain pens today. And both things are valid for people... Personally I like quality stuff, more so than status symbol stuff. Other people prefer things that are more pretty and have a high status attached to them. *shrugs*
I didn't use more than 1 cheap pen per year of college/university, and never had to buy any. If your cost issue is with pens for a post-secondary education, you're doing something totally wrong. I fail to see hoe a near infinite supply of free pens is more expensive than buying at least one x$ inkwell and a x$ pen.
Aside from that, fountain pens use up more time due to constantly having to re-dip the pen, which is inefficient.
Fountain pens are generally for artists and hipsters; they aren't particularly practical.
On April 28 2013 17:17 Xapti wrote: I didn't use more than 1 cheap pen per year of college/university, and never had to buy any. If your cost issue is with pens for a post-secondary education, you're doing something totally wrong. I fail to see hoe a near infinite supply of free pens is more expensive than buying at least one x$ inkwell and a x$ pen.
Aside from that, fountain pens use up more time due to constantly having to re-dip the pen, which is inefficient.
Fountain pens are generally for artists and hipsters; they aren't particularly practical.
?? You use ink cartridge... You are in wrong thread. You are talking about non-fountain ink pen.
On April 28 2013 17:17 Xapti wrote: I didn't use more than 1 cheap pen per year of college/university, and never had to buy any. If your cost issue is with pens for a post-secondary education, you're doing something totally wrong. I fail to see hoe a near infinite supply of free pens is more expensive than buying at least one x$ inkwell and a x$ pen.
Aside from that, fountain pens use up more time due to constantly having to re-dip the pen, which is inefficient.
Fountain pens are generally for artists and hipsters; they aren't particularly practical.
Dip pens are the ones you have to constantly re-dip. Fountain pens generally last a good week of note taking before you have to refill or change cartridges. Also this thread is merely suggesting an alternative to using roller gel pens. For you to suggest using a free ballpoint pen in this thread is like suggesting someone to use a library computer in a laptop enthusiast thread.
?? You use ink cartridge... You are in wrong thread. You are talking about non-fountain ink pen.
Well, wikipedia reads : "Some pens employ removable reservoirs in the form of pre-filled ink cartridges" (obvious link) EDIT: oh well yes, he was talking about other pen. Still you can have ink cartridges in a fountain pen. They have the same nibs, which is the whole point of a fountain pen I believe
I've been using fountain pens since I was 7 I think. My elementary school teachers used to strongly recommend me not to use it, as my writing was atrocious at that time, but nowadays I can't write correctly with a ball pen. I think it helps building a nice writing as it forces you to be rigorous in the way you hold it and the positioning of your hand.
I write quite a lot though so I burn through cartridges quite quickly. I already used something like a hundred ones this year (~75mL)
On April 28 2013 17:17 Xapti wrote: I didn't use more than 1 cheap pen per year of college/university, and never had to buy any. If your cost issue is with pens for a post-secondary education, you're doing something totally wrong. I fail to see hoe a near infinite supply of free pens is more expensive than buying at least one x$ inkwell and a x$ pen.
Aside from that, fountain pens use up more time due to constantly having to re-dip the pen, which is inefficient.
Fountain pens are generally for artists and hipsters; they aren't particularly practical.
Honestly I understand where you're coming from, but for a writing tool that I'm going to be using for several hours each day, I prefer quality. The difference between writing with a generic rollerball(and reduction in hand strain from a shaft that actually has some radius along with not having to press very hard(or basically at all for a fountain pen)) is massive. Same concept with both pencils and pens. I have a mechanical pencil that cost something like $3.00, but over 2 years of university, I have never had it jam, or lock up on me. Compared with the shitty $2 per dozen ones I used in highschool, absolutely massive difference.
It's absolutely possible to get through university using crappy bic pens. Probably would cost less as well. But for me, as well as a bunch of other people here, we'd gladly pay an order of magnitude more for a single re-usable high quality tool that makes life so much easier and more enjoyable. I'm fine with using a crappy pen for just filling out some forms or signing something, but when I take 10-15 pages of notes every day of class, I'd much rather be using my good quality writing utensils.
On April 28 2013 17:17 Xapti wrote: I didn't use more than 1 cheap pen per year of college/university, and never had to buy any. If your cost issue is with pens for a post-secondary education, you're doing something totally wrong. I fail to see hoe a near infinite supply of free pens is more expensive than buying at least one x$ inkwell and a x$ pen.
Aside from that, fountain pens use up more time due to constantly having to re-dip the pen, which is inefficient.
Fountain pens are generally for artists and hipsters; they aren't particularly practical.
Having a pen that glides across paper instead of you having to press on the paper reduces hand strain a considerable amount. I remember using my father's pens and how the writing experience was so much better than a free ball point.
On April 28 2013 17:17 Xapti wrote: I didn't use more than 1 cheap pen per year of college/university, and never had to buy any. If your cost issue is with pens for a post-secondary education, you're doing something totally wrong. I fail to see hoe a near infinite supply of free pens is more expensive than buying at least one x$ inkwell and a x$ pen.
Aside from that, fountain pens use up more time due to constantly having to re-dip the pen, which is inefficient.
Fountain pens are generally for artists and hipsters; they aren't particularly practical.
Honestly I understand where you're coming from, but for a writing tool that I'm going to be using for several hours each day, I prefer quality. The difference between writing with a generic rollerball(and reduction in hand strain from a shaft that actually has some radius along with not having to press very hard(or basically at all for a fountain pen)) is massive. Same concept with both pencils and pens. I have a mechanical pencil that cost something like $3.00, but over 2 years of university, I have never had it jam, or lock up on me. Compared with the shitty $2 per dozen ones I used in highschool, absolutely massive difference.
It's absolutely possible to get through university using crappy bic pens. Probably would cost less as well. But for me, as well as a bunch of other people here, we'd gladly pay an order of magnitude more for a single re-usable high quality tool that makes life so much easier and more enjoyable. I'm fine with using a crappy pen for just filling out some forms or signing something, but when I take 10-15 pages of notes every day of class, I'd much rather be using my good quality writing utensils.
i would use fountain pens if it wasn't so annyoing to refill them and they wouldn't break so easy. I used them when i was younger 10 untill i was 16 or 17. But in my school career i broke at least 20? maybe more of these fountain pens. I like to to put a lot of pressure on a pen or else my handwriting is awful, if you do that with a ~20$ fountain pen the tip will break at some point. Also the cap broke countless times and i had an ink accident at least once every month.
It maybe works if you work in an office or at home but for school or university it is just not comfortable to use it, that is probably the reason why 99% of people in university use 99ct crappy ball pens.
I didn't realize fountain pens required such elaborate explanations. I've always loved classy luxury items (beautiful watches, fountain pens, ...) as an exterior display of taste and style, and, if you aren't crazy rich, it also shows that you value style over wasting money on crap.
I use a Waterman Hemisphere Essential (black w/ 23K gold trims) with large Florida Blue ink cartridges. You can see for yourself here : http://www.waterman.com/en/style/pens/product/hemisphere_essential (the third one, not the Matt Black, the regular Black w/ gold). Looks amazing, very classy. I love it and the nib writes thinly, making it more readable and cleaner. I use it when I'm attending classes and have to write stuff or when I'm doing a handwritten assignment. But when I'm doing physics/chem/math exercises, I use a regular ballpoint pen, I find it more practical and I can throw it against my wall when I've been trying to solve the same problem for 20 mns without success and it's making me angry
Forgot to mention : this very beautiful and manly fountain pen + 8 large cartridges + 2 erasers cost me 85€ (about 110 bucks I think)
Not all fountain pens are luxury items. Most of the time, I use a standard bic like 99% of the people. But from time to time, I still use my parker. Simple, effective, relatively cheap. Nothing really fancy, but beats a bic anyday.
Got my first at 12. And buy one back when I was older. The feeling is really nice and it gets the job done flawlessly. I don't really see the need for one of those crazy montblanc or whatever.
On April 28 2013 17:17 Xapti wrote: I didn't use more than 1 cheap pen per year of college/university, and never had to buy any. If your cost issue is with pens for a post-secondary education, you're doing something totally wrong. I fail to see hoe a near infinite supply of free pens is more expensive than buying at least one x$ inkwell and a x$ pen.
Aside from that, fountain pens use up more time due to constantly having to re-dip the pen, which is inefficient.
Fountain pens are generally for artists and hipsters; they aren't particularly practical.
You're possibly thinking of something that is NOT a fountain pen.
That was a little condescending considering you know basically nothing about what we're talking about.
Also, who the fuck are you to care how efficient we are in our writing? Sometimes efficiency is secondary to other things like personal enjoyment. With fountain pens that isn't the case, but seriously, can you be less of a jackass when you express your subjective opinions? Don't fucking come into a thread where people are having a good time discussing things that they like and try to shit all over them. It really gets me when people like you come into a thread knowing nothing just to talk shit to everyone. Like, if you even got the type of pen right I would be okay, but you clearly have no idea what you're talking about.
On April 29 2013 04:14 ZERG_RUSSIAN wrote: Also, who the fuck are you to care how efficient we are in our writing? Sometimes efficiency is secondary to other things like personal enjoyment. With fountain pens that isn't the case, but seriously, can you be less of a jackass when you express your subjective opinions? Don't fucking come into a thread whe[...]
He made a mistake and expressed a silly opinion. Let's not go crazy
On April 28 2013 23:21 Bermuda wrote: Not all fountain pens are luxury items. Most of the time, I use a standard bic like 99% of the people. But from time to time, I still use my parker. Simple, effective, relatively cheap. Nothing really fancy, but beats a bic anyday.
Got my first at 12. And buy one back when I was older. The feeling is really nice and it gets the job done flawlessly. I don't really see the need for one of those crazy montblanc or whatever.
I had some issues with my parker. Like the cap got a crack in it and the ink cartridges would shake loose and stuff. Granted I was never kind to it :x It did see me through a year of school though and I wrote an insane amount with it.
On April 28 2013 23:21 Bermuda wrote: Not all fountain pens are luxury items. Most of the time, I use a standard bic like 99% of the people. But from time to time, I still use my parker. Simple, effective, relatively cheap. Nothing really fancy, but beats a bic anyday.
Got my first at 12. And buy one back when I was older. The feeling is really nice and it gets the job done flawlessly. I don't really see the need for one of those crazy montblanc or whatever. + Show Spoiler +
Well no one NEEDS a Montblanc, but a lot of fountain pen users WANT one. I would probably go for a different high end brand, but there still wouldn't be a need for the pen I would spend a few hundred dollars on.
My dream pen would be one from the Nippon Art Origami collection by Pilot/Namiki.
Makie artwork, Pilot prices it at $750.
On April 28 2013 17:06 Zandar wrote: Damn
I thought I finally found someone with the same hobby
I bought my girlfriends dad a Waterman a little over a year ago. It wasn't until this year I finally got my own pen.
I was going to go for a Waterman, I like their look, and the one that I had used was quite smooth.
After hours of research, my girlfriend suggested that I go for the Namiki Vanishing Point pen. I looked around for a while and checked countless reviews that suggested to go with that Namiki. So I did.
I ended up getting the traditional matte black edition, fine tip. I love it. Absolutely amazing. The weight is great, the feel of the pen itself is wonderful. It rights really well and does not have any leakage issues. However, the backside of the nib is stained (noticeably so) and looks like it might leak - but it does not.
Personally I prefer a medium nib, the thickness just appeals to me more. However, that being said, I love the fine tip on this Namiki.
If you are a first time buyer, OP's suggestions are fine if you do not want to spend too much - but you get what you pay for. Those pens will leak, and will not be nearly as smooth a writing experience as a quality made pen. The Namiki I bought was the first fountain pen I ever owned myself, but having tried others, I knew what I wanted. I would suggest the Namiki. I think it is wonderful.
EPT
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![[image loading]](http://images.schoolstationery.co.uk/013321-500/Parker-Vector-Standard-Fountain-Pen-Durable-with-S.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/L6YaL3S.jpg)
