What Is Your Best Advice To The New Fountain Pen User?

[TREBFPN]

I seem to find myself discovering the inevitables. Stumbling across the fountain pen markets I tend to reread the advice given to me by other members. My hopes were to find a modern flex pen and I found others telling me to forget it and grab a vintage Waterman. Okay I gave up and made my first purchase. I am unsure what I will receive in the mail. Living sixty or more miles away from any viable market I find myself opening up my front door to UPS, Fed-Ex and USPS workers almost daily. So my previous purchase relied on Amazon Prime and my new purchase an Ebay estate finder seller. Once I get this pen it will dawn on me that there will be something better out there. I here myself saying, "this will be my very last and final pen" and catch myself reiterating some topic with a title in the exact same regards. I remember creating my first topic here in the forums and thinking it would be all the help I would ever need; I would run this topic and never again visit this small website. Oh boy, was I full of myself and very wrong! I am surprised looking back in the few weeks that I became a member here and seeing how many people actually read what I wrote. It has turned me into a fountain pen addict with a blooming fountain pen budget. I am always eager to try and attempt to give useful views but again get hit by the fact that there was just such a review written in the prior year. So, here is the spill: if you were to give any advice to the new fountain pen user here on the network what would it be?

 

I will start off: Never try to unpost your TWSBI cap in a counter clockwise twist.

Edited October 2, 2014 by TREBFPN

[hari317]

go slow.

[Z-Tab]

Buy the pen that you actually want instead of the cheaper alternative that doesn't really do it for you. You'll end up with both and be out more money because of it.

[Notgatherox]

Recommendations are good but listen to your own heart. Just because everybody recommends a Lamy Safari (for example) doesn't mean you should get one. Get a pen that suits your needs and pleases you.

 

 

~Epic

[The Blue Knight]

go slow.

 

+1

[cybaea]

Keep on writing

[FoszFay]

3 expensive pens you want are better than 10 cheaper alternatives.

 

I planned to do this; ended up with 13 pens...

 

Tom.

[shawndp]

Buy the pen that you actually want instead of the cheaper alternative that doesn't really do it for you. You'll end up with both and be out more money because of it.

 

 

This is the absolute truth to me - if you know you like a pen and want it, save up for it rather than experiment with the alternatives as you end up spending more that way.

 

My own advice - try the same pen with a couple of different inks before you actually form an opinion on it - you will be surprised how much difference the pairings make.

[bullet08]

read all about how to adjust the nib. not grinding or anything, but simply understanding how to align the tines, how to line up the slit on the nib with feed channel.. simple things. learning how to do those simple things make owning any fountain pen more enjoyable.

[ArnyDelan168]

Buy from reputable brand. If money is not object, I highly suggest to buy around 100 US range because at this price range, the majority of FP will deliver qualities at ease.

[Bronze]

Learn to do some basic nib work (practice on cheap pens), and try some good paper. Have fun!

Edited October 2, 2014 by Bronze

[Paddler]

read all about how to adjust the nib. not grinding or anything, but simply understanding how to align the tines, how to line up the slit on the nib with feed channel.. simple things. learning how to do those simple things make owning any fountain pen more enjoyable.

+1 Take the money you were going to buy your next pen with and spend it on a good 10X loupe.

[pendexter]

Seriously consider purchasing pens used here on the classifieds. Many times you can purchase a pen, use it for a while and turn around and resell it for the same price you paid (minus shipping).

 

Pen values drop significantly when you unbox a new pen, but retain value pretty well afterwards.

 

This is especially important at the beginning, when new pen enthusiasts are learning what they like in a pen and won't necessarily be keeping their first purchases indefinitely.

[Yehenara]

Lighten up your grip, and lighten up your writing pressure.

Buy the pen that you actually want instead of the cheaper alternative that doesn't really do it for you. You'll end up with both and be out more money because of it.

 

Oh man, this.

[XiaoMG]

Do not expect much from nib grinders; adjustment might be worthwhile, but don't assume custom grinds will be smoother or better.

 

Don't expect much consistency among products or brands if you are looking at finer nibs.

 

Learn how to adjust stuff and diagnose problems.

 

Understand that there's a lot of negativity about vendors, nib workers, and products that doesn't get expressed openly here.

[Bigeddie]

Don't skimp on ink and paper.

 

£4 for an A4 Rhodia pad may seem like a lot compared with low cost alternatives, but it will double the enjoyment of a wet >£100 pen.

[Bigeddie]

Also, sometimes buying a £4 bottle of Waterman/Sheaffer/Lamy ink scratches the buying itch, and saves on the £100 pen you think you need!

 

Also also, £4 a bottle ink can be as good as £25 a bottle ink... but the bottles get prettier as the price goes up, and the ink lines more consistent in terms of performance.

[a m a r g o]

go slow.

Indeed, patience is the most valuable asset in the fountain pen business... Finding the correct communion between handwriting style, pen, ink and paper is very rewarding!

[zaddick]

To quote so many movies, "smoke 'em if you got 'em." Life is short and not guaranteed. Use your pens and don't worship them. This gets harder the more expensive the pen, but I find using a pen more pleasureable than just looking at it in a case.

[Bill_D]

You will likely get the itch to try many, many different inks. In my experience, you will find one to four inks that you really like and use an entire bottle of those inks. The bottles of other inks will sit 80-95% full for years after the novelty of the new color has worn off. Take full advantage of the ink samples available at Goulet Pens to see if you actually like the ink before buying a full bottle. You can usually fill a converter two to three times from a single sample, so you can get a good idea of whether you really like the ink. It will save you a lot of money.