Fountain Pen Users: Still In The Closet

[lurcho]

Fountain-pen manufacture is on the rise, and lots of makers are still in business, making - presumably - thousands of units every year.

 

The Lamy Safari alone is on sale in lots and lots of ordinary outlets in the UK, and reportedly more in continental Europe.

 

Nonetheless (notwithstanding the odd report on FPN's 'spotted on TV/film' threads), it is extraordinarily rare for me to see a fountain pen in real life or in a modern dramatic context, or used by anyone ever, in any situation.

 

Where are they all? It's not as if you don't see people writing.

 

[The Crabby Rooster]

Great question. When I mentioned at work that I was getting some fountain pens because I was so tired of the search for a pen that felt right when I wrote, she then mentioned an interesting anecdote about her father, who was quite a senior member of the military and then into the bureaucracy and then private practice. His wife had given him a wonderful Montblanc as a present and he loved that pen. That said, as a busy man with lots on his mind, there was a time, it seems, that he was signing off a bill in a taxicab and gave the copy and the pen to the driver.

 

He did this twice.

 

After the second episode, my understanding is that he now uses ball points or some such.

 

So one working theory may be that taxi drivers have the fountain pens...

[NinthSphere]

I actually can't think of a time in the last few years where I've seen anyone other than my sister (who I gave the thing to) use a fountain pen in person.

 

Certainly makes me rethink a job driving cabs though.

[ISW_Kaputnik]

I've wondered about this too. Maybe it's where I live, the places I go, the people I know. Maybe the majority of buyers keep them at home, and don't consider them practical everyday pens. Maybe I'm unobservant, and people are using Lamy 2000s and Pilot Vanishing Points all around me.

 

Maybe they're all being bought by FPN types who have 5 to 500 fountain pens, and the total number of users is not as large as sales figures would indicate.

 

Or to put it another way, I don't know.

[J85909266]

I am very observant about pens and knives, as I love them both. I have seen many, many people carrying knives, and even ran into a few other enthusiasts with Sebenzas, Kershaw, Benchmade and Spyderco knives on them.

 

However, in my entire life, I have never seen another human being using a fountain pen. I didn't even know they existed until I found them on my own.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Small desks = cheap ball points.

 

Big desks = expensive ball points.

[Morwen]

I think they are at home . I, for example, almost never use a FP outside of home, for the following reasons:

1. Could get lost

2. I have no idea what paper would be available to write on, and therefore prefer to go on the safe side with a BP.

3. It will draw too much attention to me - the only time I used it in front of people, it was to write my e-mail for a business aquaintance, and he commented on that as if it was weird. Never did it again.

4. It is a rare hobby, and it is even rarer where I live then the rest of europe as it is expensive. The only family member that knows I am into FPs is my husband. I haven't told my sister, she will think I'm weird, ot my parents, who would think I'm weird AND judge me for irresponsibly spending money.

 

So, without planning on my side, it stays a bit of a secret personality .

[georges zaslavsky]

I have some pens sitting in their boxes for several reasons

[SirVival]

At least in Germany they are fairly commonplace. I mean in primary school everyone has one and you can buy the usual suspects everywhere. So it is all a matter of perspective.

 

To make a bad comparison: Living somewhere where Indian people are a rare sight does not change the global picture that they are a significant chunk of the world population (and use fountain pens quite a bit if I understand correctly?)

[Charles Rice]

I suspect many users don't take them out of their homes. A couple of times when people have seen my pens the comment has been that they use them too, but the pens never leave the writing desk.

[dragos.mocanu]

This is rather sad...not wanting to write with a fountain pen for fear of looking weird...has the world really turned upside down? What is it about fountain pens that make them such of a tabu these days in many places around the world? Are they not, in the end, just writing instruments? I understand wanting to keep your Holy Grail $1000 pen at home for security purposes, but using a ballpoint and get crampy handwriting, just because of what other people might say or think?! Why should you care what other people think?

[amk]

I regularly pack my most outrageous Laban Mento or Edison Collier for journalistic assignments - they can be great ice breakers when people see them!

[Legal Eagle]

I've seen in the past 7-8 years that I've been into fountain pens, maybe 2 people using them. One is the vet here in the small town where I live, the other was a random guy in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

[dojocho]

My 9 year old daughter has been using fp's for the last 4 years (Lamy abc and Sheaffer NoNonsense), in her class some use fp's, the majority uses bp's or rb's. My 6 year old son is already asking for his first fp.

 

I have been using fp's for as long as I can remember. Some of my colleagues at school use fp's as well (about 4 or 5) the rest jots with bp's. In my classroom, bp's and rb's are banned...

[The Crabby Rooster]

I regularly pack my most outrageous Laban Mento or Edison Collier for journalistic assignments - they can be great ice breakers when people see them!

 

I've not thought of them as ice breakers, but that's a fine secondary use for them. I've been using mine at work for the last few weeks or so and the only folks that have commented on them has been my own team. No one else has at all...

[OcalaFlGuy]

I think it's important here to differentiate between someone who uses a fountain pen and Pen People.

 

It seems pretty common even on FPN for people to be more worried about taking their pens out and instead use them mostly at home. I think these are more people who use fountain pens.

 

Pen People on the other hand, have one or more pens that still write nicely that for numerous reasons they just don't worry about them leaving the house.

 

Pen Freaks have carry cases and will daily carry even their most valued, prized pens.

 

Also, that times they are a changing thang too.

 

Excepting school or certain jobs, the opportunites in daily life where one writes more than their signature unless perhaps at home at their writing area are far less than they were in the day of the FP. It's just easier and quicker to push the button on a BP, jot that word or two or number down and be done with it.

 

I do feel those who keep their pens at home are missing out, to their loss And any other pen person's who may see them using them in the wild, but it's just really not any of my business how and when or for what reason someone uses their pens.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[Skyppere]

in 35 years of college teaching...that's a LOT of students... about 4,000 students Iwould guess... the ONLY student I EVER saw with a fountain pen was a German exchange student. Among the faculty of maybe 200, three were FP users...

out in the wild, ONCE I saw a guy pullout an aurora to write a check in the grocery store.I said "Oh a FP user!" and he quite haughtily replied "that's ALL I EVER USE," and walked off.

 

skyppere

[Black Spot]

As others have said most people keep there pens at home, or in the office.

I also find that most people have a pen about in a desk drawer, but don't use it.

[OcalaFlGuy]

ONCE I saw a guy pullout an aurora to write a check in the grocery store.I said "Oh a FP user!" and he quite haughtily replied "that's ALL I EVER USE," and walked off.

 

skyppere

 

I was nearly jubilant to see a lady with a yellow VP[1] here in town.

 

A couple sentences passed. I asked her what inks she used.

 

She looked down her nose at me and semi sneered, Why would I use anything but the black cartridges?!

 

She lopped me right off at the knees...

 

[1] The Mandarin Imperial I was carrying thought the VP was cute.

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Edited November 26, 2014 by OcalaFlGuy

[Chris Rozon]

You're making the all too common mistake of confusing lot of interest on the Internet with actual interest in the real world. It happens on every niche hobbyist website.