I always read about FPN members that bought a pen and they are happy with it and will not buy another pena for a long while.
In my everyday life I'm a boring guy,go to the same job,am totaly in love with my amazing wife and creazy about my kids.Never look aside if you know what I mean (well look yes but thats it),dont go out unless its with the family once in a blue moon.Spend my spare time at home.Eat the same food...etc well you got the meaning but when it comes down to pens I cant have enough.
Some people might mistake thinking I just go for Mont Blanc pens due to the last few threads that were talking about MB pens but this is not so.I love many other pens and always on the lookout for something interesting.Right now after I got my MB Virginia Woold I am getting a blue Parker 61,Pastel Blue Sheaffer Snorkel,trying to get a safty Moore pen while at the same time looking for the next big future buy of the DROOL pen.
Dont get me wrong I spend a lot of time with my wife and family,pens doesnt hurt my family time at all but I love getting new pens.Looking at the pen cabinet makes my heart sore and the more pens I have the happier I am.

I dont understand people that are satisfy with only few pens but deep inside I am asking myself if I dont envy you guys that buy only few pens.

I am sure there are people out there that share my love to getting more pens but I know most pen fans are happy with few pens and if they see that these pens dont get used they will sell them or give them away.You people are lucky and I am sure your back account will agree with me.

I agree, it's addictive.

If pens are a blip on your bank account, it might be a problem. Are you bored or stressed? People I know who went through a shopping mania phase were one of those and the shopping didn't resolve it. Usually a job or life change was what finally stopped it. Kind of a mid-life crisis thing.

I also like cars and change cars every 2 years.I do this since I am 20 so I can hardly call it mid life crisis.

Money is of course always an issue when buying pens but it has no big effect on our everyday life.We are well balanced.

I guess it's because you don't use your pens for writing, so you of course have a very narrow focus in this hobby - once you have the pen, you tick the box and move on.

People who use their pens experience the joy of customised nibs, beautiful inks and wonderful paper. The whole collecting experience is enriched and becomes much, much more satisfying. So people who have 10 pens which are made for their hand are of course extremely satisfied, maybe only adding to their collection at a rate of two or three pens per year.

Interesting comment.I do try my pens and most of them are very nice writers but I always go back to my beloved Omas Paragon because it gives me all that I like and maybe I am used to it as well.I bought few different inkes but never use them.they just gather dust,they dont look proffesional when I write with them at work (thats the only place I write) and I never tried different kind of paper because again I dont write anywhere except at work on the log sheets and log book we have.

I've probably owned 200+ pens but have closer to a dozen right now. I can not afford to buy every pen that I want so I need to focus and cull the lot to allow me to find the next pen. I tried to collect a color set of one pen and just get into owning pens that I probably never will write with.

So I must be a user and the pens I own are different enough that they each give me a different pleasure in writing. No envy necessary


Kurt

I just got into fountain pens about last February. I understand what you're saying about looking for the next pen. I even wondered about what dustbunny said about the stress thing....but then there is another aspect and that's when someone posts a review and raves about a pen, or when they are mentioned often as "good writers" I want one. Mostly, I just want to TRY it but that isn't possible without buying it. Plus there is the fun of waiting for it's arrival. As I have refined my tastes and what works for me, comfortable to the hand, a pleasure to write with, and a touch of eye candy is good, I expect that some of that quest for the next pen will fall away. I sure hope so....kind of. With that has come the other aspect of wanting to write...just the sheer pleasure of that act has greatly increased with finding the pens that I enjoy.

Oh yeah, and I have a couple that I bought off e-Bay that didn't write and they adorn the space under my computer monitor for two reasons: 1) because I liked their appearance so well (which is why I took the chance) but I do just enjoy looking at them and 2) as a reminder to not waste money on pens on e-Bay that are questionable as to whether they write or not. But two of those are enough.

Cedar

Hi, Goodguy. I can sure understand how pen buying becomes consuming. I have this habit of doing an exhaustive search of pens even if I'm looking for a good ollerball, and there are times I don't feel completely satisfied. I haven't been looking at FPs much lately since I'm happy with what I have (for now). I notice that there are plenty of people who have a zillion pens and love to write extensively with them; others don't, but still love their pens as much. Whether using the pens or not predisposes one to being an insatiable buyer is a judgment call, and I won't speculate. To each his own, and you'll know first if it's something that is becoming too consuming for you. But I must say, you sure do buy some gorgeous pens!

Thanks for the compliment about my pens

I forgot to add another thing which might be the most important,I love the hunt looking for the next pen is as fun as owning them.The best is if I get a sweet deal on ebay and when I get the pen by mail I find its a great pen so the whole deal was good both financialy and I got a good pen.
The hunt is thrilling,exciting and rewarding.

Last year I went on a home visit to the old country.I was hunting for the best deal for almost a week,At the end when I phoned my travel agent I had more date then she did and after a good deal she offered me I showed her an even better deal that she was not aware off.Again I think I actualy enjoyed the hunt for the best flight more then the whole trip.

Same when I buy a car,I go to all the auto deallers in my area,check the net and at the end I get my dream car for the best price.

Ha, leave it to me to forget to acknowledge the thrill of the chase, frustrations included! I think this is exactly what takes me down so many different avenues of styles and brands, and explains why I don't have a lot of one brand of pen. Actually, I don't have that many pens; including FPs, RBs and BPs, I still have under 20. I do like the idea of selling what I don't use, and I should get around to doing this. Maybe make it a 2008 resolution.

Cedar, I relate to a lot of what you said:



Me too! Just want to try it and love waiting for a pen to arrive.



I hope so too...but I don't want to lose the enjoyment of searching for, perusing, desiring pens...



I always hope those bad buys will make me wiser.

goodguy, I think we were twins and I was stolen from your family by pen devils. We pretty much have the same taste in pens and the same buying patterns. I think we just enjoy the hell out of these things. And I notice all your posts are positive and we can tell you're having fun with it. But sadly, like you, I can't be happy with just a few choice pens. So I say, the hell with it, continue on and enjoy.

Ya, I sure wish there was some way we could just rotate pens amongst FPN members so we could try before we buy but I can't see how that could be done.
Sure would be a lot of fun, though.

Yeah, at least I knew that there was going to be that expensive and frustrating learning curve. Darn that learning curve!

Oh, and I really get a kick out of being aware of the emotional roller coaster, the desire, the excitement, the crash, or elation. Don't you just plummet when you get the "sorry, you did not win" message? Or sometimes the relief? The ONE thing that pens and pen shopping have taught me is that there is ALWAYS another object of desire that will pop up on the marketplace or e-Bay. So, nothing is really lost, it just gets shifted.

Yes, I have learned from the bad buys. I know that no matter how pretty it is, if it doesn't write it will be an aggravation. So focus on function, rather than beauty.

It sure is nice to know that someone else is having similar experiences and can relate. Is that like misery (or joy) loves company. (why do I love this silly dancing bunny? ;-)

Cedar

It certainly is nice!

goodguy, I have been meaning to tell you - thank you for sharing; this is a very interesting thread.

Thanks for the supportive comment brother

I have six Mont Blanc pens (RB, FP, BP) so they are the pens in my collection that are worth real money. I bought them on greatly reduced prices. I have about 20 other very nice Cross, Parker and Waterman pens, also bought on super low prices. So my collecting is often driven by 70 to 80 percent+ discounts on nice pens retailing for under $100.00. Whether I needed two Cross Vapor BPs or not isn't the issue; I found them at $7.00 each. Recently bought five Parker RB Latitudes (of three different styles) at really LOW prices. So I enjoy collecting and wanting more but they have to be at 60% or more off retail or they don't get purchased.

And I use them at work and for journaling. I've been filling journals for many years with only a few dry spells in the past three decades. In the 70s I used a Parker sterling silver FP ($25.00 new back then) to write up histories, diagnosis, treatment, nursing notes etc in patient records . That got me started on fountain pens.

Sounds like your priorities with the wife and family are in order. You are right about wanting the next pen. There are too many pens in the candy store and as long as it doesn't affect the family treasury I think its ok. After all you could be into drugs, hanging out with the wrong people, or doing any of many other nasty and bad things. BTW thanks for the constructive posts.

goodguy,

I'm the "other" kind of collector, with relatively few pens, most of them used at least now and then. But I enjoy reading about your searches and acquisitions, and the pleasure you take in the hobby is plain to see. Your matter-of-fact approach to higher-end pens helps me keep my own aspirations in perspective. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm.

Michael

I only buy pens that appeal me or that I find eye appealing. I don't need a dozen of vacs because first it will be far out of my price range and second because I will not be able to use each of them. I collect pens but also like to use them. I must have thirteen or fourteen pens that I enjoy very much and will add others that I find appealing to my tastes. I prefer fewer nice pens than too many identical pens.

i just started collecting, and now have 5 pens that are all users and are great writer. However, i am already looking for another pen. I agree with Georges in that i love yo use all my pens. I have always liked nice writing instruments, but i have never bought one and not used it.

Like you, Goodguy, I am always on the hunt for the next pen, with the following restriction: if my 40-pen case is full, something has to go before another pen can be purchased. This helps me keep costs down as well, as selling one pen helps finance the purchase of the next.

I try to use all of my pens, but as I work at a job where I can't use fountain pens, it takes me rather a long time to get through the whole rotation.

But I agree. The hunt is a big part of the fun. Thanks for the interesting thread!

Lisa