I'm curious as to what the next pen in the cycle is.

I'm sure that a lot of people started down this road to ruin simply looking for a nice pen to write all day with and then it morphed into something else. You started looking for better paper and notebooks to write on. You started looking at different inks to feed into your pens. Then you are begging for some syringes to refill your used cartridges. Pretty soon, you get to be known as "the guy with the pens". You acquire a Circa system and start looking at a Hipster PDA instead of a Palm T/X. . .

Does it end? Is there a final pen that breaks the addiction? What comes next that I should make the girlfriend aware of?

Jeremy

It can end, it can come and go in cycles (I tend to buy a LOT more in winter), and it can go on and on. Time will tell, of course! As you've probably read on this forum, many of us accumulate pens (and inks, paper, stamps, cases) and outgrow some of them and sell them. I've noticed that for many of us, taste can change as a result of exposure--here on FPN, in pen shops and at pen shows. Fortunately (or not), there is much encouragement of the addiction here . I have no idea as to what you might tell the girlfriend, but whether it's honesty or ingenious schemes to keep your expenditures a secret that you decide you need, it has been covered here, too! Lots of hilarous (and brilliant) suggestions to read up on. Have fun, and keep us posted regarding your, uh, progress.

You might get to a point where you look at your pens and say, "There is no way I can use all of these!" And then you might sell a few. But then, with your earnings, you might buy one more. . . Then another.

Or, you might just keep accumulating.

Not that there is anything wrong with that.


And whether you realize it or not, you already are "the guy with the pens".

This is just about the worst gateway drug I've encountered. I can't imagine any other addiction short of hard drugs that would compel me to spend hundreds of dollars at frequent intervals on objects I can only use one at a time.

But it's a good kind of hurt.

I haven't been in this long enough to know whether there is an exit. I certainly can't see one now, 7 months after my Pelikan M600 landed at my door.

Summer

mwahahahahahaha You will be here FOREVER~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~!!!!

As soon as you buy the "favourite pen", you know, the "After I get this one, that will be enough pens", you will click on a link and see some way cool thing on sale, or about to be released in the spring or summer or fall; or you will read about someone else's new acquisition, or you will see one in your favourite colour, or you will see a fancy schmancy pricey pen and say, "Well, it's cheaper than some other hobbies"...

Face it, J-man, you are a goner!!!!!!!!

diane

I'm afraid I have to side with Diane on this one - it's very difficult, if not impossible for most of us to shake the pen monkey off our backs.

My accumulation started seven years ago when I was searching for a finer nib alternative for my one and only fp, which I'd been happily using for several years without thought of more pens. Being cheap by nature and without a B&M store anywhere close, I searched the 'net (very bad idea), found Chuck Swisher's site, bought a Pelikan Steno EF, discovered ebay in the process, won a wounded Estie J, found acp-p, and it was down hill from there.

250+ pens later, I'm still chasing the grail pen. The problem is, my definition of "grail pen" changes over time and hating to sell pens, the accumulation grows. The good news is, the accumulating has slowed considerably and because I've learned so much more, especially about vintage pens which make up ~75% of my accumulation, I've become more discriminating about my purchases.

If you learn some repair basics, you can restore most vintage pens yourself, which allows you to buy off ebay with more confidence, search out bargains at junk shops, estate sales, etc without having to spend an extra $30+ to have a professional do the work. The beauty of vintage pens is they can be absolutely wonderful pens for a fraction of the price of modern pens. That's not to say you can't spend a small fortune on certain vintage models - but if you stay with the more pedestrian models/styles, you can get a lot of pen for your money.

The basic message is, learn to live effectively with your addiction - get it inside the bar ditches and develop strategies for keeping it there, relatively under control and not consuming the "real money". Look at it this way, your girlfriend might enjoy an occasional afternoon of searching out antique stores or estate sales - maybe she'll find a similar interest?

Good luck and have fun.

There is hope. I have found "The Pen" for me: perfect size for my hand, great expressive, semi-flexible italic nib, great color, great balance...etc. I have not bought another in 6-8 months. Then I bought some inks (4 bottles: Aurora black, Herbin's Savage Green, FPN's Galileo Brown, Noodler's Black & Noodler's Luxury Blue) and some paper, correspondence cards, notepads... Then I discovered flexible nibs. "Just when you think you're out, they pulled me right in." (From The Godfather 3) Good luck!

Probably not much hope, the door has already slammed shut.

I have found what I consider the best contemporary pen after years of searching... and escalating cost. The thousand dollar Montegrappa Extra, in turtle brown. I am estatic having achieved what I set out to do. Then I bought the green marble version... and of course for signing charge receipts, the matching ball point. Now they have a very nice looking black / green "Bamboo" color... I am likely to buy next.... I am supremely impressed every time I uncap my Extra and write. They are the best writing, best designed, beautifully constructed works of art I have ever seen and as you might expect I have a few pens. I am probably going to have to get a special edition soon. And don't let me forget how much I love my Montegrappa Privledge. I bring it out on special occations... moon is full or Vega is lined up with Mars... not sure what that reason is. But, of course, for work I don't use any of those. I use my two New Old Stock OMAS Paragon, yes, still available if you don't mind paying well over $700. These are well suited for work because they do not require so much unscrewing of the cap like the Extras. Also, occationally I us my Waterman Edson... since it has a snap cap, so for jotting a quick note it is great. I have no real excuse for getting the two pens I recieved yesterday, the 14K gold special edition Hero and filigree Dragon pen... well, they were good deals. Of course they will not measure up to my Extras, so they will have to be stored in my pen amoure with the rest of my collection.

Anyway, good luck with that.

Oh, one more thing. Bite your tonge when you start stroking your pen and repeatedly saying, "my precious". People catch on real quickly as to the depth of the problem when you do. JD

Fortunately, there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

Unfortunately, it is shining on a coffin.

Paddler

I also think I've found "The One Pen" (well, two actually) and my pen addiction seems to be in remission, I have no desire for any more pens, in fact, I'm thinking of selling/giving away some of my surplus pens....

the two pens that satisfied my addiction?
the Lamy 2000 and Al-Star both in XF

All I'm looking for is a reliable way to put ink on paper, and these two fit the bill perfectly, for me, it's all about pure functionality, something the L2K and Al-Star excel at, no superfluous and useless cosmetic affectations, just good, solid, reliable writing tools

Y'know, I think I might be cured....

....now *INK* on the other hand.....

I began using fountain pens when I was thirteen. It was a cheap piston filler made in Japan, but it lasted me for almost five years of daily use and abuse. Then I used a series of cc Parkers, and finally when I discovered a fountain pen store, I graduated to a Waterman Laureat. Well, for a long while I didn't know that there was such a variety of fountain pens out there. So, naturally, I began my quest for "the pen." I haven't found one, mainly because each activity requires a different nib: short notes, signatures, marginalia, draft writing, editing; all have different with and color requirements. So, now I have accepted that "the pen" doesn't really exists outside its application. Right now, "the pen" for draft writing (almost half a novel written with it) is a Pilot Custom 845 with a Fine nib.

I have my wife to blame. She gave me my first fountain pen some 35 years ago when we were dating in college. It was a cheep Sheaffer with a fine point steel nib with the number 304 stamped on it. She had it lying around and I needed something to write with and she gave it to me. At the time I didn’t know that it was the equivalent of crack cocaine and being in collage it is a bad time to start an addiction since you are always broke. My second fountain pen which I bought from the college book store was a Pelikano. Also a fine tip and it too was a wonderful fountain pen. While shopping in downtown Boston I discovered Broomfield Pen. Big mistake for I walked out of there with my third pen, planking down some $30.00 for a Pilot vanishing point made out of aluminum. They don’t make this style any more. My forth pen was a Mont Blanc. I bought it for myself for graduation. I don’t know the model for they also no longer make it. The rest is a blur for over the next 30 years had I accumulated almost every pen made from Shaeffer, Parker, Pelikan, Lamy, Sailor, Pilot, Waterman and Mont Blanc. The only saving grace is I only buy new pens or my collection would be twenty times larger. The second saving grace is the pen manufactures do not crank our as many new main stream models as they use to so that has slowed me down. However what use to be run of the mill and inexpensive now costs a lot more since FP’s are not sold by the tons like ball points.

Of all my pens my pens only twenty have been inked and the first four pens I every got are still in my rotation. My favorite pen is the first pen my wife of thirty years got me when we were young. It is not the best writer or the best looking, but is has the best place in my heart. I have to laugh at the folks writing in the thread about how your better half accepts your hobby for mine doesn’t say a thing for the real kicker is that she has collected more fountain pens than me. I am glad she doesn’t like diamonds.

My wife always says she'd rather me be addicted to pens, paper and ink instead of something like drugs and alcohol or cigarettes. I agree.

The problem is that many good vintage pens are getting more expensive than drugs, alcohol and cigs. Especially when you like Parker and Waterman overlays, and 51 Vacs with the Heirloom caps and trim.

A good crack habit would be cheaper. Of course, it's hard to write with a crack pipe.

Jeremy, it is called a "slippery slope" for good reasons.

Jean Paul Sartre was known as much for his FP's as for his pipe. He once remarked something to the effect, "I know I don't need another fountain pen, but I want another fountain pen." That comes close to summing up our dilemma.

One day at a Time!!

I bought the last pen I was gonna get, but then I saw a SS Sheaffer Imperial that I couldn't live without…

That one was the last one...

I just bought a Fine Black and an Extra Fine SS Lamy Studio from Swisherpens.com.

Without saying.. I Had to buy a few replacement nibs in different sizes, steel and black coated, and two 1.1 Italics...

I almost jumped back into the sea of ink.. My wife convinced me that I needed to use up some of the "old" ink first.

None of your are offering any word of encouragement. It is not making me feel good about getting out of this "recreation" easily or cheaply.
Oh well, I guess I just need to admit the obvious.

YOU ALL HAVE ISSUES. NOT ME THOUGH. NEVER. NOPE

My Name is Jeremy, And I have a problem. I enjoy the finer things in life. Now that I have admitted my problem, it is time to start healing and moving on.


Enjoy the Day
I'm off to take a test in OMM.

Jeremy

One pen to rule them all...

The Sauron 3000. New from Montblanc in 2008.



A.J.

One word mate : "DOOMED"

Thank you all for a very entertaining thread tailor-made for starting my Friday morning.

I'm also new to this addiction although I had a brush with it several years ago. While pursuing the local library shelves a book on fountain pens caught my sleeve and wouldn't let go, so I took it home. While paging through it there came a page with a familiar pen on it. Digging through a box of "stuff" left over from my grandparent’s lives I found a green Eclipse pen and pencil set with gold filigree. The beauty of its form enhancing the functionality of this work of art really spoke to me. After the Fountain Pen Hospital cleaned and repaired the pen set I put it on my desk and enjoyed the form while leaving the function to more modern forms of writing instruments. That was ten years ago.

Last year while exploring pens for sketching I found a varsity disposable fountain pen. It didn't fulfill my sketching needs but I've found that I love writing with it. As a direct result I've found that I love writing as much as I love drawing. I now spend way too much time on the internet looking at pens, reading about pens, desiring pens, forming opinions about pens.

I now own a Safari Vista loaded with PR Copper Burst ink. Just the fact that I listed the exact ink brand and color indicates to me that I am, in fact, over the edge. As I look behind me I also know that the way back is too dark and terrible to even think of attempting. So I’m looking forward to a Conklin All American in orange spice which will give me, for now, the more classical look at an affordable price (with a gold nib) to sit opposite my Safari.

Fred

And now I know what nib creep is. Oy.