I have what might be a rather strange question. I am currently carrying a Waterman Harley Davidson Horizon that I bought several years ago because of the look. I have just inked it for only the second time in that span. I am pleased with the way the pen writes, but I noticed something when writing with it. Due to the design of the cap, it makes the pen very top heavy when I put it on the rear of the pen while writing. Without the cap, the pen is much lighter, but feels a little short in my hand, so I am working on a personal compromise.

So, that brings me to my curiosity question: When you use your FP, do you write with the cap posted (I learned a new FP term thanks to the first replies) or off the pen, and why do you choose your choice?

I always keep the cap off (not posted) but mainly due to the fact I collect and use vinatge so I'm just trying to cut down on damage to a pen that's already been through a lot.

I mostly use Pelikan M200s, medium sized pens, they are designed to be posted, and once posted can grow into a larger and very comfortable pen to use. Therefore, i post.

Sure if you post you may get some posting marks eventually, but so what? Its better than having the pen fall of the desk without a cap and have the nib hit the ground first! With a cap, gravity will flip the pen and allow it to fall cap first.

I almost always post.

Depends on the pen for me.

I always post. Pens are tools so if they get rings, scuffs, and scratches from being posted it just means I enjoyed the pen.

My standard reply is "it depends" but for the most part I keep the cap in my left hand while writing with the pen. I do have at least one pen that is too short without the cap so it gets posted.

Kurt

Of my thiry pens or so I post only one and that's because it's very small (vest pocket-size). I don't post because it can damage the pen barrel and I find posting makes most pens feel top-heavy.

Always off. I prefer smaller pens.

Yes, no and sometimes. Most of the time I do post the cap on the pen, especially on my smaller pens. On some of the large pens such as my Taccia Staccato and Dorics, I leave the cap off. The really vintage pens in my collection are normally used without the cap to prevent further wear. /Craig

I have almost always posted, probably at first (when I was a kid) to keep from losing the cap. Now it is a habit. I have one pen which will not allow me to post and I rarely use it because though it is a large pen I do not find it comfortable when writing.

MY pens all feel better when posted, so %99 of the time I post the cap.

- R

To post or not to post depends on what I am doing with the pen. If I am paying bills and writing checks, etc., I post. This keeps the pen from rolling off the desk when I have to put it down repeatedly.

If I am writing something lengthy, posting depends on the pen design. I think some of them have a better balance unposted and some don't.

Paddler

Posted. The tiny college classroom desks require that I have as few drop-able pieces as possible, to avoid scrambling around picking up my stuff throughout the lecture. If there's more desk space available, it would be easy to lose the cap (I'm a very absentminded person), so still posted. And most to all of my pens feel more balanced when posted, so again, posted.

This is not a sptange question and actualy it comes up every few months.

As for the question I never ever ever post my pens.And the reason is:

1.I hate the feeling of a posted pen
2.It might leave round marks on some pens.

So what I do is I buy long pens so they fit my relativly large hands like Omas Paragon,MB 149,Waterman Edson...etc

I'll only post a pen if it suits it. I post my Parker '51', for example, because it doesn't leave any scuff-marks and the pen remains well-balanced. But I won't post my Montblanc, because the innner cap-threads leave rings around the top of the barrel.

And of course, I don't post some pens because they create imbalances and make it hard to write.

I have only one pen I post: a vintage Kaweco sport that is sinply too short to be used unposted.

The reason for not posting the other pens is that I feel uncomfortable writing with a posted pen. To much weight at the end of the pen. I love the lightweight feeling of a fountainpen that makes writing effortless.

I post my Parker 75 and Sonnets and leave all other pens I use unposted. For me it's simply a matter of balance.

I used to never post my caps. Now I do almost always.

Probably will never post the Hemingway, though. So I can't say that I post absolutely always. Only usually.

The only time I don't post is if I have something very quick to write...one or two words. The other 99.99999999% of the time, I post...even my giant Duofold.

I'm currently using my pens to write notes while preparing for the exams. As such, I do use the pens for hours on end and comfort & fatigue minimisation is extremely important. Balance of weight is probably my biggest factor in deciding to post/not post.

1) My Parker 45 is a light weight pen and definitely feels more 'balanced' when the cap is posted. I don't post it anymore because to my horror, I found that posting has caused scratches on it. I now only use the Parker 45 for short term writing (i.e. 2-3 lines).

2) My Faber Ambition is a heavy-ish pen which is comfortable in its own right unposted. Nevertheless I post whenever I use it long term though cause I find it helps reduce the fatigue. And in addition, the cap will not scratch the pen when posted. It has some click mechanism to keep the cap in place.

I never post a FP. Just doesn't feel right.

I almost always post. There are exceptions. Pens I am not sure are going to make it into the rotation I try not to post or a pen I am really worried about the surface. Otherwise I post regardless of size. I tend to like my pen quite long

I don't like the balance of a pen when posted, and much prefer to use my fountain pens without posting.

I don't like the balance of a pen posted, and much prefer to use my fountain pens without posting with excetion of Parker vector or other very light and short pen. At school it is without cap. The pen I prefer for writingis the Pelikan script 1.0 very good and very sheap.It is the best for me withi pelikan black ink in cartridge (2.2$ for two boxes in switzerland in supermarket). I think it is best for balance to have long barrel like feather than to cap the pen.

I almost always post.

My only "real" FP is a Lamy Al-Star, and it's slightly top-heavy when posted. But, oddly enough, I find it easier to not have a death-grip on the thing when it's unbalanced, so I can write longer.

The Pilot Varsities... well... the caps hardly weigh anything, so posting doesn't affect the balance. Not that I actually write with the Varsities any more anyway... I find that my Al-Star blows both of them away.

Another reason I post: I would lose the caps otherwise. There's a reason why I preferred retractible ballpoints when I still used ballpoints. (Yes, I know about the VP. No, I'm not going to buy one yet.)

My pen is too light when not posted. I prefer posted.

I never post my caps because of all of the previously stated weight, imbalance, scuffing reasons. The primary reason, and the one that got me started not posting was I posted caps on an MB Elite Jr. 30 years ago or so. Continued posting contributed to the cap splitting on more than one model. It was also a push-on cap so that contributed as well. But after losing three pen caps to that, I rarely, if ever, post any more. If I do not have space, I put the cap in my pocket or clip it to the plaquet of my shirt.

I think it is more a testament to Mont Blancs poor quality back then as compared to today. Some models in the 1970's and 1980's were extremely prone to cracking and shattering. I post my Pelikans and have never had an issue with cap cracks

I tend to prefer heavier and larger pens.

And so the balance is usually much better in my hand with the cap unposted and set aside.

Exceptions to this rule:

My Montblanc Starwalker was designed to be posted, having threads for the cap on the barrel end. That pen, though metal, has a narrow enough girth that the weight and balance are good with the cap posted. My Shaeffer Valor is so lightweight and the cap is so distinctive that I prefer to use that pen posted as well.

Dr. Ozzie, I agree as to the quality point of the model at that time. I was a starving student then and did not splurge on FPs. The result was a habit/practice of not posting that I have not changed.

I have pens that span quite a range in size and weight and I never post. Never. Not ever. I simply do not like the feel of a posted pen. Even my shortest and lightest pen feels wrong to me if posted.

What I think is not important. What feels right to you is the only thing that should matter to you.

regards,
- Jan

It depends on the pen, space I have and what I'm doing. I've found that some pens are not suited for posting e.g. Lamy Safaris, Pelikano Junior. Some are fine posted e.g. Pelikan Toledos, Souvereign range. If I'm in a meeting taking notes where there's quite abit of stop and start, I won't post. That because I make it point to cap my pen back to avoid a hard start. I find that this has saved my pen nibs from accidents. If the space is confined, I tend to post. Generally it is hard to write lots in such circumstances anyway.

BTW if I do post, the clip has to be neatly aligned with my nib

Well I have to add something. Pelikan M100 is really too small and I have to post. Sigh, the body will get scratched