Hi,
I am a currently a year 10 student and the need for cheap, reliable ink is by far my most important requirement for any ink. Here the Schneider ink shines, running smoothly with no flow issues on cheep file paper, without feathering or bleeding through, and drying quickly (<10sec). It is available cheaply of eBay, selling for $6 including postage for 30 cartridges. With a sturdy construction and a nice (nothing flash) standard blue (similar to the new Shaffer skrip), these cartridges are a winner for anyone who consumes a lot of ink and is on a budget, especially if you are not fussy on the colour.

P.S. I purchase these cartridges from an eBay shop called Ink4pens
Regards Rohan

Just as an FYI: if you're looking for cheap and reliable ink, bottled is the way to go. Skrip and Noodler's both come out to 33% cheaper, including shipping, from Swisher's (for example).

If the carts you're talking about are the short kind (for some reason, I associate Schneider with short int'ls ) then the price difference is even greater, with bottled inks being 50%+ cheaper.

But for those who avoid bottled ink- thanks for sharing your findings!

Aaron

According to a store owner (she is rather well-versed in pens), using converters is better for the pen in the long run - that cartridges ought to be used only in emergencies.
Not that it matters to me though, I just find it fun to fill from a bottle.

$6 (USD?) for 30 short international cartridges is indeed a better deal among cartridges than the typical retail prices and quantities. I can see how, for busy students, carts at the price astroscope paid can be convenient enough to be worth the premium cost over bottled ink.

I'm also really glad to hear about another ink that performs well on bad paper and can be used in many brands of pens!

I started using fountain pens in the 4th grade casually and seriously from the 5th grade until university and trade school.

Waterman Florida Blue was my ink bottle of choice.

However, I took all my notes and wrote all my essays with my fountain pens, a Waterman steel pen or plastic Stypen pen.

On busy class days and on essay nights cartridges were indispensable.
I remember using no-name short international cartridge in erasable blue.
They were bought in bulk at the beginning of the school year.

Many school pens did not came with converters and I used to refill Large Waterman or the no name cartridges with Waterman Florida blue using a pipette from a science kit.

Refilling was done on Sunday or less busy school nights, which were few
and far between during the second and third trimester, as I always had a
lot of homework.

So I understand Rohan.


Nowadays, it is a blessing to find school pens such as Lamy Safari/Vista, Waterman Phileas/Kultur and Pelikan available with converters.

However, during a long lecture or on deadline cartridges are still indispensable.

When I restarted buying fountain pens again I only had the old Sheaffer cartridges. So I also went up on E-Bay and bought something like 60 short international cartridges for $8 or $9. Of course my goal was to use them for refilling. Refillers can do well with buying various sorts of cartridges in bulk on E-Bay. And I mix the ink with various permanent Noodler's inks and use it up that way.

I was going to make a similar reply, until I looked up the cartridges in question. They are pretty much the same price, ml for ml, as Parker Quink or Sheaffer Skrip in bottles.

The only way to get much cheaper ink would be to buy some packets of powdered ink from eBay vendors ozcap or vanviking. Make it up to three times the strength (i.e. dissolve it into 13 or 14 oz of hot water, not the quart that the instructions say). Let stand for a couple of days, filter through a paper filter (a coffee filter will suffice) and fill your pens with that.

I have tried this in a fountain pen, and it works. Suffice it to say, we are talking cheap pens here.

Thanks for the advice! I was expecting bottled ink to be messy and time consuming to fill, but after reading your comments I gave Shaffer Skrip a go and am really pleased. It works just as well on cheap paper, and is darker, so it is easier to read. It is also much easier to use then expected.
Thanks Rohan

Another happy ending... Glad you like it! Personally, I love the Skrip.

Hello,

I order my cartridges from ebay. You can order 100 international carts for $13.50, shipping included.
10-12 different colors are available, however, nothing really wild.

I have yet to find any cheaper.

Ken