In Praise Of Posting

[stephanos]

Some FP users don’t like to post *, and others don’t mind one way or the other. Many are like me, and have a strong preference for posting, and are less likely to buy or use a pen that cannot post. I recently bought a TWSBI 580. I knew in advance that it doesn’t post, but decided to get it anyway, as it looked otherwise excellent. But although I do like the pen (and it is long enough to use without being posted), I find its inability to post really detracts from my writing experience.

So, what’s my problem?

I've come up with four reasons why posting matters to me. Bear in mind that expectations affect perception, and each of these factors seems likely to be not only self-reinforcing, but also to reinforce perception of the other factors.

First: habit. I have always posted my pens. I first used fountain pens at primary/junior school; probably learned to write with them.. Whatever the reason, I got into the habit of posting my pen early on.

Second: security. A posted cap won’t get lost, or fall and crack. That’s more relevant to someone trying to write in a wave-tossed boat than sitting at a desk (unless you’re teaching unruly primary school children to write). But I do use my pens in moving trains, so it’s relevant to me.

Third: usability. Many fountain pens are simply easier to use if posted: better-balanced and a better fit in the hand. The Lamy 2000 is a good example (and I cannot use a small pen, such as the Kaweco Sport, without posting).

So far, so obvious. But I thought of something else as well, which is what led me to write this, ahem, post.

Fourth: comfort. To write, one holds a pen towards the nib, with the remainder of the pen balancing on the skin between thumb and forefinger. I find that I like a pen to noticeably stick out beyond my ham-fist. Posting a pen helps that happen, but also causes (slightly) increased girth. The effect is particularly strong where the barrel otherwise tapers towards the back (e.g. a Skyline), and I find it much more comfortable. I think the sense of comfort comes from greater confidence that a posted pen is less likely to slip out of my hand. This would explain why I really like the excellent Franklin Christoph 33 (Abditus), despite the fact that it cannot post and is not exceptionally long (it has a large ‘stopper’ at the end, to screw the barrel into the cap - which is the length of the barrel).

TWSBI developers, I hope you’re reading this. I would definitely spend money again on a 580 - if it were ‘postable’.

 

What's your experience?

* For newcomers: posting a pen means putting a pen’s cap on the back of the barrel when writing. It has nothing to do with the postal service.

[Wolverine1]

I agree with all the points you have made regarding posting the caps of FPs. I too learnt to use FP in school, and we were taught to post, and that has become a habit. I guess I post all my pens, in fact, I seem too have sold all the pens I had that were not postable.( is that a word, "postable" ? )

[balson]

i love posting, but i have had it crack some vintage caps, because of this i tend to avoid posting vintage hard rubber and celluloid pens

[Consulting_Detective]

I totally agree with the idea of posting, security and stuff, but some of my pens, like my JinHao Ceramic, it's heavier with the cap, so really it depends on what type and how heavy your pen is.

 

-C.D

Edited November 18, 2014 by Consulting Detective

[swain]

When considering a pen with all other things, esp. nib, being equal--it has to be able to be posted in a useful manner. Specifically, not imbalance the pen toward the posted cap.

For all the reasons outlined by Stephano above, posting is a must.

[Brian Anderson]

i love posting, but i have had it crack some vintage caps, because of this i tend to avoid posting vintage hard rubber and celluloid pens

Agreed, I had to sell a nice Duofold Jr. once because I couldn't stand to look at it knowing I cracked the cap due to posting. Under most circumstances I do post, but for short notes, I don't mind hanging on to the cap in my left hand for the duration.

[pendexter]

It really depends on the size and balance of the pen.

 

With my Pilot CH 92 and Platinum 3776 Century, I usually post them because it balances the pen and provides a little more length.

 

With my Pilot Custom 823, posting just makes it too top heavy and unbalanced. The TWSBI 580 is almost identical in size to the Pilot C823, so I don't miss the ability to post it at all.

 

But I totally see your point about losing the pen cap... which is why you need a Pilot Vanishing Point.

[carlos.q]

When I started using FPs I always posted.

Somewhere along the road I started to appreciate the wonder of light pens and an even lighter touch while writing and now I don't post any of my pens. Even my very light red Pelikan M205 or any of my vintage Pelikans.

To each his (or her) own, I guess.

[Morwen]

I never post... I only use FP at home, so no danger of rolling. The reason I do not post is because I like my pens to be as light as possible, and the cap often adds quite a bit of weight. I also prefer the pen to nib-heavy rather than the opposite.

[tinysnail]

I like the idea of posting for security, but most pens become unusably long for my hands if I post them. The main exceptions are the Kaweco Sport and the Pelikan M20X pens (cap is light enough). Even the Platinum 3776 is too long posted! Life as a woman with average hand size, I guess?

[AlejoPlay]

I always post.

 

If I can't post a pen, I don't want it. I use pens in public places and on public transportation and I can't have the cap separate from the pen for fear of losing it.

[Ernst Bitterman]

Let me approach the matter as someone who... in the current context... swings both ways.

 

Habit- Yup. And when using pens that don't like the posting, it's a bear to deal with. I've developed a counter-habit of holding the cap in my off-hand, becoming my own desk-stand.

 

Security- A mixed bag. Sheaffer Balances, for example: some post, some won't (and there's your cracked cap it you try), and some think it's a funny trick to launch what you thought was a posted cap into... whatever's past the edge of your hand. My Pelikan M600 gets up to that same trick. Some pens that post well enough rather chew up the barrel, though, so you may find you're trading a knowing where the cap is for a disfigured pen (the Waterman Carene springs to mind).

 

Usability- There's certainly some that are misery to use unposted, like the Kaweco Sport, or the Japanese long-shorts I've just discovered I really like. Most of these are well designed for posting, too, which makes it less of an issue. I wish Sheaffers of the mid-1940s would post, because they're just a hair shorter than I find entirely comfortable, which brings us to...

 

Comfort- A more classical grip broadens the spectrum, and this isn't a value judgement; it's not instinctive, and there's not a lot of places to get trained. With a finger-atop tripod, the pen is cuddled up to the index finger, and as much as it rests against the hand at all it contacts the side of the base index knuckle. I've just tried this with a long-tailed desk pen, a Sheaffer school pen of the '60s, and a Platinum pocket pen to check that I'm remembering correctly. This means that even rather too short pens, like this Platinum, can be worked without posting; what I find with the shorties is mainly a rising urge to write with fingers rather than shoulder, and that's where my discomfort comes in. I sometimes find that the lip of the cap banging away on the side of my hand is also jolly uncomforable, and that puts a pen into the no-posting column.

 

So, I don't limit myself on a pen based on its power to post. A pen that posts well (the Japanese things, TWSBI mini, Parker 45) is a thing of beauty and a joy to use, but a pen that writes well in absence of posting (mid-40's Sheaffers, Pelikan M600) is certainly welcome to my parties.

[WaskiSquirrel]

With most pens I do not post. I usually hold the cap in my left hand as I write. I've done this since I started using pens, and I even do it with ballpoints.

 

There are a few which I prefer posted: Kaweco Sport, JetPens Chibi, and Platinum Preppy. I swing either with with the Lamy 2000. Otherwise, I prefer unposted.

[Sasha Royale]

i love posting, but i have had it crack some vintage caps, because of this i tend to avoid posting vintage hard rubber and celluloid pens

 

Bingo !

 

My Duofold Seniors are precious. At 80 years + , the rubber can be brittle and the cap can develop flaws.

I cringe at the thought of JAMMING a pen into the cap, and turning a micro-flaw into a two-inch crack.

To avert any accident, I learned the habit of not posting,

( If I see you post the cap on a vintage Duofold, I'll sik the dog on you. )

[rollerboy]

If I may be so bold I'll present the following hypotheses:

People who find *not* posting more usable/comfortable do not post (most pens).

People who find posting more usable/comfortable post (most pens).

 

Has the OP considered the TWSBI mini? It's designed specifically for posting.

 

Reading threads like this makes me feel like that judge in "The Good Wife" who insists every statement be qualified with "in my opinion".

Edited November 19, 2014 by rollerboy

[DaveBj]

I post, because I like to know where my cap is (no, not the one hanging beside my jacket on the coat tree). I find that I have a wide range of tolerance for variations in weight and balance; even my top-heavy 580 feels good posted.

 

Edit: Forgot to mention, non of my pens are vintage, unless you consider my 40-year-old Sailor pocket pen to be vintage, and if you don't post it, what's left of it will flat disappear into your paw.

Edited November 19, 2014 by DaveBj

[LisaN]

No post, except the Kaweco.

Why? Because I can't stand the thought that I will be adding those micro scratches thst will build up over the years.

Patina, schmatina. I have vintage pens and on some of my faves, I see the damage from aeons of posting. I hate it. Wish it weren't there. To me it's like slamming the door of a brand new car into the cinder block garage wall. Every day.

[risingsun]

Lisa's feelings on posting are very similar to mine... I've learned to write comfortably with just about any pen unposted (with a few exceptions), though for longer writing sessions, it should be at least a mid-sized pen. I can do just fine with an unposted M200/M400, even with my large hands.

Edited November 19, 2014 by risingsun

[Tasmith]

Depends on the pen. If the cap is heavy or adds too much girth when posted I find it uncomfortable. I just hold the cap in my left hand or clip it to my the pen pouch/holster or pocket for safety.

 

If the cap is light and does not add to much girth and is still comfortable in my hand I will post it.

[CSG]

Depends on the pen. Some almost require it, some do not. I like the looks of a posted pen far more than an unposted pen but some, like my Montblanc 146, balance better for me unposted. My Pilot Metros and Parker 75 are easier to use posted. My Waterman Charleston rollerball and fountain pen are better posted but the cap doesn't fit the barrel as well as I'd like so I tend to not post them either. My one vintage pen (which I rarely use as it is an heirloom), a 1920's Diamond Medal made from "Diamon-Ite" is never posted for fear of possibly damaging the cap.