Newbie Pretending To Know What She Is Doing

[JaunShuan]

Thank you everyone for welcoming me into the community! I am touched by the collective concern for my financial stability; if other fountain pen enthusiasts are worried about me, then I must really have a problem! Rest assured, I have a job which provides me with pocket money and I have (temporarily) put an end to my excessive spending Though I must admit, the pull of the limited edition and discontinued pens is hard to ignore...

[estie1948]

It is gratifying to see by your last post that you are in control. That is a comforting feeling that one is not able to feel when thinking of some of the out of control individuals on this network. It is also an indicator that the disease is new in you.

 

Now, after the passage of a suitable amount of time and paychecks, may I point out to you that there is waiting for you a fantastic fountain pen writing experience for well under $75 (US). I mean, of course, the Esterbrook fountain pen. I would recommend to you the well designed, well made of quality materials the Esterbrook J, LJ, or SJ with a series 9xxx nib. My favorite is the Esterbrook J with a 9550 (extra fine) nib. If you like a slim fountain pen, choose the LJ. If you like a shorter fountain pen, choose the SJ. Which ever Esterbrook you choose, I highly recommend the 9xxx series nibs for being the smoothest.

 

May you always enjoy your fountain pens, inks, papers, and the constant search for other fountain pens, inks, and papers.

 

-David (Estie).

[AndyYNWA]

Welcome to the dark side! Or is it the bright side....?

 

Well, welcome anyway!

 

Greetings from Sweden

[torstar]

Thank you everyone for welcoming me into the community! I am touched by the collective concern for my financial stability; if other fountain pen enthusiasts are worried about me, then I must really have a problem! Rest assured, I have a job which provides me with pocket money and I have (temporarily) put an end to my excessive spending Though I must admit, the pull of the limited edition and discontinued pens is hard to ignore...

 

What do you have for stores up your way?

 

A MB LE is a must some day, do a little research and honestly calculate what you want to do with it.

 

A few "lemons by MB standards" of days gone by haven't gone up in price at all and are great working pens...

[FLZapped]

Welcome - I don't think anyone here will tell on ya

 

I guess you're finding out how addictive this can be, no?

 

-Bruce

[JaunShuan]

Now, after the passage of a suitable amount of time and paychecks, may I point out to you that there is waiting for you a fantastic fountain pen writing experience for well under $75 (US). I mean, of course, the Esterbrook fountain pen. I would recommend to you the well designed, well made of quality materials the Esterbrook J, LJ, or SJ with a series 9xxx nib. My favorite is the Esterbrook J with a 9550 (extra fine) nib. If you like a slim fountain pen, choose the LJ. If you like a shorter fountain pen, choose the SJ. Which ever Esterbrook you choose, I highly recommend the 9xxx series nibs for being the smoothest.

Are those Esterbrook pens all vintage? I don't know good sources for vintage pens. They do seem very interesting, and I would love to have a good quality vintage pen.

 

What do you have for stores up your way?

 

A MB LE is a must some day, do a little research and honestly calculate what you want to do with it.

 

A few "lemons by MB standards" of days gone by haven't gone up in price at all and are great working pens...

I've heard good things about Montblanc, but those will definitely be out of my price range for a long while, if I ever get into luxury pens. I currently have a cap of $50 CAD per pen, and I could see myself raising it to $300 CAD per pen in the distant future when I let myself afford gold nibs and unique filling systems.

 

In Edmonton, we have a store called Stylus which sells writing instruments, inks, and paper. Their selection is amazing, especially for inks. There are also some art supply stores which sell fountain pens, such as The Paint Spot and Delta Art & Drafting Supply, though I haven't checked them out yet.

 

In terms of online retailers, I know of Knight's Writing Company and Wonder Pens, both of which are in Ontario and offer free shipping within Canada on larger orders.

 

I have also made orders with JetPens and Goulet Pens, but currency conversion, shipping, handling, sales tax (5%), and duty fees (7% for most stationery items) make shopping on non-Canadian websites dangerously expensive. I have also noticed Cult Pens, Vanness, and iPenStore. That iPenBox looks interesting, but it is too costly for me, especially because I can't add items to ship with the box.

 

@torstar, are there any other Canadian-friendly retailers you know of?

[estie1948]

May I recommend to you Anderson's Pens ( www.andersonspens.com). Anderson is a Fountain Pen Network member and handles Esterbrook Fountain Pens. I would go first to him. If you fail to find something to your liking and price range there, let me know and I will provide you with other sources. We will get you an Esterbrook! You really need one if for no other reasons than to have something by which to judge other fountain pens.

 

-David (Estie).

Edited July 4, 2016 by estie1948

[torstar]

There are two pen stores in town that cater to pens under $300 in good supply, and there are stores where the sky is the limit.

 

The two are

 

wonderpens.ca

 

and

 

takenotestore.ca

[JaunShuan]

@torstar, Take Note doesn't do online orders, do they? I recently noticed that Cult Pens ships to Canada, among other countries, for free on orders above £100. With the lower GBP to CAD rate resulting from Brexit, I'm more inclined to make an order with them.

 

@estie1948, I looked at the Esterbrook section of Anderson's website and I didn't see too many pens, mostly nibs. I think at that price, I'd rather try the pen to make sure I'm happy with how it writes before buying. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll keep it in mind for the future.

[estie1948]

@estie1948, I looked at the Esterbrook section of Anderson's website and I didn't see too many pens, mostly nibs. I think at that price, I'd rather try the pen to make sure I'm happy with how it writes before buying. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll keep it in mind for the future.

Any pen store may sell out of certain pens from time to time. I'd suggest you check back with Anderson soon. You might be wise to contact them and let them know that you are looking for an Esterbrook and see if they might have one on the repair shop table that they would be willing to repair for you. In the meantime, may I suggest Pendemonioum (http://www.pendemonium.com/esterbrook.htm). They have several for sale fully restored and some for less than $50.

Then there is Ross Pens (http://www.rosspens.com/esterbrooks.htm). He frequently sells out of those he has offered, but he has others he has not gotten around to restoring. Contact him, tell him you are interested in acquiring an Esterbrook and what type of nib you want and see what he has to offer.

 

-David (Estie).

Edited July 8, 2016 by estie1948