Why The Interest In Fountain Pens?

[pajaro]

Gee, I dunno. Those dratted fountain pens get ink all over your hands and make messes everywhere with leaks. It's an old technology that's passe.

 

If you write with a light touch, if the pen works without drying out between uses and if it writes smoothly then it can be pleasant. The trouble is that, as you can glean from the many threads here, things frequently do not come together so smoothly. Nibs get out of alignment, ink leaks appear, ink clogs the ink feed system, all for any number of reasons. So, despite how much many of us love fountain pens, for the person who is not yet into fountain pens the argument of the ballpoint has some merit. Once you have bought into this stuff though, you are lost.

Edited September 23, 2017 by pajaro

[ParkerDuofold]

Well, not exactly. I am holed up, working in my hotel room that has passable internet. I thought I would take a break and check out FPN for a few minutes. Driving up here it was sad to see thousands of acres of charred land which was once beautiful forests. Glacier National Park may never be the same again. But thankfully, the cold rain and snow have really helped the fire situation here, praise God!

 

Sorry - a bit off topic.

Hi Deborah,

 

Yes, what with all the hurricanes, (and it looks like Maria is heading my way... for now), earthquakes and everything else; I forgot about the fires in the northwest.

 

I'm glad to hear they're finally getting under control. Fear not, those woods will come back... maybe not in our lifetime,... but they'll be back.

 

God bless you for the work all of you are doing up there to help out. Take care and stay safe.

 

 

- Anthony

[Bo Bo Olson]

With a fountain pen, I can write....many colors of ink, many patterns of nib. With a ball point I regress to being unable to read what I print.

Fountain pens don't hurt as much to use as a ball point.

[Arkanabar]

secretwanderer, "De gustibus non est disputandem," that is, in matters of taste, there are no (rational) arguments, only differences of opinion. In addition, the value of any thing is personal; what a particular fountain pen (or fountain pens in general) means to me is going to be different from what it means to anyone else, even my fellow FPNers.

You can ask similar questions with regards to any musical genre, any type of food or cuisine, or for that matter, odd (ish) preferences in clothing (e.g., goth, steampunk, bowties, or sweater vests).

Threads like "Your first and why?" ( https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/325555-your-first-and-why/ ), "Why Do You Use A Fountain Pen?" ( https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/246916-why-do-you-use-a-fountain-pen/ ) will give you an idea as to what led so many of us to prefer fountain pens. For me, it's because fountain pens write with less effort, and produce a more legible line, than ballpoints. Rollerballs come closest on line contrast, followed by gel rollers, but those do not allow the relaxed grip of a fountain pen, as they must be held too close to vertical.

In addition to ParkerDuofold's recommendations of the Lamy Safari/Al-Star (some do not like the triangular grip), Lamy Logo, and Faber-Castell Loom, many will suggest an entry level Pilot (Kakuno (no clip), Metropolitan (sharp step between grip section and barrel), Prera, Plumix (no clip and only comes in a calligraphy edge point)), and I will always stump for the Platinum Plaisir. It's lightweight, tough, has moderate girth (~10mm), and reliable -- I've opened one that I know was untouched for months, and it wrote a perfect dark line on the first stroke.

And then there's the inks -- over a thousand varieties on the market today, at least. Ink is a huge draw for a lot of people. Colored ball points, including blues, are surprisingly prone to fading. And, as Bo Bo Olsen has alluded to, the variations available in points -- no ball point pen is going to have the sort of line variation of a 6mm Pilot Parallel calligraphy pen. Heck, not even a marker is likely to manage as much, not to mention the joys of flex (which don't mean all that much to me, but are imperative for some members to enjoy the writing experience).

 

But if you don't write much, and you're content with your ballpoint pens, then all I can say is "carry on."

Edited September 23, 2017 by Arkanabar

[Fuzzy_Bear]

Probably one of the best questions I've heard. And there is no simple answer. But here is mine.

 

Before I got married, I found a couple of the Sheaffer school pens in flea bay for cheap and I bought them. My pastor, rest in peace, had one of them that he used to sign my marriage license. I lost the other one and my interest faded.

 

2008 ish I again found another pen, cheap thing on flea bay again, but a no name pen. Then my father in law gave me a Sheaffer Admiral set. It was fixed by Danny Fudge. I met a number of people at the fountain pen show in 2009.

 

I missed the show in 2010 as my wife was undergoing breast cancer surgery. That Admiral fell out of my pocket while going inside and was run over. It was found. That pen stayed broken until my wife was five years free. At that point it was again restored by Danny. It was then headed off to a new home.

 

In between all of this, I have met some fascinating people and made some friends. Fountain pens, unlike ballpoints, will create friendships just because of their existence in your life. Much like the Toyota truck that I drive, I have made some friends simply because of the commonality of that truck.

 

On top of that, I am a maintenance man and physically beat my hands doing my job on a daily basis. The ability to write without have to put a lot or any pressure on the pen makes writing much easier. If be willing to bet on a bit of arthritis.

 

As others have mentioned, the range of colors (color, shading, sheen) is astounding. More color than you will find with a ballpoint, or even a gel pen. Then you add different nibs into the color mix and the fact that different nibs have different effects on the color of an ink, whew.

 

Cost is another reason. One pen for a lifetime(damn, I didn't stop there) and the ink is cheaper in the long run.

 

I did forget the number one reason. I like them!

[Carrau]

I endorse the previous recommendations for Lamy Safari, Pilot Metro, Platinum Prep, adding TWSBI Eco as inexpensive starter pens. One oft mentioned advantage of the Lamy products is the ability to change nib sizes, without having to purchase another pen. This is an easy to accomplish change (if interested, look on YouTube for Brian Goulet vid showing how to change Lamy nibs) that gives these pens great versatility and offers you the chance to experiment with sizes and styles of nibs. Good luck.

Mike

[sandy101]

Why do you guys go ga ga over something as utilitarian as pens, when one of these will get the job done?

 

 

 

Well, obviously you are not a golfer.

 

Biros can get the job done, but it's not what you do, but the way that you do it.

 

Fps are much more pleasurable to use than biros. when writing for long periods, a nib is more comfortable to use. A biro is a moped which will get you from A to B comfortably enough over short distances, but if you want to go miles and miles - then an FP is the car equipped with shock absorbers and cruise control that will get you from A to B and still be able to function after you have reached your destination.

 

It's a case of choosing the right tool for the right job. I use most writing tools, but when indulging myself at home, I'll do my own writing in pencil or FP, and should the need arise redraft on a computer.

[senzen]

For the same reason you don't make a pizza with ketchup, unless you don't know any better.

[DrDebG]

My first fountain pen was a Sheaffer No Nonsense back in the day. I used it all through college, and loved it. My future husband gave me a Montblanc something or other, but I lost interest in FPs for a long time.

 

Then, many years later, I bought another Sheaffer calligraphy set, and had fun getting ink all over my fingers because the pen was so cheap. I decided not to ever use a FP again.

 

Fast forward a number of years later, when I was in graduate school. A friend of ours had a hobby of turning pens. He made me a beautiful myrtle wood fountain pen. It is still one of my favorites, although it is really heavy. I used cartridges in it because I didn't want to be bothered with bottled ink (little did I know). My husband was looking through a catalog of "fancy pens". He thought it would be fun to buy me a Pilot Vanishing Point for my birthday because it was retractable. I enjoyed it a lot, but it seemed to skip. And I never really got into the "bottled ink" thing. I enjoyed cartridges in Pilot Blue though.

 

Then I was visiting my daughter in Shanghai, and ran across a Lamy pen booth. Wow! They had lots of fountain pens. My daughter, who loves her Visconti fountain pen that someone gave her, talked me into buying one. I picked up a charcoal Safari with a fine nib and a pack of cartridges. Being the negotiator I am, I talked the lovely little lady at the booth to throw in a converter (even though I didn't know how to use it) and a bottle of ink (Lamy Blue). And, during that same trip my daughter bought me a Midori Traveler's Notebook. That was all it took.

 

Now I have just a couple of dozen fountain pens, and about 30 bottles of ink in different colors (likely I have more, but I lost count). And I enjoy every one of my fountain pens for different reasons. Each one is unique; even though I have 4 Lamy Safaris, each writes differently.

 

My favorite "entry" fountain pens are my Lamy Safaris - no surprise there. Pilot Metropolitans are nice, as are others. But I just really like the weight and feel of the Safari. For a few dollars more, you can get a Lamy Al-Star with a more durable aluminum body. I use them alot when I am working in the field and when I travel. Either of these are work horses and will last a long time. Other really great entry level pens are the Faber Castell Loom and Conklin Duragraph.

 

If I may suggest, I would probably go with a fine or medium nib to start with. Extra fine nibs are great, but can be a bit more problematic.

 

For ink, I would suggest Waterman inks. They are inexpensive and very reliable. Serenity Blue is really nice, as is Inspired Blue (turquoise).

Hope that helps.

 

Sorry about the "book".

Edited September 23, 2017 by DrPenfection

[Fuzzy_Bear]

I almost forgot one other aspect. Today's society is,in general,a throwaway society. We don't fix anything anymore. But a pen and if you lose it, oh well.

 

Lose a fountain pen and it hurts. You put out more than just a buck for a pen. Kinda like using credit vs cash. You are less likely to purchase, more likely to haggle over price when using cash. It's actually been studied that it hurts psychologically to use cash.

[praxim]

Why do you guys go ga ga over something as utilitarian as pens, when one of these will get the job done?

 

Define 'the job'. Why utilitarian?

 

Who would be so ga-ga as to want a fat ugly ballpoint with more colours than one needs to do a utilitarian job?

[jar]

Why do you guys go ga ga over something as utilitarian as pens, when one of these will get the job done?

 

 

Because I am neither a barbarian or a boor.

[inkstainedruth]

To answer the OP's question, there are as many answers as there are people on this forum.

I like the sense of history (the majority of my pens are vintage), the variety of ink colors, the ergonomics (they're more comfortable to hold), and the fact that I'm not clogging up landfills with dead ballpoints.

Additionally, I was always artsy (and was fascinated as a child by what in retrospect was a pen/pencil combo that had been my grandfather's (mostly because it had been his, but partly also because it was just cool). I have pens that are older than I am, and they work as well as the day they were made, and will continue to work long after I'm gone. I have pens that are beautiful; I have pens that are functional; and I have pens that are both! I like the way the nib glides across the page with the right combination of pen, ink, and paper. I'm finding myself more creative than when typing/keyboarding -- and I certainly can't draw on my laptop screen! My handwriting has improved. And I kinda like the old William Morris adage:

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

A friend of mine? She's a tech writer. She uses five pens that are color coded with the ink in them (and uses fountain pens because they are more comfortable for her to hold and write with). The engineers where she works thought it was "cute" -- until they realized that when she takes notes at meetings, she's color coding the notes as well: "Well A is going to be doing this part of the project next, and all the stuff he's doing are noted in red ink; B is still working on that part, and the notes regarding what she's doing are in green ink...." And then (being engineers ) they said "Oh... that makes sense!"

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[dcwaites]

More answers --

1. Because you can write with such a light touch, you don't get the sort of fatigue or cramped fingers that you get with inexpensive ballpoints.
2. The feel of the pen gliding over the paper is much nicer than dragging a ballpoint around.
3. The look of your writing. With a BP, you only get one line width, and the ink always looks the same. With a fountain pen you get line variation, you get shading, and it can often make you write more neatly.
4. The inks, the colours, the shading, the sheening.
5. The ink properties - you can get washable inks (recommended for the messy amongst us), you can get water resistant, you can get waterproof, you can get permanently permanent, you can get Armageddon Resistant

and most importantly, because of the pleasure of using a nice pen.

 

As for what pens to try, here is a tiny sample -

• Under $20 - Jinhao X-750, Jinhao 601, Kaigelu 356
• $20 ~ $50 - Pilot Prera, TWSBI Eco
• $50 ~ $100 - Platinum 3776 Century, Pilot Custom 74

Have a good look through the reviews section here to get a better idea of some of these pens.

[Mech-for-i]

Good question, but then the same the other way round, why use a ballpoint or gel or worse, disposable single use pen ( as illustrated ) when a fountain pen can do the job and will re do it with only refill of inks ( the only that get consumed ) isn't it more economical in the long term and today we would say its also environment friendly. Or why not a pencil, or for the geeky, why not just go paperless. The answer is not that of interest, but what fashion the preferred and suitable tool for the job and this is not a one size fits all.

 

Seriously, I am not interested in fountain pen, I am just used to it, My days in junior school had classes and curriculum with proper writing / penmanship with fountain and dip pen. I've been using the pieces since then

[TheRealMikeDr]

Why do you guys go ga ga over something as utilitarian as pens, when one of these will get the job done?

 

 

 

Why drive a Porsche when a Toyota Camry will get the job done?

 

Me - I dig the history of them. I like the connection to a time gone by. I like to tinker with tools. I like the way they look. My wife thinks they're "hot." Okay - so I made that last one up - but you get the idea.

[ParkerDuofold]

Why drive a Porsche when a Toyota Camry will get the job done?

I can't believe I didn't use this analogy... I must be slipping now that I'm in my declining years.

 

- Anthony

[corgicoupe]

Arrgh! I was going to ask, "Why drive a Ferrari when a Prius will get you there." One could also say, "I'd rather have a Porsche, a Ferrari, and a Jaguar E-type in my garage than three Camrys."

Edited September 24, 2017 by corgicoupe

[ParkerDuofold]

Arrgh! I was going to ask, "Why drive a Ferrari when a Prius will get you there." One could also say, "I'd rather have a Porsche, a Ferrari, and a Jaguar E-type in my garage than three Camyrys."

Hi CC,

 

I know, I was going to ask, "why drive a '76 Silver Wraith when a '98 Lexus will get you there?" I'd rather have a '76 Rolls or a '76 Coupe de Ville in my garage instead... well,... strike that; I like my LS400... let's just say I'd like to have one or both of the former mentioned cars parked NEXT to the Lexus in my garage.

 

Be well.

 

 

- Anthony

[katanankes]

Because I can.