Jump to content

Looking For Pen For Someone With Arthritis


Selvion

Recommended Posts

I was talking to my grandmother about the Platinum 3776 I got myself for Christmas and she seemed to take an interest in the pen since she always wrote with fountain pens when she were younger. Unfortunately, she currently has bad arthritis and can't completely close her fingers on either hand making it difficult to grip a slimmer pen. In short, I need help with any suggestions about fatter barreled pens or just pens that are comfortable to write with in general.

(Budget < USD $150)

 

TL;DR - Looking for suggestions for a comfortable to use pen or one with a somewhat large barrel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 49
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Selvion

    6

  • dapprman

    3

  • KellyMcJ

    3

  • SoulSamurai

    3

Left field - try a Faber-Castell eMotion - it's an odd shape which either works for you or does not (I like mine, about to buy a pearwood one off some one else, but the person who was going to buy mine loved the weight but not the feel). Faber-Castell steel nibs are also superb if you prefer a softeer smoother type of writing. If intrigued, might be worth looking for a second hand one as there will have been people who bought one and regretted it.

http://i.imgur.com/4wKXlRo.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never used the F-C Emotion but dang, that photo is making it look appealing. :D It looks like it might be heavy though. I don't know how your grandmother does with heavy pens)

 

For a pen with a lot of girth without a lot of weight, an Edison Collier is a good option.

 

A Conklin Duragraph- probably the most comfortable pen I own- If you don't mind doing some nib work or swapping the nib because there's a decent change of getting a bad nib (but the pen bodies are perfect.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was talking to my grandmother about the Platinum 3776 I got myself for Christmas and she seemed to take an interest in the pen since she always wrote with fountain pens when she were younger. Unfortunately, she currently has bad arthritis and can't completely close her fingers on either hand making it difficult to grip a slimmer pen. In short, I need help with any suggestions about fatter barreled pens or just pens that are comfortable to write with in general.

(Budget < USD $150)

 

TL;DR - Looking for suggestions for a comfortable to use pen or one with a somewhat large barrel.

Hello Selvion,

 

:W2FPN:

 

I understand what you're going through... my mom has RA. :(

 

However, please bear in mind, all the advice you will receive here is subjective... everyone is different,... so, what worked for my mom may not work for your grandmother,... but I applaud your efforts in trying to help her. :)

 

The best advice I can give you is to take ALL of your pens to her and let her hold them and try them out. Here are the highlights from my "sales pitch" to my mom with my demo case...

 

L2K: She loved the "adjustable girth," but had trouble with the weight when full of ink. :(

 

Sheaffer Balance: grip not bad; but metal body too heavy.

 

Jinhao's were all too heavy, (grip on X-450 not bad).

 

Platinum 3776C: Great weight, but short grip with threads and sharp step were trouble for her.

 

Pilot Custom 74: Great weight; but section too short and threads bothersome.

 

I won't bore you with all the other failures... unless you think it would help,... then lmk; otherwise, here are the two she liked:

 

 

Lamy Safari... if she holds it towards the top of the section and the Pilot Falcon.

 

 

So, I bought her one of each... and she's enjoying them both. :) She gets a kick trying to flex the Falcon... it takes her back to her youth when flex nibs were a lot more common.

 

I've even thought about sending it to John Mottishaw, so it could be made into an easy flexer,... but I know my mom... she'll say don't bother and won't give it back to me... I should have sent it to Mottishaw BEFORE I gave it to her, but didn't think of it. :wallbash:

 

 

At any rate, that's my story... and I'm sticking to it,... :D ...remember, YMMV.

 

At any rate, in the words of the immortal Scoob: rots a ruck. :thumbup: And if there's anything else I can help you with on this, just bark. :D

 

 

- Anthony

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't really know about many thick, light pens in that price range, and maybe I'll say something stupid, but what about some kind of rubber grip? Like those used by kids to learn how to grip a pencil the right way. I don't know, but maybe there's something which could similarly thicken the grip section of a thinner pen, at the cost of aesthetics. It's probably quite easy, albeit a bit time consuming, to even make your own.

Best wishes for you and your grandma,

 

Antonio.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't really know about many thick, light pens in that price range, and maybe I'll say something stupid, but what about some kind of rubber grip? Like those used by kids to learn how to grip a pencil the right way. I don't know, but maybe there's something which could similarly thicken the grip section of a thinner pen, at the cost of aesthetics. It's probably quite easy, albeit a bit time consuming, to even make your own.

Best wishes for you and your grandma,

 

Antonio.

Interesting idea. For this to work in a practical sense you would need a pen with a cap that does not cover the grip. Something like a Muji pen, a Pilot Capless (maybe the lighter Decimo), a Namisu Nexus (a titanium or aluminium version probably wouldn't be too heavy?), or a Pilot Penmanship.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

L2K: She loved the "adjustable girth," but had trouble with the weight when full of ink. :(

I recently obtained a Sheaffer 440. Similar shape to the L2K, but I find it incredibly light (might even be too light for me, but that's another story)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Look at a Bexley Prometheus. It's a fairly large pen with

an oversized diameter. While I do not suffer with arthritis,

the oversized diameter is just plain comfortable for me.

 

You can find them on eBay.

 

Another suggestion would be a Conklin All American.

Good length and a nice diameter. Again, I like bigger

diameter pens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

+1 for Edison Collier and Laban Mento. They do it for me (also an arthritis sufferer).

 

Rotring Core and similar pens might not appeal aesthetically but I believe were designed for ergonomics, and might be worth investigating. Another pen I find quite comfortable is the Stabilo Easy.

 

My advice would also be to look for pens that aren't heavy - metal bodied pens can weigh two or three times acrylic or celluloid pens and really tire the hands out.

Too many pens, too little time!

http://fountainpenlove.blogspot.fr/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello !

 

I would suggest that you search and try by size and weight, but choose inexpensive pens. You can make a commitment to an expensive pen, after learning the right features.

 

My neighbor suffers similarly. He prefers a large, heavy pen, that "self-settles" into his hand. He writes with a light touch. However, if your grandmother prefers a sounder grip of the pen, perhaps a large-diameter, lightweight pen would be preferred.

 

Please consider my offer of a fuchsia colored, Sheaffer NoNonsense cartridge pen. I bought up an entire inventory of this unpopular color (22 pens), with the intent of sharing them. I would include an empty ink cartridge , of my own devising. You can fill it from your ink bottle. Sharing is part of the fun in my hobby. I ask the favor of your response via P.M. in this site. Do not be shy.

 

Grandmothers -- everybody has one, or wishes he does.

 

Happy New Year !

Edited by Sasha Royale

Auf freiem Grund mit freiem Volke stehn.
Zum Augenblicke dürft ich sagen:
Verweile doch, du bist so schön !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try Laban Mento

Thanks for letting me know about this pen, had never heard about it before. I'll need to do some more research of course, but it looks lovely.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

+1 for Edison Collier and Laban Mento. They do it for me (also an arthritis sufferer).

 

Rotring Core and similar pens might not appeal aesthetically but I believe were designed for ergonomics, and might be worth investigating. Another pen I find quite comfortable is the Stabilo Easy.

 

My advice would also be to look for pens that aren't heavy - metal bodied pens can weigh two or three times acrylic or celluloid pens and really tire the hands out.

Had not considered the weight as much, thanks for the advice. Can I ask, how does the weight appease writing with arthritis? I assumed I would want a lighter pen, but someone posted above that heavier pens settle better into your grip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bryant Greer at Chatterley Luxuries designed some fat-sectioned Deltas before the company went under that are easy to hold piston fillers. Dunno what they’re going for or if he has any (sometimes they land on consignment), but they’re awesomely relaxing in the hand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Then there's always the Rotring Skynn

 

s-l500.jpg

fpn_1412827311__pg_d_104def64.gif




“Them as can do has to do for them as can’t.


And someone has to speak up for them as has no voices.”


Granny Aching

Link to comment
Share on other sites

would anyone consider the F-C Ondoro for someone with arthritis?

 

It is certainly thick enough to be ergonomic but looks heavy.

 

Another you might consider is the Ranga Bamboo (get one that's Cartridge/Converter capable - they make two types). It's not a looker but it's very light and comfortable to hold.

 

I think though, Anthony gave the best advice. Let her actually try some pens because everyone is different. We can guess all day but in the end, we don't have her hands.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...