Advice For Noobs I Wish I'd Had

[Uncial]

I've been pondering my journey and unlike the song says, I sadly do have regrets - plenty of them. Getting advice is certainly possible, but the fact remains that we all have our particular loves and tend to push them endlessly; why wouldn't we? This makes advice for newbies a treacherous experience that can end up as an expensive error. Our pleasures are another newbs poison and I think we often neglect that fact. I know there have been many threads like this, but so often when I read them they fall into the trap of recommending personal favourites (which is possibly exactly what I will indirectly do here!), but I'm attempting to try to be more objective if that is possible. By looking back I'm able to say what I wish someone had said to me or that I had read somewhere. So, at the risk of being fed to wolves (but do feel free to to tear any of this apart as it really is only a personal list that can never truly be objective) here is my offering of the advice too noobs I wish I'd had.........

 

1. Having a few 'cheapies' in your collection is a good thing. They are good for experimenting with troublesome inks. They are great for taking on holiday and if they break or if you loose them you won;t cry a river.

 

2. Don't have any more than a few 'cheapies' in your pen lot. They simply aren't worth it. It's easy to fall down the rabbit hole of gathering up a whole pile of them. Their resale value is next to nil and at some point you will look back at what you've spent and weep over the fact you could have had one really cracking pen for the same price rather than four leaking ones, two broken ones, five that never wrote and eight that are just ok.

 

3. If you're new to all this avoid vintage like the plague. Many will tell you that vintage pens are great - they can be - and you shouldn't rule them out - you shouldn't; at least, not indefinitely. Vintage pens are a minefield. Many can be delightful writers and a joy to own, but the process of getting there can be painful and expensive. If you don't have the knowledge just don't do it. If you don;t have a lump o0f spare cash sitting around to plough into making it right/write, then leave well alone. Some of my greatest regrets are from this area and there are far too many unscrupulous sellers out there in this zone. Sad to say.

 

4. Forget about fancy 'flex' nibs and 'wet noodles'. Unless you have a seriously large amount of cash that you can afford to loose and a large portion of patience, then don't even bother. Take every last claim of a 'flexible' nib with a large grain of salt. It's the holy grail of the pen world right now and many, many people chase it. 'Wet noodles' are an incredibly rare thing, but you wouldn't think that looking at ebay. I'd wager that 99.99% of 'flexible' nibs sold on the bay are nothing more than slightly soft gold nibs. Modern 'flex' nibs are (so far) nothing more than a con. If you really, really must have flexible nibs then get a dip pen. You will be far, far less disappointed and richer.

 

5. Just because it appears that everyone else loves it doesn't mean you will. You should always remember that any post here or on forums like this almost always garner more favourable attention than negatives. Those who truly loath a particular pen are much less likely to post about it on a thread praising the pen; partly I suspect out of fear of being told they are targeting a brand on the basis of one bad experience or just from being a little conspicuous black sheep in the midst of the love in.

 

6. This is linked to the point above - beware the trolls! Any forum has it's trolls and some are far more subtle than others. Some people - for whatever reason - enjoy getting a rise out of others and lay their line of breadcrumb bait throughout threads. If you're new, it's not always easy to spot and can tarnish your opinion of something you might otherwise love.

 

7. Expensive pens do not always make good pens. Try wherever possible to see a pen in the flesh and have it in your hand in the way you would write. I know it isn't always possible to not buy blind, but this is very important. Even when you are given the measurements it can be very difficult to get a sense of a pen without it's weight and balance and even the size of its nib. There are plenty of hugely expensive pens that are nothing more than expensive jewellery and they will be next to impossible to write with for any extended period; which is fine, if that's what you're after, but most here are still chasing a writing tool.

 

8. Buy what you like. What is beautiful to you can be hideous to another. Don't let the opinions of others sway you on what you like. It is entirely personal.

 

9. Despite what you will read on these threads (and even though it greatly pains me to admit this about the Pilot 823) the greatest pens do not begin and end with the Pilot 823, the Parker 51 and the Sailor 1911. Many adore these pens, but you might despise all of them.

 

10. Be careful of hype and hysteria. Nakaya is often touted as the greatest pen experience one can have. It is, without exception, the greatest regret of my pen buying experience.

 

11. That said, even the best pen makers and also sellers, can have off days. There's no point in getting angry about a bad experience if it can be easily corrected. Allow a little bit of slack.

 

12. Do not ever accept a nib that does not write and do not attempt to fix it yourself. Any time I have received a newly bought pen that doesn't write it has gone straight back for a refund or a replacement. Once you start tinkering around with that nib, you void any possibility of return. If it skips even after flushing, if it blobs ink, if it's overly dry or doesn't write at all or have uneven flow, it goes straight back. In no other product you buy would you accept goods that don't do the primary thing they are designed for - why accept that in a pen?

 

13. Resist temptation! It is easy to fall into the trap of deciding to save up a few years for a particular pen that is quite expensive and cave in and buy something considerably cheaper because you lack the patience and discipline. Don't! You will always hanker.

[usk15]

Agree with many of you points!

[SoulSamurai]

A massive wall of warnings like that is likely to scare new users off and back to ballpoints. Which might be a good thing; it'll save them a lot of money.

 

If that's not your intention it might be worth balancing the negativity with a bit of realistic optimism.

[hari317]

I agree with most of your points.

 

also to be remembered is that FPN is a new place as compared to the time since FPs have been around, so you wont find much discussion on some really good pens for writers like for example the sheaffer C/C imperials, Targas, English Duofolds etc.

[Dave3ex]

Hi all. This is my first post other than on the hello thread so I guess it makes me a newbie. I was interested by the dont buy too much (bleep) warning. Over the weekend I bought a job lot of 12 pens described as Chinese, Indian and Noodlers mix on eBay for £8 ($10) inc p+p, and eight 2.5ml samples of inks of different brands for about the same money. This seemed a good way of going from one pen writing in one colour to loads of different pens writing in loads of different colours. Im looking forward to trying out different types of nibs and filling systems. I expect several of them wont work but thats ok because I can pull them apart and try to see why. At some point in the future I may well start saving up to buy a very expensive pen, but I want to enjoy the cheaper ones first.

Edited June 11, 2018 by Dave3ex

[Karmachanic]

I agree with most of what you have stated. I also think that here could be more encouragement.

 

#2. There are those who love Jinhaos, for example. They may even have a collection of such pens. They buy them because they like them (see #8 and #5). They may be inexpensive. Does this make them cheap? I have nothing negative to say about my remaining matte black X750, and greatly appreciate the lessons learned from it, and many others of its price point. It wrote well right out of the box. The ones out grew I gave away. Played forward.

 

There are there those who actually prefer Jinhao to Montblanc from first hand experience. One man's meat is anothers poisson (that's right).

 

FPN is a fabulous place to explore and learn. I would encourage a "newbie" to spend as much time as possible digging around and lurking before starting to make their own mistakes and/or errors in judgement, which will lead them to make informed decisions that work for them. Read posts you have no interest in. You'll gain insight there too.

 

Got to run. I hear my Conid calling!

 

edit: spelling

Edited June 11, 2018 by Karmachanic

[Uncial]

A massive wall of warnings like that is likely to scare new users off and back to ballpoints. Which might be a good thing; it'll save them a lot of money.

 

If that's not your intention it might be worth balancing the negativity with a bit of realistic optimism.

 

 

Very true, yes, the list is largely in the negative, but I would say most threads here are in the positive. When I look at a pen review I look for the negative. I'd like to think that's not a personality issue! I do it because if there is something that someone dislikes about a particular pen, it might be something that bugs me or give me a better insight into it's value, balance, finish or writing characteristics. But even a negative can be a double positive. For example, if someone complains about a pen nib being too buttery and they prefer feedback, I know I will probably very much like the nib. I love the hobby, I hugely enjoy writing, but I do wish that someone had spelled out the negatives for me a long time ago. I have noticed that my level of tolerance for poor or bad pens had considerably decreased. Maybe that's an age thing, but I also think that as you find what really works for you a large portion of your collection becomes somewhat defunct. Generally speaking - although certainly not in all cases - it is the cheaper pens and the expensive gimmicks that loose a lot of their lustre.

 

If I was to add anything else to the list it would probably be to ignore marketing. I tend to do that as a rule, but the generation below me seems more easily influenced by it and can be greatly influenced by it both in the sense of being drawn into it and also turned off by it. I think if I had put a lot of weight into marketing strategy I would probably never have bought a single Montblanc pen, for instance. As it is, I'm very, very glad I ignored their marketing and continue to enjoy their pens.

[pajaro]

I agree with the OP.

 

I believe that when you have a few good pens that you like and that are comfortable, unless you are one who likes collections of stuff, resisting the temptation to try a whole lot of pens of varying prices is good advice. If you keep a collection limited to a small number, you can come to know each pen in depth. If you have a couple of hundred or more pens you might not ever become so familiar with your pens, and you will end up with a collection of stuff of uneven quality and appeal. Stuff that might prove hard to devolve.

Edited June 12, 2018 by pajaro

[Bo Bo Olson]

Do Not join the Pen of the Week in the Mail Club...........especially as a 'noobie' ...can be had better for a bit more. The mistake is instant gratification, ...and 'cheap'.

 

Same with the Pen of the Month Club.........do you really need a new pen every month........you have decades to gather a very nice selection of pens. Get use to the pens you have.

 

Pen of the Quarter Club is best, you have time to research, and save a bit of money, for a much, much better pen.

 

Chase the nib......there are so many different ones.

 

The borders of what you can afford, will always climb. I can remember paying E70 for a BCHR pen back when E30 or E40 was my limit.

...real pretty, but I thought I'd never be able to afford another BCHR pen. I have 6 or so now.....

...after I stopped buying so many cheap pens....I could afford some real nice ones....and these two cost less than E100...been a long time but think it was lots less.

 

 

Slowly $/E50 came, then 70 and finally 100.....in with vintage pens one can get the Flagship of Yesteryear at an affordable price.

 

For the first 4 pens, I recommend a modern nail B&EF.....and a nice springy regular flex in M&F. Regular flex can be found more in vintage and semi-vintage outside the modern Pelikan 200.

Esterbrook and some Sheaffers in the '50-60's had regular flex. Go to each's subsection and learn.

 

The most important thing, is Never Hurry. That pen or it's twin brother will be there next week .. or next month....if something special.

Edited June 11, 2018 by Bo Bo Olson

[PatientType]

A lot of wisdom in your list... However...

Owning a Nakaya is one of the high points of my fountain pen journey. I purchased several Nakayas and, over time, retained one that is my favorite and a very functional work of art.

The Pilot 823 is a magnificent, well-designed fountain pen - I own two. I like them and I use them but due to the cool, high capacity internal filling mechanism, completely flushing the 823 of ink can take 1/2 hour and a couple of dozen rinses.

I own about 15 cheap pens. These pens cost somewhere between $3.50 and $30. Cheap pens are the ones I carry on trips and when running around doing errands. I've had as many people stop me to express their interest and admiration for their looks as I have for my pricey pens. I've even shocked a couple of those people be saying, "Yes, its pretty and functional. If you like it, please keep it and enjoy it." The cheap pens function very nicely thank you and, when lost or damaged, I don't mourn them as I would my more valuable fountain pens.

I'd add that persons new to the interest would be well advised not to shy away from purchasing used pens. Do your research first, ask the seller pertinent questions, and have a critical eye ... but, that said, about half of my pens were purchased used and, overall, they look and function just as well as those that I bought new at much higher prices.

I'd also caution newbies that most of us made the leap and decided to buy, "One, expensive, really nice fountain pen that I can keep always." In my case, that guilty self-indulgence was about 50 expensive, really nice fountain pens back. And, my opinion of what constitutes an expensive, really nice fountain pen has evolved well beyond that first $120 "expensive-pen" purchase.

[Kelly G]

I basically agree with many of your points but I would caution that lists such as these can take some of the fun out of the exploration; which is fun as long as you keep a light attitude toward the process. If you make a mistake, learn from it and move on. My best advice is have fun with it all, but learn through the process.

 

I do disagree with point 3. There is nothing to fear with vintage pens, you just need to do some basic research before buying a particular pen. Many, if not most, of my best writing pens are vintage pens. I would agree that buying only 3rd tier pens will yield poorer results than buying the top vintage brands. And buying at the top of the vintage market will yield good pens but they won't write any better than the same make of pens with less cachet.

[CraigR]

I agree with Kelly.

Edited June 11, 2018 by CraigR

[amberleadavis]

AND try some of the loaner programs. I would never have learned what pens I love without some help from FPNers who loaned me pens to try.

[Uncial]

......and inks are a huge positive...and cheap......mostly.

[corgicoupe]

I, too, agree with Kelly. But for the inexperienced it's worth the extra money to buy a restored pen from an established seller, and probably stay with the standards like Parker, Sheaffer, Esterbrook, etc.

[Buzz_130]

I disagree with #3. Buy a restored pen from a reputable restorer, and you can be amazed by the writing experience with a piece of history in your hand.

 

Number 8 is very good advice and echoed by several others above. In pursuit of the grail pen or the perfect writing experience, any collector can find more ideas than available funds.

 

My #14 would be to limit your collection. I could easily build a collection of Platinum and Nakaya fountain pens, and I would have been happy. I could keep my nice collection of Parker "51" pens and be very happy. Many people tend to their flocks of Pelikans, and others love their pen sleeves of Esterbrooks. To each their own, but you will save time and money when you find a style of pen you like and stick with the results there.

 

Buzz

[ErrantSmudge]

I am ambivalent about #3.

 

I agree that if a newbie ventures into vintage, they should stick to established names from reputable restorers. Otherwise they are likely to end up with a "fixer-upper" that offers more grief than it's worth to fix.

 

But I definitely agree that you should ignore the people who post self-righteously that vintage pens are the only way to go. Those people often fall under the heading #6, trolls. There are many, many modern pens that offer superlative writing experiences, and for my money they're by and large more convenient to own and use than vintage.

Edited June 12, 2018 by ErrantSmudge

[Uncial]

Maybe my number 3 point was expressed too strongly. I own quite a number of vintage pens. At one point in time I had more vintage than modern because I preferred their nibs, but they do like to be fickle, touchy little beasts. I went through a period of selling off what I owned to purchase some good Conklin's and (more recently - as in two or three years) some Swan's. I bought largely from ebay and I got stung plenty of times and that was enough to make me realise what a minefield it was for me, and I knew what I was looking out for, so I thought it would be even more difficult for a newbie. Vintage pens, and especially their nibs, can be a true joy and I wouldn't want to put anyone off buying them. On the other hand I think it would be sad if a newbie bought a few bad ones and decided they would never touch them again due to bad experiences.

 

I'm also not certain that the 'reputable' sellers can be all that 'reputable'. I had one unpleasant experience last year from an online seller that has a very high rep here. The pen was advertised as being 'near mint', in fully restored condition but with a very tiny crease (possible tiny crack) to the nib that was stable. In reality the nib had a significant crack from the breather hole almost to the edge of the nib and was anything but stable, there was very noticeable pitting to the pen furniture and gold plating loss, the body wasn't nearly as dark as the pictures made out and the sac top end had decayed and crumbled despite being sold as restored and re-sacced. It wasn't exactly a cheap purchase. Now you could argue this comes under point 11 and I would normally agree, but I emailed them to let them know the issues (twice) and they never responded. At the time I looked at it and realised I could repair the pen myself and get it writing for less than it would cost me to return it (I thankfully had a spare good nib). In the end I sold a working pen at a significant loss. Now if that had happened to me as a newb I would have been somewhat lost and it would have been an altogether different experience. At the time I made a vow to myself never to touch that business again.

 

I'm also very conscious that I've had recent poor experiences with Swan, which may just be down to bad luck and may be therefore adversely affecting my view of the current vintage market. In the past it was certainly better and easier to buy with confidence and without the crazy mad prices you see today, but the 'flex' craze out there has made many vintage pens desirable and produced a spate of very undesirable sellers. On the other hand, the positive is that any vintage I've bought here has been truly excellent. So maybe the advice should be to buy vintage from here and avoid the bay and possibly some other online places.

[Uncial]

Posted by Karmachanac:

#2. There are those who love Jinhaos, for example. They may even have a collection of such pens. They buy them because they like them (see #8 and #5). They may be inexpensive. Does this make them cheap? I have nothing negative to say about my remaining matte black X750, and greatly appreciate the lessons learned from it, and many others of its price point. It wrote well right out of the box. The ones out grew I gave away. Played forward.

 

 

​Yes, that's a fair criticism. I think this is simply down to a matter of perspective. For me personally, I wanted a little bit more than a Jinhao experience, but if that's where you find you're level then of course, that's great. I suppose I made the list looking at it from my own experience and my own preferences in terms of finishes, balance, weight, durability and nib feel, etc. Jinhao have certainly upped their game in the last five years. There was a time before that when you could end up with a lot of complete lemons, but reading more recent threads here would indicate that is a rarer experience now.

 

Posted by PatientType:

Owning a Nakaya is one of the high points of my fountain pen journey. I purchased several Nakayas and, over time, retained one that is my favorite and a very functional work of art.

 

I guess I fell into my own trap. I cannot say (and I'm not saying) Nakaya are bad pens, but what I can say is they are definitely not for me; particularly their nibs (the count is now at seven tried since I bought mine). I do wish I had heard just a few more chime in with the negative about the nib experience. So many people adore them and I thought I would. At the time I bought mine, after an extensive search, I could only find one single post of very guarded and cautious warning about the nib type. I wish others had been a tiny bit braver too. It would have saved a packet!

 

Posted by Kelly G:

I basically agree with many of your points but I would caution that lists such as these can take some of the fun out of the exploration; which is fun as long as you keep a light attitude toward the process. If you make a mistake, learn from it and move on. My best advice is have fun with it all, but learn through the process

 

This is very true and I certainly would not want to take any of the fun out of it. In most cases it can remain fun and I love exploring new pens all the time and have been very happy to sell on what doesn't work for me. The fun aspect kind of disappears when you spend a considerable sum only to discover the pen is not only 'not for me' but also pretty rubbish. For me at least, it raises the ethical dilemma of resale and sometimes you realise you might have to swallow a significant loss. That kind of takes a lot of the fun away from it. The vast majority of what we review on threads here is, I suspect, what we love (or at least like). I appreciate the reviews that point out that something is junk to be avoided - so long as it is reasonably argued, demonstrated and tested against the experience of others of course. I think if we can learn through poor experiences and choices we can also pass that on to others. It may appear negative, but I look at it as a positive thing in helping others in their decision making.

[pajaro]

A lot of wisdom in your list... However...

 

Owning a Nakaya is one of the high points of my fountain pen journey. I purchased several Nakayas and, over time, retained one that is my favorite and a very functional work of art.

 

The Pilot 823 is a magnificent, well-designed fountain pen - I own two. I like them and I use them but due to the cool, high capacity internal filling mechanism, completely flushing the 823 of ink can take 1/2 hour and a couple of dozen rinses.

 

I own about 15 cheap pens. These pens cost somewhere between $3.50 and $30. Cheap pens are the ones I carry on trips and when running around doing errands. I've had as many people stop me to express their interest and admiration for their looks as I have for my pricey pens. I've even shocked a couple of those people be saying, "Yes, its pretty and functional. If you like it, please keep it and enjoy it." The cheap pens function very nicely thank you and, when lost or damaged, I don't mourn them as I would my more valuable fountain pens.

 

I'd add that persons new to the interest would be well advised not to shy away from purchasing used pens. Do your research first, ask the seller pertinent questions, and have a critical eye ... but, that said, about half of my pens were purchased used and, overall, they look and function just as well as those that I bought new at much higher prices.

 

I'd also caution newbies that most of us made the leap and decided to buy, "One, expensive, really nice fountain pen that I can keep always." In my case, that guilty self-indulgence was about 50 expensive, really nice fountain pens back. And, my opinion of what constitutes an expensive, really nice fountain pen has evolved well beyond that first $120 "expensive-pen" purchase.

I think you like the Japanese pens or you don't. The nibs are different from the American and European nibs. Some people might prefer one or the other. Some might like them all. I can understand why Japanese pens might not be everyone's cup of tea. There are also those who don't like the American and European nibs. I don't think it matters much if one states a preference here: half will think you are a guru and half will think you are sadly mistaken.