Someone Please Talk Me Out Of Buying More Fountain Pens

September 22, 2018

Why would anyone want to stop buying fountain pens? When fountain pens are the issue: More is better, not less. Besides, you can always sell or trade the ones you use the least.

September 22, 2018

Walk away from here and never see these answers.

September 22, 2018

You’ve walked into a bar and asked the inebriates to help you stop drinking. My observation is that you’ve settled on one type of liquor rather quickly.

The Safari is a swell pen, and if it does for you that’s great. I guess there’s sufficient variation within that model to make you happy. I used to collect Vacumatics assiduously, but then I found I preferred flex nibs and sold the lot.

Simply keep your fancy open to new things. It’s awfully fun.

September 22, 2018

There are many things I could say to make you reconsider your request, for one thing why 10 Lamy Safaris? Sell 9, and buy 9 more different pens!!

Honestly I don't think there are any good reasons for not buying more pens, but you may want to consider this little peace of advice, which if nothing else will slow down your urge to buy more fountain pens (might not stop the need of stationary though...):

Use them, use them, use them, use them!

September 23, 2018

What do you like about your Safaris? What would you change if you could? Consider length, girth, section profile, weight, nib width, flow, filling system, material, clip type, whatever else you can think of. Let your answers to those questions inform your next purchase, and then you use that pen for at least a few months, long enough for the endorphin high to wear off and to notice what you don't like about it. Then do it again, until you really really know what you really really do and do not want in a pen.

And see the "Waypoints on the Inky Journey" thread linked to in my signature, to giv you a clue about the ways people obsess over inks.

September 23, 2018

Thanks everyone, I suppose I'm in the new fountain pen user excited phase which is no bad thing. I'm not daft enough to blow the housekeeping budget on my hobby so we'll all still have a roof over our heads!

I bought a twsbi eco in the end and waiting for it to arrive, no regrets. I still love Lamy safaris, use them all every day as I have them all inked up with ink to match the pen colour (one reason why I bought so many) and as I'm a postgraduate student, write for publication and write in my journal so I do loads of writing and note taking so they are getting a good workout.

Thanks for all your replies, I enjoyed reading them

September 23, 2018

If one alternates nibmeister ground nails in stub and CI, there are some 45 different nibs, in various widths and flexes.

I have @35. I am missing some nails, and am never going to get them...in nails ain't my thing. Am lacking the XXF nibs across the board....Japanese EF's.

So I often say, Chase the nib.

You do have enough pens that you could try a vintage semi-flex.....and right after that a vintage oblique semi-flex...........that I suggest starting in OB...the sweet spot is wider and there is less problem learning to cant the nib properly. Vintage is 1/2 narrower than modern.

For Lamy....save your money.............the new Imporium has a great 2X springy nib...better than MB by far. I took a test drive.

If that nib spread to 3X....I'd have it.............some extremely beautiful different nibs to be had on it.

If you sell 9 of your Safaries, you'd be half way there.

My solution to my LOM is to drive 15 minutes down to the Lamy Factory and beg to buy the new section...which should fit my old Persona...a nail. Very Art Deco and Bauhaus style....I do like my old one's style better....but both would be had by me....as soon as I get a five in the lottery.

It was OB and as nail had no line variation I could see. PB/ Pendelton Brown turned it into a real nice CI. Lots of line variation.

Which by the way you could do your self to one of your Safaries. Or...You could PM PB and find out what it costs to get a Safari nib from him in CI...think M or B would do nicely. I think one wasn't to really see line variation.

When one gets a nib made CI one loses a tad of nib width...so mine went from OB to M-B or B-M....not that I notice.

1990 Lamy Persona in black titanium oxide. 18 K nail. The clip is spring driven, flat to the body unless pressed for a super tight shirt pocket attachment. Both pens as mentioned are Art Deco/Bauhaus styled.

The 'new' Imporium, is the other design that the famous designer made back in 1990. Unfortunately, the nibs don't swap with the Persona.

PB's writing by the way................you could start collecting Lamies.

How ever Lamy has mostly nails.........though I've read the 2000 is regular flex....could be there are other Lamy pens that are not nails.........that you'd have to ask about.

But remember, there are at least 35 nibs you should be chasing.

If you get a placeholder pen...fine we all have them, and often kept for the hell of it when the grail comes in.

September 23, 2018

"Sell the house, sell the car, sell the kids." Buy everything stationery related in sight!! Up your game! Buy 10 Lamy 2000s! 6 Viscontis, A Conid or two! You know you really need 4 TR 52gsm journals and 5 68 gsm too. Throw in a couple of Life Nobles, just in case. What the heck, isn't that what credit cards are for? Whoo Hoo!!!

I know, I know. Being rational is not easy. What did the 10th Safari do that the previous 9 didn't?

Or maybe give yourself a pen related monthly budget and stick to it.

How am I doing?

+1 on the monthly budget.

Edited September 23, 2018 by WLSpec

September 23, 2018

This thread did not help me this week.

I am usually very restrained. But this week, I think I did some stress-buying. (Kinda like stress eating, but involving 2 pens, 1 bottle of ink and 2 samples, instead of dozens of doughnuts or buckets of fried chicken. No alcohol was involved either.) Not huge $, but more than Id budgeted. Less $ than a decent bottle of bourbon, a new pair of Levis, or 2 new hardcover books.

I would like to think that indulging in a few new pen things is the safest, least harmful, longest-lasting way to splurge when stress and lack of sleep contribute to some craziness.