Do Fountain Pen Retail Stores Let You Try The Pens?

[uilleann]

I have only been to 3 fountain pen stores. One here in Portland OR and two in Canada. They all let me take a new pen and dip it (not fill it) and I was able to do some writing with it. To me that is why I would pay more at a retail shop over an online place.

 

I have heard that a lot of stores do not allow this. We are going to London, Lisbon, and Porto and I was curious as to whether the pen shops there will let me try them out like that?

[two2tone]

What is this "fountain pen retail store" you speak of?

 

Ten years ago here in Denver there was a Paradise Pen shop in most malls. Today, only Menninger art supply has a decent FP selection. All of them allowed test drives (unless it was a limited edition).

 

I would think retailers would let you test drive if you showed a real interest in buying a pen and were not just a tire kicker. Don't use them as an Amazon show room and test several pens without buying something (even just a bottle of ink).

Edited October 12, 2018 by two2tone

[Antenociticus]

I've never bought a pen in Lisbon or Porto, and it's a long time since I bought one in London, but I should imagine most places will let you try out a pen. My local pen shop in Berlin certainly does, and they keep a bottle of ink aside for dipping purposes.

 

I second two2tone's comment about not using a shop as an Amazon showroom, however.

[Bo Bo Olson]

A while back, when there were more pen stores, there were some here, who chuckled mightily about going to a pen store, checking out the pen and then buying it cheaper on line.

Well, they can't do that any more, the store closed for some odd reason.

It is cheaper run a pen business from one's garage.

[mitto]

We still have a lot lot of fountain pens and statonery retail stores in our country. In old city centres there even are special streets/bazars where there are no shops but pens and stationery stores. These bazars are usually called URDU BAZARS. Bsides there are antique markets with shops selling vintage pens.

[inkstainedruth]

A few places I've been in let you dip test -- Birmingham Pens, here in Pittsburgh (back before they had trouble with the plumbing and closed up the Shadyside store) and Bromfield Pen Shop up in Boston (which is how I ended up buying a Pilot Metropolitan with a medium nib there, rather than one with a fine nib).

Fountain Pen Hospital in NYC used to let you dip test inks (except Montblanc) but now you have to just look at the swab book and guess how the color will look coming out of your nib. But Art Brown's International, back when they were on 45th St., only had the swab book.

The only other actual "pen store" I think I've been in was Wonder Pens, up in Toronto, and I don't think did (but then, I was really only there to buy ink the one time I was there; ironically, a Noodler's ink exclusive to them).

But then, since I'm mostly buying vintage pens at this point, I'm finding them in the wild at estate sales and in antiques stores.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Arkanabar]

Origami Ink in Biltmore Village, Asheville, NC, will allow dip testing of ink with the glass pens they have in stock. I haven't pushed to dip-test pens, but I suppose one could call and ask. The last time I was in, there was a Lamy Al-Star on display, inked and ready to try. The proprietors have allowed me to try pens that they have inked for personal use, and dry-write with others I was interested in. I was already used to the idea that a pen store won't let anyone ink a pen they intend to sell.

[inkeverywhere]

I bought a Pilot Falcon just this past weekend from my favourite B&M store, spent a half hour just trying the different nibs on offer. The staff dipped each of the nibs, and let me write to my hearts content. I could not make my mind up between a SEF or soft fine so my wife and I went away grabbed a coffee to ponder my dilemma.

 

I went back and tried them again and settled on the SEF, which I purchased.

 

Just out of pure self indulgence I asked if I could try a Lamy Imporium, without question it was retrieved from the display case and the nib inked. In Australia an Imporium retails for $820, I had no intention of buying one yet they let me try it.

 

In hindsight I could have bought my Falcon somewhere between $50 and $100 cheaper online but chose the B&M store.

 

Why you may ask, the answer "if you don't use it you lose it". I have bought a number of pens online without the ability to try nib sizes and have been disappointed when they have arrived. To be able to try a pen so I can make a more informed decision is well worth the extra I paid.

 

I have read so many posts over the years I have contributed to this forum, about shops closing their doors I would opine the only way to stop this happening is to support them. I am not wealthy by a long way, I just had to save a little longer to make this recent purchase.

 

My shop of choice was "The Pen Shoppe" in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia - no affiliation just a very very happy customer.

 

 

Greg

Edited October 15, 2018 by inkeverywhere

[WLSpec]

Fahrney's in Washington D.C. is my local pen store, and most of the staff members will let you dip the pens and try them out. I definitely prefer purchasing pens from Fahrney's as opposed to online.

[ErrantSmudge]

The Lamy boutique in San Francisco has several pens pre-inked and ready for customers to try. I have seen low-end and mid-range models such as the Safari, Aion and Studio pre-inked. I have not asked if they have higher-end pens such as the Dialog or Imporium inked, or will allow customers to dip-test.

[BaronWulfraed]

Fahrney's in Washington D.C. is my local pen store, and most of the staff members will let you dip the pens and try them out. I definitely prefer purchasing pens from Fahrney's as opposed to online.

 

Snort... Whereas Fahrney's is my primary on-line store (though Pen Chalet recently absorbed a few hundred $$$)

[PAKMAN]

Vanness Pens lets me dip and write with pens and has dip pens for use to try out inks.

[Pensei]

I would imagine this is a hard matter for the B&M vendors. inkeverywhere makes a good point that if you test pens at a store, you should buy retail from that store. But the whole point of the test drive is to make sure I like the pen. If I don't like it, I won't buy it, and then there is a "used" pen in the dealer's inventory. Some people don't care, but if I buy a pen for more than about $25, and particularly if it is over $1000, it is going to need to be in a sealed box and never touched by human hands since it left the factory. That means the pen that has been test-driven by someone other than myself is not something I will buy unless I get a discount at a level that no sane dealer will offer. Because I have that expectation, to be fair, I would not ask to test a pen.

[ac12]

You do realize that someone has to clean those dipped pens, at the store. Or they leave the ink to dry in the feed.

After I come back from a pen show, I spend hours cleaning the dipped pens.

 

And some pens behave very differently when dipped vs. filled. My Lamy 2000 writes poorly when dipped, but very nicely when filled. Maybe due to the semi-hooded nib construction, it does not take in enough ink when dipped.

[ambofmil]

B Sleuth & Statesman in downtown Toronto kindly and generously "forced" me to dip and try a couple of Sailor pens. I walked out with non-pen purchases but they'll be the site of my first Sailor purchase.

[sandy101]

In London, John Lewis, The Pen Shop and Harrods will let you dip test pens. The MB stores will also let you do this.

[Shannon]

Montblanc boutiques let you dip and use

[thx1138]

In Perth WA, T Sharp let you try pens before you buy. Also will do an ink smear if asked to see what an ink looks like.

Only a customer with no affiliation to company.

[Pingu]

What do the shops do with the dipped (but never filled) pens? Are they later sold cheaper as used demonstrators?

[avlisyar]

I've always been able to dip test pens at Fountain Pen Hospital in NYC.