Ballpoint Pens V.s. Fountain Pens

[Felix1]

... would you please read my signature?

Since you've called attention to your signature, please change "Than" to "Then" for the English-speaking audience. ;-)

[cbaytan]

Since you've called attention to your signature, please change "Than" to "Then" for the English-speaking audience. ;-)

 

Opps, done.

[Blade Runner]

Yes, there are few here who claim fps are essential, but bps are much more practical and versatile than fps and comfortable to use for the very large majority. That is why the golden age of fps died out long ago and nibless pens, including bps, rule the day. I enjoying using fps more than bps, but in so many every day situations, bps work where fps do not.

[Bo Bo Olson]

IMO the cartridge pen helped cause the almost death of the fountain pen.

The 50's ball points were messy....my '56 Pelikan ball point with a modern Schneider refill, gives me the same problem that was common in the '50early 60's. A messy sticky point. I probably should go in and widen the throat. Lots of problems with ball points back then like shaving the clicker so it was straight....I have a few '50's ball points bought with a fountain pen. Sudden '50's...with ball points that were just a bit off in the mechanics.

I was really surprised that a modern refill had the same problem as 55-60 years ago. the sticky messy point.

 

 

The advantage of the BP was always, click and write. Always will be.

 

As a school kid from silver dime days with a life; bought Spiderman #1, a 8 oz dime coke or a big nickel Snickers, five Topps baseball cards and a stick of gum.....with cartridges being so expensive and Skill Craft BP's being so cheap....baseball cards won.

 

Jotter ball point cartridges were too expensive too...still are not cheap. 10 simple ball point refills could be had for ten 'big' cents. Cartridges cost then as now an arm and a leg.

Many working folks bought a new cartridge pen, and sooner or later couldn't afford them....and standard pens didn't make enough money for pen companies like the cartridges (pre-converter).

[mrchan]

I've never needed to write on any other surface other than paper so that need of BPs are moot. Ever since I picked up FPs not long ago, I've never looked back and never wanted to use a BP since. I note that BPs always gave me a very inconsistent writing style for some reason, perhaps its because I was using cheap ones that came in a box of 12 that were provided by the workplace.

 

The buttery smoothness of a FP combined with beautiful inks that are never boring made me fall in love with writing all over again. The other advantage of a FP is that I can stare at a beautiful nib if I get bored doing other things. I can also flex and randomly doodle without seeming like I'm losing interest during meetings/conferences.

 

Plus if somebody peeves me off (warning: this is going to sound so juvenile), I can flick a bit of ink onto their shirts discreetly without them noticing! LOL! This only happened in primary/highschool btw. But its good to know that you have that option!

 

For me, the only reason I ever use a BP, is when I borrow one from one of the nurses to give to a patient to sign a consent form for a procedure.

[Blade Runner]

Advantages of Bps over Fps:

Bps can write on a much greater variety of paper, including unsized paper without feathering/bleeding, wet paper, glossy paper including postcards, photographs, plastic, wood, skin, tape, waxy paper, leather, fabric. Most bps can manage triplicate forms whereas most fps cannot. Bps are much more carefree in terms of maintenance, leaks, and accidental damage, Unlike bps the majority of fps are susceptible to marked changes in pressure resulting in leaks. A bp refill lasts much longer than a fp refill and changing a bp refill is easier than refilling many fps. Access is generally faster: a click or twist rather than uncapping and having to hold the cap. Cost is generally lower and quality control is much better.

Advantages of Fps:

Writing pleasure, greater variety of point sizes, specialty nibs and greater variety of inks, ink shading, and a sense of exclusivity, more interesting mechanically and historically.

Similarities:

With the right bp or fp, essentially no pressure other than the weight of the pen is required to make a line. Both can be ergonomic, aesthetically pleasing, and built to last. Both can have waterproof/resistant ink, although most fp ink isn’t.

[budgetpenlover]

Fountain pens for their buttery smooth writing and sheer variety of ink choices. That being said, ballpoints can be more practical when used the paper is of poor quality or just to loan to a friend.

[Bronze]

Comfort, line variation and ink selection.

[usk15]

I've seen people throwing away pens 'cause they didn't know how to do it.

changing a bp refill is easier...

[flatline]

Categorically speaking, I don't care much for ballpoints. However, I am a huge fan of fine point pressurized space pen refills because they write nicely for me and, pragmatically speaking, it's the pen I always have with me and I know it will always work when I need it to. It takes me about 3 years to run one out of ink and it gives plenty of warning so I'll never be caught with a too-empty-to-use space pen (well, technically one is a space pen, the other is an embassy pen that uses space pen refills).

 

I like rollerballs and gel pens, but they lack personality and I can run one dry in a month or two of use. My wife loves them but will run one dry in about 2 weeks. I keep some Pilot V5 RT clickies around, but will almost always reach for something more interesting to write with.

 

I adore drafting pencils. I use them in 0.3mm for regular writing and 0.9mm and 2mm for puzzles, scratch work, and doodling. If I have time to constantly fiddle with the point and hardness, there is nothing more satisfying than a 2mm clutch pencil.

 

I love using fountain pens because I enjoy experimenting with things. Fountain pens require constant experimentation with nibs, paper, and inks, so I will quite happily use a fountain pen any time I can easily switch to another pen or fiddle with my current pen if it isn't working right. Right now, that means my main use for fountain pens is taking notes during meetings and free writing at home. But if I'm in a situation where I can't be distracted by my writing instrument, I will grab my space pen or a lead holder. I simply don't trust any of my fountain pens to work when I absolutely must have something that works.

 

I think that about sums it up. I like to use fountain pens when I can, but I do not have the same level of trust in them as I do in my pencils and space pens.

 

But to the point of the original post, all my writing instruments require minimal pressure to write with, so to me, fountain pens aren't anything special in that regard. The two things that fountain pens can give me that I can't easily get with one of my beloved pencils is contrast and line variation. I can get contrast from a rollerball or space pen (to a lesser extent), but fountain pens stand alone in my collection in being able to offer line variation and that makes them worth playing with when I have the luxury.

 

--flatline

Edited October 10, 2013 by flatline

[Parker51]

I find it hard to write, and inelegant to print with some ballpoints. They are similar to writing with a burnt stick. Some are better, but they are not throw aways, and both they and their cartridges while not expensive, are not free, and they usually leave me feeling cold, but they are useful for signing some receipts that are on materials which do not accept ink, and they are better than a grease pencil, which will rather sloppily write on most anything.

A Fountain Pen feels effortless to write with, and does not require either an annoying screen, or keyboard.

Edited October 10, 2013 by Parker51

[Lone Coyote]

I use a fountain pen because it reminds me of a family member, BP reminds me of office/corporate life

[chris.hale]

Fountain pen 99% of the time for me, I love the variety of inks and the fact that they write smoothly and with no pressure which means my hand doesn't get tired. Plus I just enjoy writing with one. The only time I don't use a fountain pen is when I have to write on an awkward / glossy surface (Lumocolor) or very poor paper (gel pen).

 

If we count ballpoints as a different animal to a gel pen, then I don't like them at all. I'm left-handed and an overwriter, and have terrible trouble with ballpoints skipping and the pressure needed to make them work makes my hand ache.

 

I recently got a Pentel Energel gel pen as a freebie when I ordered some ink, and I must admit that I like it very much. The ink is a liquid / gel hybrid and it's the closest thing I've found so far to the comfort of a fountain pen with the advantage that it better tolerates the poxy paper we use at work.

[vng234]

The writing experience for the most part and, I confess, a touch of vanity.

[Harlequin]

 

No hand cramps! No hand cramps!

 

http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/gclef1114/Tutuguans/IMAG0304-1_zps6bce16a0.jpg

 

 

Exactly! I think this every time I hear that tired, old (and flat out false) "fact" pulled in any discussion mentioning BPs and used as a way to bash them.

[barleycorn]

I need a BP for use at work to fill in a report book so a Sheaffer No Nonsense does well. I use a BP for doing puzzles in the paper and other things. Otherwise I usually carry a beat up Targa to write with. One advantage to BP pens is that the refill will work after years of sitting. So if I buy some old pens usually the BP will write after doing a few swirls and circles. I find that with roller balls they can bleed in cheaper paper and will dry out due to lack of use(about 6 months to a year). Otherwise they do write better than BPs.

 

Preference FP, RB, BP, MP Practicality BP, MP, RB, FP

but I still use a FP most of the time(70 %), BP (25%), other(5%)

[Christi0469]

I use ballpoints fairly often but I much prefer using fountain pens by a wide margin. With fountain pens I tend to slow down and concentrate on my writing with much more attractive results. To my mind my writing is more artistic and pleasing with fountain pens. Beyond that there is the lack of hand cramps, the variety of inks and nibs and the sheer nostalgia that I get with fountain pens.

 

I can get along just fine with garden variety ballpoints but I enjoy the journey much more with fountain pens.

[hypro999]

The best way I have found of describing a fountain pen compared a ball point pen is;

 

"A fountain pen is like the best ever ballpoint pen you've ever found but on life support." (My way of explaining the difference)

 

What I mean by this metaphor is a fountain pen is far more delicate than a ballpoint pen and you have a good chance of ruining it if you were to drop it and so it's life would be over. However with a ballpoint pen would still work fine.

 

Also every day or 2 you have refill the pen, replenishing it's fluids (adding more ink). Ever few weeks for a ball point?

 

However in the context of "best ever pen" a fountain pen produces such a smooth writing experience with so many options e.g. ink colour, nib width, pressure design etc that in comparison to a ball point pen a fountain pen offer's so much more.

Nice metaphor. And for the record I am comparing fountain pens like the pierre cardin Ikon to good ballpoint pens like the cello butterflow or the cello jotdot

[hypro999]

Ballpoint pens won't create hand cramp if they are the smooth and flowing types like a papermate inkjoy or many cello pens which I find to be amazing.

Edited October 13, 2013 by hypro999

[hypro999]

Ease of writing, consistent visual density, no unbecoming globs, and lifetime companionship.

 

 

I dispute your ability to put more goop behind the writing head of a ball-point, but if you're going to give it a try, let me know ahead so I can print up some tickets. Reinking an FP is like refueling a car; refilling a BP is like putting in a new engine.

actually, considering that I moved to India, you can get a refill for almost any ballpoint pen almost anywhere which is like changing the motor oil used in a car, because there are thousands of stationary shops where they will refill your ballpoint pen or gel pen easily.