To Those Who Suffer From Pains In Their Hands..

[Highbinder]

.. What type of pen do you find most comfortable?

 

- Large diameter barrels? To what point

- Lighter pens? Or heavier?

- Section material?

- Step down on the threading?

- Does it influence the nib point you choose?

- Does it influence how you hold your pen?

- Does it influence how much pressure you use?

 

I'd love some feedback on this topic

 

 

[dfo]

This is something I struggle with, but I have not yet found an answer to all of these questions. I moved to fountain pens to help alleviate wrist pains while typing.

 

I think answers will vary significantly and you should turn this into a poll.

 

- Large diameter barrels? I actually tend to rotate between thin and large diameter pens.

- Lighter pens? Or heavier? I prefer lighter pens. Even a Jinhao 750 is too heavy for me and will cramp up my hands.

- Section material? No difference.

- Step down on the threading? No difference on wrist pain.

- Does it influence the nib point you choose? Nope.

- Does it influence how you hold your pen? IDK

- Does it influence how much pressure you use? YESSSS!!!!!!!!!! I write much lighter with a fountain pen, which is a main reason why I switched from ballpoints to fountain pens.

Edited December 3, 2015 by dfo

[Randal6393]

I started to develop pain in my hands several years ago. On the advice of a physical therapist, I developed a weights routine that helped lessen the pain. And I do a lot of fine work, to keep my hands limber. Typing, knitting, regular hand-writing sessions. Lots of vitamin C (from actual citrus fruit), healthy meals, lots of sleep. Have almost no pain now.

 

Hoping that this is applicable to your problem and will help you.

 

Best of luck,

[Sailor Kenshin]

.. What type of pen do you find most comfortable? I'd love some feedback on this topic

- Large diameter barrels? To what point - Big 'n' fat. I don't take actual measurements, though. Think at least P51/Hero 616 girth.

 

- Lighter pens? Or heavier? - Definitely lighter.

 

- Section material? - Anything BUT metal!

 

- Step down on the threading? - Depends? The step on my Pilot Metroplolitan disappears to my touch after a while.

 

- Does it influence the nib point you choose? - Can't say that it does. I like all nibs, from XF to 1.5 italics.

 

- Does it influence how you hold your pen? - Don't think so.

 

- Does it influence how much pressure you use? - I need to consciously relax my usual deathgrip.

 

Hope this helps!

 

[amk]

A tip from my calligraphy teacher on relaxing the death grip: hold a pencil really hard in the hand you're not using for the pen. Seems to work somehow.

 

As for the original question: I find light but quite girthy is good. Very thin pens like slim Targas, and very heavy pens, tire and cramp my hands far too easily.

[sirgilbert357]

A tip from my calligraphy teacher on relaxing the death grip: hold a pencil really hard in the hand you're not using for the pen. Seems to work somehow.

 

As for the original question: I find light but quite girthy is good. Very thin pens like slim Targas, and very heavy pens, tire and cramp my hands far too easily.

 

Very interesting. I don't always have a pencil, but I usually have a cap from the pen I'm writing with! I will give this a try! I always think my grip could be lighter...

[RudyR]

Too skinny of a pen is a real both for me. A Kaweco sport is my limit and even that one is used for short writing sessions. I've seen photos of really fat pens made for elderly people in Japan. So maybe there's a correlation. In that case my MB 149 is going to be in use for a long time.

[haruka337]

- Large diameter barrels? Diameter range (for me): Pelikan 400 to a Edison Collier

- Lighter pens? Or heavier? LIGHT! Many large fountain pens are light. A good example is my Edison Collier, which feels lighter than my Sailor Sapporo.

- Section material? What ever you're comfortable with.

- Step down on the threading? What ever you're comfortable with.

- Does it influence the nib point you choose? No

- Does it influence how you hold your pen? Easier to relax one's grip with a girthier pen, in relation to diameter.

- Does it influence how much pressure you use? With a relaxed grip comes a light touch, in relation to diameter.

I've been having some terrible pain in my writing hand lately, but it's due to my cell phone; how I hold it and for how long.

To undo the damage, I now leave my phone to charge when I'm at home, hand stretches (stretches I'd do periodically while knitting) several times a day, a quick massage between the thumb and index finger and I no longer hold books, tablet or my phone with one hand. These changes have made a rapid world of difference.

[Algester]

the elusive Tombow Egg made by Platinum for Tombow based on the design by some of the Japanese manufacturers of the vintage pen era (post war if not pre-war)

most notable Jumbo

but I have yet to experience hand fatigue... but I do occasionally tire out when writing a bit too fast (but I have yet to experience the dexter's lab friction burn while writing)

Edited December 3, 2015 by Algester

[Sailor Kenshin]

the elusive Tombow Egg made by Platinum for Tombow based on the design by some of the Japanese manufacturers of the vintage pen era (post war if not pre-war)most notable Jumbo

 

 

 

 

And I have one. Weird at first, but you soon get used to it, and the nib is wonderful.

[richila]

.. What type of pen do you find most comfortable?

- Large diameter barrels? To what point

I write daily with Jinhao X450 and 159 -so large

- Lighter pens? Or heavier? Heavier pens keep me from clenching my fingers on the pen

- Section material? I think they both have plastic

- Step down on the threading? The triangular grip on the X450 is more comfortable for long periods of writing.

- Does it influence the nib point you choose? no

- Does it influence how you hold your pen? no

- Does it influence how much pressure you use? yes, my pressure is lighter with a heavier, wider pen (I switch between writing and crocheting with 1mm and smaller steel hooks.)

Stretching my hands often has helped with the pain. I got the stretches from my chiropractor.

[reicel]

- Large diameter barrels? To what point

For me, it's the diameter of the section that is most important. The size of the barrel will affect how the pen lays in my hand. My favorite pens are a Newton Townsend in Medium, Sailor Pro Gear and 1911L, Pel M800, Pilot C823 and VP, Delta Unica and Journal, Platinum 3776 and a Sheaffer OS Balance.

- Lighter pens? Or heavier?

Mostly lighter

- Section material?

Resin is best but my VPs don't bother me.

- Step down on the threading?

Not generally a problem

- Does it influence the nib point you choose?

No

- Does it influence how you hold your pen?

Yes. Loose grip always.

- Does it influence how much pressure you use?

Yes. As nearly no pressure as possible

I try to stretch my hands frequently, switch hands with my mouse and take regular cat petting breaks when writing or knitting.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Please share general hand-stretching instructions?

[ac12]

- Large diameter barrels? To what point. NO. The barrel must be 12mm max. Smaller is better, for me. I'm too used to pencils and slimline pens. FAT barrels are uncomfortable.

 

- Lighter pens? Or heavier? Lighter, ideally below 15g. I can write with a pen up to about 28g for a short period of time, say 1/2 page paragraph. Buy my preference is for lighter pens for my lengthy writing. But as important as weight is, balance of the pen is even more important. A light tail heavy pen is uncomfortable to use. I use my Lamy Safari unposted, because it is tail heavy when posted.

 

- Section material? n/a

 

- Step down on the threading? Only a problem if my finger is right on the step.

 

- Does it influence the nib point you choose? I normally use an old US Fine, similar to a Pelikan/Lamy XF. And setup to be medium wetness, and smooth.

 

- Does it influence how you hold your pen? Definitely NOT a TIGHT grip or pressing down hard on the pen. In college, a TIGHT grip would cramp my hand in less than 30 min, and I spent a lot of time shaking my hand, to try and get rid of the cramp.

 

- Does it influence how much pressure you use? Again, definitely NOT a lot of pressure on the pen, as that requires a tighter grip.

Edited December 3, 2015 by ac12

[haruka337]

Please share general hand-stretching instructions?

 

Not sure about the others, but this is fairly close to what I typically do to stretch my hand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPO-zST-7EE

[dasXFnib]

I started to develop pain in my hands several years ago. On the advice of a physical therapist, I developed a weights routine that helped lessen the pain. And I do a lot of fine work, to keep my hands limber. Typing, knitting, regular hand-writing sessions. Lots of vitamin C (from actual citrus fruit), healthy meals, lots of sleep. Have almost no pain now.

 

Hoping that this is applicable to your problem and will help you.

 

Best of luck,

Moderate arthritis here.....wrist exercise with 2 lb. weights, daily cursive practice, and an occasional Tylenol....all help a fair amount...

Still have to deal with New England winter weather, though.....THAT can be torture at times!!!

My equivalent to knitting......is winding micro-coils for my e-cigarette devices (32ga. kanthal on a 1/16" arbor...!!)....

 

Always try to get the dibs.....on fountain pens with EF nibs!!

[Lothianjavert]

After a couple injuries and a diagnosis with rheumatoid arthritis, my hands give me trouble at times. I find it far easier to write with a fountain pen than a ball point pen (less pressure requires = less pain). The larger girth in general of a fountain pen makes it easier and more comfortable for me to hold.

 

I prefer fat pens, but not pens that are too heavy. My most used pens are my MB 149 and Stipula Etruria. The next would be the Ancora Perla. All three are relatively fat pens. The Ancora is the larges but has the smallest section. The 149 has a nice fat section that I find very comfortable. I don't like metal sections.

[Arkanabar]

Larger barrels grip section? Oh yes, up to perhaps the diameter of my pinkie finger. The Pilot 78G is a bit too slim for me. The Sheaffer PFM is tending just a bit too thick. The narrow section on the Lamy Safari et al is unpleasant for me, though it's hard for me to say whether that's due to its narrowness or the facets.
I prefer lighter pens; they take less effort to manipulate. There's a tradeoff in controllability, which is what people who prefer heavier pens seem to like about them.
I loathe shiny metal sections. They tend to get slick and greasy. I also loathe rubberized sections, but that's because they decay, abosrb ink and/or hand oils, and often retain ink between the rubber sleeve and the plastic below it.
None of my pens have a giant step on the section. I don't have too much trouble with the clutch ring on the "51" and its clones, or the cap retention springs that project on Sheaffer's PFM and Imperial, or the threads on my Pelikan M200 and M400. But the little ears on the Lamy 2000 are pretty sharp and annoying.
I recommend choosing nib width on the basis of how large one writes. I usually prefer fine.
I hold my pen in a nearly slack tripod grip. This is one of three things which combat writer's cramp.
I use almost no pressure. With the slack grip, pressure shouldn't even be possible. It's the second thing against writer's cramp.
The third part of not suffering writer's cramp is to not use any muscles below the elbow to manipulate the pen. Writing motions should come from the shoulder. This is something I've been training myself to do for a few months. It has slowed my writing down, and made it less legible, but it absolutely works.

[KKay]

What type of pen do you find most comfortable?

 

- Large diameter barrels? To what point I like a wider pen because of my arthritis.

- Lighter pens? Or heavier? Not too heavy, not too light. I like the mid range weight.

- Section material? No

- Step down on the threading? no

- Does it influence the nib point you choose? no

- Does it influence how you hold your pen? a little

- Does it influence how much pressure you use? YES. I used to do the death grip on regular pens. Now I have been able to lighten my grip a lot. I must remind myself to lighten up, if I am writing a lot though. Old habits die hard.

[Totl]

As someone with coal shovels for hands i found what helps me alot is just to relax. i'm one of those notorious Deathgrippers and occasionally suffer cramps because of it. being mindful of my grip and how hard i squeeze helps alot with keeping it under control. That and having a pen thats able to post.