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Good online sellers?

Sk33t3r

By Sk33t3r
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Sk33t3r NOS (New Old Stock)

Sk33t3r

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I had been buying from Goulet Pens but it seems that they've decided to jump into the political arena according to recent postings. I just want to buy fountain pen items and not support an agenda. I'm aware of a few stores but am open to those with actual hands-on experience. Thanks for your input.

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peroride Vintage

peroride

Posted
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I also like recommend Lisa and Mike, the folks at Vanness Pens- great packing, shipping and ink selection, etc

 

They go to and support pen shows.😊

 

As for politics, I shy away from judgement and tolerate differences.  

 

They've been nice, friendly and good to do business with.

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Frank C Collectors Item

Frank C

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You seem to have a Texas connection. Dromgoole's in Houston is one of the best. They have a great selection, great service, and reasonable prices. I also like nibsmith. He works on nibs as well and will tune a nib for free if you buy it from him. I have also had good luck with Goldspot. Anderson Pens is another favorite. They attend the pen shows and are very helpful. Pen Realm is a smaller company. He also grinds nibs. I have had very good service from him. I basically rotate my business among these and the ones mentioned above. I've dealt with Goulet's for years; I'm not aware of any political slant. You are very fortunate; we have lots of choices.

 

"One can not waste time worrying about small minds . . . If we were normal, we'd still be using free ball point pens." —Bo Bo Olson

 

"I already own more ink than a rational person can use in a lifetime." —Waski_the_Squirrel

 

I'm still trying to figure out how to list all my pens down here.

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Sk33t3r NOS (New Old Stock)

Sk33t3r

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6 minutes ago, Frank C said:

You seem to have a Texas connection. Dromgoole's in Houston is one of the best. They have a great selection, great service, and reasonable prices. I also like nibsmith. He works on nibs as well and will tune a nib for free if you buy it from him. I have also had good luck with Goldspot. Anderson Pens is another favorite. They attend the pen shows and are very helpful. Pen Realm is a smaller company. He also grinds nibs. I have had very good service from him. I basically rotate my business among these and the ones mentioned above. I've dealt with Goulet's for years; I'm not aware of any political slant. You are very fortunate; we have lots of choices.

 

 Great thanks for the insight. I'm in the DFW area but I'm sure the Houston store you mention has an online presence.

 

Unfortunately, Goulet just recently stepped in the political arena. Saw it on Instagram and FB. Not trying to pile-on, just looking for alternatives. I appreciate your input.

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Frank C Collectors Item

Frank C

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Dromgoole's has a nice web site. I usually order by telephone because they are full of information. Dallas to Houston is a pretty good drive. Dromgoole's also has events. This weekend, they hosted Kirk Speer, the nib tuner from Pen Realm. My understanding is that you just have to show up at the store with your pens, wait in line, and he will give your nib a tune-up. There is a charge for this service. I would suggest that you sign up for their mailing list to find out about future events. I always recommend a trip to a brick and mortar pen store to buy a pen. Until you've written with a pen, you can't be sure if you'll like it. I also understand that Houston's fountain-pen aficionados hang out at Dromgoole's, especially on Saturdays. You never know what you could learn. 

"One can not waste time worrying about small minds . . . If we were normal, we'd still be using free ball point pens." —Bo Bo Olson

 

"I already own more ink than a rational person can use in a lifetime." —Waski_the_Squirrel

 

I'm still trying to figure out how to list all my pens down here.

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Sk33t3r NOS (New Old Stock)

Sk33t3r

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Just now, Frank C said:

Dromgoole's has a nice web site. I usually order by telephone because they are full of information. Dallas to Houston is a pretty good drive. Dromgoole's also has events. This weekend, they hosted Kirk Speer, the nib tuner from Pen Realm. My understanding is that you just have to show up at the store with your pens, wait in line, and he will give your nib a tune-up. There is a charge for this service. I would suggest that you sign up for their mailing list to find out about future events. I always recommend a trip to a brick and mortar pen store to buy a pen. Until you've written with a pen, you can't be sure if you'll like it. I also understand that Houston's fountain-pen aficionados hang out at Dromgoole's, especially on Saturdays. You never know what you could learn. 

 

Thanks for your input. I'm pretty much a newb with my "high end" pen being a TWSBI Vac700R at this point. I have the usual set of beginner pens which have nearly all been pretty nice, in reality. Looking forward to the near future is the possibly of a Pilot Custom 74 w/ medium nib as my near-term grail pen and, of course, playing with different inks. Again thanks for taking the time to respond.

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Frank C Collectors Item

Frank C

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I use a Pilot Custom 74 or a Custom 823 as my daily pen. They are very similar, the Custom 823 is slightly larger in diameter and has a vacuum filling system. They are great pens. The nibs are nice and stiff; I even let non-fountain pen people try them if they show some interest. I use Pilot Blue-Black ink in them. It is a good reliable ink. It works well on cheap copy paper—the source of all forms at work. I buy big bottles of the ink on Amazon. 

 

As you can tell, I enjoy my fountain pens. This is a practical, albeit potentially very expensive hobby. 

"One can not waste time worrying about small minds . . . If we were normal, we'd still be using free ball point pens." —Bo Bo Olson

 

"I already own more ink than a rational person can use in a lifetime." —Waski_the_Squirrel

 

I'm still trying to figure out how to list all my pens down here.

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Sk33t3r NOS (New Old Stock)

Sk33t3r

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I understand how one can go down the rabbit hole. I started a month or so ago with the Pilot Metropolitan (F) followed in no specific order by; Lamy Vista(F), Jinhao X750 (F), Pilot Kakuno (M), Platinum Plaisir (F), TWSBI Eco (F), Monteverde Ritma (F), Pilot Prera (F), and TWSBI Vac700R (F). That is if I'm not forgetting any. Most were to just get a feel for what I liked and to see what direction I might go should I decide for a bit pricier pen.

For inks, I've mostly dabbled in Noodler ink just due to the easier access to waterproof and more permanent inks. So far I have used the pens at work and feel like I should use inks that are a bit more permanent for that role.

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A Smug Dill Museum Piece

A Smug Dill

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Cult Pens in the UK, La Couronne du Comte and Fontoplumo in the Netherlands, and PenGallery Malaysia are all ‘good’ online retailers I've dealt with several times before and would happily buy from again (if the asking prices of particular products I want are right). They all offer free international shipping for orders that exceed particular threshold values, usually by express courier such as DHL or FedEx, and so you'd be no more at a disadvantage either shipping cost-wise or delivery speed-wise to order from them as an American customer than I would as an Australian customer, no politics involved. :)

 

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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Sk33t3r NOS (New Old Stock)

Sk33t3r

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4 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

Cult Pens in the UK, La Couronne du Comte and Fontoplumo in the Netherlands, and PenGallery Malaysia are all ‘good’ online retailers I've dealt with several times before and would happily buy from again (if the asking prices of particular products I want are right). They all offer free international shipping for orders that exceed particular threshold values, usually by express courier such as DHL or FedEx, and so you'd be no more at a disadvantage either shipping cost-wise or delivery speed-wise to order from them as an American customer than I would as an Australian customer, no politics involved. :)

 

 Thanks for the insight!

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sgphototn Extremely Rare

sgphototn

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I've had good service and good prices from Fountain Pen Hospital, Cult Pens, Vanness, Fountain Pen Revolution, Pen Chalet, Ranga, Lotus, ASA, and good-fair service and fair prices from Goulet Pens. 

 

I don't care what politics Goulet has short of calling for extermination of the bourgeois Lollipop Guild Munchkins or raising the Marxist Red-Flag over The Shire for the proletariat Hobbits though I suspect that will soon be taught in public schools and universities as desirable.

 

 

'We live in times where smart people must be silenced so stupid people won't be offended."

 

Clip from Ricky Gervais' new Netflix Special

 

 

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Loke Mint

Loke

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2 hours ago, sgphototn said:

I've had good service and good prices from Fountain Pen Hospital, Cult Pens, Vanness, Fountain Pen Revolution, Pen Chalet, Ranga, Lotus, ASA, and good-fair service and fair prices from Goulet Pens. 

 

I don't care what politics Goulet has short of calling for extermination of the bourgeois Lollipop Guild Munchkins or raising the Marxist Red-Flag over The Shire for the proletariat Hobbits though I suspect that will soon be taught in public schools and universities as desirable.

 

 

 

+1 Fountain Pen Revolution.

Great nibs as well 🙂

 

I should also mention:

https://www.stiloestile.it/en/

https://www.sakurafountainpengallery.com/en

Both having a great service and good support.

 

I will also mention LCdC if you order items that are in stock... 🙄

 

Check out my website about Photography and Ink-making: WWW.LOKE.BE

 

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sansenri Donor Pen

sansenri

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If your search is expanding (sooner or later) into Italian pens, besides the already mentioned Stilo&Stile in Rome, you can also take a look at Casa Della Stilografica in Firenze (stilografica.it), Novelli in Rome (novelli.it), Corsani in Rome (stilographcorsani.com), Giardino Italiano (Giardino.it) in Milano.

Up to you then to calculate convenience of pricing (VAT free) + shipping, customs, etc.

All of these are highly reliable and may offer a discount if you mention you are a FPN member.

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