Fountain Pens vs Roller Gel Pens

[51ISH]

1 hour ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

In Germany we are often ten years behind times. So when I started back with glide smoothly on paper fountain pens , gel pens weren't around.

They are nicer, almost much nicer unless fountain pens enters the equation, than the old or standard ball points.

 

Roller balls's are to me, harder than even ball points ...pointlessness when writing...flowed ok but was harder than a ball point. So shortly after roller balls came back in the day '80's if i remember correctly, having black  Parker Roller balls, ..I stopped using them, in they were also smeared by anything wet...

They weren't as comfortable to use in spite of flowing better than a old fashioned ball point.

 

In the mean while I've learned not to smear my ink.

 

At various times I counted up and sold 100 or more mostly free ball points including a few gel pens at the flea market for 10 cents a piece in a bundle of 10.

 

Of course we did keep the more expensive Lamy, Parker and an inherited MB ball point ....and a few that made  part of a BP/MP/FP set.

 

I do admit making a short note with a ball point that is in my first desk writing item that basically holds a upside down dip  pen, the BP and my loupe, and first letter opener.  Holds my eagle claw celluloid letter opener also. I'm sure I've written twenty words with that BP in the last two weeks. That BP is one of my more worthy ones from back in the day when MB made $10/40DM ball points.

It has it's own way of working,  Push the knob down to write...if placed in the shirt pocket it automatically closes the pen.

Gee just remembered I've some old Jotters and Parker Flighters.....but my wife; the Ball Point Barbarian, has our better ball points...........don't know if any are gel in I don't use them.

I have a new desk unit that sits on my desk, so I could bring up my agate bP/MP holder....and then use the well balanced Pelikan 450 mechanical pencil more than that ball point.

Have done so.....I never liked MP's, including Jotters including my bought new in '70/71  P-75 BP/MP...depending on the cartridge. It was on hand and no BP in the near, when I wanted to write a small note. Six weeks later when it ran out of ink...and I had to puzzle how to reload it....that was then the first time I'd use my fountain pens.

Perhaps I should put that back in the book case...a very dangerous 'writing instrument' to make a guy put down all his fountain pens for six weeks.

 

 

When everything goes as planned I have only 7 fountain pens inked in I want to use up more inks.................lately having bought too many inks and did the unforgivable...visited the ink section, I had for a sort time 20 well over my once max oof 17 inked.  Ran through seven....

Got to stay away from the ink section.

 

IMO Rollerball and BP's including gel pens are; limited in color, monotone, no line variation boring!!!!!

 

 

 

IMO Rollerball and BP's including gel pens are; limited in color, monotone, no line variation boring!!!!!

 

Sadly some of us still have to attend the office, and write on 'recycled printer paper' which is frankly one step up from trying to write quick notes on toilet paper.  My BP  (Schmidt P900 Broad refill) sits patiently for hours on end waiting to be used for the odd note, without a word of complaint and lasts for an age.  I was advised to try this refill by a member on here years ago. I bought a pack of 10 I think I still have 5 left.  I'd advise anyone that uses a Parker type BP refill to give it a try, even if you are a 'Medium'  kind of person. Smoothest 'proper' BP I've tried (not counting Gels etc) I've used. Starts first time every time. Unlike my Lamy 2K Broad.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Being long retired, I don't think about cruddy paper....as a must....and I had free ball points when I use to work..

Where I was working I'd not taken anything valuable not even a Jotter.

For work....yep...gel pens. They are so much smoother than the old fashioned cheap re-fills.

 

There is some sort of hybrid cartridge....that I only know there i some, not remembering why there should be one.

 

By the way, some fine Japanese member measured the gel pen cartridges to  their claimed to be widths....and found them to be off as much as fountain pen nibs.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Thank god the OP got here...we can fix up his lack of proper procedure so his fountain pens work.

 

Remember no India Ink.........do clean your pens every time you change ink colors and or every 6 to 12 weeks.

Do use good to better papers.

 

Some inks are dry, some wet and others in the middle. And so on.

 

Some folks like super skinny baby spiderweb  nibs others super wide nibs....each has advantages and disadvantages...western F and M do well on the whole.

 

[51ISH]

47 minutes ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

Being long retired, I don't think about cruddy paper....as a must....and I had free ball points when I use to work..

Where I was working I'd not taken anything valuable not even a Jotter.

For work....yep...gel pens. They are so much smoother than the old fashioned cheap re-fills.

 

There is some sort of hybrid cartridge....that I only know there i some, not remembering why there should be one.

 

By the way, some fine Japanese member measured the gel pen cartridges to  their claimed to be widths....and found them to be off as much as fountain pen nibs.

 

I had free ball points when I use to work..

 

I do too...but I find one with a 'Parker style' refill...and swop it out for the Schmidt 🤣🤣🤣  I'll attach a photo... I did a recent post on another thread...

 

I know right,  to an 'untrained eye'  She's  no 'Looker' is she?.... She's travelling in 'incognito mode'  She has many concealed features...

 

Firstly there is the Schmidt P900 broad refill. No one looking at this pen would realize that the pen would write better than any ballpoint they had ever used.

 

The 'section' has a soft cushion rubberized feel and is perfect for a 'large' size hand with 'sausage like' fingers. 🙂

 

The 'clip' has become detached, so if I leave Her unattended, she can roll off the desk and avoid 'unwelcome admirers'.

 

She has an inbuilt 'Tracking System' in that when I find her in a colleagues hand....

We have to have a conversation ..."I think you may (ahem) have borrowed my pen"

"No this is my pen"  (they get 'attached' after using the Schmidt refill)  "OK...we can both agree that this is a 'freebie pen' from a supplier right, that costs about 20p?" 

"Yeh"  "This pen is very individual and is fitted with a very specific refill which I can pretty much guarantee no one in this office has ever even heard of let alone used. If I can tell you exactly what that refill has written on it will you accept this is my pen?"

  🤣🤣🤣   ( A true story....but the pen was a much 'better looker' 🙂 I had it back about 2 weeks before it was stolen again 😮)

 

 

 

EDIT:  Yes that really is sellotape where the 'section'  joins the barrel 

 

Edited March 11, 2023 by 51ISH
Add info

[Longhand Writer]

In reply to 51ISH -

 

I've been looking at the Lamy Rollerball on recently, and felt sure it would be a 'Lamy only' refill (the same as the ballpoint although I think Monteverde do one??) That could make the difference for me. I know you said you don't have the FP but do you know if the RB and FP are the same size? (The BP is quite a bit smaller

 

I believe the Lamy 2000 rollerball and fountain pen are virtually identical in size.  I do not care for the Lamy refills in the rollerball, but use Pilot G-2's.  It's a very easy hack to make the G-2 fit.....just add a little spacer onto the G-2 and they work perfectly. 

 

I'm noodling over buying the 2000 fountain pen.  Many reviews claim it is perfection, never gives trouble, no hard starts or skips, etc.  Thing is, you can get the rollerball version for about a third of what the fountain pen goes for. 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Well my most expensive ball point, is not going out the house.

We a decade ago we won a newspaper tour of the Lamy factory....so were give a couple middle low Lamy ball points.

A well to do widow, had some nice things at a charity flea market. My wife orrignally thought it was a fountain pen....but decided to snap up the ball point so much better than the ones we were given for €5.00.

Read on to find out what some folks wanted...

And only 17 years later a saleswoman at my B&M remembered it's €€€ price....

At that price so would I.

It didn't want to link...copy and paste.

 

LAMY limited Edition 2006“ Keramik, ball point

 

[51ISH]

😐

28 minutes ago, Longhand Writer said:

In reply to 51ISH -

 

I've been looking at the Lamy Rollerball on recently, and felt sure it would be a 'Lamy only' refill (the same as the ballpoint although I think Monteverde do one??) That could make the difference for me. I know you said you don't have the FP but do you know if the RB and FP are the same size? (The BP is quite a bit smaller

 

I believe the Lamy 2000 rollerball and fountain pen are virtually identical in size.  I do not care for the Lamy refills in the rollerball, but use Pilot G-2's.  It's a very easy hack to make the G-2 fit.....just add a little spacer onto the G-2 and they work perfectly. 

 

I'm noodling over buying the 2000 fountain pen.  Many reviews claim it is perfection, never gives trouble, no hard starts or skips, etc.  Thing is, you can get the rollerball version for about a third of what the fountain pen goes for. 

 

I'm noodling over buying the 2000 fountain pen.  Many reviews claim it is perfection, never gives trouble, no hard starts or skips, etc.  Thing is, you can get the rollerball version for about a third of what the fountain pen goes for. 

 

Thank you for the information on the Lamy 2000 RB

 

I guess I'm kind of an 'oddball' around here... as I use BP's,  FP's  and G2's on a daily basis and enjoy them all for various reasons...

 

I'm not telling you for one minute to buy a Lamy 2000 FP.... but even I realize you cannot compare a RB to a FP.....

 

Back well over ten years ago, I was in the same position as you are now....

I read all the reviews.....then a member who was a serious collector of MB pens wrote a review of the L2K with a Fine nib. He basically said it wrote as good as any of his MB's.  🙂  It was too expensive for me at the time 🙁

I dropped lucky,  a retailer in the UK was selling off it's FP stock and I got one at at very good price.  There was a problem.  I pretty much knew the M nib would be too wide and 'wet' for me.  However, back then (you may still be able to do it now) You could return the pen to Lamy in Germany, and they would swop out the nib. I swopped it out for a Fine. Both nibs wrote buttery smooth. I have little doubt that if you had a problem, Lamy would sort things out for you.

 

For all that, there are 'problems' for some people (none apply to me)  If you like to 'Post' the cap on your pen...it doesn't 'Post' well....IMO

 

Even  the Fine writes 'Wet' and more like a M .... IMO

 

The pen holds a lot of ink, so, if you like to keep swopping and changing inks, it may not be for you.

 

In summary, if I had to choose one pen I'd happily choose the Lamy 2000...although I didn't in my 'If you had to choose only one pen thread recently'

[Bo Bo Olson]

Lamy has a life time warrentee even if it's illegal....send your problem pen to Lamy with why...they are not the fastest turn around but for free what can you expect....they got a real big factory producing at least 600,000 pens of various types every year (of course that was 10 years ago...so info could be dated.)

 

You could send them an e-mail for the mailing address and so on.

 

It is Germany with six weeks of vacation, and almost unlimited sick leave so ...that could be part of the reason for the long repair wait.

 

Cross is the other pen with a life time warrentee.

[51ISH]

4 minutes ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

Lamy has a life time warrentee even if it's illegal....send your problem pen to Lamy with why...they are not the fastest turn around but for free what can you expect....they got a real big factory producing at least 600,000 pens of various types every year (of course that was 10 years ago...so info could be dated.)

 

You could send them an e-mail for the mailing address and so on.

 

It is Germany with six weeks of vacation, and almost unlimited sick leave so ...that could be part of the reason for the long repair wait.

 

Cross is the other pen with a life time warrentee.

 

I sent them an email and explained it was brand new but 'too broad and too wet' for me.  I think the 'turnaround' was about 6 weeks back then  (including postage)

Superb customer service in my experience.

 

I like the fact you get 'unlimited sick leave' and that everywhere has to close on Sunday for a 'Family Day'.....and you can't clean your car, or do your washing....here in the UK lots of places are open 24/7.... I have no idea who thought that was a good idea, but my guess is, he works 9-5 Monday to Friday...or more likely a 3 day week...from home....

[corniche]

23 minutes ago, 51ISH said:

😐

 

I'm noodling over buying the 2000 fountain pen.  Many reviews claim it is perfection, never gives trouble, no hard starts or skips, etc.  Thing is, you can get the rollerball version for about a third of what the fountain pen goes for. 

 

Thank you for the information on the Lamy 2000 RB

 

I guess I'm kind of an 'oddball' around here... as I use BP's,  FP's  and G2's on a daily basis and enjoy them all for various reasons...

 

I'm not telling you for one minute to buy a Lamy 2000 FP.... but even I realize you cannot compare a RB to a FP.....

 

Back well over ten years ago, I was in the same position as you are now....

I read all the reviews.....then a member who was a serious collector of MB pens wrote a review of the L2K with a Fine nib. He basically said it wrote as good as any of his MB's.  🙂  It was too expensive for me at the time 🙁

I dropped lucky,  a retailer in the UK was selling off it's FP stock and I got one at at very good price.  There was a problem.  I pretty much knew the M nib would be too wide and 'wet' for me.  However, back then (you may still be able to do it now) You could return the pen to Lamy in Germany, and they would swop out the nib. I swopped it out for a Fine. Both nibs wrote buttery smooth. I have little doubt that if you had a problem, Lamy would sort things out for you.

 

For all that, there are 'problems' for some people (none apply to me)  If you like to 'Post' the cap on your pen...it doesn't 'Post' well....IMO

 

Even  the Fine writes 'Wet' and more like a M .... IMO

 

The pen holds a lot of ink, so, if you like to keep swopping and changing inks, it may not be for you.

 

In summary, if I had to choose one pen I'd happily choose the Lamy 2000...although I didn't in my 'If you had to choose only one pen thread recently'

Hey 51ish, if you'd be satisfied with a medium nib, a seller on Amazon is selling new ones for the old, pre-inflationary price of $159. I'd grab it if I were you. (No affiliation with the seller do I have); it's just a great price on a great pen.  (I have one, too, bought it several years ago).

 

- Sean

[51ISH]

40 minutes ago, corniche said:

Hey 51ish, if you'd be satisfied with a medium nib, a seller on Amazon is selling new ones for the old, pre-inflationary price of $159. I'd grab it if I were you. (No affiliation with the seller do I have); it's just a great price on a great pen.  (I have one, too, bought it several years ago).

 

- Sean

 

 

41 minutes ago, corniche said:

Hey 51ish, if you'd be satisfied with a medium nib, a seller on Amazon is selling new ones for the old, pre-inflationary price of $159. I'd grab it if I were you. (No affiliation with the seller do I have); it's just a great price on a great pen.  (I have one, too, bought it several years ago).

 

- Sean

 

 

I think there is a bit of a  misunderstanding.  I have owned a Lamy 2000 FP with a fine nib for around 12 years.

[corniche]

3 minutes ago, 51ISH said:

 

 

I think there is a bit of a  misunderstanding.  I have owned a Lamy 2000 FP with a fine nib for around 12 years.

My mistake; I thought the bold red print: I'm noodling over buying the 2000 fountain pen...  was authored by thou. 😃

 

- Sean

 

 

 

 

 

[51ISH]

2 minutes ago, corniche said:

My mistake; I thought the bold red print: I'm noodling over buying the 2000 fountain pen...  was authored by thou. 😃

 

- Sean

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, corniche said:

My mistake; I thought the bold red print: I'm noodling over buying the 2000 fountain pen...  was authored by thou. 😃

 

- Sean

 

 

 

 

 

 

No worries

 

I'm pretty sure I paid £75 for my L2K with a  M  nib around 2010-2012....which was silly cheap even back then. 

[inkfade]

I love my rollerballs. Sometimes I just don't want to fuss with my fountain pens, and I love how the rollerballs feel smooth no matter what paper I'm using. 

 

I have a Lamy 2000 rollerball and Faber-Castell Loom rollerball (both with Ohto .5 ceramic refills from Jet Pens), which are wonderful and which I vastly prefer over their fountain pen counterparts. I actually sold my Lamy 2000 fp at the last pen meeting I attended because it just wasn't getting as much use as the RB, and will likely sell my Faber-Castell Loom fountain pen at some point.

[MarcoA63]

I have no doubt, always and forever fountain pens. They might scratch, they have feedback, tyne's may need aligning, ink is not infinite and ends up on my fingers. I don't care. Since I got back into fps I have never used balls to write anything.

[corniche]

Post deleted by corniche.

 

[Mark from Yorkshire]

I don’t and won’t use my fountain pens for work or most of my rollerballs. They are too nice and would grow legs and go walkabout. At work I stick to cheap bids etc or wooden pencils. That and the odd uni ball eye. My site notes are all pencil or ball point as we work out in all weathers and rite in the rain notebooks are not compatible with water based inks but make brilliant field notebooks for doing geotechnical work

[Bo Bo Olson]

Fountain pens 101 should cure the OP of fussing with his fountain pens....

 

It, really, really helps to hold a fountain pen like a fountain pen, behind the big index knuckle and not before the knuckle....like many do with a ball point or roller ball.

..held vertical before the big index finger knuckle the fountain pen has to dance on the tip..  Instead of floating on a small puddle of ink under the tear drop or round tip ball.

 

..if one refuses to learn to hold a fountain pen at @ 45-40-35 degree angle....one can buy double ball Pelikan nibbed pens.

 

But if held so the pen is behind the big index knuckle the fountain pen glides on the bottom side of the nib's ball or tear drop....instead of digging in on the tip when held vertical....................also causes twisting of the tines, leading to misaligned tines.

 

Someone can post how to hold in classic tripod..

 

I use the 'forefinger up' grip.

So the OP can go here, and see my way. Help! How Do You Hold Your Fountain Pen?

Someone else will show Classic.

[Estycollector]

Since getting into restoring and using FP's after a long vacation, I notice that I just use them as I would use a roller ball or pencil. I no longer use a ball point if I can help it. I don't think about it. My focus is making study notes. The Pilot Precise .5mm is my only non FP ink type of writing device except for a vintage Parker with a .5mm refill. 

 

I know we are a FP hobby forum, but I try not to focus on the instrument, although, I do enjoy the task using whatever. 

[Bo Bo Olson]

I do grab my ball point, when I need something so short, unscrewing or pulling the cap from my fountain pen would take too long..........perhaps if I had a gel refiil or a hybrid one...It would have to be a Schmidt, in they (don't know if that was the old fashioned/gel/hybred cost half as much as a €5.50 Parker refill.....That's a bottle of 4001.....whistle in the dark.

 

One must realize I lasted a life time and a half on free ball points so it takes a bit of new thinking to waste so much beer money. ...... notice beer money has nothing to do with fountain pens, papers or inks......a little bit odd.

 

I don't know why I should buy a hybrid refill over a gel refill.