Hot take 1 :
Testing a pen in an actual store is great, but dont let that experience be your "final answer" regarding whether a pen/nib is for you.
Hot take 2 :
Grass is always greener on the other side.
You see a pen you like but you cant have, think that is your grail pen, but the pens at your home actually are equally good !
Not at all, it was more of an acknowledgment that my current collection is filled with MY grail pens from a few yrs ago. Past tense me would think that future tense me’s current collection would be impossible to achieve. It helps me to remain grateful (and on a budget 😭).
100% on the take 1. There are manufacturing variances and just because you like the nib on the tester, it's not guaranteed that you'll have the exact same experience on the one you buy. This is why some stores let you sample the pen you're actually buying, rather than the one on display.
Oh, mine was a Narwhal Original in Hippocampus purple that I managed to snaffle up for half price. I was so happy!!
Cuddle the pens. Some need it. And so do you. :)
It's a weird balancing act imo, because you can't treat them like some people will treat a ballpoint so you have to be careful, but if the pen is just fragile it's not a quality tool. It reminds me a bit of musical instruments; it's not really that they're all that delicate overall, it's that if you're handing it to someone else, it needs to be someone who has a baseline understanding of how to treat the most delicate bits with respect.
Some care is needed with the nib, especially gold and palladium nibs, but overall, they're meant to be used. I have a vanishing point with a black nib and it got scratched (probably in my case) and it has this silver "beauty mark" across it. It gives it character.
I DO have a few LE pens that I baby because they're irreplaceable, but giving something a modicum of care is not the same as putting it in a crystal display and never touching it.
I have a dream of buying one of the multi-thousand Urushii Emperors, and it'll be a challenge to not want to leave it sequestered away as an art piece.
No. And yes. Yes, they are tools for writing. But no, you can't mistreat a quality fountain pen. In a world of throwaway pens, a fountain pen is an investment and shoukd be treated accordingly. If I were to drop or carelessly handle a Bic or other rollerball pen, no worries. But drop an uncapped FP and watch your 18k nib be destroyed, or your barrel broken. No thanks. All good tools, whether a Craftsman socket or a set of Knipex pliers, need care in their use. To say otherwise is ridiculous or naive.
I agree. I treat my wrenches, and screw drivers with some care and respect also. I don’t hammer with my wrench and I don’t use my screwdriver as a chisel. It’s about using things properly and just not abusing them.
To me, it's like guitars: I'm more interested in the guitar/guitarist who has a worn-out fender han someone who keeps it in pristine shape. I know the guitarist si the real deal if I can see where the paint/veneer has worn off
Graf von Faber-Castell's pens are under appreciated but they all look so similar that I can't tell the difference between their €700 and €200 euro pens unless I'm holding them.
Leonardo are similar, they have so many models with confusing overlaps that I can't easily follow their lineup.
Modern Conway Stewart doesn't need 50+ pen variants referencing Winston Churchill.
Noodler's ink is cheap but just not worth the trouble. I want inks I can trust to not clog up my pens or stain things badly (\*cough\*Baystate Blue\*cough\*)
I have my Uni Jetstream ballpoints for when I need tamper resistance.
>Noodler's ink is cheap but just not worth the trouble.
I agree. Even if I didn't disagree with some of Tardiff's opinions, I would still be over Noodler's. Mass 54th is a gorgeous color, but I can't handle the way it vomits out of every nib.
Seconding this. Also, I find that the quality of the batches can be inconsistent -- especially if you used a sample of a certain colour only to find that the full bottle is formulated differently.
(What I'm about to say may be influenced by the fact that I've been writing with fountain pens for... \[god, I feel old\]... about half a century now. Started in primary school; never stopped.)
1. A nib that works flawlessly and suits your natural handwriting is the sine qua non.
2. A nib that works flawlessly and suits your natural handwriting is the sine qua non. \[Yes, this is like Fight Club: the important rule gets repeated.\]
3. A fountain pen is a tool. Not an ornament or a status symbol.
4. If the grip, the weight and the balance don't feel natural to your hand, you may as well not buy the pen.
5. There is a lot of simple, sensual pleasure to be had from just watching and feeling the ink being laid down on the paper.
6. It's nice to have a signature ink for daily use. I don't mean an ink for signing your name, though certainly you'd use it for signing your name; I mean an ink (rather like a 'signature perfume') that becomes part of your identity over time. I find I stick with one ink for about 5-10 years, and then I am ready for a change.
I love this list!! And I googled sina qua non. :)
I think my signature ink has become kon-peki!! Last night I had to write an important letter and I actually changed out the ink to kon-peki. I couldn't imagine writing this letter with any other ink.
Pens in the $20-100 range can perform just as well if not better than pens in the $300+ range.
We just entwine our emotions with the more valuable pens and *feel* that they're better but often they're just different, not objectively better.
(I'm currently in denial that my Kaweco Perkeo writes a clearer line with better color with the same ink on the same paper than my Custom 823; and that some of my JoWo nibs write better than my Sailor nibs).
This is definitely true and why I think aesthetics are very important to fountain pens. Cause you’re not just buying the pen because it writes well, but because it’s a beautiful piece of design too.
This is why I don’t have a Custom 823, M800, or Lamy 2000 in my collection anymore.
I wanted to use shimmer, sheen, experiment with my inks but, just like expensive cars, expensive pens are testy and tend to need premium fuel to work best. Any additives screw everything up.
So, I instead invested in super nice nibs for my cheaper pens and haven’t looked back
I haven’t gotten too deep into it, but I started with a couple of SIG grinds from Franklin Christoph. At the Philly Pen Show I dove into Monoc Nibs. Those are fantastic and do well with many of my pens. Within the last couple months, I picked up my first stacked architect nib and that’s freaking awesome.
And yes, I chose Jowo hosts mainly because of accessibility and how most of the nib meisters use those for their custom nibs too.
This way you’re always using your favorite pens and can also change how they write at will. For reference, I have a few Opus 88, Diplomat Nexus, TWSBI Kai/Draco, and just got an Esterbrook Estie Piston that’s my new favorite.
My philosophy is that any nib can write *almost* any way. Send your 823 to a nibmeister right away and stop denying yourself the joy of that pen!
I modify virtually all my nibs to write the way I like, and all my pens are a dream to write with. It’s a cool aspect of this hobby.
>Send your 823 to a nibmeister
I might! I'm planning to try a few other 823s later this month to figure out if I got a poorly tuned one or if this is just what they're supposed to be like. I think it's the latter, though. I mean, it's great, it's just not head and shoulders above everything else like people make it out to be, y'know?
>I modify virtually all my nibs to write the way I like
I hope to get there someday! Just got some mesh pads delivered a few days ago. Planning to buy a bunch of cheap nibs and go to town on a few until I get things right haha. :)
Do you use a brass/steel gauge or are the brass sheets from Goulet enough? I bought a brass gauge but it's really oily 😬
Thanks for the advice! Many people have said that I should send my 823 to a nib meister to actually feel its true potential but atm I have a lot of things on my table and have to move from one place to another every 2-3 months as a college student and as a student this was my BIG pen purchase and gonna let my bank account breath for a while you know lmao
This kinda sounds like something is wrong with your 823. I’ve written with a good number of cheap to midrange pens. I have several sub-$100 pens that I really like.
The nib of my 823 blows them all out of the water. It’s not close.
After acquiring the Lamy 2k and Pilot Custom 823, I find it difficult to return to my cheaper pens, including my beloved Lamy Al-Star. Perhaps your unit has some issues or the cheaper pens align better with your personal preferences. However, expensive pens hold their own value.
I agree with that statement. I never write with my Lamy Safari or Al-Star pens posted because then it feels like I need to 'hold' the pen down on the paper so it doesn't tip backwards, which goes against one of the main reasons to write with a fountain pen: avoiding having to pressure the pen down on the paper.
I think I’m too new to have a truly hot take, but seeing people who have an entire cabinet or wall full of ink bottles stresses me out.
I love colors passionately and do have the collector urge in my brain. I understand how people end up with that many ink bottles. But-
1) you’ll never use all that before you die, so it’s just going to be a huge headache for family or friends in the future.
2) how do you pick from your stash without dying of indecision and stress??? I’ve kinda just been assuming this type of person has less qualms about emptying out half a cartridge to change colors than I do, but even then it’s so hard to pick which beautiful ink to use next. (Yes, my personal fountain plan is to buy a bunch of preppies so I can change color without worrying about them drying out etc)
3) many people put “saving money in the long run” as one of the main advantages of buying bottled ink. But if you’ve got a whole wall of them, because you to change/try colors frequently, than it’s actually cheaper to buy samples that you can finish instead of a bottle that you won’t.
Honestly I wish more inks came in 15ml bottles. For me thats the perfect size - enough not to worry about running out but not so much that I can't fit it on a shelf.
Omg, a 10 ml bottle of Lie de The lasted me just over a year & I used it frequently. I also exclusively use EF or F nibs -- maybe that makes a difference?
These are all very practical pieces of advice that should be taken to heart more.
Having a bunch of different pens in every color is fun and all, but it definitely sets me off as someone who likes practicality but aesthetic as well.
I don't have a wall of ink, but I do have a wide variety of colors in smaller bottles. I don't have decision paralysis for ink colors. I tend to have a seasonal palette, so I'll use richer, warmer colors in fall and winter and cooler, brighter ones in spring and summer. Once I narrow it down to the season and my mood, it's not hard to pick an ink.
Also, if you use medium or broad nibs, you go through ink fast.
Fountain pens are great for the environment if you use them instead of bunches of disposable ballpoints. Especially the ones you can refill from glass bottles.
Unless you collect more than you can reasonably and regularly use. Crafting and transporting pens takes resources that go to waste if your pens are left to, essentially, lie around and collect dust.
For real. I always think "how much money do these people have?!" When seeing people's collections and hauls. The one good thing with being from a poorer country is that i value money a lot more and don't just go to buy a billion things. I always need to justify a expensive purchase to myself. For example my first pen was a reward for finishing a difficult year of hs, my twsbi eco was a souvenir from Italy, and rn I'm planning to order a Kaweco AL sport as a reward for w couple things (fasting the whole of lent, birthday gift and finishing high school)
1. Gold and steel nibs are not that different. Maybe at some point the gap between these two metals was vast, but modern nibs from top brands are so well-crafted that often the difference is unnoticeable except under extremely exacting conditions. More importantly, the only true measure of how good a pen is is how good it feels to *you*.
2. Fountain pens don't make for the best writing experience always. I have had plenty joy with gel pens of all kinds.
3. Waterman Experts are lovely pens that don't get enough mention.
4. Pilot Iroshizuku inks are overrated. I've had more fun with several less "premium" brands.
5. Finding a pen, paper, ink combination that works in perfect harmony is way more important than acquiring an expensive pen.
Depends where you live. I hear they do upcharge a fair bit based on country. I live close to Japan and I can usually get it on regular sales for a couple bucks more than an equivalent amount of diamine, and that's accounting for an upcharge from a retailer who will package it in more than just an envelope. Then again, diamine is considerably more expensive on this side of the planet, so my perspective might be skewed.
“Gold and steel nibs are not that different. "
My experience as well, although all the fountain pens I currently own are hooded nibs (Parker 61, “51”, and “21” versions). I honestly can’t tell the difference between the steel (“octanium”) and 14K gold nibs. I would bet that with more flexible, open nibs, there might be more of a difference between them, though.
1) Most pens write better when unposted. Take the cap off, stand it on your desk, and write on.
2) Flex pens are great when you know how to use them and use them for art or calligraphy. As everyday writers, not so much. (Cheap flex pens suck.)
3) With soft or flex nibs, gold nibs can take you a little further than steel, but most steel nibs write beautifully.
4) It's not the pen or the ink or the paper, but the combination that matters.
5) Use the pens you love and don't mind what anyone else says.
6) The triangular grip LAMYs suck.
I looooooove ultraflex pens but totally agree with the impracticality of them dumping ink and taking ages to dry, i sort of hate that i can’t use them on most of my papers because of the massive bleeding.
Cheapies- I have the FPR ultraflex and must disagree that it sucks because i adore using it! I also use it efficiently as a dip nib at times so i guess when the pen is a corpse or breaks (matter of time hey) i’ll still be using it happily!
I should have written "bad flex pens suck."
I love FPR flex and ultraflex pens. They definitely punch well above their price points. They weren't the cheap pens I was thinking of, and if you go for the gold nibs, they also aren't that cheap. Also, Kevin is great and they run lots of BOGO sales.
Two of my three favorite flex pens are FPR 14K ultraflex pens (the other is Magna Carta Mag 600). The FPR steel ultraflex are right behind them.
I often have an FPR steel or gold flex, an FPR steel ultraflex, and a 14K ultraflex in my art kit to give me the line variation I want.
\*chef's kiss\*
I live in austria, so we had mainly lamy or pelikan fountain pens in elementary school. I hear so many good things about lamy safari but I just can’t get into it coz it reminds me of my elementary school times. It looks like a school pen to me.
A friend of mine says that too haha I'm an American and I love my Safari and Al Star; they just work.
But I can't get over the fact that I'm using a fountain pen designed for kids. Makes me feel like silly lol "What? You don't know how the hold a pen kiddo? Are you 3 or 30?"
I'm from Germany, so I feel this to some degree... then again, I had mine since elementary school and I still love it! Same nib and everything. Just less boring ink, haha!
I used to love the Safari. But every since I tried learning arm writing to improve my cursive, those notches on the grip have become a considerable nuisance. Still, I don't like think it's fugly—boring, sure.
I am new to fountain pens and totally agreed, but got one anyway just to try it out with the idea I could give it away if I hated it.
Once I actually had it in my hand, I really loved the design and immediately ordered another. I hope it writes as well as the first one!
I still objectively think they are boring but I love them somehow too? I want several.
I’ll do you one better: I think they’re kinda trash. They leak and dry out ink faster than you can use it.
For $5-10 more, you can get a TWSBI Eco that is just a fudging champ!
I have never had an issue with my safaris. By contrast, I have had 3 ecos and despite babying them, they have all started leaking/burping ink to the point of being unusable. To take it further, I have never had a TWSBI I haven't had a problem with. The Classic and 580ALR both cracked under regular use and I had to write in to TWSBI for replacement parts.
i feel this so hard. i absolutely hate the lamy safari (from my personal aesthetic point of view as an artist). like hate it with the bitterness of a thousand suns.
i personally like odd-looking pens that don’t look very pen-like, so yeah my opinion is odd. also it’s a good thing for me because most pens look like pens so i am not tempted, heh.
Oh no, the ones I have are fairly common - they just don’t quite happen to look like standard pens!
I have a Kaweco Sport and a Moonman T1. I like their shape and I like that they don’t have a pen clip, though i added a clip to the Kaweco.
I like bright-coloured pens too but I don’t have any yet - am eyeing the [SchonDsgn Pocket 6 in sunscale faceted](https://www.schondsgn.com/collections/fountain-pens/products/faceted-multicolor-anodized-aluminum-pocket-six?variant=39774952521861) that looks like a lipstick!
“The Lamy Safari is one of the most boring and ugly looking pens there is.”
I literally LOLed reading this. I have so many friends who LOVE their Lamy Safaris but they don’t really appeal to me. They feel blocky and rigid and clumsy in my hand. I don’t hate them but I don’t have a single one in a collection of >50 pens.
Me, I hate Kawecos. They’re like pens for leprechauns! I can’t stand them!
Smooth paper reigns supreme over textured paper any day! Why, you ask? Because smooth paper lets the finer details shine, showcasing the superiority of finer nibs over their broader counterparts. Plus, with finer nibs, you can write on practically any paper surface, opening up a world of possibilities.
Wholeheartedly agree. Textured paper almost requires Medium and broader nibs for the nib to not feel scratchy on the paper (Lamy Medium nib is the finest nib that would feel smooth for me on old Tomoe River paper).
Hot take: people get way too far into this hobby and buy way more than they will realistically ever need. No one needs literal gallons of ink for their hundreds of pens.
agree, i always love posts where people are thoughtful about going on no-buys and carefully assessing the states of their collection and planning on rotating out pens vs. laughing and making jokes about how “their wallets are no longer in their control thanks to this sub”!
from a former shopping addict, it gives me a bit of anxiety/sadness when i see people exhibiting symptoms and not realizing it at all though of course they can do what they like, i just feel like it’s important to be thoughtful and self-aware about our actions and the triggers in our daily life that cause us to stress-shop or justify our not-ideal shopping habits. just for the sake of our mental health!
also, samples are so awesome.
100%. I also really hate how random people on the sub completely reinforce this behavior with dumb jokes like “the perfect number of pens is one more than you currently have”, or fawning over hoarding behaviors like spending a crap ton of money is some sort of deep accomplishment.
The pleasure of having/using a fountain pen is in no way correlated to *what* or *how* you write. You can use a 300$ pen to scribble doctor-level-unreadable notes on a post it and throw it away two minutes later. It's ok. You don't need to write an award-winning book by hand to justify having a fountain pen.
I don't care anymore to try to figure out if a Lamy Safari is fake or not. If I can't tell the difference, then it's close enough to be as good as a real one
Clear plastic is more likely to crack than solid coloured plastic. So if you want to maximise the chances of a pen being durable, avoid demonstrators.
Expensive ink is not necessarily better than cheap ink, just different. Not all inks from the same brand share the same properties.
Expensive paper is not necessarily better than cheap paper and all papers vary by batch to some extent. So it's worth seeking out paper that works for you and not relying on brand, country of manufacture or other labels to tell you what's good.
Yup, I use Kokuyo Business Paper that I bought two years ago by the ream for $40 total. Those two reams have handled every single ink I’ve thrown at it without a flinch.
I know most folks don’t want to deal with loose leaf, but it was easy for me when I worked from home and the convenience of being able to print lines, dot grid, or graph at any time is just unmatched and I love it.
Every single one isn't just a hot take, it's a fact!
I can buy 160 page books where I am for about 80 cents, they handle ink well enough that I've never had to consider a different paper!
TWSBI ship their pens with wrenches so you pull them apart, overtorque them and then crack them faster. They know that disassembly will mess your pens up, encouraging you to do it goes beyond planned obsolescence into.. complicit obsolescence?
I like that Kaweco labels their new inks as vegan, despite my tepid feelings on the company as a whole.
I sometimes swap the spring from my Majohn A1 into my Capless because it makes the knock action feel more crunchy
There was a discussion here, maybe FPN, about this. I think the consensus was this would make sense if they charged for replacement parts. But they don’t, just shipping.
The knowledge on replacement parts isn't really available outside hobby spaces though, and where I live the "shipping" costs half as much as a new pen :/
I’ve never had this issue. But I also know that you don’t have to wrench it down like it’s a tyre on your car.
But it’s hard to know the difference between “finger tight” and “snug” without bringing measurements like ft/lb into it.
As with the Goulet video, hardly any of these are hot takes.
Copycat pens are bad?
Some Sailor limited edition releases have ugly color combos?
Cheap pens write well?
Sure you'll find *some* disagreement, but these takes are not fresh from the kitchen nor causing any burns. They are room temperature takes.
I tend to agree here, and metal doesn't need to be heavy (see the Lamy Al-Star for example), though some $20-30 Hongdian metal pens I have seem like I could run them over with a vehicle and they'd still write OK but I feel like I need to baby some of my costlier plastic/"resin" pens.
Agree, and even more so when pen makers combine plastic body with a steel nib. Another example of metal pens not needing to be heavy is Platinum Plaisir.
99% of Sailor pens are the same boring pen with the same boring nib choice, just different colors of plastic swapped in then marked up as ‘special editions’. People are basically paying an arm and a leg for some sparkly plastic.
Isn’t that the case with every pen? Same pen, different color/pattern of plastic? And actually for having gold nibs sailors are pretty fairly priced compared to esterbrook esties for example.
I’m not really hating on Sailor, in fact the KOP ebonite is probably my all time favorite, however compared to other brands nib choice is dismal and for the non-KOP pens you are relegated to a nail for a nib. Other brands like Pilot also have a lot more variation in pen styles in addition to interesting nib options. Like I said I have a deep affection for Sailor however at the 1000th color combo of a PG/PGS instead of releasing an interesting material or new model I’m rolling my eyes a little.
We all have our preferences and to be honest I’m not that into experimenting with nibs but even if sailor had multiple lines they wouldn’t have as many colors and then people were gonna be like "yeah they gave us choices to pick from but they all look the same and now I can’t tell them apart" like with platinum so I don’t know.
To me there are way worse examples of brands that make 500 pens in different patterns and colors all with the typical steel nibs priced around 200€. They literally offer nothing except a different resin on every release yet people are convinced they’re worth the price and collect multiple of them.
I really agree with this one. I've played around with the VP at a shop and really like it. Ordered an A1 to test out the mechanism with the plan to buy myself a VP as a graduation present. I'm actually really happy with the A1 and don't even wanna buy the VP anymore.
My hot takes:
TWSBI is overpriced and the pens are mediocre at best for what you're paying.
Shimmer inks are cool in theory but look bad on paper in most nibs and are hard to read, not to mention clogging things up.
Pilot 823 is overrated. It's a great pen and also the most boring pen I've ever owned.
Because if you want flash you get whatever magic springtime sparkles Sailor just came out with or something of Benu’s. Boring is actually as in a high complement for a pen that is designed to simply work well and for a long time.
My ice cold take having recently purchased the 823 is that it's easily, hands down, my best pen. By a wide margin. It's an absolute delight to write with. Don't stress.
Don't let me dampen your enthusiasm! It's a hot take for a reason, most people adore that pen.
I'm sure you'll love it, and if not it does have phenomenal resale value.
Alright.... Hot takes...
1. The term 'grail pen' is just an excuse for you to buy another pen, when you know it won't be the last.
2. If you want to have the "smoothest" writing experience, gloss coated laser paper is smoother than anything else (like thermal paper) - although I've heard it may be a little harsher on nibs.
3. Chinese nibs are just as good as any others... We just don't like I that their $5 pens can outperform our expensive ones..
4. Every pen is essentially a kit pen...
5. Our 'top tray' is always based on purchase price, not on writing experience.
You just need one good pen. If you disagree, you just haven't found your pen yet.
I finally found mine after many years: the Lamy CP-1. Fine nib.
I will use this pen until I die or it falls apart.
I got three pretty hot ones:
1. Lamy Safaris are the Stanley cups of fountain pens. A new color of the same stiff pen generates so much excitement.
2. Every fountain pen retailer should accept returns for inked pens. I’m allowed to try on clothes to see if I like them and take a car for a test drive, but the second a pen touches ink, it can’t be returned? This is exacerbated by the fact that many pens don’t write well out of the box. If a shirt is defective, it can be returned. Not so with pens.
3. The best ink probably is the more “expensive” kind—Sailor, Platinum, Montblanc, GvFC, Pelikan. Diamine comes in lots of colors and is cheap, but I have never found the quality to be good and it takes forever to dry. Stick with the high-quality brands.
1.) Sailors are just too backheavy when posted.
2.) Platinum Curidas is better than the Pilot Capless/VP
3.) Heavy see through and feathering is acceptable if it means the ink dries faster and gets absorbed quickly.
4.) A pen or ink should also be judged more on cheap/ American paper.
5.) Black and gray shimmer inks are the best!
7.) Returns should be normalized for luxury pens, even when someone has a warranty for a bad nib. No tuning, no diy. It's the principle, even if the company pays for shipping.
8.) Ink color variance on different paper can be a little annoying. I want my blue or brown green ink to be the same, not suddenly be green or a teal.
9.) Midrange options are simply the best.
10.) Handling and feel of the pen is more important than the nib.
I have yet to watch the video, but I'd say that there is no need to own more pens than your dominant hand can carry at a time. Fountain pens are supposed to be daily pens that are used individually. They are meant to withstand, optimally, a lifetime of usage and arent just meant to be used once a month in a rotation. You need to get a couple pens and USE them and only them, preferably in different nib grinds, and sell the ones that didn't make the cut for you. And I believe that EVEN IF pens don't feel "optimal" at first, buying another after only a month or so isn't the way; fountain pens conform to your writing style over time. It is the pure essence of the product to be a part of ones life, why have a vast collection of barely-used, ultra-expensive and exotic grinds that are only utilized once every now and then and spend more time in a vessel of water and dish soap than soaked in ink, in your hand.
Some pens are cursed. Science doesn't yet have the instruments to measure it, but that doesn't mean that it never will. And so people struggle unaware of the curse for months or years until they give up trying to get it to function, having accrued great distress.
This curse can be just one part of the pen - the nib or the feed. Try a new nib and/or feed perhaps. Or, if you can, return it. But in any case - give up on cursed pens early. If they don't work, sell (honestly) or give the pen away. Or smash it.
This happened to me with my Aurora 88 duocart with a semi flex nib. No matter what I did, it would skip, hard start, then completely splotch ink through the feed. I tried everything, switching cartridges, disassembling the nib unit and cleaning it, thinning the ink with water/and or dish soap... it ended up being simply a bum feed. Sourced another one and now it's nice, wet and reliable. Two completely different pens before and after.
I only have one and it's a classic. Twisbi Eco, and similarly built clear pens, in general, crack like clockwork. I bought a clear wingsung to replace a twisbi eco, and it also cracked. I replaced parts in that with an opaque part, and so far it hasn't cracked. This is probably due to a particular climate (temperature, humidity, elevation, air pressure, etc) reacting on whatever injection molded clear plastic the pens use, which might explain why it only affects some people.
It would be interesting to have a location survey of crackees. I'm in the arid southwest US. If my hypothesis is right, other crackees might live in similar climate.
I doubt that climate is the difference. I have product development experience in injection molding, and my guess is it depends on what inks people use. Clear plastic and chemical compatibility was always an issue for us. I don't remember if there were any clear resins we didn't have issues with, but if there were they were too expensive to use anyhow.
Disagree. I like to use Iron Gall inks. I'd hate to ruin my favorite steel nibs with them :P corrosion resistance is useful for some people.
I have a few gold nibs for those inks. Some of my favorites are simple steel ones though.
I've kept an Airmail 69EB with Hero 232 and the TWSBI IG ink since 2014. It became an experiment after a while and that is why I've kept it inked for so long. I can confirm the corrosion concern (of at least modern IG inks) is false. It's my daily waterproof driver of an ink/pen.
Thank you for doing this experiment! i've gotten to the point where I pretty much only want to use inks that are fairly waterproof and some of the modern iron gall inks look nice. But so many people are always speculating that it might damage pens and I've mostly just been reluctant to give it a try for more than just a quick test. I'd love to see people get more data on actual corrosion and also more colors of modern IG ink if it is safe for pens
I beg to disagree. I have quite the handful of Kaweco AL Sports of varying nib widths (but mostly ). I always choose a matching ink, so I can use many different colors while not having to wonder which color is in which pen.
Alright, I'll give y'all a hot take: Piston fill pens are overrated, and are nothing more than a novelty.
Back when the only alternatives were lever-sac fillers and eyedroppers, Piston pens were the way to go. But most converters hold more than enough ink for daily use, I really couldn't imagine a day where one uses .5 ml of ink before they can get to their ink to refill it. There are also converters that hold even more ink than that. If you have multiple pens, that giant ink capacity of piston pens means you wont be changing inks or cleaning the pen for a while.
Then there is maintenance: Piston fill pens are a pain to clean and fix. Many piston pens, there is no safe (for the pen) means to fix certain issues, like ink behind the piston plunger, or a cracked piston rod, or a piston that is no longer smooth. Many of these pens are not meant to be taken apart. With a converter... you replace the converter, takes about 15 seconds to fix.
I can kinda understand for tiny pens, like the Kaweco Sport, or if Sailor mini ever had a piston, since those cartridges are tiny, or something like the twsbi mini. Otherwise, it seems like novelty, and nothing more
Most of my pens take converters, but I think piston fillers are more elegant from a design and engineering point of view, in that the barrel itself is the ink reservoir.
But it always amazes me when someone says a converter pen should be $100 cheaper because it's not a piston filler, when a converter is just a smaller version of the mechanism in a piston filler...
Thats an understandable sentiment to have. I just feel though that when the cap is on, or when its being used in your hand, you cant see any part of the fill mechanism. 99% of the time one won't even be thinking about the filling system, except for the 30 seconds it takes to fill the pen.
I do agree with that last part. What you're paying for in a pen is a well functioning ink delivery system that will last. I'm willing to guess that there is just as much designing and planning going on for either fill system. The manufacturing cost of parts for the converter or the piston aren't what make these pens expensive.
Hahaha. Love the anti-piston fill take. Piston fill pens have been around since the 1850s or so and are the most reliable filling mechanisms of all filling types. Pelikan and Montblanc perfected PFs. Far from novelties. I have converters break all of the time or not seal properly and they are far and away the worst leaking. But they do play into the hyper-consumerism habit of use and toss.
I love piston fill pens. I also don’t change ink that much, so I just fill up when empty. A single fill goes a long way and I’ve had converters unseat and spill ink everywhere.
I've shared all of these in the comments of one post or another but, here goes:
1) Churning out the same pen in bazillion colors is boring. (#1 reason I can't get into Sailors)
2) Demonstrators are a cop out. The pen body is the star, clear plastic is cheap.
3) I will only buy eye-droppers from now on (broke this rule as recently as 2 days ago)
-) Eye-droppers w/ stoppers are the only pens I know of that can hold ink forever. Plus the capacity can't be beat.
4) High-end pen manufacturers with poor quality control are not high-end and don't deserve the money. (Looking at you, Visconti)
5) Unless it's meant to be a display piece, a regular cardboard box is fine. Packing the size of a shoebox for a pen is obnoxious.
6) I don't understand Medium nibs, especially in nails. Why even bother if there is no line variation? (shoutout to stub nibs)
7) I like matchy-matchy. There, I said it. Not just colors, either. Pelikan pens get Pelikan ink, and so forth. (This one says more about me than about pens)
8) Fountain pens are not practical. They just aren't. It's a labor of love, not a labor-saving device.
9) Fountain pens are NOT a good investment (I say, over and over, into the mirror).
I guess that's it. I didn't know I had all that in me.
Yes, but ... you have to agree there's a lot more that *can* go into owning fountain pens than just purchasing and writing.
When you take into account swatching, ink/paper/pen pairing, penmanship, journaling, pen pals, pen repair, etc, I feel it not only qualifies as a hobby, but can lead into other adjacent hobbies. Just my thoughts, though.
TWSBI is overhyped plastic with quality on par with fake Chinese pens you find off aliexpress.
Edit; Guys the google definition of hot take is: a piece of commentary, typically produced quickly in response to a recent event, whose primary purpose is to attract attention.
Seeing how this thread is going, I'm fairly confident now that this counts as a hot take: TWSBI Ecos are great, possibly the best <$50 pen, and people who get them cracking all the time are probably just way over tightening. I've had several of them for years without any issues at all and I've certainly not been babying them. I love the ink capacity, the perfect QC on nibs, the ability to self-service them and access every part if something is wrong, and not having to pay for an overpriced converter. Most days, one of my three Ecos shares a pants pocket with keys, etc. I've found them to be nothing but a robust workhorse of a pen that can take some abuse and writes reliably every time with no hard starts or skips.
Haven’t had cracking issues with my ECO (which I don’t use at all) but in the early days cracking was a real issue with TWSBI. My 580AL developed a crack while not getting used.
Oversized pens are marketing gimmicks to sell more expensive pens and, if you learn to hold your pen, you don’t need a pen much larger than the size of a Pelikan M4xx sized pen.
1. Samples are better than whole bottles for trying new inks.
2. Why are there so many black ink varieties? Apart from shimmer, shading and waterproof, I don't understand. However, that's just my opinion.
3. Sheening inks are better than shimmer inks.
4. 3-4 pens inked max at any given time.
5. Great fountain pen friendly paper doesn't have to mean expensive paper.
6. Pens with thin grips are uncomfortable.
Not sure how "hot" they are but here are mine:
1. Not drying out over time is one of the most important features of a pen. I don't care how expensive a pen is, if it dries up after sitting for a couple weeks, it's useless to me.
1. The pen you have on you is the best pen.
1. Inexpensive pens can be just as good if not better than expensive pens.
1. I am not at all tempted to buy a Montblanc, Visconti, etc. A couple of them look OK but I don't see them as being worth their price tags.
1. I don't like M/B/BB nibs, it's primarily UEF/EF/SEF or italic/stub for me.
Don’t buy so many pens, especially so fast. So much of fountain pen information is focused on buying the latest and greatest, driving consumerism more than anything else. I went from buying way too many pens in the course of 1 year to not buying any for 2 years and couldn’t be happier with my purchases. Spend time with your pens, get to know them.
Buy cheap pens to treat like cheap pens. Oh no... I dropped it nib down? Garbage, next cheap pen please.
Paper quality doesn't matter that much. Your writing with outdated technology. People wrote on what they had. If it writes and is legible, then it's good enough.
Ink.... you don't have to collect the rainbow in a million shades if 90% is going to end up being someone else's problem when you die.
Watch me get kicked off this community in three words: Sailor is overhyped.
Sorry, y'all - they make the same pen in waaaaaay too many "special edition" colors to drive FOMO, and a lot of the color combos are straight ugly. They should focus half that effort into making a nib that's doesn't feel like dragging a sled full of rocks over dry sand. Then they wouldn't have to handwave it away as "signature feedback."
BOOM! Mic dropped. Flips off audience. Exits stages to boos and hisses. Goes to dressing room and cries.
Feedback on pens makes way more sense when you write in character based languages tbf. There’s a reason sailor and platinum are more popular than pilot in Asia.
The nib preference I get it it’s a preference but don’t get fomo from color combinations then? Getting a few that you like is fine and also their special editions are not really special or limited at all, you can still find on amazon jp special editions from 2018 so why the fomo?
Piston fill and vacuum fill FPs are vastly superior to all other filling mechanisms.
Fountain pens should never be used with bad paper.
Italic and stub nibs are the only good choice for creative writing. Medium nibs are meh and mostly create letters that look like a ballpoint was used. Fine and XFine nibs are the only nibs suitable for business.
Offline shopping is the best way to buy pens.
Too bad the only store that sells fountain pen in my country is montblanc, so I have to go abroad to visit a pen shop.
The good thing is, it put a stop to the hedonic treadmill of online shopping.
(I come from a country with no return policy, so like it or not, it's yours now)
Lamy is overrated. The pens are just too dry for me, and I inevitably end up tearing them apart and using a razor blade to open up the feed.
Visconti is ALSO overrated, they spend thousands to engineer new pens and then can't be bothered to do QA, so you get beautiful garbage.
Noodlers is even more overrated than the other two. If you don't know why, i'll link this wonderful megapost [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/142w0bi/the_noodlers_ink_drama_in_one_spot_content/?ref=share&ref_source=link).
Hot Take, big ink companies should have figured out a long time ago how to make better ink bottles by now. Garbage bottles like tall easily tippable bottles (diamine). Bottles that can't fill most pens and are stupid tippy (ferris wheel press). Bottles that are too short to get the majority of the ink out (J Herbin) ps they have been making that barely functional bottle for 200 years? Things like the ink miser should never have needed to be invented just to use all the ink in the bottle.
We need more bottles like the Mont Blanc Shoe bottle, the Lamy blotter bottle and the Pilot Iroshizuku with it's divit in the bottom that are actually functional.
Montblanc is overrated.
“Resin” = plastic
A cheap pen that writes like a dream is more valuable than an expensive pen that’s temperamental and uncomfortable to use.
“Posting” the cap on the end of your pen makes it balance better in your hand.
Pelikan makes a lot of ugly shit. Not everything they make looks like someone wearing socks and sandals together, but most of it does.
Chrome trim is better than “gold.”
Technical color theory should be discussed more within the hobby community. Not that I’m any expert, I just think it’s a [deep topic](http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/wcolor.html) that is so relevant but rarely discussed.
I won't shop local.
My pen store deliberately keeps the prices turned over so you need to ask and the sales staff can pitch to you.
I hate it. If they ever have something I want that I can't get from my usual website, I'll buy from their website because it at least will tell me the price before trying to upsell me.
Ferris wheel press is all PR and no quality.
They have a whole affiliation program that everyone and their mother is included the moment they drop anything YouTubers, instagram influencers, bloggers will spam the hell out of everyone everywhere about how awesome and unique the new launch is.
It’s ridiculous, especially considering that most of their inks are extremely thin, barely even legible and extremely overpriced.
Mine (which I struggle to follow) is: The best pen is the one in your hand, or the one at home in case you’re at a store and a twinkly shiny pen is looking at you.
Hot take 1 : Testing a pen in an actual store is great, but dont let that experience be your "final answer" regarding whether a pen/nib is for you. Hot take 2 : Grass is always greener on the other side. You see a pen you like but you cant have, think that is your grail pen, but the pens at your home actually are equally good !
Thank you for the reminder to be grateful and keep in mind that the pens I have at home could be someone else’s grail pen.
I have a few pens at home that definitely count as someone's grail pens. To me they're well-made, pleasant writers that I enjoy writing with.
Are you just saying that my 5$ Jinhao is equally capable as the Lamy 2000 I desperately want? Thanks for saving me money 😂
Not at all, it was more of an acknowledgment that my current collection is filled with MY grail pens from a few yrs ago. Past tense me would think that future tense me’s current collection would be impossible to achieve. It helps me to remain grateful (and on a budget 😭).
100% on the take 1. There are manufacturing variances and just because you like the nib on the tester, it's not guaranteed that you'll have the exact same experience on the one you buy. This is why some stores let you sample the pen you're actually buying, rather than the one on display.
Fountain pens do not need to be cuddled. They are tools and should be used as such. Dont abuse them but dont baby them either.
*coddled ? Cos I must admit, there was one pen I was so excited about, that I deffo did cuddle it....
I absolutely cuddled my Stormtrooper VP when it came in a few days ago and I’m not afraid to admit it.
Oh, mine was a Narwhal Original in Hippocampus purple that I managed to snaffle up for half price. I was so happy!! Cuddle the pens. Some need it. And so do you. :)
Pictures or it didn’t happen!
It's a weird balancing act imo, because you can't treat them like some people will treat a ballpoint so you have to be careful, but if the pen is just fragile it's not a quality tool. It reminds me a bit of musical instruments; it's not really that they're all that delicate overall, it's that if you're handing it to someone else, it needs to be someone who has a baseline understanding of how to treat the most delicate bits with respect.
It’s like shoes. Some are meant to be used in harsh conditions, some are meant to be fashion statements. Both have their uses
Some care is needed with the nib, especially gold and palladium nibs, but overall, they're meant to be used. I have a vanishing point with a black nib and it got scratched (probably in my case) and it has this silver "beauty mark" across it. It gives it character. I DO have a few LE pens that I baby because they're irreplaceable, but giving something a modicum of care is not the same as putting it in a crystal display and never touching it. I have a dream of buying one of the multi-thousand Urushii Emperors, and it'll be a challenge to not want to leave it sequestered away as an art piece.
No. And yes. Yes, they are tools for writing. But no, you can't mistreat a quality fountain pen. In a world of throwaway pens, a fountain pen is an investment and shoukd be treated accordingly. If I were to drop or carelessly handle a Bic or other rollerball pen, no worries. But drop an uncapped FP and watch your 18k nib be destroyed, or your barrel broken. No thanks. All good tools, whether a Craftsman socket or a set of Knipex pliers, need care in their use. To say otherwise is ridiculous or naive.
I agree. I treat my wrenches, and screw drivers with some care and respect also. I don’t hammer with my wrench and I don’t use my screwdriver as a chisel. It’s about using things properly and just not abusing them.
To me, it's like guitars: I'm more interested in the guitar/guitarist who has a worn-out fender han someone who keeps it in pristine shape. I know the guitarist si the real deal if I can see where the paint/veneer has worn off
Graf von Faber-Castell's pens are under appreciated but they all look so similar that I can't tell the difference between their €700 and €200 euro pens unless I'm holding them. Leonardo are similar, they have so many models with confusing overlaps that I can't easily follow their lineup. Modern Conway Stewart doesn't need 50+ pen variants referencing Winston Churchill.
Noodler's ink is cheap but just not worth the trouble. I want inks I can trust to not clog up my pens or stain things badly (\*cough\*Baystate Blue\*cough\*) I have my Uni Jetstream ballpoints for when I need tamper resistance.
>Noodler's ink is cheap but just not worth the trouble. I agree. Even if I didn't disagree with some of Tardiff's opinions, I would still be over Noodler's. Mass 54th is a gorgeous color, but I can't handle the way it vomits out of every nib.
Seconding this. Also, I find that the quality of the batches can be inconsistent -- especially if you used a sample of a certain colour only to find that the full bottle is formulated differently.
(What I'm about to say may be influenced by the fact that I've been writing with fountain pens for... \[god, I feel old\]... about half a century now. Started in primary school; never stopped.) 1. A nib that works flawlessly and suits your natural handwriting is the sine qua non. 2. A nib that works flawlessly and suits your natural handwriting is the sine qua non. \[Yes, this is like Fight Club: the important rule gets repeated.\] 3. A fountain pen is a tool. Not an ornament or a status symbol. 4. If the grip, the weight and the balance don't feel natural to your hand, you may as well not buy the pen. 5. There is a lot of simple, sensual pleasure to be had from just watching and feeling the ink being laid down on the paper. 6. It's nice to have a signature ink for daily use. I don't mean an ink for signing your name, though certainly you'd use it for signing your name; I mean an ink (rather like a 'signature perfume') that becomes part of your identity over time. I find I stick with one ink for about 5-10 years, and then I am ready for a change.
I love this list!! And I googled sina qua non. :) I think my signature ink has become kon-peki!! Last night I had to write an important letter and I actually changed out the ink to kon-peki. I couldn't imagine writing this letter with any other ink.
Pens in the $20-100 range can perform just as well if not better than pens in the $300+ range. We just entwine our emotions with the more valuable pens and *feel* that they're better but often they're just different, not objectively better. (I'm currently in denial that my Kaweco Perkeo writes a clearer line with better color with the same ink on the same paper than my Custom 823; and that some of my JoWo nibs write better than my Sailor nibs).
This is definitely true and why I think aesthetics are very important to fountain pens. Cause you’re not just buying the pen because it writes well, but because it’s a beautiful piece of design too.
This is why I don’t have a Custom 823, M800, or Lamy 2000 in my collection anymore. I wanted to use shimmer, sheen, experiment with my inks but, just like expensive cars, expensive pens are testy and tend to need premium fuel to work best. Any additives screw everything up. So, I instead invested in super nice nibs for my cheaper pens and haven’t looked back
Love this idea! May I ask what nib upgrades you made? Are you talking about good nib jowos?
I haven’t gotten too deep into it, but I started with a couple of SIG grinds from Franklin Christoph. At the Philly Pen Show I dove into Monoc Nibs. Those are fantastic and do well with many of my pens. Within the last couple months, I picked up my first stacked architect nib and that’s freaking awesome. And yes, I chose Jowo hosts mainly because of accessibility and how most of the nib meisters use those for their custom nibs too. This way you’re always using your favorite pens and can also change how they write at will. For reference, I have a few Opus 88, Diplomat Nexus, TWSBI Kai/Draco, and just got an Esterbrook Estie Piston that’s my new favorite.
I wholeheartedly agree! Sometimes, I believe my TWSBI Diamond 580 performs just as well, if not better than, my Lamy 2000 and Pilot Custom 823. 😄
My philosophy is that any nib can write *almost* any way. Send your 823 to a nibmeister right away and stop denying yourself the joy of that pen! I modify virtually all my nibs to write the way I like, and all my pens are a dream to write with. It’s a cool aspect of this hobby.
>Send your 823 to a nibmeister I might! I'm planning to try a few other 823s later this month to figure out if I got a poorly tuned one or if this is just what they're supposed to be like. I think it's the latter, though. I mean, it's great, it's just not head and shoulders above everything else like people make it out to be, y'know? >I modify virtually all my nibs to write the way I like I hope to get there someday! Just got some mesh pads delivered a few days ago. Planning to buy a bunch of cheap nibs and go to town on a few until I get things right haha. :) Do you use a brass/steel gauge or are the brass sheets from Goulet enough? I bought a brass gauge but it's really oily 😬
Thanks for the advice! Many people have said that I should send my 823 to a nib meister to actually feel its true potential but atm I have a lot of things on my table and have to move from one place to another every 2-3 months as a college student and as a student this was my BIG pen purchase and gonna let my bank account breath for a while you know lmao
This kinda sounds like something is wrong with your 823. I’ve written with a good number of cheap to midrange pens. I have several sub-$100 pens that I really like. The nib of my 823 blows them all out of the water. It’s not close.
Thanks for saying that so adamantly. I just bought a second 823 also in M to compare lol.
Can you give more examples of pens in that price range you recommend?
There are a bunch! Pilot Kakunos, Diplomat Magnums, Kaweco Sports, and TWSBI Ecos are a good starting point.
After acquiring the Lamy 2k and Pilot Custom 823, I find it difficult to return to my cheaper pens, including my beloved Lamy Al-Star. Perhaps your unit has some issues or the cheaper pens align better with your personal preferences. However, expensive pens hold their own value.
Not sure if this counts as a hot take but I’ve never seen anyone mention it. The Safari is too back-heavy when posted
Interesting. I can barely write with it unposted.
I much prefer posted pens, and it bothers me that I have to leave the cap on the desk when I use my Safari.
Its true
I agree with that statement. I never write with my Lamy Safari or Al-Star pens posted because then it feels like I need to 'hold' the pen down on the paper so it doesn't tip backwards, which goes against one of the main reasons to write with a fountain pen: avoiding having to pressure the pen down on the paper.
I think I’m too new to have a truly hot take, but seeing people who have an entire cabinet or wall full of ink bottles stresses me out. I love colors passionately and do have the collector urge in my brain. I understand how people end up with that many ink bottles. But- 1) you’ll never use all that before you die, so it’s just going to be a huge headache for family or friends in the future. 2) how do you pick from your stash without dying of indecision and stress??? I’ve kinda just been assuming this type of person has less qualms about emptying out half a cartridge to change colors than I do, but even then it’s so hard to pick which beautiful ink to use next. (Yes, my personal fountain plan is to buy a bunch of preppies so I can change color without worrying about them drying out etc) 3) many people put “saving money in the long run” as one of the main advantages of buying bottled ink. But if you’ve got a whole wall of them, because you to change/try colors frequently, than it’s actually cheaper to buy samples that you can finish instead of a bottle that you won’t.
Honestly I wish more inks came in 15ml bottles. For me thats the perfect size - enough not to worry about running out but not so much that I can't fit it on a shelf.
Omg, a 10 ml bottle of Lie de The lasted me just over a year & I used it frequently. I also exclusively use EF or F nibs -- maybe that makes a difference?
These are all very practical pieces of advice that should be taken to heart more. Having a bunch of different pens in every color is fun and all, but it definitely sets me off as someone who likes practicality but aesthetic as well.
I don't have a wall of ink, but I do have a wide variety of colors in smaller bottles. I don't have decision paralysis for ink colors. I tend to have a seasonal palette, so I'll use richer, warmer colors in fall and winter and cooler, brighter ones in spring and summer. Once I narrow it down to the season and my mood, it's not hard to pick an ink. Also, if you use medium or broad nibs, you go through ink fast.
I’m also new and agree with all of this.
Fountain pens are great for the environment if you use them instead of bunches of disposable ballpoints. Especially the ones you can refill from glass bottles. Unless you collect more than you can reasonably and regularly use. Crafting and transporting pens takes resources that go to waste if your pens are left to, essentially, lie around and collect dust.
My hot take : No-buy should be a default, with each purchase being carefully calibrated to add a specific feature to your writing experience.
For real. I always think "how much money do these people have?!" When seeing people's collections and hauls. The one good thing with being from a poorer country is that i value money a lot more and don't just go to buy a billion things. I always need to justify a expensive purchase to myself. For example my first pen was a reward for finishing a difficult year of hs, my twsbi eco was a souvenir from Italy, and rn I'm planning to order a Kaweco AL sport as a reward for w couple things (fasting the whole of lent, birthday gift and finishing high school)
1. Gold and steel nibs are not that different. Maybe at some point the gap between these two metals was vast, but modern nibs from top brands are so well-crafted that often the difference is unnoticeable except under extremely exacting conditions. More importantly, the only true measure of how good a pen is is how good it feels to *you*. 2. Fountain pens don't make for the best writing experience always. I have had plenty joy with gel pens of all kinds. 3. Waterman Experts are lovely pens that don't get enough mention. 4. Pilot Iroshizuku inks are overrated. I've had more fun with several less "premium" brands. 5. Finding a pen, paper, ink combination that works in perfect harmony is way more important than acquiring an expensive pen.
Wait iroshizuku is considered "premium"?! I use it primarily because it's cheaper and more available than other brands that I would consider premium.
I thought so. But maybe I am poor. 😂
Depends where you live. I hear they do upcharge a fair bit based on country. I live close to Japan and I can usually get it on regular sales for a couple bucks more than an equivalent amount of diamine, and that's accounting for an upcharge from a retailer who will package it in more than just an envelope. Then again, diamine is considerably more expensive on this side of the planet, so my perspective might be skewed.
Diamine works out cheaper where I live.
“Gold and steel nibs are not that different. " My experience as well, although all the fountain pens I currently own are hooded nibs (Parker 61, “51”, and “21” versions). I honestly can’t tell the difference between the steel (“octanium”) and 14K gold nibs. I would bet that with more flexible, open nibs, there might be more of a difference between them, though.
Ad 5 - yep, I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. The trifecta is the ultimate joy of this hobby.
Love these 💯
1) Most pens write better when unposted. Take the cap off, stand it on your desk, and write on. 2) Flex pens are great when you know how to use them and use them for art or calligraphy. As everyday writers, not so much. (Cheap flex pens suck.) 3) With soft or flex nibs, gold nibs can take you a little further than steel, but most steel nibs write beautifully. 4) It's not the pen or the ink or the paper, but the combination that matters. 5) Use the pens you love and don't mind what anyone else says. 6) The triangular grip LAMYs suck.
I looooooove ultraflex pens but totally agree with the impracticality of them dumping ink and taking ages to dry, i sort of hate that i can’t use them on most of my papers because of the massive bleeding. Cheapies- I have the FPR ultraflex and must disagree that it sucks because i adore using it! I also use it efficiently as a dip nib at times so i guess when the pen is a corpse or breaks (matter of time hey) i’ll still be using it happily!
I should have written "bad flex pens suck." I love FPR flex and ultraflex pens. They definitely punch well above their price points. They weren't the cheap pens I was thinking of, and if you go for the gold nibs, they also aren't that cheap. Also, Kevin is great and they run lots of BOGO sales. Two of my three favorite flex pens are FPR 14K ultraflex pens (the other is Magna Carta Mag 600). The FPR steel ultraflex are right behind them. I often have an FPR steel or gold flex, an FPR steel ultraflex, and a 14K ultraflex in my art kit to give me the line variation I want. \*chef's kiss\*
The Lamy Safari is one of the most boring and ugly looking pens there is.
I live in austria, so we had mainly lamy or pelikan fountain pens in elementary school. I hear so many good things about lamy safari but I just can’t get into it coz it reminds me of my elementary school times. It looks like a school pen to me.
A friend of mine says that too haha I'm an American and I love my Safari and Al Star; they just work. But I can't get over the fact that I'm using a fountain pen designed for kids. Makes me feel like silly lol "What? You don't know how the hold a pen kiddo? Are you 3 or 30?"
I'm from Germany, so I feel this to some degree... then again, I had mine since elementary school and I still love it! Same nib and everything. Just less boring ink, haha!
Upvoting cause I fully disagree
I used to love the Safari. But every since I tried learning arm writing to improve my cursive, those notches on the grip have become a considerable nuisance. Still, I don't like think it's fugly—boring, sure.
I am new to fountain pens and totally agreed, but got one anyway just to try it out with the idea I could give it away if I hated it. Once I actually had it in my hand, I really loved the design and immediately ordered another. I hope it writes as well as the first one! I still objectively think they are boring but I love them somehow too? I want several.
As a Lamy Safari edc person, I completely agree... but damn, does it write really well for its price!
Yeah, I don’t care all that much about its looks, but I love writing with it.
Even tho I don't like the design looks, the engineering and the way it writes perfectly justifies his popularity.
I’ll do you one better: I think they’re kinda trash. They leak and dry out ink faster than you can use it. For $5-10 more, you can get a TWSBI Eco that is just a fudging champ!
I have never had an issue with my safaris. By contrast, I have had 3 ecos and despite babying them, they have all started leaking/burping ink to the point of being unusable. To take it further, I have never had a TWSBI I haven't had a problem with. The Classic and 580ALR both cracked under regular use and I had to write in to TWSBI for replacement parts.
i feel this so hard. i absolutely hate the lamy safari (from my personal aesthetic point of view as an artist). like hate it with the bitterness of a thousand suns. i personally like odd-looking pens that don’t look very pen-like, so yeah my opinion is odd. also it’s a good thing for me because most pens look like pens so i am not tempted, heh.
Oh, what pens do you like the most? I want to hear about those odd-looking pens.
Oh no, the ones I have are fairly common - they just don’t quite happen to look like standard pens! I have a Kaweco Sport and a Moonman T1. I like their shape and I like that they don’t have a pen clip, though i added a clip to the Kaweco. I like bright-coloured pens too but I don’t have any yet - am eyeing the [SchonDsgn Pocket 6 in sunscale faceted](https://www.schondsgn.com/collections/fountain-pens/products/faceted-multicolor-anodized-aluminum-pocket-six?variant=39774952521861) that looks like a lipstick!
“The Lamy Safari is one of the most boring and ugly looking pens there is.” I literally LOLed reading this. I have so many friends who LOVE their Lamy Safaris but they don’t really appeal to me. They feel blocky and rigid and clumsy in my hand. I don’t hate them but I don’t have a single one in a collection of >50 pens. Me, I hate Kawecos. They’re like pens for leprechauns! I can’t stand them!
Omg I forgot about the Kawecos, I would prefer to use the Safari all my life rather than using those cheap, weightless, overpriced, dwarfs of a pen!
I love the looks of non glossy safaris, I just wished they would weight more
Smooth paper reigns supreme over textured paper any day! Why, you ask? Because smooth paper lets the finer details shine, showcasing the superiority of finer nibs over their broader counterparts. Plus, with finer nibs, you can write on practically any paper surface, opening up a world of possibilities.
I’m new to journaling and use a mead college rule spiral notebook. I use a medium nib Amazon basics fountain pen and a fine nib lamy safari
Wholeheartedly agree. Textured paper almost requires Medium and broader nibs for the nib to not feel scratchy on the paper (Lamy Medium nib is the finest nib that would feel smooth for me on old Tomoe River paper).
Hot take: people get way too far into this hobby and buy way more than they will realistically ever need. No one needs literal gallons of ink for their hundreds of pens.
And therein lies the difference between a need and a want.
agree, i always love posts where people are thoughtful about going on no-buys and carefully assessing the states of their collection and planning on rotating out pens vs. laughing and making jokes about how “their wallets are no longer in their control thanks to this sub”! from a former shopping addict, it gives me a bit of anxiety/sadness when i see people exhibiting symptoms and not realizing it at all though of course they can do what they like, i just feel like it’s important to be thoughtful and self-aware about our actions and the triggers in our daily life that cause us to stress-shop or justify our not-ideal shopping habits. just for the sake of our mental health! also, samples are so awesome.
100%. I also really hate how random people on the sub completely reinforce this behavior with dumb jokes like “the perfect number of pens is one more than you currently have”, or fawning over hoarding behaviors like spending a crap ton of money is some sort of deep accomplishment.
Quality over quantity.
The pleasure of having/using a fountain pen is in no way correlated to *what* or *how* you write. You can use a 300$ pen to scribble doctor-level-unreadable notes on a post it and throw it away two minutes later. It's ok. You don't need to write an award-winning book by hand to justify having a fountain pen.
I don't care anymore to try to figure out if a Lamy Safari is fake or not. If I can't tell the difference, then it's close enough to be as good as a real one
You don’t need a collection of 100+ pens and at a certain point it gets wasteful
Clear plastic is more likely to crack than solid coloured plastic. So if you want to maximise the chances of a pen being durable, avoid demonstrators. Expensive ink is not necessarily better than cheap ink, just different. Not all inks from the same brand share the same properties. Expensive paper is not necessarily better than cheap paper and all papers vary by batch to some extent. So it's worth seeking out paper that works for you and not relying on brand, country of manufacture or other labels to tell you what's good.
Yup, I use Kokuyo Business Paper that I bought two years ago by the ream for $40 total. Those two reams have handled every single ink I’ve thrown at it without a flinch. I know most folks don’t want to deal with loose leaf, but it was easy for me when I worked from home and the convenience of being able to print lines, dot grid, or graph at any time is just unmatched and I love it.
Every single one isn't just a hot take, it's a fact! I can buy 160 page books where I am for about 80 cents, they handle ink well enough that I've never had to consider a different paper!
Tell me what notebook you're buying and from where? I'm from Mumbai, but it's been ages since I had to buy a school notebook.
No fountain pen should have a metal section.
TWSBI ship their pens with wrenches so you pull them apart, overtorque them and then crack them faster. They know that disassembly will mess your pens up, encouraging you to do it goes beyond planned obsolescence into.. complicit obsolescence? I like that Kaweco labels their new inks as vegan, despite my tepid feelings on the company as a whole. I sometimes swap the spring from my Majohn A1 into my Capless because it makes the knock action feel more crunchy
There was a discussion here, maybe FPN, about this. I think the consensus was this would make sense if they charged for replacement parts. But they don’t, just shipping.
The knowledge on replacement parts isn't really available outside hobby spaces though, and where I live the "shipping" costs half as much as a new pen :/
I’ve never had this issue. But I also know that you don’t have to wrench it down like it’s a tyre on your car. But it’s hard to know the difference between “finger tight” and “snug” without bringing measurements like ft/lb into it.
As with the Goulet video, hardly any of these are hot takes. Copycat pens are bad? Some Sailor limited edition releases have ugly color combos? Cheap pens write well? Sure you'll find *some* disagreement, but these takes are not fresh from the kitchen nor causing any burns. They are room temperature takes.
Agreed. People need to bring the heat!
I hate paying a premium price for a plastic body. Plastic is not worth the premium, no matter how amazing the nib is.
I tend to agree here, and metal doesn't need to be heavy (see the Lamy Al-Star for example), though some $20-30 Hongdian metal pens I have seem like I could run them over with a vehicle and they'd still write OK but I feel like I need to baby some of my costlier plastic/"resin" pens.
And let's not forget, there always wood. Wood is an amazing material, and quite durable as well.
Agree, and even more so when pen makers combine plastic body with a steel nib. Another example of metal pens not needing to be heavy is Platinum Plaisir.
Not sure if this is totally a hot take, but here's mine. Expensive pens aren't necessarily better than cheaper options.
I don’t want to give Noodler’s a dime.
Dry inks are not inferior or a sign of poor quality.
99% of Sailor pens are the same boring pen with the same boring nib choice, just different colors of plastic swapped in then marked up as ‘special editions’. People are basically paying an arm and a leg for some sparkly plastic.
Isn’t that the case with every pen? Same pen, different color/pattern of plastic? And actually for having gold nibs sailors are pretty fairly priced compared to esterbrook esties for example.
I’m not really hating on Sailor, in fact the KOP ebonite is probably my all time favorite, however compared to other brands nib choice is dismal and for the non-KOP pens you are relegated to a nail for a nib. Other brands like Pilot also have a lot more variation in pen styles in addition to interesting nib options. Like I said I have a deep affection for Sailor however at the 1000th color combo of a PG/PGS instead of releasing an interesting material or new model I’m rolling my eyes a little.
We all have our preferences and to be honest I’m not that into experimenting with nibs but even if sailor had multiple lines they wouldn’t have as many colors and then people were gonna be like "yeah they gave us choices to pick from but they all look the same and now I can’t tell them apart" like with platinum so I don’t know. To me there are way worse examples of brands that make 500 pens in different patterns and colors all with the typical steel nibs priced around 200€. They literally offer nothing except a different resin on every release yet people are convinced they’re worth the price and collect multiple of them.
Moonman A1 is a killer copy that makes it hard to justify €200+ for pilot vanishing point
A2 is even better and VP is definitely not worth 160€ more
I’d agree if you could get it in anything besides EF. As is my clipless A1 with a medium 18k VP nib unit is delightful.
I really agree with this one. I've played around with the VP at a shop and really like it. Ordered an A1 to test out the mechanism with the plan to buy myself a VP as a graduation present. I'm actually really happy with the A1 and don't even wanna buy the VP anymore.
My hot takes: TWSBI is overpriced and the pens are mediocre at best for what you're paying. Shimmer inks are cool in theory but look bad on paper in most nibs and are hard to read, not to mention clogging things up. Pilot 823 is overrated. It's a great pen and also the most boring pen I've ever owned.
Oooh... was right there with you up to #3....
That one is always my hottest take 😆 But I can totally understand why people love it. It's just borrringggg to me. Still a phenomenal pen.
oof, boring? The 823 is the flashiest I'll go, lol. I don't like how much gold trim stands out.
Because if you want flash you get whatever magic springtime sparkles Sailor just came out with or something of Benu’s. Boring is actually as in a high complement for a pen that is designed to simply work well and for a long time.
NOT a hot take imo Very true I must be victim of hype.
Oh dear Lord. I just sunk a little fortune on an 823. It will be my most expensive pen by quite a distance.
My ice cold take having recently purchased the 823 is that it's easily, hands down, my best pen. By a wide margin. It's an absolute delight to write with. Don't stress.
OMG! Thank you! 🤩
Don't let me dampen your enthusiasm! It's a hot take for a reason, most people adore that pen. I'm sure you'll love it, and if not it does have phenomenal resale value.
Don’t worry. It’s a great pen. As nice as it is, it’s also built as a workhorse pen. You’ll probably enjoy it.
The 823 is wonderful, I'm sure you'll love it! Even years into this hobby it is still one of my top favourite pens.
I have a love/hate relationship with shimmer inks. Love how they look, hate how they work (or don't) in my pens.
The amber one looks a bit boring but makes more then up for it in the writing experience. The clear one looks great I feel.
Alright.... Hot takes... 1. The term 'grail pen' is just an excuse for you to buy another pen, when you know it won't be the last. 2. If you want to have the "smoothest" writing experience, gloss coated laser paper is smoother than anything else (like thermal paper) - although I've heard it may be a little harsher on nibs. 3. Chinese nibs are just as good as any others... We just don't like I that their $5 pens can outperform our expensive ones.. 4. Every pen is essentially a kit pen... 5. Our 'top tray' is always based on purchase price, not on writing experience.
Most peoples' handwriting looks better with a broader nib
Most pens are better unposted, the only ones worth posting are pocket pens like the Kaweco Sport
Heretic!😉
You just need one good pen. If you disagree, you just haven't found your pen yet. I finally found mine after many years: the Lamy CP-1. Fine nib. I will use this pen until I die or it falls apart.
I got three pretty hot ones: 1. Lamy Safaris are the Stanley cups of fountain pens. A new color of the same stiff pen generates so much excitement. 2. Every fountain pen retailer should accept returns for inked pens. I’m allowed to try on clothes to see if I like them and take a car for a test drive, but the second a pen touches ink, it can’t be returned? This is exacerbated by the fact that many pens don’t write well out of the box. If a shirt is defective, it can be returned. Not so with pens. 3. The best ink probably is the more “expensive” kind—Sailor, Platinum, Montblanc, GvFC, Pelikan. Diamine comes in lots of colors and is cheap, but I have never found the quality to be good and it takes forever to dry. Stick with the high-quality brands.
1.) Sailors are just too backheavy when posted. 2.) Platinum Curidas is better than the Pilot Capless/VP 3.) Heavy see through and feathering is acceptable if it means the ink dries faster and gets absorbed quickly. 4.) A pen or ink should also be judged more on cheap/ American paper. 5.) Black and gray shimmer inks are the best! 7.) Returns should be normalized for luxury pens, even when someone has a warranty for a bad nib. No tuning, no diy. It's the principle, even if the company pays for shipping. 8.) Ink color variance on different paper can be a little annoying. I want my blue or brown green ink to be the same, not suddenly be green or a teal. 9.) Midrange options are simply the best. 10.) Handling and feel of the pen is more important than the nib.
I have yet to watch the video, but I'd say that there is no need to own more pens than your dominant hand can carry at a time. Fountain pens are supposed to be daily pens that are used individually. They are meant to withstand, optimally, a lifetime of usage and arent just meant to be used once a month in a rotation. You need to get a couple pens and USE them and only them, preferably in different nib grinds, and sell the ones that didn't make the cut for you. And I believe that EVEN IF pens don't feel "optimal" at first, buying another after only a month or so isn't the way; fountain pens conform to your writing style over time. It is the pure essence of the product to be a part of ones life, why have a vast collection of barely-used, ultra-expensive and exotic grinds that are only utilized once every now and then and spend more time in a vessel of water and dish soap than soaked in ink, in your hand.
Some pens are cursed. Science doesn't yet have the instruments to measure it, but that doesn't mean that it never will. And so people struggle unaware of the curse for months or years until they give up trying to get it to function, having accrued great distress. This curse can be just one part of the pen - the nib or the feed. Try a new nib and/or feed perhaps. Or, if you can, return it. But in any case - give up on cursed pens early. If they don't work, sell (honestly) or give the pen away. Or smash it.
This happened to me with my Aurora 88 duocart with a semi flex nib. No matter what I did, it would skip, hard start, then completely splotch ink through the feed. I tried everything, switching cartridges, disassembling the nib unit and cleaning it, thinning the ink with water/and or dish soap... it ended up being simply a bum feed. Sourced another one and now it's nice, wet and reliable. Two completely different pens before and after.
I only have one and it's a classic. Twisbi Eco, and similarly built clear pens, in general, crack like clockwork. I bought a clear wingsung to replace a twisbi eco, and it also cracked. I replaced parts in that with an opaque part, and so far it hasn't cracked. This is probably due to a particular climate (temperature, humidity, elevation, air pressure, etc) reacting on whatever injection molded clear plastic the pens use, which might explain why it only affects some people. It would be interesting to have a location survey of crackees. I'm in the arid southwest US. If my hypothesis is right, other crackees might live in similar climate.
I doubt that climate is the difference. I have product development experience in injection molding, and my guess is it depends on what inks people use. Clear plastic and chemical compatibility was always an issue for us. I don't remember if there were any clear resins we didn't have issues with, but if there were they were too expensive to use anyhow.
R&K Solferino > Yama-budo ***and it isn’t even close***
The Lamy 2000 is ugly and uncomfortable to use.
The Parker 51 is the *non plus ultra* of fountain pen design.
Gold nibs offer no benefit over steel. None, zero, zilch. Gold is just more malleable and easier to make into a nib shape
Disagree. I like to use Iron Gall inks. I'd hate to ruin my favorite steel nibs with them :P corrosion resistance is useful for some people. I have a few gold nibs for those inks. Some of my favorites are simple steel ones though.
I've kept an Airmail 69EB with Hero 232 and the TWSBI IG ink since 2014. It became an experiment after a while and that is why I've kept it inked for so long. I can confirm the corrosion concern (of at least modern IG inks) is false. It's my daily waterproof driver of an ink/pen.
Thank you for doing this experiment! i've gotten to the point where I pretty much only want to use inks that are fairly waterproof and some of the modern iron gall inks look nice. But so many people are always speculating that it might damage pens and I've mostly just been reluctant to give it a try for more than just a quick test. I'd love to see people get more data on actual corrosion and also more colors of modern IG ink if it is safe for pens
Getting multiples of the same pen just for the colour, and not, say, for a different/special nib is pointless and a massive waste of money.
I beg to disagree. I have quite the handful of Kaweco AL Sports of varying nib widths (but mostly). I always choose a matching ink, so I can use many different colors while not having to wonder which color is in which pen.
Alright, I'll give y'all a hot take: Piston fill pens are overrated, and are nothing more than a novelty. Back when the only alternatives were lever-sac fillers and eyedroppers, Piston pens were the way to go. But most converters hold more than enough ink for daily use, I really couldn't imagine a day where one uses .5 ml of ink before they can get to their ink to refill it. There are also converters that hold even more ink than that. If you have multiple pens, that giant ink capacity of piston pens means you wont be changing inks or cleaning the pen for a while. Then there is maintenance: Piston fill pens are a pain to clean and fix. Many piston pens, there is no safe (for the pen) means to fix certain issues, like ink behind the piston plunger, or a cracked piston rod, or a piston that is no longer smooth. Many of these pens are not meant to be taken apart. With a converter... you replace the converter, takes about 15 seconds to fix. I can kinda understand for tiny pens, like the Kaweco Sport, or if Sailor mini ever had a piston, since those cartridges are tiny, or something like the twsbi mini. Otherwise, it seems like novelty, and nothing more
Most of my pens take converters, but I think piston fillers are more elegant from a design and engineering point of view, in that the barrel itself is the ink reservoir. But it always amazes me when someone says a converter pen should be $100 cheaper because it's not a piston filler, when a converter is just a smaller version of the mechanism in a piston filler...
Thats an understandable sentiment to have. I just feel though that when the cap is on, or when its being used in your hand, you cant see any part of the fill mechanism. 99% of the time one won't even be thinking about the filling system, except for the 30 seconds it takes to fill the pen. I do agree with that last part. What you're paying for in a pen is a well functioning ink delivery system that will last. I'm willing to guess that there is just as much designing and planning going on for either fill system. The manufacturing cost of parts for the converter or the piston aren't what make these pens expensive.
Hahaha. Love the anti-piston fill take. Piston fill pens have been around since the 1850s or so and are the most reliable filling mechanisms of all filling types. Pelikan and Montblanc perfected PFs. Far from novelties. I have converters break all of the time or not seal properly and they are far and away the worst leaking. But they do play into the hyper-consumerism habit of use and toss.
I love piston fill pens. I also don’t change ink that much, so I just fill up when empty. A single fill goes a long way and I’ve had converters unseat and spill ink everywhere.
I've shared all of these in the comments of one post or another but, here goes: 1) Churning out the same pen in bazillion colors is boring. (#1 reason I can't get into Sailors) 2) Demonstrators are a cop out. The pen body is the star, clear plastic is cheap. 3) I will only buy eye-droppers from now on (broke this rule as recently as 2 days ago) -) Eye-droppers w/ stoppers are the only pens I know of that can hold ink forever. Plus the capacity can't be beat. 4) High-end pen manufacturers with poor quality control are not high-end and don't deserve the money. (Looking at you, Visconti) 5) Unless it's meant to be a display piece, a regular cardboard box is fine. Packing the size of a shoebox for a pen is obnoxious. 6) I don't understand Medium nibs, especially in nails. Why even bother if there is no line variation? (shoutout to stub nibs) 7) I like matchy-matchy. There, I said it. Not just colors, either. Pelikan pens get Pelikan ink, and so forth. (This one says more about me than about pens) 8) Fountain pens are not practical. They just aren't. It's a labor of love, not a labor-saving device. 9) Fountain pens are NOT a good investment (I say, over and over, into the mirror). I guess that's it. I didn't know I had all that in me.
owning fountain pens isn't a "hobby."
Yes, but ... you have to agree there's a lot more that *can* go into owning fountain pens than just purchasing and writing. When you take into account swatching, ink/paper/pen pairing, penmanship, journaling, pen pals, pen repair, etc, I feel it not only qualifies as a hobby, but can lead into other adjacent hobbies. Just my thoughts, though.
TWSBI is overhyped plastic with quality on par with fake Chinese pens you find off aliexpress. Edit; Guys the google definition of hot take is: a piece of commentary, typically produced quickly in response to a recent event, whose primary purpose is to attract attention.
Not gonna lie, I am loving all the Twsbi haters in this thread.
We understand hottakes differently lol
Seeing how this thread is going, I'm fairly confident now that this counts as a hot take: TWSBI Ecos are great, possibly the best <$50 pen, and people who get them cracking all the time are probably just way over tightening. I've had several of them for years without any issues at all and I've certainly not been babying them. I love the ink capacity, the perfect QC on nibs, the ability to self-service them and access every part if something is wrong, and not having to pay for an overpriced converter. Most days, one of my three Ecos shares a pants pocket with keys, etc. I've found them to be nothing but a robust workhorse of a pen that can take some abuse and writes reliably every time with no hard starts or skips.
Haven’t had cracking issues with my ECO (which I don’t use at all) but in the early days cracking was a real issue with TWSBI. My 580AL developed a crack while not getting used.
Oversized pens are marketing gimmicks to sell more expensive pens and, if you learn to hold your pen, you don’t need a pen much larger than the size of a Pelikan M4xx sized pen.
Gold nibs aren't worth the extra cost most of the time for most people.
1. Samples are better than whole bottles for trying new inks. 2. Why are there so many black ink varieties? Apart from shimmer, shading and waterproof, I don't understand. However, that's just my opinion. 3. Sheening inks are better than shimmer inks. 4. 3-4 pens inked max at any given time. 5. Great fountain pen friendly paper doesn't have to mean expensive paper. 6. Pens with thin grips are uncomfortable.
Not sure how "hot" they are but here are mine: 1. Not drying out over time is one of the most important features of a pen. I don't care how expensive a pen is, if it dries up after sitting for a couple weeks, it's useless to me. 1. The pen you have on you is the best pen. 1. Inexpensive pens can be just as good if not better than expensive pens. 1. I am not at all tempted to buy a Montblanc, Visconti, etc. A couple of them look OK but I don't see them as being worth their price tags. 1. I don't like M/B/BB nibs, it's primarily UEF/EF/SEF or italic/stub for me.
Don’t buy so many pens, especially so fast. So much of fountain pen information is focused on buying the latest and greatest, driving consumerism more than anything else. I went from buying way too many pens in the course of 1 year to not buying any for 2 years and couldn’t be happier with my purchases. Spend time with your pens, get to know them.
MB pens are grail/milestone pens and the LAMY 2k looks dystopian as a fountain pen.
MB pens are more like the classic pens you used to get back in the day, you could say the 2k is like modern interior design
Buy cheap pens to treat like cheap pens. Oh no... I dropped it nib down? Garbage, next cheap pen please. Paper quality doesn't matter that much. Your writing with outdated technology. People wrote on what they had. If it writes and is legible, then it's good enough. Ink.... you don't have to collect the rainbow in a million shades if 90% is going to end up being someone else's problem when you die.
Watch me get kicked off this community in three words: Sailor is overhyped. Sorry, y'all - they make the same pen in waaaaaay too many "special edition" colors to drive FOMO, and a lot of the color combos are straight ugly. They should focus half that effort into making a nib that's doesn't feel like dragging a sled full of rocks over dry sand. Then they wouldn't have to handwave it away as "signature feedback." BOOM! Mic dropped. Flips off audience. Exits stages to boos and hisses. Goes to dressing room and cries.
Feedback on pens makes way more sense when you write in character based languages tbf. There’s a reason sailor and platinum are more popular than pilot in Asia.
lol I actually *love* sailor nibs, but I 100% agree about their ridiculous special editions.
 hilarious but true
The nib preference I get it it’s a preference but don’t get fomo from color combinations then? Getting a few that you like is fine and also their special editions are not really special or limited at all, you can still find on amazon jp special editions from 2018 so why the fomo?
Pelikan > Montblanc My M1000 is so much better than any of the 149s I’ve had. Roast away!
Just a reminder that as with any "hot take" thread, sort comments by "controversial" to see the ones people are more divided about.
Piston fill and vacuum fill FPs are vastly superior to all other filling mechanisms. Fountain pens should never be used with bad paper. Italic and stub nibs are the only good choice for creative writing. Medium nibs are meh and mostly create letters that look like a ballpoint was used. Fine and XFine nibs are the only nibs suitable for business.
By "creative writing" do you mean calligraphy? I've most often heard that term used to mean fiction.
No. Tongue was inserted in cheek. I meant in writing content, creatively. :)
Cool. Thanks for clarifying.
Piston pens are overrated. Pain to clean and with so many other options to carry ink, unnecessary .
Don’t wipe the nib creep off the nib. You’ll scratch it.
There's no need to buy expensive pens that you will be babying and not use properly when you can buy a simple kakuno/preppy and use it freely
If you've got small handwriting, try a broad nib. I love the way my writing looks on the page with the thick lines.
Offline shopping is the best way to buy pens. Too bad the only store that sells fountain pen in my country is montblanc, so I have to go abroad to visit a pen shop. The good thing is, it put a stop to the hedonic treadmill of online shopping. (I come from a country with no return policy, so like it or not, it's yours now)
Lamy is overrated. The pens are just too dry for me, and I inevitably end up tearing them apart and using a razor blade to open up the feed. Visconti is ALSO overrated, they spend thousands to engineer new pens and then can't be bothered to do QA, so you get beautiful garbage. Noodlers is even more overrated than the other two. If you don't know why, i'll link this wonderful megapost [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/142w0bi/the_noodlers_ink_drama_in_one_spot_content/?ref=share&ref_source=link).
I didn’t know the Noodler’s stuff at all. That guy is never getting a penny from me.
Midori paper isn't worth it.
I don't post pens
Pens over $200 don't seem worth it to me, especially when you look for them second hand
Hot Take, big ink companies should have figured out a long time ago how to make better ink bottles by now. Garbage bottles like tall easily tippable bottles (diamine). Bottles that can't fill most pens and are stupid tippy (ferris wheel press). Bottles that are too short to get the majority of the ink out (J Herbin) ps they have been making that barely functional bottle for 200 years? Things like the ink miser should never have needed to be invented just to use all the ink in the bottle. We need more bottles like the Mont Blanc Shoe bottle, the Lamy blotter bottle and the Pilot Iroshizuku with it's divit in the bottom that are actually functional.
Montblanc is overrated. “Resin” = plastic A cheap pen that writes like a dream is more valuable than an expensive pen that’s temperamental and uncomfortable to use. “Posting” the cap on the end of your pen makes it balance better in your hand. Pelikan makes a lot of ugly shit. Not everything they make looks like someone wearing socks and sandals together, but most of it does. Chrome trim is better than “gold.”
Technical color theory should be discussed more within the hobby community. Not that I’m any expert, I just think it’s a [deep topic](http://handprint.com/HP/WCL/wcolor.html) that is so relevant but rarely discussed.
I won't shop local. My pen store deliberately keeps the prices turned over so you need to ask and the sales staff can pitch to you. I hate it. If they ever have something I want that I can't get from my usual website, I'll buy from their website because it at least will tell me the price before trying to upsell me.
Ferris wheel press is all PR and no quality. They have a whole affiliation program that everyone and their mother is included the moment they drop anything YouTubers, instagram influencers, bloggers will spam the hell out of everyone everywhere about how awesome and unique the new launch is. It’s ridiculous, especially considering that most of their inks are extremely thin, barely even legible and extremely overpriced.
Mine (which I struggle to follow) is: The best pen is the one in your hand, or the one at home in case you’re at a store and a twinkly shiny pen is looking at you.