Function first, fashion last.... well engineered items are both fashionable, sleek, sexy, and perform better then other options... my experience is fountain pens megaFAIL. I have however not found a good fountain pen yet. That said.. sometimes the inner punk wants to throw some fashion on the table!
I love them... I like to dabble with Calligraphy. I use 24lb paper with a quill pen and a ink well... Not something for EDC tho...
I've never successfully gotten the hang of flex nibs. One day, one day! I'd like to see your work, some day!
I've been using a Pelikan m205 for some time and I love it, but I'm afraid someone will steal it at work or that I'll loose it. I recently bought a Lamy Safari as a cheaper alternative so I wouldn't feel so bad if it was loSt or broken. I was expecting a significantly inferior product for the price, but I'm really surprised by how nice this pen writes. I'll have a hard time justifying the high price of another pen as long as these are available as a daily writer.
Loooove them Lamy are great entry level, but my favourites so far are original Stipula 22's and Pelikan 600's.. I have a small collection of 7 or eight mainly users, and a couple vintage.
So I just had my aforementioned Pilot Varsity leak all over my favorite old pair of Dickies. So ends my curiosity with Fountain Pens. Just too impractical for my needs, though I really did like the way it wrote... when it wasn't being finicky. Back to boring ball points.
I'm sorry, but as nice as some claim it is; the Pilot Varsity is still a disposable fountain pen. It's simply not going to be constructed as well as one meant to be refilled. That includes not just the nib, but the overall construction as well. When I worked as a pen salesman in a high-end shop, we did get a certain percentage of customers. They were the ones who used disposable ballpoint pens all their lives, thought that anyone who paid more than $1.99 for a 12-pack was a fool for wasting money on more expensive pens. But sure enough, they got into a situation in which their pen leaked. Usually all over something important to them. If it leaked inside a shirt pocket while at work, it also meant it leaked all over their dignity. (Probably the most important thing of all.) Sure enough, they'd stop by the store and definitely spend significantly more than $1.99 for just one pen. Please don't let this one experience sour you to using a fountain pen. It's like deciding to never get married simply because the first girlfriend you ever dated, dumped you. Women . . . They're not all the same.
I am fully aware of the limitations of an inexpensive... anything. I more or less wanted to see how practical a fountain pen would be for my day to day needs without investing a ton of money. I found my answer. I really need some kind of one handed retractable that is not at all picky about when and where it is used. Maybe if my job ever evolves into a desk position, or I find myself writing at my home desk more often, I'll revisit my fascination with them. I really do think they're neat.
By the way, I should clarify that it was not the pen's fault that it leaked. I was carrying it in my front pants pocket and at some point the cap worked its way off. Taking into account my daily activities, I probably had unrealistic expectations, but I am glad I tried.
The only retractable fountain pen would at a minimum, cost ya $150.00. That would be the Pilot/Namiki Vanishing Point/Fermo/Decimo. The Raden version is up there at $300.00, which I've been lusting after for like 8 years. hahaha Camlin makes like a $20.00 twist action one. Lamy makes the Dialog 3, which is close to $400.00. But those would require nimble yet strong fingers, or two hands.
Tried a cheap fountain pen after consulting mooshi. First thanks for your time and input. You are my Google when it comes to fountain pens. I am liking it a lot. It makes my handwriting look 100x better. I'll use it for work related stuff but I will still keep my Hinderer / zebra pens my go to pens. Sent from a Samsung Phone. Apple don't sue me!!
Used one before and I did like it. I didn't use it very much though because I have bad writing One day, I left it at the table and my dog thought that it would be a good chew toy. So that was the end of it and I haven't bought a new one yet after that.
Well, I took the plunge and got a couple of Hero 3015a pens (one black and one red) they are very fine point and scratchy at the moment, loaded with "Private reserve" Ebony green and Dakota red respectively. For $9 pens I think they will do nicely.
^ Well, Heros are pretty nice. But they do take some fiddling with as their QC is hit and miss. Best wishes to ya!
I own a Cross Beverly Fountain Pen in Purple. It wrote very well right out of the box and I like the thinness of the barrel and the weight of the pen. It fits my smaller hands better than most fountain pens that are designed for larger hands. The medium nib is a perfect width for note taking and general writing. I've been testing it on my various papers, even moleskine, and so far it is handling everything quite well. I would not EDC this pen, however. For EDC I still prefer Fisher Space Pens or my trusty Zebra F-701. I don't want to risk having leaks, damaging the nib, or having it dry out when I'm on the go. Still, I like the fountain pen and for $20 it was worth buying to try out. Anyway, I thought that I'd bring it up since I know that Kamm loves purple tools as much as I do. You should go to Staples and check out their sale this weekend, Kamm. The Beverly is a fine looking pen with stippling on the chrome and the purple lacquer is a strong Eggplant, not dainty at all, but quite beautiful.
I love the idea of them, but hate the execution of them. I have a Lamy Safari and while I love writing with it, i find myself replacing the cartridge or cleaning out the nib more than anything. Maybe it'd be different if I carried it and used it all the time, but my writing needs tend to be a fast scribble, so a ball point tends to come in handy more often. I need a nice fountain pen I can go to once or twice a week and have it work without having to clean out the nib or replacing a dried out ink cartridge.
