edited for tl:dr questions at bottom

I never know exactly what is going to pique my interests at any given time, however once it happens I tend to try to learn as much as possible about it. The most current item has become fountain pens. Admittedly, my quest here isn't about the origins or production of fountain pens. I am more curious about the purchase. I get a bit wordy at times, so my questions will be blue.

I dug through the forum and found these posts:
Ink pen aficionados
Fountain pens
Fountain pen roll call

Those also led me to The fountain pen network site where I have spent a bit of time, but can't really get into the site interface and am still waiting on membership approval.

In case it helps, I tend to use the uniball 207 pens which are .7mm gel pens.

I went to Office Depot and grabbed a cheap Sheaffer caligraphy mini kit to test the waters. It comes with three (3) nibs and four (4) ink cartridges for around $20.00. So far, I have used the medium and fine nibs. Just started with the broad nib but haven't written enough to comment. Of the other two (2) nibs, I preferred the medium. So now, I want to move into something with more quality. Size and weight wise, I could potentially go larger. The grip is adequate. The cheap is readily apparent. I like the line differences the nibs create. Does this mean I won't like the fountain nibs unless they are stub or semi flex?

In the earlier mentioned posts I saw some recommendations and have looked at several suggested. I admired the posted collections. I realized I have no desire to spend hundreds of dollars (at this time ) on a pen.

How does one determine the best length and thickness of the barrel without being able to hold them or try them first? It seems for the most part the options available are plastics, metals, resins, or wood. What are you drawn to and why? Quality nibs are mostly German or Japanese. Which ones do you prefer and why? Do you prefer a pen that posts or doesn't? Please expand on your reasoning. Do you prefer press on or screw on caps and why? If you like screw on, do you prefer 2 twist or 1.75 twist? What is the best ink system if cartridges aren't used? I haven't researched that at all yet. I have seen reference to cartridges, converters, and eye droppers?

I believe I have decided I want something by an American manufacturer even though the nib will be foreign. I have found Franklin Christoph which used to be in Georgia but moved to South Carolina. Out of that collection, I am drawn to the 20 or 20p, but don't really have a frame of reference. I also found Conklin All American at the Goulet site. The wood and gun metal linked is my favorite. Then I stumbled onto the Allegory site. Sadly, the 1941 series of fountain pens is sold out. The bard catches my eye though.

What tips do you have for someone who wants to experience fountain pens, but also won't likely become an aficionado?

I look forward to any guidance offered. Part of this journey will also be attempting to write more neatly as well as more often.

Thanks.

questions
Nibs -Does this mean I won't like the fountain nibs unless they are stub or semi flex?

How does one determine the best length and thickness of the barrel without being able to hold them or try them first?

Materials - What are you drawn to and why?

Nibs - which ones do you prefer and why?

Do you prefer a pen that posts or doesn't?

Do you prefer press on or screw on caps and why? If you like screw on, do you prefer 2 twist or 1.75 twist?

What is the best ink system if cartridges aren't used?

What tips do you have for someone who wants to experience fountain pens, but also won't likely become an aficionado?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ffips,

A simple question, What are you going to do with the fountain pen? Collect or like Montblanc says, Sign important documents? BTW I like Montblanc.

Get a couple Pilot Metro pens as a cheap but quality test base. They have a couple nib sizes.

ZSMICHAEL, my goal would likely be to start writing more. Letters, cards, perhaps even take up journaling.

I'm certainly no expert, but last year I purchased 5 or 6 inexpensive fountain pens from Goulet Pen Co as well as an assortment of inks.

I bought several Pilot Metropolitans and a few others,can't recall the brands right this second, none were expensive at all, less than $30 bucks or so each at most. I'm very happy with them.

I'm not an elegant penmanship writer, I bought these for the intention of being able to nicely address and write Birthday and other such Cards as well as an occasional hand written letter. I like how it turns out and I get nice response back from those who receive what I mail.

In todays climate of emails, sloppy printing and penmanship, it's just really nice to send something hand written in a nice look.

Try some Pilot Metropolitans, they seem to be very good for the price, and get some ink samplers, also very inexpensive. It's probably prudent to try this before you sink a lot of money.

Go to Goulet Pens and look around.

BTW I'm left handed and that's a bit of a challenge to work with on this topic.

Good luck to you.
.

Check out Goulet Fountain Pens as a fountain pen and ink vendor. It is a small family run business, and they have quality items including paper, journals, pens, ink, pen cases and such.

I love my Pilot Vanishing Point for an every day carry pen, and I have three nibs for it fine, medium and 1.0mm stub nib.

I prefer pens with "converters" or that are piston fill.. Converters are a cartridge that are re-usable.

Good luck, as fountain pens can be addictive.

quote:

Originally posted by lizardman_u:
Check out Goulet Fountain Pens as a fountain pen and ink vendor. It is a small family run business, and they have quality items including paper, journals, pens, ink, pen cases and such.

I love my Pilot Vanishing Point for an every day carry pen, and I have three nibs for it fine, medium and 1.0mm stub nib.

I prefer pens with "converters" or that are piston fill.. Converters are a cartridge that are re-usable.

Good luck, as fountain pens can be addictive.

I have three vanishing point Pilots, amongst others. They are my favorite but they are anywhere from $75 - $200 each.

Try some of the cheaper ones as noted above, so you know the proper size. I use a Montblanc daily and it is well worth the money. No skips, handles well and looks impressive. You get what you pay for in a pen.

The suggestion for Pilot pens to test the waters is a good one. The Varsity disposable line is incredibly cheap, and the nibs are generally a bit rough, but you can at least write with them and see if you dig fountain pens. Pilot also makes a nice "student" pen, the Kakuno. It's geared for elementary school aged kids learning to write, but they're fabulous value in an everyday pen you won't worry about losing. I picked a couple up in Tokyo the last time I was there. Japanese nib sizes, however, are one smaller than "rest of world" sizes. So a Japanese Fine is really an Extra Fine, Medium is Fine, &c.

I am a huge fan (and collector) of Lamy Al-Star (aluminum bodied) and Safari (plastic bodied) pens. They are the Glock of fountain pens. Ubiquitous, German-engineered and quality for not a lot of money; huge value proposition. The nibs are always good. I also have the iconic Lamy 2000 in both the original black composite and stainless.

I have a lot of fountain pens, across many brands and "ages", covering the entire cost spectrum. Bar none, my absolute favorite is an Ensso Piuma. Perfect combination--for me--of aesthetics, design, weight & balance, and writing quality (German nib). Alas, they are no longer available new. I had two, presented one to a very good friend of mine who previously swore by his Montblancs. He fell in love with this little Italian beauty, too.

Fountain pens are anachronistic, much like automatic or manual watches. Using one, however, is a timeless joy. Good luck on your search!

I have quite a few fountain pens from various makers: Pelikan, Aurora, Platinum, Conklin, Edison, a vintage Waterman, and others. I think nib preference is very personal. My Pelikans are great everyday writers as is the Edison, but I enjoy all of them!

quote:

Originally posted by lizardman_u:
Check out Goulet Fountain Pens ...

+1 for Goulet. I buy the Lamy special editions every year from them. Great communication, fast shipping, good pricing.

quote:

I love my Pilot Vanishing Point for an every day carry pen, and I have three nibs for it fine, medium and 1.0mm stub nib.

Oh, man! I went down a rabbit hole with Pilot/Namiki VP special editions and raden finishes maybe six or eight years ago. Superb writing instruments. My issue was the convertors never held enough ink!

quote:

I prefer pens with "converters" or that are piston fill.. Converters are a cartridge that are re-usable.

+1 on converters. I hate using cartridges. Far more variety in ink selection using a convertor, and none of the landfill concerns.

There is a nice fountain pen store in ATL. I forgot their name, but I bought my Lamy 2000 through them. I’d go there and try stuff out.

Honestly, I mostly use my Pilot parallel or platinum preppy, at my desk. (The preppy is loaded with an iron gall ink I like)

I carry Platinum 3776s.

VPs are nice, but not much ink capacity. Lamy safaris are great beater pens.

A Lamy 2000 is great for meetings/where you think you might take a lot of notes, but the clip is a bit weak.

I carry either a VP, or a screw on cap pen, which posts.

If the little munchkins had not done something with it, the FC 66 desk pen is great, if a bit dry. FC nibs just seem drier than I care for.

Aglifter, I would gladly go to a store in Atlanta. Do you have more details? I have found the Montblanc store at malls, but haven't visited one yet.

Thanks for the replies so far. One of the things I am trying to sort out is the various price points and what each "level" gains. I don't need a Lexus when a Toyota does the same thing.

Now, saying all that, if there truly is a drastically noticeable difference between a $100 pen and a $500 pen, please explain. I simply want to avoid the "holster box" full of pens to get to the VM2 if you can follow that logic. I understand that it's a personal preference thing, but I also tend to be able to dial in based on the input of others.

Shoot me an email with your address and I will send you a few different “this and thats” to get you started.



No $500 limited edition MB in there, but some neat starters, I have always liked the Lamy Safari, and the black and silver Pelikan 30 has a very nice semi oblique stub style nib that writes nicely for me.

Bill R

quote:

Originally posted by stylophiles:
Shoot me an email with your address and I will send you a few different “this and thats” to get you started.
...

Bill R

Thank you for the very generous offer sir. I will drop you an email to sort out the details.

To make things more difficult, ink and paper are all very different. Some ink will flow great in one pen, but not another. One ink may look perfect on one type of paper, but terrible on another type. That's what samplers are for.

Pilot factory inks are pretty run of the mill, good in all areas. Noodler's Black is a pretty good one.

Oz_Shadow, great points. In that areana, I am more willing to test and experiment. Am I correct to assume one would want to pick a pen/paper combo and then dial in the ink?

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
Oz_Shadow, great points. In that areana, I am more willing to test and experiment. Am I correct to assume one would want to pick a pen/paper combo and then dial in the ink?

Pen, then a few ink varieties in colors you like on a decent paper. Even good copy paper like Hammermill will work as a test paper. (the heavier 28/32 varieties - not 20lb)

equivet is spot on. Fountain pen nibs and size are very personal. Kinda like loudspeakers. Tastes and preferences vary widely.

I've been using fountain pens since the days when my age was a single digit. I came to really like the feel of larger pens in my hand such as the Pelikan M1000 and Waterman LeMan100. Screw on tops are best and less prone to issues. And yes I like them to post properly too. My last purchase was in 2017 when I picked up another large pen, the Italix Churchman's Prescriptor with an extra broad oblique italic nib which not only represented a much much less expensive pen bur also the first acquisition in well over a decade. It has been phenomenal.

Then there's the matter of nibs. I never could get on with fine and medium (although they do have their place especially with bookkeeping / ledgers) preferring bold lines (much more expressive) to be laid down when I wrote and especially when signing my signature. So bold and stubs have been my standard for as long as I can remember. There were times I'd buy a pen and have the manufacturer exchange the nib for me.

I laid in a large quantity of Fabriano EcoQua A5 notebooks with 85 g/m2 paper. Also enjoy Exacompta journals made with Clairefontaine paper. Both have been great with all matter of inks. Rhodia and many others also make nice paper for fountain pens. The next issue would be ink colors. There are a great many beyond just black or blue.

Bang for your buck, I'd recommend the Italix Parson's Essential @ $55. Loads of positive reviews about this average sized pen and the seller online. Mr. Ford aka Mr. Pen hand tweaks all the nibs on his Italix line of pens.
http://www.mrpen.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d184.html
Probably a medium nib although you could also buy an extra nib in broad at the same time and be able to change them out. Quick delivery to the US and no Customs hassles.







This illustration is from Pelikan. My M1000 is an OBB (oblique double broad).

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bald1,

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
Oz_Shadow, great points. In that areana, I am more willing to test and experiment. Am I correct to assume one would want to pick a pen/paper combo and then dial in the ink?

He makes an excellent point. I think you pick a pen then any paper that is good for a fountain pen will do. I only have one fountain pen and I went straight to a MontBlanc. I think it’s because I already have their pens prior. Pelikan and Waterman are also good brands.

A medium nib serves well for both signatures and note taking. It will work with a variety of papers. Wide will be too ostentatious for note taking unless you fancy yourself as a bard. Small might risk getting damaged if it snags on bad paper. Even if it doesn’t get damaged, I don’t like the risk of it catching and picking up fiber as you write.

As to paper, I use a journal by Gallery Leather Co. in Maine. I don’t know the paper composition. But using Montblanc’s Royal Blue ink, I like how as I write, the pen leaves a thin glistening bead of bright blue on top of the paper before it drops into the paper without smearing or having tendrils. I use the journal for my work journal and taking meeting notes and for my weekly journal.

I also prefer screw caps. One, so the cap stays secure to contain any spills. I’ve flown before with it and the ink comes out a little due to the air pressure.