I have started keeping a journal recently and because I like to have nice things, I want to get a fountain pen to write with.
I know you guys prefer to argue about which linux runs best on why iphones are so battlestation bragging.
But I also know there's a big overlap between people who like watches and people who like fountain pens.
Anyone have any thoughts they could share on what makes a fountain pen good/bad, brand recommendations, ink choices?
Yeah, its the latest meme.
I have the Lamy Safari, really good pen. Tge best ink is Noodlers ink.
I turn pens and pencils as a hobby, and a lot of times I make fountain pens. They write very well, but I don't normally buy them outright. The ones I have bought are on the cheaper end, like the Pilot Metro and the Lamy Safari. Both are really good choices, but I still prefer the ones I make better.
Nothing beats a decent fountain pen made out of a solid block of purpleheart.
tfw you spill the ink
>>52921130
I have pilot metropolitan. worth the money and it look decent not autistic like with lami safari...
There are a few decent cheapo pens like metro, muji, and safari. Those are safe bets.
Once you get to higher price point, the vanishing point/capless is the standout pen. Very smooth nib with convenience of a ballpoint.
Best ink to use is iroshizuku, they're gentle on pens and work well even on cheap paper. But if you want waterproof, go for modern iron gall like Scabiosa and Salix.
>>52921661
Looks pretty nice indeed. Do they have versions with a screwed cap?
>>52921731
Pilot 78G uses the same nib with screwcap. Plastic body feels very cheap and light.
>>52921731
The only differences between them are the colors and the pattern in the center.
All of them are click caps.
>>52921130
Fountain pens are hand fedoras.
Also, not tech.
Saged and reported
>>52921130
I have had the one in the pic for over 10 years now, and it's a beast (http://www.cross.com/atx-basalt-black-fountain-pen.aspx).
It's rather basic, but still great quality for a entry-level mid tier fountain pen. It's heavier and the lid continues to fit well, unlike my faber castel, waterman (and cheapo noodler's ink) pens, all of which have started to have looser lids over the years. It's heavy enough that it doesn't feel cheap at all. I also particularly like how the stock has a heavy matte finish so it doesn't smear up or show scrapes at all.
All in all, I'd call this pen the best purchase I've ever made. It was $80 when I got it, but I'd gladly pay the $95 it currently costs if I somehow lost mine. A fountain pen is something that can indeed make writing enjoyable if you're going to write a lot.
>>52921789
>Fountain pens are hand fedoras
I can understand why somebody would get this idea, but if you write by hand a lot, then a fountain pen will improve your life even more than a good mechanical keyboard improves the life of somebody who types all the time.
>>52921789
>hand fedoras.
Pretty sure those are fingerless gloves
>>52921920
>fingerless gloves
ive literally seen a neckbearded fedora wearing faggot wearing them
>>52921950
>not liking having warm palms but free fingers for fast typing and fedora tipping
JETPENS.COM
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TWSBI Eco and some nice chinese cartoon land ink
>>52921467
It's an old meme senpai, pen threads have been around for years
>>52921789
>pens
>not tech
just because something doesn't use electricity doesn't mean it isn't tech you dork
>>52921838
dude you don't need to spend anything close to $80 on a fountain pen.
>but still great quality for a entry-level mid tier fountain pen
hahahaha you're being taken for a ride if you honestly believe the meme that you need to spend a ton of money to get a good fountain pen. a more realistic entry to mid level price would be about $30
>>52921990
Gotta say I really don't see the point except for some special uses (when you might need the extra grip or protection but not warmth, etc, like maybe when biking)
If its cold, I don't want my fingers to freeze either. If its warm, I don't exactly need gloves of any kind.
>>52922197
Sure, you can get a perfectly servicable pen for $30, but some people have different opinions on diminishing returns. I've used that pen heavily for 10 fucking years and it's still great. Also, I have yet to see any fountain pen for under $50 that isn't mostly plastic, and part of what makes the pen feel good to me is the weight (and to be honest, there are plenty of cheap feeling fountain pens for way over $100, too).
Basically, what I'm getting at is that some people find different characteristics important in a pen. To me, over $150 is too much to pay, but I'd be willing to spend up to that to get exactly what I want. Others may just care about having to use less pressure to write, and it's perfectly fine if they want to get a $2 noodler's ink pen to achieve that.
>>52922261
My friend, you have to wear the shorts, trench coat, and fingerless gloves. You can leave the coat unbuttoned to maximize airflow during warm weather, and keep your hands in the pockets and legs covered during cooler times. Finally, fingerless gloves are great for holding rough things that could otherwise scratch your palms.
>>52922417
dont forget flame converse
>>52922197
>>52922350
I understand that I can get a perfectly functional, effective plastic writing pen and I appreciate that. But I'm also looking for something that has some weight and style to it beyond the base functionality.
For pure functionality, I can just use a cheap ballpoint pen. I'm not writing that much; just a couple dozen lines in a small journal per day, if that.
But Im trying to get the most out of this small ritual that I can. I have a flip lighter (I dont smoke) that I use to light a candle if its too dark when I want to write just because it is nice and flip lighters are hella cool little machines.
I can go throwin away hundreds of dollars on a luxury item like a pen, but I am willing to pay up for something a little classier than a 100% perfectly functional plastic pen.
>>52922532
>I can go throwin away hundreds of dollars on a luxury item
I meant cannot.
If I could I would just be buying pens to see if I like them and not bothering to engage here.
>>52921130
You should always buy from a local company. The support of most manufacturers is absolutely stunning. I just sent in my Lamy Dialog 3 because it dried out too fast and I wanted a finer feather. I didn't even have to include any warranty card or bill or w/e. Just got a completely new one (it was about 2 years old) with a finer feather, free of charge.
It's pretty hard to utilize this service if you have to send your pen around the world first though.
>>52922532
>>52922350 here. If you are willing to spend up to $100, it really opens up a lot more possibilities, IMO. Anything beyond that, and you're basically paying for looks and/or gold plating. I still stand by >>52921838 being a great balance of weight, looks and durability.
In terms of the quality of the lines you draw, ink selection is probably more important than pen selection (but shittier pens are more likely to randomly dump blobs of ink if you're not careful).
Finally, the advice that should have been given earlier: if you live anywhere close to a pen or stationary store, they almost always are happy if people come in to test out pens. If you can, drop by a store and try writing with a few. It can be surprising to pick up a pen that looks like it's 100% metal and discover that it's actually really light and flimsy feeling. Same goes in the opposite direction--you may discover that a $15-30 plastic pen really is good enough for what you want.
noodler's is a fucking meme, only get their blacks and non-exotic colors, they look like shit dyes and not inks
j. herbin is pretty good
pelikan ink is ok
levenger is a meme
waterman is good but I was allergic to it /shrugs
diamine kinda sucks and looks like hooker mascara
aurora gunks up all your pens b/c viscous
skrip is washed out
parker quink is good and works in fucking everything, but it is somewhat boring
I want a really weighty rollerball pen that is high quality and preferably has a screw cap or a solid feeling push on cap, any suggestions? preferably not ridiculously priced as well
>>52922705
>noodler's looks like dyes and not inks
Wow, that's a great way to put it. Completely agree. Since it doesn't matter for black it's still a good way to go if you're wanting to save money. (I still wouldn't trust using it in one of my better pens)
My favorite blue in terms of color has to be private reserve's midnight blue, but it runs like crazy compared to most other brands' blue inks.
>>52922705
>pelikan ink is ok
Pelikan 4001 is utter junk
>>52922770
Have you used a rollerball with a magnetic lid? If not, I'd recommend going for a magnetic lid rather than a screw cap.
>>52922705
Pelikan and Pilot are my favourites.
>>52922784
You do realise you can get a liter of this for about 20€? I mean yeah it isn't great, but it's cheap as fuck.
>>52922841
nope, sounds interesting, i'll take a look, thanks anon
Thought I'd mention it, because I recently got one (pic), and the magnetic lid makes it feel really high quality even though it's just a fancy lid. I would totally recommend mine, but it was unfortunately a gift and I don't know the brand or where it was bought...
>>52922952
meant to reply to >>52922866
>>52922952
Slightly worse picture with the lid off
>>52922952
okay sweet, thanks man! i'm trying to find one with an all metal body, i just hate flimsy or light pens
What's the best ink brand? I've heard noodlers ink is pretty good.
>>52923021
Noodler's ink is mostly good if you want to save money. This guy >>52922705 seems to know his stuff, listen to him. I've had good experiences with waterman and pelikan. Noodler's black hasn't caused me any problems, but for colored ink waterman has looked less gritty.
>>52922705
I use J.Herbin's vert empire as my daily driver with a Pilot Metropolitan (F nib).
Bretty gud if you ask me.
Pilot Iroshizuku are also great, but you have to order them directly from Japan (Amazon has many Japanese shops), because the price of imports is doubled.
>>52922952
Looks sort of like it was hand-turned from a kit.
>>52923093
>guy knows his stuff
>noodler's and diamine are meme inks
>J Herbin isn't
"ok"
>>52923279
So noodlers is good ?
>>52921904
>needs thick paper otherwise it will bleed
>takes time to dry == smear
>even the expensive nibs writes rougher than the cheapest ballpoint pen.
>needs to be refilled
Any pen > fountain pen
Yep it's a hand fedora.
>>52923433
Noodler's has the widest range of colors and qualities available out of all other inkmakers, second or matched only by Diamine.
A few of these are experimental inks, like Blue Nose Bear (Black-shading blue that feathers intentionally to create a turquoise "halo" around the text) and Rome Burning (Golden ink that washes out to a permanent Tyrolean purple); these will feather and might not be well behaved.
HOWEVER, the vast majority of Noodler's inks are well behaved, beautiful and water resistant (many of them are tamper-proof too). They're highly saturated, which means they can be diluted with distilled water to stretch out the ink economy and fool around with exactly what color you want (compared to J. Herbin which is incredibly diluted).
Don't get me wrong, J. Herbin is great ink, but Noodler's is also top-notch.
>>52922417
>Mfw I'm wearing fingerless gloves right now.
You know what, its 10f outside, and I need to work my phone while I'm out.
>>52923443
He's using it at home though you twit not going around saying look at my pen!!!!! Xbbbbbb
>>52921130
i luv fountain penis too
>>52923443
>needs thick paper
I'm using a $.99 recycled sugarcane notebook bought from my University store and it's tremendously fountain pen friendly. You need to be mindful of your paper, but it isn't necessarily more expensive at all.
>takes time to dry = smear
Take a ballpoint pen or a gel pen and scribble
Wait a day, and rub your finger on the writing
Did it smear? Of course it did. Once FP ink is on, it's on.
>even the expensive nibs write rougher than ... ballpoint pen
Demonstrably false. FPs need no pressure to write as opposed to ballpoints which require it to work, and a properly made nib is glassy-smooth
>needs to be refilled
How is this negative? Do you enjoy throwing away an entire pen?
Fountain pens > other pens
It's a fact.
>>52922952
shit kit pen with "iridium point germany" nib most likely
>>52923758
Hm? I don't know what makes rollerballs good to be honest, but this one has a good weight and is decent looking. The nib is just whatever happens to be on the front of whatever cartrdige I put in there. Do people even make rollerballs that can be refilled from bottle ink?
