Thread: Any Fountain Pen Users?

Originally Posted by Cangooner

One thing to be aware of with the Lamy is the shaped grip (I have no idea what the technical term is - the bit where your fingers/thumb grip the pen). Some apparently love it, others apparently hate it. I'm honestly not bothered either way. But is does feel a bit odd at first when one is used to a round pen/pencil.

It sure writes nicely though.

I really like the grip; it's very comfortable. Also, the other thing I like about the Lamy is the pocket clip. I often wear shirts with no pocket, so I wear the pen clipped to my trousers' pocket and a smaller clip would be too large, esp when I wear 'chinos'. I got a fine nib and it's a really smooth writer with really good ink flow.

I bought a converter for about 7 bucks so I can use bottled ink, and it's very easy to fill (a piston filler by twisting the knob thingy).

I find it comfortable to use with the cap posted pr un-posted, I find some pens too small or unbalanced with the cap un-posted.

I do like vintage FPs, but I don't find them very practical for everyday use; and even some new FPs aren't practical (i.e. have a finicky clip). This is a no nonsense pen that works as it should, is well designed, which looks good and writes as well as a top end pen for a fraction of the price...

What sort of Parker are you looking at Mick? I had a Sonnet and it was quite nice, though, again, not suited for me at present with my habit of wearing the pen on my trousers' pocket...

I can't tell you which Parker model they were Carl. I only noticed them while I was bowsing to fill in time, and it as at the end of my time wasting escapade when I did. They were behind a locked glass cabinet door which didn't help me much. I would have bought one on the spot had I had some ready cash on me. They were in the $40 price bracket if that helps.


Mick

I just bought myself a parker vector steel. I needed a pen that's not plastic or wood, since they keep breaking on me.

Allright, I was out taking some shots of my knife collection yesterday and figured why not take some shots of my fountain pens as well. So here you guys go. These are a bit of a mixed bunch. Old, new, cheap and not so cheap.

This is the lot:



Starting at the top is the Hero Pailong 388.
This is a cheap chinese steel nibed pen. The nib is probably a fine or extra fine nib. This makes it write a little scratchy but it's not all that bad. As with most chinese FP's though this needed a good cleaning with warm water and some detergent before it really wrote well. Before that the flow was kind of start stop. Now it's pretty nice. Came with an inksax type reservoir. Currently has Waterman Blue/Black ink in it. Cost is around $5-$10 or so.



Then there's this hand turned pen. This was made by M. Poeller who I came into contact with on this forum. The barrel is BirdsEye maple. And the cap is Spalted maple. The pen is fairly good. Very thick point (considering having it ground down to something smaller at the moment) but very smooth. Currently filled with Lamy Blue ink. The part in between the barrell and the nib however seems to be prone to some corrosion. Little spots appear on it. It doesn't really bother me much. But I'd have preferred it if it didn't happen. Nice but thick writer. Cost was around $100 or so. They can be found on the web for similar and sometimes lower prices.



This one is kind of an odd duck....it's not really a fountainpen. Because it has a rollerball nib. But it's kind of a fountainpen in that it takes ink straight out of an inkwell. It's a Noodlers Creeper rollerball. It's great for people who love to vary in inks, or love filling their own pens but who're not great fans of actual fountain pens. I bought it just to give it a try. I found out that it's pretty good. But is prone to the same kind of skipping that I experience with virtually all other rollerball pens. And that makes me like it less. Currently filled with Noodlers Marine Green ink. The pen can be had for around $20. I like the filling system though and I think I'll give the fountain pen version of it a try. They make on with a flex nib which should make for an interesting writing experience.


The second to last one is a vintage pen. I got this one from my dad who bought it back in 1982. It's a Parker 75. I've used it a LOT all over the world even before I knew what it was. For me this is what lead me to REALLY like fountain pens. It's very smooth. This is probably my smoothest writer. The nib is a 14k gold bold nib. Originally came with a squeeze sack type filler. But that's had a leak in it twice now (had the sac replaced a few years back and just last week it started leaking again) so I replaced the converter with a modern parker converter which cost me about $5 or so and was available at the local stationary shop. The nib on this pen is adjustable compared to the grip texture which makes it really nice when dialed in for my awkward lefthanded grip. Currently it's filled with Noodlers Bulletproof Black ink.
If you can find this pen currently they tend to go for around $150-$300 depening on which version (Chrome - Silver - Gold, mine's a chrome) you get.




Last but not least is my most recent acquisition. A Pilot Vanishin Point in blue carbonesque. This one was a gift from my wife for my last birthday. It's a capless fountain pen which means that it works like a clicky ballpoint. You click on the back and the nib appears, click again and it's gone. This system works just great! I really like it. It's also a very smooth writer. Although this one isn't all that cheap it's not bank breaking and it's my most carried fountain pen at the moment. It came with a filling. But when that's gone I'll be re-inking the converter with Noodlers Bulletproof blue ink. Cost of this pen is around $130 - $150 on the internet. I can highly recommend this one.

Can't believe I completely forgot that white one.

That one's a Jinhao x750 in white ivory lacquer. It's a cheap pen from China (around $7 or so shipping included) and it's not bad. To be honest I'm a little disappointed in it. The nib tends to dry out over a period of non use. My wife uses as Jinhao X450 and that's much more consistent. I've read that some people have no problems with the X750 so I suspect it's not so much the model, but more inconsistent quality control from the factory. For a couple of bucks it's worth giving it a gamble. Don't spend too much on them though.

Another option is to buy one of them from Goulet Pens. Who check all their nibs and even offer replacement nibs.

Well though it isn't as fancy as some...





Mick

Originally Posted by MickR

Well though it isn't as fancy as some...


Mick

I like it. Why don't you write a little review?

I will once I get the chance to put a mile or two on it. At the moment I have a cartridge in it that came with it. I have already tasked the wife to pick up a converter from the pen shop in the city tomorrow, and once I can get an idea of how it runs using either method of ink cache, and try a couple of different brands of bottle ink that I have sitting ready and waiting, then I'll be sure to write one. Be patient though, because it's school holidays for us at the moment and the kids are taking up a lot of my time...Which is why I haven't already put a few miles on the pen already in fact.


Mick

Originally Posted by MickR

I will once I get the chance to put a mile or two on it. At the moment I have a cartridge in it that came with it. I have already tasked the wife to pick up a converter from the pen shop in the city tomorrow, and once I can get an idea of how it runs using either method of ink cache, and try a couple of different brands of bottle ink that I have sitting ready and waiting, then I'll be sure to write one. Be patient though, because it's school holidays for us at the moment and the kids are taking up a lot of my time...Which is why I haven't already put a few miles on the pen already in fact.


Mick

Yes, kids take up time, I remember that...

May I recommend Private Reserve Sherwood Greenink if you need some more, it's very nice...

Fountain Pen Ink | Private Reserve Sherwood Green - 66ml | GouletPens.com

I also like J Herbin Cafe des Illes for an old fashioned look...

Fountain Pen Ink | J. Herbin Cafe des Iles - 30ml | GouletPens.com

Well on the recommendation of y'all here I've got a Jinhao on order from eBay. This will be my first FP so I'll let y'all know what I think after I get it and use it for a bit.

HO US Prime Black and Silver Lacquered Broad Fountain Pen | eBay