fountain pen taboos - don't enter if you're easily offended

[lovemy51]

Snorkels belong on submarines and swimmers.

 

Most ink bottle design suck. Or don't allow my pens to suck enough. Or whatever.

 

my http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n419/peterpaul_rguez/two_cents1238700607.jpg: if you can't get all the ink out of a bottle, use a snorkel pen!!!!

 

 

edited: Darn it!!! goncharov beat me to it!

 

good points, sir!!!

Edited August 11, 2011 by lovemy51

[the flexistentialist]

This is a wonderful thread, just read the whole thing. I'm still new enough not to hate anything about FPs, but I do have a couple of opinions (some that might not coincide with the majority).

 

If I could, I would choose all my future FPs blindfolded. There, I said it and I mean it.

 

Looks don't really matter to me, nibs do. I'm not above using a frankenpen. If it feels right in my hand and puts down a line with decent character - then I'll love it as if it cost $$$$.

 

Brands don't matter that much to me - they're road signs to help people find what they're looking for - and sometimes it's nice to find out where a dirt road leads instead of heading down that well-known major highway.

 

But, I haven't found an oasis that will let me sit down and try out 30 pens with my eyes closed - at least not yet. So I have to look online, which leads me to my peeves.

 

1. inconsistent vocabulary: an extra fine isn't always an extra fine, a flex is rarely a flex and a "steal" is almost never a steal

2. selling pens without writing samples: fine, it's a pretty pen, you're right, I agree whole-heartedly - but how does it write?

 

 

I mean no offense and take no offense - if flex isn't your thing, I hope your thing is close at hand, if frankenpens are sacrilege, then I'll write my latest script alphabet 20 times in penance.

[DaveO]

the box thing is all about giving gifts to others.........for the hardcore there should be plain paper wrapping at 10 percent off.

 

lot of hate out there for MB...... however for those with larger hands the choices are few mb149 , m1000, king of pens and emperor....... did i miss any

 

ps i hate translucent ink

Pelikan makes fountain pens in about five different sizes. Each one about doubling in price as you go up.

 

DaveO

[Penryn87]

Fun thread --- here goes.

 

1. I think calling a FP a "writing instrument" just lends to creating a more ostentatious image of good pens. I realize companies want to separate their product from a run of the mill bic ballpoint, but the nature of it all doesn't get anyone to pick a good FP. Fountain pens are a dying art and charging 600 dollars for a good pen isn't helping. I hate the fact that FP's are not really all that accessible to everyday person who isn't educated that there are much better writing experiences out there. its all just the stupid disposable society. Everyone just wants a cheapo bic ballpoint that it doesn't matter if they lose or not.

 

2. I love my Lamy's; I think they are simple, perfect, and do what they need to do without costing you a small fortune. I also love the design of the 2000. Writes great and doesn't look insane with belt after belt of gold trim that add absolutely nothing to the writing experience

 

3. I am really worried that a good old Piston MB 149 and 146 are really not worth the money. I mean 600 dollars plus?????

 

4. Going off that, I don't want to justify buying a 600 dollar pen for the sake of having a status symbol. I can see myself spending that kind of money for a good pen but it would have to be perfect in EVERY way to justify that kind of money for me.

 

5. After reading this tread, I pretty sure I would probably buy a pelikan over a MB.

Edited August 12, 2011 by Penryn87

[JLukeW]

I lend any of my fountain pens to anyone who asks, with only brief instructions.

[Guest 0micron]

I hate answering the question " how much was it "

[WhiskeyMan]

Just stating some stuff here.

 

I agree with the original post. I don't care for Pelikan. They're broad and dry and no ink color looks good in them. They devalue all of the great bottles of ink I bought.

 

I don't get why pen companies don't offer specialty nibs. A stub or mild flex couldn't be too difficult to make for a reasonable price.

 

Speaking price, pens are only worth what you pay for them everybody. Also, I can't understand paying a lot of money for a pen that isn't metal. Even if it isn't precious metal, who cares about a plastic cylinder. I know a guy who owns a plastic factory who could have those bodies made for pennies. At least the Japanese know how to make a plastic pen worth it. Those ornate pens are great. I would like to get one one day. They also have good appreciation for nibs.

 

Why get a pen that doesn't look attractive. Lamy? Sure it writes nicely, but you're buying a fountain pen. It's not exactly your everyday pen, so why should it look like a toy?

 

I rambled.

 

~WhiskeyMan

[voop]

Most ink bottle design suck. Or don't allow my pens to suck enough. Or whatever.

:roflmho:

[Garageboy]

I don't understand why plastic gets people upset

Brass doesn't cost that much more than plastic and there are plenty of high grade plastics

 

I don't get people who won't plain admit what they want, instead try to sugar coat it trying to sound less crass

(hooded nibs are ugly, translation: I like big blingy nibs) (sorry, it's the best example I can think of at the moment)

 

Sellers who play ignorance... Let me know things like, the threads are a bit weird, the nib is dry, there are marks on the barrel, etc. Nothing hurts more than getting a pen that you looked long and hard for, only to find out it wasn't as perfect as you thought it'd be because you couldn't see issues in the pictures

 

This one is going to get me a lot of flack, especially because I do like his pens, but I'm not getting the uber hype Edison pens (and other similar boutique brands) get. I like the designs, I'm sure Brian does a great job tuning those nibs, but for me, it's just a nicely turned acrylic/celluloid rod with a pimped out off the shelf nib unit. It just doesn't get my juices going like, say, an Eversharp Doric or a Pelikan

Edited August 15, 2011 by Garageboy

[Mille]

Ever asked "Was it as good for you as it was for me?" when lending out your pen?

[Florida Blue]

I think that matching ink to a fountain pen is verging on obsessive type behavior. The purpose of an ink window was not to show off how pretty your ink looks inside it but to show how much ink is left in the pen so you know when it needs to be refilled. I don't get why red ink needs to be in a red pen.

 

Matching your fountain pen to anything else on your person: watch, cufflinks, bracelet, ring, earrings, necklace is ridiculous. It's a pen, not an accessory. You can wear a stainless steel watch and write with a gold pen and no one with notice.

 

The belief that gold trim is old-fashioned and outdated or that gold trim is "blingy" and show-offy. It's just trim. Rhodium and chrome trim can be very dull and often lacks personality when paired with a silver colored body and cap.

 

The Visconti Homo Sapiens is ugly. The Sailor King of Pen is of the most uninspiring (boring) pen designs ever.

 

Why do people complain about a Parker Duofold being C/C filling but not the Pilot VP, Namiki Falcon, Platinum President and 3776 or the Sailor 1911 and KOP. Plus all those companies use proprietary cartridges too.

 

The Pilot VP is not revolutionary! It's just a glorified safety pen.

 

I don't care that Cross pens are made in China.

 

Oh wait I forgot. The Lamy 2000 is also ugly. All Lamys use that same mediocre, rigid nib.

Edited August 16, 2011 by Florida Blue

[Korybas]

So are Mont Blanc 149s. Big ugly black blobby misshapen cigars. It's even worse when I see people with more money than sense ostentatiously whipping one out and making sure everybody's seen their replacement phallus before they put it away again. They don't actually use their fountain pen for any real writing of course, just when there are witnesses (and no this does not mean I dislike everybody who owns a MB 149, I just don't get the whole status thing).

/rant

 

 

Heh heh heh, I like the "replacement phallus" thing! Well said Cecillia, you made me laugh!

[kitsunec4]

The humble $3 Platinum Preppy is the most reliable pen that I own.

It always starts on the first stroke and never skips; even after months of neglect. In fact, it has never misbehaved in any way thus far. It also has a surprisingly smooth nib.

And yet, I very rarely reach for it. :hmm1:

 

I'm sorry, I love my eyedropper-converted Preppy pens, and use them almost everyday.

 

Relatively new to actually posting in the forums, but have been lurking. Still don't understand the attraction to LEs and expensive pens, especially collecting, they're...meant to be used? (to everyone their own, but am just saying, do not understand)

[mirosc]

I think that matching ink to a fountain pen is verging on obsessive type behavior. The purpose of an ink window was not to show off how pretty your ink looks inside it

 

huh?

Does anyone really do this because of looks? Maybe I'm a bit naive, but I always thought it's just for remembering which pen has which ink (without looking at the window; many pens even don't have a window...) - but that's just me...

[Florida Blue]

I think that matching ink to a fountain pen is verging on obsessive type behavior. The purpose of an ink window was not to show off how pretty your ink looks inside it

 

huh?

Does anyone really do this because of looks? Maybe I'm a bit naive, but I always thought it's just for remembering which pen has which ink (without looking at the window; many pens even don't have a window...) - but that's just me...

 

I'm sure many people do it just to remember the ink inside or because that ink works well in that pen but I've read of others picking ink because it looks nice inside of Vacumatics or because it matches the color of plastic or lacquer on the barrel of the pen.

[dizzypen]

 

3. I wish my favorite fountain pens were cheaper

 

Amen to that!

[Garageboy]

So..how many of you like fountain pens only because they're vintage? You know who you are, bragging about your fedora collection and your three piece suits

[Russ]

Since gold is steadily rising in price, I would really like to see more titanium nibs. Good steel nibs can be very smooth, but titanium has the live feel of 14k gold plus a special something. Stipula's T-Flex is nice, but can we have more ?!?!?!? Where's Pelikan, Omas, Bexley, and others?

[fpman]

So..how many of you like fountain pens only because they're vintage? You know who you are, bragging about your fedora collection and your three piece suits

LOL - I don't know about the 'only' part, but vintage is a big part of the allure with me. I like the idea of holding something in my hand that someone else first used 50, 60, 70+ years ago. And I do have a hat collection (nothing vintage except for my grandfather's fedora, which is several sizes too small for me) that, being middle-aged and balding, I find myself wearing a lot more these days. Maybe it's the fountain pen influence.

 

Edited to add - But I never did like suits and have tossed all but my first, a present from my mother when I turned 17.

Edited August 19, 2011 by fpman

[ethernautrix]

Not a taboo but perhaps a revelation for some: You don't have to "get" it. You don't have to understand why other people like things you don't like. Indulge a little mystery....