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

[Blue_Moon]

 

And especially people who DEFEND brand new pens that don't write smoothly and with no skips and hard starts right out of the box.

 

Also, people who have never had a problem with their pens, running around the forum insisting that any problems others are having are user error. "USER ERROR, USER ERROR, AAAAAKKKKKK" (said in a parrot's voice)

[Algester]

 

I have been on here for a while know and am yet to read one insult to left handedness. Is it even an occurrence on here and do tell what it was?

its not the insult in the forums but that feeling when the southpaw people arent treated in the same fashion as righties for FPs well... has anyone seen a spencerian manual for lefties? something like that or perhaps I havent just dug enough

Edited July 3, 2014 by Algester

[Algester]

 

Also, people who have never had a problem with their pens, running around the forum insisting that any problems others are having are user error. "USER ERROR, USER ERROR, AAAAAKKKKKK" (said in a parrot's voice)

ohh god hahaha good one

 

another one

Jumping on the hype train only to find yourself the hyped pen is not to your liking after touching it in person

[lzykramer]

great thread.

 

so hard to find great used asian pens

that is a nice fish

[zchen]

The problem I have is when makers make their converters with low capacity when there is plenty of room in the pen body for a larger one. If pilot can make the con-70, why can't every one else.

[JustWrite Pen Company]

What is a fude nibbed pen?

 

http://justwrite.com.au/justwrite8/images/products/jinhao-fountain-pen-x750-black-chrome-art-nib_3.jpg

[JustWrite Pen Company]

What passes for art is highly subjective, what passes for good engineering is highly objective. I would rather spend the money on good engineering when considering a tool that serves a useful purpose. Others may not, but that is entirely up to them.

There are more makers catering to the former than to the latter ideal.

Good engineering tends to be less expensive and more functional than "art".

 

All very true but when good engineering and good art meet, something magical is created.

 

[WaskiSquirrel]

I wish some people would remember it's just a pen. Its use neither confers nor indicates better taste, higher intelligence, or superiority in any way.

[GeneralSynopsis]

I don't see why so many people want bullet proof and permanent inks. I mean most of what you write ends up in the bin and normally if the paper gets wet enough for the ink to run the paper will fall apart anyway. Surely it's better to have inks that don't ruin your cloths and furniture.

 

1. You do not know what you will want to keep as opposed to throw away beforehand, and do not want to have to change pens to get water/fade resistance for something that needs it. Ink stains on clothes and furniture just add character.

 

2. "... and normally if the paper gets wet enough for the ink to run the paper will fall apart anyway", not true for the majority of paper I use, or for the paper featured in the water resistance tests in many of the ink reviews on FPN. In fact as far as I can tell it is only true for soft toilet tissue (I may conduct a test on Izal when I get the time.)

 

Speaking of hard toilet paper I note that Stanley Spencer's works on toilet paper seem to be standing up well to the ravages of time, at least so far. I am slightly amused that the catalog entry for the work at the link does not mention that it is on toilet paper despite his practice being well documented. It is even obvious from the image that it is on toilet paper, if you know what you are looking for. Also you can see some of the originals at the Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham, which is well worth a visit if you are down that way,

Edited July 4, 2014 by GeneralSynopsis

[sotto2]

Holy Shamoly. That Sir Spencer stuff is some of the most interesting artwork I have seen in a long time! Thanks.

[ArnyDelan168]

Those which using piston filler. I prefer cheap and easy replacement whenever something broken. And this is why I don't buy 149 but king of pen [in the future]. It has c/c filler.

[The Blue Knight]

1) I find it strange what people consider 'expensive' or 'cheap'. An expensive pen to me is any pen that costs more than aounr €20 (~$30?).

2) All the fuss that's made about fountain pens being out of date, retro etc. up to the point where even using one is considered strange, but maybe that's a very American thing. That thought never occurred to me before joining the forum.

 

I guess it increases over time for most people the way I consider it is

affordable =< £15

£25=<Midrange=<£65 £

70=<High End/ Expensive=<£150

Very expensive <£150

 

Call the gaps cheap/mid range etc

[MBFan]

People who trample into civil discussions all like...http://youtu.be/QyJBPfQv1wQ

Edited August 1, 2014 by MBFan

[Mrsal]

1) I try not to judge a pen on the price it sells for. The true value is what I can personally use the pen for. I traded away my Visconti Van Gogh and Millennium Arc because I did not use them. I traded them for a nice stock of Esterbrooks J's and Dollar pens, and a couple of the nibs that they made that are harder to find, and then I got some master series nibs as well. I personally get more value out of the Esterbrooks, but hey, thats just me.

 

2) Don't abandon a particular manufacturer because of a bad experience. I quickly dismissed many brands because I had minor bad experiences, and then I realized that I was being to critical. Now that I am re-visiting certain manufacturers, I am finding many more pens that I like.

 

3) Vintage > Modern, but ONLY if I find the vintage pen in the wild, a la flea market or antique store. I like restoring the pens myself, for the fun and learning experience of it (never thought I would say I enjoy learning... currently studying chemistry on my own outside of school and i'm having a blast working out all of the problems!)

 

4) Gold nibs are not always better than steel. many of my Esterbrook nibs, though they are complete nails, are better than many gold nibs I have used. Though if a pen costs me more than $120-150, it better have a gold nib.

[Polanova]

I can`t believe I`ve read this whole thread - `get a life´ indeed! Some very funny posts, though!

Love the Semi-hooded nib -Old lady`s fingernail analogy!

 

It is interesting to see, how easily identified we become with our likes & dislikes - and how quickly they transform first into opinions & then into judgements.

It`d be good to remind ourselves, that it`s only about pens - I get dizzy imagining such a thread on believe systems or, say, the Israel-Palestine conflict

Edited August 12, 2014 by Polanova

[Polanova]

Being, sad to say, not ego-free nor unidentified, I don`t want to appear as being above such trivialities, so here goes:

I can`t stand German Fountain Pen design, vintage & new!

I find it boring, conservative and lacks imagination.

This goes beyond design: The various models don`t even have names, no, they have numbers: MB100, MB200, MB400, …I mean seriously!

It`s a bonafide bureaucrat`s dream and the most bureaucratic pen is the Lamy (what else?) 2000:

It radiates a coldness, which I associate with uglified 60ies & 70ies architecture - steel & concrete (a kindred spirit here has mentioned that already).

Bauhaus, my arm - waaaay overrated (and would have long been forgotten if the Nazis didn`t come up with something worse)

And the Lamy (I have to give them some points here) Safari: Vintage IKEA

And, speaking of Vintage, if I compare my granddad`s Pelikan 100, the most iconographic German FP of the 30ies, (which is a nice little pen & the only one I`ve had professionally restored), with an equally iconographic pen, my Wahl Doric, then it`s difficult to see how someone would chose the Bauhaus-pen.

Oh, before I forget:

The Final Word on the Filling-System Debate/Mania:

The pen with the -objectively, I dare say - best filling system is a Eyedropper Demonstrator.

1) It holds more ink then any other filling system

2) You can always see how much ink there is in the barrel & what color it is

3) And the real beauty: Because there is no filling system (because a filling system is superfluous), it is the pinnacle of minimalism and `form follows function´ in the truest sense. Period.

Oh, I could go on & on but I stop now ...

[Doug C]

I guess I'm a little bit of a slut; I will try any pen, try to love it, and most of the time when they don't love me back, I'm still okay with it. I love variety...

[Polanova]

(One last word) ...

… about the virulent Montblanc bashing:

I`m sure it`s true that some people hate MB because they can`t afford it.

But …

Where is the Nakaya, Omas (fill in other luxury brand) bashing??? They`re equally expensive!

My reasoning:

Montblanc is the only Fountain Pen Brand which almost everyone recognizes (not necessarily as a FP producer but as a producer of luxury goods).

So it`s really the only brand name pen, with which one is able to show off to people, even to those who can`t tell a fountain pen from a chop stick.

Also, even though this hasn`t always been the case, for many years now MB EXCLUSIVELY produces luxury goods, other then, say Pelikan, who offer everything from cheap school pens to limited editions.

[Polanova]

I guess I'm a little bit of a slut; I will try any pen, try to love it, and most of the time when they don't love me back, I'm still okay with it. I love variety...

 

Me too. Just wanted to contribute to the thread (& while at it, lose my NOS status )

[Kuhataparunks]

Wow, is there a word limit on these? I've much to say I am a leftie though, and I am extremely partial, if not exclusive, to super fine nibs(my definition of fine the closer to the width of a seeing needle's tip, the better) With that said:

 

1. I don't know how people write regularly with nibs any larger than M... If I write with that, my letters look like blobs. Not to mention it can be intrusive when writing areas on forms and checks are small.

 

2. As a continuation of that: Lamy... And western nibs... I loathe them so much!!! The disparity between nibs sizes is revolting;

How does a Lamy's "EXTRA" fine possibly equate to a Pilot M nib? what?

 

3. Pilot penmanship, with a Pilot stainless steel EF nib, is by far my favorite writing instrument I love the quasi-needle-point nib. But... How and why did a 14K EF nib on a pilot Elite write like a Fine nib, nothing comparable remotely to EXTRA fine??? Made me so mad, wasted $80 on that Elite(at least it was new).

 

4. I am having such a hard time catching on using FP's for everyday use. Any ink I use doesn't compare to a Pilot G2's smoothness and behavior on thin, cheap paper. It's a lost craft to use them every day, unfortunately! So I really envy those who can use FP's everyday without frustration.

 

5. Rhodia paper: eww. I don't know what it is, but I wish I liked it Because I'm aware that it is good quality paper, but I can't use it. If I do, there are smears all over the paper due to the ink's slow drying times.

 

6. Lastly, I really wish I could justify squandering $200 on a pen, because I want a 14K posting nib. I have no idea why MBs are $500?

It's like apple you can get a BIC pen, put a MB logo on it and you'll have a $125 pen; it's all just name.