Are You A Collector Or A User?

[RMN]

Beide.

 

 

 

("Here, Pet the Kitty" :meow:)

Hey Gobblecup Are you Dutch?

 

 

 

I use my pens, most of them. I have some vintagepens that are able to write, but are not used. Furthermore there are some cheapies I bought some 25 years ago that don't get used anymore. The same with some advertisement-pens (fairly cheap pens with an advertisement on them)

 

Alas my number of "useable" pens gets so large that my pens get fairly little exposure. It is often "die Qual der Wahl" as the Germans say( the torture of choice).

 

 

D.ick

[Gobblecup]

Beide.

 

 

 

("Here, Pet the Kitty" :meow:)

Hey Gobblecup Are you Dutch?

 

 

 

 

No, just German, Spanish and English speaking... Sometimes I think in German though! (Sometimes my sentences come out in several languages if I'm not too careful! )

 

But between knowing German and English well, I do seem to be able to pick up Dutch pretty well.

[CatBookMom]

Magpie. Obsessive personality. Bandwagon-joiner. All me. I buy pens to use, because they're shiny/pretty/well-recommended/a great buy. Of the 30 or so FPs I own, all have been used, some are more satisfying than others and so get more use, and some may spend a lot of time in the nice pen case. I can't imagine myself buying a pen and not using it for fear of diminishing the value.

[beak]

User.

 

That said, I admire collectors because they preserve the arena and tend to know a great deal more about their collecting field than I do; most seem willing to share that knowledge when I need some of it. I don't like anything to disappear through lack of interest, or by being shoved aside by electronic tat - collectors carry out that task!

 

I have 'my' pen, and several others that perform differently when the occasion suits or requires. That is enough for me, for now, but had I a great deal of spare money, I think I should be tempted to acquire more pens than I need - that's always been the way with other areas of interest, anyway.

 

When the next big job comes in, I shan't be surprised to see myself spend too much on a very high-quality, fine-nibbed piston filler. Though it will be plain and functional - I'm rarely attracted to highly decorated finishes and would never acquire a pen just because it was a different colour to one I had already, and so on.

 

 

[jjaberg]

I started as a user. Writing with a pen is a routine task that I have to perform every day as a part of my work. I wondered if using a fountain pen rather than a disposable ballpoint pen might raise that task above the routine and make it an intriinctly rewarding and enjoyable activity. It worked for me! And now one of the ways I sustain this intrinsictly enjoyable activity is by collecting a variety of instruments with which to perform it.

[browser]

I'm a user but I keep collecting so that I can find a pen that truly is "me". Some that I have tried are just to nice to not keep (nice in that I admire their looks and the way they write - not that they're nice as in expensive). I couple I keep for sentimental value; the first pen that I ever bought for myself at 16, the first pen that I bought when I reclaimed my 'fountain pen only' personality. I do use my pens though - that's what they're for!

 

+1 Which is why I consider myself both. As a newcomer into the FP world, I'm still looking for a pen that is "me" and hopefully I find it soon or my collection will get bigger.

[jkrewalk]

I am both - I collect - but also use - all my pens. Writing with them is part of the overall experience.........

 

John

Krewalk.com

[Lothianjavert]

I'm a user. I like my pens, but if I can't use it, or it's completely impractical, I'm not interested. I do have some vintage pens and love them. My Parker vacs are part of my regular rotation. They are just great all-around pens. I have a couple sheaffer Triumph nib pens that I would love to use, but they need restored first (nibs are great, piston fill systems... in need of work). The moderns in main rotation are my Ancora Perla and Bexley anniverary. Lately the Perla has been my daily pen. I love the beefy size, especially if I'm having a "bad hand" day and my hand just isn't working well. It is the largest and easiest to hold of my pens.

[rff000]

I have a habit of starting off lots of things as a user, then winding up with so many that 90% eventually sit around unused (pack rat mentality?). I hate to get rid of anything and the modest amount of money I'd get doesn't mean much. This started with coffee makers and grinders. I once had a few and used all of them. Ebay and a few trips to foreign countries where things were cheap ruined me. Now I have dozens of coffee makers, more grinders than I can remember, etc. Exactly the same thing is happening with fountain pens. A few years ago I had a few very nice ones: a Parker 21, a Snorkel, and a Cross Century (maybe even that was too many). Then, also, a Parker 45, since I lost one when I was in high school and tried to redress that injustice by buying one NOS on Ebay and a Cross Radiance, which looked like a Montblanc, but I never used.

 

The Snorkel recently broke and I looked for a replacement on Ebay. I decided to get an NOS tip-dip as a replacement. The seller sent the wrong nib and when I asked about it, he gave me an extra one with the right nib at no charge (nice man, but he really got me started on having too many pens). I couldn't resist the deal for 5 Reform 1745's from the German Ebay. I saw a blurry picture of a Vacumatic Parker 51 on Ebay for around $10 and couldn't resist that, which is now having a diaphragm fit up for it. I also bought a bunch of Chinese and Indian pens for a few dollars each on foreign trips. I like all of these pens, but I can never rotate that many. Part of my problem is liking bargains. I guess I should start getting rid of some of them by putting my extra four Reforms up for sale at near cost. Well, I may keep two and just put three up for sale...

 

Ron

Edited June 14, 2011 by rff000

[Renzhe]

User.

See how long I've been here?

See my post count?

 

I have 3 pens: M600, M100, Phileas.

[publishing guy]

I would hardly call myself a collector having been lucky enough to have seen some real collections, so I guess I fall in the user category. Maybe simply an accumulator.

Yeh, that's it ... I'm an accumulator. I've never bought a pen I didn't intend to write with, but I've amassed more than anything that might reasonably called a "rotation." An accumulator, yeh, that's the ticket.

[mallymal1]

User, accumulator, collector? I guess I might be a mix of all three.

[penspouse]

I'm a collectaccumaluser.

[Merrib]

A user plain and simple. If I purchase a FP it is going to be used.

[DAYoung]

Definitely a user. My pens are tools for my craft. Which is badger juggling.

 

No. Wait.

 

Writing. My craft is writing.

 

http://forthepubliceye.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/badger.jpg

 

[freewheelingvagabond]

A budding-collector-turned-user!

[toomanypelikans]

User.

See how long I've been here?

See my post count?

 

I have 3 pens: M600, M100, Phileas.

 

3 Pens but how many nibs? I own more Pelikan nibs than I own Pelikans...

[toomanypelikans]

I was a pure user for 13 years, One pen (Waterman Preface Thriller Red), one ink (Waterman Blue-Black).

 

But in the last 254 days I have bought a pen on average every 9 days...

 

My purchases were a bit haphazard to start with but with the help of research on FPN my accumulating now has 4 main themes.

 

Waterman Preface models (as an ode to my first FP)

Pelikan M620s

Interesting modern nibs

Sailor 1911M and Sapporo FP

 

I use all the pens I own with 8 of the 29 inked at a time, normally a pen is in rotation for 16-18 days.

 

Woops I didn't end up answering the question. I am a user that has became an accumulator but would like to have focus of purpose to be a collector.

Edited June 18, 2011 by justdaveyb

[Freddy]

 

 

Anyways the purpose of this post is to find out how many of you are collectors and how many just users of FPs?

 

Presently..all three..with equal ease..

A good essay on the subject..check out the Vacquacks: Are you a Collector or a User?

There. Did that help?

 

Fred

 

..Say good night Gracie..

..Good night Gracie..

Burns & Allen

[Sarah M]

I'm an accumulator/user but a wannabe collector. I kept telling myself that I didn't want to collect, I just wanted pens to write with (though that didn't really explain why I ever needed more than one).

 

Then I bought my first Sheaffer Targa. Now I am constantly looking for Targas, and my second is currently in the post on its way to me.