Primacy Effect?

[catbert]

 

...and sometimes semblances are deceiving. My first pen was a Parker 51. It was a loan or gift at age 10. Many years later, I went Seattle Pen, looking for an upgrade to a Sheaffer Imperial that I had picked up at a flea market. The owner recommended a Parker 75 with a Premier nib. This pen matched my specs and remains to this day my favorite pen. Brand name had no bearing. I suspect that for most people here who have a brand preference, their loyalty is not residue but a deliberate decision.

 

Of course you are right. Most of the time a pen is just a deliberately chosen pen. Sometimes (who knows when?) we have patterns we are not aware of. Perhaps my pattern-seeking is a pattern.

 

I've had a Parker 75 since school - a lovely writer with an XF nib and a great favourite. Until I came here I didn't even know the nib rotates - let alone that it can take a Premier nib.

[The Blue Knight]

1. What was your first pen?

 

Parker Reflex

2. Did you get it at an impressionable age?

It was a nice enough pen smooth writer very comfortable however it cracked about a year into owning it. At around 9 years old

3. What pen or type of pen best represents your preferences today?

At this moment (I say moment as ask me in a few years time it will probably be vintage pens).Modern Parkers and German pens with conservative designs. So I guess it had some part to play in me becoming a fan of Parker pens

4. What similarities, if any, do you see between the two?

My favourite cheap pen is a Parker Frontier rubber grip, arrow clip. A pen this isn't all that different to the Reflex so I guess it did leave a significant impression.

Edited June 15, 2015 by The Blue Knight

[catbert]

My first pen was a Waterman's Phileas which I got at age 12.

When I received it, I recall feeling it was quite short and small - and I don't have big hands. However, after using the pen for some time I got used to it and I started liking it quite a bit. And since I wrote with it for 7 years before acquiring another pen, I am sure my preferences are based around the Phileas.

My current favorite pen to hold is probably my Parker 51 or my Parker Vacumatic Junior. Both are very comfortable, about the same length as the Phileas, but a tad slimmer.

 

Interesting that you 'came around' to the size of the Phileas - a conscious adaptation/bonding process beyond the embedding of a first impression.

 

There are days when pens of my preferred size/shape/heft (still pretty close to my first pen, although my hands have grown) don't quite sit right and something 'different' feels better. I know - just an excuse to have more pens.

[Arkanabar]

Parker's first rubberized line was called Reflex. I had the ballpoint, but absolutely would not have the FP, cos I was sure the rubber would absorb ink. I had a couple of Vector rollerballs, and they turned out to have some of the most amazingly lightfast ink I'd ever used.

My first fountain pen was an Osmiroid in a blister pack, with a ball-tipped nib and a converter. I got it in college, because neither my beloved 0.5mm mechanical pencils, nor any ballpoints nor the Pentel Precise V5 rollerballs were smooth enough to take notes as fast as I wanted to.

My favorite pens are still lightweight and use ink from bottles. If it wasn't so bad to dry out (say, in four hours, while capped), I think my Konrad would be my favorite pen.

[catbert]

 

1. What was your first pen?

 

Parker Reflex

2. Did you get it at an impressionable age?

It was a nice enough pen smooth writer very comfortable however it cracked about a year into owning it. At around 9 years old

3. What pen or type of pen best represents your preferences today?

At this moment (I say moment as ask me in a few years time it will probably be vintage pens).Modern Parkers and German pens with conservative designs. So I guess it had some part to play in me becoming a fan of Parker pens

4. What similarities, if any, do you see between the two?

My favourite cheap pen is a Parker Frontier rubber grip, arrow clip. A pen this isn't all that different to the Reflex so I guess it did leave a significant impression.

 

 

Yes, there is a certain similarity - though I prefer the semi-hooded nib on the Reflex.

Generally I tend towards conservative - in the sense of ‘plain’ - pens too. I’m finding that vintage Italian pens do ‘plain’ with a bit more style.

[catbert]

Parker's first rubberized line was called Reflex. I had the ballpoint, but absolutely would not have the FP, cos I was sure the rubber would absorb ink. I had a couple of Vector rollerballs, and they turned out to have some of the most amazingly lightfast ink I'd ever used.

 

My first fountain pen was an Osmiroid in a blister pack, with a ball-tipped nib and a converter. I got it in college, because neither my beloved 0.5mm mechanical pencils, nor any ballpoints nor the Pentel Precise V5 rollerballs were smooth enough to take notes as fast as I wanted to.

 

My favorite pens are still lightweight and use ink from bottles. If it wasn't so bad to dry out (say, in four hours, while capped), I think my Konrad would be my favorite pen.

 

Ink from bottle filling eventually ate the semi-porous section of my 1980s Waterman Jiffie, causing the nib and feed to fall out. If any pen needed a rubberized section, that was it. But I still wouldn't choose to fill my pens any other way.

 

I notice the ink level in my Ahab and Creaper demonstrators goes down a lot faster than actual usage would warrant. I wonder if Noodler's plastic is especially permeable? I still want a Konrad to complete the set, though.

[vPro]

 

Interesting that you 'came around' to the size of the Phileas - a conscious adaptation/bonding process beyond the embedding of a first impression.

 

There are days when pens of my preferred size/shape/heft (still pretty close to my first pen, although my hands have grown) don't quite sit right and something 'different' feels better. I know - just an excuse to have more pens.

I think the main reason I found the Phileas short, was because I was used to using pencils and ballpoint pens which are longer. I was probably too young for a fountain pen. The second day of bringing it to school, I dropped the pen and the converter cracked. It wasn't inked up because I hadn't bought any ink yet. I literally took an empty pen to school, lol.

But I quite agree with what you said - I think I adapted to the pen. I have a Waterman's Ideal exclusive which I love a lot, but it's just too slim

[Hector67]

What was your first pen?

My first FP was a Mb 149. It was my grand father´s everyday desk pen. When I was a kid (five) my father used to take me on Saturdays to the office (family business) and I always sat on my granpa´s lap and tell him what a nice and funny pen he had. At fourteen my granpa died and I inherited the pen, which I still have.

 

 

2. Did you get it at an impressionable age?

Fell in love with it at 5, got it at 14

 

 

 

3. What pen or type of pen best represents your preferences today?

 

Big pens. I guess I did get really impressed at an impressionable age because I just love the little white snowflake

 

4. What similarities, if any, do you see between the two?

Everything. Most my pens are Mbs

[thatotherguy1]

 

Maybe you'll spot a clearer pattern later? Maybe you're free of any formative preference or aversion? Maybe you're the exception that proves the rule.

I think the issue with me is that I have a bit of a dual design interest- I like both the Art Deco movement and the branches of it (1920s-1940s in my mind) and the Bauhaus type of design aesthetic (which would cover 1950s to, well, now). So I would be happy with a Vacumatic next to a 51 next to a Lamy 2000 in my pen case (when, of course, I get a Vac and a 51). I do find that I pay more attention to the art deco type early to mid century designs (they're a heck of a lot easier to find, given Lamy is one of the few Bauhaus style manufacturers), but then again I'm still fairly new to the hobby and have a very small collection, so I don't have enough experience to really set my preferences in stone. Of course, there will always be instances where my collection adds a member that bucks all of the trends, but that's part of the fun

[vPro]

What was your first pen?

My first FP was a Mb 149. It was my grand father´s everyday desk pen. When I was a kid (five) my father used to take me on Saturdays to the office (family business) and I always sat on my granpa´s lap and tell him what a nice and funny pen he had. At fourteen my granpa died and I inherited the pen, which I still have.

 

 

2. Did you get it at an impressionable age?

Fell in love with it at 5, got it at 14

 

 

 

3. What pen or type of pen best represents your preferences today?

 

Big pens. I guess I did get really impressed at an impressionable age because I just love the little white snowflake

 

4. What similarities, if any, do you see between the two?

Everything. Most my pens are Mbs

This made me happy and sad at the same time. I am glad you got the pen, and that you were capable of taking care of it at such a young age. But it's always sad to see a family member go

[inkstainedruth]

Parker's first rubberized line was called Reflex. I had the ballpoint, but absolutely would not have the FP, cos I was sure the rubber would absorb ink. I had a couple of Vector rollerballs, and they turned out to have some of the most amazingly lightfast ink I'd ever used.

Those might have been the model that sort of started me down the slippery slope (I can never remember the name on them). The grip didn't absorb ink, AFAIK, but I was only using cartridges back then.

The real problem was that the rubber disintegrated after awhile, which was ugly and not overly comfortable to hold (underneath the section is metal, which may be why the rubber didn't hold in the long run). But hey, they were $6.95 US. I went through two of them before upgrading to the first Vector -- which I still have, after something like 5 or 6 years at this point.

I'm wondering now if the Reflex pens were really supposed to be starter pens (after which you'd graduate to something better -- kinda like a Pelikano or Pelikano Junior). They didn't seem to be marketed that way, though. If Staples hadn't quit selling them, I might still be muddling along with them, and desperately trying to find permanent blue cartridges. And (as Katherine Hepburn, as Eleanor of Acquitaine, says in The Lion in Winter): "... and you and I would not have known one another..."

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[hbdk]

My first FP was a Hero 616 lookalike (but with a piston) that was sold at our school.

 

Yes. Got it when I was about 8 or 9

 

I really like the original Parker Duofold design - have a lot of clones - and one original

 

None or all - I hate hooded nibs.

[milkb0at]

1. What was your first pen?

Parker Vectors throughout school (probably from about 11 years old), then a Sheaffer Imperial 440 for later school and university (bought when I was probably about 16)

2. Did you get it at an impressionable age?

Yes, although for me the Vector was a pen that a lot of my school friends had, and was one that my mum bought for me, so it wasn't that special. It was a workhorse. So the most important one is the Sheaffer. I chose it for myself and it was my "really fancy, expensive" pen which I treasured (and I still have it). I also always used it with the converter so it got me into bottled inks (although that only got me from Quink washable blue cartridges to Quink blue bottle).

3. What pen or type of pen best represents your preferences today?

I prefer the look of "non-traditional" nibs, such as hooded nibs or Sheaffer inlaid, as opposed to the standard #5-type nibs. Realistically, my writing is often better with the latter (e.g. my Italix Parson's Essential and TWSBI Diamond 530) but still I prefer the look and design of my Lamy 2000, Parker P51 and, of course, my Sheaffer Imperial 440 and Targa. On my to-buy lists are things like Pilot M90, whereas I still don't feel the need to buy a Pelikan.

4. What similarities, if any, do you see between the two?

The nib design, and shape of the pen. I also don't like anything too big and ostentatious.

[catbert]

What was your first pen?

My first FP was a Mb 149. It was my grand father´s everyday desk pen. When I was a kid (five) my father used to take me on Saturdays to the office (family business) and I always sat on my granpa´s lap and tell him what a nice and funny pen he had. At fourteen my granpa died and I inherited the pen, which I still have.

 

 

2. Did you get it at an impressionable age?

Fell in love with it at 5, got it at 14

 

 

 

3. What pen or type of pen best represents your preferences today?

 

Big pens. I guess I did get really impressed at an impressionable age because I just love the little white snowflake

 

4. What similarities, if any, do you see between the two?

Everything. Most my pens are Mbs

 

A wonderful memory of your grandfather, and a wonderful pen to remember him by. Thank you.

[catbert]

My first FP was a Hero 616 lookalike (but with a piston) that was sold at our school.

 

Yes. Got it when I was about 8 or 9

 

I really like the original Parker Duofold design - have a lot of clones - and one original

 

None or all - I hate hooded nibs.

 

If you hated your piston-filled Hero lookalike it could have embedded a negative archetype - an anti-pen, if you will - which pushed your preferences in the opposite direction. The primacy effect still at work?

My first pen had a short Triumph nib - neither hooded nor open. I am fine with most nib types (slight preference for unconventional nibs). These facts are not necessarily connected, of course.

[catbert]

 

1. What was your first pen?

Parker Vectors throughout school (probably from about 11 years old), then a Sheaffer Imperial 440 for later school and university (bought when I was probably about 16)

2. Did you get it at an impressionable age?

Yes, although for me the Vector was a pen that a lot of my school friends had, and was one that my mum bought for me, so it wasn't that special. It was a workhorse. So the most important one is the Sheaffer. I chose it for myself and it was my "really fancy, expensive" pen which I treasured (and I still have it). I also always used it with the converter so it got me into bottled inks (although that only got me from Quink washable blue cartridges to Quink blue bottle).

3. What pen or type of pen best represents your preferences today?

I prefer the look of "non-traditional" nibs, such as hooded nibs or Sheaffer inlaid, as opposed to the standard #5-type nibs. Realistically, my writing is often better with the latter (e.g. my Italix Parson's Essential and TWSBI Diamond 530) but still I prefer the look and design of my Lamy 2000, Parker P51 and, of course, my Sheaffer Imperial 440 and Targa. On my to-buy lists are things like Pilot M90, whereas I still don't feel the need to buy a Pelikan.

4. What similarities, if any, do you see between the two?

The nib design, and shape of the pen. I also don't like anything too big and ostentatious.

 

 

We seem to have followed similar paths to quite a similar place.

My second pen was an Imperial 440, or something very like. Dropped it and bent the nib.

I like the sleek 'retro-futuristic' quality of pens with hooded nibs, and that they are fairly unobtrusive. Could be embedded preference, temperament, or both.

[catbert]

I think the issue with me is that I have a bit of a dual design interest- I like both the Art Deco movement and the branches of it (1920s-1940s in my mind) and the Bauhaus type of design aesthetic (which would cover 1950s to, well, now). So I would be happy with a Vacumatic next to a 51 next to a Lamy 2000 in my pen case (when, of course, I get a Vac and a 51). I do find that I pay more attention to the art deco type early to mid century designs (they're a heck of a lot easier to find, given Lamy is one of the few Bauhaus style manufacturers), but then again I'm still fairly new to the hobby and have a very small collection, so I don't have enough experience to really set my preferences in stone. Of course, there will always be instances where my collection adds a member that bucks all of the trends, but that's part of the fun

 

Yes, the main thing is to keep it fun.

I have been eyeing vacumatics - I like those visulated concentric striations (no doubt my terminology is all wrong), especially in grey or blue - but have so far stuck to mid-century and later pens similar to the ones you cite. For me they embody a kind of hopeful modernism.

[Hector67]

This made me happy and sad at the same time. I am glad you got the pen, and that you were capable of taking care of it at such a young age. But it's always sad to see a family member go

Thank you for your kind words vPro.

[Hector67]

 

A wonderful memory of your grandfather, and a wonderful pen to remember him by. Thank you.

Thank you catbert.

[catbert]

A psychologist explaining the primacy effect in a stationery-related context (it's around the 7-minute mark) is just one of the joys of this fascinating BBC radio documentary ‘The Stationery Cupboard’.

“Lucy Mangan loves pens...and paper...and folders. In fact, from her first fountain pen to the latest leather notebook, Lucy has been thrilled by the smell and feel of fresh stationery. Of course, she's not alone - one of the most popular luxuries for Desert Island Discs castaways is pen and paper. In The Stationery Cupboard, we meet fellow devotees of the paraphernalia of school and office life. Lucy goes back to her South London junior school to talk to children about pencil cases. She meets writers to discuss the merits of the 1920s typewriter, a sleek laptop, and a pile of lined A5 notebooks. The psychologist Linda Blair explores our attachment to particular designs, and members of the Writing Equipment Society explain why happiness is a collection of two thousand fountain pens.”

Related article by Lucy Mangan - 'Why I love stationery'.

Both have been discussed before on FPN (here and here) but are worth a listen/read if you missed them first time around - and even if you didn’t.