What Was Your Last Impulsive Pen Acquisition?

[kenrapoza]

For me it was an Opus 88 Bela in the "red" color (shown here).  I'm also in the process of impulse buying (if that can even be a thing!) a Laban 325 in Forest Green.  What I mean by "in the process of impulse buying" is I saw a review of it, immediately liked it and the price point (especially with an additional 10% off) and then went and put it in my shopping car - but I haven't yet closed the deal.  I'm sleeping on it for a couple nights since I already have a couple other pens on the way and I'm trying to wrestle with a guitar purchase at the same time! 😅

 

[ethernautrix]

On 7/9/2021 at 5:18 PM, Bikerchick said:

I'm not sure this counts as "impulsive". After all, I had a few hours on the bike to contemplate the purchase. 😉

Last night I asked a friend whether she wanted to go on a little bike ride today.

"Sure, what did you have in mind?"

"I want to go to Tilburg to pick up a pen".

"Okay, but I have to be back by 3:30 pm to pick up the kids from summer camp".

"How about we ride there and take the train back from a station in the vicinity?"
"Count me in!"

 

And this was our ride: 

 

Wow! That's fantastic!

 

My rides are much shorter and slower, cos I need to replace the trailer for the dog who, now eleven, insists on "running" some of the way. She used to run between 20 and 25 kph easily, but now trots along around 8 kph. (The trailer is five years old and falling apart.)

 

You must have left very early for your friend to make it back by 15:30. I'm impressed and jealous! (In the good way.)

[Bikerchick]

16 hours ago, mizgeorge said:

We're at just under three months now. And the hold up is a pen which every other supplier seems able to sell from stock. I've already cancelled one order, but this one includes a couple of things I simply can't get elsewhere, and they are just useless at communicating. I ended up having to phone last time, but that's just more cost that I shouldn't be having to deal with. It's such a shame, as I do like them, but they're just not good at the admin side of things.

 

And you have me completely sussed. Exactly those - the gold one is just too good a match to the Edelstein Golden Beryl not to have it, and the blue is just downright pretty - I've stubbed the nib on it and filled it with GvFC Gulf Blue and it's really much nicer than it should be for the price. I don't normally bother with c/c pens, but for sparkly inks, they can be a better option as they're so easy to clean.

They conveniently hide behind that little asterisk at the end of the availability of every item. "It's just a guestimate". They must secretly be delighted about the COVID epidemic, because that's been their go-to excuse every time I've inquired about the status of a shipment. 

Have you seen their shop on Google Streetview? It's the size of my bathroom. There's a curtain in the back, separating the shop from the area where the employees sit and presumably wrap our precious purchases. It's all very cloak and dagger and the entire shop has this air of "you're so lucky to be shopping with us today".  The sales person I dealt with was very stand-offish, highly uncommon for Dutch people. 

 

6 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

I completely lost it at those guys last night, after placing an order deliberately picking only items that were shown as being in stock, and still they cannot either fulfil and dispatch it immediately, or give me a definite and guaranteed time-frame. I sent them a list of >50 line items that I've ordered and paid for in the past few months, that have yet to be dispatched, and asked for a status update to account for every single one of those.

Good luck with that. When I emailed them about an item I knew to be in their shop and not on their website, they first lied to me twice about shipping cost, contradicting what is written on their own bleeding site, even after I pointed out what it said there. And then they lied to me about available nib sizes, stating Narwhal only made the particular pen with one nib size, when Narwhal's site mentioned two. 

Funny that. Both you and Mizgeorge knew exactly which shop I went to without me mentioning the name. Their reputation precedes them clear across the globe. And yet we all still shop there.

 

20 minutes ago, ethernautrix said:

Wow! That's fantastic!

 

My rides are much shorter and slower, cos I need to replace the trailer for the dog who, now eleven, insists on "running" some of the way. She used to run between 20 and 25 kph easily, but now trots along around 8 kph. (The trailer is five years old and falling apart.)

 

You must have left very early for your friend to make it back by 15:30. I'm impressed and jealous! (In the good way.)

That's so sweet of you, to let your dog set the pace.  Sounds like it's time for a new trailer. 
Yes, we left at 5:45 am, also known as "stupid o'clock", with ample time for coffee shops and a lunch break. 
By our standards, this was a short and slow ride though. This is the ride she and I did in September last year:

 

 

 

[trdsf]

TWSB Vac 700R Iris popped up on a site; by the time I got there only EFs were left.  Grabbed one anyway. 

 

Also threw down a $30 bid on a small lot of vintage pens on the Bay of E... and when I got it, found it included both a Parker 21 and a Parker 51... 

[ethernautrix]

1 hour ago, Bikerchick said:

By our standards, this was a short and slow ride though. This is the ride she and I did in September last year:

 

I love it! I love day trips and bike tours. Much slower than your pace  wow! I'm faster on my own, but average in the low 20s (in and around this city, Wrocław, which is  fairly flat) when I push myself. Your ride to the pen shop has me jonesin' for a day trip (gotta replace the trailer first).

To get back on the topic of impulsive pen purchases, um... I tend not to be impulsive since the binge phase a dozen or so years ago when I first encountered FPN. I've since learned that while a pretty pen with a fabulous nib might catch my eye, am I really going to stop using the same three or four pens I've been using consistently for the past several years?

 

But I have bought a few gel pens impulsively and finally admitted to myself that a clicky-click gel pen is much better suited to the job of scribbling quick notes while riding my bike or taking a walk (usually to jot the name of a street or to remember something). I still carry at least two fountain pens wherever I go, but now I also have a retractable gel pen handy, too.

[mizgeorge]

2 hours ago, Bikerchick said:

By our standards, this was a short and slow ride though. This is the ride she and I did in September last year:

 

 

 

My husband would be so happy to join you on these - he's been out of the saddle for a couple of months now thanks to a medical problem (waiting for surgery) and he's like a caged beast. So much so that it's his birthday today and he's decided it simply isn't happening and it's being postponed until next year.

 

As for the shop - they lure us in with offers and great prices, and every now and again they do get it right and deliver on time and it lulls us into enough of a sense of security to make us fall for it again! I think this may have been the last time though.

[Bikerchick]

2 hours ago, ethernautrix said:

I tend not to be impulsive since the binge phase a dozen or so years ago when I first encountered FPN. I've since learned that while a pretty pen with a fabulous nib might catch my eye, am I really going to stop using the same three or four pens I've been using consistently for the past several years?

You have wisdom beyond your years. That, or three or four really great pens. 

 

1 hour ago, mizgeorge said:

So much so that it's his birthday today and he's decided it simply isn't happening and it's being postponed until next year.

Happy birthday to your hubby, and I hope whatever ails him sorts itself out quickly. 

 

1 hour ago, mizgeorge said:

I think this may have been the last time though.

Famous last words!  

[Joe124013]

On 7/10/2021 at 2:31 PM, maclink said:

 

Is that still available or are you looking at getting one pre-owned?  Karas Kustoms are a decent outfit. I've always found their nibs to be well tuned out of the box and I'm happy to see the modifications with their v2 pens.

Ahh, maybe I was a bit unclear. I picked mine up second-hand. Someone had bought it and found it too heavy (it is a weighty pen). I hadn't been looking for any more pens as I'm trying to save for a couple pieces specifically and trim my collection, but the shipwreck finish/treatment was just so unique that I had to jump on it. This is my second Karas actually, I had one previously and while I liked it that was a bit too small/light for my taste (was one of the acrylic models). 

[Ink Stained Wretch]

On 6/22/2021 at 10:01 PM, alexwi said:

Well, today you clued me in to it. Guess who just wavered too.

 

Alex

 

Oh my, I've infected someone else.

 

Have you tested them yet? How do they seem to you?

 

[PAKMAN]

Was on the way to the Arkansas Pen Club meeting and dropped in to Vanness Pen Shop. They had some inks that had leaked onto the labels on sale for $3 each, I grabbed 4 bottles. Didn't need any inks nor hadn't even heard of the brand.

[alexwi]

2 hours ago, Ink Stained Wretch said:

 

Oh my, I've infected someone else.

 

Have you tested them yet? How do they seem to you?

 

 

Hi Wretch,

 

I was lucky that the Rosetta Explorer doesn't come in other colors.

 

The nib is a bit on the wetter side for me, but it's a pleasure to write with. Considering how much I like the nib size, the girth of the section, the balance, and its simple yet attentive-to-detail design (ink-level window, secure posting, nice stop at the end of the section), $5 is a ridiculous price for it.

 

The feed probably holds a gallon of ink - the cartridge is completely dry and this thing's still writing despite having a rather wet nib.

 

I also just got a Diplomat Esteem MadC and writes very nicely too, but I have to get used to the nib being rather larger than what I'm used to and am tempted to get the Magnum, which reminds me of the Rosetta.

 

It's a pitty that the other Rosetta models are screw-cap or I'd be following this brand closely.

 

Thanks for pointing me in this pen's direction!!!

 

Alex

[ethernautrix]

On 7/11/2021 at 4:01 PM, Bikerchick said:

You have wisdom beyond your years. That, or three or four really great pens. 

 

I have the years, haha, and ample evidence in the form of more than a few beautiful pens with great nibs that I don't use because of the three or four that I use everyday.

 

BTW, I read part one of your Georgian odyssey. It's super! I've enjoyed a couple of bike tours (wycieczki rowerowe) around Poland with friends and the dog, but not last year, cos pandemic, so...maybe, possibly this year (maybe solo). Between thunderstorms, haha.

[Aysedasi]

A new bright yellow Waterman Charleston, for which I have just ordered a broad nib to replace the fine it has installed.  

[alexwi]

On 7/9/2021 at 11:18 AM, Bikerchick said:

Last night I asked a friend whether she wanted to go on a little bike ride today.

"Sure, what did you have in mind?"

"I want to go to Tilburg to pick up a pen".

"Okay, but I have to be back by 3:30 pm to pick up the kids from summer camp".

"How about we ride there and take the train back from a station in the vicinity?"
"Count me in!"

 

A friend is someone you call to bail you out when you're arrested.

A TRUE friend is someone who sits in a cell with you and says "Man! That was totally worth it!!!!"

 

alex

 

[como]

5 minutes ago, alexwi said:

 

A friend is someone you call to bail you out when you're arrested.

A TRUE friend is someone who sits in a cell with you and says "Man! That was totally worth it!!!!"

 

alex

 

😀😀😀 Well I hope that it won’t come to this!

[ParramattaPaul]

26 minutes ago, alexwi said:

 

A friend is someone you call to bail you out when you're arrested.

A TRUE friend is someone who sits in a cell with you and says "Man! That was totally worth it!!!!"

 

alex

 

There are those of us who would suggest that a true friend is one who would prevprevent you from doing something that will land you in gaol in the first place.

[Bikerchick]

4 hours ago, alexwi said:

 

A friend is someone you call to bail you out when you're arrested.

A TRUE friend is someone who sits in a cell with you and says "Man! That was totally worth it!!!!"

 

alex

 

And a TRUE but slightly crazy friend is someone who says "sure thing" when you suggest waking up at 4:30 am to bike 150+ kilometers to pick up a fountain pen from a store that would ship it to you for no extra cost.

[Bikerchick]

11 hours ago, ethernautrix said:

I have the years, haha, and ample evidence in the form of more than a few beautiful pens with great nibs that I don't use because of the three or four that I use everyday.

Go on then, tell us what pens they are, the three or four that stole your heart.  

 

11 hours ago, ethernautrix said:

BTW, I read part one of your Georgian odyssey. It's super! I've enjoyed a couple of bike tours (wycieczki rowerowe) around Poland with friends and the dog, but not last year, cos pandemic, so...maybe, possibly this year (maybe solo). Between thunderstorms, haha.

I'm so glad you enjoyed that. I'm currently working on Part III but it's a slooooow process. 
Where would you go on your next adventure? 

[Detman101]

Won a $25 gift card...promptly logged into my "Yoseka Stationery" account and purchased a bottle of "Sailor Ink Studio - #162"

[samasry]

4 hours ago, Bikerchick said:

And a TRUE but slightly crazy friend is someone who says "sure thing" when you suggest waking up at 4:30 am to bike 150+ kilometers to pick up a fountain pen from a store that would ship it to you for no extra cost.

 

So it was really 150Km !

I was not sure I got the map correctly. 

 

But this is a true story:

 

I am driving with my wife couple of days ago and we stopped at a  traffic sign.

 

A guy just crossed  the street in what seems like a bike with motor on it.  

 

Me:  Is this guy actually using a motor in his bicycle?

 

My wife: Yes, I see them all the time,  it is because some street crossings are steep.

 

Me:  Street crossing are steep!!?, this is so lazy.  You know  in FPN, I saw the member  Bikerchick  has  biked  150 km to pick up her pen.

 

My wife:  Here  In America?

 

Me:  Of course not, and then someone told her that the only way this would be done (in his case) would be if they  have  a motor on the bike.  This is how  the story was triggered,  when I saw a bike with motor.

 

My wife:  Are you really sure it was 150km? , you are always absent minded.

Me: I am not sure

...

 

Now  I am sure