Hello From Adelaide, Australia.

[banistersmind]

34 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

I lived and worked in Adelaide, back when it still hosted the Grand Prix. When I was in uni, that meant having to contend with the road blocks and diversions at exam time, and having to circumvent those to get to the exam hall off-campus. Then, when I was working, when the Grand Prix was happening, driving into work which usually took less than ten minutes (because I lived less than 4km from the CBD) would take north of 45 minutes when the roads off the northeastern corner of the city were blocked off for the race. I was called in on Grand Prix Sunday one year as a work emergency, even after I've given the best technical advice I could for troubleshooting over the phone. It took me 50 minutes to get to work, by which time the staff has moved to Plan B (i.e. manual processing); and, when I got there, I discovered that my advice were not followed, and the problem could have been resolved just by properly confirming the status lights on the devices, and “power-cycling” the devices as I would have instructed.

 

Oh! What a holla-baloo! I did always enjoy the F1 race and I'm hoping we get the V8's back here in the near future. What I'd really love to see are the EV's - that would be really cool to see. 

 

 

[banistersmind]

So - I am a week into my journey with fountain pens and I am looking to invest in a quality instrument. I have set myself a budget of between $200 - $300 AUD and I am leaning towards a fine nib, metal barrel and something striking to look at. 

 

I would welcome recommendations from you all to aid me. Let's talk instruments. 

[mhwombat]

Welcome to FPN! I've been to OZ twice, and Adelaide is beautiful.

[banistersmind]

14 minutes ago, mhwombat said:

Welcome to FPN! I've been to OZ twice, and Adelaide is beautiful.

 

Appreciate that @mhwombat! Yeah, I have a great affection for Adelaide. I have to admit I wasn't born here. I hail from eastern Victoria but I've lived here since the late 90's and she's gotten under my skin. 

 

We have a lovely pen store in the CBD that walked me through a great introduction to fountain pens last week and I felt confident that I could begin my adventure off the back of their advice.

 

Where are you writing in from?

[banistersmind]

10 hours ago, PAKMAN said:

Hello and Welcome to FPN!! So glad to have you as a member!!

 

Thank you Sir! Can I ask where you're writing in from?!

[PAKMAN]

Arkansas USA

[mhwombat]

2 hours ago, banistersmind said:

Where are you writing in from?

I'm in beautiful rural Donegal, in Ireland. I'm in a Gaeltacht (a region where there are a number of Irish language speakers.

 

By the way, my username "mhwombat" is short for Muddle-Headed Wombat, main character in the children's classic stories by Ruth Park. So you can tell that my visits to Oz made quite an impression on me!

[A Smug Dill]

2 hours ago, banistersmind said:

I have set myself a budget of between $200 - $300 AUD and I am leaning towards a fine nib, metal barrel and something striking to look at. 

 

I would welcome recommendations from you all to aid me. Let's talk instruments. 

 

What are your expectations of that nib, in terms of material (steel? gold?), characteristics (stiff-as-a-nail? soft? ‘flexy’?), line width, etc.?

[Wahl]

[Mark from Yorkshire]

Hello and welcome from West Yorkshire United Kingdom 🇬🇧 

[mhwombat]

2 hours ago, banistersmind said:

So - I am a week into my journey with fountain pens and I am looking to invest in a quality instrument. I have set myself a budget of between $200 - $300 AUD and I am leaning towards a fine nib, metal barrel and something striking to look at. 

 

I would welcome recommendations from you all to aid me. Let's talk instruments. 

 

Fountain pens tastes are very individual, and you probably don't know your own tastes yet. Maybe consider getting a couple less expensive pens first? There's a world of things to explore: different filling systems, different types of nibs, different body shape and material.

[banistersmind]

13 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

What are your expectations of that nib, in terms of material (steel? gold?), characteristics (stiff-as-a-nail? soft? ‘flexy’?), line width, etc.?

 

I don't really know to be honest. Although I have been told that gold is the best material for a nib because it kinda 'molds' to my writing style over time.

 

I am a Nurse and I have a reputation for a lovely style of writing. It is not pure cursive but it is close. So I want something that I can scribe with under pressure, while maintaining my style and legibility. 

 

I am also a writer and I take a lot of notes, so it has to be something of a work horse as well. 

[banistersmind]

11 hours ago, Mark from Yorkshire said:

Hello and welcome from West Yorkshire United Kingdom 🇬🇧 

 

Hello Mark from West Yorkshire!!

[banistersmind]

10 hours ago, mhwombat said:

 

Fountain pens tastes are very individual, and you probably don't know your own tastes yet. Maybe consider getting a couple less expensive pens first? There's a world of things to explore: different filling systems, different types of nibs, different body shape and material.

 

Good advice @mhwombat I will take my time with this. Already, I'm mentally scrutinising what I like, what I don't with my current cheapy and postulating on what I would like. 

[banistersmind]

12 hours ago, Wahl said:

 

G'day Wahl! Wahl is a great brand of Barber's instruments!

[banistersmind]

14 hours ago, PAKMAN said:

Arkansas USA

 

Great state I've heard @PAKMAN!

[A Smug Dill]

2 hours ago, banistersmind said:

Although I have been told that gold is the best material for a nib because it kinda 'molds' to my writing style over time.

 

Hmmm, I don't believe that actually happens, not any more than steel nibs anyway. The tipping material is usually what gets ‘polished’ a particular way by virtue of the the user's handwriting style and technique, due friction from putting kilometres of ink tracks down on paper over a very long period of use; and the (typically iridium) tipping material on gold nibs is likely to be the same as, or at least very similar to, what is on steel nibs.

 

If your handwriting style actually causes a gold nib's tines to permanently change shape, that would not be a good thing.

 

2 hours ago, banistersmind said:

So I want something that I can scribe with under pressure, while maintaining my style and legibility. 

 

I am also a writer and I take a lot of notes, so it has to be something of a work horse as well. 

19 hours ago, banistersmind said:

I have set myself a budget of between $200 - $300 AUD and I am leaning towards a fine nib, metal barrel and something striking to look at. 

 

Well, then, I'd suggest a Diplomat Aero (or Elox, if you prefer) with a steel nib. Personally I think the Diplomat Excellence A² is an even better pen, but I'll admit the Aero looks more striking (and I'm repeatedly tempted to get a second one, had I not been spending my funds for such acquisition on getting one Excellence A² after another instead).

 

A Pelikan M215, with a suitably tipped EF or F nib, might also be a good fit. (There is some inconsistency and question with regard to how recently produced Pelikan nibs are tipped.)

You could try a Platinum PB-2500, which I know can be had for about US$88 (shipped to Australia) at worst. There are a number of things about it that I personally think are shortcomings; but in practice it is a good writing instrument if one intends to use it often and not ‘baby’ it, and the gold nib (which is leveraged from the Vicoh product line) on it is a little bouncy and quite lovely.

 

 

 

[dipper]

On 5/20/2022 at 4:11 PM, banistersmind said:

I have no idea if it is a good pen or not but I guess it is a starting place nonetheless.

 

Welcome @banistersmind from the woodlands of Norfolk UK.

 

The video review below shows another (fairly similar) pen from the same "Online" brand as your be-safe pen. The reviewer compares that pen favourably to the well respected Lamy Safari pen. Also the video gives some info on the "Online" company, their cartridges, and compatibility with standard "international" cartridges and "converters" for using bottled ink.

 

Choosing a "better" pen?

I suggest you try just one more low-price pen first. Look for something with a few differences.... A different nib width, different body length, different weight, different materials used, etc.

After using both pens you will be much better tuned-in to what you like and don't like.

You may even find that you really like the cheaper pens! Some are excellent writers.

 

See this forum topic...

 

Edited May 22, 2022 by dipper
Link added

[Misfit]

Welcome from the American Midwest, suburban Kansas City, Missouri.

[amberleadavis]

Welcome. I enjoy the Online Pen company.