How often do you see people using fountain pens?

[HerosNSuch]

My former boss kept a desk set of dip pens with which he filled out crossword puzzles and played Sudoku.(He still used Indian Ink) I've also had several colleagues who used "real" pens. They were mostly older men who had some of the most beautiful celluloid creations I have ever seen. Others used "51"s and modern Conway Stewarts. Surprisingly few MB's though. Most who carried those were RB users.

[angryink]

None in my area besides pen shows.

Edited August 28, 2008 by angryink

[Iridium]

The only fountain pen I've ever seen being used "in the wild" (besides my own) to my recollection was my third-grade teacher's. Otherwise, never.

[Skyppere]

In 30 years of teaching at the University Level I only saw ONE student use a fountain pen and he was an exchange student from Germany. During that time I saw maybe 3 or 4 faculty use one.

I've never seen one used in 'the wild" beyond that. Well ok, at the dc super show...

 

skip

[JulioPB]

Rarer south from the border

 

[Silvermink]

I haven't met anyone outside of Vancouver Pen Club people who use FPs here. However, I've had a couple people comment on my AL-stars, one of whom I reluctantly passed one of them to for a meeting sign-in; he proceeded to sign his name perfectly with it and compliment me on it (I actually got as far as "It's a-" and then he said "nice fountain pen!")

 

A couple of my Chinese-Canadian colleagues have commented on them, as well, and the fact that almost no one seems to use them over here.

 

I'm now carrying my Jinhao Long March around, and I suspect that may elicit more comments.

Edited October 29, 2008 by Silvermink

[ericvb]

Well, I'm a banker in Brussels and I can only say that since a couple of years more and more of the people around me use FPs...

Perhaps it's because we all learned to write with a FP at school: first a pencil, then only a FP till we were 12, and in secondary school (what is called High School in the USA) a homework written with a FP was considered just that bit "better" than one scribbled down with a BP. At university nobody cared, but the habit just stays with you...

And I'm sorry to say, but it's often a case of just starting to use a FP at work: after a couple of days, left an right people just join you in this habit.

And to be quite honest, when you receive a letter or even just a note, it is immediately clear that something was written with a FP: it just gives the text that little extra, just a bit of "class" in a world of computer-print-outs...

If I look around me, probably one in every five persons at our HQ have a FP on their desk, and from the local branches perhaps one in ten of the letters we receive bear a signature done with a FP.

 

[jonro]

I have never seen anyone in public using a fountain pen besides myself. A couple of weeks ago, a friend told me that her daughter's piano teacher uses fountain pens. That's as close as I've come.

[Edgar Allan Bo]

At my university, every time I look around me I see people using FP's, (and there are thousands of people in there) so there must be many of them most are using Safaris and sometimes I see a M200... ...sometimes in classes when I look around me I only see people using FP's... but there are also many BP-People!

Edited October 29, 2008 by sk2yshine

[laotzu]

Well, what's funny is the reaction I get when I use mine during the ordinary course of the day. Invariably someone will say "wow that is a cool pen can I see it?" If there are others around this will spread. Someone will usually ask to try it and go on to demonstrate a beautiful cursive signature.

 

Quite surprising.

 

[ToughHouseRook]

I've never encountered another person using a fountain pen that I have noticed, bu I don't work in a normal office setting where one would expect to find fine pens. When people at work see me write with one they look at me like I am mad, and I get much the same reaction around town.

 

I would more expect to see someone using them at say a law office or some other high-paid professional establishment.

[Goshzilla]

Only met one student over at Utah who was using a parker vector to write notes with. One professor there had several vintage bottles of skrip ink. One of my professors at LSU that I know of is a Parker loyalist, grades all exams with Parker ink.

 

So that is a total of three people.

[JayKay]

21 years and counting. Never have I seen anybody else using one. No professors, no teachers, no friends. No other students at my university.

[Pen Nut]

Only read the first 6 pages of this thread and find it interesting. I see no one, whilst I work, using fountain pens but do see a variety of other 'reasonable' quality writing tools.

 

Now then has anyone experienced that certain 'moment' when someone spots what you are using or vice a versa and a nervous enquiry is made? In 2005 I was signing in to a meeting in Manchester Crown Court when I just felt someone was taking a bit too much notice of me and where I was going, I avoided the toilets at all costs and was going down a long corridor when I noticed this 'nutter' was gaining on me. I stopped and was stunned when his opening sentence was "excuse me is that the Edson you were using? I have always wanted to see one close up" instant relief that I wasnt going to get a knife pulled on me led to a long chat about pens, paper & inks, you know the stuff we live & breathe, it was a conversation that felt covered in mystery like the workings of the inner Masonic Lodge and one I will never forget.

 

Odd thing us fountain pen folk

 

[agpatel]

I have a funny story about seeing someone using a FP. I was in class one day sitting next to this gril, and I was using my FP to write notes and she looks over and says oh is that a Lamy Safari and i was like yes, she said oh i have one also but i just ran out of ink in my last class (then makes sad face) and i said, well i dont wanan see that sad face on your anymore and pulled out some black and blue cartridges out of my backpack and gave her one.

 

Hmm....too bad i had/have a gf.

[PigRatAndGoat]

There is a person who sits in front of me in my math class that uses a purple Stypen UP!. However, I don't want to be the creepy guy that says "Hey, you're using a fountain pen, cool!", rambles for a few minutes too long, and then wrap the one sided conversation up with awkward silence.

[Pippin60]

Sadly I can't recall anyone in recent times. I work in technology and most of my peers admire what I'm carrying but think its silly when there are perfectly good disposable ball points.

[eilu]

A couple of my college professors use FPs, Montblancs both. My relatives used them when I was younger; my dad had one, my mom had one, my uncle had a couple in a desk set- but I've not seen them in use for a long, long, time now. I'm planning to raid the family's attics and rescue these pens!

[escribo]

I have a funny story about seeing someone using a FP. I was in class one day sitting next to this gril, and I was using my FP to write notes and she looks over and says oh is that a Lamy Safari and i was like yes, she said oh i have one also but i just ran out of ink in my last class (then makes sad face) and i said, well i dont wanan see that sad face on your anymore and pulled out some black and blue cartridges out of my backpack and gave her one.

Smooth...

Hmm....too bad i had/have a gf.

When it rains, it pours, right?

-jon

[JHolmes302]

The only person I have ever saw using a fountain pen was the person who got me interested in them. When I use mine to take notes I tend to get a lot of stares, most people I know don't know what it is, or why I would be using an "old time thing"