How often do you see people using fountain pens?

[13R14N]

When I first started collecting/buying/using fountain pens, I was overly cautious and never wanted to risk any of my precious few pens at work. The more I used the few pens in my collection the more I wanted to use them all the time, and therefore take one to work with me.

 

Then one day (in October 2008) I was consulting for a new customer and finally noticed his Hero 616 (jumbo size) just sitting there on the desk, very unpretentious and normal like. I asked about the pen, took it for a test drive on my notepad, then we started talking about ink. This is the only person I have ever met that I have observed having/using a FP in public (unless I loaned mine at the time).

 

Well that is what started my Hero pen collection; I never thought/realized a cheap pen could write so smoothly and skip-free. So now I take a Hero and/or Wing Sung to work with me all the time.

 

And to make sure this happens to someone else, I will gifting one of these inexpensive beauties to anyone who shows interest.

 

--Brian

 

 

[WillSW]

The most recent sighting wasn't actually in person - I received a letter from someone (not from FPN) which was obviously written with a stub nib. It made the letter much more enjoyable to read.

[ewdin]

When I first started collecting/buying/using fountain pens, I was overly cautious and never wanted to risk any of my precious few pens at work. The more I used the few pens in my collection the more I wanted to use them all the time, and therefore take one to work with me.

 

Then one day (in October 2008) I was consulting for a new customer and finally noticed his Hero 616 (jumbo size) just sitting there on the desk, very unpretentious and normal like. I asked about the pen, took it for a test drive on my notepad, then we started talking about ink. This is the only person I have ever met that I have observed having/using a FP in public (unless I loaned mine at the time).

 

Well that is what started my Hero pen collection; I never thought/realized a cheap pen could write so smoothly and skip-free. So now I take a Hero and/or Wing Sung to work with me all the time.

 

And to make sure this happens to someone else, I will gifting one of these inexpensive beauties to anyone who shows interest.

 

--Brian

I'd be interested! I bought a bunch when I was in Shanghai, giving away all and keeping only one for myself. Then that one started leaking Baystate Blue all over my hands - it wasn't pleasant, but I'd sure like to give it a second chance.

[twinofmunin]

My father occasionally brings home a Pilot Varsity or two from work -- I suppose they are provided at his law firm.

Other than that, I've seen a couple of friends of mine in college using FPs -- they are from India and FPs are apparently totally normal where they are from. One of my coworkers from over the summer has a Pilot/Namiki Falcon, and we got to talking (and trying) pens and inks.

[Karter]

Hardly ever now because everyone uses computers, so I suppose they see little point in putting in the effort of having a decent pen, for the small amount of writing that they do. After all even a cheap fountain pen has to be cleaned and refilled, compared to a 10p bic that come 100 to a pack thats a lot of messing around. The little writing that people do is at work where biros are provided anyway.

When I was at primary school though we had to use fountain pens, and come to think of it I think we had to at senior school as well.

[oberon]

None that I have noted outside of a brick and mortar pen store.

Oberon

[french22]

At my job, I think I'm the only regular FP user. As usual you see a lot of MB BP but very few FP's. My boss uses from time to time a nice Montegrappa he was offered when leaving its former job. Actually he uses it so few that ink dries and I have to take it home for servicing. I told him that next time I won't return it...

 

Another coworker in Spain is a regular FP user: he writes with a nice Waterman Charleston he bought when his Expert started to leak (problem easily fixed by a vigorous cleaning). Nevertheless he remains a "one pen user"

 

Fortunately, my kids are using FP's at school : Lamy Vista, Waterman Kultur, Parker. Some pens with a converter. Hope they will keep using them

[dannzeman]

I've never seen an FP's in the wild.

[sunnyone]

once in the past 3.5 months. A gentleman at my job uses a Montblanc of some sort. he was on his way to a meeting so I could not interrogate him properly:)

[Pink Ink]

Whenever the SF Pen Posse gets together. Otherwise, not really.

[someonesdad]

In the last 35 years, I've seen a total of two people using fountain pens besides myself. They were a bit more common when I was a kid though...

[Michael W]

Just me Mum and meself

[tadster]

A few years ago, before I started using fountain pens, I actually did come upon a fountain pen in the wild. I was in the office of a Frenchman PhD colleague (I was but a lowly research assistant), and he lent me his pen to sign a document. Incidentally, I said something like, "Wow, a fountain pen!? This is nice!" I marveled at its smooth feel.

 

Fast forward to the present: I regularly use a Lamy Safari and a Hero 100. Occasionally a coworker or student will need a pen to jot something down. If I don't have another pen available (in other words, there is no disposable pen for them to use), I will hand them whatever fountain pen I have in my pocket that day. I almost always get a response like, "Wow, a fountain pen!? This is nice!" On the inside, I'm giggling. Unfortunately, most individuals I lend my pen to have never used a fountain pen and they end up pressing too hard, or writing at an inappropriate angle. Amusingly, one person I lent my Safari to couldn't even coax a solid line out of the pen! I took it back and wrote as smooth as could be, probably to his astonishment.

 

Thus far, at least one of my colleagues has switched to fountain pens in large part because of my (fountain pens') influence. I have also gifted fountain pens to several relatives. I know a lot of us don't want strangers to use our pens, but if that old colleague of mine wasn't trusting enough to lend me his fountain pen, I may have never switched to fountain pens at all.

 

If you can stand it without grinding your teeth and twitching uncontrollably, go lend someone your pen... you just might make a convert!

 

[Silvermink]

My girlfriend mentioned that a new guy at her workplace has a Meiserstuck of some kind and left it in the pen cup there (!). She tried it out and said the flow was pretty iffy - sounds like he needs to get it adjusted a bit.

[Ryan Stewart]

This past November, I noticed the clip of a Parker in my uncle's pocket, so of course I said something. I didn't expect it to be a fountain pen (although it did cross my mind), but as it turns out it was a lovely F nib Sonnet. My uncle had received it as a gift from a colleague, and, not liking FPs himself, gave it to me!

[HelzBelz]

I see them in the wild fairly regularly: one or two people in my year of university use them (although they tend to be Parker Vectors and Frontiers), and I know one of my lecturers does, but I've never seen it. I know it's an M nib with fairly wet flow and blue ink, though...

 

Other than that, nobody I know does. And I've never seen anything more upmarket than the Vectors and Frontiers. I try to set an example, such as it is, by bringing a different pen every week or so.

[System of Adam]

I have one proff who carries a rather large Visconti, buys ink from Levenger but, when I asked the brand of his pen, seemed uncertain as to its make. He has borrowed a fountain pen from me once before class (Sheaffer Imperial) but never brought it up.

 

I have now converted my father, my father-in-law and my wife!

 

 

[matje]

I work in central government and at work I only ever see FP in the hands of ambassadors and the odd politician. More common in the hands of foreign guests but still rare. Going to meetings in Brussels FP-users are clearly much more common among the continental European brethren compared to us northern brutes , but we look and learn :blink:

 

While at meetings in the South I tend to fight sleepiness by being on active lookout for FP-comrades. Germans quite common among them, yes :clap1:

[Sallent]

I live in South Florida which means I see a person carrying a FP.........NEVER!!!

 

There are also 0 Fountain PEn stores down where I live.

 

People down here don't appreciate quality and class......very evident by the really sloppy clothes and terrible manners of most people down here.

[ToasterPastry]

There are also 0 Fountain PEn stores down where I live.

 

People down here don't appreciate quality and class......very evident by the really sloppy clothes and terrible manners of most people down here.

 

I rarely see fountain pens in San Diego. People here eat food off the ground (well after the 5 second rule), and communicate by grunting.