How often do you see people using fountain pens?

[ParkersAndPaper]

Fountain pens? How about a non-disposable pen. I saw a guy using a Parker 45 bp at a scouting roundtable one time.

 

The only time I've seen someone other than me was at a faculty meeting. One of the adjuncts sitting at the other end of the room was using a fp that I couldn't identify.

Edited August 26, 2014 by ParkersAndPaper

[kmart_security]

I work in a pharmacy, haven't seen anyone as of yet with a fountain pen. Though my co workers know I love them I talk loud (too loud) and the customers are slowly getting to know I do as well. I did see a ladies credit card with a personal background of a fountain pen but when I got excited my boss kind of pressured me to ask her. ANDD I didn't. Oh well, hopefully I'll find someone in the area who has the passion since my girlfriend is only forced to accept them because of me

[igor61]

Where I work (software German company) I have never seen anyone use a fountain pen, other than myself.

They always like to see what am using, and they ask for the brand, materials, etc. but they don't use them.

[kernando]

I saw multiple people using fountain pens all day from Thursday night through Sunday evening. But then I was at the San Francisco Pen Show.

[JulesSilvan]

When I handed the internal mail out at work I realised that our MD has what appeared to be a Parker or Sheaffer desk pen set on his desk along with a half-empty bottle of Quink. Would have asked him about them but as he was eating a sandwich at the time I thought it would be rude.

Edited August 26, 2014 by JulesSilvan

[Mishka5050]

I'm going with never.

+1

 

Great stories here

[Ergative]

My PhD advisor used a fountain pen with a nib too broad for her handwriting. It was very difficult to read her comments on my papers, but she put in me the idea that an academic should have a FP. That's why I dug out my old one and started coming here. I'm hoping to spread the tradition with my own students. (ParkersAndPaper, that adjunct might have been me! I was using a Pilot Metropolitan.) One of them used my Metro to check herself off on the attendance sheet, and said, "Oooh, fancy." An older, non-traditional student who was old enough to have used fountain pens in school was completely oblivious, almost destroying the nib by trying to use it sideways with ball-point appropriate pressure, and then pulled out his own ghastly BP when I swooped in to the rescue. I think if I converted anyone that day, it was the youngster.

[maus930]

Never, except for one or two people I have converted

[NotRosie]

Pretty much never, aside from 4 friends (one of which the rest of us converted) I had at school. We all tutored together.

[fountainpenjunkie]

A Brother at Lodge asked to borrow a pen and I tried to say, 'No' but ended up saying, "All I have is a fountain pen." He said, "I've used fountain pens before." As I watched him flip the pen over and write with the feed up, I said, "You may want to flip it over." He replied, "No, they drip too much that way. This is the proper way to write with a fountain pen". My flourescent yellow Lamy Safari came back unharmed, so it all worked out. But it was nice to learn my good friend had experience with fp's, for what it's worth.

[Stu L]

Not counting the couple of people I've gifted FP's to, I almost never spot anyone...... Except... I saw a lady at my office with a vpen in a meeting recently!

 

I'm going to keep an eye out and see if it was a one off...

[Cob]

Apart from at the London geeks Meeting and the Writing Equipment Show, twice: I was present when the doctor visited my mother; he loves his Waterman fountain pen and used it to write the prescriptions.

 

Cob

[Pelikan_FP]

Most every day; my colleague uses one daily while other people who float in and out rarely use a FP. I make it a point to talk to the people who use a FP when I see them in the office.

[Tberry010]

The attorney who serves as municipal prosecuter uses a 'throw-away' and I am going to gift him,, annonymously, a 'real' fountain pen and hope he uses it.

I se him about once a month or so.

[marcelo]

Apart from myself, never.

[benbot517]

The only people I see using fountain pens are my friend who got me started on them and the people I've given FPs to.

[Reefallo]

I don't think I've seen another fountain pen user in my entire life (outside of a pen show).

 

And in recent years, I don't see anyone use writing implements of any kind. Unless you count cell phones, and texting...

[Ceelo]

I have moments when I see the odd Mont Blanc flashed in the office, get totally excited, act cool, start to stare and ......quickly discover they are ballpoints. Nothing against ballpoints, just like a little more flair. At least they aren't disposables.

[marcelo]

I feel the same about MB ballpoints. I never saw anyone with a Parker ballpoint. For a big chunk of the MB ballpoint users who actually bought their pens the purpose is to show they own a MB.

[marcelo]

I'm a resident at a hospital, and over the last year, I have noted that there are a few fountain pen users in most departments. Pens I have seen used this year include:

 

-- Visconti Homo Sapiens

-- Visconti Opera

-- Parker 45

-- Waterman Le Man 100

-- Waterman Phileas

-- Lamy Safari

-- Pelikan m800

-- Mont Blanc 146

-- Delta ? (Couldn't really tell the model)

-- Pilot Vanishing Point x 2

-- Platinum Preppy

 

Fountain pens seem to be most used by cardiologists, neurologists, and surgeons. Just an observation.

Impressive!