How often do you see people using fountain pens?

[fountainpenjunkie]

In my age (born 1961) you are anxious to be "snobbistic", you like ballpoint understatement. Using fountainpens gives you a too conservative image.

Oh, how interesting! And by 'are anxious to be', you mean "want to avoid", right?

I am a couple years older than you, and went through school here in California. I never saw a fountain pen in school. I found one in a store and bought it out of curiosity as a teen. I used it mostly for writing to friends and family (in those days, they wrote back!). I don't remember if I ever brought it to school. I can certainly see ballpoints as understated here in the states, I've experienced the fountain pen is observed by most as a curiosity, and I cringe at the thought of one's use of a fountain pen being considered as a personality indicator. My coworkers have laughed out loud that there are such things as pen clubs. The image of glasses held together with tape and pocket protectors is probably most common. I need a new avatar.

Nostalgic feelings are helping a lot. We "midlife" people remember the old fountainpen - feeling and want to get it back :wub:

Well, that is certainly where I am coming from!

[lterry]

At my office of 40 people, myself and 4 others use a fountain pen.

[Jeremy.Johnson]

The running joke in my class at school is that I have exceptionally weird "old pens" that I don't let anyone borrow. Every now and again I bring in one of my Lamy Safari's and let people try them out. Everyone has commented that "they are so nice and easy to use. I don't have to press hard at all."

 

Turns out, I was talking with the director of my pathway (my medical school offers 3 different paths to fit people's learning style) and another student. She had said that she felt really bad spending $30 on a slew of ballpoints. I just happened to have my Pelikan 405 stuck in the shirt pocket and pulled it out. Dr. Chegwidden's eyes lit up and asked if it was a fountain pen. The fellow student asked why I would own a pen like that. Reply, its a nicer pen that I enjoy taking notes all day with. Then she asked if it was expensive. Slightly more than $30. Since then I have gotten Dr. Chegwidden to break out some of his old snorkles.

 

 

Jeremy

[limesally]

very interesting experiences! In Germany everybody has fountainpens from his time in school. It's also a very common present by parents and grandparents when you grow up (similar to watches).

 

So really, it is almost the norm in Europe, do you think? I was sitting at coffee one day with a friend who grew up in Poland, and while trying to explain something he picked up my Pelikan GO and drew several diagrams with it, and did not make ONE SINGLE REMARK about it being a fountain pen. I was actually quite disappointed. But if it's that common in Europe, maybe it was no more worthy of comment than a Bic!

 

[tutelman]

Yesterday I had a meeting with lawyers, architects, and city development services staff. Imagine my surprise to find that in a meeting of 13 folks, 4 - including me - were using fountain pens. More than 30%! The weapons of choice? Two Pelikans (one modern and one vintage), a Waterman, and my Danitrio raw ebonite Densho.

 

Luddites of the world, throw down your Bics and rejoice!

[Gehaha]

very interesting experiences! In Germany everybody has fountainpens from his time in school. It's also a very common present by parents and grandparents when you grow up (similar to watches).

 

So really, it is almost the norm in Europe, do you think? I was sitting at coffee one day with a friend who grew up in Poland, and while trying to explain something he picked up my Pelikan GO and drew several diagrams with it, and did not make ONE SINGLE REMARK about it being a fountain pen. I was actually quite disappointed. But if it's that common in Europe, maybe it was no more worthy of comment than a Bic!

 

Hello limesally,

 

yes, FP's are that common. In school it's only allowed to use pens with cartridges. Young people often stick to C-pens. They have to discover the advantages of old (or new) fountainpens. Pelikan makes a very good job with writing training and writing contests at school. Every german child gets "nib-experience". The "skilled" handwriter must be able to use a fountainpen. I think it's also common in other european countries. Every country has it's "national" brand. Not always as famous as the german Montblanc or Pelikan, but existing. I know friends from Tchech republik, Poland, France, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Netherlands, who are writing their letters with fountainpens. But I think the allday writing is dominated by ballpoints.

Montblanc has a very good marketing: "young urban professionals" are using their products in terms of prestige, success and luxuary

Writing "loveletters" with cheap paper and ballpoint appears as "bad manors".

 

Christmas greetings to Canada, , the "land of my dreams".... When I'm rich and famous one day, I will travel your wonderful country!!!

[Romeo Dog]

Since you asked, very few. We are members of the elite.

[Ernst Bitterman]

Christmas greetings to Canada, , the "land of my dreams".... When I'm rich and famous one day, I will travel your wonderful country!!!

 

Merry Solstice back to you! If you choose the right part of the winter and the right year, you can probably convince Krampus to bring you across for free, -40c being close enough to Hell. Today, however, it's a fine -6 here on the Prairies and you'll never trick a free ride out of him.

 

Oh, when you come-- bring Pelikanos. We're having a pen-drought that doesn't look like it will go away any time soon, and our children suffer under the strain of biros.

[I am not a number]

Most kids at school (when I went) had to use a fountain pen for at least a while. I think that may have put a lot of people off the idea as at that tender age it's fairly easy to get covered in ink and the pens that kids use tend to be (understandably) of the cheap variety.

[fountainpenjunkie]

Most kids at school (when I went) had to use a fountain pen for at least a while.

Was that in England? When?

[PowerMac]

I've seen a handful of kids at my uni writing notes with fountain pens. I talked to this guy in my International Relations class who was using a silver safari all-star. He said that his father bought him the pen for his birthday and enjoys writing with it. He called it "luxury writing."

 

However he said something that sparked my interest. He said that when he writes with fountain pens, his hands hurt less especially in long notetaking sessions. Do you guys find this true?

 

After Christmas I'll being joining the cool fountain pen touting kids (I haven't owned a FP before). I can't wait to see which pen (Lamy Studio SS or Pelikan M200) that my parents got me for Christmas.

Edited December 22, 2007 by PowerMac

[I am not a number]

Most kids at school (when I went) had to use a fountain pen for at least a while.

Was that in England? When?

Yes, in England quite near London in the 70s. The major brand that I remember was called Platignum at junior school although there were a few Parkers kicking about, by the time we got to main school Parkers were seen more often (and a few Sheaffers). I know one kid who did all his work using a Rotring Rapidograph.

 

 

Edited December 22, 2007 by I am not a number

[fountainpenjunkie]

However he said something that sparked my interest. He said that when he writes with fountain pens, his hands hurt less especially in long notetaking sessions. Do you guys find this true?

Oh yes, I've heard that from many people. Because the ink starts to flow with a very light touch for most pens, there is much less fatigue compared to a ball (blaugh) point and pencil.

[ericthered2004]

I've known quite a lot of people back in England to use FP's. This may have come from having to use them at school, as I did in the mid-seventies. At that time rollerballs had only just begun to enter wide circulation, so it was FP or biro (ballpen) and the latter were said to be bad for one's handwriitng. I think there was still an old guard who saw the biro as an affront to the written page. A German friend of mine had a moment of Proustian nostalgia when she saw a Lamy Safari I was using, and noted that everyone used them at school, and that the ends got terribly chewed up.

 

In the states I'm often amazed how rare FP use is, although I think people do use them at home. My students have often never heard of, much less seen or used, a FP. Sometimes I get them a Varsity.

 

Cheers,

Eric

Edited December 23, 2007 by ericthered2004

[georges zaslavsky]

Some memories resurfaced to my head, I also remember that in my early school grades people were writing either with Reynolds or Stypens. I have seen more expensive pens in my later school grades which were mainly steel waterman forums or parker aerometrics.

[Montrose]

I've been carrying and using FP's for 2 years now and have not yet seen someone else with one. In the instances where someone has needed to quickly borrow my FP, two-thirds of them had no idea how to place the nib on the paper to write with it. I don't believe many of the younger people have ever seen one.

[fountainpenjunkie]

I don't believe many of the younger people have ever seen one.

Montrose, you've got that right! I once was racing from office supply store to office supply store looking for bottled ink. I had a youngster ask in a very condescending tone, "What's a fountain pen"

[piembi]

Most of the people I know are admiring the writing with fountainpens but are using "easy" ballpoints. In my age (born 1961) you are anxious to be "snobbistic", you like ballpoint understatement. Using fountainpens gives you a too conservative image.

Nostalgic feelings are helping a lot. We "midlife" people remember the old fountainpen - feeling and want to get it back :wub:

 

Greetings from fountainpenparadise

 

Don't think, that snobbishness is the problem. It's easy care.

I have seen too many Montblanc ballpoints around and they surely were not meant to be understatement.....

 

My years at university had been accompanied by a Pelikan 250 and (after I lost the 250) a 200.

Then I got some vintage Montblancs.

 

When I started working, I was concerned about loosing the pens. And the MBs did not like being carried around anyway, they leaked and this was intolerable at the office. So I started using rollerballs. Not as sensitive as FPs but way better then ballpoints - at least for me. Any cheap ballpoint on my desk dissapeared after a while but no one took my rollerballs. They were known to be my pens. And after some years and the purchase of another Pelikan 400 I came back to the use of FPs. The Pelikan 400 is a workhorse - and it's safe because everybody knows it's mine

 

[Shangas]

In the instances where someone has needed to quickly borrow my FP, two-thirds of them had no idea how to place the nib on the paper to write with it. I don't believe many of the younger people have ever seen one.

 

Montrose, you've got that right! I once was racing from office supply store to office supply store looking for bottled ink. I had a youngster ask in a very condescending tone, "What's a fountain pen"

 

As someone from the 'younger generation', I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry at this predicament...A pity, definitely, that kids these days don't know what a fountain pen is...in this day and age, I'm surprised they know what a PEN is...

 

However he said something that sparked my interest. He said that when he writes with fountain pens, his hands hurt less especially in long notetaking sessions. Do you guys find this true?

 

ABSOLUTELY 100% TRUE.

 

If it was not for fountain pens and their wonderful smoothness, my right hand would have snapped off years ago from all the notetaking in school and university that I've had to do. In university, especially, when I have to take up to 10-15 pages of notes a day, a fountain pen is a bloody godsend!

[LedZepGirl]

I carry them all the time, yet hardly anyone notices. Only about three students and a professor. I've never seen anyone else carrying one before. As far as I know I'm the only one at my university. If there is anyone else who does it's probably one of the profs. the students (even thought they miraculosly some how made there way in) don't seem all that bright.

Edited December 28, 2007 by LedZepGirl