New Pen

Nice pics. I've never really used a fountain pen. How do they compare to standard ball-point pens that are used nowadays?
 
If you're always writing in a rushed manner, fountain pens aren't a good choice, IMO. Fountain pens have a great feel and style for less-hurried writing. In fact, it feels so cool that you'll purposely slow down to use your fountain pen.
 
Fountain pens don't work well for Lefties :( You end up with big smudges all over the page.
 
Fountain pens are realy cool just in that they are different, and require a bit more skill to make and use. For most people I don't really think they are very practical for the reasons mentioned. Also if bounced around as would be likely if carrying one around daily they tend to leak droplets of ink out the nib.

If you are at all interested in them I would recommend going ahead and giving one a try. It is possible to get a decent fountain pen for under $20 to get an idea of the differences.
 
Ok, I can see that I'm going to have to call "foul" here in order to promote my other hobby besides knives :p

ErikD said:
For most people I don't really think they are very practical for the reasons mentioned.
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and yet the entire world used them regularly, and continued to do so well after the first "successful" ballpoints began to be marketed in the 1940s!

Also if bounced around as would be likely if carrying one around daily they tend to leak droplets of ink out the nib.
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Just for the record: I have NEVER had a leak, either in my shirt pocket, in my hands, or in my bookbag, and carry an FP on a daily basis. I usually rotate between Pelikans (M200, M400, M800) and a Parker 51.


Comet said:
Fountain pens don't work well for Lefties You end up with big smudges all over the page.
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Not all lefties have problems with standard nibs, but for those who do, it is easy to get a "right foot" oblique nib or have an existing nib custom ground to your spec.


Joe said:
If you're always writing in a rushed manner, fountain pens aren't a good choice, IMO.
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You got it backwards, Joe :) You were supposed to say, "Fountain pens are a wonderful choice, because you won't feel forced to write in a rushed manner."

Actually, switching to FP has greatly improved my crappy writing . . .
 
comet said:
Fountain pens don't work well for Lefties :( You end up with big smudges all over the page.
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I write left-handed and I have no problems with fountain pens. When I was a kid I wondered why righthanded people wrote from underneath the pen and not left handed people also. So I began withing with my hand under the pen as well. I have never figured out the whole thing with the wierd hand positioning with writing left handed. :confused:

Oh yeahl....nice pens.:)

Nick
 
I love fountain pens. Your writing will improve greatly, and they're so damn fun to use, and own. Not to mention it looks so much better.
They can be a bit messy, but that has more to do with the condition of your pen.

I first started using a fountain pen when I went to school in Germany. Infact, at my school they had a policy that all students must use fountain pens for most of their work.

They were right.
 
I like fountain pens and have used them for many years, since the 60's at least, I have a bunch and EDC a Pelikan 250 (mostly). I can write normally and backward and upside down without problems, you just have to keep the writing hand under the pen and under the writing. If you are a lefty and do not have problems writing with gel ink or rollerballs you should not have problems with a fountain pen,

IMHO, An inexpensive Parker or Sheaffer is a good beginners fountain pen.

Luis
 
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