Anyone here collect fountain pens?

[Doc Dan]

Does anyone here collect fountain pens? Someone I know is a collector and now he has talked me into going to a fountain pen store tomorrow. Who knew there were such things?

We used only Fountain pens when I was in grammar school and was only allowed a ball point when I got to junior high. Later, I got a Waterman Phineas that served me for years, but I never thought much about it. It was lost in this last move. While we were carrying boxes up to the place someone came and told us that someone else had carted off a couple of boxes of our things.

The other day I ordered my wife a Pilot E95s (aka Namiki Elite 95s) for Christmas. It is the most beautiful pen I have ever seen.

I'd like to hear from others who have fountain pens.

[ChrisinHove]

I have collected by default!

I still have my school / university stainless Parker, Cross & Waterman pens, but for a good few years have used a Lamy with a calligraphy nib for the increasingly few private letters I write. It’s been at least a decade since I’ve had to physically sign professional correspondence.

My (considerably) better half, however, uses a Mont Blanc and (much more often) a Kaweco. She’s a registrar, recording births, deaths, marriages & citizenship and has to use archival inks that etch as well as stain the paper surface.

[Doc Dan]

I cancelled the order for the Elite 95s. I found out through an acquaitance that there is a store devoted solely to fountain pens not far away. Who knew there was such a thing? I certainly didn't. Anyway, I can get the pen cheaper there. i am going tomorrow, at least that's the plan.

[ChrisinHove]

I checked out the Pilot. Wow! Nice pen….

[rangefinder]

I don't collect them, but I do have a bunch. I've been using fountain pens since the late 1970s. Started with cheap Sheaffer pens (the kind sold in a blister pack at office supply stores) and eventually moved up to better pens. Have had Papermate, Parker, Levenger, Waterman, Conway-Stewart, and some others along the way.

But about 15 years ago, I got a couple of basic Pelikan pens (M100 with XF nib and M200 with F nib) and that put an end to my pen buying. The Pelikans write so nice that I stopped considering other pens. If either fails, I'll just get another Pelikan to replace it. Although I just looked at the current Pelikan website, and it doesn't seem like they still make the 100 series.

[RustyIron]

Does anyone here collect fountain pens?

Collect? No. Use? Yes. Kind of like knives.

I started using a fountain pen in the late 90's. It's all I wrote with. The first one was replaced after a short while with a nice fountain pen. That lasted a couple years until I made a really nice pen out of some kind of exotic African wood. That's what I used exclusively until I retired in 2021. During that time, I only used one distinctive color of ink. One pen, one ink, 20 years.

I would use a fountain pen to this day, but nowadays I don't write much. You need to use a fountain pen almost daily, or the ink will dry in the nib.

[Naperville]

I went to a Catholic Grade School back in the 60's and many of us used fountain pens. I had a few. Not sure where they are now 45+ yrs later.

Had to be careful not to spill the ink. That happened at least once and it was a mess.

Had an ink that was a bright blue/purple, the teacher liked it.

I had excellent writing style (script and printed) 2x in my life, when I was in grade school, and when I was around 25 and attending an architecture program at college. If I take the time to write something it looks good, but the only time that I write script any more is to sign my name.

Did you know that many under 25 cannot read script!!!! They never learn how to write script.

[Doc Dan]

This is not my picture, but this is the pen I bought for my wife. It is a Pilot E95s. It is simply gorgeous. Pictures don't do it justice.

[Doc Dan]

Here's the black one my wife bought for me. I snuck it out of the package to play with.

[Bemo]

Pilots are almost all excellent in every price point. You'll really love the Heritage piston filler if you take the leap. Only downside on Pilots are the nib size options are hard to get in this country and I've never seen a factory stub nib. Oh wait that's not quite true I have a factory stub nib in their vanishing point, again an awesome pen (where is that now?) While my job has moved to electronic health records, journaling is a very healthy excuse to use a fountain pen. Once you get used to the way they float and glide and the various shading you can get, a ball pen feels like a chore to write with. But warning warning, this can get really expensive really quick. Visconti's come to mind and some other collector grade pens. Vintage ones are fun as well, nothing like writing with a 80 y/o pen wishing it could tell it's story.

[Doc Dan]

Yes. I've seem some pens that cost as much as a car.

Glide is the right word for how a good one writes. A ballpoint is a chore. A fountain pen is a joy.

[Doc Dan]

Anybody know anything about the TWSBI Swipe?

[Frozenspyder]

I'm not exactly a collector of fountain pens, but I do enjoy using them. Some of the new resin models from Karas Kustoms are nice and their aluminum models are a good edc option.

[Doc Dan]

I bought a TWSBI Go today. It is super easy to fill and clean out. I wanted something cheap that wrote well to test inks.

[Roefisher]

I've collected a few fountain pens over the years but haven't kept it up recently because I have a handful of users which I always reach for so I just don't have the same interest in new stuff these days.

My most used pen at home is a Pelikan M600 in black & blue with a fine nib which would really be a strong broad writer in most other pens.

In the car, I keep a Kaweco AC black Sport which I fitted out with a 14k rhodium plated gold medium nib.

And, in my pocket for years, along with a notebook and pencil, I always carried my Kaweco Liliput brass wave. And I fitted it out with a 14k gold medium nib too.

I've kinda gone off the Liliput these days because of it's smaller size and the need to screw the cap on to post it. So I've taken to usually carrying another Kaweco Sport or my Pelikan M300 black & green with a medium nib.

Another interest I had was notebooks and paper - there's so much to choose from, along with inks, it's nearly another hobby in itself!

Mark

[Doc Dan]

I have been looking for a pen that is easy to operate, easy to clean, and didn't cost a bomb. It also needed to write well. My purpose was to have a pen that I could use to test inks. I went to the Pen Gallery today and I tried a TWSBI Go, TWSBI Swipe, Pilot Tank, and Lamy AL-Star. The Tank was too small, though it was interesting because it is filled by an eye dropper. By small, I mean too slender for my big hands. I liked the Lamy, but it was more money than I wanted to spend. So, then it was down to the Go and the Swipe.

Both have a unique for the price range plunger converter to load the ink. All one need do is press the button, so to speak, and the pen is loaded. The one on the Go has the spring behind the plunger and the one on the Swipe has the spring in with the plunger. Both are super easy, and I mean very easy, to use. The swipe does come with a piston style converter and can use cartridges, as well. The Go can use cartridges, also.

I tried writing side by side. They both use the same nib as the more expensive TWSBI Eco, so I was expecting good things. I liked both pens. The Swipe is a lot better looking and to me, I prefer it over the Eco. The Go isn't as pretty, looking fat and stubby. The Swipe can be taken completely apart down to small pieces for cleaning and I almost bought it because of that. However, I ended up buying the Go for three reasons, though I like them both. First, the price. The Go is cheaper. Second, the Go comes in more nib choices. I ended up getting the broad. Third, when I wrote with them, though both wrote well, the Go fit my hand better and was more comfortable due to its slightly larger girth.

Along with the Go I bought a bottle of Diamine Bougainvillea ink. It is a beautiful, rich pinkish reddish ink with a hint of purple. I screwed off the back cap of my Go and inserted the nib and pressed the plunger, slowing releasing it. Viola! The pen was full! It was that easy.

I took out my pad and started writing and it is a really smooth writer with that broad nib. I enjoyed it and the nib is enough to really show off the color of that gloriously beautiful ink. The pen I bought is completely clear and looks great. I wasn't happy with the clear blue or smoke. The all clear is just right. I can see all of the inner workings of the pen and see that beautiful ink. In my terrible pictures you can get a glimpse of the color of the ink near the feed before the nib. The pen is nearly, but not completely full of ink (it holds a lot of ink).






It isn't as smooth as my Pilot E95s, but I don't think anything is. It is, however, very smooth and lays down a lot of ink. There were no skips, railroading, nothing. I can easily control the pen and make fine, medium, and broader lines without having to press the nib. Nice. If TWSBI would make and upgraded version of this pen I'd buy it in a heart beat.

I ordered a leather diary and I am going to start writing some of my poems in it with this pen and the Pilot. Can't wait.

[Doc Dan]

I didn't mention it, but the Go doesn't have a pocket clip. It has a lanyard hole that also acts to prevent the pen from rolling. It also has an inner cap insert that makes the closed pen air tight so the ink doesn't dry out.

[Doc Dan]

I've collected a few fountain pens over the years but haven't kept it up recently because I have a handful of users which I always reach for so I just don't have the same interest in new stuff these days.

My most used pen at home is a Pelikan M600 in black & blue with a fine nib which would really be a strong broad writer in most other pens.

In the car, I keep a Kaweco AC black Sport which I fitted out with a 14k rhodium plated gold medium nib.

And, in my pocket for years, along with a notebook and pencil, I always carried my Kaweco Liliput brass wave. And I fitted it out with a 14k gold medium nib too.

I've kinda gone off the Liliput these days because of it's smaller size and the need to screw the cap on to post it. So I've taken to usually carrying another Kaweco Sport or my Pelikan M300 black & green with a medium nib.

Another interest I had was notebooks and paper - there's so much to choose from, along with inks, it's nearly another hobby in itself!

Mark

I'm dreaming of an M800 but over here they cost a lot of $$$.

[Roefisher]

I'm dreaming of an M800 but over here they cost a lot of $$$.

A few years ago, I bought some Pelikans and was very lucky that, at the same time, the now much sought after original M800 Tortoiseshell Brown was just out. I bought one and it is an absolutely beautiful pen.

Although I mainly use the M600, I would still say that the M800 is a better size for longer writing and general comfort. The nib is quite a bit larger than the M600 too and is a wonderful writer. If you have an average to especially larger hand, then I would have a look at the big M1000 too. When you see that monster nib in real life, it's a stunner.

There's sometimes good offers in the online pen shops where they're well discounted and occasionally a nice one pops up on eBay at a decent price. But like you mention, especially recently, the prices at full store retail has gone up a terrible amount. They're around double now from what I paid for them originally. Funny, other brands like Sailor haven't risen nearly as much while these German boys have went crazy with their pricing.

Mark

[Doc Dan]

Right now I'm jonesing over a Jacques Herbin glass dip pen that I saw yesterday. Simply beautiful.