Top 5 “hot takes” about fountain pens!
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- čas přidán 23. 07. 2024
- I don't talk about things I don't like very often here because I generally want to keep this world as positive as I can BUT sometimes I feel like I have to face this side of things.
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A particular pet peeve: purchasing an extremely expensive fountain pen with the sole purpose of displaying it but never writing with it.
Oh my gosh I could never! Same thing happens with watches, and it drives me nuts
I am so glad that I am very new into this hobby and my most expensive pen is the Benu Euphoria. I have very quickly realized that there is always going to be a new version, a limited edition and something that I want. So I’m having to do some real self analysis about this hobby. And not get myself into trouble. I appreciate your view and information you put out.
Yeah. I enjoyed your encapsulation of the problems. My top issues are:
QC
Snobbishness
Rising costs
Preponderance of F & EF nibs
FOMO among content creators
I find FOMO exacerbated by content creators especially loathsome.
I pretty much agree with you, with the exception of the Lamy 2k and disassembly.
In terms of what you need to be able to take apart for maintenance, the 2k is extremely disassembleable. The section unscrews easily, the nib and feed can be taken out with no problems- dismounting the nib can be a little tricky, but you can't really mess it up as long as you are careful- it is pretty much impossible to mis-align anything. The opening to the ink reservoir at the section end of the barrel is large enough to accept a cotton swab if you are neurotic about residual water or ink residue mixing with another ink (I am guilty of this), or for lubricating the piston. The piston mechanism end of the barrel doesn't need to be disassembled- it is very unlikely that anything in there will malfunction, it is sealed, and the plastic used in manufacturing the parts isn't really ever going to need lubrication to remain functioning smoothly.
For these reasons, my 2k is my go-to pen for pigment, carbon, or shimmer inks. I think the 2k might be the very top of what you can get (a no-nonsense flagship pen) before diminishing returns makes additional expendature superfluous. All you are buying after that price point is additional luxury.
Completely agree about needing a tool for nib removal. The only reason I have a montblanc 149 is because it belonged to my grandfather, was the first fountain pen that I ever used, and got me into the hobby. Cleaning it out after it had sat for a few years was a bear for sure. Probably could have made half a bottle of MB washable black out of all the dye that had dried into it. That being said, filled it with a lubricated ink and it doesn't have any problems despite its long hibernation. Piston seals well and is smooth. Love the pen, but I can't see myself buying another montblanc. I might be persuaded to get a vintage MB but there is no way I'd buy a new one, the "badge tax" is overbearing.
Glad that you are posting again; I always enjoy hearing your thoughts.
Adding a final note to anyone that made it this far:
If you don't like ink on your hands, get a bar of lava soap. It will remove any stubborn ink stains on your fingers very quickly.
Ms. Pens & Tea, I totally agree with your "nib comments." My biggest GRIPE comes when I buy a pen, and two days later, I see the same pen at half the price (or an extremely discounted price) from another vendor.
Know there are vendors who violate pricing and who trade in gray market goods. FPs are not big margin items, and some retailers--including a couple of US outfits that are well known and frequent "gifters" to reviewers--engage in these practices.
I agree with everything you said. I learned to use fountain pens when I was in 6th grade, filling the pen from the bottle in the back of the room was a good excuse to leave my desk. I didn't know that "fountain pens are still a thing" until I stumbled across a Goulet Pen Cast. Out of curiosity, I bought a Jinhao shark. It was just so funny, and it was on sale for $1.67. .Now I have around 20 pens, all in the "entry level" category, but I still smile every time I use one of my sharks. I'm just too frugal to spend big bucks on a pen because of how it looks. But I'm happy to get vicarious enjoyment from your love of those sparkly Benu pens. Keep it up.
Most of my pens are "entry level" too. But I do have a brass Kaweco Sport that I love and use the most t the moment. At work, I use a TWSBI Swipe and a couple of Platinum Plaisirs.
If price is more a factor than FOMO, keeping up with the Joneses, or brand names, there are plenty of sparkly, twinkly, colorful pens available, many either second-hand, clearance, or made in and Asian country that subsidizes their manufacture (looking at you, China). I have a bunch of Benu, love them, and have sparkly, shiny pens I got for a dollar or less online. Hannah Horowitz, expert on too many topics to list, will tell you this about that: "Irene, Go shopping, don't go nuts." Great advice, right?
It is absolutely scandalous that any new $500+ pen can even develop a reputation for inconsistency and poor quality control. It keeps me from even considering that tier of pricing.
Limited edition is even worse with the keyboard hobby where so many releases are group buy PREorders. Ultimately though fountain pens are very much a niche with low volumes.
I'm still early in the journey where I think more about function and performance than design so I can't really relate to the lack of wow factor.
Inconsistent nib sizing is already bad enough between east and west, even worse within a brand😂
One pet peeve is brands that make proprietary converters that don't use all the space within their barrels, and not many wider converters to make use of the pen's girth
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.. I generally agree with everything you said. Your last points about increased costs and limited or special editions really hit home for me. I hate that feeling of missing out and yea everything is getting too expensive-it's a problem that reaches far beyond the fountain pen hobby world, so all I ask is for the time to save up to get the pen I want... but with limited editions, there's just no chance for that, and it makes me sad. Lamy is my favourite for the limited editions because they can go and hype up their brand but they do so with the entry level cost pen and inks that are not too expensive and I feel like more brands could be doing that. I am so disappointed I won't be able to get the chai latte platinum shape of heart. I've actually been trying to save for one for a while but seems like life always throws something else my way (car maintenance, new brakes, doctors bills) but I still save up thinking one day .. but not for the limited editions 😅
You have to save up ahead of time so that when it comes out you are prepared and ready to buy it. I'm disabled and have a budget to live by month to month.
@robertcalkjr.8325 yea that is true and I was doing just that, just sad because several unexpected things came up so I had to use my savings and the chai latte ain't coming back lolz
@@pilesofthings Yep. Sometimes things happen to mess up our plans.
3:29 Kerrie, I believe that with all this robotic technology nowadays, there should NOT be ANY excuse for the fountain pen industry to keep producing inconsistent nibs, and pen parts/components!!
There’s simply no!!!
There are great technologies (e.g., 3D printing) that can produce things to a nano-millimeter accuracy!
It feels like the industry just postpones to modernize to avoid extra costs (for such investments)!
This is the least sad, but - for me - touches the limit of disrespect (especially for customers they spend a tonne of money on those products)!!!
I agree with you 100%, especially around cost, because even taking into account the rise in the price of gold, it's clear that the appeal of the ever increasing profit margin has entered the industry. The bad quality control is a problem. It certainly wasn't like that in the 1980s. This said, there is one more thing that grates in the fountain pen world for me these days and it's a certain segment of pen collectors. They tend to be older, they tend to be male (though that is not at all the case for all of them) and they tend to view fountain pens the same what that others view watches or cars: it's about numbers of rare pens in their collection and the status it brings them. It's barely about writing at all. I'm not saying collecting fountain pens is bad. I'm asking why a certain type of collection would be considered valid or better than any other type of collecting or use for fountain pens. Look: I've been using fountain pens for *four* decades. I'm not new to this *at all*. I know an f-ton about the history of fountain pens, their use, their material physics and tech behind them. When the planner people rushed into fountain pens before and during the pandemic, I cheered! More people using fountain pens! More potential products available to more people! But these esteemed persons, who used to look down on me and my assortment of fountain pens (I don't call it a collection because it's small, currated and I use them, and because I prefer workhorses to lifestyle pens), now presume I'm a planner girly and look down on me for that. That segment of the hobby is insufferable. Which is why the newer fountain pen bloggers and the youtubers like yourself are a breath of fresh air. Yeah, people who like fountain pens for writing! People who understand that owning 3000 fountain pens might not be the only valid way to do this! The more like us the better. 😘
Huge props to you Kerrie!!!!
For me, this is - by far the - THE BEST CZcams Video on Fountain Pens this Year!!!
I am so done with ALL these CZcamsrs who promote fountain pens for monetary purposes, and hide below the carpet all weaknesses of the products they promote!
CONGRATS!!!! 👏👏👏🙌🙌🙌🙌
I love your book collection. Thanks for these videos!❤
I have two identical, not very expensive (well dirt cheap actually) Sheaffer pens that write exactly the same. I am happy with the way they write and if I am going to be away from my home/desk for a day or few I make sure they are loaded with ink and throw them in my bag because I know I have two reliable writers that I can switch between if either one runs out of ink.
My biggest gripe is that the cost of many pens goes up way faster than inflation. Many times I've tried to wait on buying a pen until i had more money available, only to have the price raised to a new harder to find and justify level. I also hate that for many pens the price for the slightly larger version is WAY higher. It really can't cost that much more to make a pen that's only a couple millimeters wider.
Some really good points, though the only thing I would disagree with is the comment about maintenance - I think that our fountain pen community (on CZcams and Reddit at least) tends to promote a ‘bad’ habit of over-cleaning (including too often) the pens. Obviously, if we are talking about transparent/clear barrels, any ink residue left can be visually annoying, but other than that your pen does not have to be 100% clean, without any small dried ink residue. It doesn’t matter, it just won’t contaminate the other ink you’re going to fill in. And the willingness to disassemble the pen to clean it perfectly usually causes more harm than good - most pens are not designed to be disassembled by the users and I think that’s completely fine, because in (by far) most cases you just don’t need to do it.
It depends on the ink though.
Great video! I'm looking forward to your video on what you like about fountain pens. I agree with most of what you said. I'm a retired architect, and I enjoy writing. Today, if you're going to design a building or write a novel, you have to be on a computer. Nevertheless, I've recently become interested in fountain pens. I will be 80 years old next month, and my hand is not as steady as it used to be. Every day, I practice writing, lettering, and drawing with a fountain pen. The ease with which a nib glides across the page forces me to concentrate more than a pencil or ballpoint pen would. With them I can steady my hand by pressing down harder. A fountain pen forces me to control my hand more.
My most expensive pen is a Pelikan M200. I can see the quality, but it doesn't write any better than my Platinum Preppy. In terms of price, quality, and enduring design, I rate the Lamy Safari the best. I buy mostly pocket pens and demonstrators. I love seeing the inner workings and the ink sloshing around. I prefer piston and vacuum fillers, but eye droppers are the best.
I would argue that some of the inconsistencies are part of the fun. General quality control is important, of course, but variability happens. And if Japanese pens tend to be finer than European pens, we can adjust for that.
I have had several people at work, seeing me use a fountain pen, who've said, "I didn't know people still used those things!" I gave a pen to one of my young cashiers, who ,when I last saw her, said she was using it in grade 12. She's also the only one in her group of friends who can read cursive, and she has to translate cursive store signs for her friends.
Yeah, inflation sucks. It's stopping me from buying ALL the pens I like. But I don't need every pen that I like; There's only one or two pens that I'm lusting after: I can see one of them on eBay regularly for prices that would make my wife scold me, and I know the price of the other would be in the ionosphere if I dared look for it.
Very intelligent and apt comments. Thank you for expressing these feelings. You are awesome.
This was such an interesting and relatable set of fountain pen gripes - I agree with all of your points, especially the quality control aspect of the industry! There is nothing worse than spending money (any amount) on something you are so excited about and for it not to perform as it should. I have had a couple of pens that have had issues with the nib right out of the box, luckily I have had amazing customer service and these issues were addressed without me having to pay extra - but, I think it is unfair to assume that every end user even knows what a under-functioning nib actually feels like and it can be intimidating to reach out to get it resolved. I think that every nib should be dip tested before it goes out to an end user, it just needs to be part of the quality control process as this IS the product, you need to be able to write with a writing instrument :)
Inconsistency is spot on. Because there are no stores or pen shows near, every purchase is online. And every purchase is like playing Russian Roulette.
My first experience with a fountain pen was horrible. Ink was all over my hands, the pen leaked etc. So I gave up on them for literally decades. The last 3 years I decided to dip my toe in the water and now I am on my journey. I still get ink on my fingers but it is part of the hobby. Now, it is finding the right combination of pen, ink and paper. The journey continues...
I had the same experience. Two pens leaked on me decades ago and I swore off of them. I just recently got back into FP's. I have two Lamy Safari's and a Pilot 912 with no leaks.
I wear nitrile gloves or finger cots to keep ink off of my fingers.
@@robertcalkjr.8325 I tend to position my fingers away from the end of the section, near the nib. I wipe the section and nib if I fill the pen with bottle ink. It does keep my fingers from getting stained.
Fountain pen world and fine writing is like alchemy ❤
The only innovation I can think of recently is the diplomat nexus. It's auto shutoff valve when you cap the pen is honestly super cool.
My origin story is very much like yours. I bought a fountain pen because it looked cool and I like the idea of how they work. I had questions about the proper method to fill the converter so searched the internet and found Brian Goulet.
That channel was extremely helpful, but also hard on the bank account. As I watched more pen review videos from Goulet and others I got sucked into wanting to try everything. I bought a lot of pens in a very short time, most of which I don’t use regularly and some that have only been inked once. I have calmed down now and haven’t bought any pens for nearly a year. I’m really tempted to get a high-end Pelikan or something along those lines, but I know I don’t need it and I don’t think the writing experience would justify the cost.
Im an artist and My favorite fountain pens tend to be budget like LAMY Safari or Pilot Kakuno. Though if I ever get more expensive versions, the LAMY dialogue 3 or mostly a Twist/Piston fill large chamber version in full metal/aluminum.
I agree with your comments. I, luckily, also found Goulet 101 videos when I got my first (crappy) fountain pen. I then got a Safari and then understood what the deal was, because that pen wrote on the crappiest paper ever. FOMO is definitely a thing and I've gotten better and not going down the rabbit hole, but it took a while.
It's not a feature of a particular pen to write well on low quality paper. That is solely a function of ink and nib size/tuning.
Fountain pens that only offer a F or EF nib. There are some pens I would really like to buy but don't because they refuse to offer a M, B or stub option. Broad nibs are smoother and F tend to be scratchy
There are some limited editions I understand, like pens made from materials that are supply constrained or difficult to manufacture at scale, require a lot of manual labor, etc. The value proposition there is clear: You're getting something artisan that is not cost effective or logistically possible to offer as a regular item at a regular price. The limited editions that annoy me are the ones that are exactly the same as any regular release of the same model, but with a different color. On top of it being a lazy marketing tactic playing in to FOMO, they often charge more for a simple change of color. I understand no manufacturer can release every model in every possible color or color combo but at this point you can set your watch to the limited color releases from Sailor and Lamy and many others. What's most annoying is when you find the one color you really love but it sold out completely three years ago and you never even knew it existed and now anywhere you find it for sale is secondhand for a huge markup.
Cleaning doesn’t have to be as complicated as people in the hobby make it out to be in recent times. You don’t have to take the pen apart to thoroughly clean it every time. I recommend cartridge converter pens for difficult inks and cartridge reuse for shimmer or other difficult inks. I also recommend inks like Herbin, Parker, and Waterman for easy cleaning. FoMO is hard, especially when legacy brands are dying right and left for consumables like ink and paper. I get FoRO (fear of running out) because of this. I like the artisanal inconsistency of nib sizes and styles, but do abhor things like baby’s bottom or flow issues that should be caught before it reaches the consumer.
Thanks for making this video! I agree! I hesitate to buy expensive pens because of the QC issues with the nibs.
I have a Lamy 2000 that is hard to find the sweet spot on the nib (a common complaint), so I bought a Jinhao 80 that looks like the Lamy and by kneeling prayer the nib I received was the best writer in my collection that includes several “grail” pen. Good video. You have a wonderful sense of humor.
Goulet Pen company is a god sent! They also started me into this pen world
I agree with your points. I think my main “hate” is that there are no stores or pen shows here. Very grateful for the CZcams channels that I have learnt so much from. I have 9 pens and two I would not have chosen had I been able to try them first as they are bad nibs. But thankfully both were very inexpensive. I would love to see a store where I could just go and get hands on a pen and try
It first. But having said that, the difficulty in accessing pens means I’ve also learnt a lot and I still get so much joy from this hobby.
There might be pen clubs in the area. About an hour from the hinterlands where I live, a fountain pen club gathers weekly and more at a couple of locations (bars, coffee shops, government lobbies...) and we have a cool assortment of dealers, makers, fixers, traders, and bloggers. Not all penpeople are comfortable with technological media, so you might have to search. Good hunting!
@@judyjacobs5827 As far as I can determine, there isn't even one in the whole country! But your club sounds like great fun.
@@wildwolf3343 What country do you live in?
@@judyjacobs5827 Ireland.
My first pen was a faber castell grip. The nib was super dry and made every ink super light. But I recognized the potential that it had. So I started investigating more and… now… pilots, Hongdian, montblanc… Ouh god I fell deep into this hobby😂
Now I am super into diplomats but have not bought one. SUPER EXPENSIVE for a metal pen with steel nib.
I am 100% sure it does not write better than my Hongdian n8 or my pilot metropolitan with CM nib.
Even my jinhao x159. So I cannot justify buying them.
Often with a dry nib you can make it a bit juicier by pressing the nib and feed onto a surface, like the side of your thumb. There are instructional videos on making a nib wetter, too, so don't take my word for it. You can improve ink flow by dipping your finger in dishwashing detergent (I use Dawn blue formula for this. I use it to bathe my dog, too.) and put that on the open end of a converter. The smallest amount should do it, and you won't get goo all over your Great Aunt Griselda's hand embroidered antimacassars. Then reassemble your pen. The ink should flow better and it will not hurt the pen at all. Let us know how that works for you.
@@judyjacobs5827
Thank you so much for your advice. The grip was 2 years ago! Hehehe!
I have tuned it to my liking! Now it is super juicy and it has a singing note when writing, which I love. I just don’t use it as much because I got so many better pens like the montblanc vintage 146 and a Caran d ache leman vintage where I took out the nib, put it into a twsbi diamond 580… I know, a Frankenstein of a pen, but ended with an amazing twsbi with a 18c gold nib ! Hehehe
I did not know that of the formula but that may come in handy for other pens I have !!
Thank you so much, once again !
@@nccastro653 Frankenpens are more common than some of us are aware. Back before throw-away ballpoints, there were pen repair shops in every town, and whatever needed replacement was often from a different year, model, brand of pen. So especially with older pens, mixed customized pens are everywhere. I don't use TWSBI because I am offended by their tactics (look it up), but they are popular among folks who don't care about fairness and honesty. Seems you've mastered the techniques for getting the pen to do what you prefer. Bravo!
4:12 there is essentially an ABSENSE of proper quality control in the production of fountain pens. It’s not justifiable highly reputable pens from the biggest companies out there, arrive with flow issues, and with nib issues (e.g., scratchy, etc.)! Sorry; I can’t accept this in 2024, and especially when you pay for a pen 350 USD and above! It’s not - by any means - justifiable by me! Sorry!
You do very well you commenting on these things!
Congrats on my end!!!
As an American Southerner... that accent sure didn't come from here. ;)
Would absolutely love a video on how to take an 823 apart. Although what kills me about it is waiting for it to dry completely because it's a sealed vacuum pen. Had water drops in there for months.
The water isn't an issue. Also, you can get most everything out with hard shakes.
The 823 holds no appeal to me because it's made from injection molded plastic and cannot be reliably disassembled, no matter what "hacks" might be out there. It's widely overpriced and overrated. Gravitas made great turned vac fillers with an interesting assortment of nib options, but as much as I personally avoid Chinese pens, Pen BBS and Asvine are positioning themselves to wipe the floor with the 823, and that's a good thing. Maybe Pilot will get a clue.
I totally agree with what you said. My pet peeve is the
inconsistency of the nibs within the same pen brand. I purchased an extra fine of a European brand that was quite expensive for me. I prefer a fine nib on a Japanese pen, so I ordered an extra fine. I love my pen, BUT it writes like a medium- broad nib! Other reviewer of the same pen with a extra fine nib complained that it was so fine, it was scratchy. This should not happen with a $200 plus pen! Rant over. I love your channel.
I agree with everything, ESPECIALLY the fomo! Especially with Sailors and Platinums 😭
Great video - one thing that really annoys me here in the UK is that apart from the preppy, none of the other lower end Japanese pens are really available over here.... No metropolitan, kakuno, meteor etc. We're expected to jump straight into the higher end Japanese pens without being able to explore the nob sizes etc cheaply
At school here in Central Europe, we used to learn writing with fountain pens. I don't know whether that's still the case nowadays. I learned writing in the early 1990s with a red, inexpensive Pelikan pen and I loved to doodle with it. After that fountain pens kinda went out of fashion for me.
I don't consider myself a collector, but I got back to using a fountain pen later at university because I simply like writing with them. I bought a black Lamy Safary (M), which I still have and use. I wasn't really aware of the fountain pen hobby, until even much later, when I did some internet research on TWSBI pens about two years ago. Those are well liked in the pen plotting community (i.e. people that do digital art and plot it with a pen-holding robot), because of their large ink capacity. I've gotten 6 TWSBIs since that are used by my plotting robot. I also more recently got a Pilot Justus for hand writing and drawing, and I absolutely love that pen. The gold nib is something else, as is the nice pattern on the pen body and its weight. I'm possibly going treat myself to a Custom 823 (B) or 743 FA in the future.
I agree that FOMO is counter-productive and even destructive to the hobby. I don't know about the diminishing returns thing though. $50 seems right, but those gold nibs really are special. Anyway, what I wanted to say is that 200 to 300$ for a high quality body, nifty filling mechanism, and 14K gold nib seems like an okay price for these surplus returns. Even higher is where the air gets tin, especially if the quality isn't there.
Just a great video Thanks!
Great discussion!
My biggest one, and it isn't ultimately a massive problem for me but just something that bugs me, is that the very high end pens also tend to be very physically large pens.
For me, I just love my Kakunos EF fountain pens. I said I wanted an even 20, I have fourteen currently.
I don't mind the CON-40. I'm now thoroughly engaged in upping my fountain pen ink game.
Diamine is my favorite ink line. But even I'm winding down with what I'm buying. Found the perfect blue black with Diamine Denim. Want stock on this color because it's always out of stock. 1 80ml bottles of oxblood, green black, and blue black. 19 30ml: 4 Chinese blue black bottles, 2 Oxford blue, 2 Blue Black, 3 scribble, 5 Twilight.
Next purchase 9 30 ml Denim or 3 80 ml bottles. But alerts will go out saying there's a new batch.
My complaint is about the cost of inks. There 50+ fountain pen ink makers. Probably more that are Bougies. I will not talk about the sheets or iron gall inks, only pigments.
Most of these companies 20ml and 30ml between $15 to 28.
If you look at the swatches, most of these inks have the same colors, the brands just have different names. And don't go on Amazon or pen stores that sell other companies' inks, those prices will remain high.
Amazon is the worst. I have a cart. As I get enough money, I'll by a couple of items. During the time that those items are in the cart, the prices will increase or decrease. When it decreases it's like 3 cents to 20 cents. When it increase, it's a lot, sometimes as much as $20.00. They have a little bar above the cart that explains them items in the cart are the current market prices.
It's like my cart has become a Stock Market.
You've opened a box that should have been opened a long time ago, and I love it. I'm not a collector but I have a bunch of pens because I enjoy variety and use three or four every day. A few are so well designed and engineered, and their nibs are so well tuned, that I can't imagine how these pens might be improved. Franklin Christoph stands out for me, and so in their own way do Lamy and Kaweco. But others don't get much use because of imperfect nibs and/or sharp threads. And the Chinese pens I've gotten recently offer nothing close to a broad nib, my preference; I own them but don't use them.
Lovely book collection.
ok so i havent even bought my first fountain pen yet. ive fallen down the rabbit hole tho, and am so SO happy you brought up the FOMO thing. there are so many pens and inks i feel like i need to spring for immediately because they might go away and it makes me mad because i havent even gotten to get a fricken TWSBI eco yet and im already freaking out about maybe missing limited editions and exclusives.
Eco stands for "economical", if you can believe that! There are other pens with similar designs and lower prices. Recently I bought some Conklins that turned out to be numbered limited editions, didn't cost much, and look good. Honestly, I object to limited editions. I figure if the pen is desirable and people want it, make enough so they can buy it, rather than artificially restricting the supply and increasing the price. It won't please anyone. Exceptions can be a design or material that is rare and/or time consuming to create, like unicorn tusk or urushi.
My first FP’s were Sailors with a zoom and music nib and I couldn’t write with them. ..they were awful. But I persisted and bought a Conklin and a Monteverde with the same result. And for some strange reason I persisted and I bought a Leonardo and kismet no issues and a fanatic was born. I have since returned the latter two there were manufacturer defects.And the Sailors went to Kirk Speer for nib grinds and now they are lovely.So no you are not alone 😂
Great video! Just seeing this now. I agree 💯! I started my FP journey in 2019. I have about 27 FPs and about 10 of them are Jinhao. I love them all but I’m at that stage where I want to start investing in higher quality pens. 🫣 Inflation - the struggle is real! I will not buy a pen unless I can take it completely apart to clean it! Totally agree with the lack of interest/knowledge in North America. But it is growing - slowly! I have fell victim to FOMO. It’s more of oh “gotta have it” not so much want or need it. If I don’t buy it - it’ll be gone. Now my feeling is….if it’s meant to be, it will be there when I’m ready. I think you took the words right out of my mouth with this video! BUT - having agreed to all that - I’m so grateful I found this hobby, I have leaned so much and it has brought me unexplainable joy - over a writing instrument!!!! Wouldn’t give it up - if I did, I’d still have a handful of pens around! 😂. Thanks again, God bless you!
2:05 cannot agree more on that Kerrie!!!
Fountain pens may be the most unreliable industrial product out there!
To be specific, I purchased 15 fountain pens from the beginning of this year, and 5 of the (and in fact, some of the most expensive), returned to their retailers (who have acknowledged the problems), and refunded! Fountain pens - in this regard - is by definition the most unreliable product, 100%!!!
Thanks, Kerrie. I just accept things for the way they are. And since I'm disabled, I can't buy things to just check them out. So, research is my friend and I do a lot of it. I almost didn't buy my Pilot 912 because it uses a converter. But I wanted to try the posting nib and I'm glad that I did because I love it. It barely ghosts even when writing on the thin paper in my checkbook register. I'll probably never spend that much money for a FP again that isn't at least a piston filler.
I bought a TWSBI Eco for my grandson's first fountain pen.
I have a love hate relationship with Narwhals because I Have to take them apart to clean them (my ocd). Also why I hate Benu converters because I can't take them apart, at least i havent found a way.
Narwhals require a tool that out of the 3 or 4 I own, only 1 came with the little tool! Like what...
Yeh spot on i whish more you tube reviewers had the same integrity......❤
As a maker I could make expensive pens but, the nib makes a good pen. One bad nib could make those expensive pens usless if they can't write.
Awesome book shelves First law in the top right !!!!!
I agree on the inconsistancy of pen nibs. Bought two pens of same brand, same model, different colors, and I thought the same nib size. One was EF / F and the other was a F / M. Since there is no fountain pen fix-it shop here, I would have to sent on off to get what I expected.
Also, the quality control of pen manufacturing is not what I expected. Bought a Narwal, watched the video severeal times to ink it up and it fell apart, right out of the box. Sent it back and got a replacement. Watched the video several more times and this second pen also fell apart… right out of the box. Visited their website, and they took this issue very light-hrearted. They admitted that if that little (1mm) spacer ring is not perfectly fitted, the pen will fall apart. Their suggestion was for me to keep on returning pens until I got one that did not fall apart. I voted to chalk this up to experience and tossed pen into waste bin. Got me a Pelikan M200, and it still works great.
You Go!! Kerry Stand on your soap box!!!! 😆 I am so glad you are real as are alot of others. And then some are not. I don't like the marketing aspect of all of this. It bites and gives you rabies, and you become rabid (FOMO) wanting everything.
I am still new to the hobby and definitely get FOMO
I have sat down with my FOMO feelings and when I really think about why I feel this way, it doesnt take long to realise that it is silly.
Great video. Bravo. Be well
Preach, sister! I'm so glad to hear people are being more critical and voicing their concerns about the QC issues that are just prevalent enough to be turn-off. Unless you REALLY love the pen: If it's bad, it's bad. Return it. No repair, no DIY tuning, no exchange, even with a warranty. It's the principle of it, especially with a $80+ pen with a gold nib.
Second, high capacity systems like eyedroppers or vacuum fillers are overrated. Unless you're Stephen King writing 3,500+ a day or do it for fancy calligraphy with a triple stacked, quintuple Broad flex nib, you're better off with a C/C. Less fuss, less cleaning, less burping, no valves or extra steps like pushing or pulling a nob back, and less greasing. It's a fountain pen, not a fountain Bop-it! lol
Mid-range options are seriously overlooked and a shame they're a dying breed. Also, a pen's not just about nibs, it's about handling and how they feel. I'm sad when people pass over the Platinum Procyon, Faber Castell Hexo, or a Lamy Studio because they have the same nib as a Safari and simply go to high end.
I think fountain pens are cute little niche for fledgling creative writers and marketers to out-do one another with stories and design. See, that's where the innovation comes in! lol
Lastly! The Pilot Curidas is better than the Pilot Capless/Vanishing Point.
LOVE the Hexo and the Studio. Both great pens, in my top 5, with Sailor, Pilot and Platinum!
@@peterhrtg My Studio has been my work pen for about 2 years now. Such a reliable writer.
thanks for sharing
Don’t agree about nibs (which may also involve flow). This is what makes things interesting! We can easily check up on the various foibles different manufacturers have before making a purchase. Here in Europe, we tend not to use the services of nibmeisters, so like to get it right first time. Of course, consistency WITHIN a brand, and even more so within a model, should be a given. This is really a QC issue and too many pen companies are still failing on this.
Agree wholeheartedly 😕
Pens and Tea with a Texas twang lol
Love your channel. Over the years I have gotten a better idea of value in fountain pens. Nice limited edition Pelikan pens seem to maintain value pretty good. Quality material fountain pens (MB Copernicus, Montegrappa Extra/Otto, celluloid, sterling silver, gold nib, Raden, piston fill) seem to keep their value over time. I find that the past 3 years fountain pen manufacturers are less willing to bring out pens with these top materials on the one hand, and still charge you top dollar for this lower orbit product on the other. Case in point brothers Grimm by MB. Lots of plastic and polished metals, no celluloid, no sterling silver, no dual tone gold nib. That bugs me. Also the MB 100 year 149 is a disgrace, it has a Pilot 823 clip, huge old school logo on the cap, boring resin body and a single color nib. Montegrappa is running out of celluloid and used pen re-sellers now charge 2000 upwards for a pen that was 800 when it came out. By the way, for me personally anything payed more than a Pilot Custom 823 requires serious consideration of the value proposition.
5:50 사람들이 "만년필"이라는 필기구가 존재하는 사실을 몰랐다는 말인가요??????
Fountain pens for me are writing instruments. Nothing more, nothing less. And they have been for 45+ years (yes I am a European and grew up with fountain pens being the norm in school). I have *never* bought a fountain pen, that cost more than 50 €. Ever! Why? They are a tool for my writing. Not a hobby. As long as a FP writes well (I tune my nibs myself if necessary), I honestly don't care much about the looks and whadday'allknow. I even have a Lamy Safari from the mid 90s, that still works and writes as well as back when I bought it.
But like with many items, you can buy the utilitarian ones (like I do) or the more expensive luxury items. To each their own. Buying a FP for display only purposes however... Nope. Not going down that rabbit hole.
I totally agree however with the inconsistency of nibs. That bugs me. But you know what? That has always been the case. Know how to tune your nibs is the song you need to know.
FoMo has become a business model in any saturated industry. Fountain pens are no exception. When demand is generally lower than supply, you need to create demand. The FoMo-fiddle is one such instrument that many companies play. Sad but true. It plays on our "need" to possess.
I say: Just enjoy whatever FPs you have! More importantly: Write with them! It's an incredibly calming experience.
My pet peeve is, that there are too many ink choices in the world out there. I have so much ink in stock, that I think I need to write them into my will!
I grew up with FPs in primary school (90's caribbean school under a british school system; catholic school at that lol) and like you it was just a 'tool' for me at first. I must say the pens of today are far more good looking than the ones I used at school (they encouraged our parents to stick with the simple plastic chinese ones) and thats been my reason for 'collecting'. But I am now very happy with what I've collected and getting a single additional one, no matter how pretty, just feels like overkill at this point.
Texas, I'm sure that accent came from Texas
1. Nicer fountain pens are ridiculously expensive.
2. After several years of using pens, I still get ink on my hands.
3. Larger pens do not have larger converters (or cartridges) and they don't screw in.
4. Most pens are designed such that the threads and a step-up fall right where I grip the pen. The one spot that should be smooth.
5. Gold nibs are still manufactured and add pointless expense to nicer pens. Nowadays stainless steel is just as corrosion resistent.
Inky fingers are a feature, not a bug. 😃
I'm sure SOME gold nibs are better than their steel counterparts, but the added quality is seldom worth the extra cost.
@@N1inSK I suspect that craftsmanship and quality control are both much better when gold nibs are made. So they are in fact better, but not due to the gold content.
@@N1inSKI am not so sure about it. Gold is a brittle and weak metal. Obviously it has been selected for combining a way lower modulus of elasticity (from stainless steel) and corrosion resistance. But, of course, it is way more prone to permanent damage if you press the nib harder than what can withstand in error. I hypothesize it’s just a resistance of the industry to invest and modernize. I am pretty sure they can come up with a specific stainless steel grade that can perform way better from gold nibs at the end. For me, it’s just the “resistance” of the fountain pen industry to be modernized.
@@ichirofakename That's a VERY good point. Thank you for your excellent reply.
@@7_v610 Steel has been improved over the last few decades, to the point where it can compete favourably with gold nibs. But as someone else commented, there's more care and attention put into gold nibs, which gives them an advantage. If a company were to put as much handwork into their steel nibs, they'd instantly be much better. And much more expensive. I'm sure that, for the amount of gold you're buying, the handwork and quality assurance creates much of the huge difference in cost compared to steel.
Greetings Froom colombia south América, the land of coffee, i love fountainpen, and you
I hate fountain pens so much that I have over 50 of them!
My top hates about fountain pens.
Running out of ink.
Inki fingers.
Quality control.
Over priced 💰.
Difficulty finding the one/colour you want.
Yeah but did you write “the list” with a fountain pen 😁
I NEED U TO TRY BAYSTATE BLUE !
NOT BECAUSE I HATE IT, I LOVE IT ! BUT BECAUSE I FIRMLY THINK WE DON'T NEED GOOD PAPER ANYMORE, WHICH IS A GOOD THING, BECAUSE IN THE WILD U CAN'T CONTROL THAT.
THAT BEING SAID, USING INK WISELY U CAN WRITE IN ANY PAPER ! EITHER U BUY WELL BEHAVED INKS LIKE NOODLER'S BALTIMORE CANYON BLUE, BRIGHT BLUE WITH RED SHEEN AND PERMANENT, OR U CAN MAKE A BAD BEHAVED INK LIKE BSB TO BEHAVE WELL BY ADDING 1:1 WATER ! I WRITE WITH BSB IN AN ULTRAFLEX PEN IN CRAPPY COPY PAPER EVERYDAY !
Noodler’s sucks! Poor quality pens, poorly behaving inks, and the CEO is a bigoted fool.
Calm down! BSB, along with all Noodler's products, should be consumed only under advisement.
I miss the TEA part of this channel.