71–80 of 129 posts
Nakaya pens are prime example of Veblen good - luxury goods for which the quantity demanded increases as the price increases. The old desire of building your identity around what you own instead of what you do is not going anywhere. Good for them picking up the extra money people have. Of course Nakaya pens are good writing pens, but the quality of pen as a tool levels around $50-$70 price mark. Extra is just collect…
Nakaya pens are prime example of Veblen good - luxury goods for which the quantity demanded increases as the price increases. The old desire of building your identity around what you own instead of what you do is not going anywhere. Good for them picking up the extra money people have. Of course Nakaya pens are good writing pens, but the quality of pen as a tool levels around $50-$70 price mark. Extra is just collect…
> The old desire of building your identity around what you own instead of what you do is not going anywhere. Good for them picking up the extra money people have. That's really spot on. We could have an incredibly fulfilling life while living frugally. Writing books, making art, creating new software, doing research, etc. Creating and understanding yourself better can be healing. Physical possessions like this pen is…
You don't have to choose one or the other, that would be a false dichotomy.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I never claimed that 'owning a pen is vain'. I said that one can only understand its cultural significance through careful sociological reflection. That is a truism to me. "If any such claim relies on ethnographic or sociological studies, then wouldn't it be appropriate to cite those when making such a claim?" I think you might have wrong end of the stick. I have no idea if there are any studies on the cultural capit…
I never claimed that 'owning a pen is vain'. My comment referred to the GP's statement: Physical possessions like this pen is just so vain, shallow, and meaningless. When I ask "Where is the cut-off", it's to prompt thought, to draw out an answer to the question: where is that cut-off? "obviously buying a $4000 pen…is utterly grotesque" So where should the cut-off be? Is it $3500? $350? Where does the price of a pen…
IMO both are relevant to the evaluation of anybody who buys the $4000 pen. There is a distributional element (the money is better spent on those who actually need it), an ideological element (you live in a system that inculcates desires for useless commodities), a cultural element (you are playing a status game in which useless things are feted), and a character element (the third & to some extent first of these things suggests that those who buy $4000 pen's are terrible, vain people)
I already addressed why I don't think there is an axiomatic answer about the 'cut-off' above: it's contextual. But clearly (in my mind, anyway) in the global political, economic and cultural conditions in which we live the purchase of a $4000 pen is grotesque.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The importance of paper quality depends on which ink you're using. I like Noodler's Black, because it writes well even on cheap paper. It starts reliably and it doesn't feather (spread horizontally) or bleed through the paper easily. I've tried many other inks, trading samples with other fountain pen users, and I never found anything else so trouble-free.
I have a Mont Blanc fountain pen, which I want to use as my main pen but cannot due to the ink spreading and bleeding through cheap notebook paper. Thank you for the ink suggestion.
Oh my, this brings back memories that still impact me today. Growing up, finding that perfect pen was sort of a hobby and artform. I suppose part of it was growing up in the 90s, trying to do Pen & Ink drawing, calligraphy, and writing all day. The current analog is searching for the perfect keyboard. While wasteful on first blush, it truly is the most utilitarian decision you can make when measured for optimizing to…
I never got too obsessed with the equipment though, decent paper (the stuff that doesn't gunk up on the nib) and a Lamy Safari (EF nib) were perfectly adequate.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I never claimed that 'owning a pen is vain'. I said that one can only understand its cultural significance through careful sociological reflection. That is a truism to me. "If any such claim relies on ethnographic or sociological studies, then wouldn't it be appropriate to cite those when making such a claim?" I think you might have wrong end of the stick. I have no idea if there are any studies on the cultural capit…
I never claimed that 'owning a pen is vain'. My comment referred to the GP's statement: Physical possessions like this pen is just so vain, shallow, and meaningless. When I ask "Where is the cut-off", it's to prompt thought, to draw out an answer to the question: where is that cut-off? "obviously buying a $4000 pen…is utterly grotesque" So where should the cut-off be? Is it $3500? $350? Where does the price of a pen…
This kind of debate tactic always puzzles me, forcing a binary state on an opinion. The quoted bit even implies a spectrum, given the adjective 'utterly'.
I can't imagine you saying the same to a friend who said "I went for a very long drive last weekend" > "What's the cutoff for long? 50 miles? 100 miles?"
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd suggest trying out the Pilot Metropolitan, in a Medium nib. It's not an _Amazing_ pen, but it's got a nice solid brass body, the quality control is very consistent), it's a nice consistent writer, and they sell on Amazon for ~$12. It's my usual recommendation for a "gateway" pen.
If you don't think it's amazing I'd really appreciate your recommendations for my "next level" pen, because I got the Metropolitan and _love_ it. I've bought three already; it's also one of the first I've found flows beautifully even though I'm left-handed. (I prefer the fine nib, that said)
Fancier bodies is almost entirely a style thing - if you want a certain look, you can pay for it.
Nibs is a trickier thing. The "solid gold nib" thing isn't just marketing, there's actual advantages to it - mostly an opportunity to make the nib "softer" as it bends and flexes slightly as you write. This is very much a taste thing as well, but a much more difficult one to judge online! Different brands will generally have house "feels" - Lamy is a popular entry brand, and tends to make all their nibs super stiff, with almost no flex. Pilot or Sailors stlye tends to run softer. It's also worth mentioning that Japanese brands almost all run one size "finer", so if you're looking for a nib from a European company like Lamy or Pelican that's around the size of the pilot fine, order an extra fine.
All that said, possibly my favorite nib is the pilot vanishing point, which is ~$120. I don't think there's much in the < $100 range that's significantly better than the metropolitan. I'm also a big fan of Sailor and Visconti's fancier nibs, but that's up a considerable price band.
I believe kids in Germany are still learning to write with fountain-pens.
Most pupils stop using them later on once they are allowed to use roller pens, though.
Oh my, this brings back memories that still impact me today. Growing up, finding that perfect pen was sort of a hobby and artform. I suppose part of it was growing up in the 90s, trying to do Pen & Ink drawing, calligraphy, and writing all day. The current analog is searching for the perfect keyboard. While wasteful on first blush, it truly is the most utilitarian decision you can make when measured for optimizing to…
"The current analog is searching for the perfect keyboard." Sounds like we have been on a similar journey (typing this on a Corsair K95). I still enjoy finding a really good pen, but they rarely cost more than 10-20 usd and I mostly use them for sketching UI. If only there was a keyboard equivalent to The Pilot G2 0.7.
I used to write with Cello Maxriters but at some point they became too thin and uncomfortable for me. Then I discovered G2 0.7 – and for the next 8 years (2 in high school and 6 in the uni) I refused to write with anything but them. When I couldn't find refills I just bought new pens (plural). Eventually, they started to miss from the local shops but at the same time, I started to write less with a pen and more with a keyboard.
I still have packs of red, black and even green refills in a box somewhere in my house.