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A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

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Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#101

Post by mcguire »

godelski wrote: post #89
c5karl wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been using disposable Pilot Varsity fountain pens. They're perfectly decent, medium nib pens that write smoothly. I've never had one leak or stain my fingers, and you don't have to mess with refills. I had given up on fountain pens, as I always had problems with them clogging or leaking or just not being able to find refills. The Varsity has me using fountain pens again. At about $2/per, there's no reason not to…

Personally I like refilling the pen. It is a lot cheaper and you get better inks.

You can refill Varsities, although it's apparently a learned skill. Check YouTube.

On the other hand, there's Platinum Preppys. I've been using one converted to an eyedropper much of the time for nearly a decade.

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#103

Post by desireco42 »

nabla9 wrote: post #19

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…

I think wanting and having Nakaya is totally legit. Like you, I am happy with my TWSBI's, Lamy's and WingSung's as of late. Pilot does have special place in my heart (vanishing point).

I see fountain pens and notebooks as inexpensive hobby and fascination that I really enjoy. So yeah, go TWSBI you can't go wrong.

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#104

Post by brandmeyer »

CaliforniaKarl wrote: post #45
KC8ZKF wrote: post #6

I enjoy a good fountain pen. If you are interested in an inexpensive practical fountain pen, you should look into the Lamy Safari. It is easy to maintain, writes smoothly, and feels good in the hand. It is my every day pen. Quick drying "document" inks are also good for everyday use. They don't fade or smear.

Question for the Lamy and TWSBI users: Does it work as an "in-your-pocket" pen? In other words, can I use it on the go, or is it meant to be kept at a desk?

I enjoy writing with my fountain pens (I own a Lamy Safari and a Pilot Metro). But, there are some real-word gotchas:

If you travel, large increases in elevation will make the pen burp up some ink. So I always pack mine in a separate baggie wrapped in some tissue paper.

If you run out of ink, refilling it on the go is a royal pain in the ass. Once a fountain pen becomes your daily writer, you need to have a spare pen on hand. The Lamy has a convenient window to indicate the ink level, but it isn't 100% reliable. Personally I just use a nice gel pen that is wet enough for my taste as my backup.

Lamy cartridges are expensive. Expensive enough that I've switched my Lamy over to piston fill with a so-called "converter" to use a bottle of ink that should last years. OTOH, Pilot/Namiki cartridges are very inexpensive and I still use those in my Pilot Metro.

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#105

Post by parineum »

I expect there are a lot of craftsmen anticipating the [anachronism] renaissance at this very moment. Most of them will be wrong and I guess we'll write about the ones who guessed right.

I don't see how this company is an example of anything but survival bias. Hindsight makes them geniuses.

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#107

Post by icebraining »

mcguire wrote: post #99
icebraining wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you buy something, part of the money you forfeit is used to pay for the resources used (including labor) and the rest is profit. Only the first part is actually negative for the world, the second is merely an accounting line, a delegation of some of your power to someone else. As these pens are likely to have a huge profit margin, the actual negative impact is small, and most of the money remains, ready to be us…

Wait, paying for resources and labor is "negative for the world"?

I meant that using up those resources to make an ornate pen is the negative for the world. The use of the word "paying" is just because the person is buying it, not making it themselves.

I should make it concrete with an example. Say someone buys a $4000 pen, which has a 75% profit margin. Those $3000 were not wasted, they just moved from the buyer's bank account to the company owner's bank account, which could use them for anything, including helping the poor.

Meanwhile, the $1000 went to pay for actual resources that were used up, and so in the POV that these pens are useless compared to helping the poor, that's the actual waste.

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#108

Post by nl »

Emma_Goldman wrote: post #39
coldtea wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> We could have an incredibly fulfilling life while living frugally. And we could also live frugally while appreciating things of beauty and craft like those pens. I know people who don't have a car (and aren't rich) but chose to spend $5000 on art, or such things. > Writing books, making art, creating new software, doing research, etc. Well, if you have the money -- even enough to live with--, what would be the need…

The point is that the desire to climb the status ladder by purchasing conspicuously expensive, useless commodities is generated by a pretty deformed set of social relations. It is a product of a very shallow capitalist culture, and has the effect of wasting productive capacity that could in the counter-factual be used to help people who need it. It's also philosophy 101: self-realisation is who you are and not what y…

Not all non-required consumption is about status.

Some people just like things.

I cycle, and I like Rapha Brevette jerseys. Yes they are expensive, but I like the way they fit and some specific features. I know I could get 99% of the functionality for 40% of the price.

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#109

Post by mewse »

icebraining wrote: post #107
mcguire wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait, paying for resources and labor is "negative for the world"?

I meant that using up those resources to make an ornate pen is the negative for the world. The use of the word "paying" is just because the person is buying it, not making it themselves. I should make it concrete with an example. Say someone buys a $4000 pen, which has a 75% profit margin. Those $3000 were not wasted, they just moved from the buyer's bank account to the company owner's bank account, which could use t…

Were the resources used up, though?

In your hypothetical, there's an (arguably) beautiful pen in the world, now, which wasn't there before. Surely that must have some value?

Otherwise, all forms of human endeavor are kind of pointless and a net negative for the world, right? If we only count the costs and ignore the product of the work?

Re: A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance

#110

Post by icebraining »

mewse wrote: post #109
icebraining wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I meant that using up those resources to make an ornate pen is the negative for the world. The use of the word "paying" is just because the person is buying it, not making it themselves. I should make it concrete with an example. Say someone buys a $4000 pen, which has a 75% profit margin. Those $3000 were not wasted, they just moved from the buyer's bank account to the company owner's bank account, which could use t…

Were the resources used up, though? In your hypothetical, there's an (arguably) beautiful pen in the world, now, which wasn't there before. Surely that must have some value? Otherwise, all forms of human endeavor are kind of pointless and a net negative for the world, right? If we only count the costs and ignore the product of the work?

Have you taken into account the full thread?

The person who was saying it was negative was Emma_Goldman above, who decried the purchase of a $4000 pen in a world where billions of people live miserable, indigent lives.

What I'm saying is, it's not so bad, because of those $4000, most of it was just moved to someone else's bank account, the actual use of resources was small. Effectively, the buyer just delegated the power of alleviating poverty with that money to someone else.

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