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Pen Refills Guide

unsharpen.com

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Re: Pen Refills Guide

#31

Post by criddell »

ThePhysicist wrote: post #13

I've been writing with Mitsubishi ball pens before but switched to a fountain pen - a simple Lamy with a fine feather - and I can really recommend it. The writing experience is very nice as the pen requires very little pressure to write and with a little practice the result looks very good. I also bought a small flask of black ink and an ink converter (a small ink cartridge allowing you to draw ink from the flask int…

> refill it, which I have to do roughly every two weeks

Why is it that a fountain pen needs to be filled in a matter of weeks and a cheap Bic Cristal never runs out of ink?

I have an inexpensive Pilot Metropolitan that I do like writing with, but the amount of ink I put through it seems crazy for how much I write.

Re: Pen Refills Guide

#32

Post by Nursie »

criddell wrote: post #31
ThePhysicist wrote: post #13

I've been writing with Mitsubishi ball pens before but switched to a fountain pen - a simple Lamy with a fine feather - and I can really recommend it. The writing experience is very nice as the pen requires very little pressure to write and with a little practice the result looks very good. I also bought a small flask of black ink and an ink converter (a small ink cartridge allowing you to draw ink from the flask int…

> refill it, which I have to do roughly every two weeks Why is it that a fountain pen needs to be filled in a matter of weeks and a cheap Bic Cristal never runs out of ink? I have an inexpensive Pilot Metropolitan that I do like writing with, but the amount of ink I put through it seems crazy for how much I write.

The ink is very different. A Bic crystal uses a very oily, very pigment-dense ink compared to the water-based, free-flowing ink used in fountain pens.

Used to use the pilot disposable fountains myself, they're pretty good.

Re: Pen Refills Guide

#33

Post by mr_crankypants »

ThePhysicist wrote: post #13

I've been writing with Mitsubishi ball pens before but switched to a fountain pen - a simple Lamy with a fine feather - and I can really recommend it. The writing experience is very nice as the pen requires very little pressure to write and with a little practice the result looks very good. I also bought a small flask of black ink and an ink converter (a small ink cartridge allowing you to draw ink from the flask int…

I, too, love fountain pens.

Except when I forget to take my daily out of my pencil case before flying. :(

Re: Pen Refills Guide

#34

Post by tiniuclx »

criddell wrote: post #31
ThePhysicist wrote: post #13

I've been writing with Mitsubishi ball pens before but switched to a fountain pen - a simple Lamy with a fine feather - and I can really recommend it. The writing experience is very nice as the pen requires very little pressure to write and with a little practice the result looks very good. I also bought a small flask of black ink and an ink converter (a small ink cartridge allowing you to draw ink from the flask int…

> refill it, which I have to do roughly every two weeks Why is it that a fountain pen needs to be filled in a matter of weeks and a cheap Bic Cristal never runs out of ink? I have an inexpensive Pilot Metropolitan that I do like writing with, but the amount of ink I put through it seems crazy for how much I write.

Ballpoint ink is a lot thicker than fountain pen ink, and is presumably more heavily pigmented. Therefore, a ball point uses a smaller amount of ink to deliver its pigment, compared to a fountain pen. Which means that it uses significantly less ink.

Ballpoints and fountain pen deliver ink to the paper very differently! You can't really fill a fountain pen with thick ballpoint ink because it would jam the feed very quickly. Likewise, if you were to fill a ballpoint with fountain pen ink it would leak as soon as you touch its tip onto the paper.

However, thanks to fountain pen ink being thinner, you don't have to apply nearly as much pressure when writing. Like many things in engineering, it's all about tradeoffs!

Re: Pen Refills Guide

#35

Post by criddell »

echelon wrote: post #10

Rotring makes the best pens and mechanical pencils, bar none. They're well-built, stylish, and incredibly durable. They do not look or feel cheap, and they're perfectly weighted. After years of experimenting with different models and refills, I've found the one brand I'll stick with forever. Do yourself a favor and look them up.

Do you have a favorite lead? There seems to be a trade-off for darkness and smearing.

Re: Pen Refills Guide

#36

Post by MegaDeKay »

y2bd wrote: post #17

Also strongly recommend cross-referencing the guide on Well-Appointed Desk: https://www.wellappointeddesk.com/2014/06/epic-refill-guide-... The OP article has a good focus on the more technical details, while the guide I linked above gives large lists of specific pens/refills compatible which each refill.

A list like that is not very useful because there is a wide variation in quality between refills of the same size. Better to find a comparison between refills of a given size, like this one for D1s.

https://penpaperpencil.net/comparison-of-d1-refills-part-two...

Re: Pen Refills Guide

#37

Post by beat »

nsomaru wrote: post #21

Any one else prefer writing with an extremely fine felt tip? My preference is the artline series. Gives the benefits of fountain – no pressure required, but also gives control and speed

I sometimes use Micron art pens, and the Sharpie pens aren't too bad either. But I'm a fountain pen user 90% of the time, so I'm spoiled.

Re: Pen Refills Guide

#38

Post by beat »

One nice thing about refills is that it gets you into a much nicer class of pen body - it's amazing how much difference a nice texture and better weight and balance can make. Of course, then you need to be careful to not lose them!

I habitually carry multiple pens - at very least, a fountain pen and a disposable ballpoint that I like (Uni-Ball Jetstream). The ballpoint is for signing receipts mostly, so I don't have to use whatever they give me, and for loaning to people who suddenly need a pen. I assume I'll never get it back when that happens.

I sometimes carry a fine Sharpie as well, for things where I want a wider line on whatever sorts of surfaces. And if I'm really swinging, I'll have other disposables.

For a while, I was carrying a Retro51 Tornado (beautiful and affordable) with a Monteverde blue-black gel refill that is maybe the nicest-looking ink I've found. But it's a bit broader than I like, and they don't make a finer point.

I also really love the Pilot Hi-Tec-C, but unfortunately, they don't really make proper refills for it, and the disposable bodies are trash, to put it nicely. Absolutely the best fine-line disposable writing experience, though.

Re: Pen Refills Guide

#39

Post by criddell »

Nursie wrote: post #32
criddell wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> refill it, which I have to do roughly every two weeks Why is it that a fountain pen needs to be filled in a matter of weeks and a cheap Bic Cristal never runs out of ink? I have an inexpensive Pilot Metropolitan that I do like writing with, but the amount of ink I put through it seems crazy for how much I write.

The ink is very different. A Bic crystal uses a very oily, very pigment-dense ink compared to the water-based, free-flowing ink used in fountain pens. Used to use the pilot disposable fountains myself, they're pretty good.

I guess the ink, since it is water based, would also evaporate. I keep my pen firmly capped, so that's probably not a huge factor.
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