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The cheap pen that changed writing forever

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Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#181
post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> pentel energel 0.7mm. Thanks for mentioning this I am currently on the lookout for new pen to make my standard usage pen. My prime requirement is that it should be 1.0mm, or at a minimal 0.7mm, since I love the thickness. Secondary requirement is that it should be smooth. I bought Baoke gel from Amazon and while I loved it a lot, was greatly disappointed to find it was of Chinese make. Am now searching for somethi…

Btw, I should mention tried all the pentel pens: 1.0 is too blobbly 0.5 is too scratchy 0.7 is just right (imo)

Thanks.

I am a person who needs 0.7mm at the minimal.

Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#182

I wrote a lot in university. My favorite pen is the Pilot G-2 07 black. It can make the tapered points of Chinese & Japanese characters. Its only shortcoming is that the ink takes about a minute to dry. UNI JetStream 0.7mm black has quick-drying ink and is just as smooth. But it cannot make the tapered line ends, is more expensive, and has a counterfeit problem.

Pilot G-2 0.38mm is the correct size.

It's the correct size for what?

Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#183
post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now I finally realise why left-handed people were so often forcibly re-taught to be right-handed in school in 20th century. It always seemed so pointlessly cruel! But with only fountain pens available, it must have been the only choice. Edit: this also makes me wonder how the hell Ben Yehuda revived Hebrew without ballpoint pens.

As a right-handed person imagining writing left handed, I think the minimal inconvenience of learning to write with the other hand sounds like it far outweighs a lifetime of smeared ink. I don't think it would cause me too much inconvenience to switch hands and I would hardly call it cruel.

I would kindly ask you to not hold such an opinion on a topic you clearly say you have no experience of. Your argument is akin to asking homosexuals "just not be gay". You don't switch your dominant hand merely by attempting to use the other one; at best that makes you roughly ambidextrous.

Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#184
post #86

A notable side effect not mentioned is that the biro began the downfall of cursive handwriting, as described by an interesting Atlantic article: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/08/ballp... I still use fountain pens, although that is arguably an affectation--they were already on the way out when I was in school. Cursive reduces the number of times you lift the stylus from the paper, greatly reducin…

Some schools do prioritize touch typing. At the middle and high school I went to in the US, there were several mandatory computing courses to teach some basic computing skills. One of the main things they worked on was touch typing, which did work out to a good chunk of your grade. They had some typing tutor software which would report results to the teacher's database. For tests, they would drape a cloth over your hands and keyboard. Intentionally pulling the towel away was considered academic dishonesty and followed the same kind of rules as cheating.

The school I went to did have an elementary school associated with it. From what I understand they also made a point to teach typing proficiency as a focus on computer classes.

Some schools do teach it, but I do agree it appears it is sometimes overlooked. I have many, many peers who despite having a job behind a keyboard every day have poor typing form, cannot touch type, and have some incredibly low WPM. Even some basic training on typing could potentially make them much faster typists. But its just not a priority in their lives.

Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> pentel energel 0.7mm. Thanks for mentioning this I am currently on the lookout for new pen to make my standard usage pen. My prime requirement is that it should be 1.0mm, or at a minimal 0.7mm, since I love the thickness. Secondary requirement is that it should be smooth. I bought Baoke gel from Amazon and while I loved it a lot, was greatly disappointed to find it was of Chinese make. Am now searching for somethi…

My go to pen for years has been the Sarasa Zebra 1.0. I liked it so much and was frustrated when office supply stores didn't carry it that I bought a carton from a distributor (288 pens!) I doubt I'll run out, but they do dry out eventually.

Can't you just buy them online? https://www.jetpens.com/search?q=Sarasa+Zebra+1.0&v=2

Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My go to pen for years has been the Sarasa Zebra 1.0. I liked it so much and was frustrated when office supply stores didn't carry it that I bought a carton from a distributor (288 pens!) I doubt I'll run out, but they do dry out eventually.

Can't you just buy them online? https://www.jetpens.com/search?q=Sarasa+Zebra+1.0&v=2

At the present time they seem to be reasonably available. That wasn't the case when I was looking for them a couple of years ago.

Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For what it's worth, the consensus on /r/fountainpens and other fountain pen enthusiast sites is that you risk receiving counterfeit Lamy Safari pens when purchasing from Amazon. These fakes often have poor quality nibs and ruin people's first experience with fountain pens. The recommendation is to purchase a pen through a reputable dealer so you know that you are getting the real thing. There's a post here on Imgur…

This is true, most use https://www.jetpens.com/ More making the point that the barrier to entry is low considering Pilot makes a $3 disposable fountain pen. I suppose that would have been a better example.

I second jetpens. I trust them, and it seems like they always have what i'm looking for.

Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#189
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, it is. It can get a little clump of ink on the ball from time to time but that is a small annoyance in relation to the excellent writing feel and quality. It lays down a lot of ink.

How long does 1 last? 1 week?

Oh no, months.
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