Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Best Pens for 2023: Gel, Ballpoint, Rollerball, and Fountain Pens

jetpens.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

151–160 of 202 posts

Re: The Best Pens for 2023: Gel, Ballpoint, Rollerball, and Fountain Pens

#151

Post by RBerenguel »

mwlp wrote: post #135
todd8 wrote: post #35

Featured in this list are two of my favorite fountain pens, the Pilot Vanishing Point and the Lamy 2000. Both of these in my collection write very well and both have unique and interesting designs. The Pilot Vanishing Point doesn't need a cap, the nib is exposed and protected in a manner akin to clicking a ball point in and out. Mine works perfectly. The Lamy 2000 is sleek and modern looking with a sophisticated desi…

My Pilot vanishing broke on me within about 2 months of use, sadly. I've since purchased a Sailor 1911 demonstrator which writes super smoothly. It's been my main pen for the past couple years, love it.

I’ve found my VP (which I like a lot though) dries up very quickly. I recently got a Lamy Dialog and it behaves way better (and even though it looks bulky it is a joy to use). For more “casual” (throw-in-the-bag) I really dig the plasticky Pelican Twists (they feel extremely comfortable, I have 3 or 4) and a trusty Kaweco Liliput in brass I always carry on my backpack.

Re: The Best Pens for 2023: Gel, Ballpoint, Rollerball, and Fountain Pens

#152

Post by kstrauser »

aporetics wrote: post #124
kstrauser wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does anyone actually care about cursive beyond personal interest? I haven’t used it since 5th grade and haven’t missed it one bit.

What categories of concern are you interested in beyond “personal”? Social? Cultural? Functional? Economic?

The person I replied to seemed to imply it was bad that kids aren’t taught cursive. I’ve heard that opinion before, as if cursive were intrinsically valuable. I think it’s like any other hobby skill: if you like using it because of your own enjoyment, awesome! But that doesn’t mean it’s inherently worthwhile for anyone else.

Re: The Best Pens for 2023: Gel, Ballpoint, Rollerball, and Fountain Pens

#153

Post by ahonhn »

lannisterstark wrote: post #148

I'm sad that Goulet Pen Company isn't getting any love here. They've been absolutely fantastic and are a darling of /r/fountainpens over at reddit. https://www.gouletpens.com/

And if you're after old & classic pens (including New Old Stock), Peyton Street Pens is an awesome source https://www.peytonstreetpens.com/

Re: The Best Pens for 2023: Gel, Ballpoint, Rollerball, and Fountain Pens

#155

Post by thom »

kstrauser wrote: post #69
adfm wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's worth investigating the effect of ballpoint pen technology on society. Beyond cleanliness and general convenience, the ballpoint pen has stood as an example of technological innovation that makes the rounds in one form or another as the central figure of progress, yet there is a dark side to its past. The Fisher Space Pen did its part to promote the American space program of the 1960s and Xi used the lowly ballp…

Does anyone actually care about cursive beyond personal interest? I haven’t used it since 5th grade and haven’t missed it one bit.

I care inasmuch as each of my kids had perfectly readable handwriting up until the moment their school wasted weeks teaching them cursive at which point their writing became a mess, which in turn caused them a fair bit of anxiety over the years. I would have rather they spent the time on literally anything else.

Re: The Best Pens for 2023: Gel, Ballpoint, Rollerball, and Fountain Pens

#156

Post by jimbob45 »

thom wrote: post #155
kstrauser wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does anyone actually care about cursive beyond personal interest? I haven’t used it since 5th grade and haven’t missed it one bit.

I care inasmuch as each of my kids had perfectly readable handwriting up until the moment their school wasted weeks teaching them cursive at which point their writing became a mess, which in turn caused them a fair bit of anxiety over the years. I would have rather they spent the time on literally anything else.

+1 to this

You’d never know it without asking me but my sloppy handwriting is the product of trying to add cursive concepts to my print writing style because everyone said cursive was good therefore it must only be able to enhance print writing. What a phenomenally useless skill. I could have spent those hours reading books.

Re: The Best Pens for 2023: Gel, Ballpoint, Rollerball, and Fountain Pens

#157

Post by maeln »

kstrauser wrote: post #69
adfm wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's worth investigating the effect of ballpoint pen technology on society. Beyond cleanliness and general convenience, the ballpoint pen has stood as an example of technological innovation that makes the rounds in one form or another as the central figure of progress, yet there is a dark side to its past. The Fisher Space Pen did its part to promote the American space program of the 1960s and Xi used the lowly ballp…

Does anyone actually care about cursive beyond personal interest? I haven’t used it since 5th grade and haven’t missed it one bit.

The whole nation of France :) . We learn to write in cursive and this is how most of us continue to write.

Re: The Best Pens for 2023: Gel, Ballpoint, Rollerball, and Fountain Pens

#158

Post by bbojan »

AnimalMuppet wrote: post #97
meindnoch wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd love to use fountain pens. Unfortunately, I'm left-handed.

As others have said, fast-drying ink. In fact, if I understand correctly, there are "left handed pens" that are mechanically identical to right-handed; the difference is fast-drying ink.

The "left handed pens" have a nib that's different so it doesn't scratch when you use it.

Think of a mirror-image of a regular nib.

Re: The Best Pens for 2023: Gel, Ballpoint, Rollerball, and Fountain Pens

#160

Post by baggsie »

maeln wrote: post #157
kstrauser wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does anyone actually care about cursive beyond personal interest? I haven’t used it since 5th grade and haven’t missed it one bit.

The whole nation of France :) . We learn to write in cursive and this is how most of us continue to write.

The difference with France is that kids (at least mine) learn cursive from a very young age - in the UK where I'm from we learnt cursive when I was around 9 or 10 by which time the bad habits have already been formed.
Post reply on HN