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

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

#181

Post by xxpor »

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.

I wonder if the SAT still makes you write the anti-cheating pledge on the back of your answer book in cursive

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

#182

Post by mrexroad »

aidenn0 wrote: post #54
dragontamer wrote: post #21

I spend way more money on jetpens's selection of notebooks than pens though. Also, I tend to prefer pencil, and will recommend the Pentel Kerry. --------- I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The future of online stores is jetpens and websites like it. Jetpens is useful because I trust their reviews. They're a store, yes, but more importantly, they're a trustworthy source of information. Amazon reviews are no…

How many people read the reviews on Jetpens and then buy the pen from Amazon though. Obviously not so many to put them out of business, but that's always the danger.

Not to beat this horse, but I know the items I get from JetPens are not counterfeit. I’ve seen too many fountain pens reviews on Amazon where pens were counterfeit or gold nip was swapped with stainless. I usually buy from sellers such as JetPens or Goulet. With that said, I’ve bought a few FP from Amazon and AliExpress as well over the years.

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

#183

Post by mrexroad »

kstrauser wrote: post #20

Fountain pens completely changed how I write. I've always gripped ballpoints like my life depended on it and gotten hand cramps from how hard I press them down. I don't want to, and can temporarily stop doing that when I consciously notice, but then I forget and go back to trying to stab the desktop through the paper. A Lamy Safari's triangular shape makes it physically hard to hold the "wrong" way. It nudges me to w…

This. About a decade ago I switched to writing exclusively with fountain pens because of wrist and arm pain. I couldn’t get beyond maybe a paragraph until I’d be shaking out my hand from cramping. I tried different pens, grips, etc. but would always fall back to writing with my wrist. Switching to fountain pens stumbling through re-learning cursive has made a tremendous difference.

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

#184

Post by axiomdata316 »

mrexroad wrote: post #183
kstrauser wrote: post #20

Fountain pens completely changed how I write. I've always gripped ballpoints like my life depended on it and gotten hand cramps from how hard I press them down. I don't want to, and can temporarily stop doing that when I consciously notice, but then I forget and go back to trying to stab the desktop through the paper. A Lamy Safari's triangular shape makes it physically hard to hold the "wrong" way. It nudges me to w…

This. About a decade ago I switched to writing exclusively with fountain pens because of wrist and arm pain. I couldn’t get beyond maybe a paragraph until I’d be shaking out my hand from cramping. I tried different pens, grips, etc. but would always fall back to writing with my wrist. Switching to fountain pens stumbling through re-learning cursive has made a tremendous difference.

What are some of your favorite goto pens?

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

#185

Post by musicale »

Can someone recommend something like a Micron pen but with a chisel rather than round tip?

I greatly prefer chisel tips/nibs but I like the convenience of felt tip pens as well as waterproof ink that dries quickly and doesn't smear.

The closest thing I've found is a fine tip calligraphy marker, but they don't seem to last very long.

Alternately something like a Flair pen but with a chisel tip and waterproof ink.

I haven't tried the Pilot Parallel, but the finest nib is 1.5mm which seems too bold, and it's basically a fountain pen so is likely to have the same issues of messiness and running out of ink.

edit: the Staedtler Pigment Liner Marker has a 2mm chisel tip but I'd like something smaller.

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

#186

Post by kstrauser »

axiomdata316 wrote: post #184
mrexroad wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. About a decade ago I switched to writing exclusively with fountain pens because of wrist and arm pain. I couldn’t get beyond maybe a paragraph until I’d be shaking out my hand from cramping. I tried different pens, grips, etc. but would always fall back to writing with my wrist. Switching to fountain pens stumbling through re-learning cursive has made a tremendous difference.

What are some of your favorite goto pens?

Not the person you replied to, but I mentioned earlier that I love my LAMY Safari. It's inexpensive as far as nice fountain pens go, but the quality-per-dollar value is immense. I'd recommend it to anyone who's considering trying fountain pens, doesn't want to break the bank on an experiment, and still wants to have a nice experience.

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

#187

Post by kstrauser »

saint-loup wrote: post #177
kstrauser wrote: post #20

Fountain pens completely changed how I write. I've always gripped ballpoints like my life depended on it and gotten hand cramps from how hard I press them down. I don't want to, and can temporarily stop doing that when I consciously notice, but then I forget and go back to trying to stab the desktop through the paper. A Lamy Safari's triangular shape makes it physically hard to hold the "wrong" way. It nudges me to w…

Your comment opened my eyes on the matter a little bit. As some others in this page, I loathe the act of writing, but it's also a negative feedback loop where I use disposable ballpoint pen. I remember I used to prefer foutain pen in high school. Still, for my case I see two potential downsides with foutain pen: - mobility (train trips and bike commuting). I remember instances of leaks. - Infrequent use. I'll keep be…

I have a Fisher Space Pen in my bag for when I really need to write something on the go. It's just that I wouldn't want to write a whole novel with it. By analogy, I think the Apple Smart Keyboard Folio is an excellent portable keyboard. When I'm out and about, it does the job. But when I sit down at my desk, I much prefer my full-size mechanical keyboard.

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

#188

Post by kstrauser »

mrexroad wrote: post #183
kstrauser wrote: post #20

Fountain pens completely changed how I write. I've always gripped ballpoints like my life depended on it and gotten hand cramps from how hard I press them down. I don't want to, and can temporarily stop doing that when I consciously notice, but then I forget and go back to trying to stab the desktop through the paper. A Lamy Safari's triangular shape makes it physically hard to hold the "wrong" way. It nudges me to w…

This. About a decade ago I switched to writing exclusively with fountain pens because of wrist and arm pain. I couldn’t get beyond maybe a paragraph until I’d be shaking out my hand from cramping. I tried different pens, grips, etc. but would always fall back to writing with my wrist. Switching to fountain pens stumbling through re-learning cursive has made a tremendous difference.

Isn't it amazing how different it is? It turned writing from something I completely despise to an activity I actually kind of enjoy.

I didn't bother with cursive, though.

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

#189

Post by fsckboy »

jstr_ wrote: post #167
dragontamer wrote: post #21

I spend way more money on jetpens's selection of notebooks than pens though. Also, I tend to prefer pencil, and will recommend the Pentel Kerry. --------- I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The future of online stores is jetpens and websites like it. Jetpens is useful because I trust their reviews. They're a store, yes, but more importantly, they're a trustworthy source of information. Amazon reviews are no…

Since you're into pencils, have you tried the Pentel GraphGear? Or, my personal favorite, the Rotring 800?

I don't like pencils, for my vision the color is too low contrast with the paper compared to black ink, or even blue ink, and for that reason I prefer a .7 nib to a .5, the thin lines also result in less contrast (they also make a scraping "sound/sensation" on the paper). but I didn't comment just to say that, but I selected your comment as a representative sample for a broader comment:

hey everybody, could you tell us why you like something rather than just that you like it? We had a mechanical pencil recommended, and then two more mechanical pencils recommended, but I'd have to do my own research to figure out why I would choose one over another. Whereas, you all already know what I'm looking for in a writing implement (high contrast and maximum smoothness)

even though I don't think I want a pencil, I do have opinions about mechanical pencils, for example I love when they can autofeed new leads.

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

#190

Post by marymkearney »

dragontamer wrote: post #51
dan-robertson wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was a student I think I read online that (for water based inks) laser printer paper works well and better than a lot of notebook paper. I think something about feathering or drying time but I don’t really remember. I’m not sure how true it was and I preferred having loose leaf paper with no lines so I was pretty happy feeling like I was getting well suited paper on the cheap.

A notebook isn't just about the paper, but also the binding. If you're making your own notebook out of printer paper, I suggest you spend $10 on a 2-point hole punch and then buy the 2-point binders, which is far superior over staples. This should get you a good binding for personal use (sized for ~10 pages to 100 pages or so) with only 10-cents or so for the binding. Still, this gets you a "notebook" of size 8.5 x 1…

A vintage Bates stamp auto-numbering machine is a perfect complement to paper journals. It makes a satisfying whirr-thunk sound; the polished handle and the reset cogs are a tactile delight; and even the ink has a distinctive aroma. https://www.ebay.com/b/Bates-Numbering-Machines/57050/bn_812...
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