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Classic fountain pens

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Re: Classic fountain pens

#11

Post by rPlayer6554 »

nunuvit wrote: post #2

For anyone with a budding or casual interest in fountain pens, the Lamy Safari is the way to go. They're plentiful, inexpensive, rugged, and have plenty of nibs, cartridges, and refillable cartridges to experiment with. Just pick your color and start using it to figure out what you value in a pen. Don't let the grip shape scare you off, you might like it more than you thought, but if not it won't ruin the value as an…

The lamy safari is fantastic and only about $35. You can find a black one on Amazon for $20.

Re: Classic fountain pens

#12

Post by e40 »

nunuvit wrote: post #2

For anyone with a budding or casual interest in fountain pens, the Lamy Safari is the way to go. They're plentiful, inexpensive, rugged, and have plenty of nibs, cartridges, and refillable cartridges to experiment with. Just pick your color and start using it to figure out what you value in a pen. Don't let the grip shape scare you off, you might like it more than you thought, but if not it won't ruin the value as an…

I saw the recommendation for the Lamy Safari in a lot of places. Just want to say I actually hated writing with it. Maybe I got a bad one, but I doubt it.

Re: Classic fountain pens

#13

Post by falcolas »

Another option are dip pens. They do not offer the same writing time as a regular fountain pen, but they are easier to clean and so let you experiment with exotic inks (such as those with particulate in them).

I'm particularly fond of glass dip pens, as they offer a steady flow and you can get 2-3 lines of text out before you need to re-dip. They're also absurdly easy to clean, as they don't have any "pinch" points which can hide ink from you. On the flip side, they basically have one "width", which is about a 0.8mm line for mine. It's also glass, with everything that entails.

Re: Classic fountain pens

#14

Post by dmpk2k »

nunuvit wrote: post #2

For anyone with a budding or casual interest in fountain pens, the Lamy Safari is the way to go. They're plentiful, inexpensive, rugged, and have plenty of nibs, cartridges, and refillable cartridges to experiment with. Just pick your color and start using it to figure out what you value in a pen. Don't let the grip shape scare you off, you might like it more than you thought, but if not it won't ruin the value as an…

A big problem with Safaris is they dry out quickly. There are many great pen varieties nowadays, none of which have this common fountain-pen shortcoming.

Safaris are suitable for people who write daily; others should look elsewhere.

Re: Classic fountain pens

#15

Post by dwringer »

e40 wrote: post #12
nunuvit wrote: post #2

For anyone with a budding or casual interest in fountain pens, the Lamy Safari is the way to go. They're plentiful, inexpensive, rugged, and have plenty of nibs, cartridges, and refillable cartridges to experiment with. Just pick your color and start using it to figure out what you value in a pen. Don't let the grip shape scare you off, you might like it more than you thought, but if not it won't ruin the value as an…

I saw the recommendation for the Lamy Safari in a lot of places. Just want to say I actually hated writing with it. Maybe I got a bad one, but I doubt it.

I've had a few Safaris and they're easily among my favorites, but personally it was common to get misaligned nibs with them, or extreme variation between two different nibs of the same grind (so I don't think the problem of "getting a bad one" is as unlikely as portrayed). The alignment problem occurs with all brands to one degree or another IME, and it's worth learning to make adjustments using a loupe or macro camera for anyone who's interested in the hobby.

There's also a widespread problem of counterfeit Lamy Safaris out there, which usually come in subtly different packaging and/or have subtly different markings on the pen body. These are widely considered to be inferior, and fairly common if ordering somewhere like Amazon.

Re: Classic fountain pens

#16

Post by foobarian »

What advantages do fountain pens still have over modern gel ballpoints? I like the whole experience of fountain pens, how nice they look and the 'old-school' aspect, but sadly I don't feel they are practical any more.

Re: Classic fountain pens

#17

Post by stefanka »

nunuvit wrote: post #2

For anyone with a budding or casual interest in fountain pens, the Lamy Safari is the way to go. They're plentiful, inexpensive, rugged, and have plenty of nibs, cartridges, and refillable cartridges to experiment with. Just pick your color and start using it to figure out what you value in a pen. Don't let the grip shape scare you off, you might like it more than you thought, but if not it won't ruin the value as an…

I got their „studio“ and it’s pretty decent for its price

Re: Classic fountain pens

#19

Post by alienreborn »

Ten cheap yet great fountain pens from my experience:

- Platinum Preppy/Prefounte/Plasir ($3-$20)

- TWSBI ECO ($30-$50)

- Pilot Metro/Cavalier ($20-$50)

Cheap and OK pens (I found these better for drawing than writing):

- Lamy Safari/Al-Star ($20-$50)

- Kaweco Sport Classic ($20 -- )

'Affordable' Gold Nib pens (These aren't necessarily 'better' but writing experience is different(softer feel) which some people prefer)

- Pilot Elite 95S ($80-$100)

- Pilot Decimo/Capless ($115-$160)

All prices are from online stores available in US.

Re: Classic fountain pens

#20

Post by pizlonator »

foobarian wrote: post #16

What advantages do fountain pens still have over modern gel ballpoints? I like the whole experience of fountain pens, how nice they look and the 'old-school' aspect, but sadly I don't feel they are practical any more.

Hard to say if this is objective or not, but here goes…

I find that I write faster with a good, reliable fountain pen (like a Sailor) than I do with a ballpoint, gel, rollerball, or anything else I’ve tried. It’s my go-to for fast note taking.

On the other hand, there are a lot of cool and fancy fountain pens that are net slower to write with due to unreliability.

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