Classic fountain pens • Hacker News Board

Re: Classic fountain pens

#91

Post by jimmyjazz14 » Tue, May 02, 2023, 4:49 PM UTC

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 have a number of fountain pens but the one I keep coming back to is the Pilot Kakuno, they are super cheap but they just feel so good in hand especially for sketching and drawing.

Re: Classic fountain pens

#92

Post by jurassicfoxy » Tue, May 02, 2023, 4:50 PM UTC

Are fountain pens exclusively a right-handed pleasure? I've tried, and the smudging has been an insurmountable obstacle.

I would love to hear from some fellow lefties. I love pens, ink, and paper, but I feel cursed.

Re: Classic fountain pens

#93

Post by fowtowmowcow » Tue, May 02, 2023, 5:01 PM UTC

jurassicfoxy wrote: post #92

Are fountain pens exclusively a right-handed pleasure? I've tried, and the smudging has been an insurmountable obstacle. I would love to hear from some fellow lefties. I love pens, ink, and paper, but I feel cursed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiZ9ifo4_4U

There seems to be a variety of suggestions and advice on using pens left handed on youtube.

Re: Classic fountain pens

#94

Post by Symbiote » Tue, May 02, 2023, 5:03 PM UTC

jurassicfoxy wrote: post #92

Are fountain pens exclusively a right-handed pleasure? I've tried, and the smudging has been an insurmountable obstacle. I would love to hear from some fellow lefties. I love pens, ink, and paper, but I feel cursed.

I think left-handed people rotate the paper slightly clockwise.

Re: Classic fountain pens

#95

Post by noarchy » Tue, May 02, 2023, 5:09 PM UTC

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.

>What advantages do fountain pens still have over modern gel ballpoints?

Bragging points, perhaps: Aside from the hipster cred (see also: straight razors and pricey shaving products) there is the fact that you have the disposable income to drop hundreds of dollars on this tech. Otherwise there are modern ways to write that I think are superior, and the wide use of other tech suggests that the vast majority have moved on.

Re: Classic fountain pens

#96

Post by vr46 » Tue, May 02, 2023, 5:13 PM UTC

This “article” is total “churnalism”, just marketing bunk with absolutely no content. Obviously I am aware what Wallpaper* is, which is mainly a conduit to help people spend their money as fast as possible like Brewster’s Millions, but this article on HN is surely misdirected.

Re: Classic fountain pens

#97

Post by sn41 » Tue, May 02, 2023, 5:19 PM UTC

vr46 wrote: post #96

This “article” is total “churnalism”, just marketing bunk with absolutely no content. Obviously I am aware what Wallpaper* is, which is mainly a conduit to help people spend their money as fast as possible like Brewster’s Millions, but this article on HN is surely misdirected.

Thank you for a delightful term - churnalism : I had never heard that before!!

Re: Classic fountain pens

#98

Post by kps » Tue, May 02, 2023, 5:20 PM UTC

jypepin wrote: post #69

I'm surprised they don't mention Parker. At school in France in the 90s, that was the true classic.

Parker was purchased by Newell Rubbermaid, and — as with so many other old famous brands — their current products are junk.

Re: Classic fountain pens

#99

Post by sn41 » Tue, May 02, 2023, 5:21 PM UTC

quantgenius wrote: post #50

This list is certainly not classic fountain pens. They are mostly machined pens made by small batch producers with generic nibs and two with somewhat "different" nibs I wouldn't normally suggest most people get. These are pretty good pens but not what I would get as a first pen. Here are the pens I would suggest you consider if you don't know a lot about fountain pens. If you are a fountain pen collector, I'm mostly…

I am a fan of fountain pens, but do not have a lot of cash to splurge on experimentation. This detailed comment is a great resource.

Re: Classic fountain pens

#100

Post by frereubu » Tue, May 02, 2023, 5:25 PM UTC

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 problem I have with the Safari is that I don't write much and they dry out before I use them much. My Kaweco Sport lasts for ages, and I think it's to do with the fit of the screw top compared to the relatively loose clicking mechanism of the Safari cap.