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The importance of handwriting is now better understood

economist.com

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Re: The importance of handwriting is now better understood

#11
post #3

I have started to journal last month. I came to it through pens when I randomly decided to find a good pen when I got interested in it through some youtube videos(wow, YT actually working as intended, for once). To anyone interested, Pentel Energel 0.7mm is the best gel pen in the entire world, hands down. For oil-based ink, it would be Uniball Jetstream, i guess(i am gel guy). I always wanted to journal and thought…

oh, just You wait until You discover the wonderful new old world of fountain pens and inks ;-)

Re: The importance of handwriting is now better understood

#12
post #3

I have started to journal last month. I came to it through pens when I randomly decided to find a good pen when I got interested in it through some youtube videos(wow, YT actually working as intended, for once). To anyone interested, Pentel Energel 0.7mm is the best gel pen in the entire world, hands down. For oil-based ink, it would be Uniball Jetstream, i guess(i am gel guy). I always wanted to journal and thought…

> Pentel Energel 0.7mm is the best gel pen in the entire world I love definitive reviews like this.

I tried Zebra Sarasa, Pentel Energel, Pilot G-2, Comix, Bic Gelocity, Bic Gelocity Quickdry(indeed they are very different inks), Muji, Sharpie S-Gel, Unibal Signo,... probably even more, but Energel indeed is in a league of its own. I would put Bic Gelocity Quickdry as close second. Which surprised me. Though their pen cases suck(rattling noise while writing, changing writing angle can mitigate this). Also not all tip sizes are equal. Pilot G-2 0.7mm writes like Pentel 0.5mm for example. You have to find the one you like the best and it mostly comes down to your preferred tip size. To me, 0.5mm or 0.35mm will always be scratchy, no matter how smooth the ink is. 1mm can be good but 0.7mm is just the sweet spot for me. Also not all black are equal. I think Zebra wins here. Uniball is the worst(can become almost gray).

YMMV.

Re: The importance of handwriting is now better understood

#13
post #3

I have started to journal last month. I came to it through pens when I randomly decided to find a good pen when I got interested in it through some youtube videos(wow, YT actually working as intended, for once). To anyone interested, Pentel Energel 0.7mm is the best gel pen in the entire world, hands down. For oil-based ink, it would be Uniball Jetstream, i guess(i am gel guy). I always wanted to journal and thought…

oh, just You wait until You discover the wonderful new old world of fountain pens and inks ;-)

Already got 4 on order :D But the Energel will be hard to beat. Even on practicality side of things. I think we have figured out the modern gel pens and they are just so good that i doubt fountain pens will be able to compete even on smoothness of writing. But i want to give it a try just for fun.

Re: The importance of handwriting is now better understood

#15
post #3

I have started to journal last month. I came to it through pens when I randomly decided to find a good pen when I got interested in it through some youtube videos(wow, YT actually working as intended, for once). To anyone interested, Pentel Energel 0.7mm is the best gel pen in the entire world, hands down. For oil-based ink, it would be Uniball Jetstream, i guess(i am gel guy). I always wanted to journal and thought…

I am left-handed and the Energel has totally changed my life— it’s the best pen I’ve ever had. I have recently come to believe Pentel is (pardon the cliche) the Apple of writing instruments. They’ve simply PM’d the hell out of their product over time, and it really shows.

Re: The importance of handwriting is now better understood

#16
post #3

I have started to journal last month. I came to it through pens when I randomly decided to find a good pen when I got interested in it through some youtube videos(wow, YT actually working as intended, for once). To anyone interested, Pentel Energel 0.7mm is the best gel pen in the entire world, hands down. For oil-based ink, it would be Uniball Jetstream, i guess(i am gel guy). I always wanted to journal and thought…

Join the Signo RT 0.38mm cult. Embrace the tiny font.

I really loved these (.38 specifically) back in college, but they’d start skipping within a matter of weeks. Maybe I was just applying too much pressure?

Re: The importance of handwriting is now better understood

#17
I've direct experience on the power of handwriting to memorise concepts. When at the UNI, I was studying CS (while working part-time) less than 10 ya, and classes where full of laptops. I was take notes during lectures using only pen and paper and similarly I was taking my notes about the main concepts from the courses books. Then I was re-writing them again in a more summarised way, and then underline this notes and study all together. The power of handwriting is real and I'm still taking notes and keeping a journal nowadays.

It's sad that this incredible ability of our brain to learn concepts from the small movement of our hands, probably sculpted by our evolution, is going to get lost in future generations. This is because companies are making deals with schools to provide them software and devices. In a better world the school system would be one of the top 2 priority of every country, and receive adeguate public investments to don't have to adapt their education systems at companies product, to satisfy the greediness of entrepreneurs and investors.

Don't abandon pen and paper, don't regress human brain capacity.

Re: The importance of handwriting is now better understood

#18
post #3

I have started to journal last month. I came to it through pens when I randomly decided to find a good pen when I got interested in it through some youtube videos(wow, YT actually working as intended, for once). To anyone interested, Pentel Energel 0.7mm is the best gel pen in the entire world, hands down. For oil-based ink, it would be Uniball Jetstream, i guess(i am gel guy). I always wanted to journal and thought…

Do you have any recommendations for getting over the friction of starting? Like, suggestions of what to write about if you're unsure what's worth putting to paper. I'm sure I'd have plenty to write once I got started, but an empty notebook is intimidating!

Re: The importance of handwriting is now better understood

#19
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

oh, just You wait until You discover the wonderful new old world of fountain pens and inks ;-)

Already got 4 on order :D But the Energel will be hard to beat. Even on practicality side of things. I think we have figured out the modern gel pens and they are just so good that i doubt fountain pens will be able to compete even on smoothness of writing. But i want to give it a try just for fun.

The answer will probably be "it depends". On smoothness, fountain pens have the edge in that mechanically, a fountain pen is just a very smooth ball of metal that's being constantly lubricated by a controlled leak of ink through capilary action. With some decent enginnering and manufacturing (caveat : both of these cost money), this will be hard to beat when it comes to pure friction.

When it comes to practicality... Let's say one does not buy a fountain pen to be practical ;-) These things are fairly maintenance heavy and prone to accidents. There's a reason they have been superseded by several other pen types these days.

Fountain pen is a tool from a different era. One that excels at putting ink on paper in a very comfortable / stylish / craftsman manner...

Re: The importance of handwriting is now better understood

#20
post #3

I have started to journal last month. I came to it through pens when I randomly decided to find a good pen when I got interested in it through some youtube videos(wow, YT actually working as intended, for once). To anyone interested, Pentel Energel 0.7mm is the best gel pen in the entire world, hands down. For oil-based ink, it would be Uniball Jetstream, i guess(i am gel guy). I always wanted to journal and thought…

> Pentel Energel 0.7mm is the best gel pen in the entire world I love definitive reviews like this.

Then see Aaron Hsu's fountain pen reviews:

https://www.sacrideo.us/a-quick-review-of-the-diplomat-nexus...

The way this reads is pretty hysterical. I believe he's on here as user "arcfide".

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