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The cheap pen that changed writing forever

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Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#171

Post by citrusybread »

wombatmobile wrote: post #58
Cancan82 wrote: post #6

I recently switched to a fountain pen - way easier to write with and way less tension. Neil Gaiman suggested it and so I gave it a shot. Never going back - my handwriting is better (but I write cursive) and it is easier to write longer without strain. That said - super cool story.

I love fountain pens too, and recently tried to switch back to my classic Parker 45. Sadly, the plastic lining of the reservoir had perished, so the pen wouldn't suck ink up. I tried a replacement reservoir, but it didn't work. So I tried a different type, with a screw based impeller mechanism, and got ink all over my fingers and desk. Some of the ink went up into the reservoir, but wouldn't flow back down through th…

Platinum Plaisir is also a great pen! I combined with Noodler's Bernanke Blue. It dries extremely quickly and it's very smooth writing. At 0.3mm (Platinum Fine), it's really hard to tell the difference between inks but Bernanke Blue is a fairly pleasant blue.

I think I paid 1000 JPY for it, but these days it's around $10-$20 on amazon.

Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#172

Post by emit_time »

mleonhard wrote: post #165

I wrote a lot in university. My favorite pen is the Pilot G-2 07 black. It can make the tapered points of Chinese & Japanese characters. Its only shortcoming is that the ink takes about a minute to dry. UNI JetStream 0.7mm black has quick-drying ink and is just as smooth. But it cannot make the tapered line ends, is more expensive, and has a counterfeit problem.

Pilot G-2 0.38mm is the correct size.

Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#173

Post by thaumasiotes »

andrepd wrote: post #156
thaumasiotes wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it’s unfair to compare Baoke to Huawei. The latter is in the news since months now, and has become synonymous with nefarious snooping activities of the Chinese Sure, Huawei has been in the news for months. But Baoke is still a company whose name is in Chinese . We're not talking "Tencent" here. Then again, if you were able to recognize whether a word was or wasn't Chinese, it's possible you'd feel differently about…

Your last sentence is a classic diversion tactic. It's obvious that GP doesn't have a problem with Chinese persons, but with the Chinese government and regime. That's like when people criticise Putin and someone replies "oh so you hate Russian people?"

> It's obvious that GP doesn't have a problem with Chinese persons, but with the Chinese government and regime.

Not really; the boycott of Chinese goods is very much targeted at Chinese people and not so much the Chinese government.

Note that godelmachine hasn't made a criticism of the CCP at all; he's criticizing a pen company for being Chinese. On the assumption that that's not really what godelmachine thinks is wrong with Baoke, how would they respond to make him feel better about interacting with them?

Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#174

Post by fuball63 »

sxt wrote: post #36

Anybody else here who uses Fineliners? I've only stuck to fineliners ever since the first time I've used it, the upgrade in comfort and penmanship was extraordinary. Yes fountain pens are great and I've used them most of my life, as most ballpoints weren't suitable for my left hand writing style. But fineliners are way less cumbersome

I had to look up what this was. At first I thought it was the same as a felt tipped pen, which is what I primarily use, but I guess we're both in different minorities.

EDIT: guess I'll add why I like felt tipped pens. I like how the ink dries quickly, still have control over how much is being put to page, are fairly cheap, and personally I like the stratchiness/resistance on the page, it helps my handwriting I think.

Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#175

Post by martin_a »

OJFord wrote: post #138
ascar wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the other hand, using a fountain pen is incredibly frustrating and exhausting for left-handed people (in a left to right writing system). I had to unnaturally bend my hand above the line I wanted to write so I don't immediately smear the ink. Basically mimiking a right-hand draw position with the left hand while having your hand above the line instead of on the same level. It hurts. We were also forced to use it i…

I remember a left-handed teaching assistant with extremely consistent/neat handwriting; she solved this problem by rotating the page 90deg counter-clockwise, writing 'bottom-to-top' rather than left-to-right, and 'down' the page to the right. I've never seen anyone else do that, but it certainly worked. Though I remember wondering why not rotate it the other way, so 'down' becomes left and hand wouldn't pass over the…

Well, if the girl I think of is not the crush of @andrepd, I can add another person to that list.

I, although also left-handed, never wrote like that, I did the "wrist-bending" instead.

Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#176

Post by wenc »

citrusybread wrote: post #170
wenc wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use a TWSBI ECO F (~$30) every day. It is one of the more inexpensive piston filled demonstrators out there. The writing experience is the best I've had so far (when paired with heavier Rhodia or Clairefontaine paper). The only downsides are (1) it uses a screw cap mechanism (which is preferred by some in the fountain pen community because it doesn't fail like snap-on cap mechanisms; but is slower and less convenie…

you might already know this, but Noodler makes an extremely quick drying ink called the Bernanke. It's available in blue and black and dries way faster than anything I've ever seen. It doesn't feather or bleed on any paper I've tried it on. I used to use Staples Sustainable Earth notebooks, now I've started using their TruRed series. I also use Rhodia notebooks, but am switching to TruRed because they're easier to fi…

Thanks. I haven't tried the Bernanke (sounds like it's popular among left-handed folks) but I have a bottle of American Eel. It's just me, but I like really black inks. Noodler inks while quick drying aren't black enough for me. I've tried a bunch and finally landed on Rohrer & Klingner's Leipziger Schwartz. Thanks for the tip on TruRed. I have several Platinum Preppy Fines but results are still a little less fine than the Hi-Tec-C 0.3mm (likely due to higher inkflow).

Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#177

Post by asib »

klodolph wrote: post #59
asib wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn't you describe cardio as continuous, repetitive strain with no recovery? I would've assumed writing is more of an endurance type of strain, but perhaps the strain due to writing occurs at an intensity that is analogous to lifting weights.

The type of muscles in your heart are quite different from the types of muscle in your hands. The muscles you use to move around are called skeletal muscles. One of the ways they get stronger is through a process where you exercise and use them, and this causes damage to the muscles (microtears), and the body responds to these microtears by rebuilding the muscles stronger. This is why you need a recovery period when…

I think you've misunderstood my question.

> The type of muscles in your heart are quite different from the types of muscle in your hands.

Yes, but cardio doesn't solely use cardiac muscle.

What I was trying to get at was that when doing cardio, you are using the muscles in your legs and/or upper body, albeit at a lower intensity than when strength training. GP seemed to be implying that because writing is a continuous, repetitive strain, that it is a purely degradative action. But my point was that cardio can be described in the same way and has clear benefits for muscle health.

Therefore, my question was really whether the problem is the fact that writing is done for long periods with little recovery or more to do with people holding their pens in a weird way, or something. Put more generally, an issue of form.

Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#178

Post by klodolph »

asib wrote: post #177
klodolph wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The type of muscles in your heart are quite different from the types of muscle in your hands. The muscles you use to move around are called skeletal muscles. One of the ways they get stronger is through a process where you exercise and use them, and this causes damage to the muscles (microtears), and the body responds to these microtears by rebuilding the muscles stronger. This is why you need a recovery period when…

I think you've misunderstood my question. > The type of muscles in your heart are quite different from the types of muscle in your hands. Yes, but cardio doesn't solely use cardiac muscle. What I was trying to get at was that when doing cardio, you are using the muscles in your legs and/or upper body, albeit at a lower intensity than when strength training. GP seemed to be implying that because writing is a continuou…

I’m not sure if you were asking a question or if you’re trying to lead the discussion in a particular direction.

Cardio doesn’t solely use cardio muscle, true, but your cardiovascular system is what you are targeting with the exercise and it does not need a recovery period, unlike other parts of your body you would exercise.

You can do intense cardio every single day, or at least nearly every day, because the cardiovascular system works differently from your skeletal muscles. You should not do an intense deadlift session every day, because your skeletal muscles need time to heal.

So I would in general not try to draw many comparisons between cardiovascular exercise and other types of exercise.

Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#179

Post by jacobush »

Saint_Genet wrote: post #136
ascar wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the other hand, using a fountain pen is incredibly frustrating and exhausting for left-handed people (in a left to right writing system). I had to unnaturally bend my hand above the line I wanted to write so I don't immediately smear the ink. Basically mimiking a right-hand draw position with the left hand while having your hand above the line instead of on the same level. It hurts. We were also forced to use it i…

Ball-point pens are fairly useless too, When you're a lefty uou push the pen rather than dragging it so it clogs up. Gel-ink pens has made my life so much better.

Wow. Decades and I didn't realise this was why I and ball point pens don't agree.

Re: The cheap pen that changed writing forever

#180

Post by m463 »

godelmachine wrote: post #29
m463 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My favorite pen is the pentel energel 0.7mm. It will write smooth dark lines just the right thicknes without blobbing or cutting out, and is the most effortless pen to write with. But yes, it does write at a higher angle than a fountain pen. I had a fountain pen years and years ago, and it was something you had to want to use. I can't help but think of it like vinyl records, straight razors and film cameras.

>> pentel energel 0.7mm. Thanks for mentioning this I am currently on the lookout for new pen to make my standard usage pen. My prime requirement is that it should be 1.0mm, or at a minimal 0.7mm, since I love the thickness. Secondary requirement is that it should be smooth. I bought Baoke gel from Amazon and while I loved it a lot, was greatly disappointed to find it was of Chinese make. Am now searching for somethi…

Btw, I should mention tried all the pentel pens:

1.0 is too blobbly

0.5 is too scratchy

0.7 is just right

(imo)

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