Now, in parts of the the world other than the US, I have seen powerful individuals use fountain pens as status symbols.
Then you absolutely failed to understand the point. Pens have never been made/designed with status in mind, they have been made to look nice and write nice. No more, no less. The meaning of status and the use as a status symbol is purely a psychological one, it is us humans who gave it that meaning and we do it to almost any object.
And while - to quote your post - 'most people' may indeed consider fountain pens 'ridiculous', some do not, and this thread was created by such people to discuss fountain pens
uckily we have lots of sites and communities to share and discuss pens and everything that comes along with it.
Anyway, dismissive and pejorative judgements using words such as 'old-fashioned' and 'ridiculous' are, to me, indicative of a rather rigid perspective on the world. Indeed, only a narrow-mindied individual would hold such views.
LSadly there are too many people who think about it that way and ignore the fact that pens have a far more positive effect when studying and creating things (which scientific study has shown). Pens in general are definitely not ridiculous and old-fashioned and it is very very unwise to get rid of handwriting in education. The people who are trying to get rid of it in favour of the keyboard have really no idea what they are doing and what impact it will have. As the Surface Pro and iPad Pro have shown, there is a place for pens in the digital world. How sad would it be if people started to lose the skill to use them?
And yes, many of us do use pens because they are analog, because they aren't tied to technology.
For that matter, it is perfectly possible to use computers and fountain pens, both at the same time, and this is what I do.
Same here and I get frowned upon except for one person who thinks it is awesome that I still write stuff down and even more awesome that I do it with a fountain pen. Bit awkward because she sometimes just watches me write
A pen like many other products in a society is a status symbol. It has always been.
Only when people know to value it.
For guys with large, meaty hands, such pens may serve as status symbol, physically attractive object, and writing instrument. However, they are too large for me, and were heavy and unwieldy in my hand.
For those with big hands the only option are the bigger pens because of the length. You want the barrel to rest on the web of your hands for a more comfortable writing experience and also for more control. You could get a smaller version and post the cap but most pens are not designed with that in mind. It'll make them top heavy and throws off the balance which doesn't write very nice. Some pens can't even post the cap (physically impossible or it falls off). This is also a personal choice, some people just don't like posting. For those with smaller hands the larger pens are not recommended because they are too large which will not be very comfortable.
The best thing one could do is try the pen. See if it fits nicely in your hand and if it writes comfortably. That's why you go fountain pen in the first place
Price doesn't really matter, maybe having a gold nib does (most find it more comfortable to write with).
Aren't fountain pens really "scrapey" though?? Or have I only used bad ones?
They can be. It depends on the ink, paper, pen and what you are used to. There are people who find F anything smaller than that to be scratchy (just as some find an M or broader to write too wet and/or too smooth). Smooth paper like the Rhodia offerings helps a lot. If you are used to that and start writing with average paper you may find that to be something similar as writing on sanding paper. Some pens (or nibs I should say) are bit more toothy than others. That's another reason why you should try them out in a shop if you can.
Btw, in the western world the F-nib is considered a nib for every day writing, the broader ones are used for things like signatures and calligraphy. In countries like Japan it's the EF-nib. Also do note that not every F/EF/etc. nib is an F/EF/etc. nib, there are small variances (well, I've seen F-nibs writing like an M). There is also quite a difference in what is an F in Europe and Japan (Japanese F is like a European EF). More importantly, the size of the nib has to match your handwriting and intended use.
@OllyW: that is nice classic set!
