Fascinating post.
I must say that I really love this thread: So interesting, so courteous and respectful in tone and content, so many pleasant people, and always, there is so much to learn.
Wonderful.
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Fountain pen users, rejoice!
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I must say that I really love this thread: So interesting, so courteous and respectful in tone and content, so many pleasant people, and always, there is so much to learn.
Wonderful.
Don't forget to include Parker and Mont Blanc in the knock-off brands, as both copied elements from Sheaffer and Waterman.
I had forgotten both Shaeffer and Waterman; my dad had several Shaeffer pens, and I recall that he gave me a couple of them when I expressed a wish to start writing with fountain pens, and I always found them excellent.
Some years later, I treated myself to a Waterman pen or two, but, while they looked beautiful, I must say that I never actually enjoyed the physical act of writing with either of them.
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I became aware of Waterman through magazine ads. I remember one that ran around 1990 or so. I can't remember it exactly, but the ad had with a woman talking about all the things she'd given up from her previously exciting and probably lavish life. But she was keeping the Waterman fountain pen, because she needed something thrilling to use to document her boredom. Or something like that.
Fast forward to the late 1990s. I decided to buy a fountain pen. A local stationery store carried a few, including Waterman, at well under $100. Nothing terribly exotic probably, but it would seem exotic to those whose vision of a pen is a 25 cent Bic.
I'm sure I remembered those Waterman ads I'd seen. (It certainly was something i remembered when I bought the Allure.) I was fired up to get a Waterman, at least. But I examined the pens. They didn't have inked demonstrators, but they did let customers handle the pens. And I found I much preferred a Cross they had. I'm not sure I even necessarily knew the name, then. If I did, it certainly wasn't as known a name in my mind as Waterman, let alone Sheaffer (which was the brand that--to that point--had been almost all my fountain pen experience, apart from one vintage Parker desk pen I had.) But I liked what I saw of the Cross, so I got it. It turned out to be a very good pen.
Interestingly, given how much I like Pilot now, I have wondered if the nib on that Cross was a Pilot nib. The pen was made in japan, and I've heard that Pilot provided at least some nibs to Cross.
One might wonder why I got the Allure years later when I passed on Waterman. One factor was the realities of the different eras and different situations. In the late 1990s, I was buying a pen that i knew I'd use a lot. In late 2022, I was in place of thinking: "I don't really write much by hand anymore, and any pen is good enough. But a fountain pen would be fun to have again and use for some stuff like Christmas cards!" The Allure was cheap and I figured would be good enough. Plus...I remembered the ads, and it sort of amused me thinking of getting a thrilling pen to document my boredom as I wrote Christmas cards.
I tried to find that Waterman ad with no luck. But I think this ad being sold on eBay was probably part of the same campaign.
1990 Waterman Fine Fountain Pen Gilded Gold Vintage Print Advertisement | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1990 Waterman Fine Fountain Pen Gilded Gold Vintage Print Advertisement at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
And another ad sold on eBay, similar approach:
1989 Waterman Paris Sterling Silver Fountain Pen Vintage Print Advertisement | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1989 Waterman Paris Sterling Silver Fountain Pen Vintage Print Advertisement at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
Not really a rollerball person, but I did ink up the fountain pen with Quink black.
The nib has "W GERMANY" engraved in it, so it might be a Jowo or a Bock - but I'm not a nib connaisseur.
I also did some research on Bugitron. They seem to have offered a wide spectrum of products, and fountain pens were just a small part of their business . So the pens might have been outsourced to a third party.
Either way, the writing experience is OK, not WOW but fairly nice for what appears to be an Extra Fine nib.
Well balanced pen (impossible to post the cap), not too heavy and with a comfortable section.
Since both the barrel's thickness and length are ideal for me to hold it loosely and relatively high up (as if it were a brush), I like the pen more for drawing and specifically for hatching and cross-hatching, so that's what I ended up doing the past few days.
Maybe I'll take it with me for outdoors urban sketching in the Summer.
Oh, I’m rather pleased to find fellow fountain pen users here on this forum.
Please forgive my less than elegant photo, but pictured is my Pilot Vanishing Point decimo with a medium nib, my daily driver at work.
Anyone else have experience with retractable fountain pens such as the Platinum Curidas or the Lamy Dialog lineup?
Please forgive my less than elegant photo, but pictured is my Pilot Vanishing Point decimo with a medium nib, my daily driver at work.
Anyone else have experience with retractable fountain pens such as the Platinum Curidas or the Lamy Dialog lineup?
First of all, welcome to this thread of fountain pen lovers.
Secondly, congratulations on your gorgeous looking Pilot VP. I love its deep blue color.
I once tried a Pilot VP when visiting my stationary shop. Guess it was a <M> as well, very smooth writer indeed and a gusher. But the "upside down" clip hasn't yet grown on me.
What started as a dilemma between the Asvine P36 and the TWSBI Diamond 580 ended in me purchasing a TWSBI VAC700 R. I ordered it online, at a brick and mortar stationary shop not too far from where I live.
The pen was delivered within 24 hours, and came gift wrapped, along with a handwritten "Thank You" note, some candies, and a catalogue. Really a very nice unpacking experience indeed.
This is my first TWSBI, my first vacuum filler and my first #6 nib. Guess I'm in for some fun playtime
Thanks to all who commented on buying Chinese products (or not), but so far I'm happy with my choice.
The pen was delivered within 24 hours, and came gift wrapped, along with a handwritten "Thank You" note, some candies, and a catalogue. Really a very nice unpacking experience indeed.
This is my first TWSBI, my first vacuum filler and my first #6 nib. Guess I'm in for some fun playtime
Thanks to all who commented on buying Chinese products (or not), but so far I'm happy with my choice.
My wife and I were going through some old cardboard boxes in the cellar, when all of the sudden we found a nice white paper box that looked almost like a MacBook Air box. Inside, wrapped in a black cotton sack, there was this fancy "croc" leather A5 notebook cover from a brand I never heard of, but is still around : Matras (apparently based in Turkey).
This must have been a New Year gift or something from way back when. I thought I'd share our little discovery.
This must have been a New Year gift or something from way back when. I thought I'd share our little discovery.
Have you any Japanese fountain pens, paper, or products?What started as a dilemma between the Asvine P36 and the TWSBI Diamond 580 ended in me purchasing a TWSBI VAC700 R. I ordered it online, at a brick and mortar stationary shop not too far from where I live.
The pen was delivered within 24 hours, and came gift wrapped, along with a handwritten "Thank You" note, some candies, and a catalogue. Really a very nice unpacking experience indeed.
This is my first TWSBI, my first vacuum filler and my first #6 nib. Guess I'm in for some fun playtime
Thanks to all who commented on buying Chinese products (or not), but so far I'm happy with my choice.
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Now, that is absolutely beautiful - simply gorgeous - and is just begging to be used as part of one's life on a regular basis.
I don’ have any Japanese fountain pens, too conservative design for my taste I guess.
As for paper, Midori MD (Japan) is my favorite brand. In both their own notebooks and the Traveler’s C° refills.
And Pilot Iroskizuku Tsuki-Yo (Japan) is my favorite ink.
Oops, I must apologize here. I actually do have a Japanese pen: the Traveler's C° Brass Fountain Pen.
But let's admit, that's a different league from the typical Pilot, Platinum, Sailor...
May I join with @GerritV in extending a warm welcome to you.
I am delighted that you have discovered this quite lovely thread of fountain pen lovers, some of whom have considerable expertise on the subject and who have been wonderfully generous sharing their knowledge (and experience) with the rest of us.
Please feel free to join us with any thoughts, comments, questions, queries that occur to you.
I've been eyeballing the Caran D'Ache 849 fountain pen for a while.
A few days ago, I discovered this lovely red one on Amazon, and couldn't resist.
It goes well with my recently acquired Edelweiss pencils. Both will be my set for urban sketching.
A few days ago, I discovered this lovely red one on Amazon, and couldn't resist.
It goes well with my recently acquired Edelweiss pencils. Both will be my set for urban sketching.
I love a nice Mont Blanc, but considering I work in IT I just don't think the pen would ever get used!
I know a lot of people that working in IT or at least a lot with PC/tablet that still prefer a fountain pen to take notes about their work
give it a chance!
I think I've mentioned this before here... But I had a period of not using a fountain pen for many years, and I thought it seemed pointless to consider using one. How much do I actually use a pen? Then I had weak moment in 2022, when I got a fountain pen (on the excuse of "Christmas cards"). I quickly realized that I used a pen a lot more than I'd thought...
It's also worth noting that there are nice pens that are considerably cheaper than Mont Blanc...
The use of (and/or working with) computers in a professional capacity does not necessarily mean that fountain pens cannot play a role.I know a lot of people that working in IT or at least a lot with PC/tablet that still prefer a fountain pen to take notes about their work
Many of us both use computers, and regularly write with fountain pens (in my case, a nice Mont Blanc).
Actually, I find fountain pens superb for when taking notes, and sometimes, (in my experience) writing things down by hand is the only way to think something through and be able to fully comprehend it.
Thanks for your nice comment. I too love this red, but mostly because it's Caran d'Ache 's brand colour.
As for the writing comfort, CdA fountain pens are known (liked/disliked) for their relatively skinny section. That doesn't bother me, since I hold my pens higher up (around the barrel stepdown), and because I also frequently use pencils, who are thinner anyway.
What struck me immediately, was the very nice feel of the lacquer. It's kind of satin, quite soft to the touch, not metallic cold at all. And it looks gorgeous IMHO.
The nib is simple, no frills, slender and relatively long. The pointy shape will probably be well suited for sketching and drawing.
In case you attend meetings: taking notes and writing down tasks
In case you're a programmer: writing down ideas perhaps combined with schemes, mind maps
In case there are no circumstances within your daily job, and you'd like to use a pen: writing a journal, taking notes on your reading
Of course, all of the above are merely suggestions - coming from someone who's always looking for ways to use his fountain pens