#FPQuestion of the day:
What was the worst experience you ever had with pens, ink, writing, or stationery? How would you advise people to avoid having a similar experience? #FountainPen
@jimp the seal on the Lightive has been great for me. I’m using Sailor Seiboku in it currently, has never failed to start up. Before I had a Birmingham dye ink in there for 2 years using once every few weeks, and never had a problem.
@penfount I've mentioned it a couple of times on here, but don't place a terribly imbalanced cardboard box full of glass ink bottles precariously on a shelf so that it almost instantly falls off & smashes on the ground, horribly staining the carpet (& probably the floorboards, too). Then when you use a carpet cleaner on it, don't accidentally spill the inky waste water on the wool hallway carpet because it will NEVER EVER COME OUT!!!
New User Thread
Are you new to fountain pens, or trying to decide if fountain pens are for you? Reply here with your questions and our helpful members will do their best to answer! #FPNewbie#FountainPens
#FPQuestion of the day:
What was your first fountain pen purchase? If you could go back, would you still choose the same pen(s) and/or ink(s)? If not, why, and what would you choose instead? #FountainPens
@penfount my first pen purchase was a Rotring 400 in silver. It was a beautiful pen with an excellent broad nib. I miss that pen. If it was still in production, I would buy a new one.
@penfount Goodness. Now you’re asking. I think the first one I bought myself might have been a Lamy of some description. I would have been completely skint at the time, so it had to have been something I could purchase from the stationery dept of John Lewis as opposed to their pen counter (long gone in Edinburgh sadly). Whatever it was I no longer have it :(
@Suspect_Similar i don’t think grail pen is really a salesperson thing, as you can see from the responses here, what people name as their grail pen is quite varied and very personal.
I agree about “next-level”, this is meaningless and is geared toward people who just want to spend money.
“Starter” is a helpful category if only because for new pen users, a reliable, no fuss pen won’t discourage them from using FPs altogether.
@penfount My other gets it. Everyone else? “WTF?! It’s not the 1900s” But then they look at how I’m dressed (generally always tweed and brogues) and they’re all “I guess it makes sense really”. 😁
@penfount Dad doesn't care much about them but was happy to pass on his old ones from school & Uni, mum thinks I spend too much on them (true) but she's got more & more into them herself. Most friends find it interesting, but only a couple actually use them.
#FPQuestion of the day:
What concerns or worries did you have as a new pen user? Which of them don’t worry you or matter as much to you anymore, now that you have some experience using #FountainPens?
@penfount ink capacity was a big one early on, but there’s a super easy solution which is to just bring a second pen as backup. It’s pretty hard to write through two pens in one day.
New User Thread
Are you new to fountain pens, or trying to decide if fountain pens are for you? Reply here with your questions and our helpful members will do their best to answer! #FPNewbie#FountainPens
@skinnylatte hi there! By “not messing around with refills” I think you’re referring to using cartridges rather than bottled ink?
I would take a look at the following:
Platinum Plaisir
Faber Castell Hexo
Pilot Lightive
First two are aluminum, the Lightive is plastic. The Metropolitan is IMO a somewhat outdated rec. It’s good if you want a metal pen, but the Lightive is lighter and has a better sealing cap.
If you need help narrowing further, let us know your preferred line width.
@penfount sadly it is not something that can be seen at first glance, but for me is pens that don't seal well. I have a couple of them like that and I just never use them anymore.
#FPQuestion of the day:
Have you ever used a fountain pen for a purpose that was not intended, or have you ever observed someone using a fountain pen in an odd way? #FountainPen
#FPQuestion of the day:
If a close friend or partner expressed new interest in fountain pens, which pen out of your collection would you give to them, and why? #FountainPen
@penfount out of what I have now I think I would give the Pilot Lightive. It’s reliable, you can throw into a drawer and forget it, and the nib is good.
Alternatively one of the Parker 51 or Wing Sung 601. Just very solid design all around.
#FPQuestion of the day:
If a genie gave you one wish and you could change one thing about the fountain pen industry, the fountain pen community, or even a specific pen—and it would immediately happen—what would it be? (The one thing can be big or small, the genie isn’t giving you any limits. And it doesn’t have to be beneficial to everyone or be altruistic or make the fountain pen hobby a better place.) #FountainPen
You are absolutely right. It is a manufacturer's fault. However, 1) shipping costs comes in to play, especially if the pen or nib was purchased from oversees; 2) Warranty will eventually run out and being able to adjust / tune your own nib will save you money on shipping and service of pen repairman.
My point is we are telling this to newbies not because we are accepting the manufacturer's error, but to help them if they are tinkerers.