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Fountain pen - recommendations

FridgeMagnet said:
The Kuru-Toga pencil is good - it's quite cheap and also has a system which revolves the lead every time you press on the paper, so it doesn't wear down on one side. It even has a little window so you can see it revolving.

Otherwise I use clutch pencils personally, which have fat 2mm leads that don't break and are way easier to change.
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ones I'm eyeing up are 1.4mm. I'll probably end up with whatever is cheapest that I can get in town, but in the meantime I can procrastinate more
 
toggle said:
ones I'm eyeing up are 1.4mm. I'll probably end up with whatever is cheapest that I can get in town, but in the meantime I can procrastinate more
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The advantage of 2mm is that it's a standard size for clutch pencils so it's much easier to get a variety of leads. The one I use is a Fixpencil 22, though I don't seem to be able to find it right now :hmm:
 
Fixpencil 77 here, love it. I mean there's not much to it, but the aluminium case makes it considerably more durable than its Staedtler/faber-castell cousins. Isn't the 22 shorter than the standard lead FridgeMagnet ?

You'll also want a Staedtler lead pointer (sharpener).

502-tub.jpg
 
Cid said:
Fixpencil 77 here, love it. I mean there's not much to it, but the aluminium case makes it considerably more durable than its Staedtler/faber-castell cousins. Isn't the 22 shorter than the standard lead FridgeMagnet ?
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Yeah, it is IIRC, but you just snap a bit off the end, it's not a problem. The leads last forever anyway.

I really want to find mine now :hmm:
 
toggle said:
saw some papermate kid's cartridge pens in the pound shop today. for that price, I thought they would do for leaving in the bottom of my bag. my older 2 kids nicked one each by lunchtime.

I've also spent the afternoon looking at mechanical pencils I can't afford.
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I spent my afternoon cleaning a load of fountain pens ( :facepalm: ) using one of those small sonic baths (I think fridge mentioned them earlier in the thread). Anyway, point is that I found a couple of Serwex 101 pens with fine nibs, that I bought but never used (and will never use). Want 'em (and a syringe to fill them)?
 
FridgeMagnet said:
The advantage of 2mm is that it's a standard size for clutch pencils so it's much easier to get a variety of leads. The one I use is a Fixpencil 22, though I don't seem to be able to find it right now :hmm:
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The e + m Workman long clutch pencil is calling to me from the Cult Pens site. :facepalm:
 
ViolentPanda said:
I spent my afternoon cleaning a load of fountain pens ( :facepalm: ) using one of those small sonic baths (I think fridge mentioned them earlier in the thread). Anyway, point is that I found a couple of Serwex 101 pens with fine nibs, that I bought but never used (and will never use). Want 'em (and a syringe to fill them)?
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OHHHHH, yes please.
 
FridgeMagnet said:
Yeah, it is IIRC, but you just snap a bit off the end, it's not a problem. The leads last forever anyway.

I really want to find mine now :hmm:
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The 77 is a bit longer, so snapping needed... I get through the leads pretty quickly, and given their expense expect substantial savings over the lifetime of my device.
 
My dad is a really classy man and well into his pens...i am not.... he has this amazing collection...im not involved....however i am greeting this thread just to say that its cool if that is what you are into :cool:
 
Cheesypoof said:
My dad is a really classy man and well into his pens...i am not.... he has this amazing collection...im not involved....however i am greeting this thread just to say that its cool if that is what you are into :cool:
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I like collecting pens from businesses. My favorite is transparent yellow from Church's Chicken. It's also just the right fatness; but the little pocket clip thing always breaks off - then it's back to Church's Chicken for a family pack and a new pen. :)
 
With regard to mine and FridgeMagnet 's convo of about a year and a half ago about trying out a Platinum Preppy as an eyedropper pen, I'm happy to report that my experiments using silicone grease with and without an o-ring seal were all successful, but that o-rings aren't needed. Just the usual application of silicone grease works absolutely fine!

I've been using a fine (.30) nibbed green Preppy filled with Diamine Emerald Green for over a month with no leakage, and will probably invest in another couple of Preppys. :) I've also had positive reinforcement of Platinum's boast about the cap seals on their pens meaning they "never" dry out.
 
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I think I have a new favourite pen. Just got a 1959 Sheaffer 'Pen For Men' (PFM). It has an amazing stiff medium nib that's incredibly smooth, and the whole thing is perfectly sized - great girth and nice balance. Plus the snorkel and touchdown filling system is a design classic, easy to use and clean. It cost me £120, which, although is a lot of money, isn't so much that Id feel unable to carry it around with me (as I do with some of my really expensive ones, which sty in the office).
 
Virtual Blue said:
my fountain pen fetish has died out now - since Phileas Blue...

Into mechanical pencils - OHTO Promecha 1005P is just ace.
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Pencils just don't do it for me the same way fountain pens do, even though a decent one fulfills many of the same functions of being easy to sit and fiddle with instead of actually write with.
 
toggle said:
Pencils just don't do it for me the same way fountain pens do, even though a decent one fulfills many of the same functions of being easy to sit and fiddle with instead of actually write with.
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Pencils are more versatile and can work on crappy quality paper.

I love the look of ink but you need decent quality note-books (Rhodia, Conceptum etc) and they cost alot...:(
 
I've been buying posh wooden pencils (Blackwings, Tombow Mono 100, Mitsubishi Hi-Uni etc) recently for writing in my crappy-paper work journal and in Moleskines/Field Notes, and while they are quite nice, the novelty is sort of wearing off now. They do smear on shiny paper, they need sharpening and they're not very dark. Also they make the inside of my pencil case dirty.
 
it's the not dark enough thing that puts me off. not enough contrast so i get visual stress effects, even with tinted lenses or overlays and the paper starts to look like a badly tuned tv.
 
toggle said:
it's the not dark enough thing that puts me off. not enough contrast so i get visual stress effects, even with tinted lenses or overlays and the paper starts to look like a badly tuned tv.
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Some of them can be surprisingly dark while still being HBs, but no, they're never going to get as contrasty as ink. (I find they're more relaxing to look at on bright white paper personally but you clearly wouldn't.)

The black Blackwings are very dark, but also literally go blunt before you've finished a sentence.
 
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