Fountain pen - recommendations

[FridgeMagnet]

Rhodia pads are classics - a bit shinier than Oxford IME but will stand up to anything and are utterly, utterly reliable in terms of quality. I've probably told the story of how they're all made from one mill in France, and when that particular mill broke down once and they replaced it for a week or two with an identical model made I think in the same year, people complained. The No. 12 is my consistent pocket pad, in one of their leather covers.

Clairefontaine and Rhodia are the same company now but the paper is still different. The Rhodia Webnotebooks (shittest brand name ever but good notebooks) don't have quite the same paper, I think, though still good. (They make dot paper books and pads now by the way.)

 

[mrs quoad]

I had heard that story wrt Rhodia (it's been posted on this thread, I think).

But I'm not sure I believe that's relevant to their little pads / mainstream pads.

IIRC, the version I heard related to 'mill no.6,' and the unique quality of the paper it knocks out.

Not being funny, but wtf are the previous 5 mills doing all day, and what are the other mills >6 doing 24/7?

I reckon the 'special mill' story is wrt their posh pads. The leather bound ones, and stuff. I'd be stunned fi they had a special reserved mill for their plebpaper.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

The leather pads are just cases for the bog standard ones. Once one runs out, you slip it out and put another one in. They also do ring-bound and staple-bound pads and books, and I think some bound ones, but it's all the same 5mm squared stuff - I suppose all they have to do is chop the paper up after it comes out and bind it in orange card.

ePures are not the same (and not very good tbh - they don't lie flat and the paper is thicker and a bit boring).

 

[TruXta]

How have I not seen this ginormous geek-fest before? You two should get together and do a blog or a tumblr or something.

 

[mrs quoad]

I've only owned nice pens for about a month, tbf. There are far better geeks whore posting less prolifically right now. VP, for example, despite his questionable attitudes to barrel width.

 

[mrs quoad]

Fm, do the epure and webnotebooks not contain different paper? I can see Rhodia covers / pad pouches; but these seem to be different pad products.

E2a: oh. http://rhodiadrive.com/2010/03/24/no-6-machine/

 

[TruXta]

There are far better geeks whore posting less prolifically right now. VP, for example, despite his questionable attitudes to barrel width.

 

[mrs quoad]

#200 et sequelae

E2a oop, scuppered by autocorrect!

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Fm, do the epure and webnotebooks not contain different paper? I can see Rhodia covers / pad pouches; but these seem to be different pad products.

E2a: oh. http://rhodiadrive.com/2010/03/24/no-6-machine/

Yes - WNBs are a 90gsm now (the Mk 1s had shitty paper, a couple of years ago, but the new ones are much better) and ePures are I think 100gsm. It's definitely not the same stuff. WNBs are shinier and the ePure is a little more absorbent. I'm not saying either are _bad_ but I prefer the pad paper, which is the same across all the standard pads and ring-bound and stapled books. The main issue I have with it is that the grid is really heavy and can be a bit distracting.

WNBs are favoured a lot by people who like the form factor of Moleskines but get irritated by the shitty paper. They're very tough and you can use any ink or pen with them, but I've gone off them a bit. Leuchtterm make some good notebooks along similar lines, which have started to be released in this country recently - I've not used one regularly yet, though I will probably move onto one when my current journal is finished.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I'm starting to worry myself now.

 

[mrs quoad]

^^^
that difference in paper quality is what makes me think orly? wrt the machine 6 / ALL Rhodia paper thing.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

WNBs and ePures are specific sub-brands - I don't think they've ever claimed they're made in the same way.

eta: actually from the link, it was actually the printing that made the difference apparently, I was wrong about the milling.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

oh, I've just seen the best pen for VP

http://www.andys-pens.ukhome.net/gajendra.shtml

19mm wide. Capped, 181mm, and even uncapped 145mm. But still quite light. And holds 7ml of ink as an eyedropper.

 

[mrs quoad]

There aren't many pens that could double up as a burglar batterer!

 

[mrs quoad]

Ooo. So that's what they mean by bulletproof.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Try bleach if you really want to see the difference.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

oh, I've just seen the best pen for VP

http://www.andys-pens.ukhome.net/gajendra.shtml

19mm wide. Capped, 181mm, and even uncapped 145mm. But still quite light. And holds 7ml of ink as an eyedropper.

I did in fact order one of these for reasons best known to myself. It's enormous, but actually quite nice to hold - when the cap is off it's only slightly longer than a normal pen, and the grip part tapers down from 14 to 12mm, it's only the barrel that is 19mm wide. I can write with it perfectly comfortably.

As well as that, the cap is oversized and the same width as the pen, so very easy to take off - you just hold one end and twist the other. I got the black one with the "Bakul" finish which is rough and wood-like, so friction is good. It seems hugely tough and you're more likely to hurt your foot than break the pen if you step on it.

It holds an absolute shit-ton of ink and just isn't going to run out, so you don't really need an ink window much. Filling it with an eyedropper might be fiddly but you don't have to do it very often. The nib is a fine Wality one, which may not be quoad-fine but it's pretty precise.

It would definitely be a good pen for people who have trouble with thin ones - this is a fair-sized group of FP users actually IME. Not too heavy either.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Of the pen!!

Quoad rhapsodised about a pen he'd bought with a body about the same width as a chopstick. I attempted to make him realise that he's a pervert. I failed.

 

[ViolentPanda]

oh, I've just seen the best pen for VP

http://www.andys-pens.ukhome.net/gajendra.shtml

19mm wide. Capped, 181mm, and even uncapped 145mm. But still quite light. And holds 7ml of ink as an eyedropper.

Oddly enough, just taken delivery a Varuna Kavi (black, Bakul, Aerometric filling) and it's beautifully balanced and has good "weight" and feel in the hand, even though it's not as substantial as I usually like. The Wality F nib is nice to write with, too. Not scratchy at all, and puts out a line somewhere between the Platinum Plaisir .3 I was bought at crimble, and my Kaweco Sport f nib.

 

[mrs quoad]

Of the pen!!

Quoad rhapsodised about a pen he'd bought with a body about the same width as a chopstick. I attempted to make him realise that he's a pervert. I failed.

Tbf, it is actually a tiny bit too thin.

The nib, though, is awesome!

 

[mrs quoad]

Noodler's Hunter Green is a pig-eyed bastard of a feathering monkeyfucker. It writes like Daily Mail readers' loosely spattered bile. Even with a Platinum carbon EF.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Just received a Pilot with an F nib. Inked it and I'm impressed. No scratchiness at all.

Have I broken the habit of a lifetime and bought an expensive pen? Nah, it's a Pilot 78G, manufactured by Namiki for the Asian school market where it sells millions a year. They're plastic-bodied (screw-on cap), so they're a bit light, but for £6.50 (incl. 3 Pilot carts) what is there to argue about? You can get an idea of why some people will spend £100-200 on a Capless or a Bamboo after writing with one of these.

 

[Athos]

Just discovered this great thread!

I use two Lamy Safaris. One with a bold nib for writing letters etc (usually with Diamine Oxblood, China Blue, or Quartz Black), and one with an extra fine nib for annotating texts (usually with Diamine Imperial Purple).

I use Quo Vardis Habana notebooks, which contain Clairefontaine paper.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Habanas are odd - there seem to be at least three versions. The ones I've bought in the UK have had very thin but also tough 70gsm paper (not Clairefontaine). Some US ones have off-white paper, and some have white paper, and there was a big fuss when they changed over recently but I can't remember which one is older and which newer. I think those are both Clairefontaine though.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Just discovered this great thread!

I use two Lamy Safaris. One with a bold nib for writing letters etc (usually with Diamine Oxblood, China Blue, or Quartz Black), and one with an extra fine nib for annotating texts (usually with Diamine Imperial Purple).

I use Quo Vardis Habana notebooks, which contain Clairefontaine paper.

No green ink? I'm disappointed!

 

[Athos]

No green ink? I'm disappointed!

Funnily enough, I have some arriving tomorrow!

" Thanks for shopping with us today!
The following are the details of your order.
------------------------------------------------------
Order Number: 60523
Date Ordered: Monday 01 August, 2011

Products
------------------------------------------------------
1 x Diamine Ink Scarlet 30ml Bottle (203) (D3000024) = £2.35
1 x Diamine Ink Evergreen 30ml Bottle (214) (D3000076) = £2.35
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: £4.70
Standard shipping (Shipping to GB): £2.95
Total: £7.65

Delivery Address...."

 

[ViolentPanda]

Funnily enough, I have some arriving tomorrow!

" Thanks for shopping with us today!
The following are the details of your order.
------------------------------------------------------
Order Number: 60523
Date Ordered: Monday 01 August, 2011

Products
------------------------------------------------------
1 x Diamine Ink Scarlet 30ml Bottle (203) (D3000024) = £2.35
1 x Diamine Ink Evergreen 30ml Bottle (214) (D3000076) = £2.35
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: £4.70
Standard shipping (Shipping to GB): £2.95
Total: £7.65

Delivery Address...."

 

[yardbird]

I've decided to hunt out an Osmiroid, like I used to use at at school 50 years ago.

 

[ViolentPanda]

I've decided to hunt out an Osmiroid, like I used to use at at school 50 years ago.

There seem to be a fair few of them available from the various vintage pen websites and e-bay sellers.

 

[yardbird]

There seem to be a fair few of them available from the various vintage pen websites and e-bay sellers.

Yeah, I'm looking, but I don't know what model I had. Looking, looking.