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post #76 of 1907
11/9/06 at 4:02am
My first FP... i like it so i'm considering going for the real thing now. any suggestions? honestly, i'm looking sub $50 category...



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post #77 of 1907
11/9/06 at 5:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by stevesurf
Most people really have no idea that many pens should be treated like jewelry.
Many years ago, I was taught that you should treat your fountain pen like your toothbrush; don't let other people use it!

Helps to rinse it out every now and then, too.
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post #78 of 1907
11/9/06 at 9:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik
Many years ago, I was taught that you should treat your fountain pen like your toothbrush; don't let other people use it!

Helps to rinse it out every now and then, too.
You are 100% correct, but be prepared for negative comments. I realize they are being ignorant when they have an smart ass comeback but you still want to choke them.
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post #79 of 1907
11/9/06 at 10:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by guitarman19853
My first FP... i like it so i'm considering going for the real thing now. any suggestions? honestly, i'm looking sub $50 category...
I don't have as much experience with fountain pens as others here but I've tried a few of the cheaper ones and I'm very happy with the Pelikano, but I already said that. I guess the Pelikan Future will be quite the same but looks a bit less childish. I like the look of the silver model.

For a more classic/less modern look I'd look at the Parker Frontier. If you want a pen with a bit more weight you can get a steel Frontier. I'd suggest you get one with a Fine nib since the F is already a bit wide in linewidth.

If you want to use bottled ink instead of cartridges make sure you get a converter. Maybe some Parker Frontiers come with one.

For under $50 I believe you pay for better looks, not better writers, IMHO. Although I have not tried used or vintage (or a combination of the two) pens.
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post #80 of 1907
11/9/06 at 10:15am
Thread Starter 
Parker Frontiers are fine writers. They are pretty good value for money IMO. I've had a few before (including the full metal versions) and highly recommend them! The only complaint I have is with the cap mechanism. The caps can get a bit loose after awhile, which might or might not put you off. That said, the cap has never ever unintentionally dropped off...
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post #81 of 1907
11/9/06 at 3:19pm
I'm looking at a Lamy Safari & Converter for under $30. what does everyone think of that pen? also, what size nib should i get? i'd like to have about a .7mm line (my daily writer Staples pens).

Another question i had is paper... my Pilot Varsity bleeds on some papers... I'm the kind of person that takes greater pleasure taking notes if taken with a fine pen so i intend to use it every day... but its my current notebook paper that bleeds... is there certain brands of notebook paper that are more FP friendly?

What would be a good ink to start out with? I'm a fan of bold smooth writing black inks. Further down the road, i'd like to add a really rich blue and a blood red. i'm assuming that if you clean the pen, colors can be interchanged at the time of a refill. The other issue with ink for me would be value... since i'm putting it in a $25 pen, the most expensive ink probably wouldnt do me much good.



Said Staples pens
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post #82 of 1907
11/9/06 at 3:56pm
Thread Starter 
Pelikan Brilliant Black is quite a bold black that's at its very best out of a wet writing fountain pen. It's blacker than the Mont Blanc Black.

For a nice dark blue, I would suggest Visconti Blue. I've also heard that Noodler, Private Reserve and J. Herbin make very nice deep blues too.
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post #83 of 1907
11/10/06 at 6:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by guitarman19853
Another question i had is paper... my Pilot Varsity bleeds on some papers... I'm the kind of person that takes greater pleasure taking notes if taken with a fine pen so i intend to use it every day... but its my current notebook paper that bleeds... is there certain brands of notebook paper that are more FP friendly?

What would be a good ink to start out with? I'm a fan of bold smooth writing black inks. Further down the road, i'd like to add a really rich blue and a blood red. i'm assuming that if you clean the pen, colors can be interchanged at the time of a refill. The other issue with ink for me would be value... since i'm putting it in a $25 pen, the most expensive ink probably wouldnt do me much good.
The notebook I use for my fountain pens is Ampad Gold Fiber notebooks. The paper is thicker than your usual binder paper, so there's less feathering. Quite cheap, and available at Officemax and Walmart.

The darkest black I've used is Private Reserve Velvet Black. Despite everybody saying Aurora black is the darkest black out there, I have never found that to be true for me personally...it's more of a light grayish black if anything. And I tried two bottles of it, thinking maybe my first bottle had been bad...same thing.

As for blues, it depends on what shade of blue you want. If you prefer a more purple-blue, Waterman Florida Blue would be your best bet. If you want a true, bright, vivid blue, go with Noodler's Blue. And if you want a true, dark blue, go with Private Reserve American Blue, or DC Supershow Blue.
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post #84 of 1907
11/10/06 at 6:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by guitarman19853
My first FP... i like it so i'm considering going for the real thing now. any suggestions? honestly, i'm looking sub $50 category...
The Parker Vector (~$8), Reflex (~$8), and Frontier (~$20) are all great and very smooth. Just keep in mind the medium nibs on them are pretty wide. The Frontier might be somewhat hard to find though nowdays.

Lamy's Safaris (~$25) and Safari Al-Stars (~$30) are also very nice and smooth. The Al-Stars have aluminum bodies and are very rugged, although I personally don't care for the clip. It just looks cheap hanging out of the pocket...like a huge paper clip.

You can also look into vintage Parker 51s (~$50). Not the most exciting fountain pen to write with as the nib is hidden under a hood, and the nib feels like a nail (it's one of the very few fountain pens you can actually use on carbon copy forms without worrying about bending the nib). Very reliable and smooth writers though assuming you buy one that's been fixed up.

There's also a bunch of nice Chinese FPs from Duke and Hero that write well and cost around $50 or less. Go to www.hisnibs.com and take a look around.
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post #85 of 1907
11/10/06 at 8:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by guitarman19853
The other issue with ink for me would be value... since i'm putting it in a $25 pen, the most expensive ink probably wouldnt do me much good.
That won't be an issue, it's not like there are high priced inks that you can only truely enjoy with an expensive pen. At least, not that I know of.
This is a good place to check out colours. But remember that it will probably look different in person.


I think a medium nib will be closest to 0.7mm. But it often depends on manufactuer and I've never tried a Lamy.
It also depends on what ink and paper you use.

Vertigo-1
I got my Frontier new of ebay and there were a lot to choose from. Overhere they seem to be readily available.
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post #86 of 1907
11/10/06 at 2:40pm
can anyone with a Lamy Safari do a writing sample and let me know what nib size you have? im thinking im going to order one
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post #87 of 1907
11/10/06 at 3:17pm
Quote:
can anyone with a Lamy Safari do a writing sample and let me know what nib size you have? im thinking im going to order one
I have a medium nib and it seems to be on the thick side. I just ordered a fine one. It hasn't come in yet, but I would say their nibs run a size larger than normal.
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post #88 of 1907
11/11/06 at 12:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by guitarman19853
Another question i had is paper... my Pilot Varsity bleeds on some papers...
I actually stopped using paper for notes quite awhile ago - I use the Levenger Note Cards (of course, leaving a Post-It note for someone can be the exception).
They never seem to bleed, but then again, I am still using MB inks. The Note Cards have become a great system of "ready reference" information and they're handier...
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post #89 of 1907
11/11/06 at 1:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stevesurf
I actually stopped using paper for notes quite awhile ago - I use the Levenger Note Cards (of course, leaving a Post-It note for someone can be the exception).
They never seem to bleed, but then again, I am still using MB inks. The Note Cards have become a great system of "ready reference" information and they're handier...
Yes the Levenger note cards are very nice, but they can become expensive if you take a lot of notes.
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post #90 of 1907
11/11/06 at 1:21pm
Thread Starter 
Damnit, Stax has forced me to give up part of my Pen-Fi journey...

At least I've still got a Pelikan M600 and some Lamy Safaris to keep me company. (still waiting for them to arrive)

I've put the Waterman Carene and Mont Blanc Chopin on eBay if anyone in the UK wants to buy!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...0424&rd=1&rd=1
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...5604&rd=1&rd=1

The Mont Blanc is of sentimental value so I really didn't want to sell it, but I guess my Head-Fi journey is IMO much more important!

If I've got any money left over from my Stax journey, then I'll probably reinvest in some nice pens!

There's my rant.
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