Can anyone recommend a fountain pen

[Spoonage]

Hi all, been watching and reading reviews and I'm ready to jump into a fountain pen. I write with a fairly heavy amount of pressure (not saying I can't have a light hand) if this helps out. Mostly writing on standard paper you would see in a normal office environment and not high end paper. I assume something with a nib that doesn't flex much and doesn't really lay down too wet? Please correct me if I'm wrong as I don't have any experience with fountain pens (other than 2 brief writing samples).

[Juantxo]

Just as Napoleon would have had a hard time the first time he had used a rollerball pen, fountain pens take a bit of getting used to. And the learning curve is stained with ink.

That said, I'm partial to Pelikan and they have a wide range of fountain pens. I suggest you start with a low-end pen with a medium nib and start from there. Avoid cartridges and use the converter in order to get used to bottled inks, etc.

A pen with a nice flow will tend to keep you from pressing too hard on the paper. Lastly, keep in mind that some papers will be difficult to work with because they absorb too much ink.

Now, I yield the floor to the experts (and experts they are).

[jar]

A fountain pen writes by capillary action. It really requires no pressure at all. Maybe the hardest adjustment folk face when switching to fountain pens is understanding that you don't and should have to press at all.

If you go with modern pens, no one is making flex nib pens these days. Oh some may claim they do but they are jess funing you.

Wet nibs don't really have to be an issue, even on poor paper. It may need you trying several inks though to find what works best for YOU.

IIRC there is still an active Chicago Pen Club and if so, get to one of their meetings where you can try out a brazillion different pens to see what is best for you.

[Juantxo]

What Jim said. He's an expert.

[Dashimmy]

I bought a Lamy Safari and it's a great entry level fountain pen. Lots of nibs to choose and change.

[Bisquitlips]

Originally Posted by Dashimmy

I bought a Lamy Safari and it's a great entry level fountain pen. Lots of nibs to choose and change.

My Safaris are some of the best writers out of the box!

Get a 1.1 italic nib for it and it will improve the look of your handwriting without you having to do anything else. About 10 dollars and worth it.

[Formulansx]

I agree. A Lamy Safari is an excellent starter pen, or even just a pen to have in your collection anyway. Check out the aluminum body Al-Star and the new Lux as well. The Lamy is just "fun" to have also. There's a ton of colors and nibs from extra fine to 1.9mm stubs. They're easy to change out and reasonably priced as well. I built a Lamy Lux in yellow gold recently with a Lamy Emporium 14kt gold nib just because I could. Really a fun pen. As far as writing with heavy pressure goes, for what it's worth, my 18kt broad nib Omas Paragon has been pretty bullet proof for writing with heavy pressure. It doesn't make much sense to me why that is, but I've pressed reasonably hard with it for many miles (on carbon paper more times than I can remember) at work and the ink flow has never changed. I've never had to work on the nib at all. It's been an absolutely fantastic pen! I have a couple Omas Milords though that the nib is more springy. These do not take well to pressure so much.

[Bisquitlips]

Originally Posted by Formulansx

I agree. A Lamy Safari is an excellent starter pen, or even just a pen to have in your collection anyway. Check out the aluminum body Al-Star and the new Lux as well. The Lamy is just "fun" to have also. There's a ton of colors and nibs from extra fine to 1.9mm stubs. They're easy to change out and reasonably priced as well. I built a Lamy Lux in yellow gold recently with a Lamy Emporium 14kt gold nib just because I could. Really a fun pen. As far as writing with heavy pressure goes, for what it's worth, my 18kt broad nib Omas Paragon has been pretty bullet proof for writing with heavy pressure. It doesn't make much sense to me why that is, but I've pressed reasonably hard with it for many miles (on carbon paper more times than I can remember) at work and the ink flow has never changed. I've never had to work on the nib at all. It's been an absolutely fantastic pen! I have a couple Omas Milords though that the nib is more springy. These do not take well to pressure so much.

Good thoughts and very accurate!

With the way they are priced, there is really a good opportunity to collect every color and have a different ink in each of them. Also you are not going to ruin a$400.00 pen trying some of the "shimmering" inks in them so the pucker factor with fun inks goes way down.

[OmegaJJH]

Although no expert I took a LOT of advice from this wonderful community and ended up with a Platinum Meisturstuck 149.

This really is a wonderful pen.

There is a lot of very helpful advice on this thread if it helps:

http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=369407

[NewEnthusiast]

Another one on the Lamy Safari bandwagon. Good starter one to get used to fountain pens with/have at work without worrying about loss and damage. Once you're ready for an upgrade I would suggest either Cross or Mont Blanc depending on how much you want to spend.

[timemachines]

I've always wanted to learn caligraphy

[Bisquitlips]

Originally Posted by OmegaJJH

Although no expert I took a LOT of advice from this wonderful community and ended up with a Platinum Meisturstuck 149.

This really is a wonderful pen.

There is a lot of very helpful advice on this thread if it helps:

http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=369407

Congratulations James!

Post some photos when you get a chance. Love to see it.

[OmegaJJH]

Originally Posted by Bisquitlips

Congratulations James!



Post some photos when you get a chance. Love to see it.

Hi Richard.

Here's some pics as requested.

Have a wonderful Christmas and new year!!

















Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bisquitlips]

Originally Posted by OmegaJJH

Hi Richard.

Here's some pics as requested.

Have a wonderful Christmas and new year!!

















Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You have done well! And you will love that B nib.

I have a 149 with an incredible B stub that was almost shocking when I first wrote with it. Someone before me had had it tuned prior to my ownership and it must have been one of the godfathers of nibdom as it was performed to perfection!

Enjoy it! That is a literal icon of the pen world. I can spot them in a pocket across the room!

Merry Christmas to you and your family and a most prosperous New Year!

[Spoonage]

Thanks all for your input. I'm learning a ton here and on the various pen forums...


That MB is

[vman]

+1 for Lamy

You cannot beat this brand for price/quality. Lamy's nibs are pretty cheap, so if you don't like one, you can easily get another. Yes, those nibs are a far cry from 21K specimen found on pricey pens, but a gentle application of mesh to a Lamy nib can make the nib quite capable.