Nice to see a fountain pen image used to solicit signatures. The link that originally took me to the image was not descriptive and the site wasn’t what I was expecting. Still the image of a fountain pen caught my eye and enticed me to look a little further to learn why it was there. Do you think non-fountain pen people would respond the same way?
Fountain Pen in Internet Ad
Ryan at The Pear Tree Pen Company sent some yummy, colorful ink samples that were just the thing for a bubbly collage. Can you spot the happy face?
Rohrer & Klingner Ink
Verdura, Helianthus, Fernambuk, Morinda, and Soferino.
Photo courtesy of Tessa Maurer Photography, ©2010 All rights reserved.Do you love free stuff? Me, too. So here’s a heads-up on a new giveaway. Amateur Economist is offering one orange Rhodia Webnotebook in a contest that ends at 11:59pm EST, Saturday 01/30/2010. U.S. entries only.
New to the “Webbie”? Check out the Inkophile review, The Rhodia Webnotebook vs Moleskine Journal Showdown, for more information. It is a fave here and nothing is better than “free” so mosey on over to Amateur Econ and enter. I would if I didn’t already have a Webbie from Exaclair’s Karen Doherty, a friend who thankfully insists on feeding my addiction to paper and ink.
Oh, do drop a comment back to this post if you win so the rest of us can enjoy a vicarious thrill over your success.
Rhodia Webnotebook vs Moleskine Journal
Ranking is based on WordPress tracking of page views over the last twelve months.
My lists of favorite pens, inks, and stationery received some overdue updates today so those are current. Lots of new products on hand to test though so those lists are subject to change any day. Yes, I am a very fortunate inkophile.
What do old pens wish for in the afterlife? A second life with The Pen Guy and His Mercedes Pens Art Car.
The results are in from last month’s poll.
Fountain Pen vs Nib Poll
You folks really like your nibs. Looks count but nibs count more.
I’m with you. Not that a pretty piece won’t turn my head but if it’s got a stinky nib, all the looks in the world are wasted on me. Better the pen should go to someone who will appreciate it. Actually, comfort matters more to me than appearance but that’s a subject for a different post.
86% of you want good if not great nibs. Thus companies that fail to make quality nibs a priority are missing what makes fountain pens worth buying. Some companies think so little of their pens that they offer nibs in one size only. Do they really think we all love the ubiquitous, generic medium? Perhaps they smugly think looks are all that count. How horribly shallow of them.
Worse are the nibs that come in a variety of sizes but need repair just to be useful. If you get stuck with one of those turkeys, do return it. One would hope a manufacturer or two will get the message. Or maybe they should stick to roller balls and ball points. Those instruments are far better suited to a one-size-fits-all manufacturing and marketing strategy.
For those of you who demand beauty as well as a great nib, which pens make your best of the best list? Not to make less of a single great pen, but it would be great to hear about companies and pen models that consistently deliver what matters most.
My nominees are the Sailor Pro Gear, 1911, and Sapporo Series. I currently have three and sold a fourth a year ago. Not one has been disappointing. My preference is the rhodium trim but the fit and finish are beautifully done on the gold models as well. Light heft, quality and consistency make these pens true winners.
There are many brands for which my experience is too limited to make a recommendation or my collection does not include enough new pens to put them on the list. I’ve eliminated used pens for lack of certainty that the pen I own is truly representative of the model.
Pilot Elite Pocket Pen
Pilot "Isaac Newton" Fountain Pen
Pilot Custom Black Strip Fountain Pen
My Pilot pens are a good case in point. I have five of various finishes from the 1970s and early 1980s. All are fine nibs (not script nibs) and write very well for me. However, I was not the first owner so I don’t know if the nibs were repaired or modified. I just know they are excellent now.
There are two other brands for which I own multiples of a model but inconsistent nibs keep them off my list. That’s an indictment as well as a disappointment but it certainly does make the really good ones stand out.
Lastly, there is another good pen but it is not an out-of-the-box favorite. It’s the original version of the Namiki Falcon with a soft fine nib. The build quality is not quite as nice as the Sailors but good nonetheless. The new metal version may be quite different but I have yet to get my hands on one. Unlike the Sailor pens, in my experience the nib requires a period of breaking-in to become all it can be. I am hesitant to recommend a model that has a caveat but it’s a good pen if you are willing to give it enough time. Some people like the soft medium better than the soft fine and I can see why though I think a soft broad would be even more fun.
12% of the people who participated in the poll are more excited by ink but terrific pens make using those fabulous colors even more fun. So if you have a favorite or two, do include your pen choices in the comments. Inkophiles need pens, too.
Time for the latest Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper hosted this month by Cynthia at Journaling Arts and sponsored by Notebook Stories. One of my favorite selections is the post about Lynda Barry’s book, What It Is, and her fabulous look at creative journaling. What a great way to fill a page!
"What It Is"
Just in case you were wondering, I did not have 22 pens inked at one time to make this comparison. It took over a month’s worth of refills to produce this inky delight. Being an inkophile is hard work!
Some of the colors are dead-on. Others are merely close. Between my scanner and monitor there can be no agreement despite my best efforts to broker reconciliation. Still you get the general idea.
The paper is from the recycled version of the Quo Vadis Minister Planner for 2010. I love the fountain pen in the corner and would enjoy notepads with the same image.
There is one small caveat. Some of the writing samples look slightly wider than normal for these pens but that isn’t unusual for fountain pen ink on recycled paper. If you are comparing nibs, this isn’t the best example to use.
22 Inks in 20 Fountain Pens
After 30 seconds under a faucet, these Iroshizuku inks remain legible if not pretty. Nice to know that should you get a splash of water on your notes, all is not lost.
Iroshizuku Ink Comparisons
The paper is Office Depot 24# Ink Jet, nothing special and prone to a bit of feathering but suitable for the purpose.
Two new pen and ink articles in the same month? Hard to imagine but it’s true.
The first is an opinion piece published yesterday, December 28, 2009, and written by John Skoyles for the Boston Globe. It is easy to identify with his tale of falling for the charms of “pen and ink.” Not only does he tout the virtues of fountain pens but he gives high praise to The Fountain Pen Network as well.
The second article is about ink durability and was published in The Economist on December 10, 2009. Along with historical information and a few examples of innovation in the field, the best part is about fountain pen ink. An enterprising graduate student from Yale University’s physics department, Nicholas Masluk has used lasers to test the permanence of a variety of Noodler’s inks including Baystate Blue and Bad Belted Kingfisher. I have yet to try either one and so cannot recommend them. However, it is terrific to see such attention paid to a subject important to many fountain pen users.
Is it possible our hobby is morphing from accumulating geeky junk to collecting cool stuff? Given the prestige of the publications, it just might be so.
Note: Thanks for the mention at Amateur Economist. Happy to bring good news to the fore.
