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wodan22 posted:I started off with a LAMY Vista (the clear/demonstrator) and a Lamy Safari as my very first 2 fountain pens. They are not bad pens by any shot and they do make pretty good "workhorse" and starter pens. However, that triangular grip really annoyed me. I am a natural lefty who has recently become ambidextrous and I had real trouble writing with it with my left hand, and it was still not comfortable in my right hand. I also was not a fan of that nib. But that's just me-lots of people love them and swear by them I did hang onto them "just in case", storing them uninked. How does the nib on the VAC700 compare to the Safari and Metro? I have a 530 that I don't really like the nib on, but they've changed it since then.
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Oct 3, 2013 01:32
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DanManIt posted:How does the nib on the VAC700 compare to the Safari and Metro? I have a 530 that I don't really like the nib on, but they've changed it since then. The Vac 700 actually comes with 2 nibs, at least it did when I bought mine. There was the original factory nib and then a replacement nib (can't remember the brand, but they list it on Goulet. I'm not sure if it is the same one as on the old 530's, but I know they were getting complaints about the old nibs, so they included another one to give people the option of which to use. I immediately swapped out for the newer nib-never even tried the old one. I believe it is the same nib that comes standard on the 580's now. I have both the VAC700 and the 580 and, at least for me, they write about the same (read "amazing"). Neither of them have ever gotten scratchy on me, and they rarely ever skip (you have to learn how to unscrew the thing on the end of the VAC700 to allow ink flow or it might get scratchy or skip after long use. But once I understood about how to do that, I never had trouble again). With the exception of my 2 pilots with the 14k nibs, the nibs on my TWSBIs and my Pilot METRO are the smoothest and wettest (hey now!) I've ever had the pleasure of using.
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Oct 3, 2013 01:43
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Yeah, latest issue TWSBI nibs are winners.
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Oct 3, 2013 04:06
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cobalt impurity posted:The red portion is what holds the rest of the piston when you screw it in. It pretty much fills the space exactly when the converter is full. They could improve the design a little, but for however much you increase the ink reservoir, you also have to lengthen the piston by just as much. I understand your point - that was a bad way to describe the whole system on my part. I think they could definitely come up with something to make it hold more ink but  . There's about half a centimeter of dead space in there that they could work with but I realize this converter is used and several pens and it holds a fair amount of ink enough that updates probably won't ever happen.
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Oct 3, 2013 06:33
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JP Money posted:I understand your point - that was a bad way to describe the whole system on my part. I think they could definitely come up with something to make it hold more ink but Make the piston diameter equal (slightly larger actually) to the inner diameter of the pen barrel instead. 
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Oct 3, 2013 13:08
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JP Money posted:I guess I never noticed that it's a "long" pen but that article actually shows me that it is. I still stand by other pens being bulkier width-wise but you're totally right in that it's longer than most pens.
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Oct 3, 2013 18:34
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Solkanar512 posted:Apparently this pen is supposed to be a version of the IROC 850 for "everybody" that will be out shortly. I can't get to their fb site from work - is there anything more specific on when the Classic will be released?
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Oct 3, 2013 19:12
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THE NIB OF MY METRO IS BENT! I'm not sure how it happened, but I did let someone write with it... I got the tips as close to alignment as I could with my nail, because I was using it in class when I noticed, but is there a way I can fix it better? I have to hold it crooked to write with it.
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Oct 3, 2013 19:26
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I would press it carefully and firmly on a sheet of paper in the opposite direction. Do it slowly and go a little bit at a time. It will take a few tries to get it exactly aligned back into the original position. You might also need to flip the nib over and press down that way as well.
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Oct 3, 2013 22:29
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Folderol posted:I can't get to their fb site from work - is there anything more specific on when the Classic will be released? No, it was just a short comment in the FB post.
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Oct 4, 2013 02:20
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My pilot varsity disposable pens just came today, my first time ever using a fountain-type-pen and I really like them, I got the color pack so once they run out im gonna look into getting a real one and some nice inks 
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Oct 4, 2013 20:43
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droneboat609 posted:My pilot varsity disposable pens just came today, my first time ever using a fountain-type-pen and I really like them, I got the color pack so once they run out im gonna look into getting a real one and some nice inks Bullshit, there's no way you're holding out that long! Though more seriously, those pens can be refilled if you want to buy up inexpensive ink samples or fool around with something different. Though if you do this, wrap the nib in some paper tower or the like so you don't scratch up the nib. Have fun!
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Oct 4, 2013 22:02
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I don't know if it's because I write too hard, but the Varsity pens, especially the black colour, tend to start becoming terrible and not writing as well after a little while. The packs I buy are in purple, blue, and black, and the black ones are the only one that start to deteriorate quickly. At least for me.
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Oct 4, 2013 23:53
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Kheldragar posted:I don't know if it's because I write too hard, but the Varsity pens, especially the black colour, tend to start becoming terrible and not writing as well after a little while. The packs I buy are in purple, blue, and black, and the black ones are the only one that start to deteriorate quickly. At least for me. Though this may or may not apply to you, varsitys tend to scrape up paper fiber between the tines like no other pen I have ever used. This was especially bad in moleskine notebooks, whereas copypaper was fine. If you write with the black pen more than the others this might explain your issue. Oh and don't get me wrong here, varsitys are great starter pens that write smoother and more comfortable than some more expensive pens.
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Oct 5, 2013 00:43
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Lord Girlyman posted:Though this may or may not apply to you, varsitys tend to scrape up paper fiber between the tines like no other pen I have ever used. This was especially bad in moleskine notebooks, whereas copypaper was fine. I actually use the purple pen the most to where it's the one that tends to dry up first; when Varsity pens start to run out of ink, they start to do the same thing that my black ones do when they're only at half or so left. All I've been writing on are filler paper, but since I've been going through a pair of three roughly every 2 or so weeks now, it's not like it'll be a botherance for long.
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Oct 5, 2013 02:49
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Had some new experiences with my new fountain pens today at work: unlike regular pens.....its easy to make a mess quickly without effort now I am learning to be more careful :P
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Oct 6, 2013 02:02
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JP Money posted:Each Noodler's ink I've tried (X feather, HOD, Black, 54th) have all had nib creep on my Safari nib. I tried Tsuki-Yo and had zero nib creep even when dropping the pen. I've just learned to accept it unfortunately as it takes way too long trying to perfectly wipe off the excess ink without drawing more out all to do it again a day later. The new formulation for #41 Brown is probably the worst creeper I have. I love the color, but it seems that it'll creep on any nib if it sits for more than 12 hours. Or minutes in some cases. Fuyu-gaki has been creeping for me in my Vista as well, though I suspect that's just a bad pen/ink combo (or maybe the less expensive Lamy offerings are more susceptible to nib creep?  ). wodan22 posted:And yes, Rhodia paper is the bomb for fountain pens. I have read that Rhodia uses Clairfontaine paper, but the CF in the Rhodia notebooks seems different than the CF paper in the CF notebooks. I personally like the Rhodia paper better. Rhodia and Clairefontaine are owned by Exaclair, as is Quo Vadis. I don't fully remember the situation and it's been a while since I read about it, but I think it's a situation where CF is the one that is labeled as owning the mill or mills in question, so technically all Exaclair paper products are CF paper. e: While I'm thinking about it, if anybody is looking for reasonably inexpensive and relatively fountain pen friendly journals-sized books, Sokkia field books have worked well for notes for me. Elan field books should work the same since both are 50% rag books and normally 6-8 bucks when you can find them. Lines tend to be kind of odd if you're not used to them though, so you should look them up if you're interested. As for how fountain pen friendly, I experienced no bleed-through in normal circumstances with Diamine Lavender, Noodlers #41 Brown, Diamine Red Dragon or J Herbin Eclat de Saphir in a fine, Bad Belted Kingfisher in a 1.5mm stub, Kon-Peki or Liberty's Elysium in a 1.1mm stub. Liberty's Elysium in a fine would bleed through when I went back to scratch things out because I am stupid about that poo poo and go back and forth like 5 times instead of just striking it out (nothing on the other 40 or so sheets of notes though), and Fuyu-gaki would bleed through in a 1.1mm non-stub italic, possibly due to the more aggressive nature, possibly because I write agonizingly slow with it (it doesn't help my handwriting, it still sucks). Daerc fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Oct 8, 2013 |
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Oct 8, 2013 00:26
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I decided to use JetPens' 40% off on various notebooks code to try out a bunch of different ones. Mainly I really wanted one of those Rhodia meeting books, because I take notes for meetings all the time and that looked like it would have a lot of utility for me and would help me keep all my meeting minutes and notes in one place. Just for everyday notes and idle scribbles I have a hard time justifying Rhodia prices though.
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Oct 8, 2013 18:25
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I am a complete scrub at fountain pens, so allow me to ask: what is the difference between Italian fountain pens, American fountain pens, Japanese fountain pens, etc.? Also any writing I do is more or less limited to note-taking and the odd open ended problem on an exam, so which nub should I get? I still want my notes to look super pretty 
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Oct 8, 2013 18:38
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DasNasty posted:I am a complete scrub at fountain pens, so allow me to ask: what is the difference between Italian fountain pens, American fountain pens, Japanese fountain pens, etc.? Also any writing I do is more or less limited to note-taking and the odd open ended problem on an exam, so which nub should I get? I still want my notes to look super pretty There's no real functional difference in pens from different countries, it's mostly differences in design philosophy more than anything else. Though Japanese nibs do generally run a size smaller than their Western equivalent due to the intricate characters in their alphabet which are impossible to write clearly with a wide nib. Personally I'm a big fan of Italian pens, though I can't exactly explain why.  For general writing I'd say a Fine nib if your writing is relatively small, or a Medium if it's a bit bigger. I wouldn't go for a broad or italic just for note-taking. You can compare the relative widths of nibs here
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Oct 8, 2013 19:31
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DasNasty posted:I am a complete scrub at fountain pens, so allow me to ask: what is the difference between Italian fountain pens, American fountain pens, Japanese fountain pens, etc.? Also any writing I do is more or less limited to note-taking and the odd open ended problem on an exam, so which nub should I get? I still want my notes to look super pretty Japanese Medium or Western Fine for 7mm college rule.
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Oct 8, 2013 22:23
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Vitamins posted:Personally I'm a big fan of Italian pens, though I can't exactly explain why. I can explain why in my case: national pride Though Italian design philosophies are different than German or Japanese design philosophies. I find German/Japanese design tends to lean towards minimalism, simplicity, functionality and mass production. Italians are more about classic, iconic, sometimes gaudy designs, and small production exclusive craftsmanship. Obviously there are elements of each within all the countries if you know where to look. I'd actually love to see a bit more minimalism in Italian pen design, and perhaps more affordability, but then they wouldn't really be Italian pens. It's funny though, because Italian furniture and kitchen design can be very minimalist and functional (though definitely not affordable), but I guess pens are considered "jewelry" and "exclusive" so it hasn't attracted the same type of attention from designers. I must add that despite preferring Italian pens I only own German (Mont Blanc, Lamy), Japanese (Platinum, Metaphys, Pilot), Taiwanese (TWSBI), Chinese (Baoer, Jinhao) and Indian (FPR) pens.... I'm eyeing a second Mont Blanc and a few Visconti, Delta and Omas pens though. I just don't have an extra 2 grand to blow on pens right now..... Duro fucked around with this message at 05:58 on Oct 9, 2013 |
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Oct 9, 2013 05:52
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Duro posted:I can explain why in my case: national pride I think what you just wrote there almost perfectly represents my views of Italian pens too. Though I'm not Italian, so not so much from national pride. I own pens from many countries; Germany (Pelikan), Japan (Pilot), China (Jinhao), France (Waterman), Taiwan (TWSBI), the UK (Onoto, Parker), and the US (Sheaffer). I won't pretend to know much about design, but the design of Italian pens just seems to speak to me on a more personal level than pens from any other country, despite maybe not being my favourite writing pen at that moment in time. I'm pretty loathe to use some cliched country stereotype, but each country's pens has its own design cues, from the Chinese ones having a lot going on and being pretty flashy, to the German ones being a bit more understated but very well built. I never used to know much about the Italian pen makers, but after going to a pen show and seeing the offerings from Visconti, Omas, and Aurora, and having a long talk with one of Auroras nibmeisters I've been hooked. That day I bought an Aurora Hastil after seeing it for the first time (probably one of the most understated pens you'll see, and also being famous for being the first writing instrument to make it into the New York MOMA) and now an Omas 360 is my new grail. Though if I could own an Omas Cohiba I would, just for the sheer hilarity of it.
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Oct 9, 2013 15:45
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Well, now I want a Hastil.......
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Oct 9, 2013 17:02
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Heads up, the Goulet Pen Company just hit 5000 likes on Facebook and are offering a free bottle of Noodler's ink with a purchase of $25 or more with promo code FB5000. I snagged a Platinum desk pen and some Apache Sunset.
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Oct 9, 2013 17:59
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Bloody hell, I just placed an order last week. Oh well, it wouldn't have arrived in time anyway. Take advantage, guys!
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Oct 9, 2013 18:13
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Edmond Dantes posted:Bloody hell, I just placed an order last week. Yeah. I just placed an order this morning, before they announced the promo. Then got an email saying it had shipped, as soon as I read the thing about the promo code. Confound my luck.
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Oct 9, 2013 18:30
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Oh man, I know what pen and ink to get--Pilot Justus and Noodler's Zhivago--but hmm~~~~
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Oct 9, 2013 19:59
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jomiel posted:Oh man, I know what pen and ink to get--Pilot Justus and Noodler's Zhivago--but hmm~~~~ Zhivago is an absolutely fantastic ink. The pictures of it on goulet are a little misleading though, as it comes out almost entirely black in my metros and diamond 580, but with a dark green "shine" at some angles. And on a more awesome note, 2 bottles of EL Lawrence just came in the mail. 
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Oct 9, 2013 20:41
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SnakesRevenge posted:Heads up, the Goulet Pen Company just hit 5000 likes on Facebook and are offering a free bottle of Noodler's ink with a purchase of $25 or more with promo code FB5000. I'd like to point out that the bottle of ink is 54th Massachusetts, everyone just gets that one for using the code. At least that's what the person on Goulet's chat told me after I had tried to get some notebooks and another color of Noodler's.
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Oct 9, 2013 21:07
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Hrm. On one hand, that's the only bottle of Noodler's I've already got. On the other hand, I've been looking to get an inkwell for my TWSBI and this is a great excuse to do so in the name of saving a buck. But then, I could always just go for broke and get the extra nib I wanted and maybe some notepads and oh god why do I spend money on pens my life is so empty. Anybody seen the previews for that new Diamine Salamander? I saw one here and it looks like a greener El Lawrence. I could get behind that.
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Oct 9, 2013 22:18
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I had a couple of things wishlisted so thanks for the heads up, just put in an order.
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Oct 9, 2013 22:42
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I almost put in an order earlier today. I'm glad I waited and read this! I like 54th! Thanks for sharing!
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Oct 9, 2013 23:22
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Well, already owning a bottle of 54th makes me feel better that I have to sit this sale out due to moving. Good luck with your ink, friends! It's a pretty great blue-black, if a little feathery.
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Oct 9, 2013 23:48
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In the facebook post comments they say it's their decision so I wonder if everyone is getting 54th or... Either way I ordered
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Oct 10, 2013 00:01
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Placed an order and got a Platinum Desk Pen, but no base. I think I'm gonna try to make my own. Got an eyedropper Preppy also and some notebooks.
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Oct 10, 2013 15:47
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lady flash posted:In the facebook post comments they say it's their decision so I wonder if everyone is getting 54th or... The chat I had with them seemed to imply that everyone was getting it, yeah. I did ask three questions though, "Can you tell me which one it is? Is everyone getting the same ink? What color is it?" to which they replied "Yes, 54th Mass", paraphrased of course, but I suppose there's a weird chance that they were just saying yes to the first question and not the first two. Like maybe the color switched based on the hour or they could see my specific order at the time. I passed on it myself, I already have a few other notebooks to fill, and I find 54th Mass to be really close to a few inks I already have access to.
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Oct 10, 2013 15:49
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Dark brown ink recommendations? Noodler's Walnut works nicely but the nib creep is annoying and it gunks up pens after a while.
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Oct 10, 2013 15:56
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Do fountain pens travel well? I would love to toss one in my camera bag to use with my notebook, but I'm afraid of it leaking or exploding.
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Oct 10, 2013 16:51
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Demon_Corsair posted:Do fountain pens travel well? I would love to toss one in my camera bag to use with my notebook, but I'm afraid of it leaking or exploding. It depends on the pen of course, but I carry some all over. I've found Pilot Metros to be really durable for that sort of use.
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Oct 10, 2013 17:07
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