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plester1 posted:At that price point, I imagine a lot of brands may be a crapshoot. Same thing happened to me with a Diplomat Magnum. Any suggestions on how to tune out hard starts? My Diplomat Magnum in EF was also just terrible. I can say that the nib was bouncy for a steel nib, but I never got to the point where it was a reliable pen. I often had to prime the feed and rarely could pick it up and write with it. I eventually gave up and put the nib on a Jinhao 82 where it writes much better. My Dad tried out an EF as well, about a year after mine, and it was also one of his worst performing pens. I've been tempted to try out their broad nib for it, but don't know if it's worth it. As for preventing hard starts, you could try the "Seven Strokes to Inky Happiness" as detailed by Inkquiring Minds.
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Apr 24, 2023 03:29
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Abyss posted:My Diplomat Magnum in EF was also just terrible. I can say that the nib was bouncy for a steel nib, but I never got to the point where it was a reliable pen. I often had to prime the feed and rarely could pick it up and write with it. I eventually gave up and put the nib on a Jinhao 82 where it writes much better. My Dad tried out an EF as well, about a year after mine, and it was also one of his worst performing pens. I've been tempted to try out their broad nib for it, but don't know if it's worth it. How lucky! i bought that fat cheap pen in the linked video and I am having the ink hard start issues with it too, I will give it a try. I really like the fat size at a not-fat price, if only I could get it to write consistently. Thanks! 
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Apr 24, 2023 14:42
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plester1 posted:At that price point, I imagine a lot of brands may be a crapshoot. Same thing happened to me with a Diplomat Magnum. Any suggestions on how to tune out hard starts? It's got nothing to do with price point and everything to do with how competent brands are. I've never had an issue with a Jinhao pen, for example, and they run the gamut from "cheap" to "suspiciously cheap." I've also never had issues with anything from Online or Pilot. On the other hand I'm working on a Pelikan M800 right now with a factory tuning so bad it basically didn't write one out of every three words. You can also peruse my posts for my musings on various Visconti pens I've worked on over the last few years.
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Apr 24, 2023 16:43
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So I decided to splurge a little to celebrate getting a new, better job and got myself a Lamy Safari. My first fountain pen! Along with a cartridge converter and Iroshizuku tsuki-yo ink. Gorgeous colour, and the pen looks very distinctive too! I'm starting to see why people would risk going broke over this stuff now lol It also writes like a charm* though I definitely need to get used to refilling frequently. Ballpoints really have us spoiled on that regard. *with a medium nib at least. I got a fine, and I do feel a large difference. Cursive is a lot easier, which is very good for my daily note taking. Definitely smudging a lot less, and the thin clear lines make my handwriting look serviceable. but it does feel much scratchier on the page surface, whereas the medium just glided effortlessly. Is this to be expected? It has to be noted that I am not writing on top tier paper a lot of the time, so that could be a factor as well. Though I also notice a lot less 'ghosting' with the fine nib even on the mid/low tier paper I have at the office
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Apr 24, 2023 16:50
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Jinhao pens are in the sweet spot where their quality exceeds their price such that while you may not love it you will never feel ripped off.
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Apr 24, 2023 16:50
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I got a Jinhao 82 which is probably a bit small for my liking and the nib has too much feedback, but for the price I don't care about those issues. The x159 I got writes amazingly straight out of the sleeve and I love the chonky feel in my hand.
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Apr 24, 2023 17:27
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mortons stork posted:So I decided to splurge a little to celebrate getting a new, better job and got myself a Lamy Safari. My first fountain pen! Along with a cartridge converter and Iroshizuku tsuki-yo ink. Gorgeous colour, and the pen looks very distinctive too! I'm starting to see why people would risk going broke over this stuff now lol I think it’s pretty well the norm that, all else being equal, a fine nib will usually feel scratchier than a medium or broad. That’s been my experience at least, but I don’t own a pen over 80 dollars in value, nor a nib that’s gold. Things could be different in the higher price ranges.
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Apr 24, 2023 17:33
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Fair enough, spending hundreds on a pen is still something that's way off for me, so I'm not too worried about that. Though I can confirm now that I'm home, trying out the fine nib on my really nice notebook, it is just about as effortless as the medium, so paper quality definitely making a big difference there.
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Apr 24, 2023 19:18
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grack posted:It's got nothing to do with price point and everything to do with how competent brands are. I've never had an issue with a Jinhao pen, for example, and they run the gamut from "cheap" to "suspiciously cheap." I've also never had issues with anything from Online or Pilot. Also, some brands just have cheap pens that do not represent their otherwise good brand well. IMO the Diplomat Magnum is one of those non-representative pens - fortunately I had some experience with the brand before trying the Magnum, so I wasn’t put off from their more expensive pens. Some other brands/pens I think do this: - Sailor Compass - felt very cheap and scratchy, and not in the Sailor “pencil-like” feedback way. Every gold nib pen I have of theirs is fantastic. - Lamy Safari, AL Star, etc. - some of these are quite good! But the quality control at this price point is a mess, and an unpleasant amount of them have significant issues. IME these issues clear up dramatically when you move into their gold nib price range. Sailors and Lamys are my two favorite brands, and Diplomat makes perhaps my favorite steel nibs. But for whatever reason they feel the need to put out a cheap crap pen to turn people off of their brand.
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Apr 24, 2023 23:43
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Oddly enough, I've had the exact opposite issue with Parker. All of their lower end stuff has generally written quite well. All of their upper tier pens, on the other hand, have been terrible. I still haven't seen a Sonnet that was worth using out of the package.
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Apr 25, 2023 02:31
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Get called for jury duty. Decide I'm going to be a fancy bitch and bring with me my architect Vac Mini. Nearly gets confiscated at security.  (they didn't look at my VP funny, which was nice)
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Apr 30, 2023 01:49
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Did they think it was a vape? I used to get that with my twsbi
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Apr 30, 2023 01:51
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Sankis posted:Did they think it was a vape? I used to get that with my twsbi Too sharp, possibly used for stabbing someone.
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Apr 30, 2023 14:01
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e: wow wrong thread
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Apr 30, 2023 16:18
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Would love to be able to pass the stationary store without buying fancy ink I will likely not use much. But not today! Ferris Wheel Press in Glistening Glass. Gonna put it in a medium once I find the spare converter in my ink drawer. Also picked up a Preppy for kicks, 0.2, nice!
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Apr 30, 2023 16:28
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iospace posted:Too sharp, possibly used for stabbing someone. not everyone works in a casino
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Apr 30, 2023 16:30
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Received a Pilot Custom 74 with a Music nib for my birthday. I don’t write music, but I’m a fan of the broad lines and general line variation it displays.
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Apr 30, 2023 20:34
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I love music/italic nibs so much and Lamys are a cheap way to acquire one. Sheaffer, I think, used to make italic markers I remember my mom always writing with. I haven't seen them for decades though and Google is bringing nothing up.
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Apr 30, 2023 20:59
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I've ordered a Conklin Endura Deco Crest with a 1.1 mm stub nib just a short while ago. I couldn't resist the orange resin/black metal combo. It's just the right degree of ostentatious.
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May 1, 2023 02:40
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teethgrinder posted:I love music/italic nibs so much and Lamys are a cheap way to acquire one. Sheaffer is still around and their italic kits are pretty cheap. They're also owned by Cross and everything (except nibs on the high end lines) is made in China
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May 1, 2023 03:28
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Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest otherwise. The brand is still around and was closely associated with ages of calligraphy kits featuring the "no-nonsense pen" (it was pretty lovely). I just meant those nice markers seem to have vanished.
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May 1, 2023 04:39
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grack posted:Sheaffer is still around and their italic kits are pretty cheap. https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/william-penn-acquires-sheaffer-brand-11659979662080.html Sheaffer got sold again last year, to their distributor in India.
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May 1, 2023 05:47
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I'll just stick to Japanese pens in the future.
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May 1, 2023 13:03
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Keetron posted:I'll just stick to Japanese pens in the future.
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May 1, 2023 16:44
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May 1, 2023 19:24
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I failed to fix a pen  gently caress Cartier. Whomever designed the Place Vendome Trinity Ring needs their head examined.
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May 5, 2023 19:06
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It's mother loving new pen day Conklin Endura Deco Crest in 1.1 Stub. Waiting for some of that new Robert Oster Whiskey ink to come in before I ink it up.
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May 5, 2023 19:53
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Pelikan is doing that thing again. It was a chance to hang out with pen nerds last year. I'm not sure it was worth the 2 hours I drove to get to the closest one to me, but the rest of the trip made it something I don't regret and would probably do again.
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May 5, 2023 20:06
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It looks like I'll be visiting London and Paris this summer; can anybody recommend fountain pen stores in those areas? It would be kind of neat to find a place where I can get some of the J. Herbin inks that I understand are only sold in France, although I would then have to find a way to safely transport them home.
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May 8, 2023 06:05
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Rand Brittain posted:It looks like I'll be visiting London and Paris this summer; can anybody recommend fountain pen stores in those areas? It would be kind of neat to find a place where I can get some of the J. Herbin inks that I understand are only sold in France, although I would then have to find a way to safely transport them home. I liked L'Ecritoire in Paris! They had J Herbins and really cool antique pens made by the shopowners grandfather
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May 8, 2023 14:05
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Rand Brittain posted:It looks like I'll be visiting London and Paris this summer; can anybody recommend fountain pen stores in those areas? It would be kind of neat to find a place where I can get some of the J. Herbin inks that I understand are only sold in France, although I would then have to find a way to safely transport them home. I’ve read good things about this store in London. https://choosingkeeping.com/
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May 10, 2023 13:03
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The replacement rollerball Ferris Wheel Press sent me after my first one cracked... also cracked. I'm just trying to take the cap off! Why does the cap snap on so powerfully that when I try to take it off the barrel would rather crack off the threads instead!!!
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May 11, 2023 15:54
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It is once again new pen day and I can feel the power
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May 11, 2023 16:15
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I admit I have a desire to collect extremely gaudy pens so this appeals to me. Except BENU stuff, for whatever reason. They're so intentionally gaudy but most of their stuff never grabs me.
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May 11, 2023 16:28
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Doctor Hospital posted:It is once again new pen day and I can feel the power I've also been eyeing this one, I just love how cool/silly it looks. How does it write? I continue to be shocked with how smooth and nice the X750 is for like $10.
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May 11, 2023 16:48
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Everett False posted:The replacement rollerball Ferris Wheel Press sent me after my first one cracked... also cracked. I'm just trying to take the cap off! Why does the cap snap on so powerfully that when I try to take it off the barrel would rather crack off the threads instead!!! Honestly I have not heard great things about the quality of FWP stuff outside of having cute inks. At least my impression is that their pens and stuff are generally considered way overpriced for the quality that you get. Some even argue that the inks are too but I kinda like the weird colors 
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May 11, 2023 16:52
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Yeah, I think this has been a great way to establish that I shouldn't buy their pens. I've had issues with their inks not looking how I'd hoped but never anything bad enough to stop me from buying more. Thankfully I got the pen using reward points from my ink purchases, so I'm not out any cash on it. Their pens don't have the same cuteness of their inks, anyway. I'll have to find another way to satisfy my desire to use my nice ink on carbon copy forms. ... I say that but none of this stopped me from backing the kickstarter for their new inkwell because it's cute. I did not buy the add-on for the $225 glass dip pen because that's loving nuts and there's a limit to how many bad decisions I can make in one week. Everett False fucked around with this message at 18:43 on May 11, 2023 |
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May 11, 2023 17:35
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roomtwofifteen posted:I've also been eyeing this one, I just love how cool/silly it looks. How does it write? I continue to be shocked with how smooth and nice the X750 is for like $10. I haven't inked it up yet but it appears to be the same medium nib as the X450, so I expect there to be a little bit of extra feedback but to otherwise be decently smooth.
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May 11, 2023 17:42
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Doctor Hospital posted:I haven't inked it up yet but it appears to be the same medium nib as the X450, so I expect there to be a little bit of extra feedback but to otherwise be decently smooth. so it'll write great or poo poo.. because Jinhao.. this is on my list to buy one day.
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May 11, 2023 18:19
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Everett False posted:... I say that but none of this stopped me from backing the kickstarter for their new inkwell because it's cute. I did not buy the add-on for the $225 glass dip pen because that's loving nuts and there's a limit to how many bad decisions I can make in one week. A glass dip pen made out of what, Swarovski crystals?
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May 11, 2023 19:33
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