Various and sundry are putting on another pot of coffee...

[lagilman]

I managed to get everything off my to-do list done yesterday, except laundry. Thankfully, that wasn't a dire need. And yet, somehow, the list seems to have grown overnight.

My second-favorite working pen decided to bleed all over me. My fingertips are stained with green.

I have thirty-one e-mails I need to reply to this morning. That's up from eleven last night.

Also, one client application I need to consider, and I'm still waiting back to hear from a publisher-client who screwed the pooch on some info and hasn't gotten me the correct material yet.

And in the midst of all that, I've decided that I need a new fountain pen. I have ones dedicated to green, blue and black inks -- but I need one for red. Really. I do! Something with an extra-fine nib, for marking up margins.... anyone got a favorite they want to pimp? (I currently use an Aurora, a Mont Blanc, and a Waterman regularly, and prefer a wider barrel for comfort).

Comments

[rhienelleth.livejournal.com]

If you have not yet tried Pelikan, they make a fantastic pen. Waterman was my favorite 'brand' of FP until I got my Pelikan M200 with italic nib.

*Ahem* I apologize in advance, but if you've also never tried an italic nib, may I suggest the nibmeister Richard Binder, who makes custom nibs for any pen, but particularly offers nibs for Pelikan on his website (http://www.richardspens.com/)? They are the most awesome thing of ever. Seriously.

If you like a nice wide barrel, I'd suggest the Pelikan M600-M1000 range. Here's a table of size comparison (http://www.pendemonium.com/pens_pelikan.htm). You may have to scroll.

[lagilman]

Thanks! Useful info, all.

I may default back to my Waterman Expert (not the Expert II) simply because I know it suits my hand, and doesn't bankrupt me, er, totally....

[rhienelleth.livejournal.com]

I know. I tell myself I don't need anymore fountain pens, and it's true. I only use three in any kind of regular rotation, which leaves three others that sit in a case most of the time.

But I still have two or three on my WTB list for someday.

That said, I forgot to mention the Namiki Vanishing Point (http://www.coloradopen.com/category/Pilot_Fountain_Pens?r=Google-namiki&s=GONAM&gclid=CIvjuryopZgCFQpuGgodkDTGmA). (Namiki is known as Pilot in the US.) Much as I adore my Pelikan, the Namiki is my 'everyday, everywhere' FP, because it's so simple to carry around in my purse and use. It also writes super smoothly, so I can't really complain there, either. :) Actually, I'd have to say it's a toss up which is my fav, the Pelikan or the Namiki, but they're such different pens, I think it's ultimately unfair to compare them.

[shui-long.livejournal.com]

Over the years I've used various brands of fountain pen, without quite finding one which I would stick with until I bought a Montblanc Starwalker - which has now been in regular use for about 6 years. The most comfortable of the others was a Lamy, which I still use occasionally (the Accent model, with a rubberised grip - I really disliked the Lamy model with a triangular section grip, and quickly gave that one away), though the screw-thread on the cap of the matching roller-ball failed, and the fountain pen tended to come unscrewed from its cap in my pocket, so perhaps the Lamy design isn't as good as it should be. I had a similar failure on a Reform pen. The Sheaffer leaked, the Parker grip was too narrow for comfort, the cap of the hand-turned wooden pen wasn't airtight so the nib dried out, the Rotring grip was too narrow and the ink never flowed smoothly. I found a disposable pen with quite a thick body and a metal nib which was surprisingly good, but not very economic. There are probably several more in the bottom of the desk drawer...

[warriorofworry.livejournal.com]

I am addicted to the Lamy pens for everyday use. Yes, they're (most of them) plastic. I use the Safari series (with the triangular grip) because I have RSI issues and the grip keeps my hand in better writing position (left to myself, I tend to hold writing instruments like a kid's crayon). There are other Lamy options. Personally, I find these to be very comfortable and affordable. And you can use their ink cartridges, or ink of your own.