As someone who bought my 1st fountain pen after using ballpoint pens, I have to say the thing that surprised me most is the amount of pressure that is needed to write. I love to journal & do a lot of writing, so my hand would cramp up after writing for long periods of time. But, when I started using a fountain pen, I noticed that I didn't need as much pressure & could write longer without my hand bothering me.
A correctly tuned pen should write under its own weight when dragged across paper held by its tail. I love fp and grew up with them although as a lefty an inky hand was a fact of life in grade school. I still use gel pens (and on rare occasions bp pens), but I always have a few ones inked up with matching inks. What was your first fp?
@@yuklimka7251 My 1st fountain pen was a kaweco sport. The size really appealed to me & they had one in purple, which is my favorite color. I bought it from Goulet Pens along with their random ink sampler pack.
@@brandchan It always takes some playing around before finding the best combo of pen, paper, and ink. Gushers can be tamed with dry ink, dry writers need more lubricated inks-- and paper is often neglected by fp beginners.
The way I would explain the psychological difference is this: A ballpoint is very much like a pencil. You tend to press straight down, and can use a wide variety of pressures, because the point doesn't really care. In both pencil and ballpoint, the tip is actively pushing the ink/graphite onto the paper. Think of the fountain point as a brush, barely touching the paper--just enough to let the ink flow. You're not pushing the ink onto the paper, you're letting capillary attraction pull the ink off the point.
I used fountain pens mainly in school 35 years ago. But due to recent trend as niche hobby, I resurrected interest in it, and became a collector. Fountain pens somehow survived despite digital technology boom, they are one of these "analog" things which last long, much longer than digital devices which became obsolete in a year. A timeless classic, like film cameras, mechanical watches, and vinyl record players.
Imo fountain pens and mechanical watches are different things. While quartz watches are superior to mechanical ones in almost all aspects, fountain pens have their advantadges against ballpoint ones (mainly comfort and customization options).
Don't be intimidated by "high quality paper". As someone who made the switch to fountain pens in the middle of college I found that Wal-Mart's Pen&Gear brand heavyweight notebooks work great for fountain pens, in face most Pen&Gear paper products perform acceptably well with most fine and medium nibs. So you don't need to worry about wasting your nice paper on maddly scribbled lecture notes that aren't meant to last and can save your high quality paper for more meaningful writing. Buy the pen!
The heavy weight pen and gear, the notebooks with the plasticy covers, work well with all my inks. Mead notebooks, with the same plasticy covers are the same. That otherwise horrible WalMart, just had them all on sale. From 50 cents to 1 dollar. Jesus, bought about sixty notebooks, maybe more. Ever time I went in there, they still had notebooks, so I’d buy 10 more. They do work pretty well. I use them for note taking for whatever I’m studying, mostly language stuff, so I write a lot, and I can’t spend 5-20 dollars for paper, just to take notes. For my journaling, I could justify the price.
I must admit that I really enjoy writing with fountain pens, it feels special. And once you learn how to take care of your pen, it becomes second nature. I did use the guide you guys have. I think that one tip I got when I started using fountain pens is to use a syringe to fill the converters, it really does help to ensure a full fill every single time and the mess is minimal. Also, converters are great, but if you are short on money, you can reuse the cartridges for quite some time. OH! And i always recommend to use a medium nib to start with, you can try other nibs later and see how you like it. For a beginner I would absolutely recommend the Preppy, and if you don’t like the fact that the branding is too in your face, Platinum has the Prefounte, which is a more serious Preppy. Try the medium nib, it sliiiiiides so beautifully and even worked nicely on my Moleskine.
What surprised me when I started using fountain pens back in 2011 was that the fountain pen is a personal item... I do not like to share my fountain pens to people who wants just to write something down quickly... they will ruin it... so it becomes something personal... something that it is truly yours... combining it with high quality paper and all the ink choices... well... the writing experience just go to a higher level... it is a great hobby!!
I was taught to write with a fountain pen, at junior school, probably about 58 years ago, I’m 65 now … I was an ink monitor and two of us would check and fill the ink wells, in each desk, covered with a sliding brass square cover. We were taught to write, first with ‘dip’ pens, and a little later in italics with with an Osmiroid 65 fountain pen. This was in an ordinary country school. How I look back and remember the headmaster, drumming into us, about the angle of the pen, how to hold it etc. etc. Over the last few years,in training sessions, and in our respective groups, I have been told that I have lovely hand-writing, I take it for granted I suppose …. I have never like ball or felt tip pens, that being said, I also love to write in pencil, especially when the point has slightly flattened on one edge, you can get lovely italics. I have a really good selection of fountain pens, which one I use depends on the paper on which I write, an important factor. You can never have too many fountain pens, different nibs, widths, italic, broad, narrow, fine, gold tipped, plastic pens, metal pens, inks - they are all very personal…… go on, treat yourself to a beautiful pen, a calligraphy book, and some good quality paper, and a blotter, get creative. The art of writing, amazing 😊👍🏻🙏
I was 51 when I used a fountain pen for the very first time. As a lefty, I was an overwriter my entire life until a couple of years ago. Now FPs are almost the only pen I use. I'll use a ballpoint when I need to, but I have to really need to. What I like best about using a fountain pen is the fact that it will write just from the weight of the pen. Which means no more hand cramps, even after hours of non-stop writing. What I like second best is the almost endless choice of inks to use in my pens. I'm just glad that I fell down this rabbit hole.
I've always been an underwriter with the page turned 45 degrees to the right and writing down the page. I've adapted quite well to fountain pens. I've always used mechanical pencils up 'til now. I found ballpoints too slippery to write with and difficulty forming letters, but like you, I use them out of convenience. Both types of pen results in smudging, but as far as I'm concerned, that is a characteristic of my writing.
@@Snoop_Dugg I wouldn't say better, necessarily, but they certainly are not only for righties. How a lefty holds the FP depends on how well it will work. As I mentioned, I trained myself to be an underwriter with my fountain pens. With a ballpoint I still hook-overwrite.
Thank you for this video. I have rheumatoid arthritis and just writing a shopping list can be uncomfortable so I’m hopeful that making the switch to a fountain pen will make it easier Update: I’ve been using the Pilot Kakuno and am really enjoying it. It is so much easier on my hands and I love how it has made me slow down and appreciate my cursive again! Thank you to everyone and their suggestions ❤
@@elizabeth3405 If you have a Reddit account, there's an amazing community at r/fountainpens that's very welcome to anybody from the fp curious to long-time users/collectors. You could ask for recommendations for your specific needs.
I made the switch to fountain pens and have been loving them! I have quickly amassed a collection. I keep one uniball jetstream in my purse and on my desk for when I need to sign receipts or have incompatible ink in my fp. I use it to journal, plan, and write birthday / thank you cards. I have terrible wrist pain but proper cursive form (as taught by Michael Sull) and fountain pens have helped ease any pain I used to have while writing. There's nothing more vintage feeling than using a similar writing style ( and pen ) as my great grandmother did.
I've never liked how my cursive writing looks with fountain pens due to the angle changes and pauses when I change where I rest my hand on the paper as I move from left to right. I love how pretty much every clip in this video shows someone writing elegantly in print form with a fountain pen. I need to give that a try!
Tbh fountain pens are better for writing in cursive because of how smooth they are.. sometimes i accidently switch to cursive midway when writing with a fountain pen
I have a Pilot vanishing point fountain pen (converter and cartridge), which has the clip on the same end as the nib. This feels odd at first however it prevents pen roll and helps improve handwriting. This has been my experience which is good because I write a lot mainly in cursive and I'd like to be able to read my own writing! They're not inexpensive however they're very well made and write like a dream. (As does the metropolitan).
I started my journey with fountain pens just a month ago and have already got a small collection of pens and inks. That said and as you mentioned, fountain pens are not good on all papers. I still love my collection of gel pens, ballpoint pens, etc. They all have their place and time, but since I started using fountain pens I have been journaling and writing a TON more, and enjoying it a lot too.
So very true. I work outdoors, and so I try to use quick-drying and waterproof inks out in the field as much as possible. I also have to fill out some forms on carbon transfer paper. I also have to write on heat-transfer receipts as shown in this video (fuel receipts for a company vehicle, every few days). So, specialty gel and ballpoint pens very much fill those roles. Uni-ball Signo and Fisher Space Pen are my go-to cartridges there. But I don't want to always have to strain my wrist and knuckles to write, so I really should be using fountain pens at home and in the office.
When I went from ballpoint pens to fountain pens, I was surprised how much longer I could write for. I'd always hated writing with pens because my hand would ache after 15-20 minutes. As a result, I never journaled, and my handwriting was terrible since I never really practiced. But since a fountain pens works by means of different technology, I didn't have to press as hard to write as I did with a ballpoint. With a fountain pen, I could practice handwriting comfortably for 1-2 hours, and my handwriting improved dramatically as a result.
The things that surprised me are the amount of pressure needed for the fountain pen to write. It needs so much less pressure than the ballpoint and gel pens and the consistency of the ink because when I was using ballpoint and gel pens they tend to have skippings very often for my liking and when I first write with a fountain pen it was so smooth and consistent with the ink and I was like "Finally, after all the years of hand cramps and cursing I have found the perfect writing instrument for me". Yeah I am never going back to ballpoint and gel pens after that
i have a platinum preppy that’s my pen of choice lately, i like that when it’s capped it doesn’t look obviously like a fountain pen (i dunno, weird social anxiety i guess). i also love the blue-black ink in mine and love writing with it in my hobonichi planner (which i think either has tomoe river or tomoe river s paper). i always keep a bunch of ballpoint pens on me in case i need something else, but i pretty much always go for the preppy now. i love the way it feels and how my hand doesn’t cramp using it because it requires so much less pressure. i may upgrade to a metropolitan within the next year though since i’ve been taking the preppy with me everywhere in a pen case.
I did so much research into fountain pens. What pen is good for beginners and has a piston filling mechanism, what ink to use, and if my paper of choice works with fountain pens. There were other things I looked into, but those were my main concerns. Happy to say I finally got enough confidence in what I picked out that I placed my order from JetPens! (Pilot Metropolitan Retro Pop Fountain Pen - Purple Ellipse - Fine with the Diamine Scribble Purple Ink if you’re curious)
I really love my Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen! I definitely second the recommendation for it being great for people exploring a new interest in fountain pens. It is heavier in hand and has a more luxurious feel when writing than plastic bodied pens. JetPens also has great videos that help with clearly explaining how to use and maintain fountain pens. The lure of fountain pens for me personally though is the ink. The variety of beautiful colors and dual shading or shimmers adds a level to my writing and correspondence that I really enjoy, and that I hope the recipients also enjoy. 🖋️📜
I got my first fountain pen as a Christmas present from my girlfriend (which she bought from Jetpens of course), and what surprised me most about the transition was how much I use it now! I expected it to be something I would use every now and then for signatures or other special occasions. But then I used it to take notes for a class and didn’t want to go back! I now use it almost every day for writing notes at my job.
@@HEATHENS5074 It was a Lamy Safari, which I think was perfect for me because it’s very sturdy and has that grip section that made it easier for me to learn to write with it.
@@BlackjackaandHookers ohh thats great. i too wanted a ink pen which I could use to take notes in class. i bought a parker beta premium ink pen. its really cheap and came with a lot of minor issues but now I've fixed it and it works like a charm
German way of learning to write: 1st grade grafite-pencil 2nd grade fountain pen 7th grade (optional) ballpoint pen. I still have my Lamy ABC fountain pen and my 5th grade Safari. Plus the ALStar from when I started work-education.
I’ve been using fountain pens roughly 40 years now. Discovered them when I was 10 or 11 and have been hooked ever since. Platinum Preppy is a great starter / trial pen. Under $10 and with a little silicon grease on the threads, can be used as an eye dropper pen meaning the whole pen barrel is filled with ink. No cartridge or converter. It’s the way I use all my Preppy’s. Metropolitans are awesome every day carry pens. A few of mine have scratches and even dents in the body, but they still work flawlessly. If you need a durable pen, this is it.
No one has ever mentioned speed of writing affecting our choices in fountain pens. I am a FAST scribbler and the extra fine and fine pointed fountain pens just will not work for me. As soon as I purchased a medium nib, WOW! No more problem!
I prefer the Fountain pen, and do not write with anything else. People are suprised when they see me writing, but I always write with a Parker pen. I have different pens, for different colour ink, but waxy paper is horrible. We had to start writing with cartridge pens, when I was at Junior school, then were allowed to use ballpoint pens, in senior school. While I was there, I went back to the fountain pen, and have not used anything else since. I am now in my 50s.
I recommend getting Pen + Gear Walmart spiral notebooks if you don't want to spend much money. Either the 1 subject notebook, heavyweight notebook, or the poly version. The paper does not have any bleedthrough.
I found that the graph notebooks I use for math are also great for fountain pen inks! They're great for sheening and I do blackletter calligraphy on them 😹
I haven't fully made the switch from ballpoint to fountain yet, but I own a Pilot Kakuno and a Monami Olika that I've been picking up more than my usual ballpoint and gel. I found out my biggest surprise was that I apparently really press down when writing! I never realized how hard I pressed the pen down when writing to get a clean line until I used a fountain pen that wrote with little to no pressure.
@@BooksForever And the nib engravings are just a fun detail. I like the Family edition. I currently have two, but I'm tempted to get the entire family. LOL
@@BooksForever Its honestly so great, i was surprised by how good it was! A fellow stationery fan recommended it to me as a good starting point for my collection and I must say, for the comfortable grip and the great looks (I got a demonstrator), its amazing!
@@yuklimka7251 I know right?? I've been using my Kakuno at university and anytime I get asked about it its the first thing i show off about it haha- brings me so much joy
This kinda reminds me of the difference between FDM and SLA 3D printing. While FDM is pretty simple to get started with, quick, and requires little maintenance (such as the ball point), it produces more, “printed” feeling results with layer lines and such. However SLA printers, while being much harder to get started with and require more maintenance (like the fountain pen), produce noticeably higher quality results like they were injection molded. Duper cool!
I think you can use it on almost any kind of paper, I’ve been do it for years. Just use a Medium or finer nib and a quick drying ink. I use Noodler's Bullet Proof and a Pilot Metropolitan. Thin paper it will go thru but not on copy paper.
YAY another Malaysian! I started with the Petit and the Monami Ollika too. The petit is still somewhere in my collection and has transitioned to a "I should adapt it to be an eyedropper pen" but the monami is no longer around. :(
@Ink to Screen hi!! i remember seeing the olika all over popular bookstores. It's no longer available? My current fav is the iridescent kaweco. What's yours?
Similar story here! Last year I got a fountain pen off of Wish, and then some simple disposable Zebra fountain pens from Staples for about $2.50USD apiece. Love 'em!
I learnt to use a fountain pen before a ballpoint when I learnt to write in elementary school. There's nothing wrong with an ol' reliable Parker Jotter, but the comfort of writing and TLC you can give a fountain pen, makes it a special thing to own and use.
I used fountain pens in primary school and after a long time of using ballpoint I'm using fountain pens again. I just feel they're more eco friendly than the ballpoint since they use cartridges because it's very rare to find refills for ballpoint pens where i live
I always love to write and I got my first Fountain pen 5 years ago with Jetpens, was a Pilot Petit and Monami Olinka❤, but I didn't knew nothing about them that time. Watching your guides helped me a lot. I really love the Twsbi and the Peppy, now I have few different ones😮, and tones of inks😅, last year I got my first Golden Nib (Sailor Nebula) and is sooooooo smooth ❤❤. I use ALL of them every day for my in mt journal.❤Totally recommend to watch the videos about cleaning and maintenance, is so important but once you learn is esay to do and for me is such a pleasure to take care of my "babies"😊😊❤❤
Well, so can ballpoints. I have a ballpoint made of deer antler. And a Fisher Space Pen. And an all-steel Parker Jotter which is apparently what they used as the Q grenade pen in the James Bond movie Goldeneye. All elegant pens, and all ballpoint.
I switched to fountain pens for the ink (must have my sparklies), but I was surprised at how much better my handwriting is when I use them. I started with a TWSBI 5 years ago and still love that brand, lol.
My first fountain pen was the Asvine Mustard Yellow in a fine nib. It doesn't get much attention, but I really like that pen and still use it. It even comes with a converter and I think it's VERY beginner friendly. My FAVORITE pen 🖋️ is the TWSBI Eco in the special edition Smoke and Rose Gold in a medium nib. I bought it from you guys, @jetpens I use it every day 🤩🤩
I've been using fountain pens since my 4th grade It's been more than 20 years
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From fountain pens to ballpoint and now back to fountain pens. I made the switch because they need less pressure to write well. My hand & wrist were hurting too much with ballpoints and ink in gel pens seem to disappear when I use them a lot. And then I discover inks & colours ✨❤✨
My cursive handwriting looks much better with a fountain pen. I like to write in cursive as much as I can since it appears to be a lost art to many. I really like my Zebra and Pilot Varsity disposable pens. The ink pigment is very bright and long lasting and they're easy to use.
Being left handed, I've always preferred using mechanical pencils. These feel very similar to write with, to a fountain pen. Both have resistance, which is very beneficial to my writing. By contrast, ballpoint pens are difficult to keep control of.
For me, it depends, after using a nicer ballpoint, I can't go back to using stuff like Bic Cristal pens. I made my transition to a fountain pen a handful of years ago. Now and I carry a fountain pen and smooth writing ballpoint pretty much anywhere I go.
One time I got curious and bought a safari and my oh my it's a game changer, questioned myself why did I only start using one now. Liked it so much that I used up the included cartridge ink on the same day I got it and my hand and wrist didn't hurt at all which is my main problem when using ballpoints/rollerball pen. If anyone plans to use one and likes it and if your pen includes a converter, buy ink samples not an entire bottle when you go ink hunting. Trust me you will buy alot of inks in different colors and shadings and oh you might buy more pens in the future, as I bought a custom 845 after a week and now my daily writer.
I daily a Lamy Vista and Pilot Frixion. Super nice combo, though in the future I might splash out for a Diplomat Aero or something a bit more premium. Also, I highly recommend anyone with a fountain pen buy a bulb syringe for cleaning. I started doing it recently and it's so much faster than using a sink or soaking the front half.
I use fountain pens for my artwork, and have noticed just how easier the are to draw with, compaired to ball point pens, and the array of available colours is defo a bonus, I have found that DeArtementis white fountain pen ink on black card looks amazing
I started with a Lamy Vista and expecting to be happy and all done with fountain pens but I was very wrong . I ended up collecting 15 more pens throughout the past 7 month since I started using one .. yay..
I find it very funny how almost everyone in the comments says how the first used a fountain pen a few years ago, for me as a German who learned to write with a fountain pen as everyone here does. Ballpoint pens weren't allowed until 5th grade.
I really would like to get into fountain pens, but I have been hesitant because I'm a leftie and splotches...even though there are left-handed fountain pen writers. I finally found gel pens that dry quick enough for me so I don't get little smudges on my hand.
Why do I want to use a Ball point pen? I went back to Fountain pens, when I was 15, I am now 51, and have not used a Ball Point since. The technology behind the fountain pen is so much nicer to work with the pens are fatter, and heavier, but the ink just flows.
Would I make the switch? Did basically in 1983 when I found an old grey Esterbrook J in our barn. Dad took me to town for a bottle of Sheaffer Skrip blue-black and other than when ink was very hard to find in the 1990s, haven't looked back. And after I had a stroke, they're the only pens that don't hurt to write with. As to things they won't write on: avoid stone paper (like sandpapering your nib tip) and plastic won't work. Today there is basically a fountain pen ink for most surfaces. Anything else there's a Sharpie. 😁
While I have been writing with ballpoints at all price ranges, I have never been satisfied with any. Thanks for a great video! I'm going after a fountain pen!
I got my first fountain pen, Lamy Safari and got a few different ink cartridges and a converter. So far i have been trying to familiarize myself with it, but have been loving it.
Last year (?) I purchased the fountain pen introduction set from JetPens. While I liked using all the pens in the starter set, my hands on favorite was the Platinum Preppy followed closely by the Zebra fountain pen. Today I ordered cartridge refills and a converter (!!) for my Preppy. I'm excited at the prospect of using different colored inks and being able to refill my pen with the trial set of inks I have ordered. I really like using the fountain pen. It makes me slow down when I write, which gives me more time to think about what I'm writing (who knew??!!). And I simply am gobsmacked over using a superior quality of paper - such as Mnemosyne and Midori - pure heaven.... JETPENS FOREVER!!! A rabid fan ::))
I find there are tons of colors for gel pens. But I like the idea of making writing more special. Tried my first fountain pen. I’m shocked at how easy it was to get started. It just works.
Recently, I’ve begun to consider starting to use a fountain pen for sketching and writing. Based on my research, I’m considering either a Lamy safari or alstar if I end up ordering one online. The options that I might be able to buy in person, are either a kaweco perkeo or - sport. There are really not many shops that sell fountain pens in my country, so I’m having a hard time with the options available. My biggest concern is that the pen won’t ”sit” well in my hand, and that (plus the terrible state of my finances at the moment) so far has been the biggest reason for not just buying one online. 😅
I’ve been using a fountain pen for 6 years, and I’m honestly never going back to the regular ballpoints! It is so different, but writing with a fountain pen just feels so much better.
My first was a birthday present from my parents. They went all out and got me a Pilot Vanishing Point. The most surprising part for me was how much more quickly you go through ink with a fountain pen vs a ballpoint.
With fountain pens, though. It doesn't require much effort to get them to work on even the thinnest paper. So yeah, you could get the argument that ballpoints 'just work.' but I find that a well tuned fountain pen with the ink of your choice is a much better fit. Basically, put in the effort for a better experience.
There are chinese sellers on shopee (not sure about other places) that sell cheap pens that take fountain pen cartridges and converters, personally I found that they were pretty useful to getting used to the whole inking system with fountain pens without making the big leap from pen tips to nibs. They also helped me get used to ink concepts like "wet" and "dry" inks, being careful of using shimmer inks on thin tips/nibs, etc. Figured I would mention it in case there's someone reading the comments on this vid who want to try fountain pens but are intimidated with making the switch. Also, I introduced my younger cousin to fountain pens using these cheap pens and now he likes fountain pens as much as I do :)
I found one of those weird "Disposable" fountain pens on the ground in high school and I absolutely loved it. It was the first pen I ever ran the ink completely dry on! I want to get back into using a fountain pen here soon (The cartridge was attached to the nib and grip. I was sad when it was gone)
I'm a 95-er and in Vietnam at the time I'm in grade 1, pupils started their writing with fountain pen. Not until grade 6 we started to use ballpoint pen in school. I remember a fun thing, with fountain pens, one could help friends when their ink was dry by sharing few drops from their own pen 😅 ink from one pen to another 😅
I love fountain pens! Honestly if I’m not writing with a fountain pen part of me feels like I’m cheating somehow. It helps me a lot with penmanship since I am forced to adjust the angle and pressure I use to write. I also love that I can choose very precisely what ink color I write with. I usually choose purple. One thing though is that I often have ink stains on my hand when I use a fountain pen. Maybe I don’t know how to refill them properly or I need to do better maintenance on keeping the inside of the cap clean so ink stops leaking on to the grip part of the pen? This is true for almost any fountain pen I’ve used, including both cheap and expensive pens. Since I use purple ink, people often express concerns for my health.
switched from ballpoint to fountain pen, with some practice improved handwriting and began to write small and tidy where EF nibs compliments my writing style
I collect and use vintage fountain pens, mostly with flexible nibs. My oldest is a Mabie Todd Swan chatelaine eyedropper-filled. My favourite is a French 1920s Waterman Red Ripple hard rubber, with 18kt XF "wet noodle" (super flexible) nib. 18kt is the standard for Europe.
I... I didn't know about the high angle thing with Ballpoints... I wonder if THAT is why even my expensive Sailor ballpoint pen didn't wanna work for me. I naturally write at a low angle, so that might also be why fountain pens work easier for me....
As someone who actually prefer to write with the nib in reverse, I'm offended you showed it as "wrong way to write with" lol Sure, most pens are very scratchy out of the box reverse writers but for EF writers like me, that's the only way to have the proper line thickness when the manufacturer's EF isn't EF enough. And "tuning" the nib for a better experience is easy with a nail polish file.
I was reading how different writers write their works and I read that Neil Gaiman prefers to write first using fountain pens. So, I made the switch to a fountain pen feel what makes them so special. I got myself a Pilot Metropolitan and I started journaling with it and the fountain pen is lighter on the hands and it makes writing a much more enjoyable experience. I am never going back to any other kind of pen for leisurely writing.
Very good information. Adding something about inks, they are not created equal. For newbies, use quality ink created for fountain pens from top makers like Waterman, Mont Blanc, Pelikan. Avoid drawing ink, calligraphy ink, india ink or anything youd find in a 99 Cent Store as these will mess up your pen. There is always the temptation to buy $1 ink but its a huge mistake. Its also unnecessary to buy expensive ink. Ink in the range of $7-10 a bottle will do you just fine and lasts a very long time. I use Pelikan 4001 ink in my pens but there are many options if you stay in ink made for fountain pens.
A month or so ago, i picked up a cheap set of dip in ink pen nibs and ink to play with in art. I've since been wanting to convert to a full fountain pen because the nibs are very different to the microns one used for ages in a way that i very much prefer. I find that is like painting in that you can use extremely fine line work with barely a stroke at all, or with a little mostly pressed, you can get the regular nibs width line. While you say to only use the nib facing towards the paper, and this is probably true generally and especially for writing, using it at other degrees of rotation produces different effects, which is something for artists. Anyway. Great info and video! Thought I'd give my different perspective
the thing that surprised me the most is that the ink is so watery to the point that it looks abit fuzzy compared to ballpoint pens. but will definitely continue to use fountain pens. FYI if you are someone with small handwriting i suggest one of the more finer nibs as it will be quite difficult to write it with a fountain pen
I usually use paperboard with fountain pens and it works fine. Everything from the inserts in Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to the packaging on bulk junk food containers like Honey Buns and such.
Thank you for this video!! Very helpful!! I just recently started to get into fountain pens thanks to the recommendations from your channel I got a couple Preppy ones but these specifics covered in this video are really helpful!! Also i love the jokes made at the end xD it made me laugh, i always look forward to these extra bits! So cool seeing your adorable lil squiggly plant, the peperomia, it looks so cool never heard of it before :0 Thank you again for making such helpful video, i look forward to the next ^^
When I was little, the fountain pens were classy and luxurious. I even saved up my allowance so that I could buy one. But fountain pens back then were a bit finicky and the ink was not so good, as we could only get our hands on cheaper and lower quality ink that easily smear on contact with water. Thank god that fountain pens nowadays are so good and reliable. No more leaking and you can use cartridges instead of filling directly from the ink bottles
Most of writing with a fountain pen was way easier than I expected - even going straight to a piston filler. But sooo many of my existing notebooks didn’t work well with it. The Leuchtturm was alright, but the Moleskine was absolutely awful. Time to grab some Rhodia and Midori notebooks I guess!
I liked using my fountain pen in school and in my opinion fountain pens are better to write something, because I used one half my life(about 13 years). In Germany we first used pencils and I think around 3rd grade we changed to fountain pen. And I used mine till I graduated in 10th grade even after I began my apprenticeship(?) Now a ball point pen is more convenient, because I don't write often anymore.
These people treat their fountain pens better than I do 😭, well in my country we use fountain pens at a very young age, we treat them very BADLY👹. Since bc of that I’m pretty sure if you came into my house when I’m like in primary school and open up my desk drawer you would see 20 dead fountain pens in there 😅😅🥲
I was a Parker Jotter user for over a decade beginning in high school. And I still have and love those pens! But I stumbled on an old fountain pen among my folks’ things and decided to try it out. First off, the inks look SO MUCH NICER! That alone makes it so much more interesting to write with. Second, it just feels great. I want to write for much much longer and now also much more often. And even as I’ve gotten hooked on JetPens and branched out to new pens like the Sarasa Dry (gel) pen and the Uni Jetstream (ballpoint) and the Uni Vision Elite (rollerball), none of them are as awesome as even the cheapest of fountain pens that I’ve come across. And I started on junk paper too. Thankfully I was soon rewarded with a nice Leuchtturm after cleaning out and rinsing some old pens for my aunt. Seems the stationery bug runs deep in my family! And the move to nice paper makes the ink and the writing that much better
What surprised me the most about the switch was the difference in speed. The speed at which I could write with a ballpoint pen, you’d have to go slower writing with a fountain pen. No wonder teachers in school would say your handwriting improves with fountain pens, because you pay attention to the handwriting once you write slow.
Best of both world is the gel pen with a 0.7 mm tip, always smooth, cheap, also can write on any paper, no pressure required to write unlike ball point pens
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Would YOU make the switch? Let us know in the comments!
Thank you for introducing us to the squiggly plant! 😊
I would recommend the Jinhao 992 Student transparent pen for intermediates or students.... it's a great pen for less than 10 bucks.
Already switched to being Fountain pen enthusiast I want to know which ink is being used at 7:36 timestamp
@@MinalKalkute I think it is the Lamy safari
@@rishonjr1215
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As someone who bought my 1st fountain pen after using ballpoint pens, I have to say the thing that surprised me most is the amount of pressure that is needed to write. I love to journal & do a lot of writing, so my hand would cramp up after writing for long periods of time. But, when I started using a fountain pen, I noticed that I didn't need as much pressure & could write longer without my hand bothering me.
A correctly tuned pen should write under its own weight when dragged across paper held by its tail. I love fp and grew up with them although as a lefty an inky hand was a fact of life in grade school. I still use gel pens (and on rare occasions bp pens), but I always have a few ones inked up with matching inks. What was your first fp?
@@yuklimka7251 My 1st fountain pen was a kaweco sport. The size really appealed to me & they had one in purple, which is my favorite color. I bought it from Goulet Pens along with their random ink sampler pack.
Yes, such a game changer for me.
@@brandchan It always takes some playing around before finding the best combo of pen, paper, and ink. Gushers can be tamed with dry ink, dry writers need more lubricated inks-- and paper is often neglected by fp beginners.
That's really relatable..
The way I would explain the psychological difference is this:
A ballpoint is very much like a pencil. You tend to press straight down, and can use a wide variety of pressures, because the point doesn't really care. In both pencil and ballpoint, the tip is actively pushing the ink/graphite onto the paper.
Think of the fountain point as a brush, barely touching the paper--just enough to let the ink flow. You're not pushing the ink onto the paper, you're letting capillary attraction pull the ink off the point.
I used fountain pens mainly in school 35 years ago. But due to recent trend as niche hobby, I resurrected interest in it, and became a collector. Fountain pens somehow survived despite digital technology boom, they are one of these "analog" things which last long, much longer than digital devices which became obsolete in a year. A timeless classic, like film cameras, mechanical watches, and vinyl record players.
Imo fountain pens and mechanical watches are different things. While quartz watches are superior to mechanical ones in almost all aspects, fountain pens have their advantadges against ballpoint ones (mainly comfort and customization options).
Don't be intimidated by "high quality paper". As someone who made the switch to fountain pens in the middle of college I found that Wal-Mart's Pen&Gear brand heavyweight notebooks work great for fountain pens, in face most Pen&Gear paper products perform acceptably well with most fine and medium nibs. So you don't need to worry about wasting your nice paper on maddly scribbled lecture notes that aren't meant to last and can save your high quality paper for more meaningful writing. Buy the pen!
Thanks for the tip.
Shoutout CVS Caliber paper, it even has sheen sometimes.
I’m noticing a little bleed on the 3x5 notepad. No biggie, for the cost savings and convenience , it’s worth it.
For any Irish people, Aisling refills and Prempto notebooks work surprisingly well with fountain pens.
The heavy weight pen and gear, the notebooks with the plasticy covers, work well with all my inks. Mead notebooks, with the same plasticy covers are the same. That otherwise horrible WalMart, just had them all on sale. From 50 cents to 1 dollar. Jesus, bought about sixty notebooks, maybe more. Ever time I went in there, they still had notebooks, so I’d buy 10 more. They do work pretty well. I use them for note taking for whatever I’m studying, mostly language stuff, so I write a lot, and I can’t spend 5-20 dollars for paper, just to take notes. For my journaling, I could justify the price.
I must admit that I really enjoy writing with fountain pens, it feels special. And once you learn how to take care of your pen, it becomes second nature. I did use the guide you guys have.
I think that one tip I got when I started using fountain pens is to use a syringe to fill the converters, it really does help to ensure a full fill every single time and the mess is minimal. Also, converters are great, but if you are short on money, you can reuse the cartridges for quite some time. OH! And i always recommend to use a medium nib to start with, you can try other nibs later and see how you like it. For a beginner I would absolutely recommend the Preppy, and if you don’t like the fact that the branding is too in your face, Platinum has the Prefounte, which is a more serious Preppy. Try the medium nib, it sliiiiiides so beautifully and even worked nicely on my Moleskine.
I also have a preppy but in extra fine.. I actually love the feedback from the nib.. Feels more like a graphite pencil..
What surprised me when I started using fountain pens back in 2011 was that the fountain pen is a personal item... I do not like to share my fountain pens to people who wants just to write something down quickly... they will ruin it... so it becomes something personal... something that it is truly yours... combining it with high quality paper and all the ink choices... well... the writing experience just go to a higher level... it is a great hobby!!
I was taught to write with a fountain pen, at junior school, probably about 58 years ago, I’m 65 now … I was an ink monitor and two of us would check and fill the ink wells, in each desk, covered with a sliding brass square cover. We were taught to write, first with ‘dip’ pens, and a little later in italics with with an Osmiroid 65 fountain pen. This was in an ordinary country school. How I look back and remember the headmaster, drumming into us, about the angle of the pen, how to hold it etc. etc.
Over the last few years,in training sessions, and in our respective groups, I have been told that I have lovely hand-writing, I take it for granted I suppose …. I have never like ball or felt tip pens, that being said, I also love to write in pencil, especially when the point has slightly flattened on one edge, you can get lovely italics.
I have a really good selection of fountain pens, which one I use depends on the paper on which I write, an important factor. You can never have too many fountain pens, different nibs, widths, italic, broad, narrow, fine, gold tipped, plastic pens, metal pens, inks - they are all very personal…… go on, treat yourself to a beautiful pen, a calligraphy book, and some good quality paper, and a blotter, get creative.
The art of writing, amazing 😊👍🏻🙏
I was 51 when I used a fountain pen for the very first time. As a lefty, I was an overwriter my entire life until a couple of years ago. Now FPs are almost the only pen I use. I'll use a ballpoint when I need to, but I have to really need to.
What I like best about using a fountain pen is the fact that it will write just from the weight of the pen. Which means no more hand cramps, even after hours of non-stop writing. What I like second best is the almost endless choice of inks to use in my pens.
I'm just glad that I fell down this rabbit hole.
I've always been an underwriter with the page turned 45 degrees to the right and writing down the page. I've adapted quite well to fountain pens. I've always used mechanical pencils up 'til now. I found ballpoints too slippery to write with and difficulty forming letters, but like you, I use them out of convenience. Both types of pen results in smudging, but as far as I'm concerned, that is a characteristic of my writing.
so FPs are better for lefties?
@@Snoop_Dugg I wouldn't say better, necessarily, but they certainly are not only for righties. How a lefty holds the FP depends on how well it will work. As I mentioned, I trained myself to be an underwriter with my fountain pens. With a ballpoint I still hook-overwrite.
The narrator's bloopers are always my favorite part of these videos, I stick around to the end just to see them
Thank you for this video. I have rheumatoid arthritis and just writing a shopping list can be uncomfortable so I’m hopeful that making the switch to a fountain pen will make it easier
Update: I’ve been using the Pilot Kakuno and am really enjoying it. It is so much easier on my hands and I love how it has made me slow down and appreciate my cursive again! Thank you to everyone and their suggestions ❤
May I suggest you choose at least a medium nib, so you have decent ink flow - the better the ink flow, the less pressure :)
Consider looking for an acrylic or aluminum pen body (lightweight) with a thicker grip section and a snap cap. Brass pens may be too heavy for you.
@@ellieisbusy thank you so much for the suggestion 💛
@@yuklimka7251 I truly appreciate all of the suggestions ~ I'm so excited to get one!
@@elizabeth3405 If you have a Reddit account, there's an amazing community at r/fountainpens that's very welcome to anybody from the fp curious to long-time users/collectors. You could ask for recommendations for your specific needs.
I made the switch to fountain pens and have been loving them! I have quickly amassed a collection. I keep one uniball jetstream in my purse and on my desk for when I need to sign receipts or have incompatible ink in my fp. I use it to journal, plan, and write birthday / thank you cards. I have terrible wrist pain but proper cursive form (as taught by Michael Sull) and fountain pens have helped ease any pain I used to have while writing. There's nothing more vintage feeling than using a similar writing style ( and pen ) as my great grandmother did.
I've never liked how my cursive writing looks with fountain pens due to the angle changes and pauses when I change where I rest my hand on the paper as I move from left to right. I love how pretty much every clip in this video shows someone writing elegantly in print form with a fountain pen. I need to give that a try!
Tbh fountain pens are better for writing in cursive because of how smooth they are.. sometimes i accidently switch to cursive midway when writing with a fountain pen
I have a Pilot vanishing point fountain pen (converter and cartridge), which has the clip on the same end as the nib. This feels odd at first however it prevents pen roll and helps improve handwriting. This has been my experience which is good because I write a lot mainly in cursive and I'd like to be able to read my own writing! They're not inexpensive however they're very well made and write like a dream. (As does the metropolitan).
@@HEATHENS5074 I'm so guilty of this 😅 everything I write is like 90% handwritten, but some letter combinations just demand a nice flow 🙈
I started my journey with fountain pens just a month ago and have already got a small collection of pens and inks. That said and as you mentioned, fountain pens are not good on all papers. I still love my collection of gel pens, ballpoint pens, etc. They all have their place and time, but since I started using fountain pens I have been journaling and writing a TON more, and enjoying it a lot too.
So very true. I work outdoors, and so I try to use quick-drying and waterproof inks out in the field as much as possible. I also have to fill out some forms on carbon transfer paper. I also have to write on heat-transfer receipts as shown in this video (fuel receipts for a company vehicle, every few days). So, specialty gel and ballpoint pens very much fill those roles. Uni-ball Signo and Fisher Space Pen are my go-to cartridges there. But I don't want to always have to strain my wrist and knuckles to write, so I really should be using fountain pens at home and in the office.
When I went from ballpoint pens to fountain pens, I was surprised how much longer I could write for. I'd always hated writing with pens because my hand would ache after 15-20 minutes. As a result, I never journaled, and my handwriting was terrible since I never really practiced. But since a fountain pens works by means of different technology, I didn't have to press as hard to write as I did with a ballpoint. With a fountain pen, I could practice handwriting comfortably for 1-2 hours, and my handwriting improved dramatically as a result.
The things that surprised me are the amount of pressure needed for the fountain pen to write. It needs so much less pressure than the ballpoint and gel pens and the consistency of the ink because when I was using ballpoint and gel pens they tend to have skippings very often for my liking and when I first write with a fountain pen it was so smooth and consistent with the ink and I was like "Finally, after all the years of hand cramps and cursing I have found the perfect writing instrument for me". Yeah I am never going back to ballpoint and gel pens after that
i have a platinum preppy that’s my pen of choice lately, i like that when it’s capped it doesn’t look obviously like a fountain pen (i dunno, weird social anxiety i guess). i also love the blue-black ink in mine and love writing with it in my hobonichi planner (which i think either has tomoe river or tomoe river s paper). i always keep a bunch of ballpoint pens on me in case i need something else, but i pretty much always go for the preppy now. i love the way it feels and how my hand doesn’t cramp using it because it requires so much less pressure. i may upgrade to a metropolitan within the next year though since i’ve been taking the preppy with me everywhere in a pen case.
I did so much research into fountain pens. What pen is good for beginners and has a piston filling mechanism, what ink to use, and if my paper of choice works with fountain pens. There were other things I looked into, but those were my main concerns. Happy to say I finally got enough confidence in what I picked out that I placed my order from JetPens! (Pilot Metropolitan Retro Pop Fountain Pen - Purple Ellipse - Fine with the Diamine Scribble Purple Ink if you’re curious)
I really love my Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen! I definitely second the recommendation for it being great for people exploring a new interest in fountain pens. It is heavier in hand and has a more luxurious feel when writing than plastic bodied pens. JetPens also has great videos that help with clearly explaining how to use and maintain fountain pens.
The lure of fountain pens for me personally though is the ink. The variety of beautiful colors and dual shading or shimmers adds a level to my writing and correspondence that I really enjoy, and that I hope the recipients also enjoy. 🖋️📜
My F nib Metropolitan is my overall favorite. It's the one I always find myself going back to for everyday writing.
I got my first fountain pen as a Christmas present from my girlfriend (which she bought from Jetpens of course), and what surprised me most about the transition was how much I use it now! I expected it to be something I would use every now and then for signatures or other special occasions. But then I used it to take notes for a class and didn’t want to go back! I now use it almost every day for writing notes at my job.
Wow that's so sweet.. what pen did u get bte
@@HEATHENS5074 It was a Lamy Safari, which I think was perfect for me because it’s very sturdy and has that grip section that made it easier for me to learn to write with it.
@@BlackjackaandHookers ohh thats great. i too wanted a ink pen which I could use to take notes in class. i bought a parker beta premium ink pen. its really cheap and came with a lot of minor issues but now I've fixed it and it works like a charm
German way of learning to write:
1st grade grafite-pencil
2nd grade fountain pen
7th grade (optional) ballpoint pen.
I still have my Lamy ABC fountain pen and my 5th grade Safari. Plus the ALStar from when I started work-education.
thank you for putting the outtakes in!! I like being reminded people aren't perfect especially when picking up a new hobby
Quite possibly the best timed video. I just bought the fountain pen sampler from Jetpens today!
I’ve been using fountain pens roughly 40 years now. Discovered them when I was 10 or 11 and have been hooked ever since. Platinum Preppy is a great starter / trial pen. Under $10 and with a little silicon grease on the threads, can be used as an eye dropper pen meaning the whole pen barrel is filled with ink. No cartridge or converter. It’s the way I use all my Preppy’s.
Metropolitans are awesome every day carry pens. A few of mine have scratches and even dents in the body, but they still work flawlessly. If you need a durable pen, this is it.
Switching to a fountain pen wasn't as difficult as I expected. I continually love how the nib glides on paper.
No one has ever mentioned speed of writing affecting our choices in fountain pens. I am a FAST scribbler and the extra fine and fine pointed fountain pens just will not work for me. As soon as I purchased a medium nib, WOW! No more problem!
I prefer the Fountain pen, and do not write with anything else. People are suprised when they see me writing, but I always write with a Parker pen. I have different pens, for different colour ink, but waxy paper is horrible.
We had to start writing with cartridge pens, when I was at Junior school, then were allowed to use ballpoint pens, in senior school. While I was there, I went back to the fountain pen, and have not used anything else since. I am now in my 50s.
I'm a lefty; looking forward to writing my next piece of music with a JetPens fountain pen.
I recommend getting Pen + Gear Walmart spiral notebooks if you don't want to spend much money. Either the 1 subject notebook, heavyweight notebook, or the poly version. The paper does not have any bleedthrough.
Absolutely! I have a couple of their notebooks and the paper quality is surprisingly good. My fountain pens love it.
I found that the graph notebooks I use for math are also great for fountain pen inks! They're great for sheening and I do blackletter calligraphy on them 😹
I haven't fully made the switch from ballpoint to fountain yet, but I own a Pilot Kakuno and a Monami Olika that I've been picking up more than my usual ballpoint and gel. I found out my biggest surprise was that I apparently really press down when writing! I never realized how hard I pressed the pen down when writing to get a clean line until I used a fountain pen that wrote with little to no pressure.
The Kakuno was an excellent choice-great value (and comfort) for its price.
@@BooksForever And the nib engravings are just a fun detail. I like the Family edition. I currently have two, but I'm tempted to get the entire family. LOL
@@yuklimka7251 - we grow old, but we certainly don’t have to FEEL old.
@@BooksForever Its honestly so great, i was surprised by how good it was! A fellow stationery fan recommended it to me as a good starting point for my collection and I must say, for the comfortable grip and the great looks (I got a demonstrator), its amazing!
@@yuklimka7251 I know right?? I've been using my Kakuno at university and anytime I get asked about it its the first thing i show off about it haha- brings me so much joy
This kinda reminds me of the difference between FDM and SLA 3D printing.
While FDM is pretty simple to get started with, quick, and requires little maintenance (such as the ball point), it produces more, “printed” feeling results with layer lines and such. However SLA printers, while being much harder to get started with and require more maintenance (like the fountain pen), produce noticeably higher quality results like they were injection molded. Duper cool!
I think you can use it on almost any kind of paper, I’ve been do it for years. Just use a Medium or finer nib and a quick drying ink. I use Noodler's Bullet Proof and a Pilot Metropolitan. Thin paper it will go thru but not on copy paper.
Your videos are so much fun and informative
My first budget fountain pen was the pilot petit. They sold for only rm6 when they first appeared in malaysia ❤❤
YAY another Malaysian! I started with the Petit and the Monami Ollika too. The petit is still somewhere in my collection and has transitioned to a "I should adapt it to be an eyedropper pen" but the monami is no longer around. :(
@Ink to Screen hi!! i remember seeing the olika all over popular bookstores. It's no longer available? My current fav is the iridescent kaweco. What's yours?
Similar story here! Last year I got a fountain pen off of Wish, and then some simple disposable Zebra fountain pens from Staples for about $2.50USD apiece. Love 'em!
Rm6 je. I can finally try a fountain pen. Thanks.
Ditto! I still have like 4 from visiting my family last year
I learnt to use a fountain pen before a ballpoint when I learnt to write in elementary school.
There's nothing wrong with an ol' reliable Parker Jotter, but the comfort of writing and TLC you can give a fountain pen, makes it a special thing to own and use.
I love my Platinum Preppy! Didn't know about the converter though. Haven't been brave enough to venture out past the ink cartridges. Thank you!
You can try getting syringe and refill your cartridge that way. It's pretty economical
Do you use ink syringe??
I love the converter. So many fun inks to try.
I used fountain pens in primary school and after a long time of using ballpoint I'm using fountain pens again. I just feel they're more eco friendly than the ballpoint since they use cartridges because it's very rare to find refills for ballpoint pens where i live
I always love to write and I got my first Fountain pen 5 years ago with Jetpens, was a Pilot Petit and Monami Olinka❤, but I didn't knew nothing about them that time. Watching your guides helped me a lot. I really love the Twsbi and the Peppy, now I have few different ones😮, and tones of inks😅, last year I got my first Golden Nib (Sailor Nebula) and is sooooooo smooth ❤❤. I use ALL of them every day for my in mt journal.❤Totally recommend to watch the videos about cleaning and maintenance, is so important but once you learn is esay to do and for me is such a pleasure to take care of my "babies"😊😊❤❤
I made the switch to fountain pens and as a lefty, it hasn't been easy, but I have found that my handwriting has drastically improved.
You forgot to mention that fountain pens can be works of art.
Well, so can ballpoints. I have a ballpoint made of deer antler. And a Fisher Space Pen. And an all-steel Parker Jotter which is apparently what they used as the Q grenade pen in the James Bond movie Goldeneye. All elegant pens, and all ballpoint.
I switched to fountain pens for the ink (must have my sparklies), but I was surprised at how much better my handwriting is when I use them. I started with a TWSBI 5 years ago and still love that brand, lol.
My first fountain pen was the Asvine Mustard Yellow in a fine nib. It doesn't get much attention, but I really like that pen and still use it. It even comes with a converter and I think it's VERY beginner friendly. My FAVORITE pen 🖋️ is the TWSBI Eco in the special edition Smoke and Rose Gold in a medium nib. I bought it from you guys, @jetpens I use it every day 🤩🤩
I've been using fountain pens since my 4th grade
It's been more than 20 years
From fountain pens to ballpoint and now back to fountain pens. I made the switch because they need less pressure to write well. My hand & wrist were hurting too much with ballpoints and ink in gel pens seem to disappear when I use them a lot.
And then I discover inks & colours ✨❤✨
My cursive handwriting looks much better with a fountain pen. I like to write in cursive as much as I can since it appears to be a lost art to many. I really like my Zebra and Pilot Varsity disposable pens. The ink pigment is very bright and long lasting and they're easy to use.
Being left handed, I've always preferred using mechanical pencils. These feel very similar to write with, to a fountain pen. Both have resistance, which is very beneficial to my writing. By contrast, ballpoint pens are difficult to keep control of.
For me, it depends, after using a nicer ballpoint, I can't go back to using stuff like Bic Cristal pens. I made my transition to a fountain pen a handful of years ago. Now and I carry a fountain pen and smooth writing ballpoint pretty much anywhere I go.
One time I got curious and bought a safari and my oh my it's a game changer, questioned myself why did I only start using one now.
Liked it so much that I used up the included cartridge ink on the same day I got it and my hand and wrist didn't hurt at all which is my main problem when using ballpoints/rollerball pen.
If anyone plans to use one and likes it and if your pen includes a converter, buy ink samples not an entire bottle when you go ink hunting. Trust me you will buy alot of inks in different colors and shadings and oh you might buy more pens in the future, as I bought a custom 845 after a week and now my daily writer.
I daily a Lamy Vista and Pilot Frixion. Super nice combo, though in the future I might splash out for a Diplomat Aero or something a bit more premium. Also, I highly recommend anyone with a fountain pen buy a bulb syringe for cleaning. I started doing it recently and it's so much faster than using a sink or soaking the front half.
Bulb syringes are a game changer!
I have switched and love my fountain pens! This video was helpful, even after using them for a while. I feel fancy using the fountain pens, lol. ✍🏽💜
I use fountain pens for my artwork, and have noticed just how easier the are to draw with, compaired to ball point pens, and the array of available colours is defo a bonus, I have found that DeArtementis white fountain pen ink on black card looks amazing
I started with a Lamy Vista and expecting to be happy and all done with fountain pens but I was very wrong .
I ended up collecting 15 more pens throughout the past 7 month since I started using one .. yay..
Definitely me! At first I didn't know this hobby can be a rabbit hole. And right now I'm saving up for my first gold nib fountain pen 😂
It surprised me how much cleaning I had to do for my fountain pens. I eventually adjusted and learned how to clean them.
Love the honesty and details
I find it very funny how almost everyone in the comments says how the first used a fountain pen a few years ago, for me as a German who learned to write with a fountain pen as everyone here does. Ballpoint pens weren't allowed until 5th grade.
I really would like to get into fountain pens, but I have been hesitant because I'm a leftie and splotches...even though there are left-handed fountain pen writers. I finally found gel pens that dry quick enough for me so I don't get little smudges on my hand.
Now you need to make “How to use a Ballpoint Pen when You’re Used to Fountain Pens” 😂
Came here to make this comment
Why do I want to use a Ball point pen? I went back to Fountain pens, when I was 15, I am now 51, and have not used a Ball Point since. The technology behind the fountain pen is so much nicer to work with the pens are fatter, and heavier, but the ink just flows.
Would I make the switch? Did basically in 1983 when I found an old grey Esterbrook J in our barn. Dad took me to town for a bottle of Sheaffer Skrip blue-black and other than when ink was very hard to find in the 1990s, haven't looked back. And after I had a stroke, they're the only pens that don't hurt to write with.
As to things they won't write on: avoid stone paper (like sandpapering your nib tip) and plastic won't work. Today there is basically a fountain pen ink for most surfaces. Anything else there's a Sharpie. 😁
While I have been writing with ballpoints at all price ranges, I have never been satisfied with any. Thanks for a great video! I'm going after a fountain pen!
I got my first fountain pen, Lamy Safari and got a few different ink cartridges and a converter. So far i have been trying to familiarize myself with it, but have been loving it.
I found that my handwriting improved dramatically when I switched to a fountain pen.
Last year (?) I purchased the fountain pen introduction set from JetPens. While I liked using all the pens in the starter set, my hands on favorite was the Platinum Preppy followed closely by the Zebra fountain pen. Today I ordered cartridge refills and a converter (!!) for my Preppy. I'm excited at the prospect of using different colored inks and being able to refill my pen with the trial set of inks I have ordered. I really like using the fountain pen. It makes me slow down when I write, which gives me more time to think about what I'm writing (who knew??!!). And I simply am gobsmacked over using a superior quality of paper - such as Mnemosyne and Midori - pure heaven.... JETPENS FOREVER!!! A rabid fan ::))
I find there are tons of colors for gel pens. But I like the idea of making writing more special. Tried my first fountain pen. I’m shocked at how easy it was to get started. It just works.
Recently, I’ve begun to consider starting to use a fountain pen for sketching and writing.
Based on my research, I’m considering either a Lamy safari or alstar if I end up ordering one online.
The options that I might be able to buy in person, are either a kaweco perkeo or - sport.
There are really not many shops that sell fountain pens in my country, so I’m having a hard time with the options available. My biggest concern is that the pen won’t ”sit” well in my hand, and that (plus the terrible state of my finances at the moment) so far has been the biggest reason for not just buying one online. 😅
I’ve been using a fountain pen for 6 years, and I’m honestly never going back to the regular ballpoints! It is so different, but writing with a fountain pen just feels so much better.
My first was a birthday present from my parents. They went all out and got me a Pilot Vanishing Point. The most surprising part for me was how much more quickly you go through ink with a fountain pen vs a ballpoint.
Just realized that I already have three of those beginner fountain pens shown at the end of this video 😂 now I just need to try them...😅😊
Great video! Thank you for your help🥰
loved the bloopers, and your plant is cute!🪴
I switched from ballpoint pens to fountain pens when i was 8, never got back! I have a very sensible wrist, fountain pens saved me 😅
With fountain pens, though. It doesn't require much effort to get them to work on even the thinnest paper. So yeah, you could get the argument that ballpoints 'just work.' but I find that a well tuned fountain pen with the ink of your choice is a much better fit.
Basically, put in the effort for a better experience.
I regularly use my Lamy all star metal body fountain pen, absolutely love it!
There are chinese sellers on shopee (not sure about other places) that sell cheap pens that take fountain pen cartridges and converters, personally I found that they were pretty useful to getting used to the whole inking system with fountain pens without making the big leap from pen tips to nibs. They also helped me get used to ink concepts like "wet" and "dry" inks, being careful of using shimmer inks on thin tips/nibs, etc. Figured I would mention it in case there's someone reading the comments on this vid who want to try fountain pens but are intimidated with making the switch.
Also, I introduced my younger cousin to fountain pens using these cheap pens and now he likes fountain pens as much as I do :)
I found one of those weird "Disposable" fountain pens on the ground in high school and I absolutely loved it. It was the first pen I ever ran the ink completely dry on! I want to get back into using a fountain pen here soon
(The cartridge was attached to the nib and grip. I was sad when it was gone)
I'm a 95-er and in Vietnam at the time I'm in grade 1, pupils started their writing with fountain pen. Not until grade 6 we started to use ballpoint pen in school.
I remember a fun thing, with fountain pens, one could help friends when their ink was dry by sharing few drops from their own pen 😅 ink from one pen to another 😅
I love fountain pens! Honestly if I’m not writing with a fountain pen part of me feels like I’m cheating somehow. It helps me a lot with penmanship since I am forced to adjust the angle and pressure I use to write. I also love that I can choose very precisely what ink color I write with. I usually choose purple.
One thing though is that I often have ink stains on my hand when I use a fountain pen. Maybe I don’t know how to refill them properly or I need to do better maintenance on keeping the inside of the cap clean so ink stops leaking on to the grip part of the pen? This is true for almost any fountain pen I’ve used, including both cheap and expensive pens. Since I use purple ink, people often express concerns for my health.
At our school in Romania, we learned how to write with fountain pens! Why? Oh well, the fountain pen is a Romanian invention!
switched from ballpoint to fountain pen, with some practice improved handwriting and began to write small and tidy where EF nibs compliments my writing style
I collect and use vintage fountain pens, mostly with flexible nibs.
My oldest is a Mabie Todd Swan chatelaine eyedropper-filled.
My favourite is a French 1920s Waterman Red Ripple hard rubber, with 18kt XF "wet noodle" (super flexible) nib. 18kt is the standard for Europe.
I... I didn't know about the high angle thing with Ballpoints... I wonder if THAT is why even my expensive Sailor ballpoint pen didn't wanna work for me. I naturally write at a low angle, so that might also be why fountain pens work easier for me....
As someone who actually prefer to write with the nib in reverse, I'm offended you showed it as "wrong way to write with" lol Sure, most pens are very scratchy out of the box reverse writers but for EF writers like me, that's the only way to have the proper line thickness when the manufacturer's EF isn't EF enough. And "tuning" the nib for a better experience is easy with a nail polish file.
I got a wonderful pink fountain pen in a pack of pink pens and fell in love!
made the switch in college. genuinely saved my grade point average through better note taking.
I was reading how different writers write their works and I read that Neil Gaiman prefers to write first using fountain pens. So, I made the switch to a fountain pen feel what makes them so special. I got myself a Pilot Metropolitan and I started journaling with it and the fountain pen is lighter on the hands and it makes writing a much more enjoyable experience. I am never going back to any other kind of pen for leisurely writing.
Very good information. Adding something about inks, they are not created equal. For newbies, use quality ink created for fountain pens from top makers like Waterman, Mont Blanc, Pelikan. Avoid drawing ink, calligraphy ink, india ink or anything youd find in a 99 Cent Store as these will mess up your pen. There is always the temptation to buy $1 ink but its a huge mistake. Its also unnecessary to buy expensive ink. Ink in the range of $7-10 a bottle will do you just fine and lasts a very long time. I use Pelikan 4001 ink in my pens but there are many options if you stay in ink made for fountain pens.
A month or so ago, i picked up a cheap set of dip in ink pen nibs and ink to play with in art. I've since been wanting to convert to a full fountain pen because the nibs are very different to the microns one used for ages in a way that i very much prefer. I find that is like painting in that you can use extremely fine line work with barely a stroke at all, or with a little mostly pressed, you can get the regular nibs width line. While you say to only use the nib facing towards the paper, and this is probably true generally and especially for writing, using it at other degrees of rotation produces different effects, which is something for artists. Anyway. Great info and video! Thought I'd give my different perspective
the thing that surprised me the most is that the ink is so watery to the point that it looks abit fuzzy compared to ballpoint pens. but will definitely continue to use fountain pens. FYI if you are someone with small handwriting i suggest one of the more finer nibs as it will be quite difficult to write it with a fountain pen
Bought a fountain pen about 6 months ago and really love it. Gotta find a good water-proof ink though
I usually use paperboard with fountain pens and it works fine. Everything from the inserts in Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to the packaging on bulk junk food containers like Honey Buns and such.
Thank you for this video!! Very helpful!! I just recently started to get into fountain pens thanks to the recommendations from your channel I got a couple Preppy ones but these specifics covered in this video are really helpful!!
Also i love the jokes made at the end xD it made me laugh, i always look forward to these extra bits! So cool seeing your adorable lil squiggly plant, the peperomia, it looks so cool never heard of it before :0
Thank you again for making such helpful video, i look forward to the next ^^
When I was little, the fountain pens were classy and luxurious. I even saved up my allowance so that I could buy one. But fountain pens back then were a bit finicky and the ink was not so good, as we could only get our hands on cheaper and lower quality ink that easily smear on contact with water. Thank god that fountain pens nowadays are so good and reliable. No more leaking and you can use cartridges instead of filling directly from the ink bottles
So true! Hope you take the plunge to start one :)
Bro pls do gel pens to sketch pen also
Most of writing with a fountain pen was way easier than I expected - even going straight to a piston filler. But sooo many of my existing notebooks didn’t work well with it. The Leuchtturm was alright, but the Moleskine was absolutely awful. Time to grab some Rhodia and Midori notebooks I guess!
I liked using my fountain pen in school and in my opinion fountain pens are better to write something, because I used one half my life(about 13 years).
In Germany we first used pencils and I think around 3rd grade we changed to fountain pen. And I used mine till I graduated in 10th grade even after I began my apprenticeship(?) Now a ball point pen is more convenient, because I don't write often anymore.
These people treat their fountain pens better than I do 😭, well in my country we use fountain pens at a very young age, we treat them very BADLY👹. Since bc of that I’m pretty sure if you came into my house when I’m like in primary school and open up my desk drawer you would see 20 dead fountain pens in there 😅😅🥲
I use FP since I was very young. I love them.
I was a Parker Jotter user for over a decade beginning in high school. And I still have and love those pens!
But I stumbled on an old fountain pen among my folks’ things and decided to try it out.
First off, the inks look SO MUCH NICER! That alone makes it so much more interesting to write with. Second, it just feels great. I want to write for much much longer and now also much more often.
And even as I’ve gotten hooked on JetPens and branched out to new pens like the Sarasa Dry (gel) pen and the Uni Jetstream (ballpoint) and the Uni Vision Elite (rollerball), none of them are as awesome as even the cheapest of fountain pens that I’ve come across.
And I started on junk paper too. Thankfully I was soon rewarded with a nice Leuchtturm after cleaning out and rinsing some old pens for my aunt. Seems the stationery bug runs deep in my family! And the move to nice paper makes the ink and the writing that much better
What surprised me the most about the switch was the difference in speed. The speed at which I could write with a ballpoint pen, you’d have to go slower writing with a fountain pen. No wonder teachers in school would say your handwriting improves with fountain pens, because you pay attention to the handwriting once you write slow.
Pilot Acroball (ballpoint and current favorite pen) also comes in PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness.
I love fountain pensI love fountain pensI love fountain pensI love fountain pensI love fountain pens
Best of both world is the gel pen with a 0.7 mm tip, always smooth, cheap, also can write on any paper, no pressure required to write unlike ball point pens