I think it's an involvement factor to a degree. Using a fountain pen requires you become involved in how it works, how you fill it, the inks you choose, and the lifestyle involved. Like owning a Harley Davisdson, not always the best bike, or the most comfortable or reliable. But you are buying into the Harley lifestyle, history, and to degree mystique. It adds an extra element to a mundane task in our lives. Plus the appreciation for complexity, and workmanship that is not strictly necessary in a tool for an everyday task. We wood probably all be better served by the $5 roller ball on a daily basis, but would it be as satisfying to our emotion, and since of style? So the $100-300 you spend isn't so bad in that context. Well, until you wake up one morning with a collection of 300 pens, and realize you are crazy......lol.
Stephen, I appreciated your discussion. I too in the 90’s and 2000’s ramped up to approximately 40 fountain pens both new and limited editions and vintage pens. And I agree with your points. The feel of writing with one, nib on paper and in the hand are a specific joy that elicits something classical and even thought provoking creativity. However, i reduced my collection down to just 4 pens including a MB 149, Lamy 2000, a MB ball point and a Parker BP. I found that my collecting became an obsession and the cognitive dissonance grew. I was hoarding these pens in a way that was bolstering my ego rather than increasing those positive things in my life that go beyond the limitations of ego. So I parted with my Agatha Christie MB snake fountain pen, my rolled gold Pelican 101n and my Omas Arco (a real beauty) in fine tip and to my astonishment I discovered the good things - the feel, creativity and special thought provoking experience continued with the vital few. Along the way I actually broke even or made money with the sale over time. Like collecting anything, it can get to the point of obsession and as we know it is our job to balance the psyche and find that special place between order and chaos.
Dr. Brown you remembered!!! You have no idea how happy I am that you did, this question has been on my mind for just AGES. So it’s absolutely FANTASTIC to get your insights. I thought I had found some of my own reasons but it felt incomplete, like I wasn’t being completely honest with myself. Luxury, in the sense of the materials and the esthetics, more than the brand name matters to me. 5 zillion corporate executives, up and down the ladder, whip out their Montblanc Meisterstucks (yeah ballpoints, that’s not the issue) and position it in front of themselves at meetings, for them it’s the brand and specific model that matter. It’s part of their status and identity as a business executive. I’m definitely not trying to offend any Meisterstuck lovers in the crowd, it’s certainly a fine pen. I think of a beautiful pen as Art that writes. I love the way it can fit my hand, in weight and balance, and I’m all about the eye candy and the nicer writing experience. That’s the luxury part for me. What I wasn’t admitting to myself, that you brought out, was enjoying being different with my pens. It’s become part of my identity. Funny, there are a fair number of offbeat characters amongst the fine pen/fountain pen user crowd, you wouldn’t think we’d be attracted to yet another thing that makes us different let alone celebrating it. Something that just occurred to me, maybe we’re drawing strength from our separateness as a way of dealing with it? We make being different into something special? That last bit could be garbage, I have no idea, I have to think about it s’more. If it is, everyone be gentle with me, I’m taking a risk here. Lots of people collect things, not everybody collects things that are everyday objects but on a different level. How often have you people seen watches or knives advertised alongside pens, or known a pen collector with an affinity for the other items? I just got a restored electric clock from the 50’s for my desk and I’m eyeing another, WTH? There’s a connection. We’re all also very detail oriented and can be extremely fussy. Let’s face the truth, Dr. Brown is a brave man for dealing with the lot of us. How many of you think of yourselves as introverts or needing bunches of alone time? Any extroverts in the crowd? I’m guessing not too many. Anyway, food for discussion on another day. THANK YOU Dr. Brown for doing this video. You can see for yourself it was useful. And when are you gonna believe me - you do not ramble or talk too long. Those are my sins, back off already and get some of your own.
Thank you, Carol. Your comments rang true. One exception: I am an extrovert, and my father, in 1964, gave me my first fountain pen. I also used fountain pens in 6th grade, because the teacher gave each student one to use for penmanship. My penmanship has always been distinctive and admired, so that feedback stoked the desire for distinction. I love the colors, composition, and artistry that pens provide. Happy writing. Mary from Rhode Island☮
So, you touched on a few angles. As for the penny-for-penny angle, I think that is true of many things that people spend lots of money on. A quality acoustic guitar, for example, does not have $1,000 worth of wood in it, or even labor. We buy them for the sound quality, playability, and looks. I think you are spot on about the “return to analog.” There are many items that we gave up for expediency, and some people just want to experience the old ways, even if it is slower, less effective, whatever. Fountain pens are fussy, sometimes messy, need to be cleaned, and all that. I think most of us embrace that, maybe because we are, of necessity, more involved (invested?) in the writing process and we get to use a tool that is more enjoyable to use than, say, a Bic Crystal. I didn’t hear you say much about peer pressure. I don’t have a desire for expensive pens. Howsomever, if I belonged to a pen club, I might feel a little bit second-class with my everyday pen, a Parson’s Essential, and who knows, might cave in and buy an expensive pen (but only if it wrote better than my PE). I do enjoy this sort of talk. Unfortunately, on TH-cam, the poster has the ability hold a nuanced narrative, to which we poor viewers can only respond with terse bullet points!😁
I experience a small joy when holding, using and just looking at my, to me, expensive pens. Justification for spending money on an extravagant inanimate object becomes a battle, and many of us are now engaged in that battle. Each of us knows the outcome, we will win the battle, at least until the next. If we didn't want the unnecessary , we would live like animals who's only desire is to forage for food, procreate, and avoid the predators. In the past I used a typewriter, and have recently considered buying one, and when you suggested that analog is still desirable, I remembered the sound of the typewriter, and that sound was the clarity of you the user producing. I saw your review of the Pelikan Stresemann, before your review I wanted that pen, after the review I was not sure, however I am in a battle, should I buy the Pelikan Stresemann, after all I own the Pelikan M1000 green striped, broad nib, but when I look at the Stresemann , I Want It. I'll end my ramblings, however, I know this. We should hold onto these small joys that can't be justified "penny for penny". Justification be Dammed. Thank you for all your ramblings.
For me fountain pens are a way of expression. In writing: I never felt any pleasure in writing as an activity, but love it with my fountain pens. Write to write, no goals, no meaning, just write to write. It is very mindful to me. In respresenting my uniqueness: for me it is important my collection ‘fits’ me. Like decorating my house and choosing clothes. And for me it is important not ‘everyone’ has the pens I have. I find no joy in pens ‘everyone’ has. It doesn’t mean they have to be overly expensive, I have my limits, but I tend to more expensive pens because unique or limited pens are more expensive. And custom pens are a way to individualize my collection even more. Is say ‘collection’, but I don’t collect. I want to write with my pens and don’t like them being unused. It’s like gardening: creating beauty and color around me, in my own world, make it a bit more beautiful. And yes, there is definitely the community aspect, which I truly love. It feels like belonging somewhere. Sounds profound, and to me it is. I’m quite a strong and independent single woman, that is great and okay, but has downsides: where do I belong? It’s like family: you did not choose them, but you belong with them and they are part of you. I love that and hadn’t experienced that in my life like this before. I meet a lot of people, internationally, and I like that very much. And that all comes to a price. I’m willing to spend that partially on beautiful pens, being a bit of a snob in that, too. Picking them precise, with care and thoughtfully, or intuitive and jump on one. It’s a way of spending my time alone, without being really alone.
I love how you say that fountain pens are not worth it. Of course one shouldn’t over do it, but if we only did things that were financially sensible imagine how dull life would be. Also, I really like this type of video.
I think that, with fountain pens, there's a satisfying element of ritual. For example: when I make coffee I grind a small amount of whole beans, put them in an old Italian Moka pot I found in a charity shop and heat them on the stove - before I found that pot I didn't even like coffee that much. So it is with fountain pens, changing the nib, selecting the ink. Ordering SBRE Brown from Akkerman's just to use that bottle with the glass marble inside... and my writing still sucks. (P.S. An expensive pen for me is £100.)
Analogue things! Manual transmissions closer to the road, ink flowing onto the paper closer to the person in touch with having a body that thinks and writes. Yes!
Thank you for this interesting and thought provoking topic. The video's format is straightforward and I'd enjoy more like it. I'm in my late 70s and have spent these years exploring creativity, from playing piano to fiber arts (spinning, weaving,, etc) and, for the past few years, watercolor painting. I choose my tools based on performance and aesthetics. Fountain pens are new to me and I am smitten. I am also on a budget. The pens that I have so far have ranged from under $10 to $60-80 (only 2 of these). I was drawn to each pen by its beauty, and how it feels in my hand. Each pen gives me a connection that requires attention and thought. I could write and have written essays on these amazing tools. I'll stop here but there is so much more to discuss. Again, thank you.
First of all yes, I deeply enjoy videos featuring such content and look forward to more. Second, since joining the club of more expensive fountain pens with a golden nib I have never looked back. The feeling of jotting down one's stream of consciouness, plans and wishes with an elevated writing tool is second to none, it is using a jewel, someone else's art work to write with. And because I'm focused on drawing classical temples and Greco-Roman theatres in pristine shape that involves a lot of research I believe the records deserve a beautiful writing pen.
I'm totally aware that I could get away with nearly everything I actually *need* with the Pilot G2 0.38 that I use as a backup. Fountain pens are my vice, I like using them, I like feeling them, I like looking at them and most of all I love photographing them. It's probably one of the more harmless vices you can have too, compared to many other "vices". I can definitely relate to experiencing cognitive dissonance in the realm of (attempting to) justifying something vintage, over something modern that is still in production. The idea of they don't make them like they used to, or every one of them is unique from having been used for years, or just that I spent some kind of effort in finding it. Community is a big part of it for me as well, the desire to share has increased the desire to obtain as well. Regarding tools of analog, especially as I am mostly vintage, I feel like it gives me something 'extra' to do. I like the feeling that I had to put something into the pen to get it working again, from a simple resac to curing cracks, and nib tuning. Like this little tool wouldn't be still alive today if I hadn't put some effort into it, and in that sense it makes it "mine". It's kind of a bit of faux purpose to get the serotonin going.
When you were talking about not caring about new cars I thought "I can relate to that!" Then I thought to myself, "I could have 1000 new pens for the price of a new car!" Then I thought, "Wait, it's only 100 pens for a new car." Then I thought, "Maybe I do spend too much on pens. Nah.
It all comes back to basic heuristics. Generally, people associate higher prices with exclusivity or rarity. Similarly, people associate rarity with quality. These associations are not always true at all (but, stereotypes exist for a reason). This is classic marketing and why brands exist. Even if the quality of a product from a brand known for less expensive products is, in fact, higher quality than that of a brand with more expensive products, the average person will not understand the quality differences and put their trust in the pricier, premium, brand. To use a good car comparison since you brought it up, it's sort of why the Kia K900 isn't selling as well as Japanese or German luxury equivalents despite being less expensive and of an equivalent quality. The average person uses brand associations for purchases.
One point: I purchased my Jinhao fountain pens (x750) for about the same price of a ballpoint. So that may count towards equal value. But I also own some more expensive Waterman and Cross pens. I do not believe I would ever buy a Mont Blanc. You make excellent points.
I do like this kind of video very much so please keep doing them. Expensive fountain pens -- they can be beautiful, and I love to look at them. I have a couple of pens that were my version of expensive -- over $100. In both cases, I saw them and fell in love with them. My Visconti Merry-Go-Round was the first, and it's still one of my favorite pens. I love the way the colors swirl. My Xezo Architect was the same -- I love the color, the feel of it, the guilloche finish with many coats of enamel. Both of these are also excellent writers. They are always inked and I use them frequently. I'm glad that I have them, although I doubt if I will buy more since I'm retired and on a fixed income.
I agree about the analog return. We want real things, real sensations, actual paper, ink, good pens that write beautifully. I am very into urban sketching, thousands of people all over the world who get together to sketch on location. And many of us use fountain pens, because of the feel and ability to make amazing marks of real paper with ink. I was at the SF Pen show last year and met Azzizah.. I have tried to draw on an iPad and I hate it.. I love Materials, I also make ceramics, paint with beeswax and great Felt covered sketchbooks.. so there.. Yay analog and yay to expensive, well made pens! Thanks Steven, interesting discussion.. Eileen
This is one of the best review of yours. Thanks a lot. I agree with you absolutely. Certainly my Lamy Safari All Black writes as well as my Souverän M1000, but when I look at my hand writing with the Pelikan it is a visual delight I don't get with the Safari. On the other hand I like to see my hand writing with my Montblanc M149 but it has disappointed me on technical issues so I keep it in its luxury box but don't use it. You know what: an expensive fountain pen is special and it makes you feel . . . special. Thanks again for this video.
Why the trend towards things analogue? A person who knew of my interest in fountain pens commented that the technology has barely moved on since someone used a pointed stick to draw pictures in the sand. It made me think; if that individual enjoyed pictures in the sand and found them a useful means of communication, perhaps he/she found a stick they liked, kept it and looked after it; perhaps decorated it. Maybe others in that community thought that the stick or its user had magic properties. A word processor can provide a huge variety of 'fonts', spell for you, correct your grammar, and many other things. It can't tell you what to write, and in my experience gives little satisfaction in the process. Perhaps there is a little bit of 'glamour' in the original meaning of the word that attracts us to our favourite pen. Thanks for the thought provoking video.
Jumping into this new pursuit, I love these theoretical videos. Specific products come and go, but having borrowed insight from someone with a long investment into this hobby is priceless.
Follow up thought: is the reason we gravitate towards nice pens, watches, beautiful leather goods, knives, and the like IS THAT WE CAN CARRY IT WITH US? Because of it’s everyday functionality, we can use it or just look at it anytime we want and have CONTROL over our environment. We can take out the pen and a bubble of luxury, specialness and beauty suddenly surrounds us for as long as we want. That’s a little hard to do with a record collection or model trains. So functionality, portability, the feel of luxury and being special along with controlling our environment may be key ingredients in why we are drawn to these items specifically. Wow. Personal breakthrough. THANK YOU DR. BROWN! Edit to give you a heart ❤️ and some luuuv for doing this. Also, check out all the interesting comments and interactions among your subscriber community. That’s just great to see. You also had a lot of good/provocative comments and respectful discussions in your pen review of the Wing Sung 699 regarding copyright, copies and innovation. So you’re batting 1,000 and hittin’ `em out of da park in the parlance of baseball, which means you’re kinda fabulous.
For me, the pen I carry represents an era in my life. I look back at my lab notebooks and can immediately recognize the pen I used and the ink that I loved at the time. Being a person that has handwritten literally over 1 m of journals and lab notebooks, I can't imagine not loving ink and pens. Is it worth the cost? It is difficult to find the right pen and ink for an era... most of the cost is in the pens that don't perform. I keep these in my collection, but they rarely get used.
It is worth adding, that the very first fountain pen that I loved and carried daily only cost $5 and didn't even have a brand. I used that pen daily during graduate school when I was writing notes for classes I was teaching. It had a medium (European) nib that allowed my writing to easily be scanned. Because it was a fountain pen (a fairly rough one), it forced me to write using good technique making my handwriting easier to read. I used Waterman cartridges and when there were mistakes I'd use Pentel eraser fluid. It still makes me smile to look at these old sets of notes and remember the stack of empty ink cartridges that I amassed in my desk drawer.
So many thoughts about this. 1. Keep this type of video coming. 2. Preppies and V-pens are easily worth their price. 3. Community is great, but it also has a normalizing effect on our concepts of foundation pen value. 4. I also sometimes wonder if we're undervaluing the labor of pens. It's hard to discuss for larger corporations, but I imagine that Pierre and Michal both need to pay their rent and would welcome being compensated for their time and effort. Maybe this would be a good topic for a P&S episode.
Thank you Stephen for this video which I enjoyed and have found myself mulling over. I have been using fountain pens for over 4 decades and sometimes they have been expensive and sometimes cheap but all of them have been about the experience and emotional response to what I am thinking and writing about in that phase of my life. It is generally the artistic aspects which attract me now in terms of the beauty of a pen and the way it interacts with the inks. Please do more of these types of videos.
I believe the luxury/exclusivity aspect is also general and not specific to pens. Most people I know have a passion and that’s the thing they are prepared to spend lots of money on. Whatever that thing is there are cheaper alternatives that will do the task at hand easily but, for whatever reason they want to spend their hard earned money on it. Be it handbags, watches, pens, bicycles, cameras etc. Whenever people ask me “why would you spend so much on a pen when you can get something much cheaper that does the same thing” I just respond with “the same reason you will spend more on X when you can get something similar much cheaper”
Firstly; I really enjoy these more theoreticals videos, and do appreciate you sharing them! Having small breaks from product reviews makes life a bit easier for my unemployed ass (and the unemployed rest of me!). To touch on your point of what attracts me to "expensive" pens, I'd have to say that it's the thought that gets put into their design and how that translates into sn overall writing experience. Not just the weighting of a pen and how the nib writes, but also the small things like facets lining up when capped. I enjoy discovering these small details; things that a plebeian such as myself would never even dream of, yet a pen designer felt was crucial. Being able to discover these small details and examine how they affect my interaction with both the pen and my writing just does it for me.
You know me Stephen I’ll watch any video you make so yes keep doing these, I think the attraction for me to fountain pens not so much expensive but regular fountain pens is the individual-ness aspect to it, I think I’m a different unique individual so when I sign my name I want people to see that even in the smallest of actions or simplest of actions I am different! Everyone that uses a fountain pen is a unique person! Thanks for the video I enjoyed it, your mate, jude
Thanks for a thought-provoking reflection! I enjoy watching various review videos and exploring "what" I and others like, but I really love the chance to ponder "why". Needless to say, that's a huge "yes" vote from me to keep sharing your thoughts via this type of video!
There might be a point to mention - calculated risk taking. Spending double digit percentage of someone’s salary on something which is not “essential “ goes through some sort of analysis. Apart from that, there is always a human tendency to standout in the crowd. ‘Hey look! I am doing something which not everyone does’ - fetches a sense of self satisfaction. Finally, once acquired, we just overcome one hurdle of hesitation and hence comes the rationalization.
As with many things in life, as the emotional reasons supercede the logical ones, the price goes up. Like you said, there is no logical reason to spend more on a writing utensil than what you would pay for a BIC ballpen or something equivalent. From a utility standpoint, if it writes, it’s enough.. After that, you simply enter the world of emotion. The feeling the object provides is what starts to count and from that point on the reasons for spending more are driven by those feelings and are, of course, very personal. For me it has to do with a connection to my dad, who wrote with a fountain pen and had handwriting skills that were out of this world! It was his hobby and enjoyment to write like a calligrapher, although he wasn’t one. I also got a -less virulent- watch bug from him. ;) Another aspect is this strangely satisfying feeling I get when writing with a fountain pen; there is something very satisfying in seeing the lines coming into existence and the feel of the nib going over the paper. That’s why I have all kinds of nibs, from flex to italic, from EF to Broad. Also the sensation of the different materials adds to the whole writing experience. I think we can all agree on that. I really enjoy the feeling of celluloid, but also thoroughly enjoy ebonite or ie. chinese laquer. And than there is the aspect of curiosity, like how a wine enthusiast likes to taste all sorts of wines. An answer to the question “How will that pen write? How would it feel?”. So I have pens in all price ranges, from the cheap chinese pens to the expensive MB, ASC, Omas, Molteni, Visconti etc. Each of them has their own character and I really enjoy everyone of them. Luxury and exclusivity play a minor role for me, but its there. More in the sense of allowing myself the indulgence; kind of a reward for my hard work. I also recognise individuality. Hope this wasn’t too long! Enjoy your pens, but most of all, enjoy your life! With or without expensive pens. And thanks for this interesting vid dr. Brown.
Personal opinion: people love shiny status symbols. Why spend thousands or even hundreds on an ink dispenser? The same reasons people learn Klingon or collect less useful art. Part for the direct visual and tactile stimulation and part for the social eye catching. See "the handicap principal" as coined by Amotz Zehavi, an interesting topic in biology borrowed to psychology, and I think that would be an interesting topic for a whole other video, doc @sbrebrown!
For me it’s a tactile thing!: I like the way the nib feels as it moves across a page of Tomoe River paper in my Midori passport sized journal; also, it’s the fact that it’s really 3 hobbies: the pen, the ink and the paper; liked this vid: thanks:)
I was asking myself this very question, so your video caught my eye. I agree that the social aspect plays a big role on this. You sort of try to gain approval from the fountain pen community by saying “ Hey look! I paid this amount for this luxurious pen. Don’t you think I am a loyal member of the FP community? “ And also, they are simply so damn beautiful to be sure :) Due to the relative affordability of quality fountain pens in Japan, there are probably more users here than Canada but still, I get reactions like, “fountain pen? I didn’t know that people still used those things.” Thanks for the great video. Looking forward to updates.
This is good. The psychology of pen ownership. So now to get down to it, why am I attracted to expensive pens? Well, to put it into perspective, it's peer pressure and enabling by my "friends". IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, STEPHEN! #BOOM
I liked what you said about fountain pens being part of the analogue trend. I also use film cameras and listen to vinyl. There is a good book about this trend, "Revenge of Analogue", that you may want to read. As for expensive pens I find I'm attracted to the gold nibs and also if the pen has another meaning. As an example, I bought the Conway Stewart Churchill 'red poppy' pen because it commemorates the 100th anniversary to the end of WWI. It's a joy to write with, but it is what it represents that caught my eye. Fountain pens are also works of art. Whatever the reasons we collect, writing with a fountain pen causes me to slow down, write better and write more often.
Hi Steven Well structured answer to the question. I support all of your arguments. I would just add one, the always unfinished quest for excellence. At some point in my life I was convinced the Pelikano was the best ever writing instrument. From my studies to my retirement many years later those compagnons of my mental education and work are important to me. Solid writers, reasonably priced, always working. Only since a couple of years do I explore the world of fountain pens. And now I slipped into the realm of more expensive pens in the hope to find the "even better one". And for bad reasons surely there is a hope that if more expensive it will be better built. Friendly Cheers
First off : again an excellent video! Looking forward to seeing more of this kind of installments. To me fountain pens are indeed luxury items, even my dirt cheap Preppy. But I love the way they write and the possibility of using almost any colour of ink of your choosing. Alas at work I am forbidden to use fountain pens, since we have to use special x-ray detectable pens (this is because I work in a can factory and you wouldn't want to find a fountain pen cap in your can of kidney beans...). So alas I don't have much opportunities to use my Preppy, unless for Birthday cards, shopping lists and scetches for DIY projects. But still I am happy to use it when I can. :-)
First off, thank you for all the insightful and quite unbiased reviews of fountain pens. I have found them informative and helpful in researching and purchasing my own pens. As for this video on expensive fountain pen admiration, I found it quite intriguing. I agree with many if not all of your comments and found your analogy regarding a standard auto versus a luxury auto spot on. Your comments about the use of analog “tools”was especially poignant. I would like to add one thing in this regard. Writing is a tactile and intimate experience that is regretfully becoming less and less of a discipline being pursued by most people. As a professor myself, I am amazed that the “art” of hand writing is not a priority in US schools[ cannot comment on the rest of the world with authority] and I see the results every day. I completely understand why this is the case in a digital world, but this is my point. The act of writing with a fountain pen, especially regarding correspondence, takes time and thought to execute successfully and if the tool one uses for such an endeavor does not allow unimpeded flow of ideas, something is lost. A good writing fountain pen is perfectly suited to this purpose. As for price, yes there is as you said a “difference” in writing with a $200 fountain pen and a $20 fountain pen but not necessarily a “better” experience. The bottom line is about the experience of putting ink to paper and that can be done quite enjoyably with a $20 pen and a $200 dollar pen. Keep up the good work.
Very interesting video and topic, Stephen. As for me - I entered the hobby phase of fountain pens in hopes of running across someone gimme restore my mother’s 1930 Sheaffer pen, and I did. In the process I bought a Kaweco Perkeo to reacquaint myself with the pens. Of course I then searched for videos to help me figure out the components and how to use the pen. as you know it just mushroomed from there. I have now punched the most expensive pen I have and believe I don’t need another because it does write beautifully, and is just gorgeous. I swore off buying any more pens and then three more were purchased. 🥰
Fpens has me appreciate the finer things in life meaning the craftsmanship, the deliberate task of writing and just the sake of hobby and researching the art fpens and products and paper etc
My interaction in the academy has been different. My own areas were finance, business ethics and law, where aesthetics tend to matter less. But, I suspect like you, there is a side to most of us that has a lot of unmet needs. Research, pursuit of truth, and so much more about the academy can get to be work; fiction, literature in general, the pursuit of the good, the true, and the beautiful call. There is sense in which the art of penmanship, the beauty of words, the creative process seems to be advanced in the simply act of picking up an elegant fountain pen, a work of art in itself, and finding something beyond calculated price. :)
The price of an article is not just the cost of producing it, there are a lot of dimensions (tangible and intangible) that come into play to determine the price . And as the evaluation of those dimensions are personal (subjective) action... that is why prices can vary from 1 to hundreds/thousands of dollars for a fountain pen (or whatever) and you (the customer) are the only one who can determine if its worth for you to pay the price or not.
There are many fine things, luxurious things, that are beyond my means. The trope “champagne taste with a beer pocket book” comes to mind. So instead of the Bentley Continental, Armani suit, or bespoke Purdy shotgun, I can afford an expensive fountain fountain pen. My hand writing with ballpoint pens is illegible, and long writing sessions cause my hand to cramp. Not so with the fountain pen. Aside from the cartridge pens I used in elementary school in the ‘50s, my first fine instrument was a Schaefer Connaisseur which I purchased in 1984 on sale. That experience, the silky flow of ink without having to press down, made writing a joy. Good discussion.
I like the connection to past scribes. The sound a nib makes on paper/parchment. The ink from a bottle/inkwell. From fountain pen to dip pen to quill to stylus. Over three thousamd years of writing, recording history. The flow of ink through that nib which a ball cannot replicate. The magnificence of medieval illuminated manuscripts.
I use Pelikan pens because they write beautifully. The planner community is similar to the pen community. I've made many friends through our shared interest. I love the nerdiness of it all; the quest is on for the "just right" planner, pen, ink, paper, and insert format.
For me, after $200 there is a sharp rise in diminishing returns. The improvement in writing, feel and luxury quickly maxis out. In fact I would say there is a point above $300 where the enjoyment declines because I feel an increasing sense of guilt spending that amount of $ on a self-indulgence. There are people for whom that amount of $ could be life sustaining such as prescription drugs or food (esp. in these times.) I think of Schindler's List where he takes his gold Nazis Party pin and says, "This could have bought two more lives." I don't claim to be any great philanthropist, but I give when I can and try to live frugally. I have gotten most of my pens on Ebay for a fraction of retail and can therefore justify them. For a time I was looking for a vintage 146 MB but I was reminded of the adage, "How many fountain pens does a sane person need?" Answer: One. I do 95% of my journaling with my grandfather's Parker 51 which I completely restored. The enjoyment I get from using it has nothing to do with $. I take pleasure in using something my grandfather once held and which my own craft resurrected. I think Jack Malcolm would be proud.
Great video. I have two thoughts. Using fountain pens can be very creative - choosing a pen that matches my mood; selecting an ink; taking the paper into consideration. Secondly, fancy/expensive is relative. When I’ve pulled out what I consider an inexpensive pen in a meeting, I’ve had colleagues remark about my *fancy* pen. They would be horrified to know that I spent more than a few dollars on a pen. To them, it’s a commodity.
To add to your last point on comfort, fountain pens are really important to me because I have lupus, an autoimmune disorder that causes a lot of joint pain and swelling (among other things). Having a pen that is fat, decently-balanced, and requires little to no pressure to write with is absolutely essential for me to be able to write at all. There are adaptive arthritis ball pens and pencils out there, but they still require pressing harder than is comfortable, or they don't write well at an angle that is comfortable, or the weight or balance is off and that makes them uncomfortable. I have a small collection of what most pen aficionados would consider inexpensive pens (MSRP
Beauty. We admire, appreciate, and covet beauty. We can see beauty in the form, function, novelty of an object. We appreciate excellent technical skills, the value of labour, and other esoteric aspects of fountain pens. Recently, I bought my first pen after 30 years, and I will treat myself to a beautiful pen once a year until I pass.
I have what I call a Compulsive Collecting Disorder. Whenever I start a new interest, I usually go a bit overboard on the equipment. Archery - 6 longbows, 3 of which were custom made and rather expensive. Photography 13 cameras both film and digital plus a pile of lenses and other stuff. Fountain Pens - over a hundred ranging from $5 to well over $500. At least with the pens, the wide range of $50 and under has satisfied the collection urge enough to limit the over $300 purchases. My wife is the same with her sandals and purses except some of her purses would pay for my entire collection of pens :D
I gave that a lot of thought when I bought my Visconti Homo Sapiens. The reason I paid was sentimental. My grandparents were from Catania, Sicily at the base of Mt Etna. The volcano dominates the consciousness of people there. Knowing the pen was made from the it's lava felt like a connecton. It also reminds me of the time I was on the mountain when it erupted (no lava, just smoke). What a thrill. The Palladium nib writes so beautifully I've never regretted the purchase.
Another fantastic video. I totally agree with a sense of community, I feel a sense of belonging that using fountain pens has given me. I initially as a child was attracted to a fountain pen as it was tactile and something I could look after, refill and use. Then I rediscovered a community of FP users on social media, and thus I fell down a bunny burrow. :)
I think there is artistic value too. Pen can be piece of art, beautiful, and made of specific materials. It's something like painting, or Katana blade. You feel joy Just for looking in something like that.
Workmanship and materials or if you have expensive tastes but only a beer income. Gratification is only a short term gain. There are a lot of low/mid price Chinese pens that won't leave with a sense of guilt or economic deprivation that buying luxury fountain pen you can't afford. Learn to collect within your means.
This subject is very interesting to me! I often think back to before I became "desensitized" to the cost of fountain pens ... and I mean at that time $15 for a Pilot Metropolitan! Which seemed ridiculous even though affordable to me but I still remember questioning myself at the time! Since that time, I've often pondered my reasons for being attracted to more expensive pens. And I realize that what one of us labels expensive another can find cheap. Wow this subject would make a great "tag" ... where lots of people in the hobby tackle the same question in video response. I definately am also very attracted to the community aspect!!! And the ink color choices and smoothness of the writing experience. But I'm sure there's a lot more too and I'll enjoy thinking about this as I go thru this week ...! Thank you for another very thought provoking & interesting video!
Hello Steven Brown: This was a very interesting video, so much so that I took notes...using a fountain pen, of course. This was the first video of yours that I have seen, recommended by Brian Goulet. Why fountain pens, even expensive ones? Memory, emotional connections, physical sensation, love of color or texture or architectural features, fascination with ink colors and composition (I taught chemistry for 47 years.), as well as your categories of exclusivity, community, analog trending, luxury, and cognitive dissonance reduction....encompass the reasons. Thank you. I will watch more of your videos. I suggest that fountain pen interest and sales have increased during this pandemic. Do you know of any data that supports my hypothesis? Cheers! Mary from Rhode Island....wishing we could move to Canada
My first job out of grad school required me to write extensive notes for at least 5 hours a day. A typewriter was not an option. I would "break" 3 Cross Solos a year at $5 each, and spend lots of money on cartridges.After 2 years, in 1972, I bought a Montblanc 149 for $75. In a rural community, it carried no cachet, and some folks pitied me that I had to use such an old-fashioned pen. Guess who has laughed all the way to the bank since then. For a person who wrote nothing but the monthly checks with a fountain pen, the Solo was perfectly adequate, and a fun alternative to a Paper-Mate. For me, the 149 was a godsend.
The fountain pen is the very pinnacle of the analog writing instrument. Though it was not designed during the Industrial Revolution, it is iconic like many devices made during the Revolution, because its basic design is still functioning in the modern fountain pen.
This is in regards to your parting question. I enjoy watching fountain pen reviews, but after having watched a hundred or so of them, I'm starting to get a lot more choosy about which ones I watch. At some point, my focus kind of contracted to pens I think I would enjoy writing with (I like big, girthy pens) and that I *might* conceivably buy some day. I enjoy reviews of pens from small makers rather than reviews of the latest iteration of the Visconti Homo Sapiens - everybody loves it, what more is there to be said about those pens? So, I do enjoy the more philosophical videos you produce. While I don't feel like this particular one actually answered the original question, it touched on a number of things that resonated with me, and I found it very enjoyable. I'd encourage more like it.
Good video and thank you for all of your helpful videos. Of course, my expensive pen may not be expensive for others, but for me, I'm looking for a tactile plus visual experience that produces a pleasurable writing experience. Once you've experienced it, it's hard to go back to using inferior tools. I have found some really good experiences with inexpensive pens, but the best ones involve the more expensive pens in my collection.
I liked this explanation. I can remember perfectly the joy of writing with a Lamy 2000 for the first time and then (little cheaper than the former) with a Pilot Custom 74, both are expensive for my financial standard, but 'difference' is the key word and the driving force. But I was disappointed by many 'expensive' fancy brands too.
Its all about aesthetics. Indeed, a 5 dollar ballpoint pen will write things down as well as a Namiki Yukari Royale but the Namiki feels and looks terrific - a piece of art, jewel-like - in your hand.
I enjoyed your discussion. Please continue doing this type of video. Just a quick comment on the return to analog. I work in the software industry and I'm surrounded by technology at all times. I recently discovered fountain pens and I enjoy using them because it forces me to slow down. I'm much more careful about how I write and how I phrase things because it is much more difficult to change. In some ways, it is like a much-needed mini-vacation from technology. Keep up the good work.
Fountain pens (in general) attract me because: 1. Comfort (softer, easier, girthier grip rather than the death grip on a skinny ball point) - my penmanship is still horrid, but it does improve a bit with fountain pens 2. An _extremely wide_ range of ink colors, attributes and the ability to switch inks (I like vivid colors and generally like water-proofness) 3. A much wider range of nib widths (mostly Broad, but ranging from EF to BBB to the Parallel super wide ones) 4. A return to the old analog style engages and exercises the mind better, at least in my opinion 5. Simply a reminiscence to my junior high school days when a cheap Sheaffer pen was a luxury item that I enjoyed - plus the memory of what my mom and grandmother used to write. Expensive fountain pens attract me because: well, I don't really know. 1. Not snobbishness. I enjoy sharing my FP experience and the pens as in "hey, you might enjoy this too," but don't really show them off as in "hey, look at me." It is more an indefinable pleasure in just having and using something a little extra nice. Utile - yes; flashy - no! 2. Some less expensive ones write as well as my most expensive (but still modestly priced in some folk's eyes) ones. As you've indicated many times: each person has their own definitions of expensive and of luxury. To me, anything in the $100 range is quite expensive to me, but my "luxury" pens are the Pilot Custom 823 and Pelikan M800 partly because of price but, honestly, mostly because of their performance and "feel." Some of yours (owned and/or reviewed) exceed that by a wide margin! 3. I very much like a springy, wet nib generally found on the more expensive pens, but I've found some very good steel nibs that compete quite well with my 14 to 18kt gold nibs. 4. Still, most, but certainly not all of the more expensive ones seem to offer a slight improvement in build, material and size over the so-called entry level ones. Yes, Stephen, I very much enjoyed and appreciated this video!
Personally for me I like fountain pens for how personal they are and also how personal one can make them. Not only can you choose what colour pen you have or what nib width you would like or even what ink colour you like the look or feel of but a lot of fountain pens (nibs) will actually mould themselves to your writing style, grip, pressure, angle, handwriting etc. For me, buying a more expensive pen although may seem like a 'waste of money' to some, people buy expensive watches only for them to do what a cheap watch from a supermarket could do - tell the time. So in that regard, where would one draw the line? (No pun intended) But for me it is the personalisation of a fountain pen and also that when it comes to handwriting you don't have to put as much pressure on it for it to write which, when used properly through practice, writing becomes a delight instead of a chore. This is coming from someone who has always hated writing from a young age. Writing was such a huge chore for me. I had bad eyesight when I was young and never learnt to form my letters properly. I was unable to see what I was writing for the shadow my hand would cast on the paper - it was that bad. Now I write every single day and I look forward to doing it. Because of fountain pens and because of the styles and personalisation and customisation and also because of the fantastic, friendly and beautiful community behind it. Thank you Mr Brown for your videos and I love your take on this subject too. Thank you for the effort you put into all of your content. I love watching your unique, informative, intellectual videos! Also I really admire your raw and informal approach.
It's kind of funny why I started to like pens. My father had a printing workshop, where any kind of objects were stamped with client logos. Many of them where pens, and funny pens, funny designs, innovative designs etc. My father use to carry the most innovative and attractive pen with him as a way to promote himself, and I liked the attention that it calls. So I started discovering brands of pretty pens, like zebra, parker, pilot. I grew up and started buying me that kind of pens, then I saw the pretty models designed for fountain pens and started at college with a zebra v-301. After that came pilot, kaweco, sheaffer, and the my father gave me some vintage fountain pens from my grandpa. All of them with gold nibs, and some needed of restoration. By now I can't afford to restore them, or buying expensive pens, but I totally love the out of common. Doesn't matter the price. If it has a look that says "hey, I'd been made to look different as the other pens" then I want it. My wallet hates this story
If it brings you joy, and you can afford (or budget) it, then it's worth it. I'm into knives, lockpicking, mechanical keyboards, and pens. Of these, I've spent the least on pens (only just recently breaking the $200 barrier). So far, in every hobby, it's been the same.
Since all of my fountain pens are under $80 I can't say they are exactly "expensive" although they are more expensive than any other pens that I own. For me, it's all about how does it write (sketch) I love getting different inks and really getting different lines. I also like seeing the ink slosh around and the ritual of cleaning. I guess I am more of an ink nerd than a pen nerd.
I loved your presentation; food for thought, indeed. A perfect pen falls in love with a single hand. Its love is lifelong and loyal. In the hands of another the pen will dry up; it will scratch out words and turn everything into an unintelligible, distraught mess. It simply isn't fair to put it through that pain, so choose your pen well. You will be joyful when you find that special pen, loving how its ink feels silky as the nib glides across the best quality vellum in a carefully chosen ink. Thank you for reading.
I think the only fountain pen I ever saw that used to be worth penny for penny was my Wing Sung 3008. Sure, it's Chinese and pretty much a TWSBI knock-off, but here's the thing: it's piston filler, the nib is easily exchangeable, because it's a Lamy Safari style nib, and it writes like a working horse. I've been through many sessions of extensive writing with it, my hand never got tired, the ink never clogged on the tip or had a hard starter, and it's a looker to carry around. But I agree. It's mostly a personal thing to be attracted to expensive fountain pens, because in practicality they're mostly the same and just the body changes.
I found fountain pens useful as it casuse less hand fautigue for me. Also in Mumbai(the place where I live), I have access to really inexpensve pens, inks and paper so it's not like I am paying more .[ [ the pen I use costs ₹25 each and the ink costs the same for 60ml, the paper costs around ₹ 70~90/kg depending the type and how much I am buying ] The other case is it is more customisible and environmently frendly.
Makes sense. I too enjoy the luxury of a well designed, comfortable and functional pen... and then probably a well made samurai sword is on my bucket list
Very interesting topic. I am also an audiophile, and belong to a number of audio clubs. It is a much more expensive hobby than fountain pens (people will drop $10k on a pair of speaker cables)... so, people will convince themselves that this new thing they have (just happens to be expensive), is so much better than anything else they already have... I love using my fp, and at work, I get so many positive comments when I bring my Visconti Opera Cherry Juice to meetings.
I liked it & I agree. Exclusivity, check. Sense of luxury, Definitely! But I would add that more expensive pens also transform the act of writing from a task to an experience. You feel the smoothness of the nib gliding over the paper; you see the writing materialize and admire the subtleties of line variation, you hear the nib’s slight noise as it doles out the ink and (at least for me) you strive to improve your penmanship. Writing with a quality pen actually feels different as well; the pen generally is more ergonomic, it’s also more pleasant to hold and manipulate; instead of clicking a button you unscrew a cap, instead of stabbing the paper as you drag your ballpoint across it you develop a habit of writing with significantly less pressure and more finesse. Your writing actually improves as a result. At least that’s been my experience; but I’m a relative newbie so my observations are probably skewed! Thanks for all you do to help us newbies. BTW I’ve obtained quite a few pens based on your reviews and have yet to be disappointed. Started with Montblancs because I bought into the hype & their advertising but my favorites now are Viscontis [ eg. LE opera master demo in tobacco] & Pelikan [eg. Moon Goddess] so thanks for enlightening me!
Hi Dr. Brown, Yes I do like this kind of content. For me I can only use examples of why I use fountain pens; here are two I don't know that you touched on. 1: I had a car that was perfectly ordinary. Reliable as the day is long, but everything was just "good". I wound up hating the car. 2, What I call affordable luxury, example I was at the market today and treated myself to Egglands Best, brand of eggs I feel are much more tasty than regular eggs. The extra price per dozen is minimal, but I feel like I treated myself and that feels good. Same with a fountain pen over a ball point
The most expensive pen I have is a Pilot Metropolitan. I think it is worth every ₹ I spent on it. It feels comfortable in the hand, and I like having the option to use any fountain pen ink.
Great thought provoking topic. I like these types of video if only to hear the gentle arguments put forward in explaining a sometimes wholly emotional action to the purchase and use of fountain pens. For me fountain pens allow me to engage in the things I want...not the things I need and I find this a totally liberating experience. Many thanks for the video :-)
True lovers are attracted to expensive pens because it signifies the ultimate celebration of writing, being the highest hallmark of humankind. The power of the celebration is a factor of one's own affordability and the passion with which the acquisition was made. Pens also bring back memories from the past whether it is a revered classic or one from the golden analog era!
The expensive pens started with a Visconti Tobacco, Van Gogh, Waterman Patrician, Sheaffer Crest then Legacy, Parker Duofold, Sailor King of Pen, MB 149, M800 Pelikan and now I just write and do not buy. I have sold my German, Japanese, Italian and American collections after collecting from 1988 until 2018. I have kept a few.
Very interesting conversation. I can’t really say what attracts me to fountain pens. I just know scarcity, luxury, status, has nothing to do with it to me, but it’s more about chasing the perfect writing experience and being dependent on the opinions of others in a climate where one cannot easily go into a pen store and try them out personally. However, it can’t just be about the writing experience or I wouldn’t have so many pretty pens so I’d say the aesthetic of it plays a huge part for me. I love my Lamy 2000 I just wish it were prettier.
Personally, i like the ritual of taking care of a fountain pen. I'm an architect and i like all kinds of drafting and writing tools, and ballpoints just never run out and I always get bored of them. Using fountain pens let me change inks, colors and nibs anytime I want.
I think things broadly seen to be “more” attractive are priced at what the market can bear. Ugly wedding dresses are priced lower than pretty ones. They are expensive because we find them attractive. Or at least, the sellers think we do.
👋 Pierre. What makes a dress or a pen more attractive? It can be raw materials that cost more and/or are difficult to source, craftsmanship, such as intricate sewing or tooling by hand, and innovative or unique design that took time to create. Cost per item can also be driven by the quantity produced. You have to recover all your costs over the number of pens you expect to sell. Your pens cost more than a $20 plastic pen, and some of the reasons are their higher cost esthetics, which make for a more attractive product. Market forces such as demand, branding and competition are important when pricing, but so is cost. I see it as a balancing act between the two.
@Pierre Miller I’m sorry, I’m sure I must have stated things badly. I haven’t been sleeping well lately. I’ll give it another go. I was talking about the things I thought made a product expensive in addition to its attractiveness. COST ▪️Components or raw materials of the final product which are expensive to buy because they are time intensive to make, or to design, or to find and extract. ▪️Noting that lower quantities can drive up the price per item. (1) economies of scale in buying components (2) all businesses must recover the costs of doing business with what they sell. ▪️Business infrastructure - Overhead and G&A costs. Leases, utilities, furnishings, machinery and tools, Insurance, Accounting, marketing/business development, legal/contracts, Human Resources, general office supplies, etc. ▪️Direct salaries. The salaries of the people that directly make the product in a hands-on way. MARKET ▪️What is the competition successfully charging for a same or similar product? This is primarily how you determine not only what people are willing to pay, but how you want to position your product (+ or -) against that price point. ▪️Can you charge as much for your products as an old, established brand with panache of being a luxury brand, or say a pen maker that just won a Pen of the Year award from Pen World? Those types of companies may be able to charge a “premium” for their pen, meaning they’re able to be 10-20% (just picking figures for example)mmore than the pens of companies with similar products. ▪️Demand. How many people are buying pens and at what price points? YIELDS PRICE Cost and Market drive price, I think the end result is a balancing between the two. Forgetting for the moment that “attractiveness” is subjective and that some damn ugly things can be expensive within that product type (e.g. wedding dresses), I think your comment is linked to demand. Things which are seen as attractive, for their usefulness and/or beauty, can have a greater demand and can command a higher price. That’s a true statement. My point was to look at some of the other factors, in addition to desirability, that drive price.
One year late to the topic. Yes, a useful video - Thank you Stephen. And a very interesting video, if I may say so. We all have our own personal journeys into the (costly) world of fountain pens. One thing I have found is that I would never buy a pen just to have it in my collection. And that is true for both some "grail" pens and some old pens that sadly I haven't been able to fix. Where I live there is zero fountain pen tradition and for many years the only fountain pen one could find was a Parker vector. Unfortunately, sending them off to a nibmeister abroad wouldn't be worth the expense. So those are the only pens I haven't really used.
My priority in a pen starts with the overall concept, nib, material, and filling mechanism (i am disgusted by expensive pens with a boring international filling mechanism/cartridge). I will not pay more than $500 for a pen that satisfy my curiosity. The most expensive pen I own now, that really satisfies my curiosity in terms of design, quality of writing, material, luxury etc is a Leonardo Momento Zero Grande. Love it to bits and every ounce a value for money. One is either a pen person or not.
I think it's an involvement factor to a degree. Using a fountain pen requires you become involved in how it works, how you fill it, the inks you choose, and the lifestyle involved. Like owning a Harley Davisdson, not always the best bike, or the most comfortable or reliable. But you are buying into the Harley lifestyle, history, and to degree mystique. It adds an extra element to a mundane task in our lives. Plus the appreciation for complexity, and workmanship that is not strictly necessary in a tool for an everyday task. We wood probably all be better served by the $5 roller ball on a daily basis, but would it be as satisfying to our emotion, and since of style? So the $100-300 you spend isn't so bad in that context. Well, until you wake up one morning with a collection of 300 pens, and realize you are crazy......lol.
For me: Buying decisions are not based on rational. It is based on emotions: look, feel, esteem, brand & experience
Stephen, I appreciated your discussion. I too in the 90’s and 2000’s ramped up to approximately 40 fountain pens both new and limited editions and vintage pens. And I agree with your points.
The feel of writing with one, nib on paper and in the hand are a specific joy that elicits something classical and even thought provoking creativity. However, i reduced my collection down to just 4 pens including a MB 149, Lamy 2000, a MB ball point and a Parker BP. I found that my collecting became an obsession and the cognitive dissonance grew. I was hoarding these pens in a way that was bolstering my ego rather than increasing those positive things in my life that go beyond the limitations of ego.
So I parted with my Agatha Christie MB snake fountain pen, my rolled gold Pelican 101n and my Omas Arco (a real beauty) in fine tip and to my astonishment I discovered the good things - the feel, creativity and special thought provoking experience continued with the vital few. Along the way I actually broke even or made money with the sale over time.
Like collecting anything, it can get to the point of obsession and as we know it is our job to balance the psyche and find that special place between order and chaos.
Dr. Brown you remembered!!! You have no idea how happy I am that you did, this question has been on my mind for just AGES. So it’s absolutely FANTASTIC to get your insights. I thought I had found some of my own reasons but it felt incomplete, like I wasn’t being completely honest with myself.
Luxury, in the sense of the materials and the esthetics, more than the brand name matters to me. 5 zillion corporate executives, up and down the ladder, whip out their Montblanc Meisterstucks (yeah ballpoints, that’s not the issue) and position it in front of themselves at meetings, for them it’s the brand and specific model that matter. It’s part of their status and identity as a business executive. I’m definitely not trying to offend any Meisterstuck lovers in the crowd, it’s certainly a fine pen.
I think of a beautiful pen as Art that writes. I love the way it can fit my hand, in weight and balance, and I’m all about the eye candy and the nicer writing experience. That’s the luxury part for me. What I wasn’t admitting to myself, that you brought out, was enjoying being different with my pens. It’s become part of my identity. Funny, there are a fair number of offbeat characters amongst the fine pen/fountain pen user crowd, you wouldn’t think we’d be attracted to yet another thing that makes us different let alone celebrating it. Something that just occurred to me, maybe we’re drawing strength from our separateness as a way of dealing with it? We make being different into something special? That last bit could be garbage, I have no idea, I have to think about it s’more. If it is, everyone be gentle with me, I’m taking a risk here.
Lots of people collect things, not everybody collects things that are everyday objects but on a different level. How often have you people seen watches or knives advertised alongside pens, or known a pen collector with an affinity for the other items? I just got a restored electric clock from the 50’s for my desk and I’m eyeing another, WTH? There’s a connection. We’re all also very detail oriented and can be extremely fussy. Let’s face the truth, Dr. Brown is a brave man for dealing with the lot of us. How many of you think of yourselves as introverts or needing bunches of alone time? Any extroverts in the crowd? I’m guessing not too many. Anyway, food for discussion on another day.
THANK YOU Dr. Brown for doing this video. You can see for yourself it was useful. And when are you gonna believe me - you do not ramble or talk too long. Those are my sins, back off already and get some of your own.
Thank you for prompting the question. Doctor Brown’s article was good for thought and reflection of our own motives/needs. Good job.
Thank you, Carol. Your comments rang true. One exception: I am an extrovert, and my father, in 1964, gave me my first fountain pen. I also used fountain pens in 6th grade, because the teacher gave each student one to use for penmanship. My penmanship has always been distinctive and admired, so that feedback stoked the desire for distinction.
I love the colors, composition, and artistry that pens provide.
Happy writing.
Mary from Rhode Island☮
So, you touched on a few angles. As for the penny-for-penny angle, I think that is true of many things that people spend lots of money on. A quality acoustic guitar, for example, does not have $1,000 worth of wood in it, or even labor. We buy them for the sound quality, playability, and looks.
I think you are spot on about the “return to analog.” There are many items that we gave up for expediency, and some people just want to experience the old ways, even if it is slower, less effective, whatever. Fountain pens are fussy, sometimes messy, need to be cleaned, and all that. I think most of us embrace that, maybe because we are, of necessity, more involved (invested?) in the writing process and we get to use a tool that is more enjoyable to use than, say, a Bic Crystal.
I didn’t hear you say much about peer pressure. I don’t have a desire for expensive pens. Howsomever, if I belonged to a pen club, I might feel a little bit second-class with my everyday pen, a Parson’s Essential, and who knows, might cave in and buy an expensive pen (but only if it wrote better than my PE).
I do enjoy this sort of talk. Unfortunately, on TH-cam, the poster has the ability hold a nuanced narrative, to which we poor viewers can only respond with terse bullet points!😁
I experience a small joy when holding, using and just looking at my, to me, expensive pens. Justification for spending money on an extravagant inanimate object becomes a battle, and many of us are now engaged in that battle. Each of us knows the outcome, we will win the battle, at least until the next. If we didn't want the unnecessary , we would live like animals who's only desire is to forage for food, procreate, and avoid the predators. In the past I used a typewriter, and have recently considered buying one, and when you suggested that analog is still desirable, I remembered the sound of the typewriter, and that sound was the clarity of you the user producing. I saw your review of the Pelikan Stresemann, before your review I wanted that pen, after the review I was not sure, however I am in a battle, should I buy the Pelikan Stresemann, after all I own the Pelikan M1000 green striped, broad nib, but when I look at the Stresemann , I Want It. I'll end my ramblings, however, I know this.
We should hold onto these small joys that can't be justified "penny for penny". Justification be Dammed. Thank you for all your ramblings.
For me fountain pens are a way of expression. In writing: I never felt any pleasure in writing as an activity, but love it with my fountain pens. Write to write, no goals, no meaning, just write to write. It is very mindful to me.
In respresenting my uniqueness: for me it is important my collection ‘fits’ me. Like decorating my house and choosing clothes. And for me it is important not ‘everyone’ has the pens I have. I find no joy in pens ‘everyone’ has. It doesn’t mean they have to be overly expensive, I have my limits, but I tend to more expensive pens because unique or limited pens are more expensive. And custom pens are a way to individualize my collection even more. Is say ‘collection’, but I don’t collect. I want to write with my pens and don’t like them being unused. It’s like gardening: creating beauty and color around me, in my own world, make it a bit more beautiful.
And yes, there is definitely the community aspect, which I truly love. It feels like belonging somewhere. Sounds profound, and to me it is. I’m quite a strong and independent single woman, that is great and okay, but has downsides: where do I belong? It’s like family: you did not choose them, but you belong with them and they are part of you. I love that and hadn’t experienced that in my life like this before. I meet a lot of people, internationally, and I like that very much.
And that all comes to a price. I’m willing to spend that partially on beautiful pens, being a bit of a snob in that, too. Picking them precise, with care and thoughtfully, or intuitive and jump on one. It’s a way of spending my time alone, without being really alone.
I love how you say that fountain pens are not worth it. Of course one shouldn’t over do it, but if we only did things that were financially sensible imagine how dull life would be. Also, I really like this type of video.
I think that, with fountain pens, there's a satisfying element of ritual. For example: when I make coffee I grind a small amount of whole beans, put them in an old Italian Moka pot I found in a charity shop and heat them on the stove - before I found that pot I didn't even like coffee that much. So it is with fountain pens, changing the nib, selecting the ink. Ordering SBRE Brown from Akkerman's just to use that bottle with the glass marble inside... and my writing still sucks. (P.S. An expensive pen for me is £100.)
Analogue things! Manual transmissions closer to the road, ink flowing onto the paper closer to the person in touch with having a body that thinks and writes. Yes!
This was very interesting topic by the way and I hope that others comment and I can’t wait to see other comments
Interesting thoughts. I always have trouble explaining why I like fountain pens. The 'analog' aspect intrigued me.
Thank you for this interesting and thought provoking topic. The video's format is straightforward and I'd enjoy more like it. I'm in my late 70s and have spent these years exploring creativity, from playing piano to fiber arts (spinning, weaving,, etc) and, for the past few years, watercolor painting. I choose my tools based on performance and aesthetics. Fountain pens are new to me and I am smitten. I am also on a budget. The pens that I have so far have ranged from under $10 to $60-80 (only 2 of these). I was drawn to each pen by its beauty, and how it feels in my hand. Each pen gives me a connection that requires attention and thought. I could write and have written essays on these amazing tools. I'll stop here but there is so much more to discuss. Again, thank you.
First of all yes, I deeply enjoy videos featuring such content and look forward to more. Second, since joining the club of more expensive fountain pens with a golden nib I have never looked back. The feeling of jotting down one's stream of consciouness, plans and wishes with an elevated writing tool is second to none, it is using a jewel, someone else's art work to write with. And because I'm focused on drawing classical temples and Greco-Roman theatres in pristine shape that involves a lot of research I believe the records deserve a beautiful writing pen.
I'm totally aware that I could get away with nearly everything I actually *need* with the Pilot G2 0.38 that I use as a backup.
Fountain pens are my vice, I like using them, I like feeling them, I like looking at them and most of all I love photographing them. It's probably one of the more harmless vices you can have too, compared to many other "vices".
I can definitely relate to experiencing cognitive dissonance in the realm of (attempting to) justifying something vintage, over something modern that is still in production. The idea of they don't make them like they used to, or every one of them is unique from having been used for years, or just that I spent some kind of effort in finding it.
Community is a big part of it for me as well, the desire to share has increased the desire to obtain as well.
Regarding tools of analog, especially as I am mostly vintage, I feel like it gives me something 'extra' to do. I like the feeling that I had to put something into the pen to get it working again, from a simple resac to curing cracks, and nib tuning. Like this little tool wouldn't be still alive today if I hadn't put some effort into it, and in that sense it makes it "mine". It's kind of a bit of faux purpose to get the serotonin going.
When you were talking about not caring about new cars I thought "I can relate to that!" Then I thought to myself, "I could have 1000 new pens for the price of a new car!" Then I thought, "Wait, it's only 100 pens for a new car." Then I thought, "Maybe I do spend too much on pens. Nah.
@nickelazoyellow Very witty!
It all comes back to basic heuristics. Generally, people associate higher prices with exclusivity or rarity. Similarly, people associate rarity with quality.
These associations are not always true at all (but, stereotypes exist for a reason). This is classic marketing and why brands exist. Even if the quality of a product from a brand known for less expensive products is, in fact, higher quality than that of a brand with more expensive products, the average person will not understand the quality differences and put their trust in the pricier, premium, brand.
To use a good car comparison since you brought it up, it's sort of why the Kia K900 isn't selling as well as Japanese or German luxury equivalents despite being less expensive and of an equivalent quality. The average person uses brand associations for purchases.
One point: I purchased my Jinhao fountain pens (x750) for about the same price of a ballpoint. So that may count towards equal value. But I also own some more expensive Waterman and Cross pens. I do not believe I would ever buy a Mont Blanc. You make excellent points.
I do like this kind of video very much so please keep doing them.
Expensive fountain pens -- they can be beautiful, and I love to look at them. I have a couple of pens that were my version of expensive -- over $100. In both cases, I saw them and fell in love with them. My Visconti Merry-Go-Round was the first, and it's still one of my favorite pens. I love the way the colors swirl. My Xezo Architect was the same -- I love the color, the feel of it, the guilloche finish with many coats of enamel. Both of these are also excellent writers. They are always inked and I use them frequently. I'm glad that I have them, although I doubt if I will buy more since I'm retired and on a fixed income.
I agree about the analog return. We want real things, real sensations, actual paper, ink, good pens that write beautifully. I am very into urban sketching, thousands of people all over the world who get together to sketch on location. And many of us use fountain pens, because of the feel and ability to make amazing marks of real paper with ink. I was at the SF Pen show last year and met Azzizah.. I have tried to draw on an iPad and I hate it.. I love Materials, I also make ceramics, paint with beeswax and great Felt covered sketchbooks.. so there.. Yay analog and yay to expensive, well made pens! Thanks Steven, interesting discussion.. Eileen
This is one of the best review of yours. Thanks a lot. I agree with you absolutely. Certainly my Lamy Safari All Black writes as well as my Souverän M1000, but when I look at my hand writing with the Pelikan it is a visual delight I don't get with the Safari. On the other hand I like to see my hand writing with my Montblanc M149 but it has disappointed me on technical issues so I keep it in its luxury box but don't use it. You know what: an expensive fountain pen is special and it makes you feel . . . special. Thanks again for this video.
Why the trend towards things analogue? A person who knew of my interest in fountain pens commented that the technology has barely moved on since someone used a pointed stick to draw pictures in the sand. It made me think; if that individual enjoyed pictures in the sand and found them a useful means of communication, perhaps he/she found a stick they liked, kept it and looked after it; perhaps decorated it. Maybe others in that community thought that the stick or its user had magic properties. A word processor can provide a huge variety of 'fonts', spell for you, correct your grammar, and many other things. It can't tell you what to write, and in my experience gives little satisfaction in the process. Perhaps there is a little bit of 'glamour' in the original meaning of the word that attracts us to our favourite pen.
Thanks for the thought provoking video.
Jumping into this new pursuit, I love these theoretical videos. Specific products come and go, but having borrowed insight from someone with a long investment into this hobby is priceless.
Follow up thought: is the reason we gravitate towards nice pens, watches, beautiful leather goods, knives, and the like IS THAT WE CAN CARRY IT WITH US? Because of it’s everyday functionality, we can use it or just look at it anytime we want and have CONTROL over our environment. We can take out the pen and a bubble of luxury, specialness and beauty suddenly surrounds us for as long as we want. That’s a little hard to do with a record collection or model trains. So functionality, portability, the feel of luxury and being special along with controlling our environment may be key ingredients in why we are drawn to these items specifically.
Wow. Personal breakthrough. THANK YOU DR. BROWN!
Edit to give you a heart ❤️ and some luuuv for doing this. Also, check out all the interesting comments and interactions among your subscriber community. That’s just great to see. You also had a lot of good/provocative comments and respectful discussions in your pen review of the Wing Sung 699 regarding copyright, copies and innovation. So you’re batting 1,000 and hittin’ `em out of da park in the parlance of baseball, which means you’re kinda fabulous.
For me, the pen I carry represents an era in my life. I look back at my lab notebooks and can immediately recognize the pen I used and the ink that I loved at the time. Being a person that has handwritten literally over 1 m of journals and lab notebooks, I can't imagine not loving ink and pens.
Is it worth the cost? It is difficult to find the right pen and ink for an era... most of the cost is in the pens that don't perform. I keep these in my collection, but they rarely get used.
It is worth adding, that the very first fountain pen that I loved and carried daily only cost $5 and didn't even have a brand. I used that pen daily during graduate school when I was writing notes for classes I was teaching. It had a medium (European) nib that allowed my writing to easily be scanned. Because it was a fountain pen (a fairly rough one), it forced me to write using good technique making my handwriting easier to read. I used Waterman cartridges and when there were mistakes I'd use Pentel eraser fluid. It still makes me smile to look at these old sets of notes and remember the stack of empty ink cartridges that I amassed in my desk drawer.
Such a good point about the cost being in the pens that don't perform! Very true - I don't resent the cost in the awesome writers!!!!
So many thoughts about this. 1. Keep this type of video coming. 2. Preppies and V-pens are easily worth their price. 3. Community is great, but it also has a normalizing effect on our concepts of foundation pen value. 4. I also sometimes wonder if we're undervaluing the labor of pens. It's hard to discuss for larger corporations, but I imagine that Pierre and Michal both need to pay their rent and would welcome being compensated for their time and effort. Maybe this would be a good topic for a P&S episode.
Thank you Stephen for this video which I enjoyed and have found myself mulling over. I have been using fountain pens for over 4 decades and sometimes they have been expensive and sometimes cheap but all of them have been about the experience and emotional response to what I am thinking and writing about in that phase of my life. It is generally the artistic aspects which attract me now in terms of the beauty of a pen and the way it interacts with the inks. Please do more of these types of videos.
I believe the luxury/exclusivity aspect is also general and not specific to pens. Most people I know have a passion and that’s the thing they are prepared to spend lots of money on. Whatever that thing is there are cheaper alternatives that will do the task at hand easily but, for whatever reason they want to spend their hard earned money on it. Be it handbags, watches, pens, bicycles, cameras etc. Whenever people ask me “why would you spend so much on a pen when you can get something much cheaper that does the same thing” I just respond with “the same reason you will spend more on X when you can get something similar much cheaper”
Firstly; I really enjoy these more theoreticals videos, and do appreciate you sharing them! Having small breaks from product reviews makes life a bit easier for my unemployed ass (and the unemployed rest of me!). To touch on your point of what attracts me to "expensive" pens, I'd have to say that it's the thought that gets put into their design and how that translates into sn overall writing experience. Not just the weighting of a pen and how the nib writes, but also the small things like facets lining up when capped. I enjoy discovering these small details; things that a plebeian such as myself would never even dream of, yet a pen designer felt was crucial. Being able to discover these small details and examine how they affect my interaction with both the pen and my writing just does it for me.
You know me Stephen I’ll watch any video you make so yes keep doing these, I think the attraction for me to fountain pens not so much expensive but regular fountain pens is the individual-ness aspect to it, I think I’m a different unique individual so when I sign my name I want people to see that even in the smallest of actions or simplest of actions I am different! Everyone that uses a fountain pen is a unique person! Thanks for the video I enjoyed it, your mate, jude
Thanks for a thought-provoking reflection! I enjoy watching various review videos and exploring "what" I and others like, but I really love the chance to ponder "why". Needless to say, that's a huge "yes" vote from me to keep sharing your thoughts via this type of video!
There might be a point to mention - calculated risk taking. Spending double digit percentage of someone’s salary on something which is not “essential “ goes through some sort of analysis. Apart from that, there is always a human tendency to standout in the crowd. ‘Hey look! I am doing something which not everyone does’ - fetches a sense of self satisfaction. Finally, once acquired, we just overcome one hurdle of hesitation and hence comes the rationalization.
As with many things in life, as the emotional reasons supercede the logical ones, the price goes up. Like you said, there is no logical reason to spend more on a writing utensil than what you would pay for a BIC ballpen or something equivalent. From a utility standpoint, if it writes, it’s enough.. After that, you simply enter the world of emotion. The feeling the object provides is what starts to count and from that point on the reasons for spending more are driven by those feelings and are, of course, very personal.
For me it has to do with a connection to my dad, who wrote with a fountain pen and had handwriting skills that were out of this world! It was his hobby and enjoyment to write like a calligrapher, although he wasn’t one. I also got a -less virulent- watch bug from him. ;)
Another aspect is this strangely satisfying feeling I get when writing with a fountain pen; there is something very satisfying in seeing the lines coming into existence and the feel of the nib going over the paper. That’s why I have all kinds of nibs, from flex to italic, from EF to Broad. Also the sensation of the different materials adds to the whole writing experience. I think we can all agree on that. I really enjoy the feeling of celluloid, but also thoroughly enjoy ebonite or ie. chinese laquer. And than there is the aspect of curiosity, like how a wine enthusiast likes to taste all sorts of wines. An answer to the question “How will that pen write? How would it feel?”. So I have pens in all price ranges, from the cheap chinese pens to the expensive MB, ASC, Omas, Molteni, Visconti etc. Each of them has their own character and I really enjoy everyone of them.
Luxury and exclusivity play a minor role for me, but its there. More in the sense of allowing myself the indulgence; kind of a reward for my hard work. I also recognise individuality. Hope this wasn’t too long! Enjoy your pens, but most of all, enjoy your life! With or without expensive pens. And thanks for this interesting vid dr. Brown.
"After that, you simply enter the world of emotion" Agree totally
Personal opinion: people love shiny status symbols. Why spend thousands or even hundreds on an ink dispenser? The same reasons people learn Klingon or collect less useful art. Part for the direct visual and tactile stimulation and part for the social eye catching. See "the handicap principal" as coined by Amotz Zehavi, an interesting topic in biology borrowed to psychology, and I think that would be an interesting topic for a whole other video, doc @sbrebrown!
For me it’s a tactile thing!: I like the way the nib feels as it moves across a page of Tomoe River paper in my Midori passport sized journal; also, it’s the fact that it’s really 3 hobbies: the pen, the ink and the paper; liked this vid: thanks:)
most discretionary purchases are a signaling of status
I was asking myself this very question, so your video caught my eye. I agree that the social aspect plays a big role on this. You sort of try to gain approval from the fountain pen community by saying “ Hey look! I paid this amount for this luxurious pen. Don’t you think I am a loyal member of the FP community? “ And also, they are simply so damn beautiful to be sure :)
Due to the relative affordability of quality fountain pens in Japan, there are probably more users here than Canada but still, I get reactions like, “fountain pen? I didn’t know that people still used those things.”
Thanks for the great video. Looking forward to updates.
I think even more amazing than many people using fountain pens is how many companies make modern fountain pens. 😁😁
This is good. The psychology of pen ownership. So now to get down to it, why am I attracted to expensive pens? Well, to put it into perspective, it's peer pressure and enabling by my "friends". IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, STEPHEN! #BOOM
I liked what you said about fountain pens being part of the analogue trend. I also use film cameras and listen to vinyl. There is a good book about this trend, "Revenge of Analogue", that you may want to read. As for expensive pens I find I'm attracted to the gold nibs and also if the pen has another meaning. As an example, I bought the Conway Stewart Churchill 'red poppy' pen because it commemorates the 100th anniversary to the end of WWI. It's a joy to write with, but it is what it represents that caught my eye. Fountain pens are also works of art. Whatever the reasons we collect, writing with a fountain pen causes me to slow down, write better and write more often.
Really intriguing question! Thank you, Dr., for giving your thoughts. I would like to start my own collection and so really appreciate your thoughts.
I’m all for this kind of talk. I generally find your perspective quite interesting.
I really love these videos, please do more!!
Hi Steven
Well structured answer to the question. I support all of your arguments. I would just add one, the always unfinished quest for excellence. At some point in my life I was convinced the Pelikano was the best ever writing instrument. From my studies to my retirement many years later those compagnons of my mental education and work are important to me. Solid writers, reasonably priced, always working. Only since a couple of years do I explore the world of fountain pens. And now I slipped into the realm of more expensive pens in the hope to find the "even better one". And for bad reasons surely there is a hope that if more expensive it will be better built.
Friendly Cheers
First off : again an excellent video! Looking forward to seeing more of this kind of installments.
To me fountain pens are indeed luxury items, even my dirt cheap Preppy. But I love the way they write and the possibility of using almost any colour of ink of your choosing.
Alas at work I am forbidden to use fountain pens, since we have to use special x-ray detectable pens (this is because I work in a can factory and you wouldn't want to find a fountain pen cap in your can of kidney beans...). So alas I don't have much opportunities to use my Preppy, unless for Birthday cards, shopping lists and scetches for DIY projects. But still I am happy to use it when I can. :-)
First off, thank you for all the insightful and quite unbiased reviews of fountain pens. I have found them informative and helpful in researching and purchasing my own pens. As for this video on expensive fountain pen admiration, I found it quite intriguing. I agree with many if not all of your comments and found your analogy regarding a standard auto versus a luxury auto spot on. Your comments about the use of analog “tools”was especially poignant. I would like to add one thing in this regard. Writing is a tactile and intimate experience that is regretfully becoming less and less of a discipline being pursued by most people. As a professor myself, I am amazed that the “art” of hand writing is not a priority in US schools[ cannot comment on the rest of the world with authority] and I see the results every day. I completely understand why this is the case in a digital world, but this is my point. The act of writing with a fountain pen, especially regarding correspondence, takes time and thought to execute successfully and if the tool one uses for such an endeavor does not allow unimpeded flow of ideas, something is lost. A good writing fountain pen is perfectly suited to this purpose. As for price, yes there is as you said a “difference” in writing with a $200 fountain pen and a $20 fountain pen but not necessarily a “better” experience. The bottom line is about the experience of putting ink to paper and that can be done quite enjoyably with a $20 pen and a $200 dollar pen. Keep up the good work.
Very interesting video and topic, Stephen. As for me - I entered the hobby phase of fountain pens in hopes of running across someone gimme restore my mother’s 1930 Sheaffer pen, and I did. In the process I bought a Kaweco Perkeo to reacquaint myself with the pens. Of course I then searched for videos to help me figure out the components and how to use the pen. as you know it just mushroomed from there. I have now punched the most expensive pen I have and believe I don’t need another because it does write beautifully, and is just gorgeous. I swore off buying any more pens and then three more were purchased. 🥰
Thanks. This was an interesting and thought provoking video. I liked hearing some ideas about why some people spend a fair bit of money on pens.
Fpens has me appreciate the finer things in life meaning the craftsmanship, the deliberate task of writing and just the sake of hobby and researching the art fpens and products and paper etc
My interaction in the academy has been different. My own areas were finance, business ethics and law, where aesthetics tend to matter less. But, I suspect like you, there is a side to most of us that has a lot of unmet needs. Research, pursuit of truth, and so much more about the academy can get to be work; fiction, literature in general, the pursuit of the good, the true, and the beautiful call. There is sense in which the art of penmanship, the beauty of words, the creative process seems to be advanced in the simply act of picking up an elegant fountain pen, a work of art in itself, and finding something beyond calculated price. :)
The price of an article is not just the cost of producing it, there are a lot of dimensions (tangible and intangible) that come into play to determine the price . And as the evaluation of those dimensions are personal (subjective) action... that is why prices can vary from 1 to hundreds/thousands of dollars for a fountain pen (or whatever) and you (the customer) are the only one who can determine if its worth for you to pay the price or not.
There are many fine things, luxurious things, that are beyond my means. The trope “champagne taste with a beer pocket book” comes to mind. So instead of the Bentley Continental, Armani suit, or bespoke Purdy shotgun, I can afford an expensive fountain fountain pen. My hand writing with ballpoint pens is illegible, and long writing sessions cause my hand to cramp. Not so with the fountain pen. Aside from the cartridge pens I used in elementary school in the ‘50s, my first fine instrument was a Schaefer Connaisseur which
I purchased in 1984 on sale. That experience, the silky flow of ink without having to press down, made writing a joy. Good discussion.
I like the connection to past scribes. The sound a nib makes on paper/parchment. The ink from a bottle/inkwell. From fountain pen to dip pen to quill to stylus. Over three thousamd years of writing, recording history. The flow of ink through that nib which a ball cannot replicate. The magnificence of medieval illuminated manuscripts.
I use Pelikan pens because they write beautifully. The planner community is similar to the pen community. I've made many friends through our shared interest. I love the nerdiness of it all; the quest is on for the "just right" planner, pen, ink, paper, and insert format.
For me, after $200 there is a sharp rise in diminishing returns. The improvement in writing, feel and luxury quickly maxis out. In fact I would say there is a point above $300 where the enjoyment declines because I feel an increasing sense of guilt spending that amount of $ on a self-indulgence. There are people for whom that amount of $ could be life sustaining such as prescription drugs or food (esp. in these times.) I think of Schindler's List where he takes his gold Nazis Party pin and says, "This could have bought two more lives." I don't claim to be any great philanthropist, but I give when I can and try to live frugally. I have gotten most of my pens on Ebay for a fraction of retail and can therefore justify them. For a time I was looking for a vintage 146 MB but I was reminded of the adage, "How many fountain pens does a sane person need?" Answer: One. I do 95% of my journaling with my grandfather's Parker 51 which I completely restored. The enjoyment I get from using it has nothing to do with $. I take pleasure in using something my grandfather once held and which my own craft resurrected. I think Jack Malcolm would be proud.
Great video. I have two thoughts. Using fountain pens can be very creative - choosing a pen that matches my mood; selecting an ink; taking the paper into consideration. Secondly, fancy/expensive is relative. When I’ve pulled out what I consider an inexpensive pen in a meeting, I’ve had colleagues remark about my *fancy* pen. They would be horrified to know that I spent more than a few dollars on a pen. To them, it’s a commodity.
I personally enjoyed this type of video. Keep them coming.
To add to your last point on comfort, fountain pens are really important to me because I have lupus, an autoimmune disorder that causes a lot of joint pain and swelling (among other things). Having a pen that is fat, decently-balanced, and requires little to no pressure to write with is absolutely essential for me to be able to write at all. There are adaptive arthritis ball pens and pencils out there, but they still require pressing harder than is comfortable, or they don't write well at an angle that is comfortable, or the weight or balance is off and that makes them uncomfortable. I have a small collection of what most pen aficionados would consider inexpensive pens (MSRP
Beauty.
We admire, appreciate, and covet beauty.
We can see beauty in the form, function, novelty of an object.
We appreciate excellent technical skills, the value of labour, and other esoteric aspects of fountain pens.
Recently, I bought my first pen after 30 years, and I will treat myself to a beautiful pen once a year until I pass.
I have what I call a Compulsive Collecting Disorder. Whenever I start a new interest, I usually go a bit overboard on the equipment. Archery - 6 longbows, 3 of which were custom made and rather expensive. Photography 13 cameras both film and digital plus a pile of lenses and other stuff. Fountain Pens - over a hundred ranging from $5 to well over $500. At least with the pens, the wide range of $50 and under has satisfied the collection urge enough to limit the over $300 purchases. My wife is the same with her sandals and purses except some of her purses would pay for my entire collection of pens :D
Love it when you share your views on topics so yes please to more videos like this if you are able. Thanks for all you are and do :)
I gave that a lot of thought when I bought my Visconti Homo Sapiens. The reason I paid was sentimental. My grandparents were from Catania, Sicily at the base of Mt Etna. The volcano dominates the consciousness of people there. Knowing the pen was made from the it's lava felt like a connecton. It also reminds me of the time I was on the mountain when it erupted (no lava, just smoke). What a thrill. The Palladium nib writes so beautifully I've never regretted the purchase.
@sicilianeye Best reason I’ve heard in a while for buying a pen.
Another fantastic video. I totally agree with a sense of community, I feel a sense of belonging that using fountain pens has given me. I initially as a child was attracted to a fountain pen as it was tactile and something I could look after, refill and use. Then I rediscovered a community of FP users on social media, and thus I fell down a bunny burrow. :)
I think there is artistic value too. Pen can be piece of art, beautiful, and made of specific materials. It's something like painting, or Katana blade. You feel joy Just for looking in something like that.
Workmanship and materials or if you have expensive tastes but only a beer income. Gratification is only a short term gain. There are a lot of low/mid price Chinese pens that won't leave with a sense of guilt or economic deprivation that buying luxury fountain pen you can't afford. Learn to collect within your means.
This subject is very interesting to me! I often think back to before I became "desensitized" to the cost of fountain pens ... and I mean at that time $15 for a Pilot Metropolitan! Which seemed ridiculous even though affordable to me but I still remember questioning myself at the time! Since that time, I've often pondered my reasons for being attracted to more expensive pens. And I realize that what one of us labels expensive another can find cheap. Wow this subject would make a great "tag" ... where lots of people in the hobby tackle the same question in video response. I definately am also very attracted to the community aspect!!! And the ink color choices and smoothness of the writing experience. But I'm sure there's a lot more too and I'll enjoy thinking about this as I go thru this week ...! Thank you for another very thought provoking & interesting video!
Hello Steven Brown: This was a very interesting video, so much so that I took notes...using a fountain pen, of course. This was the first video of yours that I have seen, recommended by Brian Goulet. Why fountain pens, even expensive ones? Memory, emotional connections, physical sensation, love of color or texture or architectural features, fascination with ink colors and composition (I taught chemistry for 47 years.), as well as your categories of exclusivity, community, analog trending, luxury, and cognitive dissonance reduction....encompass the reasons. Thank you. I will watch more of your videos. I suggest that fountain pen interest and sales have increased during this pandemic. Do you know of any data that supports my hypothesis? Cheers! Mary from Rhode Island....wishing we could move to Canada
Yes! More videos like this, also, please.
My first job out of grad school required me to write extensive notes for at least 5 hours a day. A typewriter was not an option. I would "break" 3 Cross Solos a year at $5 each, and spend lots of money on cartridges.After 2 years, in 1972, I bought a Montblanc 149 for $75. In a rural community, it carried no cachet, and some folks pitied me that I had to use such an old-fashioned pen. Guess who has laughed all the way to the bank since then. For a person who wrote nothing but the monthly checks with a fountain pen, the Solo was perfectly adequate, and a fun alternative to a Paper-Mate. For me, the 149 was a godsend.
The fountain pen is the very pinnacle of the analog writing instrument. Though it was not designed during the Industrial Revolution, it is iconic like many devices made during the Revolution, because its basic design is still functioning in the modern fountain pen.
This was an excellent video and I'm looking forward to seeing more of these philosophical / psychological topics.
This is in regards to your parting question. I enjoy watching fountain pen reviews, but after having watched a hundred or so of them, I'm starting to get a lot more choosy about which ones I watch. At some point, my focus kind of contracted to pens I think I would enjoy writing with (I like big, girthy pens) and that I *might* conceivably buy some day. I enjoy reviews of pens from small makers rather than reviews of the latest iteration of the Visconti Homo Sapiens - everybody loves it, what more is there to be said about those pens? So, I do enjoy the more philosophical videos you produce. While I don't feel like this particular one actually answered the original question, it touched on a number of things that resonated with me, and I found it very enjoyable. I'd encourage more like it.
Good video and thank you for all of your helpful videos. Of course, my expensive pen may not be expensive for others, but for me, I'm looking for a tactile plus visual experience that produces a pleasurable writing experience. Once you've experienced it, it's hard to go back to using inferior tools. I have found some really good experiences with inexpensive pens, but the best ones involve the more expensive pens in my collection.
I liked this explanation. I can remember perfectly the joy of writing with a Lamy 2000 for the first time and then (little cheaper than the former) with a Pilot Custom 74, both are expensive for my financial standard, but 'difference' is the key word and the driving force. But I was disappointed by many 'expensive' fancy brands too.
Its all about aesthetics. Indeed, a 5 dollar ballpoint pen will write things down as well as a Namiki Yukari Royale but the Namiki feels and looks terrific - a piece of art, jewel-like - in your hand.
I enjoyed your discussion. Please continue doing this type of video. Just a quick comment on the return to analog. I work in the software industry and I'm surrounded by technology at all times. I recently discovered fountain pens and I enjoy using them because it forces me to slow down. I'm much more careful about how I write and how I phrase things because it is much more difficult to change. In some ways, it is like a much-needed mini-vacation from technology. Keep up the good work.
This was very interesting and useful! Thank you and please carry on....
Good for you, you remembered psych 101
Yes, given that I'm teaching that course right now, some of it comes back at times.
@@sbrebrown great, can I get credits for watching your stoicism videos? I need them to finish my GCSE
Fountain pens (in general) attract me because:
1. Comfort (softer, easier, girthier grip rather than the death grip on a skinny ball point) - my penmanship is still horrid, but it does improve a bit with fountain pens
2. An _extremely wide_ range of ink colors, attributes and the ability to switch inks (I like vivid colors and generally like water-proofness)
3. A much wider range of nib widths (mostly Broad, but ranging from EF to BBB to the Parallel super wide ones)
4. A return to the old analog style engages and exercises the mind better, at least in my opinion
5. Simply a reminiscence to my junior high school days when a cheap Sheaffer pen was a luxury item that I enjoyed - plus the memory of what my mom and grandmother used to write.
Expensive fountain pens attract me because: well, I don't really know.
1. Not snobbishness. I enjoy sharing my FP experience and the pens as in "hey, you might enjoy this too," but don't really show them off as in "hey, look at me." It is more an indefinable pleasure in just having and using something a little extra nice. Utile - yes; flashy - no!
2. Some less expensive ones write as well as my most expensive (but still modestly priced in some folk's eyes) ones. As you've indicated many times: each person has their own definitions of expensive and of luxury. To me, anything in the $100 range is quite expensive to me, but my "luxury" pens are the Pilot Custom 823 and Pelikan M800 partly because of price but, honestly, mostly because of their performance and "feel." Some of yours (owned and/or reviewed) exceed that by a wide margin!
3. I very much like a springy, wet nib generally found on the more expensive pens, but I've found some very good steel nibs that compete quite well with my 14 to 18kt gold nibs.
4. Still, most, but certainly not all of the more expensive ones seem to offer a slight improvement in build, material and size over the so-called entry level ones.
Yes, Stephen, I very much enjoyed and appreciated this video!
Personally for me I like fountain pens for how personal they are and also how personal one can make them. Not only can you choose what colour pen you have or what nib width you would like or even what ink colour you like the look or feel of but a lot of fountain pens (nibs) will actually mould themselves to your writing style, grip, pressure, angle, handwriting etc. For me, buying a more expensive pen although may seem like a 'waste of money' to some, people buy expensive watches only for them to do what a cheap watch from a supermarket could do - tell the time. So in that regard, where would one draw the line? (No pun intended) But for me it is the personalisation of a fountain pen and also that when it comes to handwriting you don't have to put as much pressure on it for it to write which, when used properly through practice, writing becomes a delight instead of a chore. This is coming from someone who has always hated writing from a young age. Writing was such a huge chore for me. I had bad eyesight when I was young and never learnt to form my letters properly. I was unable to see what I was writing for the shadow my hand would cast on the paper - it was that bad. Now I write every single day and I look forward to doing it. Because of fountain pens and because of the styles and personalisation and customisation and also because of the fantastic, friendly and beautiful community behind it.
Thank you Mr Brown for your videos and I love your take on this subject too. Thank you for the effort you put into all of your content. I love watching your unique, informative, intellectual videos! Also I really admire your raw and informal approach.
It's kind of funny why I started to like pens. My father had a printing workshop, where any kind of objects were stamped with client logos. Many of them where pens, and funny pens, funny designs, innovative designs etc. My father use to carry the most innovative and attractive pen with him as a way to promote himself, and I liked the attention that it calls. So I started discovering brands of pretty pens, like zebra, parker, pilot. I grew up and started buying me that kind of pens, then I saw the pretty models designed for fountain pens and started at college with a zebra v-301. After that came pilot, kaweco, sheaffer, and the my father gave me some vintage fountain pens from my grandpa. All of them with gold nibs, and some needed of restoration.
By now I can't afford to restore them, or buying expensive pens, but I totally love the out of common. Doesn't matter the price. If it has a look that says "hey, I'd been made to look different as the other pens" then I want it.
My wallet hates this story
If it brings you joy, and you can afford (or budget) it, then it's worth it.
I'm into knives, lockpicking, mechanical keyboards, and pens. Of these, I've spent the least on pens (only just recently breaking the $200 barrier). So far, in every hobby, it's been the same.
You could use the lock-picking hobby to fund the other hobbies 😀
Since all of my fountain pens are under $80 I can't say they are exactly "expensive" although they are more expensive than any other pens that I own. For me, it's all about how does it write (sketch) I love getting different inks and really getting different lines. I also like seeing the ink slosh around and the ritual of cleaning. I guess I am more of an ink nerd than a pen nerd.
I loved your presentation; food for thought, indeed.
A perfect pen falls in love with a single hand. Its love is lifelong and loyal. In the hands of another the pen will dry up; it will scratch out words and turn everything into an unintelligible, distraught mess. It simply isn't fair to put it through that pain, so choose your pen well. You will be joyful when you find that special pen, loving how its ink feels silky as the nib glides across the best quality vellum in a carefully chosen ink.
Thank you for reading.
I think the only fountain pen I ever saw that used to be worth penny for penny was my Wing Sung 3008. Sure, it's Chinese and pretty much a TWSBI knock-off, but here's the thing: it's piston filler, the nib is easily exchangeable, because it's a Lamy Safari style nib, and it writes like a working horse. I've been through many sessions of extensive writing with it, my hand never got tired, the ink never clogged on the tip or had a hard starter, and it's a looker to carry around.
But I agree. It's mostly a personal thing to be attracted to expensive fountain pens, because in practicality they're mostly the same and just the body changes.
I found fountain pens useful as it casuse less hand fautigue for me.
Also in Mumbai(the place where I live), I have access to really inexpensve pens, inks and paper so it's not like I am paying more .[
[ the pen I use costs ₹25 each and the ink costs the same for 60ml, the paper costs around ₹ 70~90/kg depending the type and how much I am buying ]
The other case is it is more customisible and environmently frendly.
Makes sense. I too enjoy the luxury of a well designed, comfortable and functional pen... and then probably a well made samurai sword is on my bucket list
Very interesting topic. I am also an audiophile, and belong to a number of audio clubs. It is a much more expensive hobby than fountain pens (people will drop $10k on a pair of speaker cables)... so, people will convince themselves that this new thing they have (just happens to be expensive), is so much better than anything else they already have...
I love using my fp, and at work, I get so many positive comments when I bring my Visconti Opera Cherry Juice to meetings.
I liked it & I agree. Exclusivity, check. Sense of luxury, Definitely! But I would add that more expensive pens also transform the act of writing from a task to an experience. You feel the smoothness of the nib gliding over the paper; you see the writing materialize and admire the subtleties of line variation, you hear the nib’s slight noise as it doles out the ink and (at least for me) you strive to improve your penmanship. Writing with a quality pen actually feels different as well; the pen generally is more ergonomic, it’s also more pleasant to hold and manipulate; instead of clicking a button you unscrew a cap, instead of stabbing the paper as you drag your ballpoint across it you develop a habit of writing with significantly less pressure and more finesse. Your writing actually improves as a result. At least that’s been my experience; but I’m a relative newbie so my observations are probably skewed! Thanks for all you do to help us newbies. BTW I’ve obtained quite a few pens based on your reviews and have yet to be disappointed. Started with Montblancs because I bought into the hype & their advertising but my favorites now are Viscontis [ eg. LE opera master demo in tobacco] & Pelikan [eg. Moon Goddess] so thanks for enlightening me!
Sorry I had to interrupt watching the video, literally my montblanc writers edition Victor Hugo just came in.
Hi Dr. Brown, Yes I do like this kind of content. For me I can only use examples of why I use fountain pens; here are two I don't know that you touched on. 1: I had a car that was perfectly ordinary. Reliable as the day is long, but everything was just "good". I wound up hating the car. 2, What I call affordable luxury, example I was at the market today and treated myself to Egglands Best, brand of eggs I feel are much more tasty than regular eggs. The extra price per dozen is minimal, but I feel like I treated myself and that feels good. Same with a fountain pen over a ball point
The most expensive pen I have is a Pilot Metropolitan. I think it is worth every ₹ I spent on it. It feels comfortable in the hand, and I like having the option to use any fountain pen ink.
Great thought provoking topic. I like these types of video if only to hear the gentle arguments put forward in explaining a sometimes wholly emotional action to the purchase and use of fountain pens. For me fountain pens allow me to engage in the things I want...not the things I need and I find this a totally liberating experience. Many thanks for the video :-)
True lovers are attracted to expensive pens because it signifies the ultimate celebration of writing, being the highest hallmark of humankind. The power of the celebration is a factor of one's own affordability and the passion with which the acquisition was made. Pens also bring back memories from the past whether it is a revered classic or one from the golden analog era!
The expensive pens started with a Visconti Tobacco, Van Gogh, Waterman Patrician, Sheaffer Crest then Legacy, Parker Duofold, Sailor King of Pen, MB 149, M800 Pelikan and now I just write and do not buy. I have sold my German, Japanese, Italian and American collections after collecting from 1988 until 2018. I have kept a few.
Very interesting conversation. I can’t really say what attracts me to fountain pens. I just know scarcity, luxury, status, has nothing to do with it to me, but it’s more about chasing the perfect writing experience and being dependent on the opinions of others in a climate where one cannot easily go into a pen store and try them out personally. However, it can’t just be about the writing experience or I wouldn’t have so many pretty pens so I’d say the aesthetic of it plays a huge part for me. I love my Lamy 2000 I just wish it were prettier.
Personally, i like the ritual of taking care of a fountain pen. I'm an architect and i like all kinds of drafting and writing tools, and ballpoints just never run out and I always get bored of them. Using fountain pens let me change inks, colors and nibs anytime I want.
I think things broadly seen to be “more” attractive are priced at what the market can bear. Ugly wedding dresses are priced lower than pretty ones. They are expensive because we find them attractive. Or at least, the sellers think we do.
👋 Pierre. What makes a dress or a pen more attractive? It can be raw materials that cost more and/or are difficult to source, craftsmanship, such as intricate sewing or tooling by hand, and innovative or unique design that took time to create. Cost per item can also be driven by the quantity produced. You have to recover all your costs over the number of pens you expect to sell. Your pens cost more than a $20 plastic pen, and some of the reasons are their higher cost esthetics, which make for a more attractive product. Market forces such as demand, branding and competition are important when pricing, but so is cost. I see it as a balancing act between the two.
Carol Z I do not understand what you are saying.
@Pierre Miller I’m sorry, I’m sure I must have stated things badly. I haven’t been sleeping well lately. I’ll give it another go.
I was talking about the things I thought made a product expensive in addition to its attractiveness.
COST
▪️Components or raw materials of the final product which are expensive to buy because they are time intensive to make, or to design, or to find and extract.
▪️Noting that lower quantities can drive up the price per item. (1) economies of scale in buying components (2) all businesses must recover the costs of doing business with what they sell.
▪️Business infrastructure - Overhead and G&A costs. Leases, utilities, furnishings, machinery and tools, Insurance, Accounting, marketing/business development, legal/contracts, Human Resources, general office supplies, etc.
▪️Direct salaries. The salaries of the people that directly make the product in a hands-on way.
MARKET
▪️What is the competition successfully charging for a same or similar product? This is primarily how you determine not only what people are willing to pay, but how you want to position your product (+ or -) against that price point.
▪️Can you charge as much for your products as an old, established brand with panache of being a luxury brand, or say a pen maker that just won a Pen of the Year award from Pen World? Those types of companies may be able to charge a “premium” for their pen, meaning they’re able to be 10-20% (just picking figures for example)mmore than the pens of companies with similar products.
▪️Demand. How many people are buying pens and at what price points?
YIELDS PRICE
Cost and Market drive price, I think the end result is a balancing between the two. Forgetting for the moment that “attractiveness” is subjective and that some damn ugly things can be expensive within that product type (e.g. wedding dresses), I think your comment is linked to demand. Things which are seen as attractive, for their usefulness and/or beauty, can have a greater demand and can command a higher price. That’s a true statement. My point was to look at some of the other factors, in addition to desirability, that drive price.
For me, it's the beauty/artistry.
One year late to the topic. Yes, a useful video - Thank you Stephen. And a very interesting video, if I may say so. We all have our own personal journeys into the (costly) world of fountain pens. One thing I have found is that I would never buy a pen just to have it in my collection. And that is true for both some "grail" pens and some old pens that sadly I haven't been able to fix. Where I live there is zero fountain pen tradition and for many years the only fountain pen one could find was a Parker vector. Unfortunately, sending them off to a nibmeister abroad wouldn't be worth the expense. So those are the only pens I haven't really used.
My priority in a pen starts with the overall concept, nib, material, and filling mechanism (i am disgusted by expensive pens with a boring international filling mechanism/cartridge). I will not pay more than $500 for a pen that satisfy my curiosity. The most expensive pen I own now, that really satisfies my curiosity in terms of design, quality of writing, material, luxury etc is a Leonardo Momento Zero Grande. Love it to bits and every ounce a value for money. One is either a pen person or not.