In the end, a pen is a writing instrument, and when you write A LOT, nothing compares to writing with SOME fountain pens (not all are built the same): A) your hand is not hurt with fp’s, try writing a hundred pages with a rollerball or ballpoint and tell me how you feel. B) you write faster, waaaaaay faster. Try writing a hundred pages with a ballpoint or rollerball and see how long it takes. The fact that your pen does not work to take a quick note is because you are using a crappy pen, even if it’s expensive. I have some pens which can write well right away after not using them MONTHS, even some really cheap pens. C) both A and B matter because writing requires a mental process, even if its unconscious, and if writing is harder or not fast enough, you waste a lot of mental power on those things instead of the actual writing (don’t try to argue this, your mind works like that). The only time I don’t use an FP is for signing some stuff, like contracts on bad paper. Other than that I don’t see any other thing that prevents me from using one. The paper is a thing, but with the right pen and the right nib size it does not matter that much if it’s common paper like printer sheets and common notebooks. Granted, there are some papers that are just woeful, Moleskines for example, I won’t even think of writing on those in the first place. And the “messy” part, once again depends on the pen. For the left handed issue, try using very fine nibs and very quick drying ink, preferably in cheaper paper which has higher absorption than high quality paper.
You forgot the biggest reason though. They suck because you can only write with one at a time but will have a couple dozen in no time and will agonize daily over which 3 or 6 you are going to carry that day.
I’ve used fountain pens for over 50 years and I cannot understand this whole inky fingers issue and I’m left handed as well…and have zero issues…do people play with the damn things?
I have 42 FP on my collection box and growing 😁 As a user for around 40 years, I can assure you that I can't compare the experience of a fountain pen VS a ballpoint pen. I am one of those who prefer to work with a FP despite its "drawbacks", it is more appreciated among connoisseurs both artistic and written works. The fountain pen is actually a sub-culture within the universe of the analog.
The love for analog is filled with all sort of subcultures and subgenres. A very good example of that is music. How analog you want your music to be... What is even analog in that case? To some people, they just need the satisfaction of owning the physical media, to others, it can be a whle science experiment, trying to get the most pure non-digitalizeed listening experience, messing with tube amplifiers, turntable styli... Even the cabes (supposedly) make a difference. Popping a CD into your car's stereo and being a full-fledged vinyl audiophile are, I guess, two extremes of a same coin, they just want to live an experience. I'm a bit of both, owning both CDs and vinyl records (although I'm not that extreme hehe), and to me, physical medias are just nice. Not only do I have access to my music without being robbed monthly, I can actually touch it, own it. There's a whole experience behind listening to them. I like to gently slide the disc either on the table or the reader, to clean it, to check for scratches... I like dropping the cheap plastic album cover on the floor and snapping the flimsy pins that hold the cover together... Wait no- I guess fountain pens are the same. There's a big difference between my mom, messing with her Safari and her shimmer inks, doing her little stuff, and the dudes on Instagram that weild and stack nibs on top of each others like Sailor used to do, but I guess they feel the same as the audiophiles, and the car enthusiasts, and the watch collectors, and some musicians... They're all for the experience
@@baroquer Whe I showed my younger colleagues in the pharmacy my Parker 51 they went bananas. They loved it and said they never saw one before. That made me feel good. Fountain pens don't suck...they are just different. You are a part of that pen because you care about it from cleaning and writing with it along with tweaking the nib. I fully understand what this article is about and I agree with the presenter. In fact I thoroughly enjoyed reviewing every comment on here and they are all on spot. Fps are ice breakers. People want to try them. They are fun! I use mostly ball points but nothing brings be joy like a nice FP.
As a 2 month old in this fantastic hobby, its so true. It almost stresses me out lmao I feel stupid and worry about maintenance which seems complicated and unique for each pen.
haha youre okay. Maintenance is defintely important but not something you should be worrying about TOO much. A lot of the pens these days are built to LAST. Welcome to the addiction though
I bought my first fountain pen because I wanted to use it for urban sketching, and got disappointed of the difficulty I was having with it and oh boy I made a huge mess trying to install the cartridge and the writing….. sometimes it didn’t ink, others it made a huge blob of ink 🖋️ it’s hard to get the hang of it
@6:24 "My heart sank to my butthole" LOL. So true, all very good reasons why we shouldn't love these damn things. The fact that we love them DESPITE all of that is why we are so passionate about the hobby :)
Not all inks work well with all pens. I discovered that my Kaweco Sport pocket pen will easily leak into the cap if I place it in my front pants pocket using Pilot Blue-Black ink. One of my favorite inks btw.
It's so fun because I used fountain pens for at least 13 years and i never had any of the problems you mentioned but i can understand why you say that. I'm glad my first pen for writing was a fountain pen ! I think that we should not reduce them to a hobby, i'm not an expert in this domain and still use only these type of pens. The high price is not necessarily true, I only use one fountain pen at a time and they last me at least 5 years of daily intensive use even for quick notes (the one i currently have cost me 20€ and it's the most expensive i ever got).
Actually you have covered all the downsides 😊 Fountain pens are a combination of ink property (fading , shining, shading, waterproofness) and nib properties of wetness, line width and filling system and paper. Then comes shape and comfort of writing or lack of it, too narrow, too long. Now I use Waterman Expert III GT with Baystate Blue and after few pens I think I’m finally settled 😊
@@Soul_Watcher I don't know where is this bad reputation coming from. Writes well, dries ultra fast. Maybe stains plastics , but flushing pen to state that water comes out clean is enough I think. Pen has to be cleaned thoroughly in warm water.
@@JohnDoe-el5ir I was just joking with ya. Yeah, people love the color and hate that it stains their expensive demonstrator pens. I don’t mind because I don’t put it in any demonstrators. Some peeps will assign one of their pens for Baystate because of that. I personally am more concerned about any inks that could or can destroy the guts, feed, or nib to be honest. Also when it stains you or your cloths forget it. It’s not usually coming out. But that has happened to me with supposedly washable inks. I don’t fret much about any of that either way. I thoroughly enjoy my fountain pens and world. Cheers
I recently pared my collection down to five pens, and the Waterman Expert lll made the list. Snap-cap, classic good looks, smooth steel nib, not too thick or thin, has heft but not too heavy... If I wasn't so addicted to my other gold nib pens, the Expert lll is worthy of being that 'one pen' for the rare individual who wants just one pen.
It’s an interesting “rabbit hole”. Works for some while it’s not for everyone. I agree with everything you said as I’ve experienced most of them. However, it’s like being in a suite. You wouldn’t want to play sport, do groceries, go fishing and even go on jobs that doesn’t fit being in a suit. It’s really not for everyone. I think people who uses fountain pens are just passionate about it. People are willing to go through the additional “messy” and expensive maintenance. If you love your baby, I’m sure you’ll put up with whatever comes with when changing the diapers. One other thing to note, as per my experience, there’s no such thing as a perfect pen. Perfect pen is the one that you’re comfortable with and can write well. Honestly, I don’t like the ball point pens anymore. It feels ike the ink color is too dim. I enjoy the vibrant color of a fountain pen. That’s just personal preference. However, as I’ve faced the same issues which you’ve mentioned, I’m now experimenting with gel pens. Going back to fountain pens. No pen can do what my custom made flex pen does except for dip pen nib “Brauss Blue Pumpkin” which requires dipping the pen nib after every few words which again is another level of writing experience where you’ll either love it or hate it.
I do get ink on my fingers, but I think I must be getting better as I use them more. Apparently there's a certain way to hold such a pen so as to not do that. I like the nib of my parker xl because it's fairly broad, but I like the weight of another pen I was given. Sadly I haven't yet found anyone to tell me the name of the heavier older pen, but I doubt it's a Parker because it has a different clip on the lid. Overall though, I like the way a fountain pen feels to write with and the fact I can change out the ink colors in thesame pen (provided I have the right size of cartriage) is pretty fun. For convenience though, I have the blue cartriage in one pen and the black in the other. I was also given some plastic fountain pens which look and feel really weird and generally not as pleasant, so if I use them I would probably only do so for the odd thing.
I went on Aliexpress and loaded up on a bunch of different extremely cheap fountain pens. went on eBay and bought a range of extremely cheap small ink bottles of different brands and colours, and started experiementing because I wasn't sure what I liked. I thought I would like medium nibs, didn''t, then thought EF, didn't, settled on just Fine. Hate the bent nibs with a passion. I don't like the really heavy pens, but really like mini fountain pens, so that was a revelation. It's a journey.
When I picked them up as an adult my shop had a lot of forms with Carbon Copies ! So I developed with good ball points - fountain pens are better afterwards.
As a left handed underwriter I love my fountain pens!! More so once you learn how to tune your pens right out of the box to fit your way of writing 🤩🤩🤩
That’s so interesting! As a lefty, I don’t really love my fountain pen (could definitely be user error, but I don’t think I have the patience 😂). I smudge everything!
I watched a video about left-handed fountain pen users, and realized that I write with my hand below the fountain pen, so I’m not passing it over my writing as I go from left to right. On the other hand, my son who was interested in the pens, writes with his wrist flexed, and therefore smears everything as he goes along. I guess it’s just a matter of training yourself to write from the bottom as opposed to over the words. It’s the write way for me 😂
Feel your pain - dropped a montblanc meisterstuck that I bought for $100, 30 years ago. Just checked how much they cost and I've been trying to fix it. Unsuccessfully
Yeah, but if you were Charles Dickens' pet goose you'd think fountain pens were pretty cool. I'll grant it would be nice if fountain pens were as convenient as rollerballs. They aren't, but what's the alternative? Write with a rollerball? Scandalous!
I very strongly disagree with the reasoning in the video, however, it's very interesting to see your opposing perspective towards them, great video, keep up the good work🎉
I have been avoiding fountain pens for years because of the way that they're wet writers most of the time, but I have recently been forced to switch in my effort to greatly reduce my waste in my writing habit. Even the rollerball refills, individually wrapped in plastic and it drives me insane. So now I have some actually refillable pens. Only enough for my main writing and editing colors. And when the carts they shipped with can't be refilled anymore I'll probably convert them to eyedroppers. Worst part was doing the deep dive to figure out what nib sizes to get. EF. Even the pilot F feels a little too inky from time to time vs me have signos.
The dropping thing is BS honestly. I dropped the same ballpoint pen with two different refills this week and both times it landed on the tip and destroyed the refills. You drop a ball point on the writing tip and it will never write the same again. At least with fountain pens you can replace the bent nib if you can't fix it.
Not if you have 40 of them. But I found a solution. I keep a small jar with water. Just dip the nib quickly and that should resolve the issue. Don’t sink in for too long. Sometimes you may see the ink color get lighter with this method which you may also like as it gives a different color at first.
Bro has some deep unknown trauma ...venting out on Fountain pen 😂😂 Bruh , life's messy n fragile & things need Care !! Not just the Fountain pens alone. Remember ; Live for ur passion or die dry ! ❤️🔥
I absolutely love fountain pens and write with them whenever I can (my personal diary is only penned by my trusty Aurora Alpha) but I'm perfectly aware of the fact that they are just not practical for everyday use, aside from their inherent fragility like you said there is also the matter of paper, most practical supports you will write in daily life, be it notepads, notebooks or even checks (had a really awful experience with this one), are not suitable for fountain pens, you will just make a mess and ruin whatever you are trying to do. Personally, I just use rollerball pens for everyday writing, they are practical and surprisingly sturdy (I have an old Paper Mate vintage one made in West Germany from the 80's that can literally crack nuts, it's that heavy and sturdy) while still being classy and really pleasant to write with, paper is still an issue but less so than with fountain pens since they make less of a mess even with thin paper (just get used to deal with ghosting a lot).
Why supercars suck: Are expensive compared to a 2005 Toyota corolla. Cannot use regular fuel. Need special graded fuel. Have to store them in a nice clean garage. Put a nice cover on them. Cannot go big grocery shopping in them. Need ppf if you want the paint to not be damaged. Cannot drive them on any bad road with potholes or bumps. Cannot pull logs of lumber with them. Not recommend to drive in bad weather conditions. Insurance is costly. Repairs are costly. Servicing is costly. Carbon fibre is fragile compared to 2 tons of rotting iron. Shouldn't leave them unattended. BUY A TOYOTA COROLLA. Lets warn new supercar buyers.
I guess these can be problems, but most I've not encountered myself, but maybe it doesn't get to me as I love the messiness and I don't have many that just write well
Yeah, the no-ink-when-starting issue is the only real gripe I have. Also some surfaces I guess. For hard labour, combat, survival, etc. obviously take a couple of shitty ballpoints the take notes against a tree branch with. Other than that, ink tending to bleed on bad paper, but this can be eliminated with a finer nib and more viscous ink. All other issues are just meta-issues honestly. Not having to press hard and being able to refill infinitely just makes most of the problems worth it.
I started writing with fountain pens around 2016 and the most I've ever spent on a pen was about $35 usd and ink lasts long enough it's not as expensive as it seems at first the only real issue I have is paper I can't get good paper without traveling 100 miles
100 years and before no one ever bitched about fountain pens. Then You came along...deluded enough to think there should be an answer to everything. You will only skim the surface in this life and when the end comes everything you have ever known will be obliterated. Because you are so special, and what you knew was so special . Just like what you are telling us now. Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄
I love fountain pens. I'm rough with them so I maybe HAVE cracked my pilot custom 823 (devasted). I use them everywhere. idc if it bleeds. I will use it lol. I use my medium nib twsbi diamond 580 in my kid's crappy paper exercise books. I am a teacher in a school in one of the lowest socioeconomic areas (read: kids vape, steal, vandalise, are violent -even towards teachers-, swear and every other thing I love my kids to bits though). But I totally have a good time.
@@ThatJournalingGuy No, they are my only fountain. I have a tiny dip pen I use for art practice. It forces me to slow down even more than the Varsity, but I mostly use the Varsity for drawing practice.
Great video... loved the "honesty".... just up front. But like anything worth having or wanting... it takes work... relationships, a long desired material good (watch, car, jewerly, etc., a home even)... all these desired things take time, work... right?! Goes without saying. And a lot of the quirks (Doug Demuro-ese) make these things that much more desirable... But, again, great video. Thank you.
It seems as if the more beautiful and expensive the pen is the more delicate it is, so if it is not a cheap semi-disposable pen (Preppy) anything beyond a solid metal body pen is not going to last. Sure my solid brass Sports Pen is a true EDC build like a tank with easily replaceable nibs. It is a shame that the better looking pens are just not suited for everyday life, but at least that means I am no longer tempted by the fancy pens anymore.
I can't accept the idea of not trying to use fountain pens because you WILL have then a very expensive hobby/collection, hundreds and thousands of dollars each. I think it's a lie, but misleading at the least. With the same analogue you can say don't spend money to get a driving licence and buy a car, because even if your first car might be only a few thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, but eventually you WILL end up on having a collection of very expensive sport cars, SUVs, luxury cards from the 1940s, etc., all of them combining worth of millions of dollars. You can have a cheaper fountain pen, and then another one if you want to, or if you need to. You can have 10s of fountain pens if you want to, but this isn't required and possibly won't happen to you, because most of the people on this planet don't have 10s or hundreds of fountain pens.
Gotta go ‘commando’ w the fountain pen ink 😁😁😁 You’ve got the magic for social media bruh. My second gold nib pen came w a hard start nib, Pilot Custom 74 -M-… buzz kill.. had it tuned.. still hard starts .. shit. Wtf yo. I’ll have it ground to a CI.. 😛 My most expensive pen ~ Aurora $600.. is currently unusable because the filling mechanism is broken, I’ve literally filled it 4 times 😕😂😒 I had the nib ground to a MCI by Mike Masuyama (rad af).. voids the guarantee.. ta da. What else? I have literally NOT stopped wanting a new fountain pen.. maybe that’s just my problem though.
hahah thank you! Nothing more than getting a pen tuned AND STILL having it suck XD. A $600 pen....that broke after 4 uses? god. I cant put into words how upset i would be lol. p.s. I have no stopped wanting fountain pens since i started this hobby haha
Yeah, nah. I poked around in this vid here & there, but I'm thinking you're just hurting for content. "I love everything to do with fountain pens and the community... but fountain pens suck." This seems to me to be exactly like telling me my traditional analogue wristwatches suck, we all enjoy "smart watches" now. Nope, no way, no how.
If you have to use carbon copy anything, fountain pens are useless for it. They're just not made to bare down on at all. And sometimes you're paying more for the way a pen looks than the way it writes. I've come across more than once where there's some serious bias where people talk up a pen because they spent a lot of money on it, but it writes like crap. I'm going to be honest though, my best pen that's just an all around work horse and the pen I'd take with me if I was say going on a trip and could only take one notebook and one pen, is actually a Parker IM. A ballpoint. I have fountain pens that write better, that are nicer to look at, more comfortable, etc. But if you want something that works in every situation, where your ink will go the farthest and it's the most convenient, a ballpoint is just the way to go. That said, for the most part I've had a pretty good experience with fountain pens. The feel of writing with a good pen on good quality paper is head and shoulders above anything else. And if you're okay with the drawbacks, once you find the right one it can let you comfortably write for hours without getting the kind of strain in your hands you can get from a ball pen.
I’ve switched from taking notes in my phone to writing on a pocket notebook now. Quite the experience. It’s still extra items to carry. However, I get to look at my notes more often now. Perhaps it’s a personal preference and what you enjoy more.
_Fountain Pens Are Messy, Everything About The Ink Makes It Messy, Biggest Pet Peeve, Inky Fingers_ - But you have tattoos ...... 🤣 I'm left handed and since I am forced by convention to write from left to right, I regard smudging as part of my writing. Yes, I can mirror-write, but it is not practical, especially doing maths and physics equations. I am an "underwriter" with a back-slanted writing, that goes some way to mitigating smudging, but doesn't eliminate it. My usual writing instrument, is a mechanical pencil. They are a hobby all by themselves. Cheers.
Also i would say there is a high chance of getting a completely dud and unfixable nib. I bought a 12 pack of playinum preppys and half of them have extremely scarcthy nibs with very low flow. I know how to tune a nib and these could not be fixed.
at least in that case its obvious not "you". When you just buy 1 pen and you find it scratches and you can't find an angle when it doesn't, it really disappoints as well as pisses me off! Or you have to press real hard that you get paper on the pen point. grrr I think its poor quality control even on more $$$ pens.@@ThatJournalingGuy
I have 2 platinum preppies one for note-taking (and doodling) at work and one to carry in my bag for sketching and taking notes. they were pretty affordable so I won't be too sad if I lose one of them. I could just get another one of amazon or something. they're both filled with platinum carbon ink (you can fill the cartridges with a syringe or get a converter) and I have not had them dry out since I started to use them a year ago or so... since the EF nib is very fine, the ink dries faster on the paper because there's not much of it, which means chance for smudging. I am left-handed so that's important for me. since it's waterproof, also no smudging or making your notes accidentally unreadable by dumping half a mug full of coffee on the page. I also use this for sketching with watercolours. So if any left-handed and/or artsy people look for an easy, low-cost fountain pen or are scared to try one out, that won't make you cry: *platinum preppy.* i know there is expensive pretty shit out there, but think of your wallet, think of all the quality paints you could buy for the price of that one expensive fountain pen.
The super-light inks. So pretty. But so so useless to those of us that write with extra fine nibs. You can't read what you wrote. It's potentially good for writing diaries you don't want anyone to ever read. Wait, that was a positive. Ooops.
The only fountain pen I could comfortably write with is the Lamy Safari. It lets you write at a higher angle than other fountain pens, and no pressure is required. But it runs out of ink too fast. I went back to 0.5 mechanical pencils after discovering the Pentel 4b Ain Stein graphite, and shaker pencils. Graphite is cheaper, lasts way longer, and a 4b is dark and requires little pressure. Pilot Dr. Grip Cl Balance is my favorite pencil because you can adjust the weight.
#30inks30days and other challenges where you use a different ink every day. When did your pens breed so that you somehow have 30 pens? Why do you have 30 bottles / samples of ink in your home? They follow you home. I swear.
Gel ink ballpoint pens > Fountain Pens I can write much better, smoother, and easily on any paper with a gel ink ballpoint pen. I use a 2.5€ MUJI pen which I love.
It’s real easy to get frustrated because each pen has it owns character and there is a whole lot to learn. I started with lots of cheap pens and am happy I did, because boy did I surprise myself with what I liked and didn’t like. It was often the opposite of what I expected. These pens are drama but we love them. Lol😂
nib on a German pen vs. Asian pen wasn’t quite the same. Which adds to the learning curve. However, making the experience more exciting and resulting in more pens in my collection.
While I totally feel the pain as an enthusiast, I feel like for most people those reasons will not be an issue. 1. messy: - you are not supposed to touch the ink with your fingers when you fill it up, and you don't do it often at all, use a tissue or cartridges; - left-handed - use a fine or extra-fine tip, right type of ink or paper... not necessarily all of them; 2. expensive - it can be as expensive as you want it to be, same as with every other hobby. The three pens I use most are a 2.50$ brass one from AliExpress, a 30$ Moonman and a 200$ Pilot Vanishing Point, all great writers; 3. fragile - the only fragile part on most is the nib, easy and cheap to replace on most FP... and you don't drop it nib-down every day; 4. learning curve: - pressure - just relax your hand, I see it as a benefit... that is the main reason I use a FP, you don't have to press hard for it to write and can use it at a sharper angle; - ink types, pen brands, body types, etc. - same as with any other writing instrument. If you want to find the perfect writing experience, you can go as deep as you want in it, but for most people, any FP and ink combo will do. Variety is a reason to love them, not a drawback. 5. limited use case: - most people use it to write on plain paper, same as a ballpoint, gel or whatever... and it works. The only issue will be on coated paper, like signing a restaurant bill. - ink dry-out: not if you use it regularly and the cap seals it properly. Most of my pens take more than a month of no use at all to develop a hard start. A few extra draw-backs I can think of: - resistance to water: most inks are not resistant to water, so, if the paper gets wet, it smudges. - flying: due to the difference in cabin pressure on planes, some pens might leak... mitigated by taking them empty or full of ink (no air in the cartridge, converter...). Most of those points will not be valid for someone who just wants to replace his ballpoint or just gets into fountain pens. For an enthusiast, it is the same as any other hobby... we just have to deal with it.
Primary school kids in some countries start learning to write with pencils then straight fountain pens. If they can do that than an adult is expected to do better. However, pens in general are writing instrument. They are tools to serve a purpose, to serve their owner, not the other way around. I use this criteria to set a monetary limit when shopping for fountain pens. As for its messiness too bad. The older generations got it worse so why can't we tought it up?
Love this video. Very honest and on point. I love my fountain pens but i agree with all the points here. It’s definitely a hobby - time consuming, difficult, not for daily work use. But still a very enjoyable hobby.
My school gave a 20 dollar fountain pen to all of their grads. I honestly don’t see the appeal. Can someone explain to me why you don’t just use a ballpoint pen like the rest of us?
I feel like this was partial/mostly tongue-in-cheek, as most "complaints" are avoidable/negligible, so take my answer/comment to this video with a grain of comedic salt: 1)Messy: As a southpaw in the hobby for 9 years, i find such a complaint an expansion of my skills; i learned underhanded writing from this hobby so i could use any ink i desired without major repercussions. Inks should be fun to get a little messy, who wants to be clean ALL.THE.TIME.? A little ink here or there will advertise to other enthusiasts you may not have known as such & form a bond, you never know! Ink COULD stain everything, but everything is temporal anyway, YOLO right? 2)Expensive: can you say 1st world problem? Not ALL pens are expensive, the best ones seem to be all under $100 when you see the videos (ex. Pilot or TWSBI). No one is forcing you to buy all the expensive ones; i fully agree they can be nice, but adulting can hit you in the reality sometimes whether you can afford something like that & still eat. 3)Fragility: There are MANY pens & manufacturers who make their pens to last generations while not hundreds/thousands of dollars. Ex. Karas Kustom Pen Co. makes FP's (& rollerballs/ballpoints) that Brian Goulet has runover with a car & still work, starting under $100. Kaweco makes their portable sport FP in aluminum/steel/brass/bronze/sterling silver to be virtually indestructible, ntm also sell diff sizes for their lilliput/supra line in aluminum/steel/brass/etc., all for less than $200. Many chinese brands make brass/steel cheap FP's most time are have a name for themselves by how affordably reliable they are (ex.Jinhao) I understand the nib is fragile, it is paramount you keep that ONE PART protected, the rest is built to hold up. 4)Massive learning curve: I'm sorry, do you HATE FREE KNOWLEDGE?!?!?! (please note, still comedic sarcasm, not trolling) All you ever need to know is hours upon hours of channels dedicated & social media eager to educate patiently with you, rarely charging any fee i've ever heard of for you to enjoy your new purchase/hobby 5)Limited Use: Besides signing receipts at a store, marking wood as a carpenter or MAYBE writing on carbon paper in rare cases, there is almost nothing a FP shouldnt/wont write on. Any problems with your pen not writing when you need it to can be fixed with: a)not buying the brand/model again, knowing it doesnt work for you/bad QC (agreed about Visconti btw) b)getting it fixed by a nibsmith for nominal fee (usually ~$15, maybe more from inflation) c)fixing it yourself with a little FREE video MANY channels provide now I know its a lot to comment, but all sound like 1st world problems of a niche hobby we could prolly embrace more than FIND things that bring us stress, but also just responding to what feels like a sarcastic funny vid anyway, if im wrong, please forgive the sass. May the triune, infallible, omniscient God bless the reader with faith in Him.
Always liked fountain pens as a child, but stopped after high school. At 30+ starting again to use fountain pens. Great video on why I stopped using them the first time 😆
hahaha. Totally get it. Glad youre back into them again! Im not sure I wouldve enjoyed them as much as a Kid as I do now so happy Im happy that I got into them as late as I did.
Finally an honest fountain pen person!!! messy, oh yes! I try but my fingers are always full of ink. I am a woman and am embarrassed to go to the manicurist. She can’t get the ink out!
Try different color. I didn’t know how much I like having that Turquoise color on my fingers. The fountain pen ink will wash off eventually. Besides, that’s the mark of fountain pen users.
FOUNTAIN PENS SUCK, FINALLY SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS! I hate fountain pens so freaking much because they cost a trillion dollars, your house, your soul and your firstborn son, they waste ink like it’s free, and they are a nightmare to use. Did you know the fountain pen I looked into had a manual? A MANUAL!!!!! AHHHHHH!! Anyways, I’m glad you don’t like fountain pens either. I prefer rollerballs because their fluid ink and bold points are fluid and easy to use. EDIT: I tried a lamy fountain pen. I LOVE fp’s now
Have you ever tried a quill pen? My journey of FP began with and idea of making my very one duck feather quill pen which I did make. Then I went to making pen from a wooden chopstick. And then I landed my self in Fountain Pens. Then I wanted to have the flex nib of a metal dip pen and the ability to store ink in a pen like a fountain pen. I’ve attempted making a hybrid pen with 50% success rate. After extensive research and being part of the pen community, I’ve discovered something and only to conclude that there is no such thing as a perfect pen.
I agree with everything you said. But honestly, There's nothing more satisfying than watching your writing come out with that little bit of line variation flare. I love my Stub Nibs for this very reason. And I'm constantly complimented on my penmanship even though I don't write any differently than when using a regular pen
Great, entertaining video! I love the honesty and can totally feel alle the points even though I love fountain pens. I would add maintenance as an additional personal reason as it's more annoying than satisfying for me.
Nice video. I totally understand as I've just recently gotten into fountain pens only two months ago and I'm hooked. I've learned that in everything in life has a con and you have to be willing to go through all of the shit that comes with whatever you like. No hobby will be perfect, everyone can complain about something. That's not to say he's wrong, he's absolutely right. I would be devastated if my pen broke in one fall but that's exactly what happened to one of my phones with a screen protector you know? But here's the thing. I've been journaling for 4 years now and have never thought to improve my writing or personalize the experience of it. Fountain pens do exactly that. It's like cooking, it can be an edible dish OR you could add toppings you like and spend the extra time to make it tastier to you. It was really fun taking the process of writing and personalizing it. You can choose a really cool ink, have a different feel on how to write and change it up. Sure you don't need a fountain pen to do that but for me it is fun and just recently I've gotten a feel to what type of pen I want. It was pricey but I'm not regretful and I think that's important. In fact you putting out this video made me more aware of what I have to deal with. So i'd say watch this video and see what owning a fountain pen means to you. Because problems aren't problems depending on how you approach it.
All these reason apply on me, but one of my reason is that, it's nib changes automatically, they way it's writing before some day's, not writing now, this irritated me. I started purchasing good ball pens after 2 year's.
Journaling guy, I have been a fountain pen user for 59 years. I agree that ink can be messy but get over it! A scrubby sponge and dawn detergent will clean your hands. BTW, alcohol does not clean ink off your hands. FP ink is water based - alcohol does nothing to clean them. My reply to you is get over it, buy a pack of nice and go back to journaling.
Well, I wouldn't actually throw any pen, but I do have two fountain pens in my everyday bag: a Platinum Preppy and a Kaweco Sport Classic. I have other Fountain pens that I carry to and from work. But I keep a gel pen at work because fountain pens won't write on plastic bank deposit bags. I keep another gel pen in my car to record mileage (temperature range of +41 to -45 C - fountain pen ink would freeze). And I have one fountain pen with a broad nib and permanent ink for when I'm signing the paper gift certificates my company uses (can't drag them into the 20th century for reloadable plastic gift cards).Fountain pens have style, character, and personality. Mass produced biros just can't match them.
all hobbies require practice and money. I'm a photographer and It took me years to get good at it. I primarily shoot with black and white film, can you imagine the costs? $15,000-$20,000 easy.
This is a sweet concept for a video and it's a valid perspective and, ultimately at its core, a true set of concerns. I do need to raise a minor flag on one of the points, though, and that's about the matter of drops. It's true that fountain pens are more vulnerable to drops (you may end up with at least some ink mess, if not a bent nib) but the way you showed things on the video felt more like an apples-to-oranges comparison. The damaged pen you show has clearly fallen directly on its nib. (Some bad luck also at work there, clearly. Otherwise, you could also have gotten away with just an ink stain on the floor.) But the way you showed your (presumably) ballpoint pen being dropped for comparison, with its cap on and safely landing on its side, was not a fair comparison to how that fountain pen must have fallen. Try dropping your ballpoint directly on its tip from that same height and, unless it's falling on a soft surface like a carpet, it will probably also be damaged on no more than the second try.
Of course fountain pens won't work so well on printer paper, why not? Because it's really thin so the ink bleeds through easily, which can partially be remedied by improving the fluidity and speed of your writing. What's as common as printer paper but won't fit into your printer? Paperboard, all of those boxes that junk food tends to come in is oddly perfect for writing on with fountain pens.
LOL! This was such a great video and sooo true! Once you peak into this rabbit hole you are submerged and completely in. Like you said the 14 dollar pen turns into a 35 dollar one then 50 then 150 and well it has you at that point cause now you see that 300 dollar or more pen and you just NEED IT! And quality control on some of these higher end pens do suck I have 5 dollar fountain pens that work so much better then the more expensive ones. That all said I do love them! Thanks, Brian for sharing and speaking some truth. ;)
The brain explosion of realising you can never write through all of the ink you own. Yet you need to own that new one....
In the end, a pen is a writing instrument, and when you write A LOT, nothing compares to writing with SOME fountain pens (not all are built the same): A) your hand is not hurt with fp’s, try writing a hundred pages with a rollerball or ballpoint and tell me how you feel. B) you write faster, waaaaaay faster. Try writing a hundred pages with a ballpoint or rollerball and see how long it takes. The fact that your pen does not work to take a quick note is because you are using a crappy pen, even if it’s expensive. I have some pens which can write well right away after not using them MONTHS, even some really cheap pens. C) both A and B matter because writing requires a mental process, even if its unconscious, and if writing is harder or not fast enough, you waste a lot of mental power on those things instead of the actual writing (don’t try to argue this, your mind works like that). The only time I don’t use an FP is for signing some stuff, like contracts on bad paper. Other than that I don’t see any other thing that prevents me from using one. The paper is a thing, but with the right pen and the right nib size it does not matter that much if it’s common paper like printer sheets and common notebooks. Granted, there are some papers that are just woeful, Moleskines for example, I won’t even think of writing on those in the first place. And the “messy” part, once again depends on the pen. For the left handed issue, try using very fine nibs and very quick drying ink, preferably in cheaper paper which has higher absorption than high quality paper.
I find F and EF nibs too scratchy for my liking. I'm currently using a LH lamy with noodlers polar blue, it's a great combo.
You forgot the biggest reason though. They suck because you can only write with one at a time but will have a couple dozen in no time and will agonize daily over which 3 or 6 you are going to carry that day.
I’ve used fountain pens for over 50 years and I cannot understand this whole inky fingers issue and I’m left handed as well…and have zero issues…do people play with the damn things?
Yes, many people love to play with the pen. That’s why they got it in the first place. However, they forgot that this isn’t a cheap pen.
I have 42 FP on my collection box and growing 😁
As a user for around 40 years, I can assure you that I can't compare the experience of a fountain pen VS a ballpoint pen. I am one of those who prefer to work with a FP despite its "drawbacks", it is more appreciated among connoisseurs both artistic and written works.
The fountain pen is actually a sub-culture within the universe of the analog.
Let's sleep in peace. NOTHING can beat the all-beauty of FP's 🤗🥰
The love for analog is filled with all sort of subcultures and subgenres. A very good example of that is music. How analog you want your music to be... What is even analog in that case? To some people, they just need the satisfaction of owning the physical media, to others, it can be a whle science experiment, trying to get the most pure non-digitalizeed listening experience, messing with tube amplifiers, turntable styli... Even the cabes (supposedly) make a difference. Popping a CD into your car's stereo and being a full-fledged vinyl audiophile are, I guess, two extremes of a same coin, they just want to live an experience. I'm a bit of both, owning both CDs and vinyl records (although I'm not that extreme hehe), and to me, physical medias are just nice. Not only do I have access to my music without being robbed monthly, I can actually touch it, own it. There's a whole experience behind listening to them. I like to gently slide the disc either on the table or the reader, to clean it, to check for scratches... I like dropping the cheap plastic album cover on the floor and snapping the flimsy pins that hold the cover together... Wait no-
I guess fountain pens are the same. There's a big difference between my mom, messing with her Safari and her shimmer inks, doing her little stuff, and the dudes on Instagram that weild and stack nibs on top of each others like Sailor used to do, but I guess they feel the same as the audiophiles, and the car enthusiasts, and the watch collectors, and some musicians... They're all for the experience
@@baroquer Whe I showed my younger colleagues in the pharmacy my Parker 51 they went bananas. They loved it and said they never saw one before. That made me feel good. Fountain pens don't suck...they are just different. You are a part of that pen because you care about it from cleaning and writing with it along with tweaking the nib. I fully understand what this article is about and I agree with the presenter. In fact I thoroughly enjoyed reviewing every comment on here and they are all on spot. Fps are ice breakers. People want to try them. They are fun! I use mostly ball points but nothing brings be joy like a nice FP.
@@matthewrendino4223 Exactly, my friend. Love...LOVE P51 (Mustang :)
It is the pleasure of writing with one. Elegant in a disposable society. But if one is careless don't buy a fountain pen.
writting sucks, its slow and stupid, reading is also stupid, software and ai with voice is the future
There is certainly a learning curve involved but the customization, personalization, and variety are what I enjoy the best.
All the pens still have it’s limitation. However, it’s never an issue if you have many in your collection for different applications
Yeah, no on costs. A Pilot Varsity, eye converted, ink syringe, and a cheap bottle of ink, will serve you many pages of writing, and drawings.
As a 2 month old in this fantastic hobby, its so true. It almost stresses me out lmao I feel stupid and worry about maintenance which seems complicated and unique for each pen.
haha youre okay. Maintenance is defintely important but not something you should be worrying about TOO much. A lot of the pens these days are built to LAST. Welcome to the addiction though
Am I the only one reciting the words to Julia Stiles’ poem from 10 Things I Hate About You through this whole video?! 😅
I bought my first fountain pen because I wanted to use it for urban sketching, and got disappointed of the difficulty I was having with it and oh boy I made a huge mess trying to install the cartridge and the writing….. sometimes it didn’t ink, others it made a huge blob of ink 🖋️ it’s hard to get the hang of it
@6:24 "My heart sank to my butthole" LOL. So true, all very good reasons why we shouldn't love these damn things. The fact that we love them DESPITE all of that is why we are so passionate about the hobby :)
How dare you speak the truth good sir. 😆
Not all inks work well with all pens. I discovered that my Kaweco Sport pocket pen will easily leak into the cap if I place it in my front pants pocket using Pilot Blue-Black ink. One of my favorite inks btw.
ohhhh this is great! That was a lesson i had yet to learn lol. Thanks for the heads up!
XD
It's so fun because I used fountain pens for at least 13 years and i never had any of the problems you mentioned but i can understand why you say that. I'm glad my first pen for writing was a fountain pen ! I think that we should not reduce them to a hobby, i'm not an expert in this domain and still use only these type of pens. The high price is not necessarily true, I only use one fountain pen at a time and they last me at least 5 years of daily intensive use even for quick notes (the one i currently have cost me 20€ and it's the most expensive i ever got).
Actually you have covered all the downsides 😊 Fountain pens are a combination of ink property (fading , shining, shading, waterproofness) and nib properties of wetness, line width and filling system and paper. Then comes shape and comfort of writing or lack of it, too narrow, too long. Now I use Waterman Expert III GT with Baystate Blue and after few pens I think I’m finally settled 😊
Oh no. The dreaded Baystate Blue!!! Oh 😅
@@Soul_Watcher I don't know where is this bad reputation coming from. Writes well, dries ultra fast. Maybe stains plastics , but flushing pen to state that water comes out clean is enough I think. Pen has to be cleaned thoroughly in warm water.
@@JohnDoe-el5ir I was just joking with ya. Yeah, people love the color and hate that it stains their expensive demonstrator pens. I don’t mind because I don’t put it in any demonstrators. Some peeps will assign one of their pens for Baystate because of that.
I personally am more concerned about any inks that could or can destroy the guts, feed, or nib to be honest. Also when it stains you or your cloths forget it. It’s not usually coming out. But that has happened to me with supposedly washable inks. I don’t fret much about any of that either way. I thoroughly enjoy my fountain pens and world. Cheers
I recently pared my collection down to five pens, and the Waterman Expert lll made the list. Snap-cap, classic good looks, smooth steel nib, not too thick or thin, has heft but not too heavy... If I wasn't so addicted to my other gold nib pens, the Expert lll is worthy of being that 'one pen' for the rare individual who wants just one pen.
Well, I just ordered my first fountain pen yesterday 😅
Good choice ♥
It’s an interesting “rabbit hole”. Works for some while it’s not for everyone.
I agree with everything you said as I’ve experienced most of them. However, it’s like being in a suite. You wouldn’t want to play sport, do groceries, go fishing and even go on jobs that doesn’t fit being in a suit. It’s really not for everyone. I think people who uses fountain pens are just passionate about it. People are willing to go through the additional “messy” and expensive maintenance. If you love your baby, I’m sure you’ll put up with whatever comes with when changing the diapers. One other thing to note, as per my experience, there’s no such thing as a perfect pen. Perfect pen is the one that you’re comfortable with and can write well. Honestly, I don’t like the ball point pens anymore. It feels ike the ink color is too dim. I enjoy the vibrant color of a fountain pen. That’s just personal preference. However, as I’ve faced the same issues which you’ve mentioned, I’m now experimenting with gel pens.
Going back to fountain pens. No pen can do what my custom made flex pen does except for dip pen nib “Brauss Blue Pumpkin” which requires dipping the pen nib after every few words which again is another level of writing experience where you’ll either love it or hate it.
So true, I dropped my Pilot Vanishing point on the nib. OMG the cost to replace that nib was painful, however, I am still in love with my pens.
truly painful to get it replaced haha but i did it. And still very much in love with my vanishing point.
I do get ink on my fingers, but I think I must be getting better as I use them more. Apparently there's a certain way to hold such a pen so as to not do that. I like the nib of my parker xl because it's fairly broad, but I like the weight of another pen I was given. Sadly I haven't yet found anyone to tell me the name of the heavier older pen, but I doubt it's a Parker because it has a different clip on the lid. Overall though, I like the way a fountain pen feels to write with and the fact I can change out the ink colors in thesame pen (provided I have the right size of cartriage) is pretty fun. For convenience though, I have the blue cartriage in one pen and the black in the other. I was also given some plastic fountain pens which look and feel really weird and generally not as pleasant, so if I use them I would probably only do so for the odd thing.
I went on Aliexpress and loaded up on a bunch of different extremely cheap fountain pens. went on eBay and bought a range of extremely cheap small ink bottles of different brands and colours, and started experiementing because I wasn't sure what I liked. I thought I would like medium nibs, didn''t, then thought EF, didn't, settled on just Fine. Hate the bent nibs with a passion. I don't like the really heavy pens, but really like mini fountain pens, so that was a revelation. It's a journey.
When I picked them up as an adult my shop had a lot of forms with Carbon Copies ! So I developed with good ball points - fountain pens are better afterwards.
As a left handed underwriter I love my fountain pens!! More so once you learn how to tune your pens right out of the box to fit your way of writing 🤩🤩🤩
That’s so interesting! As a lefty, I don’t really love my fountain pen (could definitely be user error, but I don’t think I have the patience 😂). I smudge everything!
I watched a video about left-handed fountain pen users, and realized that I write with my hand below the fountain pen, so I’m not passing it over my writing as I go from left to right. On the other hand, my son who was interested in the pens, writes with his wrist flexed, and therefore smears everything as he goes along. I guess it’s just a matter of training yourself to write from the bottom as opposed to over the words. It’s the write way for me 😂
Like you, I'm an underwriter and don't worry about smudging. It is what it is. Mirror writing would fix it. Some of our number, write upside down.
A broken nib can be repaired or replaced
Feel your pain - dropped a montblanc meisterstuck that I bought for $100, 30 years ago. Just checked how much they cost and I've been trying to fix it. Unsuccessfully
Not enough waterproof inks to choose from :( and the ones available require more frequent maintenance to your pen.
The dude is right. One word that would sum it up is finicky. Fountain Pens are finicky.
All good points! It is a hobby for sure. (Best way I've found to get ink off my fingers is to wash my hair 😆)
Yeah, but if you were Charles Dickens' pet goose you'd think fountain pens were pretty cool.
I'll grant it would be nice if fountain pens were as convenient as rollerballs. They aren't, but what's the alternative? Write with a rollerball? Scandalous!
I very strongly disagree with the reasoning in the video, however, it's very interesting to see your opposing perspective towards them, great video, keep up the good work🎉
Messy is fun!!
I have been avoiding fountain pens for years because of the way that they're wet writers most of the time, but I have recently been forced to switch in my effort to greatly reduce my waste in my writing habit. Even the rollerball refills, individually wrapped in plastic and it drives me insane.
So now I have some actually refillable pens. Only enough for my main writing and editing colors. And when the carts they shipped with can't be refilled anymore I'll probably convert them to eyedroppers.
Worst part was doing the deep dive to figure out what nib sizes to get. EF. Even the pilot F feels a little too inky from time to time vs me have signos.
The dropping thing is BS honestly. I dropped the same ballpoint pen with two different refills this week and both times it landed on the tip and destroyed the refills. You drop a ball point on the writing tip and it will never write the same again.
At least with fountain pens you can replace the bent nib if you can't fix it.
I've also had multiple ballpoint pens blow up in my pocket at work so you kind of need to pocket protector for all pens not just fountain pens.
Your pen won't dry out if you use it daily.
Not if you have 40 of them.
But I found a solution. I keep a small jar with water. Just dip the nib quickly and that should resolve the issue. Don’t sink in for too long. Sometimes you may see the ink color get lighter with this method which you may also like as it gives a different color at first.
Bro has some deep unknown trauma ...venting out on Fountain pen 😂😂 Bruh , life's messy n fragile & things need Care !! Not just the Fountain pens alone. Remember ; Live for ur passion or die dry ! ❤️🔥
Amen! life's messy n fragile & things need Care !! Not just the Fountain pens alone.
I absolutely love fountain pens and write with them whenever I can (my personal diary is only penned by my trusty Aurora Alpha) but I'm perfectly aware of the fact that they are just not practical for everyday use, aside from their inherent fragility like you said there is also the matter of paper, most practical supports you will write in daily life, be it notepads, notebooks or even checks (had a really awful experience with this one), are not suitable for fountain pens, you will just make a mess and ruin whatever you are trying to do.
Personally, I just use rollerball pens for everyday writing, they are practical and surprisingly sturdy (I have an old Paper Mate vintage one made in West Germany from the 80's that can literally crack nuts, it's that heavy and sturdy) while still being classy and really pleasant to write with, paper is still an issue but less so than with fountain pens since they make less of a mess even with thin paper (just get used to deal with ghosting a lot).
Why supercars suck:
Are expensive compared to a 2005 Toyota corolla.
Cannot use regular fuel. Need special graded fuel.
Have to store them in a nice clean garage. Put a nice cover on them.
Cannot go big grocery shopping in them.
Need ppf if you want the paint to not be damaged.
Cannot drive them on any bad road with potholes or bumps.
Cannot pull logs of lumber with them.
Not recommend to drive in bad weather conditions.
Insurance is costly. Repairs are costly. Servicing is costly.
Carbon fibre is fragile compared to 2 tons of rotting iron.
Shouldn't leave them unattended.
BUY A TOYOTA COROLLA. Lets warn new supercar buyers.
I guess these can be problems, but most I've not encountered myself, but maybe it doesn't get to me as I love the messiness and I don't have many that just write well
The intro tho 😂😂😂 LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING !! 💀
😂😂😂
Yeah, the no-ink-when-starting issue is the only real gripe I have. Also some surfaces I guess. For hard labour, combat, survival, etc. obviously take a couple of shitty ballpoints the take notes against a tree branch with. Other than that, ink tending to bleed on bad paper, but this can be eliminated with a finer nib and more viscous ink. All other issues are just meta-issues honestly. Not having to press hard and being able to refill infinitely just makes most of the problems worth it.
I was waiting for a fountain pen rap battle to go down with the hand held mic
I started writing with fountain pens around 2016 and the most I've ever spent on a pen was about $35 usd and ink lasts long enough it's not as expensive as it seems at first the only real issue I have is paper I can't get good paper without traveling 100 miles
100 years and before no one ever bitched about fountain pens. Then You came along...deluded enough to think there should be an answer to everything. You will only skim the surface in this life and when the end comes everything you have ever known will be obliterated. Because you are so special, and what you knew was so special . Just like what you are telling us now. Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄
I love fountain pens. I'm rough with them so I maybe HAVE cracked my pilot custom 823 (devasted). I use them everywhere. idc if it bleeds. I will use it lol. I use my medium nib twsbi diamond 580 in my kid's crappy paper exercise books. I am a teacher in a school in one of the lowest socioeconomic areas (read: kids vape, steal, vandalise, are violent -even towards teachers-, swear and every other thing I love my kids to bits though). But I totally have a good time.
Research led me to the Pilot Varsity Fountain Pen, and I'm OK with it.
Dude, the Pilot Varsity Fountain Pen is great! It's a solid choice for everyday writing and won't break the bank. Do you have any others?
@@ThatJournalingGuy No, they are my only fountain. I have a tiny dip pen I use for art practice. It forces me to slow down even more than the Varsity, but I mostly use the Varsity for drawing practice.
I love writing with fountain pens!
Great video... loved the "honesty".... just up front. But like anything worth having or wanting... it takes work... relationships, a long desired material good (watch, car, jewerly, etc., a home even)... all these desired things take time, work... right?! Goes without saying. And a lot of the quirks (Doug Demuro-ese) make these things that much more desirable... But, again, great video. Thank you.
Most of the video can be summedup to skill issue. Then there are some valid points.
Preppys and KaKuno are the best pens oh oh Twisbi GO yeah.
It seems as if the more beautiful and expensive the pen is the more delicate it is, so if it is not a cheap semi-disposable pen (Preppy) anything beyond a solid metal body pen is not going to last. Sure my solid brass Sports Pen is a true EDC build like a tank with easily replaceable nibs. It is a shame that the better looking pens are just not suited for everyday life, but at least that means I am no longer tempted by the fancy pens anymore.
So, that was your photo on r/fountainpens. Ouch, my guy :(
I can't accept the idea of not trying to use fountain pens because you WILL have then a very expensive hobby/collection, hundreds and thousands of dollars each. I think it's a lie, but misleading at the least. With the same analogue you can say don't spend money to get a driving licence and buy a car, because even if your first car might be only a few thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, but eventually you WILL end up on having a collection of very expensive sport cars, SUVs, luxury cards from the 1940s, etc., all of them combining worth of millions of dollars.
You can have a cheaper fountain pen, and then another one if you want to, or if you need to. You can have 10s of fountain pens if you want to, but this isn't required and possibly won't happen to you, because most of the people on this planet don't have 10s or hundreds of fountain pens.
The like to dislike ratio has got to be crazy
it's not too bad but definitely a lot more than im used to XD lol
Gotta go ‘commando’ w the fountain pen ink 😁😁😁
You’ve got the magic for social media bruh.
My second gold nib pen came w a hard start nib, Pilot Custom 74 -M-… buzz kill.. had it tuned.. still hard starts .. shit. Wtf yo. I’ll have it ground to a CI.. 😛
My most expensive pen ~ Aurora $600.. is currently unusable because the filling mechanism is broken, I’ve literally filled it 4 times 😕😂😒
I had the nib ground to a MCI by Mike Masuyama (rad af).. voids the guarantee.. ta da.
What else? I have literally NOT stopped wanting a new fountain pen.. maybe that’s just my problem though.
hahah thank you! Nothing more than getting a pen tuned AND STILL having it suck XD.
A $600 pen....that broke after 4 uses? god. I cant put into words how upset i would be lol.
p.s. I have no stopped wanting fountain pens since i started this hobby haha
The learning curve most expressive fun of all.
I love how you triggered yourself near the end. 😆 Anxiety written all over ya. I feel ya. 👍😬
Expensive? Try Photoraphy.
Yeah, nah. I poked around in this vid here & there, but I'm thinking you're just hurting for content. "I love everything to do with fountain pens and the community... but fountain pens suck." This seems to me to be exactly like telling me my traditional analogue wristwatches suck, we all enjoy "smart watches" now. Nope, no way, no how.
If you have to use carbon copy anything, fountain pens are useless for it. They're just not made to bare down on at all. And sometimes you're paying more for the way a pen looks than the way it writes. I've come across more than once where there's some serious bias where people talk up a pen because they spent a lot of money on it, but it writes like crap.
I'm going to be honest though, my best pen that's just an all around work horse and the pen I'd take with me if I was say going on a trip and could only take one notebook and one pen, is actually a Parker IM. A ballpoint. I have fountain pens that write better, that are nicer to look at, more comfortable, etc. But if you want something that works in every situation, where your ink will go the farthest and it's the most convenient, a ballpoint is just the way to go.
That said, for the most part I've had a pretty good experience with fountain pens. The feel of writing with a good pen on good quality paper is head and shoulders above anything else. And if you're okay with the drawbacks, once you find the right one it can let you comfortably write for hours without getting the kind of strain in your hands you can get from a ball pen.
Don't slam your pens the ground to prove a point. Just replace the nib.
yes. 100% - these seem like the ultimate example for a step too far in life hacking.
All of my fountain pens suck apart from the eyedroppers, yes they all suck ink!
Pens, paper and ink take up a lot of space.
I’ve switched from taking notes in my phone to writing on a pocket notebook now. Quite the experience. It’s still extra items to carry. However, I get to look at my notes more often now. Perhaps it’s a personal preference and what you enjoy more.
_Fountain Pens Are Messy, Everything About The Ink Makes It Messy, Biggest Pet Peeve, Inky Fingers_ - But you have tattoos ...... 🤣
I'm left handed and since I am forced by convention to write from left to right, I regard smudging as part of my writing. Yes, I can mirror-write, but it is not practical, especially doing maths and physics equations. I am an "underwriter" with a back-slanted writing, that goes some way to mitigating smudging, but doesn't eliminate it.
My usual writing instrument, is a mechanical pencil. They are a hobby all by themselves. Cheers.
Also i would say there is a high chance of getting a completely dud and unfixable nib. I bought a 12 pack of playinum preppys and half of them have extremely scarcthy nibs with very low flow. I know how to tune a nib and these could not be fixed.
That would be devastating to have half of the pack come out as duds
at least in that case its obvious not "you". When you just buy 1 pen and you find it scratches and you can't find an angle when it doesn't, it really disappoints as well as pisses me off! Or you have to press real hard that you get paper on the pen point. grrr I think its poor quality control even on more $$$ pens.@@ThatJournalingGuy
I have 2 platinum preppies one for note-taking (and doodling) at work and one to carry in my bag for sketching and taking notes.
they were pretty affordable so I won't be too sad if I lose one of them. I could just get another one of amazon or something.
they're both filled with platinum carbon ink (you can fill the cartridges with a syringe or get a converter) and I have not had them dry out since I started to use them a year ago or so...
since the EF nib is very fine, the ink dries faster on the paper because there's not much of it, which means chance for smudging. I am left-handed so that's important for me.
since it's waterproof, also no smudging or making your notes accidentally unreadable by dumping half a mug full of coffee on the page. I also use this for sketching with watercolours.
So if any left-handed and/or artsy people look for an easy, low-cost fountain pen or are scared to try one out, that won't make you cry: *platinum preppy.*
i know there is expensive pretty shit out there, but think of your wallet, think of all the quality paints you could buy for the price of that one expensive fountain pen.
The super-light inks. So pretty. But so so useless to those of us that write with extra fine nibs. You can't read what you wrote. It's potentially good for writing diaries you don't want anyone to ever read. Wait, that was a positive. Ooops.
The only fountain pen I could comfortably write with is the Lamy Safari. It lets you write at a higher angle than other fountain pens, and no pressure is required. But it runs out of ink too fast.
I went back to 0.5 mechanical pencils after discovering the Pentel 4b Ain Stein graphite, and shaker pencils. Graphite is cheaper, lasts way longer, and a 4b is dark and requires little pressure. Pilot Dr. Grip Cl Balance is my favorite pencil because you can adjust the weight.
Use cheap regular paper to practice with and the more expensive fountain friendly paper for important affairs.
what is fp friendly paper? is it slick? where do you get it?
@@ooohlaa13try Amazon Basics notebook.
Think anything happened to it.....hmmmmm?
#30inks30days and other challenges where you use a different ink every day. When did your pens breed so that you somehow have 30 pens? Why do you have 30 bottles / samples of ink in your home? They follow you home. I swear.
Gel ink ballpoint pens > Fountain Pens
I can write much better, smoother, and easily on any paper with a gel ink ballpoint pen. I use a 2.5€ MUJI pen which I love.
using a laptop to type is better
honestly the MUJI pens are top tier so it totally makes sense if that your preference. I tend to use them for daily use also!
This is a joke right?
It’s real easy to get frustrated because each pen has it owns character and there is a whole lot to learn. I started with lots of cheap pens and am happy I did, because boy did I surprise myself with what I liked and didn’t like. It was often the opposite of what I expected. These pens are drama but we love them. Lol😂
nib on a German pen vs. Asian pen wasn’t quite the same. Which adds to the learning curve. However, making the experience more exciting and resulting in more pens in my collection.
Most of these downsides are the reasons I love fountain pens. Lol. To each their own I guess.
While I totally feel the pain as an enthusiast, I feel like for most people those reasons will not be an issue.
1. messy:
- you are not supposed to touch the ink with your fingers when you fill it up, and you don't do it often at all, use a tissue or cartridges;
- left-handed - use a fine or extra-fine tip, right type of ink or paper... not necessarily all of them;
2. expensive - it can be as expensive as you want it to be, same as with every other hobby. The three pens I use most are a 2.50$ brass one from AliExpress, a 30$ Moonman and a 200$ Pilot Vanishing Point, all great writers;
3. fragile - the only fragile part on most is the nib, easy and cheap to replace on most FP... and you don't drop it nib-down every day;
4. learning curve:
- pressure - just relax your hand, I see it as a benefit... that is the main reason I use a FP, you don't have to press hard for it to write and can use it at a sharper angle;
- ink types, pen brands, body types, etc. - same as with any other writing instrument. If you want to find the perfect writing experience, you can go as deep as you want in it, but for most people, any FP and ink combo will do. Variety is a reason to love them, not a drawback.
5. limited use case:
- most people use it to write on plain paper, same as a ballpoint, gel or whatever... and it works. The only issue will be on coated paper, like signing a restaurant bill.
- ink dry-out: not if you use it regularly and the cap seals it properly. Most of my pens take more than a month of no use at all to develop a hard start.
A few extra draw-backs I can think of:
- resistance to water: most inks are not resistant to water, so, if the paper gets wet, it smudges.
- flying: due to the difference in cabin pressure on planes, some pens might leak... mitigated by taking them empty or full of ink (no air in the cartridge, converter...).
Most of those points will not be valid for someone who just wants to replace his ballpoint or just gets into fountain pens. For an enthusiast, it is the same as any other hobby... we just have to deal with it.
Primary school kids in some countries start learning to write with pencils then straight fountain pens. If they can do that than an adult is expected to do better. However, pens in general are writing instrument. They are tools to serve a purpose, to serve their owner, not the other way around. I use this criteria to set a monetary limit when shopping for fountain pens. As for its messiness too bad. The older generations got it worse so why can't we tought it up?
Love this video. Very honest and on point. I love my fountain pens but i agree with all the points here. It’s definitely a hobby - time consuming, difficult, not for daily work use. But still a very enjoyable hobby.
100%. Not to forget that the paper that goes with the fountain pens suggested are very expensive. Then again, it comes with the hobby.
My school gave a 20 dollar fountain pen to all of their grads. I honestly don’t see the appeal. Can someone explain to me why you don’t just use a ballpoint pen like the rest of us?
Dude, if it's not for you, cool, it's not for you. Just use a freaking ball point (eww).
I feel like this was partial/mostly tongue-in-cheek, as most "complaints" are avoidable/negligible, so take my answer/comment to this video with a grain of comedic salt:
1)Messy: As a southpaw in the hobby for 9 years, i find such a complaint an expansion of my skills; i learned underhanded writing from this hobby so i could use any ink i desired without major repercussions. Inks should be fun to get a little messy, who wants to be clean ALL.THE.TIME.? A little ink here or there will advertise to other enthusiasts you may not have known as such & form a bond, you never know!
Ink COULD stain everything, but everything is temporal anyway, YOLO right?
2)Expensive: can you say 1st world problem? Not ALL pens are expensive, the best ones seem to be all under $100 when you see the videos (ex. Pilot or TWSBI). No one is forcing you to buy all the expensive ones; i fully agree they can be nice, but adulting can hit you in the reality sometimes whether you can afford something like that & still eat.
3)Fragility: There are MANY pens & manufacturers who make their pens to last generations while not hundreds/thousands of dollars. Ex. Karas Kustom Pen Co. makes FP's (& rollerballs/ballpoints) that Brian Goulet has runover with a car & still work, starting under $100. Kaweco makes their portable sport FP in aluminum/steel/brass/bronze/sterling silver to be virtually indestructible, ntm also sell diff sizes for their lilliput/supra line in aluminum/steel/brass/etc., all for less than $200. Many chinese brands make brass/steel cheap FP's most time are have a name for themselves by how affordably reliable they are (ex.Jinhao)
I understand the nib is fragile, it is paramount you keep that ONE PART protected, the rest is built to hold up.
4)Massive learning curve: I'm sorry, do you HATE FREE KNOWLEDGE?!?!?! (please note, still comedic sarcasm, not trolling) All you ever need to know is hours upon hours of channels dedicated & social media eager to educate patiently with you, rarely charging any fee i've ever heard of for you to enjoy your new purchase/hobby
5)Limited Use: Besides signing receipts at a store, marking wood as a carpenter or MAYBE writing on carbon paper in rare cases, there is almost nothing a FP shouldnt/wont write on. Any problems with your pen not writing when you need it to can be fixed with:
a)not buying the brand/model again, knowing it doesnt work for you/bad QC (agreed about Visconti btw)
b)getting it fixed by a nibsmith for nominal fee (usually ~$15, maybe more from inflation)
c)fixing it yourself with a little FREE video MANY channels provide now
I know its a lot to comment, but all sound like 1st world problems of a niche hobby we could prolly embrace more than FIND things that bring us stress, but also just responding to what feels like a sarcastic funny vid anyway, if im wrong, please forgive the sass.
May the triune, infallible, omniscient God bless the reader with faith in Him.
Always liked fountain pens as a child, but stopped after high school. At 30+ starting again to use fountain pens. Great video on why I stopped using them the first time 😆
hahaha. Totally get it. Glad youre back into them again! Im not sure I wouldve enjoyed them as much as a Kid as I do now so happy Im happy that I got into them as late as I did.
As a left handed person, ALL pens suck in some manner.
Finally an honest fountain pen person!!! messy, oh yes! I try but my fingers are always full of ink. I am a woman and am embarrassed to go to the manicurist. She can’t get the ink out!
Try different color. I didn’t know how much I like having that Turquoise color on my fingers. The fountain pen ink will wash off eventually. Besides, that’s the mark of fountain pen users.
Nice try, lol. ALL your issues are + - easy to solve, in reality
*Fountain pens 4EVER* 🥰
No any other writing instrument can beat 'em
Could not agree more haha
FOUNTAIN PENS SUCK, FINALLY SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS! I hate fountain pens so freaking much because they cost a trillion dollars, your house, your soul and your firstborn son, they waste ink like it’s free, and they are a nightmare to use. Did you know the fountain pen I looked into had a manual? A MANUAL!!!!! AHHHHHH!! Anyways, I’m glad you don’t like fountain pens either. I prefer rollerballs because their fluid ink and bold points are fluid and easy to use.
EDIT: I tried a lamy fountain pen. I LOVE fp’s now
Oh yeah and I’m left handed 😂
Have you ever tried a quill pen?
My journey of FP began with and idea of making my very one duck feather quill pen which I did make. Then I went to making pen from a wooden chopstick. And then I landed my self in Fountain Pens. Then I wanted to have the flex nib of a metal dip pen and the ability to store ink in a pen like a fountain pen. I’ve attempted making a hybrid pen with 50% success rate. After extensive research and being part of the pen community, I’ve discovered something and only to conclude that there is no such thing as a perfect pen.
I agree with everything you said. But honestly, There's nothing more satisfying than watching your writing come out with that little bit of line variation flare. I love my Stub Nibs for this very reason. And I'm constantly complimented on my penmanship even though I don't write any differently than when using a regular pen
I totally agree!
Great, entertaining video! I love the honesty and can totally feel alle the points even though I love fountain pens. I would add maintenance as an additional personal reason as it's more annoying than satisfying for me.
Omg I totally love the inky fingers!
Nice video. I totally understand as I've just recently gotten into fountain pens only two months ago and I'm hooked. I've learned that in everything in life has a con and you have to be willing to go through all of the shit that comes with whatever you like. No hobby will be perfect, everyone can complain about something. That's not to say he's wrong, he's absolutely right. I would be devastated if my pen broke in one fall but that's exactly what happened to one of my phones with a screen protector you know? But here's the thing. I've been journaling for 4 years now and have never thought to improve my writing or personalize the experience of it. Fountain pens do exactly that. It's like cooking, it can be an edible dish OR you could add toppings you like and spend the extra time to make it tastier to you. It was really fun taking the process of writing and personalizing it. You can choose a really cool ink, have a different feel on how to write and change it up. Sure you don't need a fountain pen to do that but for me it is fun and just recently I've gotten a feel to what type of pen I want. It was pricey but I'm not regretful and I think that's important. In fact you putting out this video made me more aware of what I have to deal with. So i'd say watch this video and see what owning a fountain pen means to you. Because problems aren't problems depending on how you approach it.
My biggest complaint is that nibs are not universally swappable between brands. I would absolutely love to have a pilot nib on my TWSBI or Lamy.
All these reason apply on me, but one of my reason is that, it's nib changes automatically, they way it's writing before some day's, not writing now, this irritated me. I started purchasing good ball pens after 2 year's.
Journaling guy, I have been a fountain pen user for 59 years. I agree that ink can be messy but get over it! A scrubby sponge and dawn detergent will clean your hands. BTW, alcohol does not clean ink off your hands. FP ink is water based - alcohol does nothing to clean them. My reply to you is get over it, buy a pack of nice and go back to journaling.
I use fountain pens everyday. They don't suck.
Lol I love this video. I don’t own any, and I’m not interested. I throw my planner and pens in my bag 🤣
i hope i didnt convince you NOT to get any XD. haha thank youuuu
Well, I wouldn't actually throw any pen, but I do have two fountain pens in my everyday bag: a Platinum Preppy and a Kaweco Sport Classic. I have other Fountain pens that I carry to and from work. But I keep a gel pen at work because fountain pens won't write on plastic bank deposit bags. I keep another gel pen in my car to record mileage (temperature range of +41 to -45 C - fountain pen ink would freeze). And I have one fountain pen with a broad nib and permanent ink for when I'm signing the paper gift certificates my company uses (can't drag them into the 20th century for reloadable plastic gift cards).Fountain pens have style, character, and personality. Mass produced biros just can't match them.
Yes, don't start. It gets addictive 😂
all hobbies require practice and money. I'm a photographer and It took me years to get good at it. I primarily shoot with black and white film, can you imagine the costs? $15,000-$20,000 easy.
This is a sweet concept for a video and it's a valid perspective and, ultimately at its core, a true set of concerns. I do need to raise a minor flag on one of the points, though, and that's about the matter of drops. It's true that fountain pens are more vulnerable to drops (you may end up with at least some ink mess, if not a bent nib) but the way you showed things on the video felt more like an apples-to-oranges comparison. The damaged pen you show has clearly fallen directly on its nib. (Some bad luck also at work there, clearly. Otherwise, you could also have gotten away with just an ink stain on the floor.) But the way you showed your (presumably) ballpoint pen being dropped for comparison, with its cap on and safely landing on its side, was not a fair comparison to how that fountain pen must have fallen. Try dropping your ballpoint directly on its tip from that same height and, unless it's falling on a soft surface like a carpet, it will probably also be damaged on no more than the second try.
Of course fountain pens won't work so well on printer paper, why not? Because it's really thin so the ink bleeds through easily, which can partially be remedied by improving the fluidity and speed of your writing. What's as common as printer paper but won't fit into your printer? Paperboard, all of those boxes that junk food tends to come in is oddly perfect for writing on with fountain pens.
maybe i shouldn't be flipping with my fountain pens xd
Tbh the messy fingers part i really just dont care! This is for me and i f you hate messy fingers then yes don't get fp!
I started getting into the rabbit hole last july but i already spent more than 5 K with FP alone , inks and accessories not included yet .🤭
LOL! This was such a great video and sooo true! Once you peak into this rabbit hole you are submerged and completely in. Like you said the 14 dollar pen turns into a 35 dollar one then 50 then 150 and well it has you at that point cause now you see that 300 dollar or more pen and you just NEED IT! And quality control on some of these higher end pens do suck I have 5 dollar fountain pens that work so much better then the more expensive ones. That all said I do love them! Thanks, Brian for sharing and speaking some truth. ;)