This topic is a great service to the pen community. I have been collecting for five years. At the beginning I felt I could never justify spending more than $50 on a pen, given my budget. So I bought plenty of lower price pens, which I rarely use now. My first $50+ en was a Lamy Studio. Once I bought my first pen with a gold nib (Platinum 3776 Century), at a good price, I realized that by watching prices I could buy some of the nicer pens I was always seeing online. It does seem as if the rate of new pens being released has increased significantly in the past several years. I'm glad I am retired and have time to follow blogs, pen reviews, and other social media to know what is going on. Your TH-cam channel is one of the sources I always turn to when trying to learn about a pen or related product.
Thank you--great video! I'm guilty of not cleaning my pens as often as I should and not keeping track of my collection (especially ink). I'm not guilty of "not experimenting". That is one of the joys of this hobby--experimenting! Awesome excel sheet!
This is a useful video. "Don't get penvy" is my favorite and the one I need to pay attention to the most. Every social media tool I add exposes me to more pens that tempt me. I've also seen other people ramp up too quickly, especially this year, when people are home and some are engaging in "retail therapy." A suggestion I might add is to think carefully before you become a collector of a particular brand or style. The "one in every color" trap never ends and you can end up with no funds to diversify your collection, along with pens you don't use. "One in every color" is a fine collecting strategy if you intentionally choose it, but be aware when you make that decision that you will end up with a large collection of nearly identical pens and even some you don't like all that much due to their color or finish.
I have set myself a limit of buying 2 pens a year.. i enjoy researching for those 2 pens as much as pen itself.. you're right. Buying too many pens in a short span, you barely able to enjoy them.
There are some people on youtube who seem to buy up pens en masse just because they can. I heard of one recently who bought several of the exact same pen just because it was a limited edition. Why do that - it just seems greedy (and perhaps a little vulgar) to me, but maybe that is something that is normal in the FP world for some reason.
That’s one of the best advice for people getting into this hobby. I don’t personally have a tendency to accumulation so it helps. I am using just one pen, and i found myself being using such pen for 3 months. But more importantly, i don’t feel the need to use another pen cause i am happy using that one.
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I love how generous you are sharing not only high quality videos, but also advise about your whole experience with this hobby. Thanks for being so kind.
Good information! I'm more of a vintage fountain pen guy, and I have a fixed income, so I'm not really worried about going above a certain dollar amount with my acquisitions, and I have done my own repair for years, at this point, but this is definitely useful. I will be sending a link to my nephew, who is starting to show interest in fountain pen use. Thanks for sharing this!
Good list. My mistake (one still ongoing) was mentioned: too many inked, and forgetting to jot down what ink is in the pen. I cleaned about 40 pens out a few months ago and attempted to rein it in, but now I’m due to repeat that process. Merry Christmas, and have a happy 2021!
I can tell I am lucky yours were among the first videos I watched when I started this hobby a few months ago as I have already developed some best practices and am so far avoiding these top ten mistakes. Many thanks!
Because of your and other videos, I was seriously thinking of taking the plunge and start writing with a fountain pen in the $150-$300 or possibly more range. Your comments made me realize that before spending this money I should try a much more economical pen until I have sufficient training/experience that warrants such an expensive decision. Thank you for making me realize this.
Have a blessed, and safe christmas David, cheers from Portugal, Peter Draws brought me here. Do not dwell in your past mistakes, rather think of positive things and dream of bigger goals! If you are hopeful, you will succeed for sure!
Thanks for this video, and especially for your Excel template. It has been invaluable to me, because I could never get the notebook approach properly organized. I had five partially used notebooks lying around, and one Excel file stored on a hard drive is far better for someone like me.
This is probably the best pen mistakes video I’ve ever seen. So thanks David, for that. I’ve been in the hobby for 3 or 4 years, but I still consider myself somewhere between a beginner and an intermediate fountain pen hobbyist. I do want to learn more about pen (nib) maintenance because I like to tinker. And I love ink more than I should. I have more ink than I could use in two lifetimes, and I write letters almost everyday. I like to search for inexpensive paper that will work well with a fountain pen. As you know there aren’t many, but I still enjoy trying new paper. Thanks again.🖋🖋
Great video David. Thanks for putting it together. I’d add that you should not only clean out your pens often, but also use distilled water. It’s too cheap not to, and you’re certain it will not corrode a cleaned pen that you leave out to dry thoroughly before putting it away.
i like #4... and since i am in charge of procurement at work, we have clairefontaine, rhodia and oxford (90gsm) notebooks in the supply closet - and we use 80gsm clairefontaine copy paper ;-)
We used to have Clairefontaine at a place I worked at until someone cottoned on. It wasnt the price so much as people kept stealing it as it was so nice.
Wonderful video, David. I chuckled when I saw that bent nib because some years ago I dropped my Sheafer desk pen on the floor, and the nib (14K) looked exactly like that. However, this was back in the day when Sheafer still operated in the U.S., so I sent my nib to them and for a very reasonable $25 they sent it back good as new. BTW, I can only underscore what you said about keeping a system going. For those who have never tried it,! I can tell you that it really does add to the fun. Also, when a pen is running low on ink, I refill it. When it runs low a second time, I clean and flush it. That way my pens are always relatively clean. And I have expensive pens and some less expensive pens. A $3.95 Platinum Preppy writes very well, and new users would be well advised to buy a few. They’re also great for testing inks that you might not want to fill your better pens with. Again, David, thanks for another great video. Very helpful and informative.
Think your observation of taking your time to grow your collection is the one which resonates most strongly with me: bought my grail pen (Pilot Custom 823) pretty early on and have been working backwards ever since!: turns out I’m happier with slightly smaller nibs - very happy for now to use nibs of Sailor 1911 Large and Platinum 3776 size; also, very easy to make mistake that all inks from a particular brand will act the same, eg. all Diamine inks will be wet: Imperial Blue is definitely not wet at all!; my final lesson learned is that pens writing on the same type of paper will not necessarily write the same!: my pens produce the tightest lines on the tomoe river paper found in my Hobonichi Techo, they write slightly broader on the tr paper in my Midori traveller’s notebook and they write noticeably broader on my loose leaf A5 tr paper:)
Several years ago I was going through airport security (TSA) with a pen which had a lot of metal in the pen. They reran the pen through X-ray after inspection and bent the nib by jamming into the cap at a slight angle. I filed a claim and got the check in about three weeks. Never let people who know nothing about pens handle your pens until you tell them what to do.
Stories like this are why I don't pack "good" pens to travel... But if there is a pen store near my destination I will often return with one! (I live about five hours from a pen shop.)
Hello and Merry Christmas from Germany. You've made a good list of mistakes that can be made with fountain pens. Most of them I can either relate to, some of them painful, or I also see as very important. At the moment meetings of like-minded people are not so easy, but it is really a great thing. No matter if you are a beginner or an old hand. Just the possibility to take pens in hand and get tips is super helpful. I'm glad enough not only to have had to write with fountain pens back in school, and thus to have learned a lot about the pens, but also to have had a specialist shop that can give really good advice. That has become really rare here nowadays. It's funny that my Visconti didn't really fall off, but the nib is bent there, too. And I, just like you, bought a new, expensive Dreamtouch nib. I hope that is not due to "Visconti", but is just coincidence. ;) Thanks also for the Excel list. Very interesting. Let's see if I switch. Otherwise, thanks again. A great list and video.
I learned the don’t ink too many pens at once. I am currently working them down to a more reasonable number. Hope to get it down to 3-5. I like having blue, brown, and red inked. For my journal, I use green for positive tracking. If I go to 5, will probably keep one inked with a very high shading orange like Apache Sunset. I tried smoothing a nib for the first time recently. I did it on a sub $2 Jinhao Shark. It was super scratchy and dry. Tines were very tight together and maybe misaligned a little. Got the tines reasonably aligned, and went through a set of Zona papers. That pen is no longer dry and glides over paper. Very happy with it, but not going to do that on my only gold nib just yet. I have a Sailor Promenade that is just a bit scratchy. It is probably writes the finest line of any of my pens, but is a medium-fine nib.
Also keep track of your ink collection. I recently realized that I had bought a third bottle of a particular ink thinking I had only tried a sample; major brain fart. Oh yeah, and try samples instead of bottles, or at least some of the smaller bottles now available.
A great list, David. I've learned quite a few of those lessons the hard way, too (and sometimes not hard, like when I'd put a different ink in a poor-writing pen only to find that it was a GREAT writer -- with the right ink). At my beginning, research was tougher; my start was at the dawn of the internet (!) so resources were a bit tougher to come by! Had I done more research, I wouldn't have skipped past a small ocean of steel nib pens that are now among my favorite everyday writers.! C'est las vie!
Thank you so much for sharing 😊 these fine points. I initially started buying my pens in the late 90's at brick and mortar stores and bought based on the feel of the pen and seeing them in person. Yes, research is so important!
David, very good video with a ton of valuable new advice for me and excellent reminders. One part of being a pen hobbyist I currently miss is the personal contact with other pen-lovers; specifically, the pen shows and the pen club meetings. Those two formats have helped me get personal feedback about wish-list pens and sometimes allow me to try them out. As a lefthander (and a leftie overwriter, to make it even more challenging), I find that certain nibs, papers and inks are less friendly for me, as most everything is tailored to righthanders. I risk smudging or dealing with a less-than-smooth nib on occasion. I do appreciate the insights provided by you and the other video reviewers, though, and the tutorials provided by retailers on their websites.
Great video! I would say in terms of your number 3, having the right tools is key. I wrecked an Esterbrook section by not having the right tools and nearly destroyed a Snorkel for the same reason (plus mistake #1). Stay safe and Happy Holidays!
Thank you David for your insightful excellent points. These are some of the best overall fountain pen reviewer hints. And thank you for your hard work of service to the community. Cheers...
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! :D If you wanna try a lot of inks, stick to samples for as long as possible and only get bottles if you really really really (and I mean REALLY) want that color if you don't want your overall collection to get too big. I thought that I was at a good pace in acquiring bottles, but combined with traveling and the itch that it brings when visiting brick and mortar AND acquiring a bunch of cheap pens at once, well... I only have slightly less bottles than pens now. Granted, some pens are picky and might only want a bottled ink that it likes, but back when I had Pilot Namiki Black only and filled the cartridge and that took around 2 weeks, it was going to take around up to 1.5 to 2 years to drain that bottle with consistent use. Bottles are meant to last a long time. I don't really regret my decisions, but this is for anyone who might get in and start getting into inks. :)
Thanks David. Like you, I think I ticked all of those boxes. I suppose the silver lining is that pen bargains can be found when someone has a sale to reduce their collection. Great advice to beginners. I hope they benefit from your experience.
Merry Christmas from Greece David. I wish Greece also had some kind of pen events or meetings but still you are here to share usefull knowledge and experience. As for my biggest mistake... I don't write and use my pens as much as I would like but trying to fix it. Thank you for your videos!
Thank you for another great video!! Very appropriately timed too for I believe I am at the cusp of the "blast-off" phase. Wish you a happy Christmas and a safe, penful and happy 2021!
Happy Yule wishes David! My number one mistake to avoid... Don't forget the cheapest everyday pens, that have to be really reliable, work first time every time, with no fuss, can be just as enjoyable to use as a really expensive pen. Use and love all your pens :-)
I agree! My go to pen is a solid silver Yard O Led but I also like Jinhaos. And if i have a choice of spending money on a pen or on ink, ink always wins.
Sound advice, David. And thanks for sharing your spreadsheet for pen tracking. I've been thinking about putting something together to do this for a while now, but, y'know, just didn't get round to it :o
Merry Christmas. I have made and learned from quite a few of those mistakes. The worst was when I tried to replace the sac in a vintage Waterman 52 1/2 v. The beautiful ebonite cracked right on the threads. Irreparable. There's nothing quite like reducing the number of already limited vintage pens. I took the gold nib and put it in a different pen so at least that's not lost.
This is a very informative video! I only have one fountain pen, which I bought last year for around 50 dollars off amazon. Its my favourite, and I experimented with different inks and nibs. I use it for everything. I am looking to start a collection soon.
Greetings from Australia. My pen and journalling habit has escalated during the Covid months. I have gone crazy and I started off with the Jinhao X750, Hong Dian and then PenBBs. All relatively cheap pens but then I went over to hand made pens by a brilliant Australian pen maker and I have about 20 of his pens. His pens vary from about $50 to $250. I have a trio of Emporers in 22 carat gold plate which cost about $600 in total, and then I have a trio of full ebonites which are about $100 each. Brilliant pens made to my specification with size 6 Jowo nib. People always talk about grail pens but I really can't see the point in paying $500+ for a pen that turns out to be a nail. I prefer to buy Australian and give local pen makers a chance to develop their skills. But now my fascination has turned to journals and inks. I am very fussy about both and am well down the rabbit hole. Its such a fascinating subject and pen people world wide are so generous in their time and advice. This is the one common denominator. Thanks for your video.
one little help: edelstein spelling: first e is like the a in way. second is e is like e in well st-lot of german words having st together the s becomes like s in shy. ei-most german words having ei is like i in hi. merry xmas and a penny new year :)
Great video, thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I'd like to offer you to try a Leonardo stub, although the three they offer all write so smoothly my fave is the 1.1mm. If you happen to have the original Momento Zero you can even pick up the nib individually at Goldspot. If you have the original MZ Blue Hawaii just pull the nib from the included housing as the original MZ has a friction fit feed and nib, and if you have the second offering of the MZ the included feed and housing just thread right into the section.
Very interesting thank you. Lots of great advice. Your spreadsheet looks exactly what I need and I 've downloaded it. Thank you for your time and generosity - I could never have done it! Merry Christmas and a great new year to you and your family.
This ranks as one of your top videos. I totally agree with your assessments. I have come to the decision to sell off a bunch of my nicer pens. How did you sell your 50? Merry Christmas and I look forward to next year’s installments.
Thanks, David, for this video (and all of them actually). I pretty much agree on all your points but my minor addition is that I have bought too many blues! I’m now careful not to replicate when buying new inks so that I have a range. But during my big ramp up (I had one too but mostly for inks), blue was the colour of “purchasing weakness”. Seasonal greetings from HK🎄
One particularly cheap paper worth enjoying is HP Premium32; Brian Goulet recommended it, but I've been using it for a while now and it's delightful. One thing I like about it is that you can find websites which make custom dot or line layouts, which basically makes my $10 ream of copy paper into 500 front-and-back sheets of whatever dot grid I prefer -- so I have two preferred grid sizes -- for maybe ¢5 a sheet.
My biggest mistake was thinking my small print style of writing meant I needed to stay with only a Fine nib. On a whim I bought a 21k Sailor Zoom nib and my pen life became amazing. I now use that pen daily and the others collect dust.
I know it's an old thread... JUST HAD to add a little to this experience... There's a fair amount to be said about handwriting analysis from a psychological standpoint and perspective. There's been a theory for a long time now, that conspicuously small lettering tends to be accompanied by stiff regimental letters, often plain print or block-type... AND according to psycho-analysts, this was an indicator of depression. It might not be detrimental or even diagnosable... BUT it's an indicator. {allegedly} In my own experience, without the line variations, there just doesn't FEEL like a lot of point in flourishing or "decorative value" to the writing, and it's just a chore one does to get thoughts onto paper as quickly and efficiently as possible... AND my letters shrink down to fit as much on a sheet before turning over or moving on to use even more paper... as if it's all labor... BUT once there's a significant line variation (literally the whole point in getting ink on my fingers for a damn pen in the first place)... I'm flourishing and adding flags and staves, embellishments start doodling their way into the work, and the whole "mood" of the written thoughts changes... It might drag out the actual effort and time invested, but I fail utterly to care... I'm not going to say that your preference for small nibs and fine lines was necessarily contributing to a depression anymore than I'm going to suggest your depression pressured you into a lack of appreciation for the decorative values of greater line variations or thicker lines in general... BUT it's worth considering that this could be a vicious cycle that one might just prefer to avoid if possible... It can't hurt anything to have a little FUN and put some flourish to the penmanship once in a while... even if it's completely unnecessary... Hell... MAYBE entirely BECAUSE it's completely unnecessary! That alone can be the best reason to just "brighten things up" as it were. ;o)
#3 would be "Performing repairs...". We are talking about mistakes. "Don't perform repairs" is not a mistake, but a command. So is #10. GREAT video.. .as usual.
Merry Christmas David! I always check your cubes to see how you've echoed the theme of video in the colors - your recent rendering of the Spanish flag was brilliant! I see the classic red and green of the season in this video so I look forward to more creativity in 2021. All the best to you and your family...
A minor point in an (otherwise) excellent video: I am a little bothered by the words "the correct" when applied to ink and paper. It makes it sound as if there is one correct choice. I recommend "an appropriate" instead, especially since you are explaining what makes a choice appropriate in some detail. I have been down a similar journey as yours in terms of learning by doing -- and sometimes doing badly. The only pens I have actually ruined were inexpensive vintage off-brand pens, but those experiences still rankle, and the lessons learned really stuck. Some of the lessons learned have been how to clean various filling systems most efficiently and thoroughly, and I wonder if that might not be a topic for one of your videos in the future (unless you have already done one).
Dear Sir, Hello, i am Vivek Kumar from Dehri On Sone , a small town in Rohtas district of Southern Bihar in India. You have very well brought out points where we pen lovers miss out... Your videos are very helpful and informative. Always there is something new to learn from your videos... Hope to see more of your New videos on fountain pens specially.. With love and care, Warm regards, Vivek Kumar ( Dehri On Sone city , Bihar, India )
Enjoy your videos although I am not and never will be a collector of fountain pens because I am retired and would feel guilty spending money for them. Fortunately, I have two pens which I use daily. A Pilot Disappearing Point my son gave me and a Parker 56 which I inherited, so I enjoyed those reviews you did. I use both pens daily: the Parker with Parker Quink ink and the Pilot with Pilot Namiki ink. I write in my Quarantine Diary daily and just made my 283rd entry. I'm looking forward to the day when I can feel safe going to local thrift stores in search of more fountain pens since I now know more of what to look for thanks to your channel. I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to share so much information with us.
Thanks for sharing your experience. My common mistakes was using hot water to clean my pens, not wash enough the feed and nib and experience myself with some nibs trying to make them more wet!
The only pens I have are the Pilot Metropolitan RetroPop and the TWSBI Eco but I may branch out to other pens later. I’m more interested in inks than pens though. And yes, I have definitely noticed the difference in paper types. I have yet to find a truly nice paper writing experience.
Mistake 11, not buying a great pen when you have the chance. What you would call a store like the Dollar Tree, here in NL would be called Action. And a few years back one of those stores moved to a new location, and I found a box of fountain pens for sale. All were 2 Euro or less. I wasn't yet into the hobby that much, and 2 Euro's i thought was a nice price to begin with, so I took a few I liked. With bigger and smaller nibs and different looks and materials like dark wood, metal and plastics. I knew one looked like a big heavy Pelikan and others I didn't yet know... When I found out at home how good they were, I went back to that store several times, but they were all gone. I still have and use those pens. Now Action just sells crap FP's. Except one day a really good school fountain pen. And why not... But I only have one of them at well... So even when they are the lowest price, or more expensive, they can be gone before you know it. Mistake 12, From a Goulet video: not using them
Yes, I totally agree. I would have to say that probably the most fitting of that for me would the Kingsize Bulkfiller that arrived home just a couple months prior to Conid putting on the pause of their production, which is still the case for them now. Such a wonderful pen.
12:54 Ouch... that's a pricey one... And a gorgeous pen! Still trying to convince myself into spending the money needed for an oversize Bronze Age Homo Sapiens with an F or EF nib.
Really like your videos. I started this hobby about a month and a half ago and already am at 10 fountain pens Mont Blanc Pelikan and Pilot Twisbi. I laughed when you said to slow down it appears I did what you did and jump straight to the pens in the hundreds. Need to slow down. Also FPN has also been great
Thank you so much for this video! I really appreciate the help, guidance, and I look forward to trying out your excel file. Joy, cheer and Happy New Year! 🎁🖋👍🏼
Merry Christmas! I remember when I dropped my TWSBI Eco on its nib when re-inking it. I was distraught. It was my first fountain pen. Given that it uses a steel nib, I just replaced that for pretty cheap and it works great again. I do remember the line being more fine than it writes with now though. I bought an extra-fine JoWo nib like it had before, but it seems to act like a fine now. If anyone can help me figure out why that is, I would appreciate it. I love extra fine nibs.
I’m guilty of going berserk after I decided I really liked fountain pens and writing with them. I, too, wish I had slowed down a bit. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience!
I shed tear when you mention to keep track of your pens..... I suffered a great deal in ink and in pen. Some pens I gifted on accident (penabling the fountain pen virus on a young writer)... though I suffered, I'm glad they went home with a plethora of fountain pens to play with... Ink.... You said it! Ive ruined so many bottles of ink its a crime for me to have any....
Figboot says, clean your pens, I go get my 10 dry ink pens and go clean them.... make one of the mistakes, dropped my first pen.... lol it hurt, but was just Wingsung 600, cap breaks. darn...
As far as finding a great Stub, if you haven’t tried him already, Nibmeister Michael Masuyama does a great job, and he can make it to your preferences. For example, my favorite nib is a .5mm stub/italic grind
I like your last advice, very easy to go crazy with a new hobby and purchase what you see and hear on social media, do your research! your first point, and you won't be to fast on the purchase button.... I'm lucky, it didn't happened to me but I was tempted... Thanks I learned a lot with your posts and "Joyeuses Fêtes" from Montreal :)
My biggest mistake was buying a Visconti from a local, European store after checking out only US-based reviews. It needed a lot of nibmeister tlc to be usable, and it's still not entirely pleasant to use.
Thank you for the video. Quick question: what does cleaning in regular basis mean? What is regular? I’m sure this is context dependent. I use a TWSBI ECO at various times throughout the day jotting notes. I write no longer than than 1 or two A5 size pages on days I write “a lot”. Would this kind of usage warrant cleaning monthly? Bi monthly?
It's more about letting your pen sit for a long time without using it. If you are using it on a regular basis, and always using the same ink, then there will be little need for cleaning.
My biggest mistake would be not getting a loupe sooner. I've been in this hobby for a little bit over a year now and only just bought myself a loupe to be able to see what's going on with some of my nibs. Especially since I've managed to stay in the "under $100" range (My first Pelikan M205 arrived 2 days ago. Most expensive pen so far, but I got it for a very good price!), a lot of the nibs I get aren't properly aligned and subsequently don't offer a great writing experience. I've already vastly improved the writing experience on several of my pens with my new loupe.
Never get more than a single one of a new model of pen... I got into twsbi ecos... And kept on buying each new color.. But the section never really fit me... Trying to rehome them now
This topic is a great service to the pen community. I have been collecting for five years. At the beginning I felt I could never justify spending more than $50 on a pen, given my budget. So I bought plenty of lower price pens, which I rarely use now. My first $50+ en was a Lamy Studio. Once I bought my first pen with a gold nib (Platinum 3776 Century), at a good price, I realized that by watching prices I could buy some of the nicer pens I was always seeing online. It does seem as if the rate of new pens being released has increased significantly in the past several years. I'm glad I am retired and have time to follow blogs, pen reviews, and other social media to know what is going on. Your TH-cam channel is one of the sources I always turn to when trying to learn about a pen or related product.
Thank you--great video! I'm guilty of not cleaning my pens as often as I should and not keeping track of my collection (especially ink). I'm not guilty of "not experimenting". That is one of the joys of this hobby--experimenting! Awesome excel sheet!
This is a useful video. "Don't get penvy" is my favorite and the one I need to pay attention to the most. Every social media tool I add exposes me to more pens that tempt me. I've also seen other people ramp up too quickly, especially this year, when people are home and some are engaging in "retail therapy." A suggestion I might add is to think carefully before you become a collector of a particular brand or style. The "one in every color" trap never ends and you can end up with no funds to diversify your collection, along with pens you don't use. "One in every color" is a fine collecting strategy if you intentionally choose it, but be aware when you make that decision that you will end up with a large collection of nearly identical pens and even some you don't like all that much due to their color or finish.
Just read your comments after writing mine... So agree!
Agree and never regret:)
I have set myself a limit of buying 2 pens a year.. i enjoy researching for those 2 pens as much as pen itself.. you're right. Buying too many pens in a short span, you barely able to enjoy them.
There are some people on youtube who seem to buy up pens en masse just because they can. I heard of one recently who bought several of the exact same pen just because it was a limited edition. Why do that - it just seems greedy (and perhaps a little vulgar) to me, but maybe that is something that is normal in the FP world for some reason.
That’s one of the best advice for people getting into this hobby. I don’t personally have a tendency to accumulation so it helps. I am using just one pen, and i found myself being using such pen for 3 months. But more importantly, i don’t feel the need to use another pen cause i am happy using that one.
I love how generous you are sharing not only high quality videos, but also advise about your whole experience with this hobby. Thanks for being so kind.
Good information! I'm more of a vintage fountain pen guy, and I have a fixed income, so I'm not really worried about going above a certain dollar amount with my acquisitions, and I have done my own repair for years, at this point, but this is definitely useful. I will be sending a link to my nephew, who is starting to show interest in fountain pen use. Thanks for sharing this!
my income is fixed and low -- yet I get to enjoy inexpensive fountain pens. God bless lack of penvy!
Good list. My mistake (one still ongoing) was mentioned: too many inked, and forgetting to jot down what ink is in the pen. I cleaned about 40 pens out a few months ago and attempted to rein it in, but now I’m due to repeat that process.
Merry Christmas, and have a happy 2021!
Merry Christmas from Denmark Figboot. You are my favourite FP TH-camr by far.
Thanks for watching!
And he's from San Diego which makes it that much better.
I can tell I am lucky yours were among the first videos I watched when I started this hobby a few months ago as I have already developed some best practices and am so far avoiding these top ten mistakes. Many thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Because of your and other videos, I was seriously thinking of taking the plunge and start writing with a fountain pen in the $150-$300 or possibly more range. Your comments made me realize that before spending this money I should try a much more economical pen until I have sufficient training/experience that warrants such an expensive decision. Thank you for making me realize this.
Have a blessed, and safe christmas David, cheers from Portugal, Peter Draws brought me here. Do not dwell in your past mistakes, rather think of positive things and dream of bigger goals! If you are hopeful, you will succeed for sure!
Thanks for this video, and especially for your Excel template. It has been invaluable to me, because I could never get the notebook approach properly organized. I had five partially used notebooks lying around, and one Excel file stored on a hard drive is far better for someone like me.
This is probably the best pen mistakes video I’ve ever seen. So thanks David, for that. I’ve been in the hobby for 3 or 4 years, but I still consider myself somewhere between a beginner and an intermediate fountain pen hobbyist. I do want to learn more about pen (nib) maintenance because I like to tinker. And I love ink more than I should. I have more ink than I could use in two lifetimes, and I write letters almost everyday. I like to search for inexpensive paper that will work well with a fountain pen. As you know there aren’t many, but I still enjoy trying new paper. Thanks again.🖋🖋
Great video David. Thanks for putting it together. I’d add that you should not only clean out your pens often, but also use distilled water. It’s too cheap not to, and you’re certain it will not corrode a cleaned pen that you leave out to dry thoroughly before putting it away.
i like #4... and since i am in charge of procurement at work, we have clairefontaine, rhodia and oxford (90gsm) notebooks in the supply closet - and we use 80gsm clairefontaine copy paper ;-)
We used to have Clairefontaine at a place I worked at until someone cottoned on. It wasnt the price so much as people kept stealing it as it was so nice.
Wonderful video, David. I chuckled when I saw that bent nib because some years ago I dropped my Sheafer desk pen on the floor, and the nib (14K) looked exactly like that. However, this was back in the day when Sheafer still operated in the U.S., so I sent my nib to them and for a very reasonable $25 they sent it back good as new. BTW, I can only underscore what you said about keeping a system going. For those who have never tried it,! I can tell you that it really does add to the fun. Also, when a pen is running low on ink, I refill it. When it runs low a second time, I clean and flush it. That way my pens are always relatively clean. And I have expensive pens and some less expensive pens. A $3.95 Platinum Preppy writes very well, and new users would be well advised to buy a few. They’re also great for testing inks that you might not want to fill your better pens with. Again, David, thanks for another great video. Very helpful and informative.
Think your observation of taking your time to grow your collection is the one which resonates most strongly with me: bought my grail pen (Pilot Custom 823) pretty early on and have been working backwards ever since!: turns out I’m happier with slightly smaller nibs - very happy for now to use nibs of Sailor 1911 Large and Platinum 3776 size; also, very easy to make mistake that all inks from a particular brand will act the same, eg. all Diamine inks will be wet: Imperial Blue is definitely not wet at all!; my final lesson learned is that pens writing on the same type of paper will not necessarily write the same!: my pens produce the tightest lines on the tomoe river paper found in my Hobonichi Techo, they write slightly broader on the tr paper in my Midori traveller’s notebook and they write noticeably broader on my loose leaf A5 tr paper:)
From someone new in the fountain pen journey, your videos have helped me a lot. Thanks. Happy Holidays!
Several years ago I was going through airport security (TSA) with a pen which had a lot of metal in the pen. They reran the pen through X-ray after inspection and bent the nib by jamming into the cap at a slight angle.
I filed a claim and got the check in about three weeks. Never let people who know nothing about pens handle your pens until you tell them what to do.
Stories like this are why I don't pack "good" pens to travel... But if there is a pen store near my destination I will often return with one! (I live about five hours from a pen shop.)
Hello and Merry Christmas from Germany.
You've made a good list of mistakes that can be made with fountain pens. Most of them I can either relate to, some of them painful, or I also see as very important.
At the moment meetings of like-minded people are not so easy, but it is really a great thing. No matter if you are a beginner or an old hand.
Just the possibility to take pens in hand and get tips is super helpful.
I'm glad enough not only to have had to write with fountain pens back in school, and thus to have learned a lot about the pens, but also to have had a specialist shop that can give really good advice. That has become really rare here nowadays.
It's funny that my Visconti didn't really fall off, but the nib is bent there, too. And I, just like you, bought a new, expensive Dreamtouch nib. I hope that is not due to "Visconti", but is just coincidence. ;)
Thanks also for the Excel list. Very interesting. Let's see if I switch.
Otherwise, thanks again. A great list and video.
You are a good teacher.
I like the way you explain through things.
I learned the don’t ink too many pens at once. I am currently working them down to a more reasonable number. Hope to get it down to 3-5. I like having blue, brown, and red inked. For my journal, I use green for positive tracking. If I go to 5, will probably keep one inked with a very high shading orange like Apache Sunset. I tried smoothing a nib for the first time recently. I did it on a sub $2 Jinhao Shark. It was super scratchy and dry. Tines were very tight together and maybe misaligned a little. Got the tines reasonably aligned, and went through a set of Zona papers. That pen is no longer dry and glides over paper. Very happy with it, but not going to do that on my only gold nib just yet. I have a Sailor Promenade that is just a bit scratchy. It is probably writes the finest line of any of my pens, but is a medium-fine nib.
Also keep track of your ink collection. I recently realized that I had bought a third bottle of a particular ink thinking I had only tried a sample; major brain fart. Oh yeah, and try samples instead of bottles, or at least some of the smaller bottles now available.
Agreed! I'm saddled with several 50 ml bottles of ink that I don't see myself using a lot, but I may sell them off and recoup some of the money.
I remember one time I accidently bought a 70ml bottle of Pilot Blue thinking that it was pilot blue-black.
A great list, David. I've learned quite a few of those lessons the hard way, too (and sometimes not hard, like when I'd put a different ink in a poor-writing pen only to find that it was a GREAT writer -- with the right ink). At my beginning, research was tougher; my start was at the dawn of the internet (!) so resources were a bit tougher to come by! Had I done more research, I wouldn't have skipped past a small ocean of steel nib pens that are now among my favorite everyday writers.! C'est las vie!
Thank you so much for sharing 😊 these fine points. I initially started buying my pens in the late 90's at brick and mortar stores and bought based on the feel of the pen and seeing them in person.
Yes, research is so important!
Very informative! Your lessons here make it important to know the difference between accumulating and collecting. Thanks.
David, very good video with a ton of valuable new advice for me and excellent reminders. One part of being a pen hobbyist I currently miss is the personal contact with other pen-lovers; specifically, the pen shows and the pen club meetings. Those two formats have helped me get personal feedback about wish-list pens and sometimes allow me to try them out. As a lefthander (and a leftie overwriter, to make it even more challenging), I find that certain nibs, papers and inks are less friendly for me, as most everything is tailored to righthanders. I risk smudging or dealing with a less-than-smooth nib on occasion. I do appreciate the insights provided by you and the other video reviewers, though, and the tutorials provided by retailers on their websites.
Great video! I would say in terms of your number 3, having the right tools is key. I wrecked an Esterbrook section by not having the right tools and nearly destroyed a Snorkel for the same reason (plus mistake #1). Stay safe and Happy Holidays!
Thank you David for your insightful excellent points. These are some of the best overall fountain pen reviewer hints. And thank you for your hard work of service to the community. Cheers...
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! :D
If you wanna try a lot of inks, stick to samples for as long as possible and only get bottles if you really really really (and I mean REALLY) want that color if you don't want your overall collection to get too big.
I thought that I was at a good pace in acquiring bottles, but combined with traveling and the itch that it brings when visiting brick and mortar AND acquiring a bunch of cheap pens at once, well... I only have slightly less bottles than pens now.
Granted, some pens are picky and might only want a bottled ink that it likes, but back when I had Pilot Namiki Black only and filled the cartridge and that took around 2 weeks, it was going to take around up to 1.5 to 2 years to drain that bottle with consistent use. Bottles are meant to last a long time.
I don't really regret my decisions, but this is for anyone who might get in and start getting into inks. :)
Excellent video! Thanks and happy holidays
Thanks David. Like you, I think I ticked all of those boxes. I suppose the silver lining is that pen bargains can be found when someone has a sale to reduce their collection. Great advice to beginners. I hope they benefit from your experience.
Merry Christmas from Greece David. I wish Greece also had some kind of pen events or meetings but still you are here to share usefull knowledge and experience. As for my biggest mistake... I don't write and use my pens as much as I would like but trying to fix it. Thank you for your videos!
Great video. I wish I weren't the type that insists on learning the hard way. All the very best for Christmas and the New Year!!
Thank you for another great video!! Very appropriately timed too for I believe I am at the cusp of the "blast-off" phase. Wish you a happy Christmas and a safe, penful and happy 2021!
Happy Yule wishes David! My number one mistake to avoid... Don't forget the cheapest everyday pens, that have to be really reliable, work first time every time, with no fuss, can be just as enjoyable to use as a really expensive pen. Use and love all your pens :-)
I agree! My go to pen is a solid silver Yard O Led but I also like Jinhaos. And if i have a choice of spending money on a pen or on ink, ink always wins.
Yes, the only pens I have right now are the TWSBI Eco.
Sound advice, David. And thanks for sharing your spreadsheet for pen tracking. I've been thinking about putting something together to do this for a while now, but, y'know, just didn't get round to it :o
Merry Christmas. I have made and learned from quite a few of those mistakes. The worst was when I tried to replace the sac in a vintage Waterman 52 1/2 v. The beautiful ebonite cracked right on the threads. Irreparable. There's nothing quite like reducing the number of already limited vintage pens. I took the gold nib and put it in a different pen so at least that's not lost.
This is a very informative video! I only have one fountain pen, which I bought last year for around 50 dollars off amazon. Its my favourite, and I experimented with different inks and nibs. I use it for everything. I am looking to start a collection soon.
Greetings from Australia.
My pen and journalling habit has escalated during the Covid months.
I have gone crazy and I started off with the Jinhao X750, Hong Dian and then PenBBs. All relatively cheap pens but then I went over to hand made pens by a brilliant Australian pen maker and I have about 20 of his pens. His pens vary from about $50 to $250. I have a trio of Emporers in 22 carat gold plate which cost about $600 in total, and then I have a trio of full ebonites which are about $100 each. Brilliant pens made to my specification with size 6 Jowo nib.
People always talk about grail pens but I really can't see the point in paying $500+ for a pen that turns out to be a nail. I prefer to buy Australian and give local pen makers a chance to develop their skills.
But now my fascination has turned to journals and inks. I am very fussy about both and am well down the rabbit hole.
Its such a fascinating subject and pen people world wide are so generous in their time and advice. This is the one common denominator. Thanks for your video.
one little help:
edelstein spelling: first e is like the a in way.
second is e is like e in well
st-lot of german words having st together the s becomes like s in shy.
ei-most german words having ei is like i in hi.
merry xmas and a penny new year :)
You explained that very well.
Merry Christmas David. :) thanks for the video and wisdom.
Great video, thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I'd like to offer you to try a Leonardo stub, although the three they offer all write so smoothly my fave is the 1.1mm. If you happen to have the original Momento Zero you can even pick up the nib individually at Goldspot. If you have the original MZ Blue Hawaii just pull the nib from the included housing as the original MZ has a friction fit feed and nib, and if you have the second offering of the MZ the included feed and housing just thread right into the section.
Some very good ideas David. Thanks and hope Santa brings you a lovely surprise!
Ooh! This pen & excel nerd is super excited to download your excel tool! ❤
Very interesting thank you. Lots of great advice. Your spreadsheet looks exactly what I need and I 've downloaded it. Thank you for your time and generosity - I could never have done it! Merry Christmas and a great new year to you and your family.
This ranks as one of your top videos. I totally agree with your assessments. I have come to the decision to sell off a bunch of my nicer pens. How did you sell your 50? Merry Christmas and I look forward to next year’s installments.
Very sage advice. Thanks David and Merry Christmas to and yours.
Thanks, David, for this video (and all of them actually). I pretty much agree on all your points but my minor addition is that I have bought too many blues! I’m now careful not to replicate when buying new inks so that I have a range. But during my big ramp up (I had one too but mostly for inks), blue was the colour of “purchasing weakness”. Seasonal greetings from HK🎄
One particularly cheap paper worth enjoying is HP Premium32; Brian Goulet recommended it, but I've been using it for a while now and it's delightful.
One thing I like about it is that you can find websites which make custom dot or line layouts, which basically makes my $10 ream of copy paper into 500 front-and-back sheets of whatever dot grid I prefer -- so I have two preferred grid sizes -- for maybe ¢5 a sheet.
A great top ten. I know three of these I greatly need to improve on. I have cleaning pens, too bad every town just doesn't have a pen washer.
My biggest mistake was thinking my small print style of writing meant I needed to stay with only a Fine nib.
On a whim I bought a 21k Sailor Zoom nib and my pen life became amazing.
I now use that pen daily and the others collect dust.
I know it's an old thread... JUST HAD to add a little to this experience...
There's a fair amount to be said about handwriting analysis from a psychological standpoint and perspective. There's been a theory for a long time now, that conspicuously small lettering tends to be accompanied by stiff regimental letters, often plain print or block-type... AND according to psycho-analysts, this was an indicator of depression. It might not be detrimental or even diagnosable... BUT it's an indicator. {allegedly}
In my own experience, without the line variations, there just doesn't FEEL like a lot of point in flourishing or "decorative value" to the writing, and it's just a chore one does to get thoughts onto paper as quickly and efficiently as possible... AND my letters shrink down to fit as much on a sheet before turning over or moving on to use even more paper... as if it's all labor... BUT once there's a significant line variation (literally the whole point in getting ink on my fingers for a damn pen in the first place)... I'm flourishing and adding flags and staves, embellishments start doodling their way into the work, and the whole "mood" of the written thoughts changes... It might drag out the actual effort and time invested, but I fail utterly to care...
I'm not going to say that your preference for small nibs and fine lines was necessarily contributing to a depression anymore than I'm going to suggest your depression pressured you into a lack of appreciation for the decorative values of greater line variations or thicker lines in general... BUT it's worth considering that this could be a vicious cycle that one might just prefer to avoid if possible... It can't hurt anything to have a little FUN and put some flourish to the penmanship once in a while... even if it's completely unnecessary... Hell... MAYBE entirely BECAUSE it's completely unnecessary! That alone can be the best reason to just "brighten things up" as it were. ;o)
#3 would be "Performing repairs...". We are talking about mistakes. "Don't perform repairs" is not a mistake, but a command. So is #10. GREAT video.. .as usual.
Merry Christmas David! I always check your cubes to see how you've echoed the theme of video in the colors - your recent rendering of the Spanish flag was brilliant! I see the classic red and green of the season in this video so I look forward to more creativity in 2021. All the best to you and your family...
A minor point in an (otherwise) excellent video: I am a little bothered by the words "the correct" when applied to ink and paper. It makes it sound as if there is one correct choice. I recommend "an appropriate" instead, especially since you are explaining what makes a choice appropriate in some detail. I have been down a similar journey as yours in terms of learning by doing -- and sometimes doing badly. The only pens I have actually ruined were inexpensive vintage off-brand pens, but those experiences still rankle, and the lessons learned really stuck. Some of the lessons learned have been how to clean various filling systems most efficiently and thoroughly, and I wonder if that might not be a topic for one of your videos in the future (unless you have already done one).
Dear Sir,
Hello, i am Vivek Kumar from Dehri On Sone , a small town in Rohtas district of Southern Bihar in India.
You have very well brought out points where we pen lovers miss out...
Your videos are very helpful and informative. Always there is something new to learn from your videos...
Hope to see more of your New videos on fountain pens specially..
With love and care,
Warm regards,
Vivek Kumar
( Dehri On Sone city , Bihar, India )
Thank you, some of your notess are almost life-changing! Great
Merry Christmas from Switzerland. Love your videos!!
Good points, very helpful! Thanks!
Figboots three laws of nature😂😂
Couldn't have said it any better😂😂
Enjoy your videos although I am not and never will be a collector of fountain pens because I am retired and would feel guilty spending money for them. Fortunately, I have two pens which I use daily. A Pilot Disappearing Point my son gave me and a Parker 56 which I inherited, so I enjoyed those reviews you did. I use both pens daily: the Parker with Parker Quink ink and the Pilot with Pilot Namiki ink. I write in my Quarantine Diary daily and just made my 283rd entry. I'm looking forward to the day when I can feel safe going to local thrift stores in search of more fountain pens since I now know more of what to look for thanks to your channel. I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to share so much information with us.
Thanks for sharing your experience. My common mistakes was using hot water to clean my pens, not wash enough the feed and nib and experience myself with some nibs trying to make them more wet!
Thanks David! As a newbie to the hobby, this was very helpful. I really enjoy your channel :) Best wishes to all!
A great list. Thank you.
Great video
Merry Christmas, thanks for the video.
The only pens I have are the Pilot Metropolitan RetroPop and the TWSBI Eco but I may branch out to other pens later. I’m more interested in inks than pens though. And yes, I have definitely noticed the difference in paper types. I have yet to find a truly nice paper writing experience.
Mistake 11, not buying a great pen when you have the chance. What you would call a store like the Dollar Tree, here in NL would be called Action. And a few years back one of those stores moved to a new location, and I found a box of fountain pens for sale. All were 2 Euro or less. I wasn't yet into the hobby that much, and 2 Euro's i thought was a nice price to begin with, so I took a few I liked. With bigger and smaller nibs and different looks and materials like dark wood, metal and plastics. I knew one looked like a big heavy Pelikan and others I didn't yet know... When I found out at home how good they were, I went back to that store several times, but they were all gone. I still have and use those pens. Now Action just sells crap FP's. Except one day a really good school fountain pen. And why not... But I only have one of them at well... So even when they are the lowest price, or more expensive, they can be gone before you know it.
Mistake 12, From a Goulet video: not using them
#11 was very close to making this list.
Yes, I totally agree. I would have to say that probably the most fitting of that for me would the Kingsize Bulkfiller that arrived home just a couple months prior to Conid putting on the pause of their production, which is still the case for them now. Such a wonderful pen.
Great video thank you very much. Where do you send your FPs to repair crooked tines?
You are amazing! Your knowledge is compellingly amazing! I wish that you still pursue your dream of novel writing.
Thank you so much for the ten tips! Useful stuff. Just a note, viscus means thick or sticky, so viscus ink would not flow well.
Thank you David for sharing this. It is very helpful. Merry Xmas, stay safe.
Another excellent and valuable video. Thank you!
Merry Christmas, greetings from Colombia. Excellent Channel.
12:54 Ouch... that's a pricey one...
And a gorgeous pen!
Still trying to convince myself into spending the money needed for an oversize Bronze Age Homo Sapiens with an F or EF nib.
Really like your videos. I started this hobby about a month and a half ago and already am at 10 fountain pens Mont Blanc Pelikan and Pilot Twisbi. I laughed when you said to slow down it appears I did what you did and jump straight to the pens in the hundreds. Need to slow down. Also FPN has also been great
Thank you so much for this video! I really appreciate the help, guidance, and I look forward to trying out your excel file. Joy, cheer and Happy New Year! 🎁🖋👍🏼
Merry Christmas! I remember when I dropped my TWSBI Eco on its nib when re-inking it. I was distraught. It was my first fountain pen. Given that it uses a steel nib, I just replaced that for pretty cheap and it works great again. I do remember the line being more fine than it writes with now though. I bought an extra-fine JoWo nib like it had before, but it seems to act like a fine now. If anyone can help me figure out why that is, I would appreciate it. I love extra fine nibs.
Merry Christmas from the Philippines, Sir Figboot!
I’m guilty of going berserk after I decided I really liked fountain pens and writing with them. I, too, wish I had slowed down a bit. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience!
to clean the metal (all metal) Mother's aluinm polish that will do wonders
you can pick up at auto parts store or Walmart.
I shed tear when you mention to keep track of your pens..... I suffered a great deal in ink and in pen. Some pens I gifted on accident (penabling the fountain pen virus on a young writer)... though I suffered, I'm glad they went home with a plethora of fountain pens to play with...
Ink.... You said it! Ive ruined so many bottles of ink its a crime for me to have any....
Thank you, this video helps.
How can I get access to your spreadsheet?
How can I purchase your excel application for keeping track of my fountain pen collection?
It is free to download and use. Follow the link in the notes below this video for more info.
@@FigbootonPens i can’t seem to find the excel…
Figboot says, clean your pens, I go get my 10 dry ink pens and go clean them.... make one of the mistakes, dropped my first pen.... lol it hurt, but was just Wingsung 600, cap breaks. darn...
This was a really helpful video.
As far as finding a great Stub, if you haven’t tried him already, Nibmeister Michael Masuyama does a great job, and he can make it to your preferences. For example, my favorite nib is a .5mm stub/italic grind
I like your last advice, very easy to go crazy with a new hobby and purchase what you see and hear on social media, do your research! your first point, and you won't be to fast on the purchase button.... I'm lucky, it didn't happened to me but I was tempted... Thanks I learned a lot with your posts and "Joyeuses Fêtes" from Montreal :)
My biggest mistake was buying a Visconti from a local, European store after checking out only US-based reviews. It needed a lot of nibmeister tlc to be usable, and it's still not entirely pleasant to use.
Thank you for the video. Quick question: what does cleaning in regular basis mean? What is regular? I’m sure this is context dependent. I use a TWSBI ECO at various times throughout the day jotting notes. I write no longer than than 1 or two A5 size pages on days I write “a lot”. Would this kind of usage warrant cleaning monthly? Bi monthly?
It's more about letting your pen sit for a long time without using it. If you are using it on a regular basis, and always using the same ink, then there will be little need for cleaning.
My biggest mistake would be not getting a loupe sooner. I've been in this hobby for a little bit over a year now and only just bought myself a loupe to be able to see what's going on with some of my nibs. Especially since I've managed to stay in the "under $100" range (My first Pelikan M205 arrived 2 days ago. Most expensive pen so far, but I got it for a very good price!), a lot of the nibs I get aren't properly aligned and subsequently don't offer a great writing experience. I've already vastly improved the writing experience on several of my pens with my new loupe.
Never get more than a single one of a new model of pen... I got into twsbi ecos... And kept on buying each new color.. But the section never really fit me... Trying to rehome them now
when are you next purging you collection, I'm looking for a new pen some time soon.
Fantastic video!!!
This was super helpful, thank you! I just bought my first fountain pen and I don't wanna jump off the deep end just yet. 😂
Ultra-Sonic cleaner should also be used with causion, as at some ocation it will "shake" off the plating of the nib. Thanks for the Video.
Haha I was staring at the pens strewn on my desk guiltily and immediately grabbed a box to put them in. Thanks for the reminder
I like your advises. ♥
Nice original list!