Fountain pens.

[Mack The Knife]

I have always prefered using fountain pens and used to enjoy corressponding with my friends via pen and paper until they finally forced me onto the internet, and thereby e-mail, sometime in September 2000.

How many of you use fountain pens for your daily writing and which pens do you normally reach for?

Whilst I have quite a few fountain pens, I usually use a MB149, Pelikan M800 and a Sailor PG on a rotational basis.

Look forward to reading about your likes and dislikes.

Mack The Knife

[TenX]

I loved the 'Hero' and Parker pens that I used in college. Although I dont use them anymore, I have stored them along with the small collection of pens that I have. (Hero, Parker, Wilson, Cross, Sheaffer, Rotring, Pilot .. )
Rotring being my favourite, which I extensively used for the embroidery and fashion designing more than a decade ago. I guess that was the last I used them...

My uncle had a Cartier, which mysteriously disappeared in the old Mysore house. That pen was used by earlier generations in signing orders for criminals at the Mysore Court! .. One of these days, I should go over to the old house and scour for it...

I gifted my dad a MontBlanc a few years ago. Sadly, he has broken it, or so it seems, but still hangs around his coat pocket on and off. He also has a PeirreCardin and another one.. forgot the name...

Still remember the names of the inks - Bril and Chelpark

[Olly]

Well we have something in common again...

I use a gold Parker USA fountain pen that was gifted to me by my Pop-in-Law and is probably much older to me... Writing with it is like gliding over paper...

I also have Cross and Sheaffer.... and ofcourse the Parkers'... Yet to buy a Waterman...

[hamiclar01]

i quite like writing with fountain pens too. i have a waterman, and a parker. the proximity to a good shop selling great pens (how deep is your pocket) with intelligent salesmen makes things easier. however as the ink washes off the pre.scriptions when nursie dear starts preparing the injections, i have to use them judiciously....like signing cheques, writing letters and admission records.

interestingly, the smoothest pen i ever wrote with was a 5 rupee "Bittoo" that i used in class 5. sheer silk, and excellent grip. the nib broke off in a scuffle at school and it was never the same again.

[HydNawab]

I have always enjoyed writing with fountain pens.We were taught in school never to write with a ball point pen since it ruins the hand writing.Guess can't beat the smoothness of an ink pen.Most of the people I know dont use fountain pens and when they see me using one, they are surprised.

I have a few at the moment.

1.Mont Blanc Boheme Collection Resin and Platinum (Daily Use)
2.Mont Blanc Starwalker (Dont like this one)
3.Waterman Edson
4.2-3 hero pens.

Cheers

Ashar

[Zenbon]

interestingly, the smoothest pen i ever wrote with was a 5 rupee "Bittoo" that i used in class 5. sheer silk, and excellent grip. the nib broke off in a scuffle at school and it was never the same again.

Even i remember the "bittoo" pens, if you are referring to the small sized fountain pens with eye catching patterns . They were one of the very few of the low end fountain pens which doesn't require "breaking In".

I have also owned Parker and Pierre Cardin, sheer delight to write with them from day one. Especially when writing exams, you need a pen that practically zooms on the paper. Unfortunately, I lost both of them somewhere along the transition to ball point pens.

Since at present the only writing I do is scribbling, Reynolds/Cello ball pens suffice.

[diskaon]

I use a Rs. 110/- Hero pen.. not the normal green one with golden cap. Its a different model. Will try and post images of it.

Would love to own a mount blanc some day!!!!

diskaon.

[rk]

Hi,
Nice to see people with a liking for fountain and ink pens even at this time and age. I use fountain pens only for normal writing, and get strange looks from colleagues in the office during meetings, etc.
The last time I owned a ball point pen was circa 80s.
The pens which I use on a day to day basis:
1. Black Cross with iridium nib
2. Red Parker with self ground oblique nib.
3. Green Camlin with self ground italic nib.

The other pens in my collection include:
1. Two dip pens from Rubinato with 10 different nibs.
2. Almost a dozen self made wooden dip pens fitted with various nibs.
3. Chinese made, no-name, cartridge calligraphy fountain pen, with 5 nib assemblies (from the 80s).

Long live the ink pen.
regards,
rk

[Mack The Knife]

Wonderful responses and I hope to read more.

Anand, a Wilson FP? It seems familiar and yet I am unable to recall one. You could always send your dad's MB in for repairs, especially since he appears to cherish it.

Anupam, do you know what model your gold Parker is, if not could you put up a pic or two?

Hamiclar01, your mention of the Rs.5/- Bittoo reminded me off my Rs.2/- dark green Camlin I had purchased from Def. Col. C-Block market when I was in the 3rd or 4th standard. Now that would give any of my high end FPs a run for their money and then some.

Ashar, we were taught the same at school and I used to envy the boys who used to use Sheaffers.

Diskaon, if and when you think you can afford a MB, don't buy one. The quality is not what it was and it's more of a posers pen today. I say this from experience as I have several and recently sold one to buy Inder's Pro Sport for more than what a new one costs today. If you like larger FPs I would recommend a Pelikan M800 or even a M1000. If you would like to start with a real value for money top-of-the-line FP, consider the Sailors. I use a Sailor Professional Gear and it's a stonking good pen. These are available in India for approximately Rs.10k and change but would be cheaper at http://www.pengallery.com/ if you wait for the US$ rate to come down again.

Long live the ink pen.

Amen!

[saahil]

when i was in school our teachers never allow us to use ball point pen.at that time i use hero pens. im really fond of fountain pens and now i use ecridor,cross,waterman and parker.take care.

[TenX]

Anand, a Wilson FP? It seems familiar and yet I am unable to recall one.

Actually, it was part of the set of ball-point plus fountain pen. The Ball point is still working fine, and is easily much older than me

...when you think you can afford a MB, don't buy one. ...

I agree.. the price you pay for the quality you get is no where worth it. Take my case.. the outer covering (metal cylinder layer) is loose and slips all over the pen!

[Mark]

Great topic!

Unfortunately, fountain pens here in the US have gone the way of the buggy whip, much to our collective loss I feel.

When I had to wear a suit and tie everyday, many co-workers had Watermens as a status symbol, but they were not fountain pens, simply roller ball pens with the correspondingly high price tag.

So sadly, I have had many pen knives but have never used them to sharpen or shape a pen quill.

[TenX]

Just to mention.. I love Ritters and have three of them.. one of them even has a personal stamp-pad
Dont use it anymore.. and they are all Ball-point

[basutripathy]

I am using a parkar stainless steel USA foutain pen obtained by me in 1985 from USA for 15 dollars till date for court work. Otherwise i use a cross ball pen.I love to use fountain pen. I wish some day i will purchase one Montblanc foutain pen with gold nib.

[diskaon]

Mack The Knife,

for the past yr or so I have been eying the Sheaffer Valor.. http://www.sheaffer.com/writing/ the one with the nib inlaid into the pen body.. Funny that in 7th std I used to use on of this. never knew the value of it then. now i believe its almost 13K for one.. (I will have to sacrifice a lots of thing, including the proposed IZH 61 in order to get this one. ) I was also considering one of the lamy pens
9one with the black powder coated nib) http://cgi.ebay.in/LAMY-SAFARI-FOUNTAIN ... dZViewItem .. but then I got hold of this hero pen which I call HERO VALOR.. for obvious reasons.. the nib is copied from the original valor.

From now onwards, I am an official MB non aspiring individual.

diskaon.