I love fountain pens. They offer an older, yet superior form of writing. They have so many superior qualities, and very little flaws. The first and probably the greatest is the writing. To write with a fountain pen you don’t have to press down or even touch the paper. All that is needed is the ink to touch the paper, and it instantly writes. There is no pressure required. People that write or type all day understand the pain that comes after a long day of work. Your hand hurts, your shoulder hurts, and you wonder why you’re stuck in such a dead end job.
Also, they never need replacing and you don’t have to throw them away. All you need is to show them a bit of matenence and love and they will never fail or leak. A good fountain pen will cost as little as 2 dollars and exceptionally good ones can cost hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars. A great durable fountain pen, such as the LAMY safari costs 30 dollars. But think, you will never, ever need another one, as long as you take care of it.
You also have to refill your fountain pens, but there is a timeless joy in this ritual, which with a good pen, should only happen every two weeks or so. There are also many types of fountain pen ink holders. There is the eyedropper, which is the original. You fill up the whole barrel of the pen with an eyedropper; this one has the largest ink capacities. There is also the ink bladder, which is a rubber sac that using suctions you with ink. The problem with these is that the sac can rot and corrosive inks can destroy it. There is also the cartridge, which is a plastic cartridge that you insert into the pen. Even though the cartridges are wasteful and can get expensive it is still how most fountain pens work. So, what about us non wasteful but still modern people? Well, we have the converter, you buy one specific to your pen and this allows easy refills while still having the convenience of a cartridge.
Now, the ink you use is also a major factor. Not all inks are created equal, and normal inks can clog and destroy a fountain pen. These India inks clog up the pen, for a fountain pen you need a water based ink made with dyes and not pigments. My favorite brand of ink is noodlers. Good noodlers ink is waterproof, forge-proof, and UV-proof, so you will never get it off before destroying the paper. Noodlers ink binds to the cellulose of the paper, has the best array of colours, and is dirt cheap.
Now after all this I really hope you go out and buy a fountain pen, nothing too fancy, but something that fits your personality. Maybe an eloquent Mont Blanc, or a retractable pelican or a modern and sleek LAMY al-star? I just ordered 2 platinum preppy, a LAMY safari, and a bottle of ink. Eventually you can be the crazed collector I am.
