Newbie to the fountain pen hobby, I've found the larger size and weight of fountain pens to be more satisfying when writing. Also helps me slow down and write neater, more fluid.
Put a broad gold nib on my al-star and I absolutely love it. It was my first fountain pen when I jumped down the rabbit hole this last year, and I thought it would be fitting to have it also as my first gold nib. Love the videos!
Hi Brian! That Edison just jumped out of your pen pile at the beginning of this episode. It’s still a looker! You sold me my first Edison, a Comet, and it’s still one of my very favorites. Every time I use it I do a chef’s kiss and I don’t care who sees me do it. Nice girth, light weight, great build quality, and like you guys, they are a great company. The nib shaped book mark that came with the pen garnered me more attention and envy than I’m comfortable with just this morning as I was reading on the train to work. Thanks for abundantly sharing. I’ve retired 3 times now, but I think I might want to grind nibs when I grow up. I wish there were schools for that. Cheers
1. Regarding cartridges, I think every different-sized pen should have the largest possible cartridge and converter that will fit in the barrel of the pen. 2. Majohn V60 is a clone of the Omas 360. Maybe not an upgrade from a Safari, but way triangular and loved by many.
I'm glad you enjoy that! We have a slew of video's we've done here where we get more into the nitty gritty, check out our Quick Tips playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PLBIMk8KEni_ktPiwCwuwdYvtajTkJtmHj.html as well as our Pen Cleaning and Tuning playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PLBIMk8KEni_kpkcTlbybb48tSIPX36_TL.html and there are many more! Just explore our channel and you'll find hundreds of videos where we've taken pens apart and show how they work! -Brian Goulet
Re: feedback on the podcast question… I’d be fine with just the newer episodes having an audio podcast… you’ve got more than enough to do! As an FYI, when you touched your mic stand at 01:10:54, there was audible mic feedback in the form of a static sound.
I used a gold Cross ballpoint for years. Then I broke my knuckles on my writing hand (mountain biking) and had to use a bigger pen. In 1994 I bought a Waterman Expert and have used that one pen for 30 years. I tried those adapter things that physical therapy gave me, but they were uncomfortable. Now I’m 66 and my writing hand will cramp into a claw if I don’t use a wider pen. I recently became a dad through adoption and wanted to resume journaling so that I could document this. I came to UA-cam. I love your store and have a new Verdigris and Gold Pilot 743 in EF, several inks and notebooks on the way. I have a Red and Gold Vanishing point coming also, but from Japan.
As someone with arthritis and complete loss of cartilage in my thumb joint, I can only write with girthier pens. There are a lot of lightweight ones out there, for which I'm thankful!
Hi Brian! I’m a fountain pen newbie and falling in love with this new hobby. I have 2 questions I’m having some trouble figuring out on my own. 1. My favorite papers have a crinkly texture and I love the Tomoe River 52 gsm. Which notebooks and journals have this paper? 2. I have trouble with getting my sheening and shimmering inks to do their thing in some of my pens. I try to unclog {?} them by running the tip under the tap but it doesn’t always help. What am I doing wrong? Are there better pens/nibs for using these fun inks? I love your Pen Casts and channel and appreciate the info. Thank you! 🌸
Another good one, thanks Brian. And thanks for the continuing saga on on architect nibs. I did not know that Ricard Binder was a developer of the architect grind. Nice to know, the only architect I have is a wonderful one Richard did for me at a penshow in 2019. Unfortunately the pen I gave him to “architectise” was a NOS Parker Super 21 with a B nib. Super 21 is a great pen, I wrote my way through High School and College with one before “graduating” to a Parker 61 for grad school. Produced in the 50s when Parker was transiting to injection molded polystyrene, instead of acrylic for their pen bodies. On my 2nd inking of my new 70+ year old pen with the custom Binder architect nib, developed longitudinal cracks in the section shell, resulting in very inky hands. So the pen languishes in a display case waiting for me to find a new shell, or get up enough courage to seal the cracks my self. Your architect emphasis has remotivated me to get this pen with the special nib usable again.
The vanishing point with the clip between your fingers is like a guided grip similar to a triangular grip? And the Majohn V60 has recreated the Omas pen that was mentioned here.
I recently got my first fountain pen, it's a cobee brand wood pen with a screw on brass cap from Amazon for 8 dollars, the nib is not very flexible and has a fine tip but I've had so much writing with it
I just recently started Calligraphy as a coworker got me a beginners calligraphy set. I know you cant use calligraphy ink in fountain pens. But do you know if I could use fountain pen ink in the calligraphy pens I got or do I need to get the special calligraphy ink?
On being czar: I graduated high school in 1979 & typing/keyboard was an elective. Not so sure it is anymore since kids are using electronic devices at such a young age. As czar, I’d have schools teach handwriting as an elective and include fountain pens as part of the curriculum. 😁
I will graduate this year from high school, and I did have typing as a required class in elementary, and we also did have a cursive class we took.. Problem is that Colorado decided that with an already tight amount of time, they could cut that with little push back. Though I agree with the overall outcome, being more time for many other learning activities, I do wish that handwriting could be taught!
I hope this can get some traction for the next QnA but: Would people think of buying a Pelikan M model from say the 400 to the 1000 if it were a cartridge converter instead of a piston filler? Would they sell it at the same price as the Pistons too?
Thank k you very much Brian! It makes sense the explanation for the girthy FP. The FP that I tried for the first time as thin Fp is a Faber-Castell NEO Slim Marshmallow M nib, the girth is very similar to a roller point pen. I love the weight of a Leonardo, Pilot or Monteverde FP but it was a very pleasant surprise how comfortable the NEO Slim is! As always very informative your Q&A. Thank you very much!
Hi Brian! A superior Q&A this week! Almost too much to respond to! I think a lot of folks who have spent YEARS writing with ball points, pencils, and the other types of writing instruments get used to having to use pressure to write, draw, etc. In order to provide pressure, you sort of have to have a more robust grip on the tool. When I really got into fountain pens, I realized that neither a death grip or pressure on the paper was necessary to make FP's work. They are more like paint brushes, where you glide over the media and apply your ink/paint. etc. So, I think a lot of pen newbies need to re-learn gripping the pen and writing as lightly as possible to get the result they desire. Like many others, a heavier, girthier pen is not necessarily a bad thing. I have a cheap knockoff of that Pilot Custom Urushi that is the heaviest pen I have ever written with, as it is made of metal. Now, THAT would be tough on the hands! Makes a good home defense device, though! Other large grip pens did take a little time to get used to, but are pretty comfortable once you get used to them. Those Edison pens are VERY light, and fun to write with as it seems as though you are writing with an actual quill, but with a thicker grip. Your talk on the lack of availability of certain overseas pens brought up a lot of good issues that those of us who are not in the business make perfect sense! My take is, that the volume required to make financial sense for these foreign manufacturers restrict which products they can ship here to the U.S. Remember we are still a niche group, and the potential sales numbers have to make sense for them to make the decision to release these products in the U.S. Also the in the Asian and European markets FP's are still used in schools in many of those nations, whereas here in the U.S. they don't even teach Cursive anymore, no matter which type of pens or pencils are used. I am fascinated by Architect nibs! Thanks for the little bit of history on them! If I ever get a pen with one that I can actually write with, I think they would be enjoyable! GOOD LUCK with that cool music machine! Looks interesting!
Thanks Jeffrey! I appreciate all your comments, that's a great point about fountain pens writing like paint brushes, I don't recall hearing it phrased like that but it makes a lot of sense. -Brian Goulet
Pilot VP 18kt gold broad nib is my favorite pen and it's actually a tri-grip (forced so by the top clip design). My other tri's are 13 Lamys of Safari, and the other more favorite Al-Stars and Joy. I only use tri-grips.
Gel-rollerball is kind of a misnomer. Those pens can be a ballpoint, a gel ink pen, or a rollerball. They all use a ball bearing to paint the ink. Rollerballs are usually capped because they can dry out (water-based). And those pens are narrow gripped because they can be. Fountain pens need to accommodate the ink and nib. As you nicely demonstrate.
they do, I totally forgot about it! We technically carry it but LAMY had production issues with it and we basically have been out of stock of it since our initial order sold out when we launched. That grip is pretty triangular, that's a good suggestion (if you can get one). -Brian Goulet
If the person's friend who likes the triangular grips would like to try out an OMAS 360 without actually having to buy one, Majohn/Moonman recently made more or less an exact copy of the 360 called the V60, and it only costs around $30. Might be worth trying before hunting down an OMAS 360 on the secondary market.
I agree about the weight of a pen. I started my fountain pen journey with metal pens that weighed several grams, maybe 30 or 40 g and they were way too heavy. Now I’m pretty devoted to resin pens, and I’m realising how important the nib is. I’m enjoying the hobby a lot more with a lighter pen.
On girthy pens. I understand their allure - they're easier to hold without fatigue for long writing sessions, especially for people with arthritis or repetitive strain injury. They also provide a larger canvas on which artisans can express themselves. The trend in pens over the last decade is most certainly toward larger, thicker sections and bodies. I prefer pens of more vintage proportions. The Montblanc Classique (and other similarly sized/shaped pens) are THE perfect size for my hand, and it's easy to slip into the pocket of my sport coat at work. I'm glad there are such a variety of sizes, but I worry that choice and variety of smaller pens will continue to decrease.
Hi Brian! I have a question - which ink did you use to make a thumbnail for "How to write with shimmering inks"? The closest one I've found is Diamine Serendipity
Would you consider he Lamy Cursive nib to be an archiect nib? I have one, and he way I hold the pen, it seems like a plain old rather broad nib. I have to admit that every time I try to use it, it's just a little disappointing. I know its real purpose in life is for Chinese characters, which I am never going to get into. As for music, I play a mountain dulcimer (AKA Appalachian dulcimer), which is a very traditional American instrument (as you might have guessed from the name). And I recently picked up a harmonica, and am learning to play that. Apparently, they can be surprisingly versatile. Not in my hands, it isn't. At least, not yet. But it's fun, and the most portable instrument I can think of.
We’ve carried it and dropped it twice now, it has just never been a strong seller for us, unfortunately. That would be an option, but definitely wouldn’t be considered an upgrade from the Safari -Brian Goulet
Despite having small hands, slim pens tire my hands. I can’t do any long writing with one without my hand cramping. My figures slipping all over the place.Slim pens and ones with short grips are almost no goes for me.
As a tattooer, we may hold that machine for 5/6 per day, maybe more. Most of us like using 1.0 - 1.25” grips. It’s gotta be big like that to grip for so long. Thin ones will kill your hands.
Not to get political, but since fountain pen manufacturers are largely global, how do you think the new US administration will affect availability and prices?
Prices of "modern" fountain pens are already high (for ones which only write as well as many cheaper antique pens). If you want an inexpensive quality writer, consider picking up and restoring an old Wahl/Eversharp, Waterman, Crescent, etc. pen. As an additional factor, none of the parts on these older pens are custom injection molded, and were designed to be repaired by intent. Your grandchildren will be using those pens long after you pass. Almost anyone with a small shop can re-manufacture most of the parts which could fail. The old flex-nibs were very expressive, and even today, they have trouble matching the flex in some of those old nibs. Add to this, they have passed the test of time. Don't get me wrong, I also have a couple Lamy Safari pens, to do "knock around" workhorse writing at the lab. I don't get upset when they get dinged up.
@@kjmav10135 It's largely just a negotiating strategy. Cheap Chinese products being manufactured overseas by prison labor is a major source of revenue for China, and they know that very well. Cutting off that market monopoly of cheap goods by artificially raising the price of imports by 25% will hurt them as well, as Americans will stop preferring those cheap products because they're not cheap anymore. If anything, it'll make it more economically viable to open an American company, like Edison, if there's a lesser risk of an Edison-clone pen being produced by Moonman/Majohn, Jinhao, or Hongdian a week later at 1/10th the sale price.
@@Dosbomber I am aware of all that. I am more concerned about a 10% or 20% tariff on Pilots, Sailors, Viscontis, Pelikans and Watermans. Not so worried about the Jinhaos and the Moonmans. A 20% tariff on a cheap $8 Chinese pen is absolutely not gonna stop the cheap Chinese pen trade, because it’s not even a couple bucks. A 20% tariff on a well-crafted $330 pen is a dealbreaker.
I have even larger hands than Brian. And indeed it isn't the girthyness of pens that is the problems. I almost ruined my wrist with ballpoints, and I don't find it very fun to write with to big pens. I like to write with lighter pens. I recently bought a Kaweco Piston Filler. And that is so fucking beautiful. :-)
Fountain pens are not girthy. They are THICC. Plenty of choice in slim profile. Waterman hemisphere, Parker vector, Pelikan m200, anything Kaweco, Pilot e95s...
ooohhhhhhh yes, indeed. I had no idea what I was getting into...well, maybe some idea, but I'm currently getting a whole new lesson in ignorance/humility, like when I first tried to use a fountain pen and felt like I was fumbling through every step of it! -Brian Goulet
Girth pens have been around for years but most pens were thinner and light weight. My very first fountain pen was about as thick as a pencil. I have a Parker 180 which when I bought it, I thought of it as being pretty wide. Now, looking at it, it seems fairly diminutive.
To Kenny; "Watch" the program like you usually do on your cell phone. Just don't look at it !!! Don't forget the earplugs and continue yard work. Problem solved.
Girthy is why I use one, with arthritis! Don’t have to push as hard too. Besides, pulling out a ballpoint or something is not the same as whipping out a fountain. 😂
Newbie to the fountain pen hobby, I've found the larger size and weight of fountain pens to be more satisfying when writing. Also helps me slow down and write neater, more fluid.
Wow. Wasn't expecting a shout-out this morning. Great way to start a Friday. Thank you for taking my question!
Put a broad gold nib on my al-star and I absolutely love it. It was my first fountain pen when I jumped down the rabbit hole this last year, and I thought it would be fitting to have it also as my first gold nib. Love the videos!
Hi Brian! That Edison just jumped out of your pen pile at the beginning of this episode. It’s still a looker! You sold me my first Edison, a Comet, and it’s still one of my very favorites. Every time I use it I do a chef’s kiss and I don’t care who sees me do it. Nice girth, light weight, great build quality, and like you guys, they are a great company. The nib shaped book mark that came with the pen garnered me more attention and envy than I’m comfortable with just this morning as I was reading on the train to work. Thanks for abundantly sharing. I’ve retired 3 times now, but I think I might want to grind nibs when I grow up. I wish there were schools for that. Cheers
1. Regarding cartridges, I think every different-sized pen should have the largest possible cartridge and converter that will fit in the barrel of the pen.
2. Majohn V60 is a clone of the Omas 360. Maybe not an upgrade from a Safari, but way triangular and loved by many.
It's very interesting watching you take apart these pens. I learned a lot, as well as in the rest of the video. Thanks! Blessings
I'm glad you enjoy that! We have a slew of video's we've done here where we get more into the nitty gritty, check out our Quick Tips playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PLBIMk8KEni_ktPiwCwuwdYvtajTkJtmHj.html as well as our Pen Cleaning and Tuning playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PLBIMk8KEni_kpkcTlbybb48tSIPX36_TL.html and there are many more! Just explore our channel and you'll find hundreds of videos where we've taken pens apart and show how they work! -Brian Goulet
Re: feedback on the podcast question… I’d be fine with just the newer episodes having an audio podcast… you’ve got more than enough to do! As an FYI, when you touched your mic stand at 01:10:54, there was audible mic feedback in the form of a static sound.
Not me... pretending to work... while listening to all things I love. :)
I used a gold Cross ballpoint for years. Then I broke my knuckles on my writing hand (mountain biking) and had to use a bigger pen. In 1994 I bought a Waterman Expert and have used that one pen for 30 years. I tried those adapter things that physical therapy gave me, but they were uncomfortable. Now I’m 66 and my writing hand will cramp into a claw if I don’t use a wider pen. I recently became a dad through adoption and wanted to resume journaling so that I could document this. I came to UA-cam. I love your store and have a new Verdigris and Gold Pilot 743 in EF, several inks and notebooks on the way. I have a Red and Gold Vanishing point coming also, but from Japan.
As someone with arthritis and complete loss of cartilage in my thumb joint, I can only write with girthier pens. There are a lot of lightweight ones out there, for which I'm thankful!
what can you do with your thumb
@PineappleElephant68 need the thumb in order to grip the pen. It's extremely painful if the pen is very slim.
Hi Brian! I’m a fountain pen newbie and falling in love with this new hobby. I have 2 questions I’m having some trouble figuring out on my own. 1. My favorite papers have a crinkly texture and I love the Tomoe River 52 gsm. Which notebooks and journals have this paper? 2. I have trouble with getting my sheening and shimmering inks to do their thing in some of my pens. I try to unclog {?} them by running the tip under the tap but it doesn’t always help. What am I doing wrong? Are there better pens/nibs for using these fun inks? I love your Pen Casts and channel and appreciate the info. Thank you! 🌸
Oh yay my comment was put up! Thanks, Brian!
Thank you for the demo too! My 2k is an EF and you confirmed I’m not going crazy lol. But I agree it’s like 20% on the spectrum.
Another good one, thanks Brian. And thanks for the continuing saga on on architect nibs. I did not know that Ricard Binder was a developer of the architect grind. Nice to know, the only architect I have is a wonderful one Richard did for me at a penshow in 2019. Unfortunately the pen I gave him to “architectise” was a NOS Parker Super 21 with a B nib. Super 21 is a great pen, I wrote my way through High School and College with one before “graduating” to a Parker 61 for grad school. Produced in the 50s when Parker was transiting to injection molded polystyrene, instead of acrylic for their pen bodies. On my 2nd inking of my new 70+ year old pen with the custom Binder architect nib, developed longitudinal cracks in the section shell, resulting in very inky hands. So the pen languishes in a display case waiting for me to find a new shell, or get up enough courage to seal the cracks my self. Your architect emphasis has remotivated me to get this pen with the special nib usable again.
The vanishing point with the clip between your fingers is like a guided grip similar to a triangular grip?
And the Majohn V60 has recreated the Omas pen that was mentioned here.
I recently got my first fountain pen, it's a cobee brand wood pen with a screw on brass cap from Amazon for 8 dollars, the nib is not very flexible and has a fine tip but I've had so much writing with it
I just recently started Calligraphy as a coworker got me a beginners calligraphy set. I know you cant use calligraphy ink in fountain pens. But do you know if I could use fountain pen ink in the calligraphy pens I got or do I need to get the special calligraphy ink?
On being czar: I graduated high school in 1979 & typing/keyboard was an elective. Not so sure it is anymore since kids are using electronic devices at such a young age.
As czar, I’d have schools teach handwriting as an elective and include fountain pens as part of the curriculum. 😁
I will graduate this year from high school, and I did have typing as a required class in elementary, and we also did have a cursive class we took..
Problem is that Colorado decided that with an already tight amount of time, they could cut that with little push back.
Though I agree with the overall outcome, being more time for many other learning activities, I do wish that handwriting could be taught!
I hope this can get some traction for the next QnA but: Would people think of buying a Pelikan M model from say the 400 to the 1000 if it were a cartridge converter instead of a piston filler? Would they sell it at the same price as the Pistons too?
Thank k you very much Brian! It makes sense the explanation for the girthy FP. The FP that I tried for the first time as thin Fp is a Faber-Castell NEO Slim Marshmallow M nib, the girth is very similar to a roller point pen. I love the weight of a Leonardo, Pilot or Monteverde FP but it was a very pleasant surprise how comfortable the NEO Slim is! As always very informative your Q&A. Thank you very much!
Hi Brian! A superior Q&A this week! Almost too much to respond to! I think a lot of folks who have spent YEARS writing with ball points, pencils, and the other types of writing instruments get used to having to use pressure to write, draw, etc. In order to provide pressure, you sort of have to have a more robust grip on the tool. When I really got into fountain pens, I realized that neither a death grip or pressure on the paper was necessary to make FP's work. They are more like paint brushes, where you glide over the media and apply your ink/paint. etc. So, I think a lot of pen newbies need to re-learn gripping the pen and writing as lightly as possible to get the result they desire. Like many others, a heavier, girthier pen is not necessarily a bad thing. I have a cheap knockoff of that Pilot Custom Urushi that is the heaviest pen I have ever written with, as it is made of metal. Now, THAT would be tough on the hands! Makes a good home defense device, though! Other large grip pens did take a little time to get used to, but are pretty comfortable once you get used to them. Those Edison pens are VERY light, and fun to write with as it seems as though you are writing with an actual quill, but with a thicker grip. Your talk on the lack of availability of certain overseas pens brought up a lot of good issues that those of us who are not in the business make perfect sense! My take is, that the volume required to make financial sense for these foreign manufacturers restrict which products they can ship here to the U.S. Remember we are still a niche group, and the potential sales numbers have to make sense for them to make the decision to release these products in the U.S. Also the in the Asian and European markets FP's are still used in schools in many of those nations, whereas here in the U.S. they don't even teach Cursive anymore, no matter which type of pens or pencils are used. I am fascinated by Architect nibs! Thanks for the little bit of history on them! If I ever get a pen with one that I can actually write with, I think they would be enjoyable! GOOD LUCK with that cool music machine! Looks interesting!
Thanks Jeffrey! I appreciate all your comments, that's a great point about fountain pens writing like paint brushes, I don't recall hearing it phrased like that but it makes a lot of sense. -Brian Goulet
Pilot VP 18kt gold broad nib is my favorite pen and it's actually a tri-grip (forced so by the top clip design). My other tri's are 13 Lamys of Safari, and the other more favorite Al-Stars and Joy. I only use tri-grips.
I really enjoyed the ink and maze video, it's fun to have a little variety in the content. By all means, keep the Friday videos coming!
Gel-rollerball is kind of a misnomer. Those pens can be a ballpoint, a gel ink pen, or a rollerball. They all use a ball bearing to paint the ink. Rollerballs are usually capped because they can dry out (water-based). And those pens are narrow gripped because they can be. Fountain pens need to accommodate the ink and nib. As you nicely demonstrate.
Do they no longer make the Lamy Ideos fountain pen for a somewhat angled grip?
they do, I totally forgot about it! We technically carry it but LAMY had production issues with it and we basically have been out of stock of it since our initial order sold out when we launched. That grip is pretty triangular, that's a good suggestion (if you can get one). -Brian Goulet
If the person's friend who likes the triangular grips would like to try out an OMAS 360 without actually having to buy one, Majohn/Moonman recently made more or less an exact copy of the 360 called the V60, and it only costs around $30. Might be worth trying before hunting down an OMAS 360 on the secondary market.
New to fountain pens, loving your channel and store. Curious what your times are on the rubiks cubes in the back of some of these videos.
Regarding a triangular grip, I would contend that the Pilot VP forces a triangular grip, dontcha think?
It certainly is an alignment guide, of a sort.
I agree about the weight of a pen. I started my fountain pen journey with metal pens that weighed several grams, maybe 30 or 40 g and they were way too heavy. Now I’m pretty devoted to resin pens, and I’m realising how important the nib is. I’m enjoying the hobby a lot more with a lighter pen.
That's a pretty familiar realization for many of us when we get into fountain pens! I experienced that myself. -Brian Goulet
Yes, we like it! Keep on doing it!
On girthy pens. I understand their allure - they're easier to hold without fatigue for long writing sessions, especially for people with arthritis or repetitive strain injury. They also provide a larger canvas on which artisans can express themselves. The trend in pens over the last decade is most certainly toward larger, thicker sections and bodies. I prefer pens of more vintage proportions. The Montblanc Classique (and other similarly sized/shaped pens) are THE perfect size for my hand, and it's easy to slip into the pocket of my sport coat at work. I'm glad there are such a variety of sizes, but I worry that choice and variety of smaller pens will continue to decrease.
Hi Brian! I have a question - which ink did you use to make a thumbnail for "How to write with shimmering inks"? The closest one I've found is Diamine Serendipity
Would you consider he Lamy Cursive nib to be an archiect nib? I have one, and he way I hold the pen, it seems like a plain old rather broad nib. I have to admit that every time I try to use it, it's just a little disappointing. I know its real purpose in life is for Chinese characters, which I am never going to get into.
As for music, I play a mountain dulcimer (AKA Appalachian dulcimer), which is a very traditional American instrument (as you might have guessed from the name). And I recently picked up a harmonica, and am learning to play that. Apparently, they can be surprisingly versatile. Not in my hands, it isn't. At least, not yet. But it's fun, and the most portable instrument I can think of.
I definitely wouldn’t consider the LAMY cursive nib to be anything like an architect. It’s closer to a medium nib. -Brian Goulet
Will you be getting any Magna Carta 650 pens?
Likely not, I believe it's an exclusive at another retailer. But if that ever changes we'd certainly be open to that. -Brian Goulet
Brian, would you play something on the guitar for us?
Something by The Inkspots! 😉
Lamy Ideos is a good high end steel nib pen with a triangle-ish grip
Do you not carry the Pelican Twist anymore? That one has a triangular grip too I think?
We’ve carried it and dropped it twice now, it has just never been a strong seller for us, unfortunately. That would be an option, but definitely wouldn’t be considered an upgrade from the Safari -Brian Goulet
Despite having small hands, slim pens tire my hands. I can’t do any long writing with one without my hand cramping. My figures slipping all over the place.Slim pens and ones with short grips are almost no goes for me.
As a tattooer, we may hold that machine for 5/6 per day, maybe more. Most of us like using 1.0 - 1.25” grips. It’s gotta be big like that to grip for so long. Thin ones will kill your hands.
Not to get political, but since fountain pen manufacturers are largely global, how do you think the new US administration will affect availability and prices?
It’s really hard to say at this point. I think we probably need to be ready for anything -Brian Goulet
Prices of "modern" fountain pens are already high (for ones which only write as well as many cheaper antique pens). If you want an inexpensive quality writer, consider picking up and restoring an old Wahl/Eversharp, Waterman, Crescent, etc. pen.
As an additional factor, none of the parts on these older pens are custom injection molded, and were designed to be repaired by intent. Your grandchildren will be using those pens long after you pass. Almost anyone with a small shop can re-manufacture most of the parts which could fail. The old flex-nibs were very expressive, and even today, they have trouble matching the flex in some of those old nibs. Add to this, they have passed the test of time.
Don't get me wrong, I also have a couple Lamy Safari pens, to do "knock around" workhorse writing at the lab. I don't get upset when they get dinged up.
I really, really hope somebody can talk him out of this crazy tariff stuff. It will only hurt us.
@@kjmav10135 It's largely just a negotiating strategy. Cheap Chinese products being manufactured overseas by prison labor is a major source of revenue for China, and they know that very well. Cutting off that market monopoly of cheap goods by artificially raising the price of imports by 25% will hurt them as well, as Americans will stop preferring those cheap products because they're not cheap anymore. If anything, it'll make it more economically viable to open an American company, like Edison, if there's a lesser risk of an Edison-clone pen being produced by Moonman/Majohn, Jinhao, or Hongdian a week later at 1/10th the sale price.
@@Dosbomber I am aware of all that. I am more concerned about a 10% or 20% tariff on Pilots, Sailors, Viscontis, Pelikans and Watermans. Not so worried about the Jinhaos and the Moonmans. A 20% tariff on a cheap $8 Chinese pen is absolutely not gonna stop the cheap Chinese pen trade, because it’s not even a couple bucks. A 20% tariff on a well-crafted $330 pen is a dealbreaker.
triangular grip: I think I got a Pineider Modern Times from Goulet a couple of years ago--
The thin pens cause my hand to cramp when writing for a while.
I’m the same way -Brian Goulet
I just have UA-cam running and listen to it like a podcast
Hope you have a week you can relax in.
Armando Triangulo for a gold nib with safari grip. Spelling but google fixes it
The refreshed interest stemming from doodlebuds architect nib adventures i guess
Feedback on the podcast question: please make it complete, with the old episodes!
A Lamy EF and Monteverde EF are both broader than a Sheaffer regular F
I enjoyed your “soothing” videos. Pam
I have even larger hands than Brian. And indeed it isn't the girthyness of pens that is the problems. I almost ruined my wrist with ballpoints, and I don't find it very fun to write with to big pens. I like to write with lighter pens. I recently bought a Kaweco Piston Filler. And that is so fucking beautiful. :-)
Now, you need to get a nice pen with a MUSIC nob, and start writing your own Goulet Music :):)
Do you think that the coming tariffs will affect the pen world?
I would argue that, for all intents and purposes, the Pilot capless pens are triangular grip pens.
The Majohn V60 is a Chinese copy of the Omas 360.
Pelikan Twist , Majohn v60 ,
I prefer a girthy pen. With my arthritis and hand tremors they are easier to write with. My EDC are the Majohn Q1 and the Jinhao 9019.
Mandate every company make a converter/cartridge adapters.
Fountain pens are not girthy. They are THICC.
Plenty of choice in slim profile. Waterman hemisphere, Parker vector, Pelikan m200, anything Kaweco, Pilot e95s...
Native instruments.. you’re about to go down a rabbit hole that’s far bigger than you’d imagined,
ooohhhhhhh yes, indeed. I had no idea what I was getting into...well, maybe some idea, but I'm currently getting a whole new lesson in ignorance/humility, like when I first tried to use a fountain pen and felt like I was fumbling through every step of it! -Brian Goulet
if the US has it bad for fountain pen variety, and its expensive to get some brands, brazil has it 10 times worse hahaha taxes are crazy
Girth pens have been around for years but most pens were thinner and light weight. My very first fountain pen was about as thick as a pencil. I have a Parker 180 which when I bought it, I thought of it as being pretty wide. Now, looking at it, it seems fairly diminutive.
Well I was quick
To Kenny; "Watch" the program like you usually do on your cell phone. Just don't look at it !!! Don't forget the earplugs and continue yard work. Problem solved.
@lpanades ... Wow. Maybe cut back on the caffeine so you can sport a more genial tone.
You are not a czar. This is not imperial Russia. We are pen dorks, not cosplayers. ❤
I like Mondrian because he brings order to modern art, which tends to be chaotic. He was also a Christian, another reason I like his artwork.
Fountain pen podcast? I don't see a point really. That's my vote. I guess the vote FOR a podcast would be more relevant
Girthy is why I use one, with arthritis! Don’t have to push as hard too. Besides, pulling out a ballpoint or something is not the same as whipping out a fountain. 😂