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Oh my, this brings back memories that still impact me today. Growing up, finding that perfect pen was sort of a hobby and artform. I suppose part of it was grow

Oh my, this brings back memories that still impact me today. Growing up, finding that perfect pen was sort of a hobby and artform. I suppose part of it was growing up in the 90s, trying to do Pen & Ink drawing, calligraphy, and writing all day. The current analog is searching for the perfect keyboard. While wasteful on first blush, it truly is the most utilitarian decision you can make when measured for optimizing tools. There really is something horrible about cheap pens, and nothing is worse than a pen that looks expensive yet writes cheaply... for those who don't know what I'm talking about, when lines matter, little things like skipping, shaking, and uneven lines become massive aggravations, no matter how minute they seem to a casual observer. With all that said, I'm not so into writing implements that I'd want to drop hundreds or thousands of dollars on a pen. I'd need a lot more convincing to believe that extra money is worth it. I still like the article.

arkitaip 9y ago
"The current analog is searching for the perfect keyboard." Sounds like we have been on a similar journey (typing this on a Corsair K95). I still enjoy finding a really good pen, but they rarely cost more than 10-20 usd and I mostly use them for sketching UI. If only there was a keyboard equivalent to The Pilot G2 0.7.
- dizzystar 9y ago
  I'm fond of felt-tip pens. I used Liquid Expresso pens back when I was a bike messenger. Every secretary would try to steal them, and often beg me to leave one for them.
- HakureiSec 9y ago
  Oh my, another G2 fan. I used to write with Cello Maxriters but at some point they became too thin and uncomfortable for me. Then I discovered G2 0.7 – and for the next 8 years (2 in high school and 6 in the uni) I refused to write with anything but them. When I couldn't find refills I just bought new pens (plural). Eventually, they started to miss from the local shops but at the same time, I started to write less with a pen and more with a keyboard. I still have packs of red, black and even green refills in a box somewhere in my house.
- djg3 9y ago
  That's a great pen. I moved from that to the V5 rt 0.5 and haven't looked back.
- DiabloD3 9y ago
  I've never understood why people like G2s. They always feel a bit scratchy to me. I prefer 207 0.38s, which are about as scratchy as G2 0.7s, but with a much thinner tip (207 0.7s are much smoother than both 207 0.38s and G2 0.7s).
dugditches 9y ago
The thing with 'cheap pens' is that they work and aren't messy. They can sit in drawers for years and with a little coaxing will write once again. They might not be 'pleasant' to write with, but writing is such a passive task to people they don't notice or care. I've gifted people starter fountain pens on occasion, if there job involves lots of writing. Very few actually got into it, and just stuck to cheap Bics, since they always worked with no issue. And the only Montblancs I've ever seen in the wild were Roller Balls, though I suppose Doctor's scratch the tool doesn't matter. - The keyboard analogy is nice. Since people often hunt for vintage fountain pens like old Model M's. And I suppose a keyboard's just a modern pen.
microcolonel 9y ago
I don't think it's a "growing up in the '90s thing" per se. I did exactly the same thing in 2012, when I was 15. My penmanship never got all that good, but certainly it got better than the awful state it was in before. I also started studying Japanese, which gave me thousands of discrete reasons to use the my penmanship. I never got too obsessed with the equipment though, decent paper (the stuff that doesn't gunk up on the nib) and a Lamy Safari (EF nib) were perfectly adequate.
Animats 9y ago
Having inked in mechanical drawings, even with good Rapidograph pens, it sucked. There's a reason that AutoCAD was incredibly successful in the 1980s. Any CAD system was at least an order of magnitude faster than pen and ink drafting.

arkitaip 9y ago

"The current analog is searching for the perfect keyboard." Sounds like we have been on a similar journey (typing this on a Corsair K95). I still enjoy finding a really good pen, but they rarely cost more than 10-20 usd and I mostly use them for sketching UI. If only there was a keyboard equivalent to The Pilot G2 0.7.

dizzystar 9y ago
I'm fond of felt-tip pens. I used Liquid Expresso pens back when I was a bike messenger. Every secretary would try to steal them, and often beg me to leave one for them.
HakureiSec 9y ago
Oh my, another G2 fan. I used to write with Cello Maxriters but at some point they became too thin and uncomfortable for me. Then I discovered G2 0.7 – and for the next 8 years (2 in high school and 6 in the uni) I refused to write with anything but them. When I couldn't find refills I just bought new pens (plural). Eventually, they started to miss from the local shops but at the same time, I started to write less with a pen and more with a keyboard. I still have packs of red, black and even green refills in a box somewhere in my house.
djg3 9y ago
That's a great pen. I moved from that to the V5 rt 0.5 and haven't looked back.
DiabloD3 9y ago
I've never understood why people like G2s. They always feel a bit scratchy to me. I prefer 207 0.38s, which are about as scratchy as G2 0.7s, but with a much thinner tip (207 0.7s are much smoother than both 207 0.38s and G2 0.7s).

dugditches 9y ago

The thing with 'cheap pens' is that they work and aren't messy. They can sit in drawers for years and with a little coaxing will write once again. They might not be 'pleasant' to write with, but writing is such a passive task to people they don't notice or care. I've gifted people starter fountain pens on occasion, if there job involves lots of writing. Very few actually got into it, and just stuck to cheap Bics, since they always worked with no issue. And the only Montblancs I've ever seen in the wild were Roller Balls, though I suppose Doctor's scratch the tool doesn't matter. - The keyboard analogy is nice. Since people often hunt for vintage fountain pens like old Model M's. And I suppose a keyboard's just a modern pen.

microcolonel 9y ago

I don't think it's a "growing up in the '90s thing" per se. I did exactly the same thing in 2012, when I was 15. My penmanship never got all that good, but certainly it got better than the awful state it was in before. I also started studying Japanese, which gave me thousands of discrete reasons to use the my penmanship. I never got too obsessed with the equipment though, decent paper (the stuff that doesn't gunk up on the nib) and a Lamy Safari (EF nib) were perfectly adequate.

Animats 9y ago

Having inked in mechanical drawings, even with good Rapidograph pens, it sucked. There's a reason that AutoCAD was incredibly successful in the 1980s. Any CAD system was at least an order of magnitude faster than pen and ink drafting.