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I recently switched to a fountain pen - way easier to write with and way less tension. Neil Gaiman suggested it and so I gave it a shot. Never going back - my h

I recently switched to a fountain pen - way easier to write with and way less tension. Neil Gaiman suggested it and so I gave it a shot. Never going back - my handwriting is better (but I write cursive) and it is easier to write longer without strain. That said - super cool story.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
NewOrderNow 6y ago
Same, once I used one, there is no no going back. You can certainly go deep with ink and pens and whatnot, but you can buy a Lamy for cheap on Amazon and just stick with cartridges and still get a far superior result. If anyone feel like their writing is sloppy and avoid writing because of it, try a fountain pen.
- karlding 6y ago
  For what it's worth, the consensus on /r/fountainpens and other fountain pen enthusiast sites is that you risk receiving counterfeit Lamy Safari pens when purchasing from Amazon. These fakes often have poor quality nibs and ruin people's first experience with fountain pens. The recommendation is to purchase a pen through a reputable dealer so you know that you are getting the real thing. There's a post here on Imgur [0] regarding an individual's experience after receiving a fake on Amazon if you want to compare the fake and original. [0] https://imgur.com/gallery/RC0hU https://imgur.com/gallery/RC0hU
  - NewOrderNow 6y ago
    This is true, most use https://www.jetpens.com/ https://www.jetpens.com/ More making the point that the barrier to entry is low considering Pilot makes a $3 disposable fountain pen. I suppose that would have been a better example.
    - ImprovedSilence 6y ago
      I second jetpens. I trust them, and it seems like they always have what i'm looking for.
  - BeetleB 6y ago
    Goulet Pens (https://www.gouletpens.com/ https://www.gouletpens.com/) is a good place to buy FP items.
    - phone8675309 6y ago
      Goulet Pens were fantastic for my fiancee. She has lupus, so holding and writing with a ballpoint pen is agony for her and her hands on bad joint days. She can usually do okay with a gel ball roller, but one day I let her try my fountain pen and it was the least painful writing experience in her life. She emailed the Goulet Pen company for suggestions on good pens for lupus/arthritis and got a detailed response with suggestions. They were fantastic and helped her place an order for a less expensive pen that fit her hand better to test the waters for future orders. Their YouTube pen videos are good too.
  - mih 6y ago
    Thanks for this post. Bought a Lamy several years ago and never crossed my mind it could be counterfeit. It felt so scratchy when writing that eventually I just gave up on it. Now when I compare it to the fake one from the images in the post above, it has all the telltale signs.
    - PlainDishonesty 6y ago
      You know, mine felt scratchy too. Always just figured I was doing something wrong or that's what you get for getting a cheaper fountain pen. Fairly sure mine was from an official reseller but I'll have to double check
  - citrusybread 6y ago
    In Canada, Wonderpens is an excellent source of fountain pens & inks (based in Toronto). Stylo is also great in Montreal and ships. But you might have a local shop (most cities seem to have at least one -- either catering to artists or catering to the wedding/cards types). The Lamy Safari is a great starter but I found the Platinum Plaisir and the cheaper Platinum Preppy to also be great introductions. The Plaisir also comes in finer tips, down to 0.3mm, which helps for those of us with angry writing :) It's also quite a bit cheaper, and the piston refill is cheaper. (although these days I just use a syringe to refill as drawing ink up any other way seems to never work right...)
wombatmobile 6y ago
I love fountain pens too, and recently tried to switch back to my classic Parker 45. Sadly, the plastic lining of the reservoir had perished, so the pen wouldn't suck ink up. I tried a replacement reservoir, but it didn't work. So I tried a different type, with a screw based impeller mechanism, and got ink all over my fingers and desk. Some of the ink went up into the reservoir, but wouldn't flow back down through the nib for the purpose of writing. I don't like disposable fountain pen ink. The plastic is bad for the environment, and the experience is half of what I am trying to get away from by returning to the mechanism of the refillable apparatus. I tried buying a new fountain pen, for $50 from Officeworks. It has a screw based impeller mechanism that has the same shortcomings as the one I tried with my Parker 45. Has anyone seem a replacement reservoir for Parker 45 that works? Can anyone recommend a non-refill fountain pen? I'd love to return to using a fountain pen! Not just for ergonomic reasons. The writing looks better too.
- adolph 6y ago
  I'm new to fountains and enjoy my Lamy Safari even if it is inexpensive plastic. The refillable reservoir is of the screw-suction type but I don't use it that way. I use an inexpensive syringe to transfer ink. https://www.jetpens.com/JetPens-Ink-Syringe/pd/22182 https://www.jetpens.com/JetPens-Ink-Syringe/pd/22182
  - Cancan82 6y ago
    Did you get the converter for the Lamh Safari? I actually use the same for cost reasons (and I like the grip) but I use the disposable cartridges, which seems wasteful. I have just heard that the Safari converter is pretty quick to run empty?
    - adolph 6y ago
      Yes, I did get the official converter. I think it was a waste as it doesn't do anything aside from the not very useful screw-suction thing. Even when fully out the suction mechanism does take up space that could be ink volume and after the first disposable that came with it refills have come more often. If I ever use a disposable cartridge again I'll try reusing it instead.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

NewOrderNow 6y ago

Same, once I used one, there is no no going back. You can certainly go deep with ink and pens and whatnot, but you can buy a Lamy for cheap on Amazon and just stick with cartridges and still get a far superior result. If anyone feel like their writing is sloppy and avoid writing because of it, try a fountain pen.

karlding 6y ago
For what it's worth, the consensus on /r/fountainpens and other fountain pen enthusiast sites is that you risk receiving counterfeit Lamy Safari pens when purchasing from Amazon. These fakes often have poor quality nibs and ruin people's first experience with fountain pens. The recommendation is to purchase a pen through a reputable dealer so you know that you are getting the real thing. There's a post here on Imgur [0] regarding an individual's experience after receiving a fake on Amazon if you want to compare the fake and original. [0] https://imgur.com/gallery/RC0hU https://imgur.com/gallery/RC0hU
- NewOrderNow 6y ago
  This is true, most use https://www.jetpens.com/ https://www.jetpens.com/ More making the point that the barrier to entry is low considering Pilot makes a $3 disposable fountain pen. I suppose that would have been a better example.
  - ImprovedSilence 6y ago
    I second jetpens. I trust them, and it seems like they always have what i'm looking for.
- BeetleB 6y ago
  Goulet Pens (https://www.gouletpens.com/ https://www.gouletpens.com/) is a good place to buy FP items.
  - phone8675309 6y ago
    Goulet Pens were fantastic for my fiancee. She has lupus, so holding and writing with a ballpoint pen is agony for her and her hands on bad joint days. She can usually do okay with a gel ball roller, but one day I let her try my fountain pen and it was the least painful writing experience in her life. She emailed the Goulet Pen company for suggestions on good pens for lupus/arthritis and got a detailed response with suggestions. They were fantastic and helped her place an order for a less expensive pen that fit her hand better to test the waters for future orders. Their YouTube pen videos are good too.
- mih 6y ago
  Thanks for this post. Bought a Lamy several years ago and never crossed my mind it could be counterfeit. It felt so scratchy when writing that eventually I just gave up on it. Now when I compare it to the fake one from the images in the post above, it has all the telltale signs.
  - PlainDishonesty 6y ago
    You know, mine felt scratchy too. Always just figured I was doing something wrong or that's what you get for getting a cheaper fountain pen. Fairly sure mine was from an official reseller but I'll have to double check
- citrusybread 6y ago
  In Canada, Wonderpens is an excellent source of fountain pens & inks (based in Toronto). Stylo is also great in Montreal and ships. But you might have a local shop (most cities seem to have at least one -- either catering to artists or catering to the wedding/cards types). The Lamy Safari is a great starter but I found the Platinum Plaisir and the cheaper Platinum Preppy to also be great introductions. The Plaisir also comes in finer tips, down to 0.3mm, which helps for those of us with angry writing :) It's also quite a bit cheaper, and the piston refill is cheaper. (although these days I just use a syringe to refill as drawing ink up any other way seems to never work right...)

wombatmobile 6y ago

I love fountain pens too, and recently tried to switch back to my classic Parker 45. Sadly, the plastic lining of the reservoir had perished, so the pen wouldn't suck ink up. I tried a replacement reservoir, but it didn't work. So I tried a different type, with a screw based impeller mechanism, and got ink all over my fingers and desk. Some of the ink went up into the reservoir, but wouldn't flow back down through the nib for the purpose of writing. I don't like disposable fountain pen ink. The plastic is bad for the environment, and the experience is half of what I am trying to get away from by returning to the mechanism of the refillable apparatus. I tried buying a new fountain pen, for $50 from Officeworks. It has a screw based impeller mechanism that has the same shortcomings as the one I tried with my Parker 45. Has anyone seem a replacement reservoir for Parker 45 that works? Can anyone recommend a non-refill fountain pen? I'd love to return to using a fountain pen! Not just for ergonomic reasons. The writing looks better too.

adolph 6y ago
I'm new to fountains and enjoy my Lamy Safari even if it is inexpensive plastic. The refillable reservoir is of the screw-suction type but I don't use it that way. I use an inexpensive syringe to transfer ink. https://www.jetpens.com/JetPens-Ink-Syringe/pd/22182 https://www.jetpens.com/JetPens-Ink-Syringe/pd/22182
- Cancan82 6y ago
  Did you get the converter for the Lamh Safari? I actually use the same for cost reasons (and I like the grip) but I use the disposable cartridges, which seems wasteful. I have just heard that the Safari converter is pretty quick to run empty?
  - adolph 6y ago
    Yes, I did get the official converter. I think it was a waste as it doesn't do anything aside from the not very useful screw-suction thing. Even when fully out the suction mechanism does take up space that could be ink volume and after the first disposable that came with it refills have come more often. If I ever use a disposable cartridge again I'll try reusing it instead.