Introduction to my Fountain Pens
Posted on August 6, 2024 by Aywren
This year, I’ve been getting into a number of analogue things that I had no experience with before, nor did I expect to enjoy and get into. This included purchasing my first fountain pen.
I originally bought my first fountain pen due to the fact that I was trying to journal more often by hand, and I noticed that I was so out of practice that my wrist began to fatigue far sooner than I thought it should. So, I researched writing pens that might help with this, and discovered a large number of people who suggested trying fountain pens for their ease of writing.
Knowing nothing about fountain pens, and not wanting to spend too much money on something I might not end up using, I was cautious with my first purchase. I learned about the inks I’d need, and then set out to find something simple, fairly cheap and cool looking. I ended up with this.
Hongdain Forest Rainbow
Yes, of course I was drawn by the color initially. This pen, however, has turned out to be pretty good in terms of what I spent on it.
I use it for my commonplace book, so it’s not a pen that I write with every day, but it is one that I keep inked up. I do notice that if I don’t write with it somewhat consistently, it has a tendency to want to dry out a little. But that’s not too much trouble.
Overall, I’ve enjoyed my first fountain pen!
Pilot MR Retro Pop – Turquoise
After posting about my Hongdain on Mastodon, I started getting responses from folks who were much more in the know about what are good, inexpensive fountain pens. Because once you buy one, it’s hard not to start a collection, that’s what I did.
My second pen was a Pilot MR Retro Pop. I’m big into teal colors (as you’ll see), and this one was nicely priced. Turns out that it’s a sleek pen that feels good in my smaller hand, and writes very nicely with the fine nib. I inked it up in a different color and also use this as part of my commonplace book kit.
TWSBI Eco – Persian Green
I heard a lot about the TWSBI brand of fountain pens, so I eventually picked up an Eco. At first, I wasn’t sold on the bulky, clear plastic of this pen, or the more modernized look. But once I began to use it – I got it in a medium nib – I started to understand the appeal of a clear pen like this. You always know how much ink you have left!
Not to mention, it’s easy to clean and fill, which I like. And even with a medium nib, it writes nicely.
I now use this as my main journaling pen, so it’s one I use almost every day – or at least, when I go to write in my journal.
Jinhao Light Green
This was another brand that I heard people speak highly of. I got this on Amazon at a great price, especially since I didn’t know it came in a two pack of pens!
This one is a bit more plasticy than the others, and I can’t vouch one way or another for how it feels to write. To be completely honest, I’ve inked up one and put it in with my other pens in my commonplace box, but I haven’t used it much. I need to find something to pair it with eventually – it seems like all of my pens have a specific journal or purpose I’ve linked them to.
Conklin Abalone Nights
I adore abalone, and knew that I needed to find a fountain pen that was decorated with it. But I also wanted something affordable, so I couldn’t go too fancy with this.
Turns out the Conklin Abalone Nights fits the bill, and I was able to find one for a decent price, brand new on Ebay. This was my last pen purchase, and the most expensive one I’ve bought so far (still under $80 though).
At first, I didn’t know what to pair it with, so even though it was inked up, I kept it in a pen stand for decoration. However, after I bought my traveler’s style notebook, I’d found the match for it. Ever since then, I’ve been jotting in my notebook with my abalone pen, which makes me super happy.
And there you have it: all of the fountain pens I’ve picked up since the beginning of this year. As I noted, I haven’t felt the need to add to my collection beyond this. Though, I do have a few low-cost pens on my Amazon wishlist, and wouldn’t turn them away!
Now, fountain pen ink, on the other hand… is something I’d like to dabble in more. I have three bottles of different colors, and two different brands, just to try out what’s there. I haven’t settled on a favorite yet, so if you have ink (or pen) recommendations, please let me know!