Fountain Pens - a rof survey

 

Do you use a fountain pen?  If so, what kind do you have?

 

I've got one but haven't used it for so long that i have forgotten what kind it was.  My memory is that it leaked annoyingly as well

A lovely Cross one, that is a set with a ball-point, which Mrs Hall brought me for our 25th anniversary.

I use it for a nice grandiose signature whenever I write a letter on headed paper - which is about once a month.

I use the ballpoint every day, and it has a silky-smooth action and nice balance. 

no but got a perverse shítload of em.  some right disgustingly gauche duofolds tempered by a sweet 51 and a couple of sweet monties.  an heirloom Sheaffer is my fave.

bit like guns when they were allowed - I tumesce when spending loads on useless shít

I've got a Waterman cartridge and a TWSBI 580 piston filler. 

 

Think the Waterman is the superior pen, but the TWSBI looks cooler. The tines aren't quite 100% so need to dip the nib in water if I've not used it for 48hrs. Could equally be that my ink is very old. 

Yes, a Lamy.  Looks very swish.  Only takes own brand cartridges.

Oh hold on, no, obviously I carve my own quill from the first swan I take for the table each year

Had a montblanc but it disappeared the same week a shit trainee was exited from the firm firm mid TC. 

I have my grandfather’s Parker Duofold in a drawer somewhere - I used to use it a lot but not anymore. Lovely thing. 

I have the same Parker I did my A-levels with 40 years ago. It works, and is so basic and uncool that it remains where I leave it.

I think I have a Lamy cartridge one somewhere … I had quite a nice Rotring one  for a while but I lost it eventually 

Use a Waterman Le Man 100 every day and a 200 for signing stuff.  Mrs D uses her MB Boheme all the time.

I use my grandfather's beautifully weighted MB 234 for truly special moments.

I confess that the corporate Lamy Swift rollerballs get the most use and are always at hand.

 

you know what will be the death of fountain pens? docusign

 

used my fountain pen for signing things, now there's almost nothing unless you've got a high street solicitor acting on the other side for something and they can't cope with the idea.

 

that and something that needs notarising/apostilling

 

We budget for replacing a goodly number each year - it's a low cost way of people happily having meetings at ours which makes life easier.   That and a decent lunch offering and an old fashioned cellar.

about 25 years ago as we were leaving a meeting at skaddens, the partner i worked for picked up a fistful of their very nice pens.  at which point the skaddens partner re-entered the room

 

"the kids love em" 

 

and stuffed them in his bag and walked out

 

Think I have one in a drawer but I haven't signed anything other than on Docusign in years at this point

Mostly orange bics. Sometimes a clear Bic. The corporate biros are just for the clients as they're rubbish.   

my old shop provided caran d'ache pens. cheap plastic ones in the stationery cupboard but the posh £25 metal ones in the meeting rooms.

i still have "several".

Used to use the Mont Blanc but found it leaky 

lamy’s for a while but also found them leaky 

want a kaweco but need to try the nib first as not sure whether to get fine or medium 

I’m a lefty 

I hardly ever use a pen never mind a fountain one.  Can barely scrawl my name these days because I never physically write.  

Do you reckon there will come a point where they'll stop teaching kids to write at all because there's no point?  Straight to typing?

Used to use the Mont Blanc but found it leaky 

lamy’s for a while but also found them leaky

You know what's not leaky?  Pens that aren't fountain pens.

I know, but my handwriting looks so much nicer in fountain pen than anything else and I do love pretty handwriting rather than lady scrawl

I inherited several nice Pelikan pens but never use them. Also never write by hand these days, my script looks terrible now.

You know what's not leaky?  Pens that aren't fountain pens.

My firm’s rollerballs were so atrociously leaky and exploded all over everything that we had to remove them all. 

I have a Waterman that a client was given at the closing for a deal I worked on in a very juniorish capacity. He passed the pen onto me because the closing was on my 25th birthday.

I’ve got two Mont Blanc fountain pens. The first one my wife bought me 40 years ago after passing the LSF (Law Soc finals to you youngsters). The other I won in a competition. Neither leak, both smooth as silk in use. But now retired, hardly write anything anymore. But will never part with them. Aesthetically, hard to beat.

OK this is making me want to take a look in an old stationary box and see what ‘stash’ I have left if any.