Fountain Pen

rowlers

rowlers

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Location
Cumbria
After using a Bic disposable fountain pen and finding it a revelation and want to buy a proper one for work use. Nothing fancy, max of £20 with some cartridges.

I like this one:
http://www.cultpens.com/i/q/OH10181/ohto-tasche-fountain-pen-ff-10t
Any thoughts? Anything else I should consider? With a similar "modern" look?
(I like shiny metal!)
And What about cartridges - Cult pens own OK?
Cheers
 
The Ohto fountain pen is ok.

If you were prepared to increase your budget, this is a much better pen:

http://www.cultpens.com/i/q/LM09510/lamy-al-star-fountain-pen-aluminium

It looks, and more importantly feels like a premium product. To get substantively better than the Al-star, you need to go 50GBP+; they really are that good.

I have both the Ohto and the Lamy BTW.
 
I'd suggest that the Tasche is fine for occasional use (quick note-taking etc.) but, being a pocket-sized pen, it's short, even when the cap is posted, and the section (the bit you hold) is slim, which makes it unsuitable for more than a couple or three lines of writing unless you have small hands like mine - I had one, so I speak from experience. Also, if you're going to get into fountain pens, I would urge you to consider a pen with a converter so you can use bottled ink. Cartridges are fine, of course, but, to me, it's a bit like shaving with a DE razor, but using canned foam rather than lathering a good soap or cream with a brush.

Another thing to consider is which nib size (line width) to choose. You want to avoid loops in "a's" and "e's" becoming blobs due to using a nib that's too broad for the size of your handwriting. Conversely, if your handwriting is large, and you use a fine or extra-fine nib, your writing can seem out of proportion.

My suggestion would be one of the following options:

Lamy Safari from http://www.cultpens.com, plus Lamy converter from the same retailer totalling £17.92 excluding p&p, though you'd need a bottle of ink on top of that, which will put you just over the £20 mark.

OR

Pilot MR from http://www.thewritingdesk.co.uk, plus a Pelikan piston converter from the same supplier. This combination puts you a bit further over the £20 mark, but the Pilot is a metal-bodied design, whereas the Lamy is plastic. Again, you'd need bottled ink if you went for the converter.

Then again, with a converter which, with basic maintenance can last years, plus a bottle of ink which will last for months, depending on how heavy your usage is, you'll save money over buying cartridges. Also, there's a vast range of ink colours, as well as variation in ink viscosity (often termed "wetness"), colour shading (lighter and darker tints within your writing) and drying time, enabling you to select the ink that perfectly suits your requirements.

This chap on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeWDDbfQxKv0Cgq_UNpwYpA is one of the most knowledgeable fountain pen reviewers, IMO, and he has several videos on choosing a fountain pen, including nib options, and I'd recommend spending some time with his videos on choosing a pen, in addition to his reviews of the two pens I've suggested, before making a decision.

Lastly, be warned - if you've already spent more than you planned on shaving gear, getting into fountain pens can be equally expensive!:icon_razz::angel:
 
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Thanks folks, it is just for general note taking, not usually more than a few lines at a time.
I probably prefer a fine nib, as I always prefer a finer rollerball etc.... e.g. a bic medium is too big for me...
I really won't be spending a lot of money on these, its a tool for work and that is all ;) :)

EDIT - What about these Jinhao pens on ebay?
 
rowlers said:
Thanks folks, it is just for general note taking, not usually more than a few lines at a time.
I probably prefer a fine nib, as I always prefer a finer rollerball etc.... e.g. a bic medium is too big for me...
I really won't be spending a lot of money on these, its a tool for work and that is all ;) :)
Click to expand...

In that case, the Tasche with a fine nib should be OK. If you can manage to regard FPs as "a tool for work" and not "something else I've got into that's expensive and takes-up space" after a few months, you'll be doing better than most of us who post in this section of the forum!:blush:
 
The Ohto will meet your (current!) needs just fine.

Be warned though, as Chris alludes to above, once you are bitten by the writing bug, it's just as addictive as traditional wet shaving...

All the best.
 
Wandered into a pen shop for a cheap, yes cheap, pen for work. Nothing special but wanted ink rather than ball point. Couple of minutes later came out with a £75 Faber Castral.

Oops.

My writing sucks but do do a lot of it (nurse) and do like using a fountain pen.
 
Whosthedaddy said:
Wandered into a pen shop for a cheap, yes cheap, pen for work. Nothing special but wanted ink rather than ball point. Couple of minutes later came out with a £75 Faber Castral.

Oops.

My writing sucks but do do a lot of it (nurse) and do like using a fountain pen.
Click to expand...

:D:D
I feel my "strict" budget increasing each site I visit. There is a couple of lovely looking Lamys. I've going to take a punt on one the Jinhao ones and try to RESIST!!

Lamy Logo.
Used to have the 2-in-1 pen/pencil years ago, loved it but lost it. They still make it with a matching Fountain pen - Oh no, budget is going!
 
Unfortunately you have just missed the winter sale at Cult Pens. If you are after a Lamy safari, you could take a look at http://www.bureaudirect.co.uk/ They have them for a similar price to Cult Pens but theres a 10% discount code for new customers on their home page.

Cartridges are very convenient if you are planning on using your pen at work. Just a shame the Lamy pens don't take standard cartridges - between Diamine and Herbin there are enough colours to suit most people.

Might have to budget for decent paper/pads too - writing with a fountain pen gets quite spidery on the wrong paper.

I have a Tasche and the size is OK for me but having to post the cap gets to be a bit of a pain if you only want to scribble a few words.
 
Have a number of pens. My recommendation is that if you're going to use your pen at work and use it daily I would stick to the disposables. If you liked the BIC you'll love the disposable Pilot.
Very reasonably priced,, write very well, and you don't have to worry about losing them.
Even better if you leave one laying around for a while the ink doesn't dry out!
Stick with the disposables.
 
Nico1970 said:
The Ohto will meet your (current!) needs just fine.

Be warned though, as Chris alludes to above, once you are bitten by the writing bug, it's just as addictive as traditional wet shaving...

All the best.
Click to expand...

Yep, not so more anymore as hardly do any writing.

Went into shop for a 'cheapo' pen and came home with pen costing £70?! I've had plenty of Faber Castrel pens and they suited me well with the weight and size.
 
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