Jetpens is truly a treasure of a website. I've gotten interested in plotter art in the last year and there's a whole lot to learn about how pens work and perform. Jetpens is the essential source for a lot of that information. Some good articles they've written:<p><a href="https://www.jetpens.com/blog/Types-of-Pens-How-to-Pick-a-Pen-with-the-Right-Ink/pt/334" rel="nofollow">https://www.jetpens.com/blog/Types-of-Pens-How-to-Pick-a-Pen...</a><p><a href="https://www.jetpens.com/blog/The-Best-Technical-Drawing-Pens/pt/436" rel="nofollow">https://www.jetpens.com/blog/The-Best-Technical-Drawing-Pens...</a>
I practice calligraphy regularly and use a fountain pen and a mechanical pencil for all my daily notes.<p>I used a Waterman expert for a long time till a "friend" dropped it and destroyed it. Since then, I bought a Noodlers Ahab. The company had a quirky sense of humour and with a black ink called "heart of darkness", who can resist? I bought it primarily because the nib is flexible and you can use it for pseudo Copperplate and Spencerian scripts (which I use for headings). <a href="https://www.amazon.in/Noodlers-Ahab-Flex-Nib-Fountain/dp/B0065R2RKS" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.in/Noodlers-Ahab-Flex-Nib-Fountain/dp/B00...</a><p>The mechanical pencil I use is a Pentel Graphgear 1000. It's easily the Mercedes Benz of mechanical pencils. Pentel is generally good at this but the Gg 1000 takes it to the next level. It's very well balanced, comfortable to hold and has a few small features that protect the delicate parts quite well. <a href="https://www.amazon.in/Pentel-Graphgear-1000-Drafting-Pencil/dp/B0013NE3PQ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=pentel+graphgear+1000&qid=1641451338&s=office&sprefix=pentel+graph%2Coffice-products%2C242&sr=1-1" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.in/Pentel-Graphgear-1000-Drafting-Pencil/...</a>
I really don't get why using fineliners [0] for writing is so unpopular outside of a few European countries. You get consistent line thickness. You don't need to push the tip into the paper, just letting it hover on top. There is barely any friction/resistance. The ink won't escape if you stop the pen for a second... I switched to using them over a decade ago, and using any regular pen now feels like stone age tech.<p>[0] <a href="https://www.staedtler.com/intl/en/products/products-for-colouring/fineliners/" rel="nofollow">https://www.staedtler.com/intl/en/products/products-for-colo...</a>
Surprising to see that this article has snubbed Chinese FP manufacturers. I own over 20 FPs and some of my favorites are ones made by Jinhao and WingSung. One might even say that the WingSung 300x [1] is better made than the pens that it is a copy of, i.e., TWSBI's Eco and Diamond. The Eco's body is made out of cheap plastic that decomposes when it comes to contact with many household chemicals (e.g., isopropyl alcohol). The Diamond's body is ostensibly better made, but IMHO it's still not worth the price. In comparison, I've used a <$5 WingSung 300x for over 3 years now and it's one of the best pens I've used hands down.<p>[1]: <a href="https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=wingsung+piston" rel="nofollow">https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=wingsung+piston</a>
If anyone reads this submission and wants to buy a Pilot Metropolitan, do note that Japanese pens like Pilot tend to be finer than their European counterparts. So a Pilot Medium nib is like a Fine nib in other brands. I've use both a Pilot medium and fine - both produce good output, but the fine nib will definitely feel scratchy compared to the medium.<p>The Pilot Metropolitan was my favorite for a number years - I liked it more than more expensive pens that I had bought. What finally dethroned it was PenBBS[0] 309[1]. Their nibs are fairly good, although I did eventually replace it with a Goulet nib[2]. On top of that, I smoothened the nib with a micromesh and it's super smooth!<p>She had stopped shipping to the US because of long shipping times due to COVID and too many customers complained - I don't see the notice on the page any more so she may have resumed shipping to the US. Do expect long shipping times, though.<p>For those looking to get into fountain pens: The choice of paper will matter as much as the pen! If your city has a Japanese store (e.g. Kinokuniya) you'll get a good selection of notebooks/paper there - fountain pens are quite commonly used in Japan, so their papers are designed to handle them well.<p>[0] <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/PENBBSOfficialStore?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1120856448&section_id=23650161" rel="nofollow">https://www.etsy.com/shop/PENBBSOfficialStore?ref=simple-sho...</a><p>[1] Note that almost all the PenBBS pens use the same feed/nib, so the choice of model is mostly about the filling mechanism and external design. At the moment, it seems they don't have my particular 309 model, so you may want to try some other model.<p>[2] <a href="https://www.gouletpens.com/collections/goulet-nibs" rel="nofollow">https://www.gouletpens.com/collections/goulet-nibs</a>
I saw this post and came to ask for left-handers' recommendations. I'm glad this article actually has a section for it! Certain pens perform very poorly for me, like the ink stoping and starting.<p>Pens are the only left-handed designed product I've ever found I really needed. Aside from scissors or computer mice maybe, but I grew up using my right hand for those activities.
No one has mentioned the masterful interlinking to both existing sharable content (that may also rank for frequently searched queries) and product detail pages. They 100% understand SEO and do it correctly by providing objectively useful content.<p>If you like TWSBI Eco fountain pens, the Pilot Prera is similar in styling with Pilot's great quality. The lid's sealing vacuum like feel and click is one of the neatest of any pen I've had.
I’ve spent way too much money on fountain pens, and these are the ones I like the best: <a href="https://www.muji.us/products/aluminum-fountain-pen-e5a2" rel="nofollow">https://www.muji.us/products/aluminum-fountain-pen-e5a2</a> - less than $16 bucks too. Only Muji sells them so you won’t find them on the list here. But do buy ink and paper from jet pens.
Because of shipping shortages, and the realization that we need to make more of our own stuff, I recently decided to switch to “made in the USA” writing tools. I’m using a Fisher Space Pen and a homemade pocket notebook that is similar to the Field Notes brand (which is also made in the US). I’ve been surprisingly happy with the fisher space pen and I keep it in my pocket 24/7.
Well over a decade ago, I spent an afternoon in a stationery store trying out as many pens as I could. I fell in love with the Pentel EnerGel NV 0.5mm (smooth, dark, consistent, feels nice in the hand) and haven't looked back since. I'm glad to see that this website has a high opinion of it too.
Two of my favourite pens are here: the Twisbi ECO and the Zebra Sarasa.<p>If you're a regular, gel pen user, I'd really encourage you to check out Zebra Sarasa pens. Some folks think they're a bit scratchy, but they're way less scratchy than the Muji pens I've tried and they write consistently and smoothly.<p>I started using fountain pens in an effort to reduce plastic waste (and because they're cool), and of the many, many pens I've tried, the Twisbi ECO is heads and shoulders over the rest. It also is quite affordable.<p>Word to the wise though, skip the TWISBI GO, it looks similar to the ECO and is cheaper, but I've found it to be a disproportionately worse experience.
I wish there was a bit more overlap between US and UK writing supplies. For some reason, certain Japanese pen companies will sell Pen A in the US only, while having Pen B for European markets. Eg. Pilot C4 0.25, you can still only find it from one small boutique seller in the UK (at one point I thought I bought all of their stock of 025).<p>I had to order notebooks with Tomoe River 52g paper (well, “had to”…) from JetPens some years ago, as no one in the UK had them. (The situation has improved somewhat in recent years, on both fronts)
I switched back to foutain pens a year ago, wanting to reduce the crazy amount of ball pens I had laying around. I did not wanted it to be another rabbit hole niche hobby and after passing way too much time reading and watching stuff about it, I decided to go the pratical road :<p>* 1 TWSBI Go with an Extra-Fine nib<p>* 2 Lamy Safary with a Fine and Bold nib (and two extra nibs Extra Fine and Medium)<p>The Lamy are nib-swappable. All are in transparent plastic (demo pen) because I liked it. For the inks, I picked the Diamine brand that is a good balance between choice, quality and affordable. It was the affordable, low-maintenance and pragmatic road.<p>If someone wanted just a more fancy foutain pen, I would advise to look at the Lamy Studio. It use the same nibs than the Safari and are also nib-swappable.<p>This journey made me realize that Moleskine notebook paper is from perfect to meh with a high-variability in quality. I think my next step would be to pick my next notebook either from Rhodia or Leuchtturm or something with Tomoe River paper (probably Rhodia, simply because it is easier to find).<p>The best site I found showcasing and reviewing ink is <a href="https://mountainofink.com/" rel="nofollow">https://mountainofink.com/</a> I always check the feedback there to pick up my inks even if I focused on one brand by convenience.<p>EDIT: I also draw a little bit with my pens.
If you lose pens a lot like me, I just buy the 10 or 20 packs of Pilot G3 gel pens from Costco and roll through them. If I'm down to 3 spares or so, next trip I purchase another pack.<p>They cost a fraction of what they cost in retail stores.
I'd like to add a bit of love for the timeless classic, the Bic Cristal. Reliable and consistent, and sufficiently cheap you can have them scattered all over home and office so there's one nearby when you need it. Apparently ~5 billion are sold each year.<p>Thinking about it now makes me a little sad that I've switched entirely onto an iPad instead of paper and pen.
You'll have to prise my Parker Vector fountain pen out of my grasp.<p>Writes beautifully, never leaks, choice of ink colour, simple and pleasing design. And dirt cheap. Absolute icon of 20th century design.
I got back into fountain pens recently, and one of the slightly humbling things about it is having to re-learn to write. It had been so long since I wrote much beyond "Happy Christmas, lots of love" and my name, that my writing, which wasn't great to start with, had become an almost unreadable scrawl.<p>The first pen I bought was a Kaweco Sport and I really enjoy writing with it. For nostalgia's sake I then bought a Lamy Safari (they were all the rage at school), but found that, unlike the Kaweco Sport, it dried out pretty quickly because I still don't write that much. After reading through this I've just bought the clear TWSBI Eco-T Fountain Pen - one downside of the Sport is that its small size means that you don't get much ink in one fill (I prefer to use piston fillers to reduce the plastic waste of disposable cartridges).
I love the Pilot vanishing point fountain pen that has been my daily driver for the last three years. It writes beautifully and is 'clickable' like most ball point pens. I don't have to worry about buying refills and seems like the ink pot will last me a decade.<p><a href="https://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-Vanishing-Point-Fountain-Pens/ct/3876" rel="nofollow">https://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-Vanishing-Point-Fountain-Pens/...</a>
I don't particularly enjoy handwriting, but have learned to enjoy it somewhat more through
Caran D'ache, I was gifted a Ecridor Chevron and it's really a fantastic pen to use (+they look cool). This guy does a good review of an EDC Caran D'ache <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvXpqaX1ul8" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvXpqaX1ul8</a>
A bit off topic but, I handwrite so little that after more than a sentence and a half my hand starts hurting and I have to take a break. Is that something that can be improved by one of these pens? I've only ever used the cheapest ones I can find.
The Pentel EnerGel Alloy, at $5 a pop, is by far my favorite of the accessible pens. They write smoother than anything else I've tried, which is the most important factor in my mind. The silver barrel ones (combination of aluminum and plastic) are by far classier than any other $5 pen, but they're also $5, which means you never have to stress about losing one or giving them out. They're also sold at Walmart and the refills are plain old Pentel EnerGels, so very easy to use. Absolute 10/10 pens.
Surprisingly not many people know about the classic Tombow Zoom 505 series: Mechanical Pencil (0.5mm & 0.9mm), Rollerball Pen, Ballpoint Pen and Multifunction Pen - <a href="https://www.tombow.com/en/products/zoom_505/" rel="nofollow">https://www.tombow.com/en/products/zoom_505/</a> and <a href="https://www.tombow.com/en/press/180312/" rel="nofollow">https://www.tombow.com/en/press/180312/</a>
I am shocked and disappointed that there isn't even a mention of the TUL GL1, which is far and away the best gel pen ever made.<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0096ENBP2/" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0096ENBP2/</a><p>If you read the reviews, you'll see that the only negative ones relate to particular experiences (missing pens from the shipment, pens were used and had low ink, etc.) rather than the product itself.
my current go-to pen is the Zebra G-402 [0] because I like the durability and heft of a stainless steel pen. they're $3.50 a pop if you buy them in bulk on Amazon [1].<p>but, the real "where has this been all my life?" game-changer for me was finding that Zebra also makes permanent markers that are stainless steel and refillable [2, 3]. I can never go back to regular Sharpies.<p>0: <a href="https://www.zebrapen.com/product/g-402-retractable-gel/" rel="nofollow">https://www.zebrapen.com/product/g-402-retractable-gel/</a><p>1: <a href="https://amazon.com/gp/product/B0771YTM9C/" rel="nofollow">https://amazon.com/gp/product/B0771YTM9C/</a><p>2: <a href="https://www.zebrapen.com/product/pm-701-permanent-marker/" rel="nofollow">https://www.zebrapen.com/product/pm-701-permanent-marker/</a><p>3: <a href="https://amazon.com/gp/product/B079NR6HFJ/" rel="nofollow">https://amazon.com/gp/product/B079NR6HFJ/</a>
I don't write a lot with pen these days but when I do, I always reach out to Pilot Juice up 04 [0]. It's incredibly smooth at 0.4mm. Can't recommend it enough for daily writing.<p>[0]: <a href="https://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-Juice-Up-Gel-Pen-0.4-mm-Black/pd/18163" rel="nofollow">https://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-Juice-Up-Gel-Pen-0.4-mm-Black/...</a>
For those who consider buying a fountainpen and need advice I recommend r/fountainpens on Reddit:<p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/" rel="nofollow">https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/</a><p>Not only is the subreddit very helpful, the hive mind also has a vast knowledge of fountainpens, nibs, inks, papers, …
I have discovered during my undergraduate studies that I learn better when I write down what I am trying to understand. I need not read back what I have written. Just the act of putting it to paper will drill it in my brain.<p>For this purpose, I need a pen that can keep up with my thoughts. And the only kind of pens that can do that are ball pens. They last forever, they write from any angle, you don't have to worry about tilting it, just scratch away. I must have used ball pens by the dozen.<p>However, now later in life, I find that ball pens are unpleasant to write with. I would much rather use a gel pen or whatever type is the pilot pen. I can actually read back what I wrote (slower speed means I take the time to properly form the letters) and it does not feel like I am scratching the paper.
I've been completely addicted to Pilot Frixion pens. Perfect for sketching UIs or drawing charts (when like me you need several tries to get them right!). Not always reliable and ink not lasting long, but the ability to erase proper ink (black AND colors) is a godsend.
I'm using a Kaweco Sport which came out of a subscription box my wife gave me last Christmas. I'm very happy with it and since it looks complicated and "basic" no one has walked off with it.
I had bought a bunch of different pens a year ago. Different brands and different models. My goal was to find a good pen for notetaking and basic diagram drawing.<p>The first thing I learned was that most of the fancy pens are more suitable for drawing, not writing. One I liked that may work for me is Micron 03. But in the end, I stopped with Pentel Hybrid Technica 0.5. It's more like a high-quality mechanical pen that is comfortable to handle and smooth to write, without dirty marks on paper, etc.
Aw jeez. Every time a thread like this hits the front page, another increasingly expensive gets added to my collection. This time, Tactile Turn Bolt. If past is any indication, I will be fascinated by it for a month and then it will just travel alongside everything else, with my 10 other pens and pencils and 3 notebooks (all 5% filled and then forgotten).<p>Oh well. Whoever receives my inheritance will have an interesting time with all these. I hope they don't just immediately discard them.
With 50+ tabs open it's hard to be sure, but as soon as I opened that webpage my browser (Firefox 95, Kubuntu 20.04) locked up. After maybe 15 seconds I was then prompted to choose a location to save to. I didn't save, so I don't know what would have been saved.<p>Maybe the incident had nothing to do with this site, but the incident happened as the page was loading.
The "Pentel Kerry" is an excellent mechanical pencil. Anyone who wants good ol' erasable lead probably should go for the Pentel Kerry.<p>Its not a "Pen", but Jetpens does sell it and did recommend it.<p>The one downside is that Pentel's mechanical-pencil erasers are tiny. They are good quality rubber though and work well, but their small size wears out incredibly quickly.
I love the Uniball Signo .38 mm gel pens. They are smooth and doesn’t gum up at the tip.<p><a href="https://www.jetpens.com/Uni-ball-Signo-UM-151-Gel-Pen-0.38-mm-Off-Black-5-Color-Bundle/pd/19905" rel="nofollow">https://www.jetpens.com/Uni-ball-Signo-UM-151-Gel-Pen-0.38-m...</a>
PaperMate InkJoy 300RT 1.0M is my favorite (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Paper-Mate-1945925-Retractable-Ballpoint/dp/B01EB4JD30/" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/Paper-Mate-1945925-Retractable-Ballpo...</a>)
The best ballpoint pen ime is Parker. <a href="https://www.jetpens.com/Parker-Jotter-Ballpoint-Pens/ct/2052" rel="nofollow">https://www.jetpens.com/Parker-Jotter-Ballpoint-Pens/ct/2052</a>
For those interested in fountain pens, inks, and papers, I’ve found Fountain Pen Network to be a great resource.<p><a href="https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/</a>
I've tried different pens and even learnt calligraphy. I was quite good at it, to the extent that people didn't believe I did it. But I don't enjoy writing quickly with pens with no friction.<p>My preferred writing implement is a pencil. But if I'm going to use a pen, my favourite has always been a simple Bic ballpoint. When I come across any other type of pen, it is a gamble whether it will work properly or not. When I come across a Bic, wherever it might be, I would put money on it working first time with no fuss at all.
Interesting list. 2021 brought back a desire of using fountain pens. It also found me splurging. I like heft in pens. I have a Cross and a german brand - from my ex-father-in-law. That got expanded. I prefer the german one (can't recall brand at the moment, as it's in my truck) for day to day use. I picked up two Visconti pens. The Homo Sapiens is amazing. My other one was a "oh I did actually order that" over the top pen. It's beautiful, but super austentatious and thankfully was well below cost.
They seem to really like the Uni-Ball pens, which I've used a lot and are OK, but I've switched very happily to the Inc R2 Rollerball [1]. Really dark and even line, very light pressure, and low friction. Just a very comfortable pen, cheap enough to have around the house by the dozen but feels like a high-quality pen.<p>[1] <a href="https://www.amazon.com/ROLLERBALL-Comfort-Flowing-Writing-Premium/dp/B07R5BLZWL" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/ROLLERBALL-Comfort-Flowing-Writing-Pr...</a>
Schneider One Business [0] is one of the best rollerballs I've ever used. It has a saturated blue color. It has low friction with enough tactile feedback and a nice grip. I wish it had more consistency between units. I had lemons, ink of which doesn't flow well or flow too much resulting in thicker lines.<p>[0] <a href="https://schneiderpen.com/en_us/rollerballs/one-business-blue-b-4004675098597/" rel="nofollow">https://schneiderpen.com/en_us/rollerballs/one-business-blue...</a>
I use the Platinum Preppy 02 pen. Bought it when I went to Japan. Kicking myself now because can't find it here in India.<p>I love the pen because, writing with the nib in normal position gives a smooth writing experience and a great smooth flow. Flipping it allows me to write razor thin lines, perfect for my drawings / notes / etc. (But flip side is a lot more rougher). Also, the flip side of the nib allows me to write on paper that blots.<p>I am from India. Any info on where I can buy quality fountain pens online?
I use:<p><a href="https://www.cultpens.com/i/q/PL00019/pilot-g2-07-gel-ink-rollerball-pen-blg207" rel="nofollow">https://www.cultpens.com/i/q/PL00019/pilot-g2-07-gel-ink-rol...</a><p>Perfect for my scrappy always-upper-case chicken scratch. I've tried so many other types of rollerball pens (as a leftie with dyslexia, fountain pens are completely off the menu), and how found these to be the only type of pen I can actually write with.
I had a phase where I bought a ton of pens to actually find some I like so I'll list some here in no order:<p>S-Gel Sharpie /
Uni-Ball Signo 307 /
G2 Pilot
/ Pentel RSVP 0.5-0.7mm (I get these for the office, also good balance for pen spinning)<p>If you're into pencils these are my personal favorites:<p>Uni Alpha Gel (shake for lead to come out, most gel cushion)
/ Any Rotring
/ Graphgear 1000
/ Uni-Ball Air Micro
/ Zebra DelGuard
Personally I find the Uni-Ball Vision Elite overrated, and favour the simpler and more understated Uni-Ball Eye over it. They're also better to chew on.
Slightly offtopic:<p>How is the state of art for digital pens and hardware?<p>Are they slowly about to get to the level of real pens?<p>Because I would much rather prefer doing straight digital notes, but the combinations I tried out(some time ago), were not really satisfying. Which is why I also still am using a real pen. But with the right tech, I might switch, even though I am aware, that the real feel of a pen on a paper will likely not be achievable.
This could possibly be the right comment thread: when I was a kid I went to school in the UK for 6 months while my mum worked there, and I found a reasonably thin fountain pen. They didn't seem super uncommon then/there, but I haven't ever found anything similar in stores in NZ or the US.<p>Does anyone have any suggestions of what brands/models I should look at nowadays?
Shoutout to a very niche Subreddit: <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/mechanicalheadpens/" rel="nofollow">https://www.reddit.com/r/mechanicalheadpens/</a><p>That's a subreddit for people who like mechanical keyboards, headphones, and pens. :D<p>I haven't yet posted there, but only because I need to clean my desk to properly display everything!
Had a Kaweco Sport for all of university and several years after until it finally broke. I now have a Sailor Pro Gear Slim that I'm very fond of. I use Sailor Seiboku ink but my favourite is Pilot Tsuki-Yo.<p>If you do a significant amount of hand writing, do yourself a favour and buy a good pen. It turns the otherwise thoughtless physical act of writing into something pleasurable.
Mildly OT, but does anyone know of a good source for pen hardware for pen turning that is any good? I have discovered that turning wooden pens on my lathe is a good "easy win" project on days that I don't feel like doing larger woodworking projects.<p>Unfortunately, I've found that most of the pen kits are mediocre from a writing perspective.
I still have my beloved Parker 45s but the squeeze reservoirs perished.<p>I tried quite a few screw and pull piston reservoirs but all have the problem of not venting or something so the ink only runs for a short while then is held back by vacuum (or something).<p>Has anyone found a source of Parker 45 reservoirs that work?
My handwriting is absolutely horrible so I'm not a "writing enthusiast". Still, I love rollerballs so much. Water-based ink IMHO looks much nicer and is easier to write with.<p>I do buy cheap Schneiders off Amazon. Not sure if getting anything more expensive makes any sense.
I picked up a Sheaffer Agio (yellow, nickel trim) on ebay recently, new in box, 10 bucks. I have some Parker Quink (blueblack) in it. It writes better than anything else I have, including a $550 Delta I picked up in Venice years ago. I highly recommend it if you can find it.
So many great products on that list.<p>Since I started making my own pens I have a lot more respect for what’s involved.<p>If this was my personal choice it would probably consist of Nakaya and Yard-O-Led models.<p>I can’t really offer any supporting evidence except that both brands look like works of art to me.
A year or so back I bought just a bunch of decently recommeded pens to try them out. I ended up with my favorite being the Pilot Hi-tec-c Maica 0.4. It's cheap enough, they last, it writes real nice and dries quick enough for me.
The only good pen for me is a pressurized pen, either rite in the rain, fischer, or similar.<p>No other pen stands up to being left unused as long as I leave them in between actually needing a pen, and still is ready for action instantly.
I am a chronic pen twirler so the weight of the pen and the distribution of said weight makes a big difference to me as well. Pens that are too light feel too flippy (technical term) when you twirl them.
Just 8 days ago a story on HN about jetpens:<p>Japan's Paper Culture (156 comments)<p><a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29709551" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29709551</a>
Isn't ballpoint generally the least fragile?<p>Although I often have ballpoints that "dry" out, and I never know how to fix them: should I heat them? Put the tip in water?