Its such a common thing that we’ve all used and have opinions. And the rabbit hole goes as deep as you want.
You’re good with a Bic and shitty notebook paper? Cool. You have a $3,000 custom built fountain pen that’s been handcrafted to fit your grip and is based on a sketch you made from a dream with a 21k gold nib? Also cool.
I have a tin box full of very old nibs which still look pristine. I bought them on impulse at a flea market dirt cheap. I have no idea what to do with them.
Very interesting! I tried serching them up but there’s not a lot of information for that particular brand. From what I gather they are nibs for dip calligraphy pens. You may be able to find a nib holder and a bottle of ink to use them. If I recall, you go through calligraphy nibs over time due to the harsher chemicals in the ink corroding the steel, typically with India ink. But you can use regular fountain pen ink instead. Just don’t put India ink in a fountain pen!
Once I found the plethora of good but >$10 pens, I had a lot of fun. The Precise V5 is one of my fav, and at the job I had where people would frequently need to borrow my pen, that received steady unprompted compliments.
Honestly, regarding ballpoint pens, I’ve never used anything that beats bic. They write so smoothly and they just work on anything. I even use them to write my name on the plastic labels of water bottles at my job
Ya ballpoints are really the workhorse of the pen world. Even with all the advancements in writing tech, a standard ballpoint will always get the job done. I have Fisher space pen refills in a few of my work pens because I know they will always write whenever and wherever I need them.
These days there is a pretty good consensus around the Uni Jetstream as the “best writing” ballpoint ink. Its a hybrid oil-based ink formulation with lubricants that really flows. Other brands have started to get on the hybrid wagon too so it’s been great for budget pens all around.
Pens
Its such a common thing that we’ve all used and have opinions. And the rabbit hole goes as deep as you want.
You’re good with a Bic and shitty notebook paper? Cool. You have a $3,000 custom built fountain pen that’s been handcrafted to fit your grip and is based on a sketch you made from a dream with a 21k gold nib? Also cool.
I have a tin box full of very old nibs which still look pristine. I bought them on impulse at a flea market dirt cheap. I have no idea what to do with them.
Very interesting! I tried serching them up but there’s not a lot of information for that particular brand. From what I gather they are nibs for dip calligraphy pens. You may be able to find a nib holder and a bottle of ink to use them. If I recall, you go through calligraphy nibs over time due to the harsher chemicals in the ink corroding the steel, typically with India ink. But you can use regular fountain pen ink instead. Just don’t put India ink in a fountain pen!
Once I found the plethora of good but >$10 pens, I had a lot of fun. The Precise V5 is one of my fav, and at the job I had where people would frequently need to borrow my pen, that received steady unprompted compliments.
100% the best off the shelf rollerball. I use one often.
Honestly, regarding ballpoint pens, I’ve never used anything that beats bic. They write so smoothly and they just work on anything. I even use them to write my name on the plastic labels of water bottles at my job
If one is only going to have one pen, any model of Jetstream ballpoint is a nice cheap upgrade you won’t be too upset to lose.
Ya ballpoints are really the workhorse of the pen world. Even with all the advancements in writing tech, a standard ballpoint will always get the job done. I have Fisher space pen refills in a few of my work pens because I know they will always write whenever and wherever I need them.
These days there is a pretty good consensus around the Uni Jetstream as the “best writing” ballpoint ink. Its a hybrid oil-based ink formulation with lubricants that really flows. Other brands have started to get on the hybrid wagon too so it’s been great for budget pens all around.