Personal Pen Rules

[penwash]

What rules that you find yourself following in your pen adventure?

A couple that I observe:

1. Cool Design, Looks, Nib, Filling System. In that order.
2. I like pens whose brand I've never heard before.
3. Woodgrain Ebonite, Celluloid, Filligree, BCHR, Resin. In that order.
4. I can upgrade the nib (most of the time). I can't upgrade ugly material.
5. I don't like cigar, boring flat-top even less. I like finials with character.
6. I'm at peace owning never-inked pens.
7. No, to super-slim pens.

Of course my pen boxes are peppered with exceptions that breaks one or two of the above rules.

[dfo]

I have only one: No gold trim pens.

[Lady Onogaro]

For me, it's no metal sections. I've tried, and I just can't like them.
The only Indian pens I will consider are ebonite ones.
I have two black pens--a Cross and an Italix. That's enough.

(I'll update this if I think of some more.)

[Chrissy]

No metal sections for me either.

My pens have to be modern because I like to change the ink. A lot! And I have to have my pens pristinely cleaned out before I refill them. Sac fillers are less easy to get perfectly clean. I can't see that it's clean.

Looks/style is a very important factor for me. I'm not into 'tacky' or garish.

I prefer my pens to have gold nibs, so I like gold trim to go with them. If a gold nib is completely rhodinised, then I'm OK with a platinised trim. However, I really don't like to see an all silver (or silver coloured) pen with a gold coloured nib. It grates!

I can live with a few pens that aren't in my regular rotation. For now.

Edited to add that I also like a smooth transition between barrel and section. No big steps!

[Deb]

I don't like smooth metal sections. If they're textured in some way that gives a good grip, that's better.

I avoid heavy pens and huge pens.

[Wile E Coyote]

As for metal sections, I find the material has a factor. Chrome is by far the worst to me but Sterling and aluminum are good.

There's probably a scientific reason behind this. Could be surface tension, chemical reaction or hardness. Don't have the time to research and just use whatever works.

[fountainpagan]

I love galalith, ebonite, celluloid, BCHR pens, in that order;
I don't like metal pens, and metal sections even less;
I prefer vintage pens, because I find they have more personality;
I prefer flex nibs, though I will not disdain a nice smooth firm one;
Only Fine, or Extra-fine nibs. I have tried M and B, and they do not suit my handwriting;
Absolutely no slim pens,or alike;
Sober pens, only with a clip,or no clip at all, have my preference!

[Kaputnik]

There are pens for everyone. Just noting a couple of the things that others dislike, metal sections are a completely neutral feature for me. And some of my favorite pens are quite slim.

Other than that, let's see.

• I don't like excessively fat or heavy pens.
• I do like light pens.
• It has to be possible to post the cap firmly, and the pen has to feel well balanced with the cap posted. Although obviously the Pilot Capless pens are an exception.
• I prefer a fairly wet writer.
• Medium to fine nibs preferred for most writing, although I do have a couple of broad and extra fine nibs that see some use.
• The transition from barrel to section needs to be smooth. The abrupt step on, for example, a Pilot Metropolitan just doesn't work for me.
• The appearance of a pen is not completely unimportant; I very much like vintage celluloids in particular. I don't care for excessively ornate decorations, except for one Jinhao dragon pen that I got as a joke.
• My ideal pen is one that works so well and reliably that I barely think about it while I'm writing.

None of these are "rules" exactly. Just me slowly figuring out what I like.

[AzJon]

1. Looks (material or design), nib, size, and filling system.
2. I agree with the "off-brands" motto. Vintage pens outside the Big 4 (Says the guy with a majority Sheaffer).
3. Woodgrain/ripple/mottled ebonite, celluloid,BCHR, filligree, resin.
4. Cigar shaped is fine, but I prefer flat-top or blunted ends over round (see Franklin-Christoph 45)
5. I prefer lighter to heavier pens.
6. I have one pen that won't be inked, I'm sure that list will get longer, but I'll have to learn to live with that first.
7. I've come to learn and accept that I prefer flashy to subdued. Call it a fault, but I have no qualms with pens that are meant to be seen!


That said, one of my favorite regular users is an 80s Montblanc 146, Sheaffer is by far the largest number in my (minimal) collection, and I'm lusting after a Yard-O-Led Victorian and/or Visconti Opera Tobacco/Tortoiseshell. So ¯\_ツ_/¯

[Freddie]

Never met a pen I didn't like.

Fred

...he said he wanted his wife to get this letter...didn't he?
...said there is nobody to look after the kids...didn't he?
~ Gil Carter {Henry Fonda, The Ox-Bow Incident,1943}/B]

[Ahriman4891]

• No metal sections.
• No rust rings near the nib.
• No fancy materials or filling systems -- both make maintenance difficult. I like celluloid and ebonite, but I'll take them in the form of a mechanical pencil. I'm happy with C/C or tried and true piston fillers.
• No short sections, I like to grip high.
• No step-ups between the section and the barrel.
• No heavy pens.
• No tail-heavy pens.
• No clipless pens.
• No oversize pens, they have to be pocket-friendly (even though I don't take my nicer pens out of the house, go figure).

[Bold2013]

Clip, Writes under its own weight and I'm only supposed to have 7 (I an trying to sell a couple to keep that rule but might just donate them).

[FredRydr]

All my rules have exceptions, so there's not much point. Sometimes it worked to my advantage; sometimes not.

[fountainpenkid]

Like others, no giant/unwieldy pens or extremely heavy ones (45g+)
Other than that, I dismiss nothing by specification alone.

[grainweevil]

- Nothing slim and heavy.
- Can I afford it?

[VertOlive]

I DO have personal pen rules, and every new pen must read them when they enter the collection:

1. No touching other pens. This causes microscratching.
2. Only Kawecos and Safaris are allowed outside the house.
3. Every pen must be in its case and accounted for by bedtime.
4. No leaking.

[pajaro]

I am a sort of chaotic collector. I started collecting Parker 51 aerometric pens.
I added a few Sheaffer Imperials.
Someone planted the seed that Montblancs were great, and I added a few 146s and 144s.
Then other stuff.
I avoid overly ornate and very expensive pens.
Experience has said no more Snorkels and no more Vacumatics of any variety.
Red inks in C/C pens only.
Use any ink, just don't contaminate the ink in a bottle with some other ink.
Let the ink meld in the pen -- refill cartridges and shake it up.

[ShugPug]

I'm still very new to this hobby - so my rule at the moment is to try something new with each new pen. (Or ink for that matter...)

[penwash]

I'm still very new to this hobby - so my rule at the moment is to try something new with each new pen. (Or ink for that matter...)

That is the right attitude. I started this thread to catalogue the patterns or "rules" that I observe in my FP journey. And to me it's very interesting to see how others have recorded their own preferences, patterns, and "rules" also.

So if you just got started, try everything.

[Dhruv]

1. Big nibs, almost always means big pens. I currently have 3x #8 nibs and 1x #50 nib
2. Decent ink capacity. Over 1ml. Below 1ml is not acceptable which kicks out most of the C/C Fillers except con-70.
3. While storing, 2 pens should not touch each other.
4. No flex nibs. Soft is fine but flex is a no.
5. All pens have to be wet writers, Pelikan level wet.
6. F nibs only.
7. A pen has to look attractive and should be special. I can't buy an MB 149 and call it special or attractive. M800 Brown Tortoise, Vibrant Blue, that is attractive.
8. No More black pens unless they are very special. Only way a black pen can be special is if it made from an interesting material like Hakase buffalo horn pen.