Plateau in that respect = "sated." For a while, anyway.
Plateau in that respect = "sated." For a while, anyway.
I echo what's been said here. In the UK, banks offer regular savings accounts - you put a regular amount in it for 12 months, don't take any money out and get a bonus interest rate at the end of the year. Instead of buying pens through-out the year, I put Ģ25 a month into the account. When it matures, I have funds to buy a birthday pen should I decide to do so - and having the funds there means I can wait until the discounts come round on Fountain Pen Day.
PhotoJim (March 8th, 2019)
If you're already doing repairs, then your 'plateau' is where most people see a mountain peak :-)
Just have fun!
Spideysgirl, you say you donīt care about spending more than $100 on a pen, which limits your choice, but you do have a few pens. Just five $100 pens make $500, and for that amount you have a lot to choose from.
I have a client who buys only one pen a year, and his budget is about 1.000. He is building a very nice collection over the years, few pens but very good ones. Just another way to look at pen collecting.
When you say Chinese pens, which are you talking about?
Have you tried TWSBI pens yet? If not, I would highly recommend them -- for significantly less money than premium pens, you are getting a lot of the same features. They also offer replacement nibs which are very easy to add in-and-out, so you can kinda mix & match, and have a lot of fun.
Someone else here also recommended getting into inks, and I wholeheartedly agree -- try a few different kinds and colors. There is a surprising degree of variation between brands. See what you like.
Another thing I'd recommend, if you haven't done so already, and all your pens are of a similar size, weight, and style, mix that up a bit. For example, I've got a couple Kaweco Liliputs, and it's fun to use those on occasion, just for the sake of having a different experience.
If you're willing to spend *just* over $100, try a Pilot Custom 74. At barely over $100, that's a wonderful, gold-nibbed pen that I'm sure you'd probably love.
Another unique pen that I want, myself, is the Caran d'Ache 849. I've not seen too many other pens with a similar look, and it writes brilliantly.
As some else pointed-out, though, it's not really about having a big collection, and -- eventually -- every new acquisition will lose a bit of its initial appeal. The key I think is to enjoy the actual experience of writing, and keep doing that, daily. I find that I enjoy all my pens, even the lowly 8 and 10 dollar ones, if I make sure I actually use them. Which, perhaps, is a good way to gauge "how many is enough." I.e., if you can't manage to use each pen in a given time frame, then maybe that's an indication(?). Just a thought.
Learning 'nib grinding ' - may kill burn out . I do with Chinese nibs. In the end I'm left with so many bad nibs : the price you pay for creativity. But again its a choice to overcome intermittent plateauing - an inevitable compliment in pen hobby.
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