Balance and posting

[UK Mike]

I have been conducting trials on a number of my pens.

I was intrigued by how I rarely hold pens at the nib end of the grip section and some pens I use posted whereas others are unposted. So I chose a few pens and tried all the variations.

By holding the grip closer to the nib my writing seems to get naturally smaller - I can't help this, it just happens. Leverage on the nib?

Pens used unposted result in a more sober writing style with fewer flourishes.

Posting a pen results (in my case) with a little more flamboyance in the writing.

Posting a pen results in less feedback from the nib and a smoother writing experience. Damping of vibration? Doesn't seem to have any connection with balance.

I will continue this "research" but up to now the results have interested me and also surprised me a little. I knew that I preferred some pens posted and others unposted but never bothered to work out why.

Has anyone else tried the same?

[KrazyIvan]

For me, I rarely use a pen with the cap posted. There are exceptions like mini pens, of course. Ever since I learned to grip a pen in a relaxed fashion, posting throws the balance way off. I end up reverting to my death grip ways which tire my fingers quickly. So I just forget about posting.

[AndyT]

I'm much the same as KI, aside from a Kaweco Sport and a couple of really tiny ones I almost always find pens more comfortable with the cap set to one side. The bit about less feedback and a smoother writing experience does sound familiar though, but a bit of feedback is a good thing in my book. One exception is the Nib Creaper which feels just right to me either way - maybe that's because it's so light and the the cap posts deeply.

[fountainpenkid]

I don't post even the mini pens...but I agree with those observations you made. I am also amazed sometimes by how much the nib changes my handwriting...not the way it looks on the paper (that too, but that is the obvious part), but the way my hand moves so differently. My writing is a million times better with a somewhat scratchy fine than a springy and butter smooth medium.