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Thread: How have your preferences changed?

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    Default How have your preferences changed?

    How your preferences in pens, paper and inks have changed over time? Also any pens or inks that you revisited that have brought new joy?

    I will go first.

    I have gone to the broad and wet side. Titanium and pelikan nibs lead the way.

    My inks are now way more vibrant (previously only blue, black and blue-blacks). I can’t believe it took me ten years to discover my joy with purple!

    Paper has stayed as tomoe River grid (now 7mm instead of 5).

    Still stand by eyedroppers.

    I have rekindled my love of sheaffer inlaid nibs.

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    FPG Donor ♕ Chrissy's Avatar
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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    Years ago I used to buy more expensive pens and write with finer nibs but now I prefer lower tier pens with wetter broad and stub nibs.

    I used to not mind slim pens but I now tend to only use thicker barrelled pens.

    I used to always prefer gold nibs but now have more and more steel nibs.

    My favoured inks used to be well saturated and sheeny but I now favour paler and unsaturated inks.

    My love of Montblanc pens and inks has considerably diminished.

    I always favoured smooth paper with no tooth and still do.
    Regards, Chrissy | My Review Blog: inkyfountainpens

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    Senior Member dneal's Avatar
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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    There are a few reasons for it, but I've gravitated to medium to small sized pens. Pelikan M200/400/101N, and even an M300. I kept the Demi and got rid of the "full size" P51. Omas Dama's and Kaweco Sports.

    Otherwise it's a 146 (and the Japanese 'clones'), Lamy 2k or some basic Pilot Customs. I dabble in inks, but gravitate toward blues.

    I like a variety of papers, weights and textures. Different ink and pen combinations behave differently on various paper. All that I care is that it's quality.
    "A truth does not mind being questioned. A lie does not like being challenged."

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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    I used to not like steel nib pens, but then I found out about kawaii fountain pens with cartoons on them and now I really don’t use nib materials as a factor when buying a pen, because some of those cheap steel wick nibs are super fun writers. I also didn’t like medium or broad nibs because my writing is small, but now I enjoy the challenge of writing large enough to keep the spaces in letters clear and getting to use shiny inks. I used to just stick to filling each pen with the manufacturer’s ink, but after reading about inks on here and Binder’s site, I branched out to using other inks. When in doubt, I just try one in cheap pen for a while. I’m not super picky about paper, but lately I’ve been into very smooth types.

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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    I'm ever so slightly pickier now. I actually don't feel the need to have One Of Everything any longer. I still prefer medium nibs. I still prefer gold nibs. I have developed a preference for smaller, slimmer pens. That size is in the range of the Sailor Professional Gear Slim, the Esterbrook JR, the Pelikan 200 and 600 series, and a lot of vintage pens. I like pens that post. Obviously I haven't narrowed my focus much.

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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    Broader nib sizes, wetter pens/inks, more sheening inks. FYI - no longer working i thge corporate world and also retired so my writing is purely for my own enjoyment now.

    For years it was F, EF, and some M nibs. Inks were run of the mill. Have also added 5 eye dropper pens and a bunch of demonstrators as well as metal pens. None of these I had ever considered in the past. My favorite pens now tend to be a little larger as well.

    Over the last couple of years it has all changed and all of my purchases have been B, BB, and stub nibs. Most of the ink I buy now are heavy sheening.

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    Senior Member eachan's Avatar
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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    Like Chrissie above I buy quite a few cheap Asian pens. I still prefer fine or EF though I no longer like flexibility. It isn't that I have gone off vintage pens - far from it - most of my pens are pre-1950 but I'm a sucker for a good write-up of a cheap pen. I have to say that with few exceptions they've been robust and good writers. Ink? I like a little variation but it isn't a big deal for me. I prefer my paper to be from the time when fountain pens were the main means of laying ink on a page. I also like some texture in my paper.

    I have recently become fond of the dip and its huge variety of nibs.

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    Senior Member FredRydr's Avatar
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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    My preferences for mostly vintage and some modern haven't changed all that much, though my flex nibs seem to get less use. I expect my preferences will continue to change as I rediscover my own pens.

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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    Good topic! I'm completely notional and very Ooooo-shiny! but I used to shy away from piston-fillers. Now I have maybe a dozen or more, absolutely counting my Wing Sung, Dollar, TWSBI, one Osmiroid, and Pelikans, 4-6 of them being filled at all times.

    Not much else has changed. Still cannot stand skinny pens, heavy pens, and pens with bare metal sections.
    My other pen is a Montblanc.

    And my other blog is a tumblr!


    And my latest ebook, for spooky wintery reading:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CM2NGSSD

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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    On ivory paper I still like blue-black, but I use more green and burgundy than a few years ago. Changing color involves a lot of flushing and cleaning and I don't do a lot of colors. I can buy just about any paper or notebook randomly, but with my favorite pens has good ink flow I need to need more careful; so more Fabriano and Clairfontain now. Moleskin is a favorite, but for wetter pens not the best so less of them. I use dip nibs more now. I looks like dip nibs aids my attempt at calligraphy in general, and good flex nibs are hard to come by in any category. I still like my vintage pens and use them, but open to try any good nib.
    Last edited by arrow; May 25th, 2022 at 05:05 PM.

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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    I would say that my preferences for inks, pens, and stationary are unchanged. The vintage pens I have are from a selection of penmakers of a certain era. Most of the current production pens I have are from a small number of the same penmakers as well as a few 'new boys'. The inks I have come from either of two producers.
    Last edited by An old bloke; May 25th, 2022 at 06:51 PM.

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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    I don't know that I started out with preferences. I am a little bit all over the place. I like very old eyedroppers with gold filled overlays - and pens from the 30s by the barrelful. I have a few later Parkers, but most of them do not strike me as me. One thing i have pretty much gotten over is my aversion to hooded nibs - they used to really skeeve me, now I'm neutral with them.

    One thing that has changed is that while I didn't sketch when I first started with fountain pens, I do now, and I buy pens specifically to sketch (badly) with.

    I am a cheapskate in some respects, and I wish paper was cheaper. I have found some notebooks that work - most of them work ok for me, must be something really odd about my standards (possibly too low?)

    I originally started with Waterman's Mysterious Blue or whatever they are now calling it- at this point I don't write much with blue. If I want color I will go for color, like Turquoise; if I want to just write, I want it as dark as possible and want a good solid black.

    I have accumulated more pens than I strictly need, but by and large they are not pens other people are salivating over so I don't feel bad about it.

    Except for Eversharp Skylines. I am in love with those pens. I can't even tell you why, because I don't know...

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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    I started with cheapie Chinese pens and went down the rabbit hole from there.

    I think many of my initial preferences remain unchanged - bright colours, intriguingly patterned celluloids, mottled ebonite, broad nibs and stubs. But I've also come to appreciate the appeal of the Little Black Pen and flex nibs. So I think I've become more open-minded, though my favourites are still mostly the same.

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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    I’ve always favored a fine point whether it’s a sharpened pencil, gel pen, or FP. So, nothing has changed. I still use one ink, Waterman, and mostly Serenity Blue.

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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    Additional thoughts, finding the right watch is similar to finding the pen type you prefer and can incorporate into your life.

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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    I had started with Chinese and Japanese pens. I like the fine writers and hard nibs so those pens continued to grow, Then I got into Dip pens and learning calligraphy.
    In between I got to know about vintage pens and older nibs. That gave me a good experience of flexibility between dip pen and fountain pens. I never buy any modern pens but older vintage writes.
    Nib size matters to me but I go occasionally for a broad crisp italic or oblique nib. All my preference are continuously changing. It is due to the writing style I am trying to develop. I have a small collection of ink too.
    I choose inks. That is a small project oriented collection. None of them have been used heavily. Love blue black , brown inks and green and reddish and yellow inks.
    Papers... any good paper that docent bleed. Fabriano and some French made paper with texture. I use lot of cheap paper for drills and practice as they are not meant to come to daylight. Rodia is the middle paper to see some sample of papers. . I have some different note paper journals in different quality papers too. I am continuously planing to put writing all over in papers and I love Papers.
    As a photographer I had experimented with many papers on printing my own photography. Digitally and on wet process.
    So I look at writing too with the same vision ." Fine art writing" with organic quality on paper and ink. That is what I am driving for !!!!!!

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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    I used to go for thicker pens, as I found my thin ones were giving me cramp.

    Then I read how to adjust my grip, and with a grip that's not as tight (the pen isn't going to slip) I find I can cope with any pen.

    Being left handed, I tend to like bigger nibs now - the extra height means I can see what I'm writing. With a small nib/ballpoint my knuckle obscures what I'm writing. Also a larger nib makes smears less likely. It keeps my hand out of the way.

    I hated royal blue with a passion - it was the washed-out school blue I had to use for years. Now I've found MB and S T Dupont's Royal blues and they both give a nicce, vibrant colour.

    I got fed up with tinkering with pens. I want to write - not tinker, as I was finding that pens thatneeded maintenance at the wrting desk were just getting in the way. I remember spending an afternoon trying to get two vintage pens to write - the result was an afternoon spent flushing and coaxing ink into the feeds - rather than producing any writing.

    This means my rotation has reduced - I have around 5 pens that get daily use. Another 5 that make up the rest and that's it. My daily carry has been the same pen set for the last 3 years. It's a combination that works and posts well.

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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    I would say more that my preferences have narrowed a bit, but I'm still fairly new to fountain pen collecting. I now prefer gold M nibs, if that option is available. I prefer slimmer pens about the dimensions of the Sailor Pro Gear Slim. Mind you, these are only preferences. If a pen I crave is only available in XF or B, and it's as thick as an expensive cigar, well, I'll buy it anyways.

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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    In the beginning, I believed someone in particular on FPN that flex was the holy grail and I was inferior if I didn't master it. Back then I'd use fine nibs, tend to buy new pens with slightly springy nibs that I was told were "flex" nibs, and struggle along too with pens that were too small for me like Pelikan 200s/400s, convinced that I was somehow defective for the hand cramps I'd have with writing with them.

    A few things happened along the way. First of all, my entry to vintage pens was a Sheaffer Oversize balance(not a bad start-red veined gray) that my grandmother's desk turned up and nearly ended up in the garbage before my mom had the foresight to save it. I LOVED(and still love) that pen even though I really should ink and use it. That wasn't a bad start, though.

    Realizing how much I liked that pen, though, and find that I didn't really mind the stiff Sheaffer nib, I went to an 80s Montblanc 146. I was in love and thought I'd found the perfect pen. That was the only pen I bought or even bothered to keep inked until I really dived back into this hobby in 2020 or so.

    Since then, though, I've gone kind of all over the place. I've bought some actual truly flexible vintage pens, and have found that I do enjoy them but don't really miss a lack of flex. I've gone even bigger and discovered how much I love the 149, and in fact now with 8 of them, it's the second most represented model in my collection(behind Parker 51s, just barely).

    With MBs and 149s, though, I really fell into loving stub and oblique nibs and now use them often even though my firm fine and flex fines do still have a lot of uses for me. I've also found that I often prefer vintage to modern. The only exception is the absolutely sublime pen I've really grown to love despite the fact that it's an expensive C/C pen-the Duofold Centennial. I think I have 5 of them now of various ages and nibs, and it's such a phenomal piece(for my taste) that I overlook it being C/C. The 75 also gets a lot of love from me.

    Looking back, I've fallen into preferring gold nibs now, and they VASTLY outnumber steel or other alloy in my collection. In fact, when I bought an Edison a few months ago, I was happy to have bought it with both a steel and gold nib(14K Edison Flex). Edison steel nibs objectively are excellent, and I can't pinpoint what I didn't like about the one that came with my pen, but I just didn't.

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    Default Re: How have your preferences changed?

    After some of the responses I need to give Fabriano paper a try. Thanks

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