Am I The Only One Who Finds Cartridge Only Pens Really Frustrating?

[discopig]

Prefer cartridge pens. Nice to know wherever i am i can refill without spilling ink on someone else's property. Also, when out drawwing in the field it is hard to fill from a bottle if you are standing and only have two hands. You can also refill with a cartridge in a dark theater setting.

I don't think I could ever get myself to refill a pen at work or anywhere, so I usually just bring 3 pens on me, then at least if one runs out I have another.

[KBeezie]

Hmm I noticed that little disc but I didn't remove it as I thought it might have something to do with the flow.

Your storage suggestion is interesting and I'll try it next time.

It might have something to do with the flow at that, but you don't have to take it out when you're actually using the pen. When you've used it to reseal a cartridge, you just push the cartridge in the pen normally, and it turns sideways again as it did the first time.

There is probably a limit on how many times you can do this before something wears out, but I haven't reached it yet. Only been doing this a short while.

Doesn't affect the flow, nor does it improve it (as the converters don't have it, outside of maybe an agitator).

I usually removed it, because I didn't think you could actually rotate it back into place and still be secured.

Prefer cartridge pens. Nice to know wherever i am i can refill without spilling ink on someone else's property. Also, when out drawwing in the field it is hard to fill from a bottle if you are standing and only have two hands. You can also refill with a cartridge in a dark theater setting.

I don't think I could ever get myself to refill a pen at work or anywhere, so I usually just bring 3 pens on me, then at least if one runs out I have another.

I've yet had to refill on-the-go, since I'll sometimes 'top off' a pen before going to a place I'd need it... but I'm not a huge time writer, I don't go thru ink like that. With so many pens inked at the moment, it'll be a couple of weeks before any one needs a refill (or dries out really fast like some of the Jinhaos I no longer own).

[Mags]

Yes not a fan or cartridge only pens. But I did buy 50 cartridges from Mr Pen in the UK so set for my lifetime.

[milkb0at]

For students, and I suppose people out and about, cartridges are miles more convenient. You only need one pen and a few spare cartridges. If ink runs out in the middle of a lecture, just swap in a new cartridge. The alternatives are the relative complexity and delay of refilling from a bottle (which you hope hasn't broken or leaked in your bag) or the expense of having another pre-filled fountain pen to hand.

[Brisboy]

I only have two pens that are strictly cart loaded. A Kaweco AL Sport, and a Pilot Petit1. Oddly, I don't mind that the Petit1 is cartridge only (probably because it holds more ink in it's little cart than a short standard international does anyways), but am kind of iffy that the Kaweco is a cart-only pen.

Would not say that I *hate* it per se, as I don't always mind syringe filling a cartridge. But that may change if I run out of ink out in the wild (and I'm syringe filling from a bottle).

At least there's a ton of other options to pick from if you just hate cartridge only unless you manage to land your hands on a pen that you absolutely love, but that one fatal flaw (ie: like the Kaweco AL Sport). But Hate? I'd just make a decision, and move on.

But if you REALLY want to get the Kaweco Sport or AL Sport and must use a piston style converter, you can get this.

http://templarink.com/03_MiniConverter.html


Just make sure that when you order to specify that you want the "Skinny Mini" in the special instructions, as that's the one that was designed to work in the Kaweco sport line.

I did order one of those, but I probably won't get it until the middle of next week. I plan on reviewing it on my site.

I don't really understand why there are so few modern lever filers. It seems such an elegant, simple solution that would be much much simpler to implement than a piston, and less of a pita than short carts only

Not sure either, maybe most of the companies do not think there's a big market for it outside of vintage or that they don't trust users not to damage the lever?

Thank you! I love my Ohto rook but don't love that it's cartridge only so have ordered a couple of these mini piston converters. The other one will go in a kaweco sport to see how it compares to the squeeze converter.

[Lady Onogaro]

I don't mind them; I love Lamy Violet, and the only way you can get it is in cartridges. I like the J. Herbin cartridges in their little tin can. I also like the Chesterfield ones.

[Scrawler]

In the early 1990s I bought a Tombow Egg fp28 in anticipation of the day when I would develop arthritis and would need a thicker pen. It is short and fat and only takes the short cartridges. I also like inks that are not the standard blue or black. So I hid away a number of empty cartridges and syringes with it. Since that time the ink world has opened up and cartridges are now available in many colours. This is the only cartridge only pen I have. There are two reasons I do not like cartridge only. The first is that I do not like to squeeze them to prime the nib, and the other is that they look so empty and insubstantial when I separate the section from the barrel.

[orfew]

I have piston fillers, button fillers, c/c pens and one cartridge only FP. This happens to be my MB 147. It is my daily user because the carts are so easy to change. The pen comes with a case that holds 6 carts and the pen itself holds 2 carts so I never run out of ink. I love the convenience of this pen.

[KBeezie]

I have piston fillers, button fillers, c/c pens and one cartridge only FP. This happens to be my MB 147. It is my daily user because the carts are so easy to change. The pen comes with a case that holds 6 carts and the pen itself holds 2 carts so I never run out of ink. I love the convenience of this pen.

I've always been a little confused by MB's numbering system since from what I can tell ... least unsuccessfully so.

First digit is their tier (1xx flagship/top, 2xx mid-range, 3xx lower end)
Second digit is the filling system... or supposedly it was...
And third digit was supposedly the nib size (ie: a 149 having a #9 nib... or something like that).

But then I see a 146 that's a piston filler, and a 147 that's a cartridge pen, or a 220 that's a piston filler and a 225 that's also a piston filler, but both have same sized nibs, etc.

Was that numbering ever in practice outside of just the first digit, or have I pretty much heard BS regarding that :P

[Laura N]

Speaking of MB, I've always enjoyed the nib on the MB Bohème, and the size works for me. If it weren't crazy expensive, and if I didn't already have too many pens, I'd have one.

I don't mind cartridges at all. In fact I use only cartridges in my purse pen and when I travel. They are portable, they aren't messy, and carrying extra cartridges is more convenient than bringing liquid ink. The only thing that annoys me is that many companies use their own proprietary cartridge size.

[orfew]

I have piston fillers, button fillers, c/c pens and one cartridge only FP. This happens to be my MB 147. It is my daily user because the carts are so easy to change. The pen comes with a case that holds 6 carts and the pen itself holds 2 carts so I never run out of ink. I love the convenience of this pen.

I've always been a little confused by MB's numbering system since from what I can tell ... least unsuccessfully so.

First digit is their tier (1xx flagship/top, 2xx mid-range, 3xx lower end)
Second digit is the filling system... or supposedly it was...
And third digit was supposedly the nib size (ie: a 149 having a #9 nib... or something like that).

But then I see a 146 that's a piston filler, and a 147 that's a cartridge pen, or a 220 that's a piston filler and a 225 that's also a piston filler, but both have same sized nibs, etc.

Was that numbering ever in practice outside of just the first digit, or have I pretty much heard BS regarding that :P

See this article
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/arti...montblanc-149/

[snedwos]

I dont mind cartridges, i mind them being the only option.

[ethernautrix]

I love using cartridges - they're my favorite. I refill and re-seal them. The pens I use don't use the international size (small) - but I do have a few that do use them (Montblanc 100 Historical, Kaweco Liliput), and it doesn't bother me to use them.

[caribbean_skye]

I love using cartridges - they're my favorite. I refill and re-seal them. The pens I use don't use the international size (small) - but I do have a few that do use them (Montblanc 100 Historical, Kaweco Liliput), and it doesn't bother me to use them.

kind of curious how you re-seal them, care to share that tid-bit?

[Algester]

normally people use hot glue but there are other methods I would guess... like rubber clay?
I dont hate cartridges either think of them as convenience if there is no more other way like running out of ink in the middle of things... say hand writing an entry for NaNoWriMo outside of your house?
not unless you have a tank of ink with you... or spend lots of USDs for that Visconti ink pot for each of your inks

[chatminouche]

I'm on the fence on this... on one hand, I love my Kaweco Sport because it is small and I have smaller hands... on the other hand, it is frustrating to have to refill so often... I guess a compromise for me is that I love the Kaweco Summer Purple colour, and the cartridges hold more ink than the silly squeeze converter... but I'm also willing to reload the cartridges if needed...

I also tried to convert my Sport into an eyedropper, but had some horrible blobbing issues... it would blob out huge amounts of ink on the paper spontaneously... that never happens when I'm using it with the cartridge or converter...

[Austin_Malone]

Cartridge only pens make me want to cry. Same goes to a pen that comes without a converter.