Why Do I Use Fountain Pens?

And Who Cares?

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

As an amateur and aspiring writer, I thoroughly enjoy using fountain pens. In fact, I would say I love them. One could make the argument that they put ink to a paper just the same as any rollerball pen or…really any pen for that matter, but there’s something more to it. If you are a writer, journaler, or even are looking to start doing these things, let this blog post be the reason you decide to get that first fountain pen. I will include some of my favorites at the end.

I always enjoyed writing. I believe I have made that somewhat clear. Regardless if it is typing something out on a format such as this for others to read, or if it is taking the ink to the dead tree that only I will see, I get enjoyment from it. What pen I use when I am writing on paper, however, makes a world of difference. I believe most people who have taken notes in a class, written the sermon points in church, or have written a letter to another would agree with that statement.

I remember being in classes and most people would rant and rave about the Pilot G2 ink pens. And rightfully so. It is a great pen and there is a reason they only sell them in a pack of two in most stores. Many others love the Sharpie pens. I myself use them for work when I have to write down any information. The ink writes well, and seldom do they dry out on you where you have to make a hundred circles and touch the pen tip to your tongue before the ink shows up.

No shade to these pens. However, the fountain pen brings about a certain elegance that these pens simply cannot contribute. Many will see the fountain pens and say to themselves, “why on earth would I spend this kind of money on a writing instrument?” I was once in your shoes myself.

Having been a student at Boyce College (The College at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary), fountain pens were all the rage. Albert Mohler was a fountain pen user which had a trickle-down impact on the students studying at the seminary he was the president of. I, myself, am a person who goes against the grain on most things. If everyone else likes something, I’m usually the person who doesn’t join the trend or the fad or the hip thing. I’m not sure if that’s because I was raised on outlaw country music and it naturally seeped into my bloodstream, or if I’m just hard headed and don’t want to be lumped into the popular things. I hadn’t really even heard of these pens up to this point, so to not join in meant I kept living exactly how I had been.

About two and a half years ago, however, I was told there was a crazy sale on these pens at the seminary book store, so I figured I would finally give it a shot. I went there, asked about this sale that was going on, and one of the workers actually gave me a free fountain pen. Score! I could tell it was a significantly cheaper one, but a free pen is a free pen. A free anything is great in my book. I went home, gave it a try and figured it wasn’t so bad. However, I had forgotten about it for months. When I tried it again after finding it, it didn’t write. No ink was coming out. At this point, my position on these fancy pens went back to where it was before. Not for me.

Around a year ago, my life was changed forever. At my father-in-law’s promotion ceremony for the Army, he gifted myself, all of his children, his wife, and several others with gifts. At HIS promotion ceremony….he gave people gifts. If you want to see the definition of servanthood and selflessness, take a look at this man. I digress.

The gift that he had given myself and my brother-in-law was a Scriveiner black and gold fountain pen. My initial thought was that it was a very sharp and sleek pen, but I didn’t use them much. However, I figured I’d give this ride another chance. I was writing more in journals by this point so I hoped I would take to this pen and enjoy it better than my first trial run with a fountain pen.

And then it happened.

My appreciation for how this pen wrote was completely altered from the first experience. The way the ink flowed on to the pages, the smoothness of the pen nib (tip) gliding across, the raised ink on the page itself. It was beautiful. There was a dual impact in my mind. I want to write more. Now I have this pen. One fueled the other. Having the pen made me want to write more, and I wanted to write more as an excuse to use the pen. It was a beautiful harmony.

Since that time, I have managed to collect more pens, and with more pens comes purchasing more inks for these pens. Most pens you purchase come with cartridges that you pop into the pen and then you can go at it from there, and it also comes with a refillable cartridge that you can fill with any fountain pen ink you so desire. Or, if you are still uncertain about buying a more expensive pen, you can do a test run by purchasing disposable fountain pens. Buy a pack of them, once the ink runs out, you can toss it. No harm. No foul.

If you get hyper-fixated on certain things like I do, it becomes a really neat hobby and you can have your pick of tools to create something on paper with. What I will say is this: If you have any enjoyment of writing (journaling, writing notes for a class or for your reading, etc.), then I can’t recommend a fountain pen enough. It could be the thing that boosts your confidence in writing. It did for me anyway. It might seem silly, but it’s fun. Even though I am still at the introductory stage of these well crafted pens, I have taken greatly to them and use mine almost daily.

Here are my top 3 pens (brands) that I would recommend as a novice and I will include the links as well.

1. Scriveiner - The one that started it all. I have the one displayed below, and the dark green and silver one as well as gifted to me by my mother, another pen fanatic (I wonder where I get it from). I will continue to use and get pens from Scriveiner as long as I live.

   

2. Wordsworth & Black - Another pen very similar to the Scriveiner. Sleek, smooth, and with more color options as far as the pen casing itself goes. You can also purchase inks and journals specifically for fountain pens through W&B.

   

3. Kaweco - I can’t speak too detailed on Kaweco, but this is the one that I had purchased from them. Likely their cheapest pen, but it still performs well and I have gotten great use from it. Definitely a great place to start while still getting the true feel for a fountain pen. Their prices range, from this pen (about $15) to $200.

   

4. I will add a fourth as an honorable mention regarding cost efficiency to quality, and that is Asvine. My wonderful wife gifted me with this specific pen for Christmas, and outside of my Scriveiner pens, I have probably used this one the most. The black pen, black nib combination gives for an incredibly sharp look on this one and it writes just as well as some of the other, more expensive pens I own. Again, if you are looking to dip your toes in the water with fountain pens, this is an excellent go-to.

   

When selecting a nib size, I almost always go to fine nibs, but that is strictly my preference. Find whatever you like and explore with disposable pens to figure out which one works best for you. Like test driving a car. Don’t buy it based on what I tell you, try it for yourself first.

Here is one last link for disposable pens you can test with.

Regarding inks, I am pretty partial to Pilot Iroshizuku inks, but that’s because it’s what Albert Mohler uses, so I figure why stray away from what one of the smartest guys around.

However, I have used other fountain pen ink brands that I have found for relatively cheap on Amazon and I haven’t found any issues with those either. Again, find what you like and run with it. There’s no write or wrong (see what I did there) with fountain pens. It is whatever you like best, and that will be the best for you.

If you are going to write, why not write with the elegance of a nice pen?

Thanks for indulging me.

-G.W.B