So, this festive season, can I convince you to use a fountain pen?

Hello everybody.

My senior is miffed at my previous post, because he thinks one should not write about something unless he has a large variety of such things and a long duration of experience of using them. Point duly noted. So first I'll run  a disclaimer.

Disclaimer:  This post is not intended to teach anybody how to repair their fountain pens or to impart any other technical knowledge. This  is about sharing some feelings, some little nothings.

Whenever you are searching about a pen blog, some results might have surely intimidated you by the pure volume of technical jargon or the large collection of super costly pens paraded on screen. I am out of that exclusive club.

So what prevents you from buying something that can give you immense pleasure? Remember, while growing up, attaining the ability to write and draw was a big milestone in our lives, enabling us to express our inner selves efficiently and quietly. The joy of writing gradually disappears in the busy schedules of life. A fountain pen can reintroduce you to the lost pleasure quite easily.

The 'cons':

1. The system is complicated. 

If you were expecting price factor to be number one, I think you are mistaken. The first thought that comes to mind is an inexplicable apprehension, a big doubt about the convenience and the fidelity of the whole nib and ink system. 

The answer is : You don't need to know the basic physics of television to watch a sports match on it. Just buy a good fountain pen, ink it  and start writing. It's all that easy. If you don't want to perform the regular job of filling ink in a reservoir, there  are pens that have disposable cartridges, just like refills of ball point pens. After some effort, you may end up liking the whole concept and eventually acquiring more detailed knowledge.

2. They are costly

True, a good one costs about 100-200 times a cheap ball point pen. But that's because  they are a kind of investment. Fountain pens last longer than most cheap ball point ones, they are more beautiful and much better as writing instruments. Some people fear about losing such costly items. Here I agree with John Morgan, who have rightly mentioned in his blog that costly things get more care from the owner. You'll be more cautious about losing your prized possessions.

3. They are messy

NO, If you use good quality pens correctly, they are not. Occasional bad copies may bother you, but that's not the complete picture. Most standard fountain pens are well behaved when it comes to leaking or destroying your clothes. Ink quality and poor handling may have a greater role in such occurrences.

4. They require a lot of maintenance

This is only partially true. It all depends on the amount of use (or more specifically non-use after being inked). You can always use a quality pen for a long time before you have to take them to someone specialized in pen repairing for actual repair. Otherwise, routine maintenance is quite easy to follow. All you need to do is completely flush the existing ink out before using another colour or brand, and when you think that the pen might not be used for some duration.

5. They are old fashioned

Definitely they're Not, if you carry them effortlessly, without hesitation. They actually startle everyone in front of you, whenever you take them out and start writing as if nothing special is happening. The sheer admiration in their eyes is quite satisfying for the user.

The reason to buy one at this age?

For me there is only one reason strong enough to start writing with fountain pens: The writing experience.

It is unparalleled, inimitable. The ink simply flows through the nib to lay down line after line over smooth white paper. The smoothness of pen movements and relaxation of fingers would strike you at the very first instance. Your letters would come out whole in place of the indistinct gibberish lines of ball point pens and your brain would actually focus on the writing.

This blog post from EDJELLEY lists eight reasons for using a fountain pen. I am much inspired by his words, and would like to add only one more reason to the already impressive list.

When you successfully make a fountain pen work for you, when you regularly use that pen to elicit a smooth wet line, it gives a kind of satisfaction. A feeling of accomplishment, of being able to make something work properly for you. And whether you agree with me or not, this world is all about making things work to your tune.

So, I would urge you to just try an actual fountain pen for a few days. A good Pilot non-self filling eyedropper pen or Parker Vector  or Lamy safari or Hero 616 or even a Platinum Preppy may stimulate you to write in a better way.

Thanks everybody and enjoy your writing.