Standard "Bic" ballpoints, pencils, chopsticks, and similar sized items make my hands hurt if I use them very much or very long. Since all my 'writing' is for the most part all electronic (email mainly but some IM on the cellphone), I haven't been overly concerned about ballpoints for my signature since I don't write that many checks or short notes. However, I would like to improve the quality of my cursive writing and this is only going to happen with a new pen and practice. The financial realities are that a Pelikan M600 off Fleabay is too expensive to be anywhere close to a reasonable near term acquisition.
I want a fountain pen larger than a standard disposable ballpoint with the barrel diameter being the main thing. The "Sharpie" diameter or a bit more is about right. I have used Lamy Safari and Rotring pens in the past and they are way too awkward for me, though I did like how the Rotring laid a line down. I don't like cartridges for ink, piston's seem to be out of my price range so, that leaves the eye dropper or converter option for ink. A medium nib seems to be a good width to start, though in the future a music or italic broad nib might be fun.
The Pilot 78G looks like a good place to start but, the needle point fine or broad italic nibs put me off not to mention they seem to be out of production or possibly moving to China with the only mediums being relatively expensive. There are some apparently well regarding Chinese fountain pens but, I'm having a hard time understanding what is offered with them (quality, price, functionality).
The other "group" of pens I'm having a hard time picking through are Sailor's. Online ads and posts in general are more confusing then helpful and the company website left me frustrated. What I seem to be drawn too is the 1911 series with their Japanese nibs that seem to run thin for type and have a different shape. There is a King, standard, small, and Profit model? It seems like the defining difference are in the Nib and pen size. The really expensive ones have 21K gold nibs and the large King model. The small is just that, too small with a small ink capacity and probably not a good size for my hand issues. Which leaves the 14K nib model in the middle. Is this 'middle' model a profit model or are they different or just made from different materials? I'm pretty confused on the Sailor fountain pens other than a fine nib is way too small.
Staying under $50 would be ideal but, $100 is realistically a hard limit with a reasonable timeframe to save for. What am I missing in brands or other pen options?
I want a fountain pen larger than a standard disposable ballpoint with the barrel diameter being the main thing. The "Sharpie" diameter or a bit more is about right. I have used Lamy Safari and Rotring pens in the past and they are way too awkward for me, though I did like how the Rotring laid a line down. I don't like cartridges for ink, piston's seem to be out of my price range so, that leaves the eye dropper or converter option for ink. A medium nib seems to be a good width to start, though in the future a music or italic broad nib might be fun.
The Pilot 78G looks like a good place to start but, the needle point fine or broad italic nibs put me off not to mention they seem to be out of production or possibly moving to China with the only mediums being relatively expensive. There are some apparently well regarding Chinese fountain pens but, I'm having a hard time understanding what is offered with them (quality, price, functionality).
The other "group" of pens I'm having a hard time picking through are Sailor's. Online ads and posts in general are more confusing then helpful and the company website left me frustrated. What I seem to be drawn too is the 1911 series with their Japanese nibs that seem to run thin for type and have a different shape. There is a King, standard, small, and Profit model? It seems like the defining difference are in the Nib and pen size. The really expensive ones have 21K gold nibs and the large King model. The small is just that, too small with a small ink capacity and probably not a good size for my hand issues. Which leaves the 14K nib model in the middle. Is this 'middle' model a profit model or are they different or just made from different materials? I'm pretty confused on the Sailor fountain pens other than a fine nib is way too small.
Staying under $50 would be ideal but, $100 is realistically a hard limit with a reasonable timeframe to save for. What am I missing in brands or other pen options?