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Pen Fetish

So I thought I was bad, and can walk the isles of the box stores and look at pens for at least 30 min...im a sucker for a zebra 301. Im army and they fit in the sleeve of my shirt very well and love the way they write. so, the MRS is an even bigger pen freak and she is about to be off to Iraq and I thought I might get her a fountain pen...but I can't even spell fountain pen...I need some help here. It will be going where it gets hot. I saw 131 in Baghdad in 2006-2008. some advice please?? thank you
 
The 301's are good pens, and before I discovered fountain pens they were one of my standard go-to pens. No shame there!
I'm far from an expert but since you're yet to be replied to I'll throw some info at you.
I'm am truly unsure of how fountain pens respond to heat.
I'd say don't get anything too expensive. Keep it in the sub-50 range. Good beat around fountain pens generally include the Lamy Safari/Al-Star and the Kaweco Sport/Sport AL. I have a Safari and its a great pen.

You may also want to look at a vacuum fill pen, as they are claimed to be less prone to leaking from pressure changes (flight ascending/descending) if that might be a concern.

Hopefully some others with more experience will chime in.
 
Asking a question like this is sort of like asking what kind of earring you should buy your wife, or what's the best shoe for a dinner party. There are so many nuances across the scope of personal preference. Thick/thin, heavy/light, plain/"sparkly", you get the drift. I'm sure that you've been asked by friends who have never fired a gun before, "what gun should I get for home protection?", or similar question. The question is so broad that it's too difficult to answer effectively.

Using the gun analogy: all firearms do the same thing, they fire a projectile. However, some are big/small, accurate/ballpark, light/powerful. All pens do the same thing: they put ink to paper. How they feel in the hand and how they please the eye and how they write is all personal preference.

Advising you on getting a pen for yourself is difficult enough, but getting one for someone else when you don't have any reference is asking for disappointment.

However, if you're set on a pen as a gift, I'd suggest to pick a price point, read reviews, and then buy her an entire correspondence set as a gift: pen, ink, paper, envelopes. Popular starter pens are Pilot Metropolitan, Lamy Safari or Al-Star, Jinhao, Nemosine Singularity, Platinum Plaisir.

If she's never used a fountain pen before, really the only advice I could give is to keep in mind that all fountain pens require a little maintenance. Cartridge/converter pens are probably best. They are the easiest to clean and very straight forward. Standard international cartridges for convenience and a converter to use a bottle of beautiful ink in her favorite color.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
I thought I might get her a fountain pen...but I can't even spell fountain pen...

You just proved yourself wrong there, twice.

... unless spellcheck saved your bacon.

Pilot "Metropolitan" and "78g" are the standard recommendations for beginners wanting a good pen at an affordable (well under $20) price.
 
Lol. It’s an expression in the army. It means I know next to nothing. But thank you all for the advice. I now have a starting point. The gun thing would be easy!! Everyone should buy a glock 19 and go from there!!


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jar_

Too Fugly For Free.
Fountain pens do not do well under extreme temperature changes and around gritty dust. Might be best to look at alternatives.
 
So we have rite-in-the-Rain pens. Pressurized. They write on anything. Even upside down. I like the zebra 301. She uses the bold 301. And she said the only fountain she buys is a disposable? Pentec? Maybe she said Parker? I’m ok with 25$ and the chance she will wear it out or it dies. She will get a feel for what she likes. I’m thinking safari in med and just see what happens


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And she said the only fountain she buys is a disposable? Pentec? Maybe she said Parker?

Or maybe she said Pilot Varsity, a disposable pen. For the price of a disposable, you can get the Platinum Preppie, which takes refills (or can be converted to an eyedropper). But the Preppie is fragile. The Varsity (or VPen) is a tank.
 
My nephew is army and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. At one point I showed him a few of my fountain pens and I didn't realize until later that he went out and bought a Pilot Varsity. Once I heard that, I went ahead and bought him a Lamy Safari in Fine along with a second extra fine nib, plus got him some waterproof ink. He also bought a double edge razor and a brush, but thats another story!

Good luck to you and your wife and thank you for your service!
 

ouch

Stjynnkii membörd dummpsjterd
When I see a thread titled Pen Fetish, the first thing that comes to mind is Pen Island.
 
Back in my active duty USAF days, in the 1970's all I used was a Parker Jotter. I honestly never saw anyone use fountain pens. We needed ballpoints for multiple copies and had to use black ink so it would work with the copying machines of the day. I spent two years in Turkey and humidity was low there, but nothing like down in the sandbox. There I think the heat and humidity would dry a fountain pen quite rapidly. I honestly would stick with a good ballpoint, possibly a rollerball there and go back to my fountain pen in a more hospitable environment.
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
I'd vote Metropolitan, if it has dust problems just pull the feed and nib out and wash them off. They seem reasonably sturdy too.

Cheers, Steve
 
When I see a thread titled Pen Fetish, the first thing that comes to mind is Pen Island.


fet·ish
ˈfediSH/
noun
  1. 1.
    a form of sexual desire in which gratification is linked to an abnormal degree to a particular object, item of clothing, part of the body, etc.
    "Victorian men developed fetishes focusing on feet, shoes, and boots"
 
fet·ish
ˈfediSH/
noun
  1. 1.
    a form of sexual desire in which gratification is linked to an abnormal degree to a particular object, item of clothing, part of the body, etc.
    "Victorian men developed fetishes focusing on feet, shoes, and boots"
Miguel, your choice & direction in this conversation is telling (please do not take this as a criticism, merely an observation)... I suppose there is no 'write' or wrong way considering the latitude provided by the originator of the post (i am also tempted to add that life experiences can be reduced to a series of sexual explorations, fantasies and desires of which fountain pens are simply another point, or perhaps fork in the diversion - but i shall restrain myself...).
My favourite fountain pen, and constant companion for the last 17 years is a Sheaffer Targa. It did have a marbled lacquer covering, but that has since become chipped and scratched (as life chips and dents us i suppose) and this has pealed away in places. I then set about to remove the lacquer all together, and what was revealed was a bronze/brass phallic symbol of a thing, beneath the now removed lacquered veneer (again much like life does to us). These pens are robust, reliable, and have never yet failed (besides running out of ink which is my fault). I once left my baby in an office 341km away, and could not wait until I got her (objectification i know) back. I have tried Conway Stewarts from the '20s (made from casein, with their tragic water soluble barrels), Montblanc (luxurious but too expensive to carry out on site or at landfall doing surveys and then misplace).
 
The gun thing would be easy!! Everyone should buy a glock 19 and go from there!!

Proves my point about preferences: I always suggest a pump-action shotgun. Wide pattern; shot won't pass through walls and injure neighbors; racking a shotgun's slide is the most distinguishable sound ever - If bad guy is still in the house after that, you know you'll have to shoot them.
 
And now I’ve got a Lamy. The wife has deployed and it was something she enjoyed so much she took it with her. So I got one. Now when I’m in class everyday I have a nice little reminder.


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