Pen Ink Carts vs. Bottle Ink?

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Fellow Inksters:
I know that this question has probably been asked (pen ink carts vs. bottle ink?), but has there been a poll amongst us (question mark)?

I myself are currently using carts mainly because of the 'convenience' (no spills...'yikes' ), airline friendly and fairly
no mess.
Now I know that this 'paradigm' might be a story you'll tell your grandkids, but lets discuss just the same.

My issue with carts is that to prevent writing issues upon changing-out a cart, I've found the below technique (hack), to be of great success (can't seem to find the web-page)...;

1. "Give the ink time to saturate the pen's feed before writing. Sometimes a pen may seem dry after it has been recently filled. This is usually because the ink has not yet saturated the feed. Try leaving the pen tip pointed down for at least 10-15 min before writing.

2. You can also encourage the ink to move down by covering the tip with a tissue and gently shaking the pen or lightly [gently] squeezing the cartridge or dipping the nib in [warm] water to draw the ink down".

"Ink is meditation in liquid form. So, don’t think it…...ink it”! CBJ

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I prefer bottled inks as there seems greater colour variety, not that I stray much from blue and blue/black and I dislike the idea of single use plastic cartridges. My first fountain pen required bottled ink so I got started with it and have seen no need to use cartridges in subsequent pens, plus it is easier to switch colours between pens which do not require proprietary cartridges. Finally bottled ink seems more traditional and, although it can be fiddly, does not require a master's degree in physics to accomplish and even this clumsy old guy can manage it

 

[silverlifter]

Bottles. Much greater choice of colors and types. Much better value. Less plastic in the world.

More importantly, though, the best pens don't take carts: vacumatics, plunger fillers, bulk fillers, etc.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I use both.

Three groups of pens, for three groups of ink (primary, secondary, and contrast), and each group has capability to be filled by cartridge or bottle

I only have one fountain pen that I use occasionally, which is not a cartridge/converter pen. Everything else takes either Parker cartridges or standard international cartridge. I won't buy pens that take anything else now. I don't need the maintenance hassles. I also much prefer metal bodies and non-threaded sections, which tend to be cartridge converters anyway.

The pen I filled a few minutes ago, has a Parker cartridge which I refilled from a bottle with a syringe. I do have Parker converters, but I wanted this to have a longer fill.

 

[blethenstrom]

I use bottled ink for the great majority of time. However, when I travel I usually fill up the pen(s) that I bring with the bottled ink and then bring along cartridges incase I run out of ink in one of the pens.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Pros and cons, as I see them.

• Cartridges are more convenient for quick refills, particularly if away from home, and also if sticking with the same colour, as the feed is already primed.
• If filling a dry pen, cartridges can be slow to start/prime.
• Single use plastics can be an environmental concern.
• Ink in bottles gives a wider choice of inks.
• Bottled ink is cheaper per ml.
• Past a certain level, bottles can present filling issues, either due to the ink level not being deep enough, or a wider pen not reaching far enough into the bottle if it has a narrow neck.
• Cartridges tend to give a larger fill than their equivalent converters.
• Refilling cartridges with a syringe and bottled ink, reduces plastic waste, overcomes short filling converters, and gets ink out of near empty bottles with ease.
• Cartridges only fill certain pens, while bottles (especially with the help of a syringe), fill a far wider range.
• Some short "pocket pens" (Ohto Tasche for example) only take cartridges.

They both have their benefits, so I don't see a need to stick to just one. Having options is always good.

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Fellow Inksters:
I know that this question has probably been asked (pen ink carts vs. bottle ink?), but has there been a poll amongst us (question mark)?

I myself are currently using carts mainly because of the 'convenience' (no spills...'yikes' View attachment 1631645 ), airline friendly and fairly
no mess.
Now I know that this 'paradigm' might be a story you'll tell your grandkids, but lets discuss just the same. View attachment 1631660

My issue with carts is that to prevent writing issues upon changing-out a cart, I've found the below technique (hack), to be of great success (can't seem to find the web-page)...;

1. "Give the ink time to saturate the pen's feed before writing. Sometimes a pen may seem dry after it has been recently filled. This is usually because the ink has not yet saturated the feed. Try leaving the pen tip pointed down for at least 10-15 min before writing.

2. You can also encourage the ink to move down by covering the tip with a tissue and gently shaking the pen or lightly [gently] squeezing the cartridge or dipping the nib in [warm] water to draw the ink down".

View attachment 1631661"Ink is meditation in liquid form. So, don’t think it…...ink it”! CBJ

My Friends:
Don't get me wrong...I do have MB black ink...I guess I should have said, "I prefer carts...".

My hands are getting a little shaky.

"The art of ['common ink'] is the art of discovering what you believe". Gustave Flaubert

 

[Marco63]

I have used some cartridges in the past but then got converters for each specific pen and always use bottled ink. some cartridges have dried up and I had to throw them away. I don't think that the plastic of these cartridges is generating the huge environmental impact people speak of as well as of straws. That said I sometimes drink using a straw, when I drive

 

[Vespasian]

I'm becoming a minimalist in my old age. 95% of the time, I use my ten-year-old Kaweko Sport Classic, fine nib. I only use one ink, J. Herbin Violette Pensees, which comes in cart form, which is what I use.

 

[Tirvine]

I, too, have become a minimalist. I find a glass bottle of Pelikan blue-black and my forty-five year old pen wiping rag just right. The nib prints of all of the different inks I used over the course of my career are a fascinating chronicle that would never have been created had I used cartridges.

 

[KW Driver]

I'm becoming a minimalist in my old age. 95% of the time, I use my ten-year-old Kaweko Sport Classic, fine nib. I only use one ink, J. Herbin Violette Pensees, which comes in cart form, which is what I use.

as a minimalist minded person as well, I eyedropper my sport classic with ESS Registrar's because it only comes in a bottle, or that's the only way I buy it.

and my other pens don't take carts.

 

[Nobeard]

I use bottled ink. I like the color selections and I also like the shapes of many of the different brands.
But I have also used a cartridge and used a syringe to first inject clean water to clean the cartridge, then injected ink into it. I have found that that works real well

 

[Doc4]

as a minimalist minded person as well, I eyedropper my sport classic with ESS Registrar's ...

Great ink, great pen!