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So, I recently ordered a fairly cheap fountain pen (and some Parker Quink).

Pen:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001D0 ... 01_s00_i00
Quink (for those that aren't aware, a portmanteau of Quick and Ink):
http://www.amazon.com/Parker-Super-Perm ... d_sim_op_4

Have any of y'all used fountain pens? What's it like to write with one? Recommend any particular pen and/or ink?

Fairly cheap my foot.

Tiel wrote:Fairly cheap my foot.

It's cheap FOR A FOUNTAIN PEN. Fountain pens run from $3 (for a Pilot Petit1 w/ a stainless steel nib) to US$13,000 (for a Mont Blanc so-and-so fancy-fancy John Lennon Limited Edition w/ gold or platinum everything). $50 off-sale is the absolute minimum for a decent pen from a less popular (i.e. Chinese) brand, like this one.

I don't understand fountain pens. You can get a whole pack of crappy pens for, like, a dollar, and they'll work exactly as well as a $13K pen until they break, at which point you'll buy a new pack. What's the advantage of a fountain pen?

Last_Jedi_Standing wrote:I don't understand fountain pens. You can get a whole pack of crappy pens for, like, a dollar, and they'll work exactly as well as a $13K pen until they break, at which point you'll buy a new pack. What's the advantage of a fountain pen?

This ^

Last_Jedi_Standing wrote:I don't understand fountain pens. You can get a whole pack of crappy pens for, like, a dollar, and they'll work exactly as well as a $13K pen until they break, at which point you'll buy a new pack. What's the advantage of a fountain pen?

There are three main sorts of pen:

1. The ballpoint
Ballpoint pens use a small ball in the tip to deposit a paste-based ink onto paper. They typically require a large amount of force to maneuver on a page due to the friction from the thick ink. Also, ballpoints are fragile and do not deposit an even line of ink. You're also limited by the fact that not very many colors are available.

2. The rollerball
Rollerball pens operate on the same basic principal as a ballpoint pen; i.e. using a ball to deposit ink on paper. However, rollerballs use a gelatinous ink, which gives a far smoother writing experience due to lower friction. But, still, they are limited in color availability, fragility, and lack of even line width, not to mention that they cost more than ballpoints.

3. The fountain pen
Too complex to explain myself, go on Youtube, FountainPenNetwork, and Google (preferably the former two) to see the advantages and disadvantages, how they work, etc. Simplified run-down: liquid ink, uses a pointed metal nib, writes super-duper smoothly on most papers, less 'clumsy', CAN use bottle ink but most also accept cartridges and refills, and exudes an air of old-timey class.

Artists like them because they can control the shape of the line based on angle and pressure.

Depends what you need the pen for, if its for writing essays, don't bother, they are more likely to smudge, which becomes very annoying.

Writing essays is such a pain in the first place...

A computer, sure. But restrict it to pen and paper only and you've got a case of carpal tunnel