No judgment if you love yours. I am just noting how expensive ignoring existential dread can get.

  • foofiepie@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Ooh. If you want to talk amazing pens, and the art of getting something fantastic for the least possible spend. I went all in on this a while ago. Notable shout outs to Lamy, Kaweco and Pilot.

    • latenightnoir@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Yā€™know, I actually kept hearing good things about Lamy, but I fell face-forward for Parker designs every time. I haveā€¦ ahem, a couple of Rollers and fountain pens. The fountain pens are, honestly, not the absolute best, kindaā€™ scratchy, but that may be my style - I like thinā€™nā€™heavy. The Rollers, though, are aces. Love sketching with them. The refills are pretty spicy, but they do last a good chunk of time, so thereā€™s that.

      I will most certainly start keeping a closer eye on Lamy things, Iā€™m unfortunately still required to keep the ā€œmainline fountain penā€ position open for nowā€¦ Thank you very much for the recs!

      But as far as pencils and ballpoints go, Rotring all the way. Or Stabilo (which I now mainline because itā€™s a bit heavier).

      • foofiepie@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        Rotring is amazing, agree.

        Iā€™ll have a think about thinā€™nā€™heavy. Pilot make a thin version of their clicky ā€˜caplessā€™ fountain pen (think itā€™s called decimo) that has a platinum nib. Itā€™s one of my more expensive ones but itā€™s bloody amazing to write with.

        • latenightnoir@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          Mmmm, that actually sounds interesting, Iā€™m looking it up! Thank you!

          Iā€™ve also had a Rotring fountain pen, but it felt very dry when writing, not in terms of the flow, strictly mechanically, dunno why. My guess was the ink, but I couldnā€™t find betterā€¦ Other than that, also tried a super-slim Cross, but that one overflows like a calligraphy pen, feels more like painting with ink. Itā€™s not bad, because itā€™s obvious that the flow is very precise and intentional, itā€™s just really not my speed. If I could write with a blackened needle point, I would!=)))

          Edit: Jeeeeesus, thatā€™s a tiny nib! Maybe I will get that needle after all!=)))

          • foofiepie@lemmy.world
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            3 days ago

            It is a small nib but itā€™s flexible and writes generously. Also it looks smaller because itā€™s recessed into the body, very much like a Lamy 2000 nib. Wouldnā€™t recommend the 2000 though as a) theyā€™re quite pricey and b) quite broad in the hand.

            Joyfully cheaper options are things like the platinum preppy and kawecos. I have a kaweco sport with a gold nib which I think was about Ā£40 and it writes like a dream.

            Hope this is helping with everybodyā€™s existential dread btw.

            • latenightnoir@lemmy.world
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              3 days ago

              Damn, I did not know about the recessed thing, itā€™s very sexy! As for ā€œbroad in the hand,ā€ that doesnā€™t much bother me, as mine are pretty square and large, what matters most is for it to have some weight to it. If itā€™s too floaty, I start skidding around, which is why I bought all-metal ones so far - recently bought a Parker IM Royal Roller, and it feels like I could kill someone with it and still be able to leave a note afterwards, so I love it!:)))

              The 2000 is made of fibreglass, so that put me off buying it even before I saw the price tag, which sheesh!

              Aww, the Platinum Preppy reminds me of high school, itā€™s a cute system! The Kawekos, too in a way! Hmm, and it would not hurt my wallet as much as an experiment:-? Thank you!

              Well, writing has traditionally been the de facto environment for expressing the inner screaming (other than Screamo), so Iā€™d say weā€™re right on theme!

              • foofiepie@lemmy.world
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                2 days ago

                That Parker looks nice. Is the grip as comfy as it looks?

                You want hefty in hand then can recommend this baby:

                Itā€™s the stainless steel version of the 2000. Not cheap though. The Kawecos are a gateway drug. Iā€™m some years in to my addictions.

                Itā€™s a piston filler so bloody loads of ink to journal the demise of civilisation.

                • latenightnoir@lemmy.world
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                  2 days ago

                  Iā€™d say itā€™s a yes from the perspective of two different styles!

                  For the looser grip, farther away from the tip, the materials are super-soft and grippy, the plastic in the tip is some sort of either nylon or acrylic (from what I can tell), so it picks up body heat fast, itā€™s comfy.

                  If you claw it closer to the tip, that ridge really helps with positioning and grip stability, the metal tip feels solid, itā€™s slippery enough to allow for a lot of micro-adjustments without it feeling like itā€™s fighting against your finger movements, and the pen itself is pretty well balanced as a whole.

                  1000012350

                  This one is still my all-time favourite in terms of grip comfort, though. Iā€™ve had it for over a decade now, the weatheringā€™s legit, but I sanded off its pocket clip as it was clashing with the shape to my eyes.

                  Well, another one to the wishlist! I started digging yesterday, did a deep dive into Pilotā€™s offerings and that all-metal Capless is a sexy bit of kit! And Lamyā€™s stuff does, indeed, look way more serious than I thought, may have been biased by seeing their consumer grade stuff all over the place so far.

                  Oh, that sounds perfect! I tend to write in chunks consisting of several hours of hyperfixation, and I usually have to pop the refillā€™s emergency ration by the end of the second - and theyā€™re those double-long refills, too!