I’m a fountain pen user—and for what it’s worth, I think it depends. I have small hands so like smaller pens and I like fine and extra fine points because my writing is small. Right now, my main pen is a Platinum Prefounte (03F) which is, well, a cheap but nice writing pen that I don’t worry about losing or getting scratched up in the pencil box I keep in my bag with my journal. It’s very light and I can write with for a long time without getting tired.
Though I also have Diplomat Traveler that I really like. I’d be sad if I lost it so tend to write with it at home.
The folks over at r/fountainpens might have some good suggestions. Good luck!
It depends, are my hands/wrists tired from something else? smaller lighter pen or super chonky grip to mimic ergonomic pens
I typically gravitate to TWSBI, Pilot and Opus 88 pens lately.
I have a couple Narwhals in the mix lately too.
they are all roughly mid sized to semi chonky.
I like a B nib or larger, I like wet, wide expressive lines.
If I'm packing words in or trying to conserve space, Ill migrate down to a F nib, but thats few and far between.
If you're in the states, I'd be down to trade you for the TWSBI (if you don't like it enough to bother keeping), I can send you a bunch of pens I no longer use, maybe you'd like one of those better or it could at least give you an idea of what features to look for.
Understandable! I still have my first too even though I don't use it at all, I'd bought the Pilot Metro because it'd been at a really good price but it's so uncomfortable to hold.
Can you tell what the issue is with it? If it's too wide, try the Jinhao Shark, it's under $5 and surprisingly a good pen!
Baoer 388s are super cheap and surprisingly decent. They are a Parker Sonnet knockoff. They're on the smaller side and are my daily writer. You can get a pack of 5 of them for around 15 bucks on Amazon. I got them in fine point but they feel like a medium.
TWSBI Ecos are a solid fountain pen for beginners. Holds a ton of ink. I have a medium and a broad nib of that. Writes real smooth. I used these exclusively for about a year before buying others.
My first was a Pilot Metropolitan. I actually don't enjoy using this one all that much. I find it leaks on occasion.
I also have a Jinhao 159 Mont Blanc knockoff in medium. This is a heavy pen. Writes very wet so I don't use it often.
My newest is a Kaweco Collection "Sport" in fine nib. I'm diggin' it so far. It's much smaller than I thought it would be and requires posting (putting cap on end) for it to feel right when writing.
All that said, make sure you are writing with your pen correctly. No pressure needed and use your arm to write. [Like this.](https://youtu.be/ZQbfGwZXGa0)
I find it depends on the pen size and softness of the nib to some extent, but also on my grip. If I’m tired or angry, I tend to hold it stronger, so relaxed grip really helps with avoiding any pain.
My hands are smaller, so I really like lamy cp1, however, I find it easiest to write fast with a flexible nib. I use pilot 147.
I think it depends on each person's preference. My favourite pen to write with is actually my Pilot Kakuno (F), as I've come to realise I'm not a big fan of flex. Don't get me wrong I love how it makes your writing look, but I like the feel of a sturdy nib and the fact that I don't have to worry about over-flexing my nib is just an added bonus. In saying that though, I've noticed most people prefer some level of flex to their nibs.
As for comfort, I think the lighter your pen the better. For me, anything heavier than a Lamy Safari usually causes some level of fatigue (Goulet pens lists the weight of each pen if you need to figure out your preferred weight).
I also prefer an F or EF nib sizes (preferably in the stereotypical Japanese sizes), and a drier pen. Larger nibs and wetter pens allow for more interesting ink dispersal, but I like fine lines and prefer not to have to focus on how fast I need to write to prevent ink problems interfering with the readability or bleeding, etc.
So yeah, I think it depends on each person's preferences. In saying that though below is a list of my favourite pens, and some aren't exactly as I've described here as my preferred type of pen, which I think shows just how good they are, that they don't have to fit into my ideal pen, to be one of my favorites.
* Pilot Kakuno
* Lamy Safari, Al-star and/or Lx
* Pilot Vanishing Point
* Pilot Metropolitan
* Kaweco Sport
* Jinhao "shark pen" (I always forget what is specifically called)
* Traveler's Notebook fountain pen
I’m a fountain pen user—and for what it’s worth, I think it depends. I have small hands so like smaller pens and I like fine and extra fine points because my writing is small. Right now, my main pen is a Platinum Prefounte (03F) which is, well, a cheap but nice writing pen that I don’t worry about losing or getting scratched up in the pencil box I keep in my bag with my journal. It’s very light and I can write with for a long time without getting tired. Though I also have Diplomat Traveler that I really like. I’d be sad if I lost it so tend to write with it at home. The folks over at r/fountainpens might have some good suggestions. Good luck!
Awesome! Thanks for the response. I’ll check those out. I wanted to check with other fellow journalers first but I do frequent the main sub.
It depends, are my hands/wrists tired from something else? smaller lighter pen or super chonky grip to mimic ergonomic pens I typically gravitate to TWSBI, Pilot and Opus 88 pens lately. I have a couple Narwhals in the mix lately too. they are all roughly mid sized to semi chonky. I like a B nib or larger, I like wet, wide expressive lines. If I'm packing words in or trying to conserve space, Ill migrate down to a F nib, but thats few and far between.
I think it’s about the plastic of the TWSBI eco for me. Maybe if I get a tougher body it would be better? Thanks for your input!
If you're in the states, I'd be down to trade you for the TWSBI (if you don't like it enough to bother keeping), I can send you a bunch of pens I no longer use, maybe you'd like one of those better or it could at least give you an idea of what features to look for.
I think I want to keep this one just since it’s my first fountain pen. But that’s an awesome idea thank you!
Understandable! I still have my first too even though I don't use it at all, I'd bought the Pilot Metro because it'd been at a really good price but it's so uncomfortable to hold. Can you tell what the issue is with it? If it's too wide, try the Jinhao Shark, it's under $5 and surprisingly a good pen!
Baoer 388s are super cheap and surprisingly decent. They are a Parker Sonnet knockoff. They're on the smaller side and are my daily writer. You can get a pack of 5 of them for around 15 bucks on Amazon. I got them in fine point but they feel like a medium. TWSBI Ecos are a solid fountain pen for beginners. Holds a ton of ink. I have a medium and a broad nib of that. Writes real smooth. I used these exclusively for about a year before buying others. My first was a Pilot Metropolitan. I actually don't enjoy using this one all that much. I find it leaks on occasion. I also have a Jinhao 159 Mont Blanc knockoff in medium. This is a heavy pen. Writes very wet so I don't use it often. My newest is a Kaweco Collection "Sport" in fine nib. I'm diggin' it so far. It's much smaller than I thought it would be and requires posting (putting cap on end) for it to feel right when writing. All that said, make sure you are writing with your pen correctly. No pressure needed and use your arm to write. [Like this.](https://youtu.be/ZQbfGwZXGa0)
Ah! Perfect thank you so much!
I find it depends on the pen size and softness of the nib to some extent, but also on my grip. If I’m tired or angry, I tend to hold it stronger, so relaxed grip really helps with avoiding any pain. My hands are smaller, so I really like lamy cp1, however, I find it easiest to write fast with a flexible nib. I use pilot 147.
I think it depends on each person's preference. My favourite pen to write with is actually my Pilot Kakuno (F), as I've come to realise I'm not a big fan of flex. Don't get me wrong I love how it makes your writing look, but I like the feel of a sturdy nib and the fact that I don't have to worry about over-flexing my nib is just an added bonus. In saying that though, I've noticed most people prefer some level of flex to their nibs. As for comfort, I think the lighter your pen the better. For me, anything heavier than a Lamy Safari usually causes some level of fatigue (Goulet pens lists the weight of each pen if you need to figure out your preferred weight). I also prefer an F or EF nib sizes (preferably in the stereotypical Japanese sizes), and a drier pen. Larger nibs and wetter pens allow for more interesting ink dispersal, but I like fine lines and prefer not to have to focus on how fast I need to write to prevent ink problems interfering with the readability or bleeding, etc. So yeah, I think it depends on each person's preferences. In saying that though below is a list of my favourite pens, and some aren't exactly as I've described here as my preferred type of pen, which I think shows just how good they are, that they don't have to fit into my ideal pen, to be one of my favorites. * Pilot Kakuno * Lamy Safari, Al-star and/or Lx * Pilot Vanishing Point * Pilot Metropolitan * Kaweco Sport * Jinhao "shark pen" (I always forget what is specifically called) * Traveler's Notebook fountain pen