As you have may have guessed from the title of the post, I'm going to be talking about my collection of ink and fountain pens...not all of them though just my favorites and the ones I use the most. So let's get started.
My story with fountain pens started when I got my first pen for school. I still remember that it had cartridges of course but I don't remember what brand it was. I continued to use them on and off into adulthood; however, it wasn't until 2011 when I got really serious about using them. By the end of 2016 I was done with cartilages and had moved on to convertors and inks. I’m going to start with my favorite inks.
1. Pilot Iroshizuku Inks
1. Pilot Iroshizuku Inks
I got this on Amazon: 18.89$
I could not find the exact shade on Goulet pens but I did find a different shade: 19.99$
I got this on Amazon: 19.05$
On Goulet Pens: 19.99$
I've tried a lot of Blue, Black and Red inks but these three are by far my favorite. The red is called Yama Budo, the black is Take-Sumi and the blue is Shin-Kai. I find that these inks dry faster than anything that I have tried so far.
2. Lamy Inks
I got this on Goulet Pens:12$
On Amazon: 13.95$ but it doesn't seem to be the same shade of green.
I got this from Goulet Pens but it seems to be out of stock so no price is listed there is a LAMY Turquoise: 12$
On Amazon: 13.93$
So far I've only tried these two colors from the brand Lamy, which is a German brand. The colors are vibrant and look really good on paper. But the do need around a minute to dry.
3. Assorted Inks
I got this from Goulet Pens: 19.95$
On Amazon: 21.50$
This color also looks good on paper. The same as the Lamy Inks it does need about a minute to dry so try not to touch it while writing.
I got this from Goulet Pens: 12.50$
Amazon: 12.50$
This one is one of the inks I have a love hate relationship with. I bought this because I loved the color, but it takes forever to dry. Some times as long as half an hour before I could close my journal. It smudges easily. BUT, I have used it in a painting once as a substitute for the watercolor I would have used as sunset. It took 3 days for the painting to dry but the effect was just so beautiful!
I got it on Goulet Pens: 30$
On Amazon: 31.49$
As browns go this one is one of my favorites. It drys within half a minute and it looks good on paper.
I got this on Goulet Pens: 12$
On Amazon: 12.96$
If I am in the mood to write in real black then this is my go to ink. It does take about a minute to dry which is why I don't use it a lot.
I got this on Goulet Pens: 15$
On Amazon: This shade is not available on Amazon.
This brown actually looks more black on paper, as you can see I used it to write the names of all the inks on the swatches. However, it does dry super fast and looks really good on paper.
Now let me talk you about my favorite pens, you’ll notice that I have quite a few from the same brand and that is because after you work with fountain pens for a while you tend to pick favorites based on your personal needs and how a pen feels in your hand. You also tend to pick favorite types of nibs (the metal bit you write with) that work with your handwriting. So let’s get started.
1. Assorted Pens
This Faber-Castell pen is a real pleasure to write with even thought it feels scratchy sometimes and that is because it has a fine nib which I don't like to use much and it was the only one available to use with that pen at the time of purchase all others were sold out. Goulet Pens: Out of Stock but there is other colors that cost around 55$
This Pilot Prera is small and it fits in the hand very well, unfortunately the nib which is medium is leaking and it can be unusable because of that, as you can see from when I tried to write its name on the paper and from the nib. I'm not sure if it is a problem that happens often with this pen or not. Goulet Pens: 56$
This is a new acquisition and so far I love it. I love the way it handles and I love the why it writes. It gives me a lot of control and that is important to me. Goulet Pens: 13.50$
2. TWSBI Pens
This was my first TWSBI and I was so proud of it in the beginning, but now I'm not so sure. The bit where I fill in the ink now leaks in a bad way and it is getting really annoying to me. Goulet Pens: 50$ (back then I bought it for 65$)
This was my second TWSBI and it works great, it is also lighter that the Diamond and easier to handle. Goulet Pens: 28.99$ (apparently now it is a special edition and it is out of stock)
This is the baby of the TWSBI family and I never expected to like it after I held it in my hand, but it has become my favorite TWSBI now. Goulet Pens: 50$
3. LAMY Pens
Goulet Pens: 29.60$
Goulet Pens: 167.20$
Goulet Pens: It is no longer on Goulet pens
Amazon: 39.24$
Goulet Pens: 29.60$
Goulet Pens: 29.60$
Goulet Pens: Closest I can find is Graphite color for 37.60$
I got this pen from LAMY Kuwait and can't find the same exact one anywhere but on the LAMY website, so if you find where it can be sold online let me know in the comments.
If you can't tell how much I love LAMYs from the number of LAMYs I have then allow me to tell you I LOVE LAMYs. They have a good price range, they work really well, and they look good on any paper it doesn't have to be fountain pen friendly. My current favorite is the LAMY 2000 but this is just for this week, last week it was the LAMY accent LOL.
You may have also notice that in almost all the pend I either have broad or medium nibs and that is because this is what works best with my handwriting and how I hold the pen to write. Fine nibs end up being scratchy and not easy to use for me but that is my preference only, your milage may vary.
Some Advice:
1. How to choose inks. Instead of getting a whole bottle and finding out that you hate the way the ink looks on paper or the time it takes to dry get ink samples of the inks you want to buy first. I get mine from Goulet Pens. They are really good about selling samples for you to try.
2. How to choose nibs. Try all type of nibs to see which ones work for you and the way you write best. be adventurous lol.
3. Make lists. Always swatch your inks, write the names under them and any notes that you notice when using that ink. Things like does it dry quickly, does it smudge easy, does it leave gunk on the pen? Some ink compositions are heavy and can wear a pen out fast. Also always keep a record of which ink was used in which pen.
4. Invest in watching some fountain pen cleaning videos and 101 videos (Goulet pens has the best ones I think) and have a cleaning kit around. You can get one from Goulet pens.
No comments:
Post a Comment