As I’m starting to work on feeling better from my surgery, I’m doing some shopping for fountain pens to make me feel a bit better. It’s a little bit between window shopping and for real shopping-shopping because I got hooked on pens a few years ago.
I’ve tried a few now: two Monteverde Regattas, a TWSBI Vac700R, a Nahvalur/Narwhal, a Sailor Hocoro Fude, a Retro 51 Tornado… and probably a couple of others that I’m not remembering right now. I used to have a glass dip pen, but it met the inevitable end that comes with delicate glass and three cats.
It’s weird how I keep coming back to the Monteverde pens, despite all the difficulties they give me: when I bought them, I didn’t know what a “dry writer” was — and boy, are those some dry writers! They’re gorgeous, but I seriously dislike having to having to wet and rewet the nib constantly to get any ink flowing through them. If I ever consign or trade in a pen, it’s going to be one of these two. I have to say pretty much the same thing about the Nahvalur: it’s such a dry writer, that I’m probably going to end up consigning it as well.
Now, my two TWSBIs 700s? They’re my workhorses. I can load them up on ink and just write for ages. The only time I have to rewet them is if I accidentally lost them at the bottom of a bag and the ink needs loosening up again. I have the Kyanite and the Iris, both filled with different colors, and neither one of them have ever given me a day’s issue.
The Sailor Hocoro is actually a dip pen with a fude tip on it. I keep saying I’m going to buy up all the other tips, but at $10 to $12 each, you can guess why I haven’t done it just yet. It’s a good one to use when I need to slow down and think about what I’m writing to write.
The Retro 51 Tornado is a fountain pen in a line that sells rollerballs and mechanical pencils. It’s sleek but dramatic. Of all my fountain pens, it’s the one that’s gotten the most comments, usually from World War II buffs. It has a gorgeous look to it, just like an old fighter plane, and it always writes just when I want it to. It’s not always easy on my hands like the TWSBIs have proven to be thus far.
All of that said, though… The little goth in me (see, Mom, I told you I wasn’t going to outgrow it!) has me looking at the Esterbrook Estie Raven. It’s so gorgeous: matte black, black trim, black nib… It’s practically perfect in every way. And since I’m looking at trying out PenRealm and getting it in the Architect, it’s going to be pretty glorious… And I think it sounds like I’ve pretty well made up my. mind, doesn’t it?
Esterbrook Estie Raven, here I come!