Use fountain pens, get pretty ink on the cheap!

Honeythief

I started using fountain pens about a year ago as part of a general interest in switching to quality reusable products rather than throwaway ones, but it is becoming obvious to me now what a money saver they are. Does anybody else use them to replace pretty throwaway but expensive stationery?

I've always been a sucker for pretty paper and pens, but I hate the way cheap ballpoints write. Over the years I've spent an absolute fortune on rollerballs like those Uni Eye Micro ones, and in recent years the pretty coloured gel pens. But they always run out so fast, or they dry up, and then it's time to throw them away and buy expensive replacements.

Now that I use a few cheap, refillable fountain pens with nice nibs, my penmanship has improved radically (it's far easier to do copperplate-style joined writing if you have a pen that is made for it) and I can buy all the colours of ink anybody could want. Diamine make great ink in the UK and it is less than three quid for 30ml, which lasts for ages even if you take notes all the time. Of course there are lots of other makes as well. The only problem is being sensible about how many I can possibly use in one lifetime!

What does anybody else think - have any of you also switched to fountain pens for any reason?

angeltreats

I used to use them, and love them, but I find you go through ink a lot quicker than if you use a biro. My work provide biros that write really nicely (these ones) and I'm quite happy to use those.

I do love fountain pens though and also dip pens. I used to be really into calligraphy and have quite a collection of all types of fountain and dip pens and nibs.

Honeythief

It's true that a Biro will last longer (even though I hate writing with them) but a bottle of ink lasts for much more writing than I ever expected, plus there is the fun of switching to a new colour more often. It's certainly a cost saving compared to the pens with fancy ink in somewhere like WHSmith if nice pens from the office supply cabinet aren't an option

My own workplace used to have Uni pens in the stationery cupboard but these days we have no-name ballpoints. I suppose most places are trying to cut costs these days.

Drachenfach

I'm a big fan of fountain pens - I'm a minute taker by trade and find them much nicer to write with.

I usually stick to cheapo cartridges for them, as I like to have spares on hand, and having once burst a cartridge in my bag I can only imagine the mess a whole bottle could make!

That said, I was bought a very posh schaeffer for my birthday last year, and it only has a refiller attachment, so I may have to bite the bullet and buy some bottles to keep at work.

Honeythief

I haven't found refilling them to be too messy but I certainly wouldn't want to do it on the move - you are certainly right about what a mess a whole bottle would make! So mine get refilled at my desk with some scrap paper underneath, just in case. I've never had a major spill yet but have had a few inky fingers So the cartridges are much cleaner and neater in that respect, but also more expensive with a much smaller range of colours...

I reckon you should bust out your Schaeffer and go hunting for a lovely ink that you can't get in cartridge form