Hi Philmuggers I'm thinking of buying my first fountain pen for my own use. I'm willing to spend on a good quality brand but would like to know if you guys know any cheaper alternatives, you know, the ones you won't mind too much when misplaced, in short like a school/office pen but more saucy. Also is 2500-3000 pesos enough for a good quality one? or you can't buy mont blancs, watermans at that price range? thanks
Re: Fountain Pen for heavy everyday use go to national bookstore at shangri-la mall and check out the fountain pens there. if you like heavy, industrial-grade pens, the rotring 600s there are selling at a huge discount--these are pens that normally sell for $100 abroad, but you can get them for about P1,400 or less (i like them so much i have about five or six of them). also check out the watermans, the sheaffers, the parkers, etc. the important thing is to find one that suits both your budget (P3,000 is perfectly respectable for a first FP) and your hand. ask the sales people to let you dip the pen in ink and write with it. see if you prefer a very fine line or a broader one. some nibs are also smoother than others. we have lots of pen experts here in the "moleskine" thread who can also give you good advice. i'm sure you can buy an entry-level waterman for P3,000. if anyone offers you a montblanc at that price, it's got to be fake (and beware, montblancs are the most faked pens around.)
Re: Fountain Pen for heavy everyday use thank you very much for that informed advice penmanila who would've thought na National Bookstore is a good place to start looking for one hehehe. i thought i'd have to visit some fancy boutique or something. i'm very interested to check out the rotring600 btw and i didn't realize how personal the selection could get! so i'm very eager to tryout my taste/what suits me. i'm kinda excited to be honest. hehehe so off to shang it is!
Re: Fountain Pen for heavy everyday use Wow, I've been thinking the same thing as well. I'll stop by Shang this weekend to inspect the available stock. I might end up getting one as well.
Re: Fountain Pen for heavy everyday use these are the rotring's i'm referring to. you should find these--or something like them--in some NBS branches (shang, glorietta, SM north, quezon ave. and festival mall, as far as i know--not in other branches) for anywhere between P600 and P1,400. (ask for the discounted price, not the tag price.) these are collector's items, actually. if i had the time i'd scoop them all up and sell them on ebay for a fat profit they use standard cartridges (ask for the inoxcrom ones) but also take the converters that work with parkers (ask for those as well--NBS has them sometimes). when you're ready for something fancier, you can check out my pens here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/penmanila/sets/72157602068230852/detail/
Re: Fountain Pen for heavy everyday use hmmm, now im craving to get another rotring. among my cheap fountain pens, they're the ones who are consistent and can take a heavy beating fron a southpaw - we write counter to how these things were originally designed -- unless its normal to write from right to left.
Re: Fountain Pen for heavy everyday use i bought a schneider fountain pen (base model) from office depot. they were cheap at less than p400, so i bought a couple. i don't use them heavily. but even if the schneiders aren't heavy duty enough for your use, it's hard to regret "german engineering" at that price.
Re: Fountain Pen for heavy everyday use ha ha, thanks, joseph--the montblancs are actually some of the easier ones to get (well, money aside--but then i didn't spend too much on these; i got the 146 in trade for a vintage parker, and the big 149 for $200 from ebay many years ago); three more MBs came from friends. it's good to have a montblanc or two and i like mine, but collectors tend to chase after other, less known brands.
Re: Fountain Pen for heavy everyday use because i think star paper, the local distributor, is just getting rid of remaining stock. these pens aren't going to be made anymore (these models, anyway--which makes them even more collectible). my foreign collector-friends are green with envy at our situation i really should buy these up and sell them on ebay, but i'd rather that fellow pinoys benefit from this little bonanza--lord knows we could use a few good breaks like this, maski sa pens na lang
Re: Fountain Pen for heavy everyday use those schneiders are nice, kinda like lamys; i should get a couple for the collection some time. fountain pen newbies should just take note that, generally speaking, steel nibs (which are, of course, much cheaper) tend to be stiff and sometimes rough to write with; gold nibs are more flexible and smoother (but also costlier). here's a nice gold nib from a pelikan M1000:
Re: Fountain Pen for heavy everyday use Love that pic of the Pelikan nib. My current office fountain pen is a Pelikan also (the m620 Grand Place) and the Montegrappa Stradivari.
Re: Fountain Pen for heavy everyday use Easily, $1000 worth of 'everyday' pens on your desk! Great collection, Nickster! There is a thread at FPN that asks if it makes sense to use Limited Edition pens as daily writers and the verdict is mixed. Me, I won't sign a cheque for less than P100,000 with a Stradivari. There is also a school of thought that men use FPs as jewelry (like watches) but that's not the topic of this thread.
Re: Fountain Pen for heavy everyday use very nice pens you mentioned, nickster! here's an overhead shot of the coffee mug in which i keep my rotation of "daily writers", from which i pick out a pen for the day depending on my mood but to go back on topic, in aid of our younger friend (and if he's feeling funky), the rotring core is another contender. some people actually think it's the world's ugliest pen, but i have one, and it writes very well--that odd ergonomic grip does work! better yet, this kind of pen should be just around P600, certainly less than P1,000.
Re: Fountain Pen for heavy everyday use the Rotring600s look really delicious! it looks so sturdy... nako this thread makes me wanna skip work and go look for one na. hehehe and penmanila's gallery of pens is a dream! thanks for showing it to us really. but i'm afraid the fancy engravings at the nibs are available only sa higher end ones, that's what i think a fountain pen should look pa naman hahaha but sige sige I'll give myself time thanks so much. actually i'm buying a fountain to commemorate a turning point in my life--adulthood! (yakkk!)
Re: Fountain Pen for heavy everyday use You're right. Some analogies beg to be said: What good is a Ferrari if you don't gas it up? Why marry a supermodel if you can't get jiggy with her?
Re: Fountain Pen for heavy everyday use If the thread starter can throw in a few more bucks (around $90), I would suggest the Aurora Ipsilon as a good starter FP.
Re: Fountain Pen for heavy everyday use hey lefthandedwonder! the rotring core is actually a very, very sturdy and comfortable pen to use. don't get intimidated by its look. i also have a rotring 600, but it's black and has a gold nib which i got for P600 from Filinvest NBS. try the rotrings, they're great! and if you want some fun pens that are affordable, try the inoxcroms, they're kinda fancy, but among their variety of available types, you'll surely find one that will suit your taste. and yes, you can also try schneider pens, i also got them and they're super-fabulous!
