Are you new to using fountain pens, or are you interested in knowing more about them? Join me on my Fountain Pen Journey as I make discoveries, use different pens and progress through this hobby (obsession).
I'll also be making some mistakes along the way, so hopefully these will also help you to learn about these beautiful writing instruments and avoid making too many mistakes of your own.
I usually concentrate on the more affordable/cheap fountain pens - I have written an e-book which is available here which may also help you - The links to this e-book can be found below, along with the links to my Twitter and Instagram accounts.
I've an EF that was smithed by Pendleton Brown to a 'butter smooth italic'. Amazing line variation based on an extra-fine to start with. Nothing compares that I own.
I cannot find this pen in gold ANYWHERE anymore :( AliExpress doesn't have it, eBay doesn't have it, nor Amazon. The Iraurita brass one specifically. I could probably source a Delike Alpha but I was really hoping to be able to grab an Iraurita
It’s a shame that these don’t seem to be available anymore. Since 2021 and the whole Kaweco trademarking of Delike and other Chinese brand names, the Chinese pen industry has been affected really badly.
Thank you much .just bought an Ahab and was about to trash it. HATED It, untill watched ur video and now it works like a charm! I am grateful to you. THIS IS THE WAY !
Thank you very much Rob, I followed your recommendations and my Ahab is working as expected. I was beginning to worry about all the work that would have to be done on a new pen just to get it to write as supposed to. I can't thank you enough, you provided a simple and efficient solution.
I had one of these when I was a little elementary school child in Germany well over a decade ago, surprised its held up this long, I still use mine to this day.
I highly doubt that the company went under because of a bad review. It's more likely that they failed because they had a bad product. Reviewers can't win. If they like a product they are often accused of being paid shills. If they don't like a product then they're out to get the company. The internet just sucks a lot of the time. You just can't win.
This episode popped up on my feed. I have the X159 which I enjoy a lot. The 159 i have never gotten as it has been described more loke a paper weight or something that can be used as s door stop. Recently some videos have been extolling the 159. I may consider it. I have gotten other earlier versions of current pens, like the Jinhao 100 and have found them to be excellent pens, though the weight is considerably heavier. Would you still recommend this pen?
Hi Rob! You touched on a very delicate and very important topic, as is due to your great professionalism. In introduction to everything, I would say that these are and should be technical reviews, while respecting every subjective vision. But I want to be very clear: I have been dealing with fountain pens for over 23 years as a collector and enthusiast, with particular attention to fountain pens from China. Well I wouldn't spend my time looking at reviews of those who present me with a fountain pen without technical knowledge, it wouldn't convince me in any case, neither negative nor positive. Every time I have followed one of your reviews, I have always found competence, passion, technical objectivity and for this reason I have respected every like or dislike of yours. So your honesty in the review always finds the respect of those who follow you and come back to follow you.
I think at the end of the day, it really depends on you. The one who is watching the review. If you are an enthusiast, like me, I’d get the pen no matter what and decide for myself. On the other hand, if I am a beginner, I might listen to you more. 😀
A year after it was uploaded, I just saw this video. Better late than never, as the saying goes. Perhaps this is the case. The Holy Grail pens are those that every enthusiast dreams of owning, covets, or envies because another enthusiast owns them. For me personally, the focus of this hobby is the use of the pens. It makes little sense to own hundreds of pens if you only use five or six. Another factor to take into account is that once you have acquired a Grail fountain pen, you will almost immediately experience an irrepressible desire to buy the next one. And meanwhile, you keep buying cheaper pens before you reach your next goal. In the midst of this whirlwind of acquisition, do we ever stop to think that we hardly ever write at all? We have lots of pens. But we hardly write at all. It is so sad.
You've said it all and said it succinctly. I am convinced that the grail pen phenomenon is nothing more than a blindly accepted by pen collectors marketing scam. I own one pen, a Sailor King of Pen. I chose it carefully and paid a lit of money for it. I use it for all my writin g. It's my EDC, going with me everywhere, traveling in It's luxurious Visconti single pen case. My purpose of owning a fountain pen is to use it to write as many letters as possible. Thank you for your inspiring comment!!
If its a review and not an advert then you must be honest. If it's a bad product you have to say that or the audience will lose respect with your opinion. And the company also needs to hear bad feedback so they can improve.
In the fountain pen space, I've more often seen fawning reviews that sometimes are objectively nonsense--fit and finish, nib quality, etc. I have never, however, seen you or a certain professor currently teaching in Canada lie, nor do either of you review a pen based on cost or brand. Stay honest; most of us value this quality.
The problem is not with the reviewers who make videos about products, in this case fountain pens. The lack of judgement of many people watching these videos is the real problem. It is a lot easier to follow the recommendations of a third party before you make up your own mind. I do a lot of watching of fountain pen videos and use them as a guide only. Once I have watched the video and listened to the reviewer's opinion, I make my own decision on whether or not to buy the product being reviewed. But I stress that it is much easier for someone else to make that decision for you than for you to make it yourself. If the product fails, you'll always have someone to blame and it will not be you.
Oh yeah I saw that, what you're responding to, and I thought it was very silly. The thing is, reviews aren't just good or bad, they're full of other information. Staying in the realm of fountain pens, somebody could give a glowing review to a fountain pen that "has a good weight to it, and writes with a nice, reliable Jowo nib..." I'm not going to want that pen. I like my pens light and I can't stand Jowo nibs. Somebody who hates a pen because it has feedback and they don't like that now has my attention because I DO.
Negative reviews or feedback is just as important as positive ones. Every person has its own experience and duds are in all products, no matter what they are. The important thing for a reviewer, I think, is to be honest and transparent with their own experience, no matter if is positive or negative.
I agree everyone is entitled to give their opinion freely . Nothing should be sugar-coated so I value independent reviews. It’s especially good to have YT reviews of fountain pens as so few of us have access to a bricks and mortar pen shop.
Should be about the writing experience, IMO, but that's subjective. There's those who go on and on about the pens sent in for review, but they tend to suffer in credibility. There's a few that retain integrity. SBRE Brown does have preferences but still seems honest when reviewing pens loaned by Jost Appelboom. Chrisrap52 has stated that the ones sent him can get worse reviews over those he bought. Feels forced to review some, and he tries to only show those he's had positive experiences with. His massive collection of the spectrum of pens made gives credibility to him. Mass production can definitely be a factor. Was why many stationers of the past had a service department. Even that high quality Parker 51, or De la Rue, might need initial tweaking. (And there's those selling based on exciting new resins from whoever is ultimately using the same nibs as a majority of brands today. And asking inflated prices for them...) I came to trust your opinions on pens. Might not always agree (on a stylistic note, I despise the LAMY Safari, and I'm sure you'd disagree with some of my likes 😉). Basically, our tastes in writing experiences are similar. Those who seem to shill for expensive brands, and those trying to peddle a very common lower end Hero as theirs, and as being similar quality to the high-end brands? I either just ignore or troll.😈 And there those who go on with "this is just a cheap copy of X." When X started out as a cheaper copy of Y or Z. (Only so many ways to make a tube that holds ink and releases ink on paper in a controlled fashion. 😉 The US used to claim Sheaffer's developed the lever filler, when it was Conway Stewart, many designs of the 1950s and 60s, through even later draw a massive amount of design from the Parker and Sheaffer's of the same time. (I'd like a side by side comparison with the Parker converter and the LAMY... I have suspicions...) Good thoughts on the community, Rob! As always, it's great to hear from you!
Interesting comments. There are certainly channels whose reviews I take with a pinch of salt, because "everything new is the best ever", or "only prestige pens can be any good". But that's why I appreciate reviewers like yourself, who will be brutally honest if appropriate, and tell it as it is.
I’m glad to hear that you value my brutally honest reviews - I don’t bite my tongue! I’d love to see some prestigious pens reviewed where the reviewer actually said “this pen didn’t write well and isn’t worth the money” but sadly people who pay ££££ for fountain pens seem to tolerate poor writing experiences!
It is good to see you again. As for reviews, I think most are honest reviews, whether positive or negative. As for comments, well people have their own opinions, not necessarily providing constructive opinions. I loath personal attacks on people posting reviews. Once in a while I see them but, you have to brush it off. I have enjoyed your videos and this is no exception.
Hi Rob! Sorry for bothering you with a question, but I'm just curious about Duofold compatibility. I lost the nib of my beloved Duofold and I wonder if the nib mount of the 316 would screw on the body of my Duofold. Could you tell me if they are compatible? Thanks a lot! And thanks for the video, very informative!
@@FountainPenJourney no big deal, and thanks A LOT for replying 😊 I've checked some information online and looks like it would work, and it is MUCH cheaper than the original nib anyway. In fact, it's 10 times cheaper, so I think it's worth trying, I'll think about it. Again, thanks a lot for the video!
There is an all black Studio with rubberised grip - a little more expensive but I have my eye on that one. So beautiful! There is also a steel Studio with the same grip but cheaper. Don't know if you can change the grips but that would be a good idea if you want other colours than black or steel. And there is an all black Perkeo which seems to have a quite good PVD covered nib. You can exchange the nibs between the Sport and Perkeo. 😇🩵🙏🙌
I have three. One was cracked after some usage. One was cracked when arrived. At least I got my money back on the last one. Writing is quite good. So I will try my luck again.
The Jinhao 80 is an amazing pen, I am waiting for the mailman to deliver the few colors I am still missing. And guess what? You can exchange its nib (the original is still good, by the way) for a Lamy nib. And why not? A Lamy gold nib! This is a match made in heaven!!
