Pen Fast Chat #2 

I've found that the pens that I had FOMO about and didn't get -- six months later, I don't even really remember them. That helps me avoid FOMO buying now. As I've been in the hobby longer and also have had more money, I'm more likely to skip low cost pens in favor of waiting and getting something a bit more expensive. This results in fewer pens that I like and appreciate more. I definitely have used pen buying as marking an event and/or a dopamine hit when I've been having a rough time. Less of that now, but it was great to have that way of being nice to myself.

Wow! Thank you for sharing the emotion buying. I do love beautiful pens and nib variety. However, my LAMY 2000 is the bomb! When I was in high school in the early 80s, the popular jeans were Levi’s 501 button up. 😂 Don’t forget Jordache!

We are not in high school, thank goodness. You are always so interesting

Hi Chris, I am finding these types of videos so helpful at the moment with keeping my no spend at the forefront of my mind whilst also keeping the hobby alive and enjoying it. I have decided because I have buying restrictions that I will not restrict myself as to how many pens I ink up each month. I love writing with a rainbow of colour and write long letters as well as journal daily. I am now into week 7 of my no buy and the longer I go the easier it is getting. Thank you for always creating such thoughtful content and have a wonderful weekend.

What a great thought provoking chat! I am definitely trying to be more intentional about my hobby purchases.

Thank you so much for sharing! I got into the more pens-more inks-more pens cycle very quickly. I wanted to use every color at once, so I needed more pens. I bought a glass dip pen and that was a great solution for fast "ink - hopping." Thanks for your videos. Such an inspiration!

I do this with my dog and her toys. I will put her toys away and then one day bring them out and it’s like yippie. It’s a new toy. I feel like that when I put my fountain pens away.!

Aloha Chris. I just gave you a sub from this channel. Been following you from my other YT account for a few years now, since I got into The Hobby myself. By now you know that consistent, regular uploads are the key to success on YT. Our subscriber count has dropped 20% since we stopped regular uploads. Revenue went to zero almost immediately. Tomorrow is my 75th Birthday and I plan to celebrate by resuming our YT journey and reviving our channel (Nothing to do with fountain pens . It's a different sort of journey d;^) Ah hui ho!

I really enjoy this kind of video. I'm also in the teams of "buying only one color/model of pen" - It's really hard for the Benu's - and in the "I bought an expensive one so I have so sell an expensive one" I do exactly the same for clothes. It's funny because I'm a minimalist in many aspects of my lifestyle. But stationary and fountain pens are my consumerism participation. I also have a special interest for capitalism and consumption and I read a specific book about "emodities". It's titled "emotions and commodities [...]" by Eva Illouz & al. I think that, for our fountain pen hobby, the emotion/lifestyle we buy is about introspection, smartness, communication learning and aesthetic. (and I use to think that our hobbies are politics. So it's also a good illusion of politic action "I buy a pen to make this world less stupid and ugly" with a twist of "no mindless tech for me")

I like to hear how other people cope with these things. Your approach is certainly thought provoking. With all my hobies I personally do the same thing that I learned as a kid. Everything that I find and I'm like "oh I want this!" it has to go through a "waiting period" (which I guess is bad for limited editions, but I can live with that). So whenever I want to buy something for any of my hobbies, I write it down or put it in a cart and leave it there setting my "internal clock" to a week. After the week passes, I open my notes/cart and reevaluate. If I didn't think about what I had in there for the whole week, it's gone. If I thought about it, but my enthusiasm lessened, another wait period commences. If I'm still giddy about getting it, I give it another week still and then I pull the trigger. This has limited greatly my impulse buying and allowed me to filter everything that might be heavily influenced by FOMO. The other thing my brain does and I just go along with it cause there's no stopping those thoughts is giving myself "boundaries". For example the first boundary I had for fountain pens was that I wanted pens up to 13cm long capped (later lowered to 12cm), for practical reasons, cause I know myself. And this helped me refrain from purchasing what I might later regret (ish, there are exceptions to every rule). But as I evolve as a person in the hobby, so do these boundaries and I already traded 2 of my pens cause they no longer fit. I'm a very nervous trader/seller though, so I try to keep my collection in a way that I won't be pushed to trade/sell pens, but I think it's inevitable. And the last thing that influenced my purchases lately is that I'm more likely to invest in different nibs or getting special grinds for pens I have instead of buying new pens. And I skew towards buying a pen I really want instead of multiple cheaper pens, cause they're... cheaper... even though they do write well and get the job done, I'm not really in need for something that just writes. I already have that.

I do deeply appreciate your video content today..and in the past! 🤗 It offers me clarity and support moving forward…lots of great information and inspiration…ideas! Thank you🥰💕🌷💕

My nana liked to say “Never chase after a man or a bus - there’ll always be another.” Maybe we can add pen to the list.

Chris, I really admire you for your desire to continue to grow as you get older!

I definitely think that having a buying plan for the pen hobby is a good idea especially if you find yourself off the rails with spending or accumulating or just questioning habits. I have 4 main hobbies and the fountain pen hobby has so many new pens/colors/styles coming out on the market so fast and furious it can seem hard to keep up unlike my other hobbies. And I’m back on intermittent fasting myself….trying to loose a few pounds…

I am coming up the rear in this hobby, so I am still trying to find my way. Instead of buying expensive pens, I have bought cheap ones to find out what I like as far as nib width, some of the colors of the resin are a turn off and most brands are coming out with a new pen every other day. It gets a little annoying. But I am getting settled in. I know what paper I like, so my search on that is coming to a close. Some of the pens are still a mystery for me. I know what brands to stay away from. But also I cannot afford the heavy hitter brands. Some are ridiculously priced. I will never own a Montblanc 149, because most have one or seeking one out. I am more about quantity over quality right now and I am having fun with that. Chris, always have kitty cats in the video please. maybe you can have your cats get a summer job and you can afford your hobby. LOL!!!😄

I admir your attitude and determination. I get a high from using a pen I haven't u used for a while. I'm always amazed at the feeling this engenders in me. I'm still buying pens though😒

I laughed out loud at your "price of prosperity" comments - brilliant! Really happy that May was a good month for you: you deserve it. I'm practising delaying too. And I never pay full price for a pen: unless it's under 25euro I will always wait for a sale. I have a wee Opus 88 Mini Cheers Kitty pen in my. basket for the past month - I can't wait to try an Opus 88. Thank you Chris for all the effort and hard work you put in to your channel.

Your previous video converted me to Intermittent fasting, so thank you for sharing your thoughts. Ok back to watching 😊

I get limiting things. I have bought more pens and inks recently, but not for me. Because I got them for frankly ridiculous prices, my niece finally got the vintage Esterbrook Dip-Less with a medium nib she'd said she wanted, and got her a foray into vintage with a Parker 45. 1960s and 70s look, the design many others copied elements of, with the same filling system as their modern versions. Plus they are extremely easy to clean. 😉 And because Amazon had it for cheap, got her a green ink she wanted for both pens. Frankly, I only have 2 currently in regular use. And because I'm obsessed with the brand, both are vintage Esterbrook J pens. A gray with Waterman Serenity Blue with a well worn (folded tipping is gone, so it basically writes like an italic ) 2668 firm medium, and the basic black J with Waterman Mysterious Blue and a really nice writing 2550 extra fine posting nib. (It surprised me. I actually like this extra fine!) Have I seen anything recently I'd like to get? Certainly! I'm always looking. And because most of my buying is eBay, there's regularly well over a dozen I'm watching. Only way I'll buy anything right now is if it's such a great price I'll be hard pressed to ever see again. And even then, it's gotta be cheap enough for me (I'm currently not even looking at an Esterbrook, even a color or model I don't have, if it's not $20, tops. If I ultimately had to sell it, I'd like to get a couple bucks for my effort. Initial cost plus supplies are important to me. 😉) And I'm always looking at vintage Wahl-Eversharp Skylines. Did get one a few weeks ago. Was $20. And though I love their nibs (lovely, smooth and wet) in any size and flexibility (from Manifold through true vintage flex) and so didn’t care beyond the tipping still being good and the tines being still there, and no cracks in the nib, this was a pleasant surprise. Semi flex! Like you, I like the swappability of nibs. One of my things that I enjoy about my vintage Esterbrook pens. 69ish options. 😁 Frankly, I think I could even sell everything except a few bodies and just have a variety of nibs, with my vintage Esterbrook pens. Of course, a gray J.😂 And several Eversharp gold nibbed pens. (I love how the Skyline looks, but ultimately it's all about the nib for me. ) Frankly, with the options in pens, inks and paper products out there today, it's not difficult to overdo it, buying. From a $2 Jinhao 992 to grail pens you probably will never afford, there's something for everyone. We just need to remember that they're not Pokémon. We don't have to "catch 'em all."😂 Those "boomers" or Generation X, our folks tended to just have one or just a few pens. Generally not in nib widths other than extra fine though maybe medium. How many Parker 51s are fine, extra fine and even the narrower accounting nib, for example? Broad, stub or italic were the ranges for either the rich who could afford a pen dedicated for their signature and they wanted to flaunt it, or, like those ranges from Esterbrook, to market to folks that used them in a dip pen originally (their dip lines, starting from 1858, had about 250 varieties, over the years. Some that were even truly flexible, unlike the ReNew fountain pen nibs they said were flexible) and still wanted flair in their writing. Based on what I found in 1983, my Dad had 3 pens, more likely there were 3 in the household. And though one had a gold nib, it was probably cheaper than the Esterbrook he had (appeared to never have been tipped, and was completely worn out. ) You could tell he liked his Esterbrook J. Was immaculate when I discovered it decades after he'd switched to the PaperMate Flair felt tips he used from the 1960s to the day he died. Didn’t even need cleaned. I'm advocating having only what you can use. Sure, I have more than that. I was kinda obsessively buying at one point. I have a number of duplicate Esterbrook pens, mainly black. (Bought because that's the cheapest way to get an Esterbrook ReNew nib unit. Most you can get a whole pen cheaper than just a nib. And they made MANY black ones. 😂) But, I'm really only using a few, currently, so getting more really doesn't make sense, right now. It has hurt to pass on some, but I'll live. 😁 Keep strong! Unless it's necessary, it's not really needed.

Thank you for reading the comments. I wish I had time to go back and read all the comments on videos - they are so informative! My current “wish” is for a specialty nib grind, but I am not sure what yet.

Thank you for this great video. I find it interesting that you mention tools. For me pens are beautiful tools. And if I have a good tool in my hand I just feel so good. I also have bought quite some bookbinding tools for my bookbinding hobby. And I guess I was always fascinated by all the tools and pens that my dad had. Pastel colors, colored pencils, aquarel and markers that he made beautiful paintings and scetches as an architect. I think a good tool gives me extra confidence and security. So I‘m always having a fountain pen with me at work for example. Another interesting think is the emotional side of buying something. I think the dopamine really does it‘s thing. I try to write a wish item on a list first as well. Last year that really helped me not buying pens until fountain pen day. All the pens I got at this day I really enjoy. They are not limited so I was able to wait. I even had the opportunity to get some pens as loan in between and explore these before making my purchase.

I’m able to observe FP acquisition fast (for close to a year) primarily because of my newfound interest in affordable watches (and I’ve been making unsuccessful fasting attempts here !). According to me, a ‘truly’ successful fast is possible only when one stays away from online stores and social media communities because “there’s always some exciting product or exciting sale somewhere which triggers an impulse purchase due to FOMO” !

My mantra is, "there will always be another pen." It's not like they're going to quit making beautiful pens if I don't buy this one that I like right now. In a few months I'll see something else I want. I also think a lot about who will have to deal with all of my stuff when I die. I don't have kids. Even if I did, I wouldn't want to burden them with going through all of my stuff. I'm in the process of cleaning out my late mother's 7,000 square foot house full of stuff...most of it wasn't even meaningful to her, but she couldn't get rid of it. I can't imagine leaving such a huge chore behind me. So I am slowly weeding through my possessions, including my pen collection. If I buy a new pen, it has to replace one. I have about four pens that cost more than $75, and eight that cost less than $50. Are there beautiful pens I love and want to have? Sure. I would love to have a custom urushi. But it's not like I'm going to get $1,000 worth of enjoyment out of it. There's a funny George Carlin routine about stuff. "Your stuff is shit, my shit is stuff." I think about that a lot.

1. Since I broke down and bought my grail (KoP), suddenly I've lost interest in buying more pens; what's the point buying something less than the best? 2. I won't sell but I trade. I send my pen first so the other trader is satisfied before sending me theirs.

I need to take a pen fast. I am prone to buy things impulsively, not just pens. Well, maybe I need to take a buying fast of everything but the absolute necessities.

Interesting. Thank you.

Oh yes, I buy by my emotions constantly, and not only for my pen hobby. Yikes!!

So, it doesn’t really mean to buy pens faster, lol. Actually I have already started to do this also, not with the idea of never buying pens again, but with the idea of enjoying the pens I have.

we almost need a 12 step program that will encourage withdrawal :):):):):)

Well I didnt make it very long I got a good deal on a pen and some ink and i got both and with the upgrade it came out to just under 75 dollars so it arrives on MOnday so we will look forward to that then .but after that I have to buckle my belt I have to get with the program I really want to sell a lot of pens so I can reach my goal of $169 worth of a VOYAGE FOUNTAIN PEN - PRIDE 2024 (SPECIAL EDITION) I'm so sad about it cause put too many 0's on my credit card payback ...oops and now I'm broke I h ave 14 dollars left till the end oc the month and next month my website bill is due thats gonna take up All but 4.88c and Ill have to live off that for a monmth and by then the pen will be gone so now I have to ask myself a question weather I want to start working on the side for some pennies or if I could get some nice people to watdh my videos so I can make partner on youtube : waaaaaa 😿 Anyway Either way I will choose acceptance and keep moving forward