I spend way more money on jetpens's selection of notebooks than pens though. Also, I tend to prefer pencil, and will recommend the Pentel Kerry.
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I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The future of online stores is jetpens and websites like it. Jetpens is useful because I trust their reviews.
They're a store, yes, but more importantly, they're a trustworthy source of information. Amazon reviews are no longer trusted by me, but all of the discussion / reviews from Jetpens has been 100% accurate in my experience. They've managed to build up this relationship with their customers (such as myself) where I will trust their reviews and prefer to buy from them.
Bonus points: a shop like Jetpens organizes their journals in A5, B5, A4, (etc. etc.) sizes. Amazon does not. Custom browsing experiences / categorizations is a big deal. Logically presenting Jetpen's catalog to the user makes me more likely to use their site and end up buying something.
I always look for small suppliers of a small niche. The people tend to know something about what they sell. It is worth paying a little more just to get good advice from someone who cares more than I do about the subject.
Agreed 100%. I have spent a ton of money with JetPens and I will continue to do so.
Not only is their store built, organized, and curated specifically for the items they sell and their customers, they also have knowledgeable and passionate staff members that write fantastic articles about high end stationery. I'm constantly learning new things.
When I was a student I think I read online that (for water based inks) laser printer paper works well and better than a lot of notebook paper. I think something about feathering or drying time but I don’t really remember. I’m not sure how true it was and I preferred having loose leaf paper with no lines so I was pretty happy feeling like I was getting well suited paper on the cheap.
A notebook isn't just about the paper, but also the binding.
If you're making your own notebook out of printer paper, I suggest you spend $10 on a 2-point hole punch and then buy the 2-point binders, which is far superior over staples. This should get you a good binding for personal use (sized for ~10 pages to 100 pages or so) with only 10-cents or so for the binding. Still, this gets you a "notebook" of size 8.5 x 11, which is too large for most purposes. (3-hole punch binders are a bit too big / heavy in most purposes in my experience, the 2-hole punch methods / folders / binders are superior for most purposes)
Folding in half is usable, but now you gotta cut the edge if you want the paper to line up right. I guess good for ~10 sheets (20 pages after folding), but any more and things are pretty bad in my experience.
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B5 notebooks are just the right size: fitting inside of purses, my desk on the go. They're also auto-numbered (If you're buying higher-priced ones like LEUCHTTURM1917), come with built-in bookmarks, and come in a variety of styles (lines, dots, or plain).
The main advantage to "making your own" is the ability to print out whatever design you want (ex: music sheets, or in my case... breadboarding plans for electronics). So I still make my own notes with 2-point binder + 8.5x11 paper these days.
But for typical note-taking / day-to-day use, nothing beats a properly sized B5 notebook or pocket "Field Notes".
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Auto-numbering is a surprisingly important thing in my experience, to the point that I have bought an automatic counting machine (aka: a stamp that auto-increments). This is useful not only for page numbers, but also for lists within a page. It turns a $2 Walmart notebook into something usable for work and is cheaper than buying a fancy pre-numbered notebook.
Still though, those higher-quality notebooks from Jetpens are just really, really nice. And the fact that they have tested their paper and pages with a variety of inks, pens, and pencils with photographic proof is proof of Jetpen's quality of information.
Laser printer paper varies widely in quality. Most of the ones I've used have a lot of feathering. I have had good experiences with the Target brand papers.
Printer paper does work great. It's designed to be disposable, though, so the lightest weight will buckle under heavy ink, and it also yellows and fades more easily than "archival" papers designed for art.
The simplest kind of sketchbook I would make is a manila file cover for printer paper, bound by a binder clip. The manila is stiff enough to add some protection, and the clip makes it rigid.
How many people read the reviews on Jetpens and then buy the pen from Amazon though. Obviously not so many to put them out of business, but that's always the danger.
Hardly a danger. Amazon store is filled with counterfeits and scammers due to its comingling policy.
When you buy from a small shop where its reputation is on the line, you're assured you're getting what you ordered. When you buy from Amazon, it could be comingled scammer-goods from that one guy who ruined the collective commons for everyone.
Its clear how Amazon works. They merge SKUs together, and "Fulfilled by Amazon" means those goods are comingled with other marketplace sellers (possibly even "Sold by Amazon"). It only takes one bad actor in the marketplace for counterfeit goods to be mixed up with everyone.
Not to beat this horse, but I know the items I get from JetPens are not counterfeit. I’ve seen too many fountain pens reviews on Amazon where pens were counterfeit or gold nip was swapped with stainless. I usually buy from sellers such as JetPens or Goulet. With that said, I’ve bought a few FP from Amazon and AliExpress as well over the years.
I think it's pretty unlikely. It's not easy to know what you're buying from Amazon, especially when you're buying a very specific pen with a very specific color in a very specific tip size that's not even sold in your home market. Even if you do find it on Amazon, the rarer items are unlikely to be sold by Amazon and you'll be paying shipping from an unknown seller, maybe even shipped from overseas - and you might as well skip the effort and just buy from Jetpens.
I don't like pencils, for my vision the color is too low contrast with the paper compared to black ink, or even blue ink, and for that reason I prefer a .7 nib to a .5, the thin lines also result in less contrast (they also make a scraping "sound/sensation" on the paper). but I didn't comment just to say that, but I selected your comment as a representative sample for a broader comment:
hey everybody, could you tell us why you like something rather than just that you like it? We had a mechanical pencil recommended, and then two more mechanical pencils recommended, but I'd have to do my own research to figure out why I would choose one over another. Whereas, you all already know what I'm looking for in a writing implement (high contrast and maximum smoothness)
even though I don't think I want a pencil, I do have opinions about mechanical pencils, for example I love when they can autofeed new leads.
> The future of online stores is jetpens and websites like it. Jetpens is useful because I trust their reviews.
Why does everything always have to be "the future of ____" or mutually exclusive one way or the other? Online specialty stores exist just like they did in real life in the past. They are not really competing for the same customers.
Amazon doesn't even organize or allow you to search for SHOES by size. Their search is about forcing crap down your throat and is actively hostile to getting what you want. I wish the reviews were the worst of it.
Jet Pens is a dangerous site. They'll convince you to part with your money far too easily.
Studio Ghibli pens. I mean, how can you not buy them?!
On a slightly more serious note - I agree with the Uniball Signo recommendations. They're good, reliable pens. I don't care for writing with Frixion pens, but they are the player in the erasable pen arena.
I really appreciate how they provide samples with metadata on how each pen/paper works. Even if you disagree with their "Best of" lists, they give you the data you need to make informed buying choices. Something all too absent for other online ordering.
And they have a better selection of really fine point pens than other sites.
I bought a couple of Frixion pens after reading a similar thread here. I like them. But keep them away from kids, Stiftung Warentest (essentially, German Consumer Affairs) found lead in the ink and recommends other pens.
Fountain pens completely changed how I write. I've always gripped ballpoints like my life depended on it and gotten hand cramps from how hard I press them down. I don't want to, and can temporarily stop doing that when I consciously notice, but then I forget and go back to trying to stab the desktop through the paper.
A Lamy Safari's triangular shape makes it physically hard to hold the "wrong" way. It nudges me to write with my fingertips, not my wrist. The effect on my hand pain, and my ability to hand-write long bits of test, was immediate and huge.
I wouldn't have thought that simply switching pens would make such an enormous difference in my ability to put ink on paper. It sure did, though.
It's worth investigating the effect of ballpoint pen technology on society. Beyond cleanliness and general convenience, the ballpoint pen has stood as an example of technological innovation that makes the rounds in one form or another as the central figure of progress, yet there is a dark side to its past. The Fisher Space Pen did its part to promote the American space program of the 1960s and Xi used the lowly ballpoint as a sticking point to drive innovation into the 2020s, but you don't hear about the poor ergonomics, handwriting atrophy, or lack of cursive being taught in elementary school. We need to consider the analog along with the digital if we're going to elevate ourselves out of the mess we're wallowing in. The education system needs all the help it can get, but in addition to one laptop per child, it would be a good idea to give them analog clocks so they can tell time and fountain pens so they can learn the why and how to read cursive.
I similarly fell in love with fountain pens. My writing was finally legible.
That said, I just don't use pens often enough for it to be viable. Ink's dried, tip needs cleaning, etc. So I went back to my trusty old ball points I so hate.
I've had the same experience as you, and it turned out that I needed a pen that doesn't dry out. They exist for sure -- here's one that (100% of the time) will stay ready-to-write months after being used:
This. About a decade ago I switched to writing exclusively with fountain pens because of wrist and arm pain. I couldn’t get beyond maybe a paragraph until I’d be shaking out my hand from cramping. I tried different pens, grips, etc. but would always fall back to writing with my wrist. Switching to fountain pens stumbling through re-learning cursive has made a tremendous difference.
Your comment opened my eyes on the matter a little bit.
As some others in this page, I loathe the act of writing, but it's also a negative feedback loop where I use disposable ballpoint pen. I remember I used to prefer foutain pen in high school.
Still, for my case I see two potential downsides with foutain pen:
- mobility (train trips and bike commuting). I remember instances of leaks.
- Infrequent use. I'll keep being a keyboard-first note-taker. :)
I guess I need to shop for shake-proof, non-drying pen and cartridges.
I have a Fisher Space Pen in my bag for when I really need to write something on the go. It's just that I wouldn't want to write a whole novel with it. By analogy, I think the Apple Smart Keyboard Folio is an excellent portable keyboard. When I'm out and about, it does the job. But when I sit down at my desk, I much prefer my full-size mechanical keyboard.
Commenting with the others: I'm a left-handed writer and an avid fountain pen user. It isn't so bad.
The best thing I can say is: try to learn to write under the line (under-hand) as opposed to hookwriting or sidewriting. Those make things pretty tough. If not, there are things you can try: Prefer extra-fine (EF) or fine (F) nibbed pens. Private Reserve and Noodler's make some fast-drying ink. This combo will often allow the ink to dry faster than your hand can get to it.
I'm a leftie fountain pen user. It definitely can be done, but might need some adjustments to how you hold a pen / what inks you use. I've using a lamy safari with waterman ink for about 10 years with no trouble.
As others have said, fast-drying ink. In fact, if I understand correctly, there are "left handed pens" that are mechanically identical to right-handed; the difference is fast-drying ink.
my recent forays into fountain pens (daily driver for 3+ years) haven't resulted in the smearing or tearing that riddled my fountain pen experiences of my youth.
I bought the TWISBI ECO on a lark. I was hesitant because I already had the GO and the ECO was just more expensive.
Well boy-howdy is the ECO not only leagues better than the GO, but I much prefer to all my other pens.
Folks recommend the really cheap platinum preppy pens, but be warned they are super scratchy. I would go a size up from what you normally prefer wrt to nib (if you are new, try M as F and EF are extremely scratchy IMHO).
The opposite is true about the TWISBI in my experience. Go a size down. Their F nibs write quite fat.
Then again, I mostly write on cheap paper so this advice def doesn't apply to e.g. Rhodia pads.
Finally, I don't love the metropolitan. Feels great in the hand but I always find myself reaching for the smooth writing I get from my Eco.
> Folks recommend the really cheap platinum preppy pens, but be warned they are super scratchy.
The reason people recommend the platinum is that its cheap and its cap system is especially good for avoiding dry-out. To me, the platinum preppy feels like a rounded pencil. I think its a good pen, but my reservation is that the plastic is a bit brittle on the preppy. I'd personally probably go with the Pilot Kakuno, or the more expensive Platinum prefonte, or if you're really worried about costs, the interesting and fraught world of Chinese fountain pens
> I would go a size up from what you normally prefer wrt to nib (if you are new, try M as F and EF are extremely scratchy IMHO).
This is a feature of all the Japanese pens - they tend to have a finer grind. The European and other pens (e.g., Lamy) are about what you expect.
> Finally, I don't love the metropolitan. Feels great in the hand but I always find myself reaching for the smooth writing I get from my Eco.
The Metropolitan is a love-or-hate pen for some people, due to hand feel. I personally like it. If you can hold one, that'd be best. I think a couple of things make the Metro a better beginning pen than the Eco, if you like how it feels in your hand. It's cheaper; its got a metal body and cap (can be banged around), its got better QC (The first Eco I was given had the infamous 'barrel crack'. The second just flat didn't write. I'm a bit miffed at the brand), It can take cartridges or its included converter-sac, and it is by far one of the easiest pens to tear down and clean. The Eco can be taken apart with its special wrench too, but people commonly crack it in the process.
I just wish pilot sold the nibs separately for repair, like Lamy does, of TWSBI does with their more expensive pens.
For the crowd around here: I'd also say that one of the joys of a fountain pen is that you can tune, smooth, and even grind your own nibs if you're that adventurous.
My unsolicited advice to JetPens owner: This is the first time I've ever seen the Jetpens site, and it's amazing. The guides are great, and I instantly trust the advice.
I have a $100 cart though, and I'm not going to checkout because there is no Apple Pay or Shop Pay or Amazon Pay option. Sorry I'm too lazy to add my data to yet another e-com site!
Wow, I'm shocked at the level of depth in this site. I thought for sure something like "best pens for your lab notebook" would be SEO drivel, but they actually test against things like alcohol and acetone, and consider writing on vials and containers and such.
Hi, writer of the Best Pens for the Lab blog here in an unofficial capacity—I made an account to respond to this comment! For the record, it's a real joy to get to put information online that's actually in the realm of thoughtful and helpful. The Best XYZ title format is a SEO choice, though, totally correct there ;)
Ah jeez. I have 9 tabs open on JetPens now. 30 minutes ago I was reading the linked article and now I'm comparing pocket planner dimensions and researching the practicality of retractable fountain pens. I've been thoroughly nerd-sniped.
Featured in this list are two of my favorite fountain pens, the Pilot Vanishing Point and the Lamy 2000. Both of these in my collection write very well and both have unique and interesting designs.
The Pilot Vanishing Point doesn't need a cap, the nib is exposed and protected in a manner akin to clicking a ball point in and out. Mine works perfectly.
The Lamy 2000 is sleek and modern looking with a sophisticated design. It looks like a fountain pen that one might see in a Star Trek movie, but this model has been around since the mid 1960's. After half a century, the design is still the favorite of my collection. It operates flawlessly.
I own the other, less expensive fountain pens mentioned as well; they would be good choices too. I started out with some of these and I still like them, but it is easy to get hooked on buying more fountain pens and fancy inks.
My Pilot vanishing broke on me within about 2 months of use, sadly. I've since purchased a Sailor 1911 demonstrator which writes super smoothly. It's been my main pen for the past couple years, love it.
I’ve found my VP (which I like a lot though) dries up very quickly. I recently got a Lamy Dialog and it behaves way better (and even though it looks bulky it is a joy to use). For more “casual” (throw-in-the-bag) I really dig the plasticky Pelican Twists (they feel extremely comfortable, I have 3 or 4) and a trusty Kaweco Liliput in brass I always carry on my backpack.
Readit News
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I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The future of online stores is jetpens and websites like it. Jetpens is useful because I trust their reviews.
They're a store, yes, but more importantly, they're a trustworthy source of information. Amazon reviews are no longer trusted by me, but all of the discussion / reviews from Jetpens has been 100% accurate in my experience. They've managed to build up this relationship with their customers (such as myself) where I will trust their reviews and prefer to buy from them.
Bonus points: a shop like Jetpens organizes their journals in A5, B5, A4, (etc. etc.) sizes. Amazon does not. Custom browsing experiences / categorizations is a big deal. Logically presenting Jetpen's catalog to the user makes me more likely to use their site and end up buying something.
Not only is their store built, organized, and curated specifically for the items they sell and their customers, they also have knowledgeable and passionate staff members that write fantastic articles about high end stationery. I'm constantly learning new things.
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/c/connectors/circular-connector...
If you're making your own notebook out of printer paper, I suggest you spend $10 on a 2-point hole punch and then buy the 2-point binders, which is far superior over staples. This should get you a good binding for personal use (sized for ~10 pages to 100 pages or so) with only 10-cents or so for the binding. Still, this gets you a "notebook" of size 8.5 x 11, which is too large for most purposes. (3-hole punch binders are a bit too big / heavy in most purposes in my experience, the 2-hole punch methods / folders / binders are superior for most purposes)
Folding in half is usable, but now you gotta cut the edge if you want the paper to line up right. I guess good for ~10 sheets (20 pages after folding), but any more and things are pretty bad in my experience.
-----------
B5 notebooks are just the right size: fitting inside of purses, my desk on the go. They're also auto-numbered (If you're buying higher-priced ones like LEUCHTTURM1917), come with built-in bookmarks, and come in a variety of styles (lines, dots, or plain).
The main advantage to "making your own" is the ability to print out whatever design you want (ex: music sheets, or in my case... breadboarding plans for electronics). So I still make my own notes with 2-point binder + 8.5x11 paper these days.
But for typical note-taking / day-to-day use, nothing beats a properly sized B5 notebook or pocket "Field Notes".
--------
Auto-numbering is a surprisingly important thing in my experience, to the point that I have bought an automatic counting machine (aka: a stamp that auto-increments). This is useful not only for page numbers, but also for lists within a page. It turns a $2 Walmart notebook into something usable for work and is cheaper than buying a fancy pre-numbered notebook.
Still though, those higher-quality notebooks from Jetpens are just really, really nice. And the fact that they have tested their paper and pages with a variety of inks, pens, and pencils with photographic proof is proof of Jetpen's quality of information.
The simplest kind of sketchbook I would make is a manila file cover for printer paper, bound by a binder clip. The manila is stiff enough to add some protection, and the clip makes it rigid.
When you buy from a small shop where its reputation is on the line, you're assured you're getting what you ordered. When you buy from Amazon, it could be comingled scammer-goods from that one guy who ruined the collective commons for everyone.
Its clear how Amazon works. They merge SKUs together, and "Fulfilled by Amazon" means those goods are comingled with other marketplace sellers (possibly even "Sold by Amazon"). It only takes one bad actor in the marketplace for counterfeit goods to be mixed up with everyone.
My second pen (Jinhao) - I think I got it from eBay.
I suspect my next pen was also from Amazon.
After that, though, all my pens came from niche stores. A number of PenBBS pens directly from the maker, etc.
I just compared one of the pens I bought: Amazon is not cheaper than Jetpens.
hey everybody, could you tell us why you like something rather than just that you like it? We had a mechanical pencil recommended, and then two more mechanical pencils recommended, but I'd have to do my own research to figure out why I would choose one over another. Whereas, you all already know what I'm looking for in a writing implement (high contrast and maximum smoothness)
even though I don't think I want a pencil, I do have opinions about mechanical pencils, for example I love when they can autofeed new leads.
You can pry my Zebra DelGuard from my cold, dead hands.
Why does everything always have to be "the future of ____" or mutually exclusive one way or the other? Online specialty stores exist just like they did in real life in the past. They are not really competing for the same customers.
Studio Ghibli pens. I mean, how can you not buy them?!
On a slightly more serious note - I agree with the Uniball Signo recommendations. They're good, reliable pens. I don't care for writing with Frixion pens, but they are the player in the erasable pen arena.
I really appreciate how they provide samples with metadata on how each pen/paper works. Even if you disagree with their "Best of" lists, they give you the data you need to make informed buying choices. Something all too absent for other online ordering.
And they have a better selection of really fine point pens than other sites.
https://www.test.de/Stifte-und-Tinten-im-Test-Unterm-Strich-...
Deleted Comment
A Lamy Safari's triangular shape makes it physically hard to hold the "wrong" way. It nudges me to write with my fingertips, not my wrist. The effect on my hand pain, and my ability to hand-write long bits of test, was immediate and huge.
I wouldn't have thought that simply switching pens would make such an enormous difference in my ability to put ink on paper. It sure did, though.
That said, I just don't use pens often enough for it to be viable. Ink's dried, tip needs cleaning, etc. So I went back to my trusty old ball points I so hate.
https://www.jetpens.com/TWSBI-ECO-Clear-Fountain-Pen-Extra-F...
There are others too, but this one costs less than $40, and is very well-made!
I didn't bother with cursive, though.
As some others in this page, I loathe the act of writing, but it's also a negative feedback loop where I use disposable ballpoint pen. I remember I used to prefer foutain pen in high school.
Still, for my case I see two potential downsides with foutain pen:
- mobility (train trips and bike commuting). I remember instances of leaks.
- Infrequent use. I'll keep being a keyboard-first note-taker. :)
I guess I need to shop for shake-proof, non-drying pen and cartridges.
The best thing I can say is: try to learn to write under the line (under-hand) as opposed to hookwriting or sidewriting. Those make things pretty tough. If not, there are things you can try: Prefer extra-fine (EF) or fine (F) nibbed pens. Private Reserve and Noodler's make some fast-drying ink. This combo will often allow the ink to dry faster than your hand can get to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QemooqfJcfg
?
Well boy-howdy is the ECO not only leagues better than the GO, but I much prefer to all my other pens.
Folks recommend the really cheap platinum preppy pens, but be warned they are super scratchy. I would go a size up from what you normally prefer wrt to nib (if you are new, try M as F and EF are extremely scratchy IMHO).
The opposite is true about the TWISBI in my experience. Go a size down. Their F nibs write quite fat.
Then again, I mostly write on cheap paper so this advice def doesn't apply to e.g. Rhodia pads.
Finally, I don't love the metropolitan. Feels great in the hand but I always find myself reaching for the smooth writing I get from my Eco.
The reason people recommend the platinum is that its cheap and its cap system is especially good for avoiding dry-out. To me, the platinum preppy feels like a rounded pencil. I think its a good pen, but my reservation is that the plastic is a bit brittle on the preppy. I'd personally probably go with the Pilot Kakuno, or the more expensive Platinum prefonte, or if you're really worried about costs, the interesting and fraught world of Chinese fountain pens
> I would go a size up from what you normally prefer wrt to nib (if you are new, try M as F and EF are extremely scratchy IMHO).
This is a feature of all the Japanese pens - they tend to have a finer grind. The European and other pens (e.g., Lamy) are about what you expect.
> Finally, I don't love the metropolitan. Feels great in the hand but I always find myself reaching for the smooth writing I get from my Eco.
The Metropolitan is a love-or-hate pen for some people, due to hand feel. I personally like it. If you can hold one, that'd be best. I think a couple of things make the Metro a better beginning pen than the Eco, if you like how it feels in your hand. It's cheaper; its got a metal body and cap (can be banged around), its got better QC (The first Eco I was given had the infamous 'barrel crack'. The second just flat didn't write. I'm a bit miffed at the brand), It can take cartridges or its included converter-sac, and it is by far one of the easiest pens to tear down and clean. The Eco can be taken apart with its special wrench too, but people commonly crack it in the process.
I just wish pilot sold the nibs separately for repair, like Lamy does, of TWSBI does with their more expensive pens.
For the crowd around here: I'd also say that one of the joys of a fountain pen is that you can tune, smooth, and even grind your own nibs if you're that adventurous.
The Metropolitan was my favorite until I got a PenBBS and custom nib for it.
Why? Because I'm about to drop ~$40 on pens as a result of the post, and discussion here.
Echoing other people's sentiments here - love the site, love the density, love the niche'ness, love the information.
I have a $100 cart though, and I'm not going to checkout because there is no Apple Pay or Shop Pay or Amazon Pay option. Sorry I'm too lazy to add my data to yet another e-com site!
Deleted Comment
The Pilot Vanishing Point doesn't need a cap, the nib is exposed and protected in a manner akin to clicking a ball point in and out. Mine works perfectly.
The Lamy 2000 is sleek and modern looking with a sophisticated design. It looks like a fountain pen that one might see in a Star Trek movie, but this model has been around since the mid 1960's. After half a century, the design is still the favorite of my collection. It operates flawlessly.
I own the other, less expensive fountain pens mentioned as well; they would be good choices too. I started out with some of these and I still like them, but it is easy to get hooked on buying more fountain pens and fancy inks.
Have mine inked right now, I'd say it's my favorite pen currently.