For most people, a writing instrument is a writing instrument. As long as ink flows whenever you move it along the page, all's right with the world. That is, assuming that people actually write anymore, rather than merely pound on keyboards.
However, for me and many others, a writing instrument can be a fabulous work of art and engineering. Now, pencils are nice, don't get me wrong. They have served as the workhorse of penmanship for school children for generations. Very utilitarian, they were the writing weapon of choice for Soviet cosmonauts, while the American space program was spending millions trying to invent a pen that would write in zero G. After all, pencils write no matter how little gravity there is.
The common ballpoint pen is ubiquitous. We mindlessly use them in business establishments every day, and they are a great advertising device (I am partial to the pens given out by my local bank, Hills Bank and Trust, for that sort of quotidian scribbling). But for real writing, for writing that, by its very act, becomes an occasion, there is no substitute for the fountain pen.
[Oh, I can hear the catcalls now: Nobody uses a fountain pen anymore! They're so messy! Don't you need to carry around a little ink pot with you, to re-dip every few words? My answers are: Oh, yeah? Only once in a while . . . and When were you born, the 17th century?]
A well made fountain pen is an incomparable tool. The perfect combination of glide and scratch against the page, the even flow of the ink (in a myriad of color choices), the perfect weight in the hand; all make the act of writing one of life's true joys. As we fountain pen freaks like to say, "Life's too short to write with a crappy pen."
Some important questions: Do you prefer the versatility of a reservoir fill pen or the convenience of cartridge fill? Maybe a hybrid pen that has both options? For reservoir fans, do you like the piston fill or the more traditional bladder fill (no Flomax puns, please)? Why, a discussion about the best width for a pen's tip or "nib" (fine, medium, or bold), can go on for hours.
And the variety! (The picture above is of the Pelikan Souveran 800, price $325. The clip is shaped like a pelican bill - clever, eh?) Fountain pens run in price and quality from about $20, to over $5000 for limited edition models. Five grand is a lot for a pen, I'll grant you, and I don't have the disposable income for that sort of extravagance. But a good quality pen, say in the $150 to $200 range, will last a lifetime, lend a distinguished quality to your penmanship, and can even be willed to your heirs.
My favorite company is Fountain Pen Hospital, which carries a large variety of brands and models of fountain pens, ball pens, and mechanical pencils. My nominee for most original brand name is Caran D'Ache (a play on the Russian word for pencil, karandash - phonetically spelled). My favorite pen, though, is the Pelikan (medium nib) with its distinguished styling and perfect weight distribution that makes writing almost effortless. [Did I hear a groan from a Montblanc fanatic?]
And while this may make me sound like some sort of weirdo (not the first time that's happened), I actually look forward to the arrival of Fountain Pen Hospital's catalog. The styles and touches that make each pen unique are intriguing and imaginative. Hmmm, maybe I am a weirdo.
So the next time you see someone writing with a fountain pen, don't scoff. It's not an affectation you're watching; it's someone enjoying the simple, but empowering, act of writing.
(You may even ask that person if you may try out the pen. I've had a few people ask and I let them, after first extracting a promise to take good care of my pen. They invariably smile as they begin to put ink on paper. I've even heard a couple of slight gasps as they experience an unexpected thrill - no lie.)
