Friday Favorites 1/31/2014

It started with a $7.99 Parker Vector fountain pen.  After years of super-fine point Pentel mechanical pencils for technical work and a variety of ball points and gel-pens for serious writing, I joined the inky fingers set.  To me, nothing feels quite like writing with a fountain pen, so I’m willing to put up with their disadvantages, including:

• Leaking in pockets, particularly at high altitude on airplanes
• Getting ink all over your finger when filling them or even just writing
• Inadvertently smudging still-wet ink with your hand on important documents
• Running out of ink with no supply nearby
• Dealing with bottled ink, a spill waiting-to-happen for me
• The trauma of losing a pen to which you have an unnatural attachment

Then, there’s Cost Escalation Syndrome, a disease of which I fortunately have only a mild case.  You see, once you’ve fallen in love with that $7.99 Vector, it is likely you’ll want another.  And then, that $29.99 Lapis Blue Waterman catches your eye.   A flashy Tortoise Shell Levinger number whispers to you from one of the catalogs that seem to appear magically once you’ve bought your first fountain pen.  Only $79.99.  Oh, yeah, did you know your sweet little Parker Vector had a sexy Sterling silver sister that could be yours for a mere $300?   And there is no law against polygamy when it comes to fountain pens … it’s encouraged.  And before you know it, you’re a collector.  Fortunately, my tastes have never gone astronomical but I own a few of my Parker’s equally expensive cousins.  Why are they female you ask?  Well, I am heterosexual, so if I’m going to be in love, it’s gotta be that way.  No, we won’t talk about the Freudian implication of the shape of a fountain pen.   If you have A LOT of money … or don’t mind putting yourself in debt for love … fountain pens can cost tens of thousands of dollars.   This OMAS One Small Step Limited Edition goes for $47,000.

So, today’s Friday Favorite is my favorite fountain pen.  I’m a man of substance, so I know beauty only runs skin deep.  Function and utility are important, too, which is why my Parker Vector travels with me in my messenger bag.  I love my Carbonesque Blue Pilot Vanishing Point Pen because the maker has managed to produce a true fountain pen that works like a clicker ballpoint.  Not as pretty as some of the other girls but certainly more pocket friendly.

My newest acquisition, a black Waterford Killbary Edge is good-looking and heavy-in-the-hand … perfect for those SERIOUS writing tasks.

But my favorite is the beautiful and smooth-writing Pelikan Souveran that Muri gave me several years ago for Valentines Day.  Hey, there’s nothing wrong with being functional AND incredibly beautiful, is there?

Have a great weekend.

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Tags: collecting, fountain pens, Friday Favorites, postaday, writing

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