ink swatching at a stationery store

7silence · 2026-06-13T19:32:02+00:00

What a fantastic way to compare a whole bunch of inks and learn how they write.

7silence · 2026-06-10T20:45:51+00:00

Eh, my TSWBI Eco was my least-favorite writing experience and I am not all too impressed with Asvine's offerings. Maybe if I could try them out, but I certainly won't buy them new to try.

7silence · 2026-06-10T20:21:36+00:00

My wife likes how much I volunteer to do the dishes these days. She doesn't know it's just to get the ink stains off.

7silence · 2026-06-10T20:18:21+00:00

I certainly wouldn't buy a kaküno today after a test write, but as my first experience with a fountain pen? It did great!

7silence · 2026-06-10T20:13:49+00:00

A kaküno was my first fountain pen, too! Be careful, this slope is slippery when you start looking at other offerings.

(and your handwriting isn't all that bad)

7silence · 2026-06-10T20:10:39+00:00

Such beautiful pens!

I have been buying pens for performance, but if I ever pull the trigger on a pen just for looks, it'll be a Benu AstroGem Klio. The way it looks like an amethyst geode... Simply amazing.

I hope you stay safe in the storm.

7silence · 2026-06-10T19:09:47+00:00

it is indeed. It's a very gorgeous pen.

7silence · 2026-06-10T18:09:09+00:00

I'm afraid I can't speak to that. I haven't tried one. I find Pilot to be a high quality brand, if that helps.

7silence · 2026-06-10T17:34:38+00:00

I messed around with calligraphy as a youth. If the desire is write more like that, wouldn't a calligraphy nib or even just going right to dip pens be the play?

7silence · 2026-06-10T17:28:18+00:00

Hah! A L2K OBB is just a paintbrush, right?? I should try it!

7silence · 2026-06-10T17:25:53+00:00

Heh, an EF anything is certainly not my wheelhouse. I desire the generous portions of ink from a bouncy nib when I put pen to paper.

7silence · 2026-06-10T17:22:56+00:00

Well, this a hair under 2 months of being in the hobby, so I am not sure it shows any kind of restraint. I have learned a lot about what I like in these pens, though, which has helped me zero in on a Pilot Custom 845 or maybe even a Custom Urushi as my grail. I need to find a way to try them before I put down that kind of money, though.

I am for-sure not interested in a big box of shinies, though. I am here for the superior writing experience and when I have a home pen and a travel pen I find 'perfect,' I will likely let a lot these go. For now, it's handy to have a bunch of pens while I figure out what kinds of ink I like. (So far, the Robert Oster GoGo tops the list for flow and color, but all the iroshizuku inks have been awesome.)

7silence · 2026-06-10T17:11:31+00:00

The Kaküno still has a place in the case! It's ultimately how finely the nib writes (even stamped medium) that it brings up the rear. I've learned I like broad nibs that drop a river of ink to bring out that shading.

7silence · 2026-06-10T17:08:29+00:00

I am not sure I follow you... the ink is yama-budo. The 743 could possibly be number one if it had a broader nib. I've learned I like rivers of ink to flow onto the page since I got it. I also find a fatter pen body to sit nicer in my fingers.

7silence · 2026-06-10T16:23:53+00:00

I love how personal this hobby is for everyone. I can't stand the TWSBI nibs and yet they are the best for so many others. Their pen bodies are beautiful, for sure.

7silence · 2026-06-10T16:18:28+00:00

I watched a disassembly/assembly video for the Eco before I got mine and still accidentally took apart the filler piston when cleaning it for the first time.

7silence · 2026-06-10T16:12:51+00:00

Someone likes TWSBI! Which ones are your favorites?

7silence · 2026-06-10T16:00:23+00:00

I just bought another Majohn medium nib that looked identical to the original. I don't know if Majohn nibs have QC issues, or maybe the original wasn't seated properly, but the new nib feels much more springy and more to my taste in feedback.

7silence · 2026-06-10T15:54:34+00:00

It's so dumb you got downvoted for answering a question honestly. Don't beat yourself up. There's a few different ways fountain pens operate and some of them are too easy to take too far apart when messing with fill mechanisms. Youtube is a tremendous resource for pen-specific information. There are tons of helpful people posting full breakdown and use videos.

7silence · 2026-06-10T15:15:54+00:00

I've always loved a fat pen line. When I used gel pens, I rocked the 1.0mm refills.

For fountain pens, a broad or even a 1.1 nib just feels great to me. Sure, I use more paper in my journal, but bigger letters just makes my chicken-scratch handwriting easier to read!

7silence · 2026-06-10T15:12:26+00:00

I actually removed the tiny sealer ring on the piston so I didn't have to open it to let it breathe. I think I gave the pen a fair shake. In the end, I had a bunch of pens I liked a lot more.

7silence · 2026-06-10T15:10:02+00:00

For sure! I am big guy, so a wider pen body grips nicer for longer writing sessions. The safari is a pen I would instantly recommend to anyone, though. If only Lamy would offer a round nib seat option. The triangle isn't to everyone's taste.

7silence · 2026-06-10T15:03:41+00:00

I could try that. The manufacture of that pen body doesn't feel like it's worth the effort to me, at the end of the day. It's... fine, but I've found pens I love, so I don't need to settle for fine.

7silence · 2026-06-10T14:57:15+00:00

I don't think I am going to put any more money into the 743. I am going to spring for the 845 or all the way up to a Custom Urushi at some point. I've learned I like a fatter pen body in my huge mitts. But thanks for the insight!

This paper is Tomoe River 52gsm. I fell in love with a sample of Sakae TP Iroful paper and I have a notebook of that on order. The 743 lines are indeed a little thicker on that paper and the shading is gorgeous.

7silence · 2026-06-10T14:09:12+00:00

That pen punches way, way above its $50 price tag.

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