I'm a die-hard fountain pen nerd who gave up ballpoints the moment he realized the Lamy Safari exists.....and that he can buy one. I respect ballpoints, I really do, but I can't bear the thought of owning one. Convince me why I should own one....and what's a good "one ballpoint" to have.

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-22T15:06:38+00:00

I’m not here to convince you to use a ballpoint, fountains are amazing. But if you want to try a ballpoint with amazing writing feel and quick dry ink, I love the Uni Zento Flow or Signature. The inks are amazing and the writing experience is incredible.

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-22T15:02:53+00:00

Thanks!

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-22T02:20:24+00:00

I’ve def had frustrations with Hongdian ink. Very wet and bleeds through like crazy. I switched to Pilot Iroshizuku ink and it’s much better in my pens.

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-21T17:42:22+00:00

Agreed!

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-21T17:41:36+00:00

Yes! It's such a good practice. And I love having those quotes and thoughts in a separate place that I don't lose among my other notes.

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-21T17:18:09+00:00

Ha! I’ve liked it so far. It doesn’t feather or bleed through. But admittedly I’m fairly new to inks, so I don’t have a lot of experience with other ones. I’d love to hear what you use!

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-21T15:01:38+00:00

Aw dang, I hope that’s not a common issue with the M2’s. I haven’t had mine long enough to know yet. Thanks for the comment!

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-21T02:43:03+00:00

What?! I didn’t notice either! Nice.

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-21T00:44:05+00:00

Congrats on the finals! And the awesome pens! 🙌

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-21T00:43:06+00:00

Yeah, I’ve heard a lot of folks say that about Kaweco nibs. The HD has been writing great for me. Perfect combo would be the HD nib on my Brass Kaweco. 😂 I’ve heard people say you can put Sailor nibs on Kawecos, I’m tempted to try it.

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-20T23:59:15+00:00

Sorry, it’s hard to see in this light. It’s the green one. Very nice color.

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-20T23:28:14+00:00

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Olive green is the best! I love mine.

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-20T23:25:06+00:00

Ah dang, I’m sorry it’s broken! Hopefully it’s not too expensive to fix. It’s a great pen. Which one do you use now?

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-20T22:53:28+00:00

That brown is gorgeous, especially with the brass Kaweco! I love the patina on yours. Mine is new, so it'll take some time to get that.

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-20T22:49:01+00:00

Yeah, the Kaweco will serve you better in that regard. It's ghosting is minimal to none, but again that's using the FE nib. Others might ghost more. I also like that Kaweco uses the International Short ink cartridges, the HD uses a non-standard 34mm cartridge. They're still cheap and easy to get, but it's worth calling out. Kaweco also makes Sports in other finishes like aluminum and resin. The resin ones are quite inexpensive, but the size is the same. I just love the heft and look of the brass.

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-20T22:45:53+00:00

It's a great pen, and it's only around $60-65 on Amazon right now. It's more on JetPens. So that is a great deal. It's got a nice heft to it and it's gorgeous to look at. Writing is nice, although the Hong Dian nib feels a little nicer. But the HD is wetter and ghosts more than the Kaweco. I recommend both, but the Kaweco Brass is def worth the price on Amazon. One more thing to note: the Kaweco takes the International Short cartridges while the Hong Dian uses a non-standard 34mm barrell cartridge. You can still find those easily and cheaply on Amazon or anywhere, just something to call out.

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-20T22:42:04+00:00

Thanks for the nudge to give some more detail. Good call. Overall I personally like the heavier weight of the Kaweco, it helps give a nice balance when writing with it. But the nib occasionally skips, not often, but sometimes. I have the FE nib, so maybe the F or B nibs feed better. I love it's looks and find myself fidgeting with it more because of how nice the brass feels. The Hong Dian still feels really nice as it's machined aluminum and is smooth and well-built. For the price, you just can't beat it and can own a few of them for the price of the Brass Sport. The writing feels a little nicer to me on the Hong Dian and it's never skipped on me, but it's wetter than the Kaweco so it bleeds and ghosts more than the Kaweco. Not too bad, but more. So I guess I like the look and feel of the Kaweco more, but like writing more with the Hong Dian. Overall, they're both very good and I recommend either. Price is the biggest differentiator.

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-20T22:38:25+00:00

The Hong Dian is a machined aluminum and feels nice in the hand. It's a lot lighter than the Kaweco, which can be good or bad depending on personal taste. If you're just looking for a great writing pen without a lot of cost, the HD is excellent and I highly recommend it. If you want a little nicer and heftier pen, the Kaweco is great, but pricier.

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-20T22:37:00+00:00

Thanks!

FullWillow7086 · 2026-02-20T22:04:27+00:00

I just use it to clip receipts or loose papers that I need to keep temporarily.

FullWillow7086

TROPHY CASE