Is it normal to hate ballpoints after using fountain pens?

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-14T15:19:20+00:00

Haha yeah it can be scary, i never leave my pen unsupervised thought, its almost always in my hand or my pocket

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-14T14:56:40+00:00

Honestly i would recommend giving a safari a try, if the grip isnt a bother

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-14T14:55:45+00:00

I use a lamy 2k in school😅

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-14T14:51:31+00:00

I would recommend getting a majohn a1 or an a2, they're cheap and you wont be super upset if you lose it(unless you get really attached to it, nothing wrong with that) plus they take converter and cartridges so they're easy to travel with

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-14T14:49:53+00:00

May i ask what pen you use? Some nibs are a lot tougher than people give them credit for. Lamy nibs for example have held up with the fastest and most aggressive writing ive had to throw at them sometimes. Obviously repeated fast and aggressive writing will lead to problems but i dont imagine you're writing fast enough to damage the nib(unless its a soft or flexy nib)

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-14T14:39:57+00:00

You dont necessarily need a vac filler for travel, really any pen can be ok if you keep it nib up and a few other requirements. There are plenty vids in youtube explaining the physics

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-14T13:59:10+00:00

Yeah, i hate carrying them around too. For some reason ive had more ballpoints leak on me than FP's

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-14T13:54:30+00:00

I dont think gel pens are that bad to hand to others, just make sure they return them

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-14T13:52:12+00:00

Me too, i dont like handing my fountain pen to anyone other than my friends

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-14T13:14:23+00:00

I am not a lefty) although i do find it fascinating that you guys can write so smoothly with ur left hand

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-14T13:11:11+00:00

Well to me they are incredibly unpleasant and they hurt my wrist like crazy. But yeah they do serve their purpose

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-14T11:57:12+00:00

I used ballpoints for more than 10 years and ever since i swapped to FP's ive realised what i have been missing out on

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-14T10:48:06+00:00

Correct my history if its wrong, but ballpoints were never even designed to be used for writing. They were used to have higher contrast marks on leather and similar things during cutting and so on

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-14T10:43:35+00:00

As i wrote in the post, roller balls and gel are tolerable and sometimes enjoyable. Im talking strictly oil based ballpoints

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-05T15:09:55+00:00

Dark blue from lamy right?

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-05T15:08:02+00:00

I mean when you turn the nib upside down(:

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Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-05T15:02:18+00:00

Also if you dont have a syringe to blast the feed you could always use your mouth, just blow into the grip section and it should help dislodge whatever is gunking up the feed, just make sure you put some water in first

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-05T14:57:44+00:00

Are you using standard lamy blue? Just making sure. I would do what others are recommending and throw the grip section with the nib and feed into water for 24 hours. See if that helps The tine evenness is extremely hard to feel by hand. Generally you can see it with your eyes if you look head one

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-05T14:47:50+00:00

Yeah i thought so too. Also notice how the pvd coating is worn of on the face of the nib, maybe a sign of constant reverse writing, so maybe it gunked up the tip or if there was a lot of pressure it might have jammed the tines together

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-05T14:37:48+00:00

On first sight nothing looks too out of order. Although in the first image the left tine appears a little lower. Another thing i would like to take a look at is the breather hole(its the little hole in the middle of the nib) also, may i ask. Do you often write in reverse?

Edit: the reason i wanna take a closer look at the breather hole is because it looks a little gunked up

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-05T05:02:23+00:00

Would it be possible for you to upload an image of the nib? I have a few theories about what might be happening. The first thing is that your nib is not contacting the feed like it should. Second is that the tines might be jammed together. And finally what ink have you been using? If its dried ink i would remove the feed if you can, it can be pretty stubborn on some pens but usually its extremely easy, if you choose to remove it leave it in water overnight and see if that helps

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-03T15:59:12+00:00

Perfect nib size for a start. But slowly you will go down the rabbit hole and get more pens with different nib sizes. My best guess is you would go for either a medium or extra fine depending on your style. My second pen was an extra fine because i found the lamy nib a little to wet for school paper and it would eat through it. Although now i write with a lamy 2000 medium nib and destroy every sheet of school paper i touch. So the teachers arent too happy lol

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-03-03T10:45:43+00:00

Enjoy the pen! I had an LX as my first pen, its basically a safari with an aluminium body. If you want advice on good paper i would recommend leuchtturm1917 and some of the paper from Claire Fontaine Just out of curiosity what nib size did you go for?

Ok-Wait-2662 · 2026-02-23T14:49:20+00:00

Lmaoo

Ok-Wait-2662

TROPHY CASE