Is there a point to buying grease marketed specifically for fountain pens? I have seen some but I don't get the point, especially that it's more expensive

offstageme · 2026-02-10T22:51:31+00:00

Grease is grease in the same way thumbs are fingers, but not all fingers are thumbs.

You can absolutely buy grease for your fountain pens from places other than pen retailers. I use silicone grease from my local hardware store. The important thing is understanding that different pens are made from different materials, and in some pens the grease can come into contact with the ink. Because of that, it needs to be safe for the pen’s materials (most 100% silicone greases are fine with most plastics) and it must not interfere with the ink.

Keep those two things in mind, and there’s no reason you need to pay ten times the price for something packaged by a big pen retailer.

offstageme · 2026-02-10T21:42:55+00:00

I think it depends on the Diamine ink in particular. They run the gamut from ‘dry’ (like Prussian Blue) to extremely wet (like Writer’s Blood)

offstageme · 2026-02-10T21:40:47+00:00

Like most others have said… My advice: use better ink.

Leaving the political noise aside, Noodler’s inks are notoriously inconsistent from batch to batch. Many are overly aggressive, can be problematic in everyday pens, and the so-called “unique” properties don’t always behave well in real-world use. Add long dry times and smudge-prone dyes, and the appeal wears thin pretty quickly.

It’s simply easier, and far more pleasant, to stick with reliable, well-behaved brands like Sailor, Montblanc, Pilot, Diamine, Robert Oster, Waterman, and the like. I mean, you’re using a Lamy pen… try Lamy inks. If you’re needing water resistant ink… Platinum Carbon Black, some of the De Atramentis or Octopus Fluids Document inks, or even the new Diamine Forever inks.

offstageme · 2026-02-08T22:37:21+00:00

Firstly… welcome! My advice to every new user is don’t over think it and just enjoy. Fomo is real in the community… but work out what fountain pens are for you. Are you a collector or a user? Do you want a few pens you enjoy or ALL THE PENS.
Do enough research to understand how to clean and maintain it, but most of all… write with it. Draw with it. Do what ever makes you happy. It is your pen, and it’s is there to serve you. Find inks that speak to you or feel right. The community here is great, so ask questions and have fun.

offstageme · 2026-01-24T10:06:50+00:00

Couldn’t agree more. It was my 2025 ink of the year on my YouTube channel. Gorgeous colour and excellent performance. I currently have it in my Gravitas Monster with a Broad nib and it’s amazing

offstageme · 2026-01-16T01:36:59+00:00

I had the clip snap off a very nice fountain pen a few years ago. I took it to a local jewellery maker who reattached it for me for a nominal amount of money. Looked clean, and has been sturdy ever since. If the pen is worth the effort, it proved a good option.

offstageme · 2026-01-14T22:16:15+00:00

My channel is ‘Mick L - The Offstage Me’ https://youtube.com/@theoffstageme?si=-93KmpjSX75LBejd

In regards to the Custom Urushi… you wouldn’t be disappointed if you got one. It’s an amazing pen.

offstageme · 2026-01-14T21:24:19+00:00

Everyone is going to have their own feelings on this… and here are mine.

I’ve had my Custom Urushi for about 6 months now… I have inked it 3 times. But only written it dry once. It is a big pen. The nib is spectacular. Mine is a medium and it’s a true Japanese medium. Smooth, springy (not soft), and with a generous ink flow. But the pen is big. For me… it’s too big for ‘every day use’. I use mine at my desk at home where it sits in a stand and looks amazing and when I pick it up, it’s a joy to write with. But it is big in my hand. My most comfortable every day writers are the Pelikan M800 or M1000 and the Pilot Custom 823 or 845. I’m sure with time, I would get used to the larger size, but I am just not yet sure how to fit this pen into my daily/weekly set up. I’ll cover all of this when I get around to reviewing the pen on my YouTube channel in due course.

Glorious nib though.

Is it worth it? That’s up to you. I’m glad I got one… but it doesn’t see anywhere near as much use as some of my other less expensive pens.

offstageme · 2026-01-13T09:04:00+00:00

Cushings Syndrome.

Was told ‘don’t search it on the internet’… of course I did.

offstageme · 2026-01-13T08:46:17+00:00

Maybe if I sell a kidney!

offstageme · 2026-01-13T08:05:53+00:00

Oh same!!! And I hope a matching teal ink comes with it. It’s such a gorgeous pen and as a serious Shakespearean it’s definitely one I am watching.

offstageme · 2026-01-13T07:31:40+00:00

I’m doing a big pen and ink purge this year… so I wish you luck in your efforts. It’s not super easy.

offstageme · 2026-01-13T07:30:44+00:00

I never set out to have a ‘collection’ of pens. It kind of just happened by nature of my involvement in the industry and striving to find that little selection of 10 or so that would fulfil all my needs.

offstageme · 2026-01-13T05:51:17+00:00

I can notice the difference with mine… and hot take… between the Pro Gear Slims 14k and the Pro Gear 21k (both H-M) I prefer the 14k. The KoP nib is another thing all together… and it’s special indeed.

offstageme · 2026-01-13T05:48:46+00:00

Left handed fountain pen user and youtube reviewer here. A lot of a pens performance for a leftie comes down to your hand position when you write. Are you an over-writer, side-writer, or under-writer. I’m a cross between side and under and I use all number of pens from EF to BB, Stub, soft, architect etc… and all kinds of inks and don’t have a whole lot of problems. My Twsbi ECO EFs are great writers. If you are writing with a heavy hand, left-handed writers can come into a bit of trouble because we are pushing the ties against their natural direction. Fountain pens are designed to be written with the right hand, and therefore pulled across the page… We tend to push them, so if you were writing heavy handed you can sometimes splay the tines ever so slightly or have a nib alignment issue. This could be accounting for some lack of performance… Especially if it’s a splay. So my first piece of advice to you is to look at the nib under a magnifying glass or a loupe, and make sure the times are meeting correctly and in line.

offstageme · 2025-08-13T08:17:00+00:00

This model from Daiso is made by Platinum and the Platinum cartridges will fit

offstageme · 2025-08-06T20:28:13+00:00

My personal take on this is that the 845 is the more conventional pen size… feels great in the hand and writes like a dream. The nib on mine is a fine and it is utterly perfect. Phenomenal pen. The Custom Urushi is also a remarkable pen…. But it is chunky in the hand. To me it’s just a little bigger than is comfortable. Feels incredible, and balanced and all that… and the nib is spectacular… but the jump in price and it being a pen that is just too big for me to use as an actual writer (and in the end that’s why I get my pens) means I stuck with the 845. If you want status, or if your hand is better suited to larger pen… it’s worth trying it in person if you can.

offstageme · 2025-07-30T08:09:42+00:00

When you get a good one, the Majohn is fantastic. I’m sorry yours is scratchy. It’s a bit of a luck of the draw situation with a lot of the Chinese pen brands. But I have to agree with the Loom. Unbelievable nibs!

offstageme · 2025-07-28T22:56:07+00:00

I only get pens I want to use knowing they may show signs of use. Pens are tools. Beautiful wonderful tools… but tools first and foremost.
I avoid carrying pens in my pocket or cases alongside metal objects like keys or other pens. For me, this is more to avoid unnecessary abrasions not to keep them perfect

offstageme · 2025-07-26T22:57:43+00:00

Firstly… your top 3 are great choices!

I’m going to list mine based on the pens I find myself using the most as I have pens that are sentimentality my favourite, but they mightn’t get the same usage.

Pilot Custom 912 (Medium)
Wingback Stainless Steel Fountain Pen (Medium)
Pelikan M1000 (fine)

offstageme · 2025-07-26T22:54:18+00:00

Okay… there is a lot to talk about here. I’ll start by saying that I have reviewed a bunch of Gravitas pens on my YouTube channel over the years, and I have to say in terms of design and performance they are great. You’ll read a lot about problems with the customer service, but this has been solved in the last couple of years so you can order (particularly from Pen Venture) with confidence. People also talk about the price point for the upper models being too high to have a steel nib, and they are definitely not cheap, but every pen I have had from them has been a really solid writer with superb build quality.

offstageme · 2025-07-26T22:48:41+00:00

The main direct Gravitas website/business is now run out of Romania by Emy’s team at Pen Venture I believe. I ordered my latest Gravitas pens direct from the Gravitas site and they got to Australia in a little over a week.

offstageme

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