Category: Fountain Pens

Looking for a nice pen for a gift for someone (or yourself)? Fountain Pen Hospital’s deal of the day is for the Aurora Style pen. It is offered in five colors, as a fountain pen, rollerball, and ballpoint, all at great price points. Check them out!

Every year during the first weekend in May, Hubby and I travel to Mansfield, OH for the annual Civil War Show. Hubby is a Civil War author, and has not missed a Mansfield show in over 10 years. Every year, but one, I have gone with him. Walked through the buildings, and visited all of the vendors and book sellers. It is great fun for my hubby, and I love seeing him having fun like that. He is like a little kid looking through the pictures, tin-types, relics, and books.

This weekend, the shoe was on the other foot. The Ohio Pen Show was held this weekend in Dublin, Ohio. It was pen Mecca for the collector. Exhibitors from all over the U.S. were at the show. There were a few manufacturers there, but most of the tables went to dealers. Stylus Magazine had a table, and this blogger took advantage of the extra discount offered for new sign-ups at the show. I loved looking at all of the dealer tables. I was good–too good. I signed up for magazines, bought one automatic pencil, and that was it!

One dealer at the show is relatively new to the art and business of pen making. Edison Pen Co. owner, Brian, was there. Hubby really liked one of the Edison pens, and the nib was spectacular. I am not fond of medium nibs, but it was very smooth and Hubby loved it. I am sure that we will be partaking of Edison Pen Co.’s wares often.

The show inspired me again. I will be posting more about it, the dealers, and manufacturers over the next week!

I have always loved the Namiki Vanishing Point Pen collections. I own one, and it is wonderful to write with. Recently, Namiki came out with a new color for this wonderful pen. Yellow! Well, Namiki calls this color Goldenrod, but it looks like a bright pretty yellow to me.

For those who do not know about the Vanishing Point pens, Namiki designed a fountain pen with a mechanism that is similar to that of a ballpoint click pen. Click the pen, the fountain pen nib comes out. Click it again, and the nib is hidden behind a sleeve that protects it, and prevents it from drying out. It is an ingenious design. It also allows you to carry this pen without worrying about the nib, losing the cap, etc. Fine, medium, and broad nibs are available in the pen, meaning most will find a nib size that suits their writing style. It takes both Pilot cartridges, as well as a converter, making it convenient to fill, as well. Both men and women would like the width of the barrel–it is comfortable, without being too skinny or broad.

If you have the opportunity to pick up one of these beauties, I highly recommend it.

So what exactly makes a pen a ladies pen, anyway? Is it the size of the barrel? The color? The length?  The weight?  The style?  Or is it just that it is a ladies pen because a woman happens to use it? In a word, yes!

A pen must be comfortable in the writer’s hand. It must fit well, and feel right. It should inspire the writer, making the task easier. Many people do not write with fountain pens because they think it is too much bother to fill a pen, clean the nib, etc. They think fountain pens are old fashioned, outmoded, and impractical. They think that a fountain pen is just too hard to use, and are intimidated by the thought of using one.  Many women (and men) fall prey to these myths, and I think they are losing out on a great writing experience by not trying to use a fountain pen.  Fountain pens are just like any other writing instrument. With the right touch, and a bit of practice, a fountain pen can be just as easy to use as any other type of pen.  I have used pens of every barrel size, length, and weight imaginable.  Not all would be called ladies’ pens by any means.  I write with the pen that I think will be comfortable for the task.

Some examples of pens that were/are marketed for ladies include the Sheaffer Lady Skripsert line of pens, the Greta Garbo pen by Mont Blanc, the Lady Fair line by Wearever, and the ici and la line by Waterman, to name a few.  All of these pens have slimmer barrels, are lighter in weight, and are shorter in length.  Geared toward smaller hands, it is easy to see women being more attracted to these pens.

However, as I said before, any pen that is comfortable in a woman’s hand is, in fact, a ladies pen.  Do not limit your pen selection to those marketed just for women.  Look at all examples before making a decision on a pen.  You will find that the ladies pen you are looking for is the pen that is right for you!