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Comment by rob74 | Hacker News Reader

First vinyl records, then fountain pens... out with the new, in with the old! But why stop at fountain pens, why not use dip pens, those are even more stylish and minimalistic, kinda like a fixie bicycle? Or why not go all in and use a quill? Fortunately I'm not in danger to succumb to this particular trend, I'm left-handed, so I hate fountain pens...

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Dip pens are used quite a bit for artwork still. Until very recently (last 10 years or so), dip pens were very much the standard for inking certain types of art, manga especially. The main advantages of a dip pen are the amount of control you have over the line by varying pressure and angle (like a flexible nib fountain pen) as well as the ability use pigment based inks that will clog most fountain pens. Of course digital tablets have pressure and tilt sensors, but without the tactile feedback of the nib flexing and pushing back against your hand, it can be much harder to control. I'm guessing that drawing tablets will eventually have haptic feedback for this reason. The ability to swap out nibs or use a paint brush with the same ink is also very useful.

> Fortunately I'm not in danger to succumb to this particular trend, I'm left-handed, so I hate fountain pens...

Have you tried a Right to Left language? Seems like it might help you get into fountain pens? (I'm happy enough writing illegibly with my right hand and a ballpoint though)

Fountain pens are hardly a trend. They will never rival ballpoints for the versatility but they have distinct advantages that will ensure that they have a loyal following.

I used to hate fountain pens in schools. But I recently switched to a fountain pen as an adult because my hand started to hurt when writing with ball point pens over a longer period of time.

I don't have that problem anymore since using a fountain pen because I don't have to apply any pressure when writing with a fountain pen.

I use a dip pens with knibs for some art inking. You can't really get the same line variation and character with a technical pen. You may be surprised to learn you can readily get dip pens and ink.

I sometimes use a refillable fountain pen instead but the nib isn't meant for it so changing it a pita.

Dipped nibs are still often used in calligraphy. They'll use either flexible nibs, where line width will vary with pressure, or stub / italic nibs, where line width varies with the orientation of the nib to paper.

> Or why not go all in and use a quill?

I do. Like taking photos with film, the relative inconvenience of using a quill pen gives you time to focus on penmanship and what you're writing and engage more deeply with the act.

Dip pens are excellent (and extremely common) illustration tools.

Its all basically this imo. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handicap_principle Any other explanation is a bit of a stretch.

There's zero inconvenience barrier between my fountain pen with ink cartridges and my rollerball pen with ink refills. Writing and replacing the ink cartridges are functionally equivalent between the two. But my fountain pen has a 1mm stub nib that gives the lines some distinct width, so I use it when I want that characteristic.

I like FPs because they are the easiest on my wrist, they don’t go to the landfill as often, and I like to use different colors (have a bunch of inks and have even mixed them myself to achieve the “perfect” aquamarine). Also, the physical principles on which they operate are curious.

A combination of a good fountain pen that matches your own writing (price doesn't matter) and good quality paper is an asset to me, not a handicap. The ink flows, the hand to pen to paper feeling/feedback/sound brings out words and sentences that typing doesn't.

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