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Comment by xfax | Hacker News Reader

I've tried fountain pens and have never been satisfied. Perhaps it's my left-handedness or the inferior quality of the paper I use, but it never felt "natural".

I frequently purchase ballpoint and gel pens from JetPens.com and am particularly fond of the Pilot Hi-Tec-C: http://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-Hi-Tec-C-Gel-Ink-Pen-0.4-mm-Bas...

What are some of your <$10 pens that you frequently go back to?

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Liquid Expresso Pens are my favorite by far, but you wouldn't like them if you like to write on both sides of the paper. I never write on both sides of paper because I can't live without spiral notebooks either. Expresso Pens are unfortunately difficult to find.

I used to work at a place that specialized in higher end pens. The pen body itself almost never matters: it's all about the insert. I can't withstand the feel of using ballpoints because my hands are highly tactile since I used to do a ton of drawing and massage, so every little skip -- that many people don't notice -- feels like a punch in my brain. For me, I can't stand to use anything but roller balls or felt-tips, but even then you have to be careful. Pilot roller balls feel just as "skippy" as ballpoints, IMO. For the most part, I find fountain pens to be pure torture to use.

Not exactly sticking to your criteria here, but what combinations of pen, inks and paper have you tried? If you ever want to get back into trying fountain pens, then you are unfortunately going to have to find quicker drying ink and paper to put up the with potential smudges.

Fountainpen-network is a great resource where members frequently post reviews of various inks and papers, incorporating drying time for lefties.

I have been using a Lamy Safari with J Herbert ink for the past few months and it has been great.

I have to chime in and exclaim the brilliance of the Lammy Safari. I asked on app.net for a fountain pen to replace my cheap old parker pen.

The only stipulations that it is long enough for my giant hands without the lid and that it not be made of metal. (I have trouble holding metal pens)

After getting the Lammy Safari two months ago I find my self writing much more. My notes are much more useful and are a pleasure to write.

The Pilot G2s are the best on the market, in my opinion. I use both the .38 and .7 in various situations. Both are exquisite and under $2 each.

Step outside the big box retailer and hunt down some Japanese pens. Start with the Uni-ball Signo DX 0.38 and the Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.4. You won't go back to your G2.

I'm also a little bit of a (left-handed) pen geek, and I've used all three of these, plus the Hi-Tec-C. The Hi-Tec-C lays down a very nice, smooth line, but it's probably my least favorite because the narrow plastic barrel gets uncomfortable after a few minutes.

Out of the other three, the Zebra Sarasa Clip is comfortable to hold, but I don't think it writes quite as smoothly. The Signo and G-2 are both comfortable and smooth-writing... I've tended to favor the G-2 since I've been using some variant of it since high school (nearly 20 years now), and the 0.38 is even nicer. I'll probably end up picking up a few additional Signos though -- they write nearly as smoothly for me and I really like the blue-black color that the G-2 0.38 isn't available in.

I find the G-2 is the smoothest overall for me, but this may also be because of the relatively cheap writing pads I use at the office.

Pilot is a Japanese brand, and having used plenty of Uni-balls and Pilots over the years, both companies make excellent pens.

Every year or two I have a pen crisis and try out a few new ones. Last few years I've sort of settled on the Uni-ball 207 Micro as my default. $16 for box of 12. http://www.amazon.com/uni-ball-Retractable-Micro-Point-61255...

My brother has the same problem (and loves Pilot G2s). I think left-handedness is a significant barrier for fountain pen appreciation, even with Quink.

I have a Bic 730R in front of me that I like, but the article made me realize I left my expensive fountain pen that I like more at home.

Thanks for sharing. I've been on the lookout for a good but inexpensive pen. I just ordered a couple and can't wait to try them out! Stock Bic pens from the generic office supply box tend to keep be away from writing on paper.

I use the following pens (all of them are 0.38mm/0.4mm/0.5mm):

- Zebra Sarasa (0.4mm)

- uniball signo 0.38mm

- Pilot Hi-Tec-C

- Pilot G2 Pro (0.5mm)

the awesome thing about a lot of the kickstarter pens is that they use hi-tec c refills

Pentel RSVP is disposable, but writes like a dream.

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