In the spirit of the holiday card season, I have decided to post the following conversation with a friend – over Facebook – regarding the merits of fine writing instruments. We focused on the fountain pen. The designer and illustrator of the Bow Tie Guy drawing is A and I am B.
A-I've got an idea! Does the Bow Tie Guy use a fountain pen? Not the pricey "everybody knows the name" fancy ones, or the dime store special ones, but a real "use it every day", real man type of fountain pen. And yes, I do use them myself! I have a 1930's Sheaffer that writes like a dream!
B-I use them also. I instantly thought Montblanc when you said "everybody knows the name". I stopped using them at the office the first month since a colleague is a notorious pen pilferer. I personally default to a Lamy Safari (the steel nib allows me to loan it out without fret). I also enjoy its masculine and durable design. I could see Teddy Roosevelt signing bills with this. Also it's fairly inexpensive to replace. The 1930's Sheaffer is something to which I aspire. My one unique pen, which I inherited from my father, is an old Cartier fountain pen (I dare not use it often). As the resident expert on fine writing implements, what do you recommend a Rotring, Cross, or maybe a Conklin like Mark Twain?
A-Montblanc was exactly what I was thinking!! Kind of like the Rolex of the pen world: Overpriced and writes ok, but lots of marketing. I've never had a problem with a pen pilferer. That Lamy looks very cool. My everyday pen is an Aurora Ipsilon. It’s a great writer and Italian. I'm going to have to look into maybe getting a Lamy. I recommend a vintage Parker vacumatic.
B-I had not even seen a vacumatic. What a great looking pen!
I hope this inspires you to sign those seasonal cards with the right pen.
BTG
