Bruno Dias

@bruno

"mr storylets"

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writer (derogatory). lead designer on Fallen London.

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Bruno Dias @bruno6/3/2024, 7:00 PM

Is there such a thing as a fountain pen side of Cohost yet?

What's your favorite small, cheap, everyday-carry fountain pen? Specifically I'm thinking of a pen that's skinny, enough that it fits in the typical pen loops found on notebooks or in bags – which most fountain pens don't fit into reliably because they have fat little bodies.

The one example of this I can think of is the Parker Jotter (not coincidentally, originally a model of ballpoint) and I've had a bad experience with one of those, plus I don't trust their... resilience to being jostled around.

#fountain pens

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in reply to @bruno's post:

Christian Simmers @Xuelder6/3/2024, 7:02 PM

Remind me in 3 hours when my brother comes home from work and I can ask him what pen he uses. The guy is obsessed with em.

authentic soft fennec friend brand fennecs @softfennec6/3/2024, 7:04 PM

well the combination of "small, cheap, everyday carry" made me immediately think of lamy safari but i admittedly don't know if they fit in pen loops. i don't know if i have any pen loops in my home to try with but they're not particularly thick and are of uniform thickness so it sounds plausible at least

Bruno Dias @bruno6/3/2024, 7:06 PM

Yeah, Lamy Safaris are definitely in the category of "too fat." I'm thinking specifically of the pen loops I have on a Midori notebook cover and in my bag, and a safari won't even go in those.

authentic soft fennec friend brand fennecs @softfennec6/3/2024, 7:14 PM

ah, i see, it's a leather loop so it's not even stretchy, and sized for a pencil or a generic ballpoint. it should definitely be possible to make a fountain pen that thin but yeah i dunno if it exists

Bruno Dias @bruno6/3/2024, 7:17 PM

Well, like I said, a jotter does fit in there.

Applesauce Catra @Mewkitty436/3/2024, 7:28 PM

There are a couple pens that skinny I can think of. The Pilot Birdie is absolutely tiny, but out of production. The traveler’s company fountain pen is that small, but is more in the mid-priced range.

gay @mogg6/3/2024, 7:06 PM

my heart will forever be with the lamy safari

for a thinner pen lamy has the cp1, wouldnt call it cheap however

mweepigeon @mweepigeon6/3/2024, 7:10 PM

Does a Pilot Metropolitan fit? The other things that come to mind (like a Lamy Safari or Kaweco's stuff) all seem too fat - maybe the Kaweco Liliput? A Lamy 2K is pretty slim but also expensive enough that I wouldn't want to carry in a pen loop like that. I bet a Pilot Murex would do nicely, I've been meaning to get one of those.

Bruno Dias @bruno6/3/2024, 7:13 PM

A metro doesn't fit. A preppy kinda fits, but not really (it needs to be squeezed in, and is then held so tightly it has to be pushed out).

mweepigeon @mweepigeon6/3/2024, 7:14 PM

Reject feed return to dip pen?

Bruno Dias @bruno6/3/2024, 7:15 PM

So what you're saying is I should just carry a whole inkwell with me in my bag.

mweepigeon @mweepigeon6/3/2024, 7:34 PM

I see nothing wrong with this

Applesauce Catra @Mewkitty436/3/2024, 7:13 PM

Vintage pilot elite. I can find them pretty reliably for ~30 usd. Very skinny, very reliable, and they usually have a gold nib. Although the inlaid nib design does sometimes feel like you’re writing with a severed finger.

Bruno Dias @bruno6/3/2024, 7:14 PM

the inlaid nib design does sometimes feel like you’re writing with a severed finger

This is only a plus in my book, but imo too nice to be a carry pen for me (plus hard to find where I live)

Keith @KeithJCarberry6/3/2024, 7:14 PM

Maybe a little too thick but i love the Twsbi Eco. Kaweco Sport is also great and super tiny. Probably the closest thing to what you're looking for that i've used is the Sailor HighAce Neo, which are great and cheap. They often only come in italics nibs but you can sometimes find them with normal nibs.

ros @ros6/3/2024, 7:46 PM

my thinnest pen is the waterman hemisphere and i like it a lot, but unfortunately its price is in the mid range, $80-120. i think it would fit a pen loop. kaweco also makes the lilliput which i haven't tried

yuri @dawnbreak6/4/2024, 7:29 AM

Parker Vector or Vector XL could be good picks. The Platinum Desk Pen is pretty nice if you don't mind the tapered end. The OHTO F-Lapa is also a nice pick for a slim pen. Faber Castell Neo Slim is a more mid-priced option (it's like $40-$50? but a nice pen with a metal body)

Cliff @CliffJameston6/4/2024, 7:31 AM

I can't really vouch for them (because by the time they shipped, I'd discovered my daily drivers, the TWSBI Eco and Precision), but if you're looking for something thinner than a Pilot Metropolitan, the Jinhao 126 and the Hero 448 are quite slim, at least. I think I grabbed mine from aliexpress (which is why they took so long to ship). The Jinhao 126 is very heavy though, if that's an issue.

I also really liked my Parker IM for a while, but I got tired of how tiny the ink capacity was there. I think that one might be pushing the upper bounds of what you're looking for though.

Drako @drakonis6/6/2024, 8:16 PM

pilot Cavaliers are one of the skinniest fountain pens I've ever used and are relatively inexpensive. they can be difficult to find these days, though Japanese sellers on eBay often have them

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