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tom.benedict
86
Oct 23, 2017
Never knew those three were south-paws! That's cool.
To answer your question, when I was in school I gravitated toward technical pens loaded with inks designed for drafting. I've still got a set of Koh-I-Noor pens with some ink still left in the original bottle. The ink dries incredibly quickly, and once dried, is pretty impervious. For drafting, technical illustration, or inking pencil drawings, it means you can erase the pencil lines after inking without smudging anything. For a leftie like me, it means by the time my hand drags over the ink, everything is already dry so nothing smudges.
But they're not without their problems. I live at 2,500' above sea level, but routinely work at 14,000'. The pressure change is enough to make these pens dump ink everywhere. The same thing happens if you take them on an airplane without emptying and cleaning them first. These days I mostly use whatever pen I have in my bag, and smudge away. :/
alexlea444
4
Oct 23, 2017
tom.benedictThank you for the feedback. I just have two questions. Which Koh-I-Noor pens are you specifically referring to (rapidograph, rapidosketch)? Also, do you know of any pens that are better for everyday use or cheaper?
tom.benedict
86
Oct 23, 2017
alexlea444Rapidograph. Here's the modern equivalent of the set I have:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001J5MBKW/ref=asc_df_B001J5MBKW5228989
I see what you mean about the price. Cripes, on Blick it's well over $100USD! I got mine something like thirty years ago for just under half that.
Before getting that set I used to pick them up onesy-twosey from the Texas Art Supply in Houston whenever they'd discontinue a line of pens. I wish I still had those. At one point I picked up a ruby-tipped 2x0 for under $20. I can't remember if it was a Koh-I-Noor or if it was a Staedlter Mars. Fantastic pen, though. Since I only used it for writing, the single width was plenty.
One other pain-in-the-rear about these. At one point I loaned the set to my daughter, who's an artist, with strict instructions to empty and clean them when she wasn't going to use them for a while. Turns out she left them with ink in them for a couple of years, then returned them to me. They were dried solid. I wound up running them through an ultrasonic cleaner for close to eight hours before I got them clean. I love how they write, but to be honest they're pretty needy pens.
alexlea444
4
Oct 23, 2017
tom.benedictAs a current high schooler and lefty, I thank you.
joeltwilcox
17
Nov 8, 2017
alexlea444@alexlea444 check out the Jetpens curated collection if you need a quick source for cheap lefty-friendly pens. As a proofreader I rely on a Uni StyleMeiser with Jetstream .5 inserts. Nice thing is it's refillable and can hold a mechanical pencil and two types of ink.
tom.benedict
86
Nov 8, 2017
joeltwilcoxThat has got to be one of the coolest concepts I've seen for a pen(cil) in a long, long time. Thanks for sharing this!
How do the Jetstream inserts write? I've had chronic problems with roller-ball pens since they first came out. Some of the newer ones with gel inks work better for me, but the original designs all seemed to not write, or to just gush ink on the page. Not much in between. I think it had something to do with the angle at which I held them, but I could just never get them to work. Are the Jetstream inserts pretty forgiving?
alexlea444
4
Nov 9, 2017
joeltwilcoxI'll definitely look into that. Is there a chance that you could post a link to the specific pen for myself and any other people who want to look into it?
joeltwilcox
17
Nov 9, 2017
joeltwilcox
17
Nov 9, 2017
tom.benedictThe Jetstream pens contain some sort of spring-loaded double-ball contraption that's a cross between a liquid ink roller ball and a traditional ballpoint. I've never had a problem with blobs or smearing (only pen I've ever really liked). This page actually doesn't mention my personal favorite, which is just an insert for their Style Fit multi-pen series, but you can see the full series here: https://www.jetpens.com/blog/uni-jetstream-a-comprehensive-guide/pt/758
Note they're all extremely low-cost but are super easy to use. Jetpens is the only Stateside distributor I know of that ships them (otherwise you have to get them in Japan or get an Amazon third-party order--good luck with that).
If you want a really nice pen, they recommend this one from Pilot: https://www.jetpens.com/Pilot-Custom-912-Fountain-Pen-Black-Body-Waverly-Nib/pd/17586 and I guess this ink is really quick-drying: https://www.jetpens.com/Noodler-s-Bernanke-Black-Ink-3-oz-Bottle/pd/16577
tom.benedict
86
Jan 18, 2018
joeltwilcoxThanks again for all your input on pens! I showed all this to my wife back when you wrote it, and lo and behold, she got enough Jetstream pen bodies and inserts for each person in the family to build out their own pen/pencil combo.
You're right. The Jetstream inserts write incredibly smoothly. No problem with smearing ink under my hand as I write, and I love how easily you can tailor them to the kind of writing you want to do. I'm not 100% happy with the gel insert I have right now (too light for me to read easily), but I've got red for editing, black and blue for writing, and a pencil insert.
This thing has swiftly become my favorite pen. Thanks again!
alexlea444
4
Jan 18, 2018
tom.benedictWhen I started this thread, I wasn't even expecting a response. Thank you to everyone who has had their input! Also, could you ask your wife if she got an extra for a random person on the internet?
tom.benedict
86
Jan 18, 2018
alexlea444Sad to say she didn't, but they're really not that expensive. Even with the color gel assortments and the colored pencil lead she picked up (yeah, she went NUTS!) it still came out less than $20USD for each of us. Here's the one she got for me: https://www.jetpens.com/Uni-Style-Fit-Meister-5-Color-Multi-Pen-Body-Component-Black/pd/7301 Scroll down on that page and she got the pencil attachment and black, red, and blue cartridges.
alexlea444
4
Jan 18, 2018
tom.benedictAw shucks. That's quite an impressive selection, especially for under $20 USD!
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