Moleskine Fountain Pen Test

It seems as though I may have embarked into what may become a pretty expensive indulgence. (As if I don’t already spend enough money on art supplies) After seeing so many Flickrites using fountain pens, (most commonly the Lamy Safari models because of their relative inexpensive price and the ability to write like a much more expensive pen), I decided to pick one up and give it a shot. I started with a medium nib, and found it so easy to write with. Such a smooth and effortless way to write - I found my self writing more and for longer periods of time.

My first choice of ink was the Noodler's Bulletproof Black, recommended on more than one occasion as being "safe" (no feathering or bleeding) on the Moleskine paper. (Which can sometimes be persnickety towards fountain pen ink.)

Then one Lamy Safari became three. An Extra-Fine, a Fine and the Medium. I think there is a distinctive difference between the way each one writes. The Medium is super smooth and very wet and if I'm in a hurry, it can be hard to read back my own writing. The Fine nib is not as smooth as the medium, but it's still a nice glide, less wet and probably my favorite of the three. The extra fine? Not as smooth, (smaller nib, less ink to lubricate it against the paper) but the cleanest, clearest, and driest of the three.

I've been having a difficult time trying to find a suitable blue ink for the Moleskine. Waterman Blue Black is nice, but it occasionally feathers. (And it’s not dark enough for me) Noodler's Le Colour Royale (not pictured) is a wonderful deep bluish purple that also occasionally feathers. The Noodler's Polar Blue is somewhat of a mess. Bleeds & feather's horribly. Not sure what I am going to do with it....

When I picked up my last Safari from isellpens.com, I decided to try out some of their inexpensive Chinese fountain pens that seem to score well with the Flickr crowd.

First was an older model Hero 329. ($9.99) It’s a hooded nib that writes like the Fine Lamy. I like it, but I don't love it. The hooded nib makes me forget it's a fountain pen and I keep forgetting to re-cap it. It's a copy of the old Parker 51's.

Next is a $10 NOS celluloid Wing Sung. I'm having problems with it leaking, but I'm not quite sure it's not due to operator error while filling the pen. For only $10, I have not been shy about taking it completely apart to see how it works, and why it might be leaking. When I can keep the ink off of my hands, it writes beautifully. It leaves a smooth line that might be between the Lamy Medium and Fine nibs.

Anyone have any suggestions on what pen I should try next?

Stephanie

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Comments

[ikd]

for me, it is either a pilot G2 or a Lamy. It is the only fountain pen I have tried that doesn't bleed on the moleskine.

I.

[Chris Meisenzahl]

Nice work, that's helpful, thanks!

[Y.A.]

I find that Private Reserve ( American Blue is quite nice - http://www.privatereserveink.com) ink and Parker washable blue both have little to no bleeding or feathering.

Enjoy

[ktl]

i recently bought a lamy cp1 (fine) and this one works quite nicely for me. it is black, sleek and not too obviously lamy-like. plus it works on either t10 cartridges or a converter.

[Rob]

The Pilot Knight would be a good one to try next.
They come in medium, but it's a Japanese nib, so it's closer to a European fine...

[Jimmy]

I like the Pilot Vanishing Point. For ink the Noodler's legal lapis works well on the moleskine paper. Good luck.

[Alquimista]

I suggest buying a relatively inexpensive fountain pen and then grinding your own nib (http://www.marcuslink.com/pens/nibs.html). I used this technique on an Ohto Tasche and it works beautifully. The lines are sharp and chiseled, no feathering, and their width varies like antique calligraphy pens.

[sergio]

i have been using:

noodler's old manhattan blackest black permanent..

it works great on molekines with all my fountain pens..

i think that ink is exclusive to fountain pen hospital. they have a few exclusive colors with city themes. next, i want to try the blue/black..

[Lohr]

I've always had good luck with an XF Rotring Core. The pen has been discontinued, but they're readily found on the web. My F Waterman Phileas hasn't been too bad, though some inks work better than others. I use J. Herbin Poussiere de Lune by preference, and I've had very good luck with it.

[Bill V.]

I personally like Noodler's Indigo Bulletproof Ink. It does not tend to feather and dries quickly. I had problems with Noodler's Polar Blue bleeding also.

[Stephen]

Instead of trying so many different pen and ink combinations, why not use higher quality paper?

[Charles Barilleaux]

I will first give a second to the Vanishing Point. It is a great pen, writes well, and a good price. Oh, and it is the only retractable fountain pen on the market. Seriously, it's a great pen for the money, even if it didn't retract.

I would also go vintage. Get a Parker 51. Some of the Heroes are clones of the 51. Most collectors feel that it is the best fountain pen ever made (particularly as a writer). I would definitely try it.

[David Gray]

I love my Tasche FF-10t from Ohto. Try it and you'll see why.

[Ben Morris]

I second the suggestion of a Pilot Knight, quite reasonably priced ($30 - $35) and so amazingly smooth. Pilot makes fantastic fountain pens.

[woofer]

I can use any fountain pen with any ink on a Clairefontaine notebook. If I want an elastic band, I add an elastic band. If I want a pocket, I stick part of an envelope on the back of the last page. It's perfect! Why persist with Moleskine if they can't figure out the right paper quality? Duh!

[sleepy_bohemian]

woofer : if I want advice on Clairefontaine notebooks, I go to a Clairefontaine related website.

[Garrett]

Personally, while these suggestions are at least interesting and at most useful, I've found that the Cross rollerball refill -- in a Pilot G-2 pen no less -- still works the best for me. Being left-handed means that I have problems with the fountain ink smearing, even when I write from the back of the book to the front.

But that's my .02 worth, and you might want some change back.....

[leegreen]

i've made the very unfortunate mistake of leaving my moleskine out in the rain before. you are probably more careful and so this may not be an issue...but, i discovered that all the writing that was done with a fountain pen or a gel writer pen washed away, but the less aesthetically pleasing ball point pen ink stayed ( i think it has to do with the thickness of the ink vehicle). since then i've written almost exclusively in ballpoint (which has saved money) and when i travel i put my moleskin in a ziplock bag.

[Fazal Majid]

I have a number of very expensive fountain pens (Montblanc, Waterman, Pelikan, S.T. Dupont, Caran d'Ache and so on), but the ones that perform best are: 1) My Montblanc Meisterstuck and 2) my $2 Pilot Varsity disposable fountain pen (Medium nib). The Pilot writes ridiculously well for such an inexpensive pen, I highly recommend it (it is also available in a fine nib).

That said, Moleskine paper is sub-par and unsuited for fountain pen use. Mode e Modo's brilliant marketing notwhitstanding, there are better choices, such as Miquelrius or Clairefontaine. The reason why Clairefontaine does well with fountain pens is that in France, schoolkids are required to use fountain pens as ballpoints are deemed to stunt handwriting. Thus school supplies have to be compatible, and fountain pens are inexpensive and commonplace (you will find them at the local equicalent of Wal-Mart).

[Stephanie]

Thank you everyone for your comments!

I'd like to address a few of the things people have said.

I do not use Miguel Rius or Clairfontaine notebooks because I do not like writing on white paper. I like the cream of the Moleskine and I love that the book lies flat.

I have a Pilot Varsity - it bleeds horribly on every writing surface I have ever tried.

I have tried G2 pens. Too scratchy for me.

I'm not interested in a Parker 51, as my Hero is a Parker knock off and I keep forgetting to re-cap it because it's hooded and looks like a regular ballpoint.

The Pilot Knight looks quite nice, but I'm not crazy about using an aluminum pen. I don't like the way it feels in my hands.

Private Reserve inks are not waterproof. I am now trying to find a waterproof blue that doesn't bleed in the Mole.

[Walter]

Hello Stephanie,

For my daily thoughts in my moleskine ruled notebook, I use an old Pelikan pen, black, with golden pen filled with "4001" Pelikan ink, black. Black is beautiful ! But sometimes I change to my Parker pen, with Royal Blue Ink. Depens on my moods...
By the way, I love your mandala's.
Walter.

[N.Puh]

I hac a Schaeffer Targa for years, a simple stainless steel pen i used for writing, drawing, doodling, everything. Switched to a Mont Blanc, which is nice, but i find even the F tip too broad for my liking. Recently, I got a black Schaeffer Prelude that i quickly fell in love with. The body is made of brass, making it feel comfortably heavy, and the M nib is actually thinner than the MB. It was sort of pricey, but worth it to me.

[Ruby]

Hi Stephanie! I'm going through the same angst! LOL. Any new suggestions for fountain pens? Yes, I know moleskines are not great for fountain pens, but since I'm so into fountain pens and inks right now, I don't mind trying a not-too-expensive fountain pen and ink combination :D I've read the Pilot Prera writes very fine, finer than the Lamy XF. Has anyone used that?

[Aris]

I've tried some fountain pens on moleskine and the only one that writes like a dream with the smooth gliding of Lamy's M nib but with better quality than the EF one, is a cheap Inoxcrom pen with ink cartridges of the same brand. Very common here in México, the Inoxcrom is made in Spain, to the very best of my knowledge, and the nib says Germany.

Inoxcrom ink is only sold in cartridges here, but it's the only one that does not bleed or feather in moleskine's thin, bad quality paper. The black is a deep black and the writing in one side is almost neglectable in the other side, and we know how thin mole's paper is.

[Debbie]

Hmmm. Interesting comments. I love Moleskine paper precisely because my fountain pens (two Pelikans that I spent waaay too much on) write so well on it. I, also, prefer cream to white paper. The other paper that I just love with my fountian pens is the cream paper in the Myndology Basic notebooks. I've recently gotten into disc-bound notebooks, and I infinitely prefer Myndology paper to the more popular Circa products because of feathering. I think that there is a huge difference in the quality of paper between the Moleskine hard-bound books and their cahiers soft notebooks. I've never had a bad batch of hard-cover-bound paper.