I’m experimenting with some new pens — specifically fountain pens. I’ve picked up an assortment that ranges in price and quality. I’d never used a fountain pen before a few weeks ago, so it was a completely new experience for me. Now that I’ve tried them, I see why they are so popular.

From left to right we have: a TWSBI Diamond 580, A basic Pilot Fountain Pen, a Pilot Petit (discontinued), a Pilot V-Pen, and a Platinum Preppy pen. Most came from Kinokuniya in Portland.

The TWSBI was by far the most expensive pen in the group, and while I do love how clean the action is when writing and drawing, my favorite pen of the bunch is the second one from the left, the basic Pilot fountain pen (of course I cannot find it anywhere online) from Japan. There is something about how it feels in the hand and slides across the paper. It’s like an extension of my fingertips. I currently have it loaded with blue ink. Its line is a bit thinner than the TWSBI, but it’s still thicker than the other fountain pens. Speaking of…

The other pens vary in quality. All are pretty good to write with, but some are more scratchy (the Preppy) than others, which from a texture perspective, really grates on my neuro-divergent brain.