Hooray for workhorse fountain pens

Ever since I started using fountain pens in earnest around this time last year, I haven’t wanted to use my gel pens or anything else. I feel bad for my Frixion pens and my Uni-Ball multi-pens. 😅

Although I flit back and forth among my currently inked pens (I have 20 inked right now), I do find myself relying on some “workhorse” pens that I don’t mind using for note-taking and for brief stints out of the house.

Semi-tangent: I’m actually kind of afraid to take any of my nice pens out of the house because something might happen to them. Besides the sentimental value, of course there’s the monetary value which, especially now, wouldn’t be easy to stomach. It’s a bit weird because I have no problem taking my camera gear out on a photo walk or whatever, but I guess I worry that fountain pens are easier to lose and/or be stolen…? I understand this is slightly irrational. 😛

Anyway, what makes a “workhorse” pen for me? I have a few criteria:

• They’re usually inexpensive

• They’re made of robust material able to withstand drops and getting thrown into a bag without cases

• If something happens to them, they aren’t hard to replace

• They’re fast and easy to uncap or cap them in note-taking situations

• They write well and don’t hard start even after days or weeks of non-use

• They’re easy to clean and refill

There are probably a few more minor nice-to-have criteria, but the above are primary factors determining a pen’s workhorse status.

I have several go-to pens in this category:

• TWSBI GO or Swipe

• Kaweco Sport

• Lamy Lx

• Jinhao X159 or 9019

• Majohn A1 or A2

• Pilot Capless Fermo

• Pilot E95s or vintage Pilot Elites

• Platinum Preppy

Special shout out to the TWSBI GO. I love its simple construction using a clear plastic body that feels very sturdy without being that bulky. The snap cap is easy to uncap and recap while journaling or note-taking. I really like its built-in, spring-loaded filling mechanism, making it super easy to clean out without additional tools, and simple to refill. Thanks to its effective cap seal, it is very reliable in terms of staying ready to be used even if I have left it alone for several days or weeks. It’s also the most inexpensive TWSBI. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend these as a first fountain pen.

I actually bought two of them — one F nib, the other a M nib — because it was cheaper or on par with buying a TWSBI replacement nib unit, as someone online mentioned, so it was a cost-effective way to building out nib variety for my TWSBI collection. Turns out I like using the GOs all on their own (sorry to my other TWSBIs).

The Platinum Preppy has similar traits to the TWSBI GO as far as the simple plastic construction and well-sealed snap cap, but I did have to buy a proprietary converter separately when I got mine, so that is a minor ding in my book. On the other hand, you could use (proprietary) cartridges with the Preppy, so that’s a consideration. If you want more flexibility in inking options, the TWSBI Swipe offers a similar ease with a spring-loaded converter or traditional converter, and the ability to use standard international cartridges.

Anyway, most of my picks above use robust pen materials that wouldn’t be as fragile when dropped, are very easy to cap/uncap for note-taking, and are generally on the inexpensive side. The Jinhaos have threaded caps, so not quite as convenient, but their overall package meets the workhorse designation, especially since they’d be easily replaceable should something happen to them.

The Pilot Capless Fermo is on the pricier side and would be harder to replace since it’s discontinued, but I love its capless design compared to something like a Pilot Vanishing Point or the Majohn A1/A2, even though it’s slightly less convenient to deploy one-handed, given its twist mechanism. It just appeals to me more.

The Lamy Lx is a slightly nicer version of a Lamy Safari (I gather; I don’t own a Safari…yet) with a well-designed metal body that makes using it feel a bit more special, even when doing something mundane.

Among the pocket pens, I prefer the Pilot E95s/Elite slightly above the Kaweco Sports. Their slip caps are easier to use, and they feel sleeker. But the Kawecos are cheaper. The metal construction of the AL Sport does have a premium feel and satisfying “snikt” sound when posting, though! 😀 YMMV.

All in all, I’m happy to have various workhorse pens for more casual, EDC scenarios since I prefer writing with fountain pens more these days. Perhaps eventually I’ll bring my gel pens back into the fold and balance between them and my fountain pen collection, but for now, it’s all fountain pens, all the time.

Here’s a sneak peek at a mind map I jotted down when I was thinking about what a “workhorse pen” means to me, fairly free-flowing with a couple redundant bubbles and sometimes a lack of consistent categorization. 🤷‍♀️