Why Should You Use A Fountain Pen When You Can Use Ballpoint Pen?

1. 82

   ngurecoposted 14 years ago

   Why Should You Use A Fountain Pen When You Can Use Ballpoint Pen?

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2. 78

   Mike Lickteigposted 14 years ago

   A fountain pen can give you variations of line width that a ball point pen never will.  Fountain pens can make handwriting look more elegant and decorative.

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3. 0

   OfficeSupplyGeekposted 14 years ago

   I actually wrote an ezine article about a very similar question, and gave multiple reasons to use a fountain pen.  I didnt focus on a comparison to a ballpoint but gave what I think are the best reasons to use a fountain pen.  Personally I think that there is almost NEVER a good reason to actually use a ballpoint though.  You can get a similar, but much better experience with a rollerball or gel pen.
   
   The url for my long winded ansewer is below.
   
   ezinearticles.com/?Why-Should-I-Use-a-Fountain-Pen?&id=3149058
   
   I also offer lots of fountain pen reviews and even some reviews of beginner fountain pens on my site, which is just my user name here plus .com if you might find something like that helpful.

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4. 61

   Alayne Fenasciposted 14 years ago

   You should use a fountain pen if you prefer a fountain pen. If you use a fountain pen but do not prefer a fountain pen, you will be wasting a wonderful writing tool.
   
   I do believe that the pen in your hand should feel right. For me, a fountain pen feels right.

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5. 77

   robertsloan2posted 13 years ago

   That depends on what you're using it for and why. A fountain pen as writing instrument can be impressive, if you want to convey an upper class image keeping one in your jacket pocket and using it for signatures and notes can give more authority to your look and to the look of the documents you just signed. Or if you're a writer who works things out by writing long hand, using a fountain pen to write your rough drafts may put you into more of a creative, less everyday mood and remind you that what you're working on is your creative projects.
   
   For calligraphy, the line can vary from a chisel calligraphy nib to a very slight chisel effect on a writing nib. Ball points give a line with the same even width no matter which way you turn the pen. A fountain pen will give a certain look to even everyday handwriting that's slightly calligraphic.
   
   For art, a ball point or fountain pen will give a strikingly different quality of line. Also it's easy to get a pump refill cartridge and use archival, artist grade inks for your drawings when you mean to sell them.

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6. 61

   Comelityposted 13 years ago

   A lot of people really love writing with a Fountain pen, because it offers "different sensations". It is quite hard to explain that, but it something that goes over any practical advantage..

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   tsgs01posted 13 years ago

   This is like why send someone a letter instead of an e-mail. Letters should be used when you want to convey something more personal or important. It shows that you have taken the time to compose your thoughts ( no quick editing), and felt like they needed to be presented in a way that is more meaningful than a quick typed note in any font, form, and timing.
   
   If you have not used a fountain pen (to young to have had too) or have always used the pen right in front of you (usually a cheap mass produced plastic one use and to the landfill type pen) then you are missing the true form of writing.
   
   Fountain Pens, usually found in the pockets of people, who in the initial comeback era as power pens, stuck. Even though they are more trouble than a toss-it pen, writing with one is a unique experience, no two are exactly a-like once they are used and develop their own "signature" lines and form.
   
   Try one and you will get it. if you don't, you can say you tried. The odds are if you give a good fountain pen a chance, you will keep it for life.

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8. 80

   peachpurpleposted 9 years ago

   good question. Btw, nobody use fountain pen here. Everybody use ballpoint pen or gel pen. I would use fountain for cursive writing

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9. 49

   Xrciselft4RDRposted 8 years ago

   1) Fountain pens are far friendlier to the environment. You replace the ink, rather than replacing the entire pen. If you take care of your pen, it will last through generations. You can't say that about ballpoint filth.
   
   2) Ballpoint filth uses friction to write. You have to press down to get the ball rolling into the paper to start the ink flowing. There isn't friction with fountain pens because the ink flows as soon as the nib makes contact with paper, so the nib flows over the paper rather than in it.
   
   Why does that matter? Because the friction of writing with ballpoint filth makes writing painful, if not impossible, for people with hand pain issues such as arthritis, previous injuries to the fingers or hand, degenerative conditions, and even carpal tunnel.
   
   Fountain pens also tend to come in larger barrel/grip sizes, which also helps with reducing hand pain still further when writing.
   
   I am one of the people who has hand pain issues, and my doctor prescribed fountain pens for writing. It was the only way I could continue in college, and my professors have to accommodate my fountain pen use. I could not survive taking notes and writing assignments all day if I had to use ballpoint filth, or even gel or rollerball pens. Gel and rollerball sort of work better, but only by adding an hour to how long I can write with them. Fountain pens still allow me to write longer and with less stiffness or pain than any other kind of pen.
   3) Fountain pens allow more flexibility with HOW you write. If you know what you're doing, then you can get most nibs to "spread" from pressing down on the nib, so that you can create considerable line variations in a way that ballpoints cannot offer.

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