I'm not a real fountain pen, but I sure write swell!

I don't always reach for a fountain pen, often not with paying bills.  While some of the inks work just fine I've noticed that the banks I use are going cheaper & cheaper and the quality of the paper makes it harder & harder to use fountain pens & fountain pen ink.

So in come those swell pens that aren't so grumpy.

Top to bottom:  Tradio Black; Rotring Tikky & Pilot V-Ball [closed]

Top to bottom: Tradio Black; Rotring Tikky & Pilot V Ball (F) (open)

Take the Tradio (can be refilled with several colours) purchased at Jet Pens.   It is quite a nice pen to hold and is consistent.  It is normally in my writing pack, but I popped it out today for some reason and used it on those inexpensive envelops I was using.

Or if you like a slightly more expensive looking model, with trim and a big name, I can recommend the Rotring Tikky, also available at Jet Pens.   I really enjoy using this pen and she is always as reliable as a BMW.

Quick writing sample on Rhodia pad

I've been experimenting with various pens for different projects and  thinking about why one pen suits better than another and use them accordingly. 

Take the old style Pilot V Ball in extra fine.   I bought about two dozen of those years ago when Gwen Diehn recommended them, and they are still running on their own fuel.   However, they are discontiued and replaced with a less reliable substitute.

Note:  The ink in these pens are not water resistant! 

A cup of black Pilots

These Pilot V balls, extra fine, were my favourite non-fountain pen for drawing as can be attested by this collection.

Gwen introduced them to me as one of the few that wrote over gel medium.

The last time I was in a large stationary store I couldn't find them.

If the weather would just improve I'd consider a trip to either Scranton (where they have choices) or Middletown where they have similar shops.

Judging from a google search it looks as if they may have been re-packaged. However, Misterart does appear to have the exact or nearly the same pen.

I also just checked Jet Pens and it looks as if they have another Pilot that may be similar.