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Penfount • Pen Community

of the day:
What makes a pen a good “daily driver” to you? What factors do you look for in a daily pen? (e.g. nib fineness, barrel width, grip diameter, must post, good cap seal)

@penfount I tend to think of daily driver pens as easy to uncap/cap, unfussy ink flow, robust pen bodies that can handle accidental drops. But maybe I’m conflating “daily driver” with “workhorse” pens. 🙂

@jezlyn @penfount I would say that a good daily driver and workhorse pen are mostly the same. A daily driver needs to be dependable, but also cheap enough that of it gets dropped, lost, or stolen, you won't miss it.

@timelordiroh @penfount I think some people could consider more expensive and “delicate” pens as their daily drivers depending on how “adventurous” they are at bringing their expensive pens out with them, or if they maybe stay at home and don’t need to worry much about something bad happening during transit. But I haven’t gotten to the point where I’m comfortable taking my nicer pens out with me.

@penfount

Good ink flow. Most importantly no hand fatigue after long writing session.

@penfount Solid, reliable, not too broad, not too wet. Currently a Majohn A2 and a Jinhao 92 seem to be those.

@penfount The TWSBI ECO is my daily driver, since Autumn 2017 now, and exemplifies everything I look for in a fountain pen: it's gorgeously designed, writes well, comes in a wide variety of nib widths, including an EF that's suitable for CJKV scripts, it's a good size for my hand, the cap is postable, it has a piston filler with a huge capacity, can be totally disassembled for cleaning, has a stainless steel nib, double cap seal, it's reasonably priced, and comes in a variety of colors.

@penfount High ink capacity is my "make or break" issue. As much as I want my Pilot VP to be my daily driver for the clicky mechanism, both the cartridge and the converter are too small for my purposes. My Lamy 2000 on the other hand seems to never run out of ink.

@penfount
My daily carry pen has to be easy to use and work well on recycled paper. Snap caps mostly but screw caps without too many turns are good. Fine or ef nibs, anything else tends to bleed thru. Also should fit well it my shirt pocket. Pens with loose clips or no clips stay home. Might also be why I prefer flat top pens that fit under a pocket flap.

@penfount I like snap/pull/clutch caps for daily drivers. I think the best of the capping systems is probably the Parker 51 / Wing Sung 601 design. Secure, but doesn’t take much effort to uncap.

I also generally keep at least one retractable nearby for quick notes.

I generally use F and EF nibs.

@penfount It needs to be comfortable to use for extended periods, & uncap quickly—either in ≤1 turn, uses a snap cap/friction fit, or be retractable. It also must write smoothly & reliably, and be fairly durable. High ink capacity is a plus, but not a hard requirement for me. The nib should be fine or extra fine. Having the ink not dry up quickly if left uncapped for a while is also a big bonus.

@penfount One that works instantly even if stored horizontally, upside down, whatever, and ones that work instantly even if it is not used daily... Pilot Preppy are the bomb.