Lee’s Art Shop
And A 30 Second Primer To Pens
(3)
Recently I needed to find a 0.5mm metallic silver roller ball pen (yes, that specific) and thus made a sojourn up to Lee’s Art Shop, a famous New York midtown landmark. Directly to the right of the front door (requisite surly security guard included) is a most magnificent sight. A 6 foot inclined wall of pens. Glorious, glorious pens. Felt tip pens, ball point pens, fountain pens, permanent market pens, ink pens, roller ball pens, calligraphy pens, fiber tips pens, gel ink pens, and dozens of others I’ve nary a clue about. A man obsessed? Perhaps.
Lee’s is a mecca for those of you who actually care about the pen you write with (my weapon of choice is always the black Uni-ball Vision Elite
30 Second Primer to Pens:
Here’s a quick Gear Patrol primer/guide to a few of the most often used pens, when people started writing with them, and the benefits. Use it to figure out which pen is best for you.
Fountain Pen (1880)
The Good: The flaws of liquid ink is what makes it absolutely fun to write with a fountain pen.
The Bad: You need skill and patience.
Ballpoint Pen (1940)
The Good: Virtually maintenance free. Lasts a ridiculously long time.
The Bad: Not very expressive and looks like crap. Leave it for the post office and the bank.
Fiber Tip (1960)
The Good: A left-hander’s dream pen. Smooth writing and dries quickly.
The Bad: Some are spring loaded for smoother writing, but a bit annoying for lengthy writing or violent signatures.
Roller Ball Pen (1980)
The Good: Liquid ink rocks (is silky smooth). Known to explode when chewed on too often or when carried on airplanes.
The Bad: Those who don’t like ball-points won’t like roller ball pens. Those who do like the writing action will adhere to these… forever.
Gel Ink (1995)
The Good: Dark, rich ink that pours into paper fibers smoothly and can keep up with the fastest of writers.
The Bad: Crap lifespan.
A mediocre and clearly biased article, in my opinion. It’s fairly clear that the author had one thing in mind at the beginning - roller balls are best - and then led the reader to the same conclusion. As if it matters, by the way, as a point of pride if the readers agree with the author. Not to mention, I doubt if anyone actually learned anything from this article, which had so much opportunity to be about a) the stationary store itself; b) comparison of different brands of pens instead of types; c) how to use pen colours to be more expressive, etc.
C’mon gear patrol, are you really going to let this kind of C- level journalism scar your otherwise useful and excellent reviews?
David, I would be remiss if I didn’t think the article wasn’t 100% GP quality, unfortunately it happens sometimes. Appreciate the feedback and suggestions though… perhaps an update is in order.
What can I say, I’ve got a thing for roller-ball pens - an opinion (and pen) I’m not afraid to stand behind.
Fair enough, Eric. I was speaking for what I’m guessing are a fair number of stationary fans on the site - but admittedly not everyone.
Here’s another one I’ve been curious about - compare an expensive pen like a mont blanc to your roller ball or other affordable pens. I just picked up a MB fiber tip and am loving it, but can see your point about signatures. But is a $400 pen worth it for more than aesthetics?
It’s good to know there are fans of the traditional method out there, especially with stationary and fine pens. We’ll get it into our notes to look into bringing more products on that front.
Personally, I know a lot of guys with fine writing tools - though more do so for collecting purposes. I still rely on the an arsenal of $3 roller-ball pen for all my needs, but a fine Mont Blanc goes a long (long) way when it comes to writing cache.
David,
First glad to see another stationary fan on the site. Personally I was drooling over the pic of that pen wall at Lee’s. Not to stomp my own review, but I recently did a write up on a fountain pen from Namiki (Pilot’s high end brand) which you can find here. http://gearpatrol.com/blog/2009/02/23/namiki-falcon-fountain-pen/
It’s not as high priced as a MB (which I admittedly have never used), but it’s generally thought to have comparable performance. I touched on the pros and cons to it, and a little more in the comments. Overall I loved that pen, it wrote great and made writing seem much more of an art than a necessary evil. On good paper or true stationary it outperformed the roller balls and felt tips I used, laying down a nice bold and smooth line. I had to write in cursive though or it tended to blot. For taking quick notes it required too much care and attention to make it preferrable to a cheap pen. Trying to compare a fountain pen to disposable pens is a little like comparing a 60’s Porsche to a 08′ Mustang. The Mustang can do everything the Porsche can and better in most aspects, and with a lot less hassle, but it just doesn’t have the same soul. Hope that helps a little.
Cheers,
Jon
jury duty has kept me from my usual internet browsing but now that’s over and i’ve done my duties and can commence to my typical perusing if gearpatrol.com.
i, personally, did not find the article biased. it came off to me as a brief article noting some basics of a few different pen types. i don’t feel it forced me in one direction or another, rollerball included. i typically use rollerballs for note taking, but Jon’s latest article got me to purchase a Lamy Safari fountain pen that has been a joy to use. I enjoy it so much, in fact, that i just purchased a second Safari in a different color and with a Fine nib. I’m looking forward to a third at some point with an italic nib. i never though i would enjoy writing so much. now, if only i had something useful to say. haha.
keep up the good work, guys.
I think the only skill and patience you need with a fountain pen are when you learn to fill it, which is fun anyway…other than that, it shouldnt be a deal breaker.
Good post though, I never knew of Lees, might have to make a trip one day.
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