Good post though, I never knew of Lees, might have to make a trip one day.

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.

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

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.

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?

What can I say, I’ve got a thing for roller-ball pens – an opinion (and pen) I’m not afraid to stand behind.

C’mon gear patrol, are you really going to let this kind of C- level journalism scar your otherwise useful and excellent reviews?