Pinning this comment because I get it a lot lol: yes, I naturally hold my pens that way. My pens do write smoothly and the ink flows consistently with the way I hold it (besides my one kaweco but that’s because of other reasons). I have written holding pens the ‘proper’ way (at a more 45 degree angle, leaned back and gripped with my finger tips instead of my fist) but that’s not comfortable for me when it comes to long term writing, and it also makes my lines thicker - and I prefer the finer line I get from my natural grip! I know on camera it appears that the nib is sideways due to my grip, but both tines DO come in contact with the paper, the pen is just held at a higher angle rather than leaned back. I have had zero issues with smoothness, ink flow, etc. with the way I naturally hold a pen!

Welcome to the rabbit hole. Here is your welcome basket of carrots and lettuce. If I can give you 1 piece of advice. Slow down and really figure out what you like in a fountain pen. Define a set of parameters, and then purchase pens accordingly, until your tastes change. One thing I have noticed from newbies, their journey begins with a flurry, and by the time they figure out exactly what they like, they have bought a lot of pens, and the guilt starts to set in about future purchases. The guilt never works, but then you're left with a lot of pens, just when you really start to figure out what you like and want to experience. A lot of people start out with "starter" pens that are smaller and with EF, and F nibs, and eventually learn they like bigger, girthier, pens with broader nibs, but again a whole lot of pens have been bought by that time. So take your time. I have fallen prey to it sometimes as well. Good Luck. :)

TWSBI is a Tawanese brand. I've been in the hobby for about 10 years now, and my advice with your troublesome Kaweco would be to take the whole thing apart, wash it completely, and let all the parts air-dry. Make sure that the feed is very clean. When you re-assemble it, be sure that your hands are just washed clean and dry, without any hand cream since the oils can interfere with water based fountain pen ink. Hopefully that will solve your skipping problems!

Love your collection and your favorite Sailor, it’s mine too! Adore your enthusiasm, it’s so contagious! I bought mine from Amazon, was so skeptical but it’s become my absolute fav!

Yeesss girl!!! Lmao I loved watching this video. You came across so so real and relatable. Not that your other planner videos don’t but I’m starting out on the fountain pen journey too and found it so relatable. I love the new content and hhhhooopppeee you keep sharing because I love your videos and I’m obsessed!!!

Love your collection! 😍 I’ve fallen in love with Sailor as well. I got my Sailor Shikiori Meigetsu after I saw you get yours. I had been debating on getting it for months after seeing it in a destash. And then I saw your stories & saw how gorgeous it was; I finally bought it. 😅It’s in EF & it’s become my favorite pen. 😆

So refreshing to see a FP person without the prim and proper tone. I got so bored sometimes watching people only say nice things about brands. The casual tone is waaaaay more fun to watch.😊

Diamine makes an "inkvent" calendar that comes out this month!! 24 x 12ml inks, then a 30 ml bottle on xmas!! Great way to try new inks!

Thank you for introducing me to the Lennon Tool Bar aunt chair. This is the first time hearing of this brand. That shade of green is right up my alley. It's like a grey white washed green. It just jumped at me.

I’m trying to resist getting the Galen Leather crazy horse green zip and slip! Your pen cases are divine 😊

I just started getting into fountain pens and I own the same Twsbi pens. I appreciate your honest opinion on your fountain pen collection.

TWSBI pens are just solid, and I always recommend starting out with an Eco. I like the idea of a vanishing point, but couldn't get over the price tag - I've found the knock-off version the Majohn A1 to be great, and worth checking out at about $40 or so. Another I've really enjoyed is the Wing Sung 699 vacuum filler that is a knock-off of the Pilot Custom 823, but about $30 instead of $300. Thanks for showing off your collection, some very nice pens!

Love your vid Amanda, I've just recently started on my fountain pen journey, like the start of August this year.. And isn't just a vibe?? The more you get into them, the more the rabbit hole grows deep. First it's the pens, then it's the nibs and then the freaking inks and then it's the pen holders and then it's the papers hahahah 😂.... Such a fun yet expensive hobby, but so glad I stumbled into it. ❤

I just ordered my first Sailor yesterday. I'm excited for it and nervous that it won't be my last 😆

My daily driver is also the Pilot Vanishing Point in extra fine! I also found that fountain pens with gold nibs, like the Lamy 2000 in extra fine, provide such a soothing writing experience; it's around the same price range as the Vanishing Point but so worth it! I think the next pen I want to get is the Lamy Dialog CC but that's at a price point a little too high at the moment.

TWSBI is from Taiwan and uses German JoWo nibs. And you are right, Twsbi pens write beautifully. I’m also a EF nibs lover 😊

Love your videos so much!! ur awesome!

Just found your video (via KZfaq recommendation). I'm a fountain pen lover too. Just a suggestion for your Kaweco Macchiato...have you tried a different ink? I think Ferris Wheel Press inks can be a problem to use. I think they're very thin/watery. Maybe your nib will play better with a wetter, more lubricated ink. I'd suggest trying a Pilot Iroshizuku ink. They are wonderful and flow smoothly in every pen I've had them in. You can always order a few sample inks so as not to commit to a full bottle unless you find out it works. Good luck with that pen.

I appreciate all the S words in a fountain pen review, especially from a lady. I looked up TWSBI and found it's from Taiwan, so thank you. I'm from Taiwan and now feel obligated to support TWSBI. Thank you.

My favorite pens are Platinum Nice, Montegrappa Parola and Elmo, Gravitas Entry, and Montblanc. I bought a MF Sailor ProGear, but it isn't wet enough and it's too fine. It's a very pretty pen, though, and I plan to try that pen in the M. Platinum is my favorite for work - it's not too wet (so it doesn't bleed through cheap office paper) or too fine, and the sealed cap means the ink never dries out. I rotate through pens. When I no longer use one, I sell it. I buy pretty pens so I have no problem selling my pens.

I'm relieved that I'm not the only one who had issues with the Lamy safari. My first fountain pen were disposable Pilot varsity pens and those wrote better than my first "real" fountain pen which was a Lamy al star. I went through three extra fine nibs on that pen and eventually gave up on it. Very inconsistent, would tear up paper so easily, was not smooth either. Now, my current pens include a Platinum Century Celluloid 3776 which I use the most and two Nahvlur Voyager pens that I'm struggling to find decent nibs for. Yesterday I had ordered the every rose has its thorn after eyeing it for quite a whilst so I'm looking forward to that as well!

Just found you! Love the video….I have recently got into fountain pens and really like the kaweco sports….. I am lusting after a sailor, even more so after your enthusiasm! X👍

I have found that it takes a day or two for the ink to flow well in my Colaco pen. I read somewhere that you need to place it somewhere Nebe side down for the ink to flow and fill up the name or the little thing behind it. That didn’t work, but to migrate to light on the second day always well. I wonder if anyone else has had this experience or can give some advice about speeding up the process. Really enjoyed your video.❤

Ps: check to make sure you received-seated your nib properly on your Kawecos and yes, Lamy and Kaweco are both German and tend to write thicker than Japanese and taiwanese (Benu and TSWBI) fountain pens. I’m in the DC area let me know if you want to discuss fountain pens.😊

Those pen pouches are elegant particularly the black one is so 👌

I love the TSL case but don’t love the idea of storing my expensive pens in a case where they touch each other, especially for that price. So I actually use the same Galen case you have (and the 10 pen zip cases) for my nice pens. If anyone has suggestions for nice cases for high end pens that keep pens separated, use high quality leather, have a slim profile, and aren’t obnoxiously branded I would really love to know.

I find with my Kaweco sports that sometimes the cartridge wiggles out of place and that affects the ink flow! I like my Kaweco sports okay but the Al sports are my FAVORITE. The weight is so much better and I have it in EF and it is the pen I use in my Hobo weeks!

Try to get a pen case that has a flap over the pen lids, that way there no possibility of the clips scratching on the opposite side. You are correct. The tWSBI uses a piston filler. They are not internal converters. Also if you like smooth nibs, try a Faber-Castell. They have the best steel nibs out there, but because they are German they might run a bit broader than you like. You will get the best ink characteristics with mediums nibs and broader. It's nice to experiment, but if you do not like thick lines, stay with the Japanese pens. Platinum has and UUEF out there. Not easy to find here, but I would suggest checking out online stores in Japan.

New subscriber, loved your video, loved your honesty. I also fell down the fountain pen rabbit hole, 14 pens later .......... have just started using Ferris wheel press ink and love it. ❤ ×

how did you change the nibs in your Kaweco pens? Perhaps something went wrong in the nib change or the nib you purchased has an issue?

If you go medium nib size and above , you will love Kaweco . I started with extra fine with Kaweco and then fine back in 2017 and I hated it … now, I on,y go medium and above sizes with this pen maker 😊

Do you think it’s the ink being used that isn’t allowing the pen to write as smoothly as it did after first inking? Do you think the shimmering inks don’t do well with Kaweco’s finer nibs?

Is the nib sitting where it should? Are the tines aligned? Changing nibs can easily disalign the times and make the best nib feel awful. Also, to increase flow, you can use a copper or thin plastic sheet to "floss" the tines. Brian Goulet has awesome videos demonstrating all these tricks. 😉

I'm at stage one with fountain pens. I have a preppy on the way with carbon ink. If i don't like writing with it I can use it for line and wash sketching. I wonder where I'll be a year from now. Pray for me 🙏

Hi growing up and attending catholic school we used nothing but fountain pens for 18 yrs. Please look at the Palmer penmanship program to learn how to hold the pen correctly and it will make all the difference in the world. You also won’t have pain or tire holding the pen just an fyi. Also usually you can clean the pens and your one pen may get back to normal. Also, where do you get your ink samples? Just wondering. Thanks, irene

Just found your site and am enjoying your video. I’ve been into fountain pens for 3 or 4 years. I have a Twisbi medium and it’s great but I find it thicker than I expected. I’ve been wanting the rose gold and plan to get both an EF and F in the future. Also liked that sailor pen you got on Amazon at the end. Does it come with a converter. I’m looking at Amazon now and getting conflicting info. How does the this sailorShikori compare with the more expensive pro gear. Thanks

Here because I’m obsessed with you always

Are your twisbi’z ‘scratchy’ when you write? I have a twisby but it is really scratchy, kinda annoying, but I LOVE how much ink it holds.

Make sure to really clean your Kaweco sport out after you swap the nibs, just in case something got into the feed during the swap. Make sure the nib is seated all the way in and lined up with the feed. And check to see that the tines are aligned. Maybe check out some videos on KZfaq about tuning nibs. If the fine wrote great before, then something happened when you swapped the nibs. Flush the feed, make sure there is nothing stuck in the tines, and then straighten the tines if needed.

If you want a super fine writing, get a Sailor 911L with a UEF nib 😊 it’s a thin pen and would suit you perfectly.

Welcome to the rabbit hole with the rest of us. It’s exciting and expensive.

You should check out the Majohn A1 it's exactly a pilot vanishing point clone but only $20-$40 depending on where you buy. I jave both pens and I use my A1 more than my vp.

I just ordered the Mellow Blue Kaweco…that’s number nine! 🤪

The LAMY is German. It’s designed like that because it’s also used in German schools to teach and encourage students on how to hold a fountain pen the correct way. Not to the side like you do, not upside-down but the tip facing top of the page, or at least roughly in that area, and the sides of the top point to the sides of the page. Not necessarily perfectly but that’s the idea. That way you can change the signature of the writing by releasing more or less ink consistently depending on how hard you push down.

Lovely collection! Following on IG and trying to admire from afar and not get enabled 😂

If you look up images of Oyster Hour you can see that it's supposed to do that. It's called shading and it happens in some lighter inks. Some people purposefully seek it out (me, I'm people)because it adds dimension with how it darkens in spots where it pools. The original F writing looked solid because the ink feed was still really saturated from filling. At least that the explanation that makes most sense from your writing samples. FYI, Raw Sienna is a shader too. If its something you don't like, you can look up the ink for writing samples or reviews first to make sure its not a shading ink. I have a pen where I never clean and just switch back and forth between two inks because I like how they mix a little bit (ones a darker yellow that shades and one a model golden yellow with gold shimmer and I like the hint of shimmer when its full of the shading ink and the bit darker tone when its filled with the shimmer).

You are second person mentioning getting a pen case second hand. Where can I look for them?

Great video since I also fell down the same rabbit hole recently 😂 I love my Lamy AL-Star, but with Kaweco I’ve had problems with the ink flow and it feels scratchy. The smoothest writing experience I’ve had is Platinum Preppy! They are really affordable and write sooo smoooth! 😍 Try them, if you haven’t yet!

Do your Twisbys stay posted? I have a Eco T, beautiful pen and it is a true extra fine nib, but the darn cap won’t stay posted. I hate writing with an unposted pen. I lucked out with my Kaweco Machiato EF, writes perfectly. It is still one of my favorites in my collection. But you’re right, they are not consistent, I’ve bought a few and they do not compare with my Machiato

@amandaleighplans Love this video! What is the name of the black ink on your vanishing point pen? Thanks!

Fascinating! I had no idea there were this many types of fountain pens and ink colors. "dusty purple"! This may be my new rabbit hole.

17:51 you probably have to adjust the placement of the nib and feed. If it is off just a little you will have problems

I love the Twsbi Eco, and pilot gold nibs. The pilot gold nibs I think are better than Japanese gold nibs. Since you have Sailors, you might try a pilot E95, a custom 74, or the best in my opinion the custom 823. 😉 I've been in the FP world for 35 years. I think I've tried them all. I agree with you about Safari and Kaweco, far inferior to pilot. With the one exception the lamy 2000. Anyway, it is a very deep rabbit hole you have stumbled into, Alice.

What is the case?

Just curious why you write with the nib sideways? Maybe that’s contributing to the ink skipping. 😊

Sell all the pens that have problems or you just don’t like and get the Every Rose! It is one of my absolute favs!

Well, I greatly prefer a soft gold nib, but in fairness both steel nibs and gold nibs use the same tipping material, and that's all that touches the paper. This means there is no inherent difference in smoothness between steel and gold nibs. A cheap steel nib can be just as smooth as the gold nib on a twelve thousand dollar Namiki Maki-e. That said, assuming you take the time to learn how to properly use a soft gold nib, it offers advantages no steel nib can give. TWSBI pens are made in Taiwan, but wherever a pen is made, you can usually get a very thin line. Just about all pen models have extra fine nibs. Some even have ultra extra fine. Platinum even has an ultra ultra extra fine. That is much thinner than your .38. Most pens run from extra fine of the thin side up to broad on the thick side. Some go up to double broad, or BB. So, from one brand to another, nibs are ultra ultra extra fine, ultra extra fine, extra fine, fine, fine medium, medium, broad, and double broad. The problem with using an extremely thin line with fountain pens is that you're defeating one of the main reasons to use a fountain pen, which is the ink. Fountain pen inks have properties, ranging from shading to sheen. These need thicker lines to be seen well. Sheen can be stunningly beautiful, but it simply doesn't show up well with a thin line. Sometimes not at all. Shimmer inks also work much, much better with a wide line. The wider the better. The more ink a pen puts out, the more shimmer that comes out with it. There's nothing wrong with writing fine. I use a .3 mechanical pencil, and like you, I use a .38 non-fountain pen. When I use a fountain pen, though, I go up to a western fine or a Japanese medium, which are about the same. Sometimes I go up to a western medium because I have three hundred and twenty-six bottles of ink, and it would be pointless to own almost all of them if I used a fountain pen with too fine a line. It's much more than the color of the ink, it's all the ink properties that just don't show up well, or at all, with a line that's too thin.

I am interested in the Galen Leather pen case. I am outside of Continental US. Kindly advise 🙏.

I find that ink viscosity and pigment density are very important for the optimal writing experience with your various fountain pens.

As someone teetering on the edge of the fountain pen rabbit hole, I can see that it could bring as much pain as joy.

First off, great video and super entertaining (although I am one to enjoy watching ink dry, lol (only with beautiful chroma-shaders though ;D )). 0:37 I feel like this is relative. Fountain Pen collection can be as expensive or affordable as you make it. I've been in the hobby for quite a few years now and made the decision to not spend more than $200 on a pen. I feel like, after a certain point, the writing experience won't increase the more you pay for the pen. It's just the different materials of the body of the pen and truly, that's not super important to me. I have beautiful gold nibs that write like butter and super smooth steel nibs that are inexpensive and give me just as much joy when writing at my holy grail pens.

The Kawecos beeing inconsistent is normally not meaning what you are experiencing. Inconsistent normally means the nib itself. So that one Pen has a smooth nib and the next can have a scratchy nib, which needs some tuning or just doesn't feel as good as another one did. What you show us in the Video ist an issue with the ink flow. That is not the nib, but as far as I know a KAWECO problem. It may come from the feed, or is converter-related. It in my experience depends on the amount of Ink you have in the converter and the feed itself. And, it may also depend on the position you store your pen in. That all together influences the wetness of a Pen, and what you describe as inconsistency would by sonmeone else be seen as shading. You may not be used to that, as a beginner and fine nib user, but that is what all fountain pens do, because of how ink flows and behaves. Ink is always pooling where you lift the nib from the paper. It is only more visible the dryer a pen writes and the broader a nib is. With a very wet nib, you don't see much difference because there's a lot of ink everywhere, so you do not really distinguish the pool at the end of a Line/stroke, which is normal. And of course, certain inks shade better than others. If you don't like shading, use black or darker inks. If you like it, use brighter inks and broader nibs. As long as you use only black or royal blue, you might not get the sense of broader nibs. Because finer nibs are normally wetter and so you don't get as much shading. But, I love writing with fountain pen and ink, because of the shading. That is what makes ink interesting, because out of one and the same ink, you get a variety of shades depending on the pen and paper. If you like wetter writing, store your pen nib-down. But be sure it is a good pen and the temperature is constant. Otherwise it'll leak, which is why you normally store fountain pens nib-up. So the "controlled leak" of the feed is safe, out of the reach of ink due to earth's gravity.

I clicked on the link from your Amazon favorites and the ivory/black Sailor doesn't say it's a Pro Gear Slim. It says it's a Sailor but only lists numbers instead of Pro Gear. It also says it's a gold plated nib...not a gold nib. Maybe this isn't the correct link?

TWSBIs are from Taiwan. Love them!

Pen Chalet is my go-to pen shop if I don’t get a pen from Amazon. They always have their pens at a discount. Also…if you’re in the market to try a new ink brand, Ferris Wheel Press is chef’s 💋!!! You should try a Laban or a Conklin. While I do love my Pilot Vanishing Point and my Sailor Pro Gears, Laban and Conklin are relatively inexpensive fun brands as well. They are made with resin so they are unique from one pen to another even if they are in the same pattern….guess I should’ve waited to comment til the end😅. You already know how amazing FWP inks are.

👌👌😍😍

*closes eyes* I will not go down the rabbit hole! I will not go down the rabbit hole! BUT I was thinking, I should have one ink for each color I have.

“Let’s write with this piece of shit” 😂😂😂

💜🐦‍⬛just found you…you’re a hoot😂😊

Madam I want your fountain pen writing on my hand✒️🤚🖋️

Hmmm....I have never really seen anyone hold a pen in that angle, much less a fountain pen. This might put extra strain on your fingers and also the nib will not feel smooth.

Why are you holding the pen like a pool stick? Americans are so batty sometimes....