I’ve used fountain pens for over 50 years and I cannot understand this whole inky fingers issue and I’m left handed as well…and have zero issues…do people play with the damn things?

In the end, a pen is a writing instrument, and when you write A LOT, nothing compares to writing with SOME fountain pens (not all are built the same): A) your hand is not hurt with fp’s, try writing a hundred pages with a rollerball or ballpoint and tell me how you feel. B) you write faster, waaaaaay faster. Try writing a hundred pages with a ballpoint or rollerball and see how long it takes. The fact that your pen does not work to take a quick note is because you are using a crappy pen, even if it’s expensive. I have some pens which can write well right away after not using them MONTHS, even some really cheap pens. C) both A and B matter because writing requires a mental process, even if its unconscious, and if writing is harder or not fast enough, you waste a lot of mental power on those things instead of the actual writing (don’t try to argue this, your mind works like that). The only time I don’t use an FP is for signing some stuff, like contracts on bad paper. Other than that I don’t see any other thing that prevents me from using one. The paper is a thing, but with the right pen and the right nib size it does not matter that much if it’s common paper like printer sheets and common notebooks. Granted, there are some papers that are just woeful, Moleskines for example, I won’t even think of writing on those in the first place. And the “messy” part, once again depends on the pen. For the left handed issue, try using very fine nibs and very quick drying ink, preferably in cheaper paper which has higher absorption than high quality paper.

You forgot the biggest reason though. They suck because you can only write with one at a time but will have a couple dozen in no time and will agonize daily over which 3 or 6 you are going to carry that day.

It’s real easy to get frustrated because each pen has it owns character and there is a whole lot to learn. I started with lots of cheap pens and am happy I did, because boy did I surprise myself with what I liked and didn’t like. It was often the opposite of what I expected. These pens are drama but we love them. Lol😂

The brain explosion of realising you can never write through all of the ink you own. Yet you need to own that new one....

Yeah, no on costs. A Pilot Varsity, eye converted, ink syringe, and a cheap bottle of ink, will serve you many pages of writing, and drawings.

I have 42 FP on my collection box and growing 😁 As a user for around 40 years, I can assure you that I can't compare the experience of a fountain pen VS a ballpoint pen. I am one of those who prefer to work with a FP despite its "drawbacks", it is more appreciated among connoisseurs both artistic and written works. The fountain pen is actually a sub-culture within the universe of the analog.

There is certainly a learning curve involved but the customization, personalization, and variety are what I enjoy the best.

It is the pleasure of writing with one. Elegant in a disposable society. But if one is careless don't buy a fountain pen.

I hate when you want to find just the right pen, paper and ink combo and the best answer you can find is "just experiment, that's part of the fun". Spending potentially hundreds or even $50 to not get what you want, is NOT fun.

How dare you speak the truth good sir. 😆

I bought my first fountain pen because I wanted to use it for urban sketching, and got disappointed of the difficulty I was having with it and oh boy I made a huge mess trying to install the cartridge and the writing….. sometimes it didn’t ink, others it made a huge blob of ink 🖋️ it’s hard to get the hang of it

Am I the only one reciting the words to Julia Stiles’ poem from 10 Things I Hate About You through this whole video?! 😅

Always liked fountain pens as a child, but stopped after high school. At 30+ starting again to use fountain pens. Great video on why I stopped using them the first time 😆

As a 2 month old in this fantastic hobby, its so true. It almost stresses me out lmao I feel stupid and worry about maintenance which seems complicated and unique for each pen.

I agree with everything you said. But honestly, There's nothing more satisfying than watching your writing come out with that little bit of line variation flare. I love my Stub Nibs for this very reason. And I'm constantly complimented on my penmanship even though I don't write any differently than when using a regular pen

It's so fun because I used fountain pens for at least 13 years and i never had any of the problems you mentioned but i can understand why you say that. I'm glad my first pen for writing was a fountain pen ! I think that we should not reduce them to a hobby, i'm not an expert in this domain and still use only these type of pens. The high price is not necessarily true, I only use one fountain pen at a time and they last me at least 5 years of daily intensive use even for quick notes (the one i currently have cost me 20€ and it's the most expensive i ever got).

Love this video. Very honest and on point. I love my fountain pens but i agree with all the points here. It’s definitely a hobby - time consuming, difficult, not for daily work use. But still a very enjoyable hobby.

LOL! This was such a great video and sooo true! Once you peak into this rabbit hole you are submerged and completely in. Like you said the 14 dollar pen turns into a 35 dollar one then 50 then 150 and well it has you at that point cause now you see that 300 dollar or more pen and you just NEED IT! And quality control on some of these higher end pens do suck I have 5 dollar fountain pens that work so much better then the more expensive ones. That all said I do love them! Thanks, Brian for sharing and speaking some truth. ;)

Not enough waterproof inks to choose from :( and the ones available require more frequent maintenance to your pen.

I feel like this was partial/mostly tongue-in-cheek, as most "complaints" are avoidable/negligible, so take my answer/comment to this video with a grain of comedic salt: 1)Messy: As a southpaw in the hobby for 9 years, i find such a complaint an expansion of my skills; i learned underhanded writing from this hobby so i could use any ink i desired without major repercussions. Inks should be fun to get a little messy, who wants to be clean ALL.THE.TIME.? A little ink here or there will advertise to other enthusiasts you may not have known as such & form a bond, you never know! Ink COULD stain everything, but everything is temporal anyway, YOLO right? 2)Expensive: can you say 1st world problem? Not ALL pens are expensive, the best ones seem to be all under $100 when you see the videos (ex. Pilot or TWSBI). No one is forcing you to buy all the expensive ones; i fully agree they can be nice, but adulting can hit you in the reality sometimes whether you can afford something like that & still eat. 3)Fragility: There are MANY pens & manufacturers who make their pens to last generations while not hundreds/thousands of dollars. Ex. Karas Kustom Pen Co. makes FP's (& rollerballs/ballpoints) that Brian Goulet has runover with a car & still work, starting under $100. Kaweco makes their portable sport FP in aluminum/steel/brass/bronze/sterling silver to be virtually indestructible, ntm also sell diff sizes for their lilliput/supra line in aluminum/steel/brass/etc., all for less than $200. Many chinese brands make brass/steel cheap FP's most time are have a name for themselves by how affordably reliable they are (ex.Jinhao) I understand the nib is fragile, it is paramount you keep that ONE PART protected, the rest is built to hold up. 4)Massive learning curve: I'm sorry, do you HATE FREE KNOWLEDGE?!?!?! (please note, still comedic sarcasm, not trolling) All you ever need to know is hours upon hours of channels dedicated & social media eager to educate patiently with you, rarely charging any fee i've ever heard of for you to enjoy your new purchase/hobby 5)Limited Use: Besides signing receipts at a store, marking wood as a carpenter or MAYBE writing on carbon paper in rare cases, there is almost nothing a FP shouldnt/wont write on. Any problems with your pen not writing when you need it to can be fixed with: a)not buying the brand/model again, knowing it doesnt work for you/bad QC (agreed about Visconti btw) b)getting it fixed by a nibsmith for nominal fee (usually ~$15, maybe more from inflation) c)fixing it yourself with a little FREE video MANY channels provide now I know its a lot to comment, but all sound like 1st world problems of a niche hobby we could prolly embrace more than FIND things that bring us stress, but also just responding to what feels like a sarcastic funny vid anyway, if im wrong, please forgive the sass. May the triune, infallible, omniscient God bless the reader with faith in Him.

Yeah, but if you were Charles Dickens' pet goose you'd think fountain pens were pretty cool. I'll grant it would be nice if fountain pens were as convenient as rollerballs. They aren't, but what's the alternative? Write with a rollerball? Scandalous!

Omg I totally love the inky fingers!

A broken nib can be repaired or replaced

While I totally feel the pain as an enthusiast, I feel like for most people those reasons will not be an issue. 1. messy: - you are not supposed to touch the ink with your fingers when you fill it up, and you don't do it often at all, use a tissue or cartridges; - left-handed - use a fine or extra-fine tip, right type of ink or paper... not necessarily all of them; 2. expensive - it can be as expensive as you want it to be, same as with every other hobby. The three pens I use most are a 2.50$ brass one from AliExpress, a 30$ Moonman and a 200$ Pilot Vanishing Point, all great writers; 3. fragile - the only fragile part on most is the nib, easy and cheap to replace on most FP... and you don't drop it nib-down every day; 4. learning curve: - pressure - just relax your hand, I see it as a benefit... that is the main reason I use a FP, you don't have to press hard for it to write and can use it at a sharper angle; - ink types, pen brands, body types, etc. - same as with any other writing instrument. If you want to find the perfect writing experience, you can go as deep as you want in it, but for most people, any FP and ink combo will do. Variety is a reason to love them, not a drawback. 5. limited use case: - most people use it to write on plain paper, same as a ballpoint, gel or whatever... and it works. The only issue will be on coated paper, like signing a restaurant bill. - ink dry-out: not if you use it regularly and the cap seals it properly. Most of my pens take more than a month of no use at all to develop a hard start. A few extra draw-backs I can think of: - resistance to water: most inks are not resistant to water, so, if the paper gets wet, it smudges. - flying: due to the difference in cabin pressure on planes, some pens might leak... mitigated by taking them empty or full of ink (no air in the cartridge, converter...). Most of those points will not be valid for someone who just wants to replace his ballpoint or just gets into fountain pens. For an enthusiast, it is the same as any other hobby... we just have to deal with it.

I am a pen enthusiast myself. I have worked extremely hard to perfect my cursive and writing gives me so much satisfaction. Although, I have a few fountain pens, my favorite pen to write with is a Refyne stonewashed titanium pen with a pilot G2 1.0 mm refill. Dare I say it, it writes better than my fountain pens. I find myself using the Pilot G2 more than I use my fountain pens.

Well, I just ordered my first fountain pen yesterday 😅

Feel your pain - dropped a montblanc meisterstuck that I bought for $100, 30 years ago. Just checked how much they cost and I've been trying to fix it. Unsuccessfully

Great, entertaining video! I love the honesty and can totally feel alle the points even though I love fountain pens. I would add maintenance as an additional personal reason as it's more annoying than satisfying for me.

HaaHaa, I love this video. I am pretty new to fountain pens and only have a couple and I am left handed and I have wondered why I got myself into this for some of these reasons, but I still like doing it. Glad to know it is just not me that is cleaning a pen out and thinking, "again why I am doing this?" but I love it. Great video!

Actually you have covered all the downsides 😊 Fountain pens are a combination of ink property (fading , shining, shading, waterproofness) and nib properties of wetness, line width and filling system and paper. Then comes shape and comfort of writing or lack of it, too narrow, too long. Now I use Waterman Expert III GT with Baystate Blue and after few pens I think I’m finally settled 😊

@6:24 "My heart sank to my butthole" LOL. So true, all very good reasons why we shouldn't love these damn things. The fact that we love them DESPITE all of that is why we are so passionate about the hobby :)

When I picked them up as an adult my shop had a lot of forms with Carbon Copies ! So I developed with good ball points - fountain pens are better afterwards.

I went on Aliexpress and loaded up on a bunch of different extremely cheap fountain pens. went on eBay and bought a range of extremely cheap small ink bottles of different brands and colours, and started experiementing because I wasn't sure what I liked. I thought I would like medium nibs, didn''t, then thought EF, didn't, settled on just Fine. Hate the bent nibs with a passion. I don't like the really heavy pens, but really like mini fountain pens, so that was a revelation. It's a journey.

It’s an interesting “rabbit hole”. Works for some while it’s not for everyone. I agree with everything you said as I’ve experienced most of them. However, it’s like being in a suite. You wouldn’t want to play sport, do groceries, go fishing and even go on jobs that doesn’t fit being in a suit. It’s really not for everyone. I think people who uses fountain pens are just passionate about it. People are willing to go through the additional “messy” and expensive maintenance. If you love your baby, I’m sure you’ll put up with whatever comes with when changing the diapers. One other thing to note, as per my experience, there’s no such thing as a perfect pen. Perfect pen is the one that you’re comfortable with and can write well. Honestly, I don’t like the ball point pens anymore. It feels ike the ink color is too dim. I enjoy the vibrant color of a fountain pen. That’s just personal preference. However, as I’ve faced the same issues which you’ve mentioned, I’m now experimenting with gel pens. Going back to fountain pens. No pen can do what my custom made flex pen does except for dip pen nib “Brauss Blue Pumpkin” which requires dipping the pen nib after every few words which again is another level of writing experience where you’ll either love it or hate it.

I absolutely love fountain pens and write with them whenever I can (my personal diary is only penned by my trusty Aurora Alpha) but I'm perfectly aware of the fact that they are just not practical for everyday use, aside from their inherent fragility like you said there is also the matter of paper, most practical supports you will write in daily life, be it notepads, notebooks or even checks (had a really awful experience with this one), are not suitable for fountain pens, you will just make a mess and ruin whatever you are trying to do. Personally, I just use rollerball pens for everyday writing, they are practical and surprisingly sturdy (I have an old Paper Mate vintage one made in West Germany from the 80's that can literally crack nuts, it's that heavy and sturdy) while still being classy and really pleasant to write with, paper is still an issue but less so than with fountain pens since they make less of a mess even with thin paper (just get used to deal with ghosting a lot).

Messy is fun!!

all hobbies require practice and money. I'm a photographer and It took me years to get good at it. I primarily shoot with black and white film, can you imagine the costs? $15,000-$20,000 easy.

So true, I dropped my Pilot Vanishing point on the nib. OMG the cost to replace that nib was painful, however, I am still in love with my pens.

I very strongly disagree with the reasoning in the video, however, it's very interesting to see your opposing perspective towards them, great video, keep up the good work🎉

As a left handed underwriter I love my fountain pens!! More so once you learn how to tune your pens right out of the box to fit your way of writing 🤩🤩🤩

Primary school kids in some countries start learning to write with pencils then straight fountain pens. If they can do that than an adult is expected to do better. However, pens in general are writing instrument. They are tools to serve a purpose, to serve their owner, not the other way around. I use this criteria to set a monetary limit when shopping for fountain pens. As for its messiness too bad. The older generations got it worse so why can't we tought it up?

The only fountain pen I could comfortably write with is the Lamy Safari. It lets you write at a higher angle than other fountain pens, and no pressure is required. But it runs out of ink too fast. I went back to 0.5 mechanical pencils after discovering the Pentel 4b Ain Stein graphite, and shaker pencils. Graphite is cheaper, lasts way longer, and a 4b is dark and requires little pressure. Pilot Dr. Grip Cl Balance is my favorite pencil because you can adjust the weight.

Most of these downsides are the reasons I love fountain pens. Lol. To each their own I guess.

All good points! It is a hobby for sure. (Best way I've found to get ink off my fingers is to wash my hair 😆)

Seeing this made me feel much better because all these quirky things happen to most of my pens most of the times. But of course I only have a few in the $50 category, most are under $30 or so. BUT once I read all the comments about how people have been using FP for years with almost no problems, I got bummed out again because I think I only have 2 pens in my collection of about 30 that I can say that about. But when they flow, so do I, I just love the experience and connection with the pen and ink!

I started writing with fountain pens around 2016 and the most I've ever spent on a pen was about $35 usd and ink lasts long enough it's not as expensive as it seems at first the only real issue I have is paper I can't get good paper without traveling 100 miles

The learning curve most expressive fun of all.

So, that was your photo on r/fountainpens. Ouch, my guy :(

Great video... loved the "honesty".... just up front. But like anything worth having or wanting... it takes work... relationships, a long desired material good (watch, car, jewerly, etc., a home even)... all these desired things take time, work... right?! Goes without saying. And a lot of the quirks (Doug Demuro-ese) make these things that much more desirable... But, again, great video. Thank you.

I guess these can be problems, but most I've not encountered myself, but maybe it doesn't get to me as I love the messiness and I don't have many that just write well

I started getting into the rabbit hole last july but i already spent more than 5 K with FP alone , inks and accessories not included yet .🤭

Haha, that ending. Love it.

I love fountain pens. I'm rough with them so I maybe HAVE cracked my pilot custom 823 (devasted). I use them everywhere. idc if it bleeds. I will use it lol. I use my medium nib twsbi diamond 580 in my kid's crappy paper exercise books. I am a teacher in a school in one of the lowest socioeconomic areas (read: kids vape, steal, vandalise, are violent -even towards teachers-, swear and every other thing I love my kids to bits though). But I totally have a good time.

Very creative take on the fp thang. I enjoyed watching your video and although 90plus is true. The pain is part of what makes the gain so magical imo. When I see ink stains on a video persons hand I feel part of a family. That person is my brother, my sister. We share the same insanity in an fp-way. Great vid.

Research led me to the Pilot Varsity Fountain Pen, and I'm OK with it.

So true about the fragility of fountain pens. My beautiful sparkly key west landed on the floor (in a plastic bag) with the cap on. The cap broke into two irregular pieces..... Has anyone else noticed the more you pay for a pen, the greater its fragility?

I was waiting for a fountain pen rap battle to go down with the hand held mic

I laughed over reason No 1. When I got into the fountain pen hobby, I would always get a chuckle that every video I watched, the person had inky fingers. I would say, "Not me'. But I soon put that delusion aside when I had to load ink in my first pen. Since then, I've had ink spills on my desk, ink spills on my clothes, Ink splattering all over the page (when I twisted the converter to get the ink flowing). It's all part of the joy.

This is a sweet concept for a video and it's a valid perspective and, ultimately at its core, a true set of concerns. I do need to raise a minor flag on one of the points, though, and that's about the matter of drops. It's true that fountain pens are more vulnerable to drops (you may end up with at least some ink mess, if not a bent nib) but the way you showed things on the video felt more like an apples-to-oranges comparison. The damaged pen you show has clearly fallen directly on its nib. (Some bad luck also at work there, clearly. Otherwise, you could also have gotten away with just an ink stain on the floor.) But the way you showed your (presumably) ballpoint pen being dropped for comparison, with its cap on and safely landing on its side, was not a fair comparison to how that fountain pen must have fallen. Try dropping your ballpoint directly on its tip from that same height and, unless it's falling on a soft surface like a carpet, it will probably also be damaged on no more than the second try.

Certainly agree on the QC issues with Visconti.

I love writing with fountain pens!

Finally an honest fountain pen person!!! messy, oh yes! I try but my fingers are always full of ink. I am a woman and am embarrassed to go to the manicurist. She can’t get the ink out!

Use cheap regular paper to practice with and the more expensive fountain friendly paper for important affairs.

My school gave a 20 dollar fountain pen to all of their grads. I honestly don’t see the appeal. Can someone explain to me why you don’t just use a ballpoint pen like the rest of us?

It seems as if the more beautiful and expensive the pen is the more delicate it is, so if it is not a cheap semi-disposable pen (Preppy) anything beyond a solid metal body pen is not going to last. Sure my solid brass Sports Pen is a true EDC build like a tank with easily replaceable nibs. It is a shame that the better looking pens are just not suited for everyday life, but at least that means I am no longer tempted by the fancy pens anymore.

Most of the video can be summedup to skill issue. Then there are some valid points.

FOUNTAIN PENS SUCK, FINALLY SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS! I hate fountain pens so freaking much because they cost a trillion dollars, your house, your soul and your firstborn son, they waste ink like it’s free, and they are a nightmare to use. Did you know the fountain pen I looked into had a manual? A MANUAL!!!!! AHHHHHH!! Anyways, I’m glad you don’t like fountain pens either. I prefer rollerballs because their fluid ink and bold points are fluid and easy to use. EDIT: I tried a lamy fountain pen. I LOVE fp’s now

Your pen won't dry out if you use it daily.

yes. 100% - these seem like the ultimate example for a step too far in life hacking.

The like to dislike ratio has got to be crazy

All true. What you say here.

100 years and before no one ever bitched about fountain pens. Then You came along...deluded enough to think there should be an answer to everything. You will only skim the surface in this life and when the end comes everything you have ever known will be obliterated. Because you are so special, and what you knew was so special . Just like what you are telling us now. Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄

It’s like having to have all the stats and odds on every conceivable moving part to know how your quick note you may have to write later is going to go down. 😆

Lol I love this video. I don’t own any, and I’m not interested. I throw my planner and pens in my bag 🤣

I use fountain pens everyday. They don't suck.

Gotta go ‘commando’ w the fountain pen ink 😁😁😁 You’ve got the magic for social media bruh. My second gold nib pen came w a hard start nib, Pilot Custom 74 -M-… buzz kill.. had it tuned.. still hard starts .. shit. Wtf yo. I’ll have it ground to a CI.. 😛 My most expensive pen ~ Aurora $600.. is currently unusable because the filling mechanism is broken, I’ve literally filled it 4 times 😕😂😒 I had the nib ground to a MCI by Mike Masuyama (rad af).. voids the guarantee.. ta da. What else? I have literally NOT stopped wanting a new fountain pen.. maybe that’s just my problem though.

Finally someone confessed.

In High School ca. 1962-65 I had one fountain pen. College I had a different, but only one fountain pen. Later I purchased two Safari fountain pens; one black the other white. Trimmed down to one when the white Safari cap kept falling off. Now it's 2023 and I have 100 different fountain pens. What the Hell happened? At least I only have ONE ink! ....for now.

I love how you triggered yourself near the end. 😆 Anxiety written all over ya. I feel ya. 👍😬

Gel ink ballpoint pens > Fountain Pens I can write much better, smoother, and easily on any paper with a gel ink ballpoint pen. I use a 2.5€ MUJI pen which I love.

All of my fountain pens suck apart from the eyedroppers, yes they all suck ink!

The dude is right. One word that would sum it up is finicky. Fountain Pens are finicky.

Of course fountain pens won't work so well on printer paper, why not? Because it's really thin so the ink bleeds through easily, which can partially be remedied by improving the fluidity and speed of your writing. What's as common as printer paper but won't fit into your printer? Paperboard, all of those boxes that junk food tends to come in is oddly perfect for writing on with fountain pens.

The super-light inks. So pretty. But so so useless to those of us that write with extra fine nibs. You can't read what you wrote. It's potentially good for writing diaries you don't want anyone to ever read. Wait, that was a positive. Ooops.

If you have to use carbon copy anything, fountain pens are useless for it. They're just not made to bare down on at all. And sometimes you're paying more for the way a pen looks than the way it writes. I've come across more than once where there's some serious bias where people talk up a pen because they spent a lot of money on it, but it writes like crap. I'm going to be honest though, my best pen that's just an all around work horse and the pen I'd take with me if I was say going on a trip and could only take one notebook and one pen, is actually a Parker IM. A ballpoint. I have fountain pens that write better, that are nicer to look at, more comfortable, etc. But if you want something that works in every situation, where your ink will go the farthest and it's the most convenient, a ballpoint is just the way to go. That said, for the most part I've had a pretty good experience with fountain pens. The feel of writing with a good pen on good quality paper is head and shoulders above anything else. And if you're okay with the drawbacks, once you find the right one it can let you comfortably write for hours without getting the kind of strain in your hands you can get from a ball pen.

Also i would say there is a high chance of getting a completely dud and unfixable nib. I bought a 12 pack of playinum preppys and half of them have extremely scarcthy nibs with very low flow. I know how to tune a nib and these could not be fixed.

I can't accept the idea of not trying to use fountain pens because you WILL have then a very expensive hobby/collection, hundreds and thousands of dollars each. I think it's a lie, but misleading at the least. With the same analogue you can say don't spend money to get a driving licence and buy a car, because even if your first car might be only a few thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, but eventually you WILL end up on having a collection of very expensive sport cars, SUVs, luxury cards from the 1940s, etc., all of them combining worth of millions of dollars. You can have a cheaper fountain pen, and then another one if you want to, or if you need to. You can have 10s of fountain pens if you want to, but this isn't required and possibly won't happen to you, because most of the people on this planet don't have 10s or hundreds of fountain pens.

Bro has some deep unknown trauma ...venting out on Fountain pen 😂😂 Bruh , life's messy n fragile & things need Care !! Not just the Fountain pens alone. Remember ; Live for ur passion or die dry ! ❤️‍🔥

Expensive? Try Photoraphy.

Tbh the messy fingers part i really just dont care! This is for me and i f you hate messy fingers then yes don't get fp!

Dude, if it's not for you, cool, it's not for you. Just use a freaking ball point (eww).

Don't slam your pens the ground to prove a point. Just replace the nib.

Yeah, nah. I poked around in this vid here & there, but I'm thinking you're just hurting for content. "I love everything to do with fountain pens and the community... but fountain pens suck." This seems to me to be exactly like telling me my traditional analogue wristwatches suck, we all enjoy "smart watches" now. Nope, no way, no how.

Pens, paper and ink take up a lot of space.

Journaling guy, I have been a fountain pen user for 59 years. I agree that ink can be messy but get over it! A scrubby sponge and dawn detergent will clean your hands. BTW, alcohol does not clean ink off your hands. FP ink is water based - alcohol does nothing to clean them. My reply to you is get over it, buy a pack of nice and go back to journaling.

#30inks30days and other challenges where you use a different ink every day. When did your pens breed so that you somehow have 30 pens? Why do you have 30 bottles / samples of ink in your home? They follow you home. I swear.

As a left handed person, ALL pens suck in some manner.

Nice try, lol. ALL your issues are + - easy to solve, in reality *Fountain pens 4EVER* 🥰 No any other writing instrument can beat 'em

_Fountain Pens Are Messy, Everything About The Ink Makes It Messy, Biggest Pet Peeve, Inky Fingers_ - But you have tattoos ...... 🤣 I'm left handed and since I am forced by convention to write from left to right, I regard smudging as part of my writing. Yes, I can mirror-write, but it is not practical, especially doing maths and physics equations. I am an "underwriter" with a back-slanted writing, that goes some way to mitigating smudging, but doesn't eliminate it. My usual writing instrument, is a mechanical pencil. They are a hobby all by themselves. Cheers.