June 7, 2016

I got a new pen.

I've been looking for a new pen to replace my Parker that I've had since high school, nearly forty years ago.

So, I ordered a TWSBI in silver. It uses Parker refills, so I'm hoping for a similar writing experience. Overall, it's a bit longer, but nicely built and finished. For a metal bodied pen, it's surprisingly light in the hand. (I should get around to measuring and weighing both the TWSBI and the Parker to see how they compare.)

It comes with two refills, both black.  When I first used the pen, it was a little hard starting when I picked it up, but it seems to have smoothed out. I find I still need to press a little harder than I did with the Parker. Next time I'm out shopping, I think I'll pick up a blue Parker refill to try in it.

I used to use black ink when I was in high school, mostly because everyone else used blue. To be fair, almost all pens back then came with blue ink. About ten years ago, I switched from black to blue for two reasons. First, by then, a lot of people were using black ink. And secondly, a discussion with a law enforcement officer where I discovered a more practical use for blue ink.  It turns out, they deal with a lot of paperwork, and copies of paperwork that require signatures. That gets copied as well, so everyone can have their own copy. As you may have noticed, copies are usually in black. So, in order to keep originals and copies properly sorted, signatures were in blue ink. Blue signature = original, black signature = copy.

Of course, fountain pens users have a much wider choice when it comes to inks. And some of the newer gel inks are pretty nice too. But there is nothing like the simplicity of a ballpoint pen.

Filled with blue ink, of course.