A New Instrument

As mentioned before, when it came to pen, I was very fussy. I loved to write but since my hospital went paperless, I had to change tact. Certainly it made me miss my pen.

I always carried a couple of pen with me in coat. As a houseman, I used to carry three. A ballpen, always black and of a broad nib, and a fountain pen - again broadest nib available carrying a blue ink. My third pen used to be another fountain carrying a red ink. I used to write all my blood results in red at the left side of the medical notes. That made looking for results that much easier.

Now, my ball pen was a Mont Blanc. I used to carry a Parker fountain before I discovered Pelikan. I dabbled with other fountain brands including another Mont Blanc, but that unit stayed on my table. The nib wasn't smooth enough. But the Pelikan was great - going well with my royal blue Pelikan 4001 ink.

3 years back I changed to a Lamy before going back to Pelikan.

A few months back, I tried a Faber-Castell and it felt great. The main thing about them was the heft that it had, balanced at the nib. Not all fountain have that kind of balance. So, I tried a few of their models before finally settling for one. But unfortunately they didn't have a broad nib in stock. I had to order one.

So, I received the call that order was in and the timing was perfect as it had quite a bit of discount for the Xmas sale period. Been using it all evening and I was certainly liking it.

My Pelikan pen was of special broad-nibbed, heavy flow model which wasn't designed for daily use. The fact that it lasted 3 years was a bonus. Time to shift. So, great news all around ...

The Search may be Over

I have always been particular about my writing instrument since I was in primary school. I do not have the best of handwriting and I tended to write slowly. There are certain pen which made my writing faster and more legible and I would stick to those. The nib tended to be broader than the average and fine liners do my head in ....

So, what do I prefer?

I always have near me the following .... A pencil, mechanical usually either a 0.5 or 0.9 lead. The 0.5mm I would prefer to be in 4B while I could cope with 2B with the wider 0.9mm lead pencil. The big bore will guarantee smoothness as the pencil glides across the paper .... And Pentel made the best mechanical pencil in the market as far I was concerned.

My main daily driver ....My pencils. The 0.9mm with 2B lead and the 0.5mm with 4B lead.For general writing, it had to be a ball point pen, and broad nib would the absolute minimum. And the ink must be black. No blue or dark blue, but black. I was given a Mont Blanc when I attained my MRCP Membership years back and my old team gave me a Meisterstuck as a parting gift as I left Manchester. I have been using them - although the current one was given by Anita for my 2011 birthday after losing mine at a hotel during a conference meeting. I used the broad refill, black of course although Mont Blanc like to call it "Mystery Black". For dramatic effect for sure ...

And for those formal writing and general clinic work, I would use a fountain pen. Although my Pharmacist hated them because sometimes they either do not register in the carbon copy or the the ink would make the papers soggy and stain! But I still loved them. I had been using a Lamy pen for a number of years but since 2010, I noticed that the quality of the nib had deteriorated. They don't transfer the ink as readily and the nib was not as broad. Their maximum width were still too small for me, but since I liked the ergonomics I had stuck with them. I tried using a Pelikan pen from time to time but no joy. Mont Blanc? They do not make the smoothest of fountain nib, at least they were not as smooth for my liking.

How about the ink. It had to be the Pelikan. The Pelikan 4001 series, Royal Blue colour. That had been the case since 2006. It had consistent colour tone, and ran off the nib very smoothly right to the last drop, and easy to wash off your hands if you got a stain.

My ink. They had to be the Pelikan 4001, in Royal Blue.And the results .... Impressive!But I think I had found the one I was looking for the fountain. It was the Pelikan M205 Duo. And it came in the nib I have always wanted, the Double Broad!!!! It glided like butter and the combined with the 4001 ink, it was majestic! Looking forward to the call tomorrow so that I could use it!

I know. I need therapy ..... But at least if you guys were thinking of buying me a pen or pencil, you knew the specifics ....

The Replacement

My old Lamy was pretty beat up. It was my main pen, an those who knew me, knew how much I love fountain pens. Before this one completely break down, I thought I better get a replacement. And to get a good Lamy pen is never easy, as I prefer the extra broad nib.

After almost a month of searching, I thought I had found a worthy replacement. It was at Parkson KLCC, and I had to try almost a dozen pen before settling for this one. The salesgirl was patient, an she was rewarded .....

But at the end of the day, the last Lamy was still the best, and I would surely keep using it until it's totally gone!

A New Addition

I have to admit up front. I have a penchant for fountain pens. And the ink must be in royal blue, not black. Last weekend, during my trip to The Curve, a new pen caught my fancy. It was a Lamy pen. As usual, I asked for the broadest tip, as well as a blue ink. Used it, and got hooked.

It was not a perfect one though. I have a Mont Blanc which I rarely used - it was mainly kept in my office at home. The one I use regularly was a Pelikan. Nice and heavy, with a pump rather than cartridge. The nib was broad enough, with enough resistance on paper. Slight issue with the ink flow though. It was not as smooth as I would have hoped for.

This Lamy pen might be too light for my liking, but the tip ran really smooth. It also used a pump, and ink flow so far has been good - the extra broad nib really made the difference. Long may it stay in my lab coat. I users to carry a pen in the UK which lasted me a whole five years. It was a Parker, with extra broad nib. Nice and heavy but one day, I accidentally dropped it and the nib was bent. End of story!