Ask TGS: Buying My First Fountain Pen

Question: I’ve recently rediscovered an interest in writing by hand, and while I’ve always appreciated a good pen, I’ve never used a fountain pen and don’t know where to begin with all the different nib and filling system options. And what do I do about paper? Help!

I get this question all the time, and while I’ve probably answered it before in blog posts and/or videos, it tends to be timely right after the New Year when everyone has purchased their fresh planner or notebook and many consider whether they should pick up a fountain pen for the first time. But where to begin? Here’s my “two minute speech” that I typically give people in the shop or at a show:

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Don’t Spend a Lot of Money

If you’ve never used a fountain pen before, don’t start at the $200 price point. In fact, you probably don’t even want to start at the $50 price point. There are plenty of excellent fountain pens that cost $25 or less, which will allow you to get a feel for writing with a fountain pen nib, cleaning the pen, changing the ink, etc. without a huge sunk cost. In my own store, I have plenty of people who come in having never written with a fountain pen at all, and I almost always direct them to the Platinum Preppy, the Pilot Kakuno, or the Pilot Explorer (the latter if they really insist on having the ability to use bottled ink immediately since the Explorer ships with a converter). The Preppy is a great option for those uncertain about nib sizes and how different fountain pen nibs will work with their handwriting, since Preppy’s are inexpensive without being “disposable”, and you can buy them in multiple sizes to experiment. Our “Best Pens” post highlights these options and several more.

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Start with a basic ink, but even cartridges come in a range of colors.

Start with a Basic Blue, Black, or Blue-Black Fountain pen Ink

While experimenting with inks is a huge part of the fountain pen hobby, get used to writing with fountain pens first. Standard blue, black, and blue-black inks usually flow well, dry relatively fast, and come in both bottles and cartridges. (I usually recommend cartridge pens for true beginners.) It’s especially important to pay attention to ink if you’re left-handed, since many lefties hold the pen in a way that causes their hand to smear the ink if it takes too long to dry. Making sure the pen and ink combo is compatible with your handwriting style is the formula for success.

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Our B5 and A4 paper sorter, which we keep stocked with many different fountain pen friendly paper brands.

Be Sure You Have Some Decent Fountain Pen Friendly Paper

The same paper that you can use for ballpoints, gel pens, rollerballs, and pencils won’t necessarily work well with fountain pens. Most fountain pen ink is water-based, meaning that it may feather and bleed-through on particularly absorbent paper, especially recycled papers or office stock. Purchasing some slightly better paper with a heavier paper weight or coating will make for a more enjoyable writing experience. While Clairefontaine, Rhodia, Maruman, and Leuchtturm1917 are the usual go-to recommendations for solid paper that is easy to source, there are many smaller brands as well. For several years I’ve tracked paper brands and their relative “fountain pen friendliness” in this evergreen blog post that gets updated annually.

Give Yourself Some Time to Adjust to the Pen (and Writing with Fountain Pens in General) Before You Start Buying More

It’s easy to get carried away with online recommendations - everyone has their own opinion on “the best” fountain pen, often driven by their own personal preferences and experiences. That said, there’s only one way to figure out what your own preferences are, and that’s to gain as much experience as you possibly can by using pens for an extended period of time before moving on to something else. Obviously, if a pen truly doesn’t work for you (i.e., it doesn’t write, is falling apart, hurts your hand after more than a day or two), move on immediately, but try to avoid the “I-like-this-but-wonder-if-there-is-something-better” mentality that often leads to an acquisition mindset rather than the thoughtfulness or creativity many are seeking out in the first place.

A huge part of why I decided to open the physical T.G.S. shop in Nashville is to give people the opportunity to come in and experience fountain pens in person and to have conversations like this one before picking out a pen and deciding which one is right for you! We are open Thursdays and Fridays from 1-6pm and Saturdays from 10-6pm.

My 2026 Notebook Setup: The Year of Practicality

Last year I didn’t stick to any specific notebook system and my organization (not to mention my personal well-being) suffered for it. I had thought that by moving from three dated Hobonichi planners to a more flexible undated system, I’d have more versatility, but as it turns out I do need more structure for the business side of things. Accordingly, I’ve added back one dated planner. The rest of my rotation will look similar to those who have followed me in the past, with a ring binder and a standard personal journal as my other primary daily drivers. I continue to use some e-readers for “junk paper replacement,” and a variety of single-purpose notebooks that will rotate in and out of use throughout the year.

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My Wonderland222 currently lives in this gorgeous leather A5 cover sent to me by British Belt Company. When I travel, I will likely consolidate with other notebooks and notepads in an A5 Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter.

Business Planner: Wonderland222 A5 Core (S) (“Stacked”)

I’ve already done a separate YouTube video on why I chose this particular planner, but to briefly recap, I needed more structure to track the T.G.S. business, including all the various moving parts surrounding website content, ordering product for the shop, general administration, travel, and more. I have so many different things going on right now that I need to be much more disciplined with my time, making the Wonderland222’s vertical weekly layout perfect for my method of time blocking. (“Stacked” refers to stacked weekends, meaning that Saturday and Sunday are a single column since I don’t fully plan-out either day.) This planner also contains annual and quarterly layouts, a Gantt chart/habit-tracking layout, monthly recap pages, and even 80+ blank pages at the back which can be used for more detailed daily planning if the need arises. I view the Wonderland222 A5 Core as offering most of the functionality of the A5 Hobonichi Cousin in a format that’s far less bulky.

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The black exterior with burgundy interior didn’t hurt either.

General Looseleaf Notebook: SPAD by Brelio A5 6-Ring Binder

I’ve usually kept some form of ring or disc binder as a working notebook, since much of my notetaking and writing lives on looseleaf sheets, and I like to be able to move notes around and organize them. I would have run it back for another year with my A5 Plotter, but when Lisa Vanness brought the Brelio brand back from Japan, I immediately gravitated towards this slightly more robust leather planner with - dare I say it - a more polished finish and larger rings. The integrated pen loop and four pockets sealed it, since it allows me to carry paper, index cards, and other accessories. Alongside my Wonderland222 Planner, I’ve used this notebook daily since mid-December.

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I love a clean, versatile dot grid format. The Mnemosyne has margin guides so you can lay it out as a planner or bullet journal if you so desire.

Personal Journal: Mnemosyne Hardcover Journal

My biggest regret from 2025 was the lapse in my journaling habit. I wrote far less in this A5 Mnemosyne journal than I would have liked, so it will stay in rotation and get finished. Because my personal journal contains things like stream-of-consciousness writing, random rants, and lists in addition to drafts and other longer musings, I like this journal to be more of a “commodity notebook” - something I’m not afraid to scuff up and get dirty. Once I finish this Mnemosyne I have a couple of Leuchtturm1917 notebooks lined up to take its place.

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Electronic Notebook: Remarkable2 E-Ink Tablet

For the past few years I’ve used a Remarkable2 to store larger pdfs and research source material for both personal/TGS projects as well as my legal practice. While I always prefer reading and writing on physical paper, the Remarkable2 gets “remarkably” close to the tactile feel of analogue while still offering the convenience of not lugging around a 300-page three-ringed binder when you’re doing an up-and-back-same-day business trip with four connections. Similarly, since I enjoy reading doorstop biographies and history books, I have a Kindle Scribe that I use for travel. I’ve also experimented with using both the Remarkable2 and Scribe for notetaking and journaling on airplanes, after a couple of semi-traumatic experiences of having physical pens roll off the tray table mid-flight or otherwise losing them in an airplane seat.

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Experimentation/Pen Show Notebook: Roterfaden TGS_25 A5-Slim

I’ve always kept a “scratch notebook” that I use to test pens and inks, draft posts, and otherwise just experiment and have fun. I usually take this notebook with me on vacations and to pen shows, and there’s no real set purpose. If I have a writing project that I want to do but doesn’t “fit” anywhere else, it probably goes in this notebook. Similarly, if someone offers to let me test a pen or ink, or asks me to demonstrate something for them at a show or meetup, I’ll pull out this notebook. Since early Summer I’ve been using our own Roterfaden TGS_25 cover, in the portable A5 Slim format.

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My system may not be the most efficient, but hey, I’ve got shelf space for all those notebooks.

Other Notebooks

I keep a variety of single-purpose notebooks for specific projects that I don’t engage with on a daily basis. Most of these don’t travel with me, live at my desk or on my bookshelf, and play very specific roles in my workflow. I have a few Plotters, two of which are used to organize ink swatches and paper samples, and another that I am using to organize research and ideas on a longer-form writing project. I use a William Hannah A5 as a paper tasting and paper sample reference journal. I have various Filofax notebooks that I use as archives and to organize research on topics of interest that I have followed for years. I tend to print a lot of online articles and read/annotate them in physical form, hence the large archive.

Tune in Next Week to “On the Paper Trail…”

Lisa Vanness and I are collaborating on a YouTube and Podcast project titled “On the Paper Trail…”, the first episode of which is slated for release sometime next week (or sooner). We’ll be discussing our respective 2026 Notebook Setups in more detail, as well as providing a general introduction to the project and answering reader/listener questions. You can subscribe to the YouTube Channel, and we will also be setting up an RSS Feed for those who wish to listen in a podcast app.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can always come talk pens in person at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee, open from 1-6pm Thursdays and Fridays and from 10am-6pm Saturdays.

2025 Year-End Review: Five Favorite Posts from 2025

Since I’ve launched the store, and have to deal with marketing and selling products every day, the most enjoyable writing for me hasn’t necessarily been product reviews but rather posts on what stationery I like to use and how I use it in my own life, because I still write a lot. For my five favorite posts of 2025, I’ve chosen more editorial-style writing discussing how analog fits into my own life and workflow and the products I personally enjoy and why.

Joe’s Personal Favorite Posts from 2025

1. Everyday Notetaking and Creating an “Idea File”: On Perforated Field Notes and Index Cards. This has been a great year for fountain pen friendly index cards, and rediscovering the utility of being able to jot down ideas and file them away without having to keep track of where things are in a notebook.

2. Comparing Low Viscosity Ballpoint Pens: Jetstream vs. Acroball vs. Anterique vs. Ohto. Low-viscosity ballpoints feature an ink that’s basically the best of both worlds: the permanence of ballpoint ink with most of the smoothness of gel. Many planner enthusiasts prefer low-viscosity ballpoints because they write a dark, fine line that comes in handy when filling out smaller sections of planners like the Hobonichi Techo and Jibun Techo.

3. Five Reasons I Prefer Undated Planners and Calendars. This year I went undated for most of my planning, but as you’ll see in some forthcoming content, I’m going with a hybrid approach for 2026 as I find a dated planner useful for certain business purposes.

4. Complementary Notebook Systems and Stationery: Yamamoto Bullet Jotters. These Yamamoto Bullet Jotters are an excellent counterpart to a Bible-sized 6-ring binder, especially if you prefer writing on a bound pad as opposed to in the 6-ring binder itself. I often mix and match notebook systems to take advantage of the best aspects of each and customize them to my specific needs.

5. 2025 San Francisco Pen Show Recap, Part II: Panel Takeaways. The 2025 San Francisco Pen show was one of the better stationery show experiences I’ve had, content-wise. The topics discussed during the various panels I attended inspired much of the content I’ll be working on for the next year, including our recently launched podcast/video project, which now has it’s own home so please follow along.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us and see any products we sell directly at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee! Also, please visit our Holiday Gift Guide page if you would like guidance on stationery-related gifting, and we’re also happy to discuss in-person.

2025 Year-End Review: Most Popular T.G.S. Posts, Both New and Old

Each year during the month of December, I write a series of posts recapping various things from the prior year, one of which is the most popular content as determined by views received. This year I’ve broken the review into two categories: Content Published or Updated in 2025, and Overall, including older content that continues to receive a lot of traffic. The value of this exercise to me is to see what readers are enjoying, and in the case of the older stuff, to see what content needs to be revisited and updated!

Most Popular Posts, 2025 Content

1. Hierarchies of Fountain Pen Friendly Paper. It’s probably not a surprise that this “evergreen” post, which I refresh and update every year, gets the most views by far. As I test out and explore new papers, expect it to be updated further!

2. Joe’s Picks - Five Favorite Inks from Pilot’s Iroshizuku Lineup. I’ve been asked to do more posts like these with other ink lines, but it’s so hard to choose! Iroshizuku was easier because I’ve been using the ink for well over a decade.

3. My 2025 Techo Kaigi: A Mostly Fond Farewell to Hobonichi. While technically a 2024 post, it addressed my 2025 planner/notebook setup so it remained relevant throughout the year. Look for another post like this one soon, before January 1.

4. Is the Uni Zento Gel Pen Worth the Hype? The Zento took the pen world by storm this past year, especially with the capped “Signature” barrel essentially disappearing from standard retail and reappearing on the secondary market for astronomic prices. Personally I think the mid-level “Flow” version offers the best value, and I do enjoy how the Zento writes.

5. The Kaweco Perkeo, on Its Own Merits. This post surprised me a bit with how much traffic it received this year, but given price increases, economic pressures, and a flood of new enthusiasts entering the hobby, it probably shouldn’t come as a shock that lower-cost pens are drawing attention.

Most Popular Posts Overall (New and Old Content)

1. Top 5 Mechanical Pencils: For When You Really Want to Write Small. Wow, my most popular post for 2025 is a 7-year old mechanical pencil ranking that is hopelessly out of date. Herein lies the value of doing this annual year-in-review exercise! All of the recommendations in this post remain good ones, but I would have a bunch of recommendations and substitutions, and a few of the mentions are no longer available or have been updated to new models.

2. The Best Pen for When You Only Want One Pen. Another post from way back (2018) that I should probably revisit, this post looks at “one pen carry” (which for me is more of a thought experiment since I switch things up so often). Some of the pens featured here are no longer available, but the multi pen remains my top choice for this type of setup.

3. My Five Best Pencils for Everyday Writing, Five Years Later. This post remains accurate, though from a recommendations standpoint I need to revisit it because the market has changed and many pencil brands have revamped their lineups and discontinued certain models.

4. First Impressions: The TWSBI Swipe Is a Steal. Like my review of the Perkeo above and the Pilot Explorer below, I suspect interest is being driven by the combination of quality and price point, with people looking for a reliable everyday writer that won’t set you back more than $30.

5. The Pilot Explorer Is a Low-Cost Workhorse. Regardless of price point, Pilot pens always perform, and the Explorer remains my go-to recommendation for those looking for a no-nonsense writer that for now comes in a wide range of colors. A key selling point of both the Swipe and the Explorer is that they ship with a converter, so that you can use either cartridges or bottled ink right out of the box.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. You can also come visit us and see any products we sell directly at our physical stationery store in Nashville, Tennessee! Also, please visit our Holiday Gift Guide page if you would like guidance on stationery-related gifting, and we’re also happy to discuss in-person.

12 Pen Person Questions, Part II

Many thanks to everyone who read and commented on Part I of my responses to the 12 Pen Person Questions! For those who are unfamiliar with this exercise, it was developed by my friend Lisa over at Olive Octopus Ink as a set of journaling prompts for those who might be looking to delve deeper into why they engage with this hobby. I’ve been working on my responses for the past few months with the idea that I would do a multi-post series. Here goes Part II!

Question 7: What is something you are proud of doing, achieving, or overcoming?

In recent years, I’ve struggled with a fear of “putting myself out there” on the internet in a way that’s more personally identifiable. I’m an intensely private person in many ways, and for years I kept T.G.S. fairly anonymous because I enjoyed traveling to stationery stores and pen shows and browsing without anyone recognizing me, making for a quiet weekend that I often needed to recover from a stressful day job. Of course, as T.G.S. has grown, that’s become far more difficult to do, and there’s an inevitable realization that there is so much of myself in this business - on both the content and retail sides - that it would actually hold the business back for me NOT to be out front and center. I realize from my own experience as a customer that people tend to identify more with brands that have a recognizable face behind them, and to that end I’ve been proud of my effort to overcome my shyness, appear in more “people pictures” at pen shows, use my full name, and even start a new project where it won’t be possible to hide at all. (iykyk, Patreon members.) Stay tuned, as everyone will be seeing much more of me in 2026, whether you like it or not!

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Question 8: You're going on a writing retreat anywhere in the world—where would you go, what would you write, and what would you write with?

I actually used to take at least one writing retreat every year, where I would spend some time not only writing but using the time to regroup and plan all of my various projects across the coming year. Given how busy everything has become, it’s not something I’ve had the opportunity to do since I opened the physical shop in Nashville. That said, if I restarted the practice, I would go to the same Atlantic-coast beach I’ve visited for most of my life, which has wide expanses of sand and plenty of time to walk and think. (I would also go when it’s relatively cold because … no people.) Most of the “writing time” involves walking and/or pacing while thinking through ideas, so I would definitely bring some sort of small pocket notebook to jot down notes, as well as a spiral notebook with perforated pages to use for drafting out ideas longhand. When I’m in “working mode,” I usually opt for low-distraction, straightforward writing tools like wood pencils or a workhorse fountain pen like the Lamy 2000 or the Pilot Custom 74, and maybe even a TWSBI ECO if I’m traveling to a place where I’ll be working in public spaces like a coffee shop and don’t want to worry about losing the pen.

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Question 9: What's a current or favorite creative outlet?

While part of me wishes that I were more creative with stationery and analog tools, the reality is that I spend so much time writing and immersed in the stationery world, I need a non-stationery outlet for creativity. I play music (guitar), and have had a standing weekly lesson with the same instructor since I was 12 years old, more than 30 years ago. That said, I do score music/tablature with a dark pencil, so if the answer must have a stationery angle to it, there is that.

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Question 10: What's something that causes you benign envy—the kind of admiration and desire that leads to inspiration or motivation?

Probably someone’s ability to conceptualize a product, design it, and bring it into existence, either by making it directly or finding someone to manufacture. I have many different ideas for unique stationery, and seeing so many friends and colleagues launch their own exclusive products they’ve created from scratch inspires me to make some of these ideas a reality. We’ve already done several different collaborations on existing products with existing brands, including Good Made Better, Sunderland Machine Works, Roterfaden, Newton Pens, and Hinze Pens, which has been a great first step, but I would love to release something truly original.

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I currently have two Lamy 2000 Fountain Pens inked up. Both in original Makrolon.

Question 11: What's a comfort item, material, or color?

My Lamy 2000 fountain pen. It was my first highly coveted stationery item, and remains my favorite. There’s something about the feel of the Makrolon finish in hand that brings comfort and reminds me of the excitement I felt when I first became deeply engaged in this hobby, because it was one of the first really nice fountain pens that I saved up and purchased early on in my career. Whenever I feel out-of-sorts, and need to journal or just write out my thoughts in a coherent manner, picking up the Lamy 2000 puts me in the right mindset.

Question 12: What would be a dream collaboration, project, or partnership?

A dark burgundy Lamy 2000 with black plated trim. I mean, what else? We’ll see how closely Lamy reads this blog.

If you enjoy our content, please consider supporting us through the T.G.S. Curated Shop or by visiting our Patreon, which features extra content and more hangout opportunities. And, of course, you can also come visit us in person at our Nashville Shop!