Writing Instruments Are Not a Simple Choice Anymore, More Is Better!
Over the years I have lost, had stolen, or had pens that did not perform as I expected; mostly expensive pens. A few months ago I made it a personal mission to find a pen or pens that I like; because they look nice when I use them, and how they felt in my fingers, and how the ink was dispensed (thickness, color and consistency). Today, pens are a combination of ergonomics, chemical and mechanical engineering. Even in the everyday pedestrian pen category (PaperMate, Uni-ball, or Zebra) there is one for every writing occasion and style; the quill is long gone. Just take a look at the signing of the Declaration of Independence and there are great examples of putting a written image on paper.
I have always been interested in writing instruments since grade school, when penmanship was a big deal. The first pen we used in grade school was a fountain pen with a glass bottle of ink with a reservoir molded into the ink bottle. I found fountain pens to be interesting, but cheap pens made the experience time consuming and often messy. Then came the ubiquitous Bic “Banana” stick pen and I found writing with ballpoint pens great because the ballpoint pen ink would not bleed on my “Big Chief” tablet paper. But, fountain pens remain appealing for signatures on documents.