The popularity of fountain pens is spiking right now and more and more people are ditching ballpoints, roller balls, and gel pens to give a fountain pen a try. Although a large amount of the writing that we do these days is digital, we have noticed more and more people specifically looking at if fountain pens are good for note taking or not.
With the spike in the number of fountain pen users right now as well as the number of people looking to use a fountain pen for note taking, we have decided to publish this article. Our hope is that we will not only be able to help our readers understand what fountain pens are better for note taking but also understand the best inks and nibs that they should be using too.
Unlike ballpoint and rollerball pens, there are a number of customisations on fountain pens that can either make of break your writing experience. Thankfully, we are able to offer you the best guidance possible to keep you on the right track to ensure that you get the best writing experience possible out of your fountain pen when taking notes.
Are Fountain Pens Good For Note Taking?
Fountain pens can be hit and miss when it comes to note taking. A low-quality fountain pen will usually offer a bad writing experience but a decent fountain pen can be better than other pen types when taking notes. Thankfully, decent fountain pens can be cheap with some being less than $20.
We have a dedicated article going over the best pen for ugly handwriting that may be worth writing but if you are specifically looking for a fountain pen then we have two options that we always recommend. If you are on a budget then the Lamy Safari is an excellent, cheap fountain pen for note taking with the Lamy 2000 being even better although it is more expensive.
There are a number of other great fountain pens on the market right now that are excellent options for taking notes but they tend to be higher price points while offering similar performance to the Lamy options. This is why we usually recommend the Lamy range of pens to our readers looking for a fountain pen for taking notes.
What Effects A Fountain Pens Note Taking Ability?
The most important thing to factor in when looking for a fountain pen for note taking is the pen itself. The actual constriction of the pen and how it is put together plays a huge roll in its performance and the writing experience it can offer. This is especially important if you are on a budget as many of the entry level fountain pens are essentially a waste of money and offer a horrible writing experience.
The next thing to factor in is the nib size of the fountain pen and this is where personal preference can come into play. The majority of people tend to prefer an extra-fine or fine nib but a smaller number of people prefer a broad or double-broad nib with a medium nib being a nice middle ground of the two. We will go over the advantages and disadvantages of each later in the article.
The final thing to factor in is the ink that you use in your fountain pen. Depending on the type of fountain pen that you are wanting to use for your note taking as well as the budget that you have available, you may be restricted to the ink cartridges from the brand of the pen you use. If your pen has a piston filler or cartridge converter then this really opens up the possibilities for note taking.
The Best Fountain Pen For Note Taking!
We feel that the Lamy range of fountain pens are the best options for anyone new to using a fountain pen who will be taking lots of notes. They are very fairly prices and usually outperform many of the competing models from other brands at higher price points in the market.
If you are looking for an entry level fountain pen then we would highly recommend that you go with the Lamy Safari as it is an excellent option that can often be fount for less than $20. In our opinion, the Lamy Safari is the best entry level fountain pen ever made and will make light work of note taking and other simple writing tasks.
If you do have more of a budget available then we would recommend that you go with the Lamy 2000. Although it has more of an intermediate price tag, many people consider the Lamy 2000 to be a professional level fountain pen and it will make light work of the vast majority of writing tasks, especially taking notes.
The Best Fountain Pen Nib Size For Note Taking!
If you have minimal experience of using a fountain pen then we would highly recommend that you go with a medium nib size. Although it is not the best at any specific task, it does offer solid performance for all tasks with it being a jack off all trades rather than a master of one.
The majority of people do tend to prefer a fine or extra-fine nib on their fountain pens for note taking though. The less ink released onto the paper by the smaller ink path on the nib prevents you from having issues with bleeding on low GSM paper helping to keep the notes that you take as neat and tidy as possibilities.
Finally there is the broad and double broad nib sizes that release the most ink when writing offering a smoother writing experience. That said though, the more ink released by the nib when writing does usually result in the ink bleeding through the paper so most people tend to avoid broad or double broad nib sizes on their fountain pen for taking notes.
The Best Fountain Pen Ink For Note Taking!
If you are using a cartridge based fountain pen like the outstanding Lamy Safari then you are restricted to the cartridges available for your specific pen when taking notes. Although some cartridge fountain pens do offer additional cartridges from third parties opening up the ink options available, this is rarer, especially for fountain pens under $100.
If you are using a fountain pen that has a piston filler, a cartridge converter or a vacuum filler then this really does open up the possibilities for the inks that you are able to use with your pen when taking notes. In our opinion, the Pilot Iroshizuku fountain pen ink is probably the best fountain pen ink ever made and it will perform well for taking notes.
In our opinion, the actual ink that you use in your fountain pen when taking notes is the least important factor to think of so there is no major reason to stress over it. Use the ink that you have available with the type of fountain pen and nib size being more important when taking notes.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over if fountain pens are good for note taking or not to a close. In our opinion, although fountain pens are more expensive than ballpoint and rollerball pens, they are excellent options for taking notes and are well worth adding to your stationary collection.
