Is it just me, or are pen manufacturers putting less ink in their pens?
I have a Cross pen that I love but stopped using it because the refills don’t seem the last more than a few weeks. In my search for decent writing tools, I’ve ordered some SARASA Zebra fine points. Great writing pen but, again, it doesn’t last for shit. Pen ink doesn’t seem to last like it used to.
It’s frustrating. Anyone else notice this?
I can not say it is or is not happening to pens but shrinkflation has been accelerating lately as supply chain problems from COVID and inflation hit. It would not be surprising at all if pen manufacturers were doing the same and putting a little less ink in each pen.
The answer is fountain pens. I’m not completely sure what the question is, but that’s the answer.
I forgot to note:
The article says there is a Shrinkflation subreddit where people document their experiences. The OP may have some luck getting answers there.
I bought an acrylic paint marker (shrink-wrapped and new), and, after I got home, I noticed it was less than 1/2 full. Does that count?
I just checked some web site, and 2 or 3 oz bottles of fountain pen ink are selling for prices like $15 or $25. Last time I was in a stationery store, I did not even see for sale a 1L bottle of no-name “fountain-pen ink” like I have that is luckily still about 2/3 full (did not check an actual fountain pen store). I see online you can at least get a 1 litre bottle of ink for $70 to $90 though.
Most are around $12. One bottle will last you at least six months. I have, um, about 50 bottles of ink, each a different color. I’ll die of old age before I use them all up.
It’s actually not a “cheapest possible” solution, just an extremely satisfying one. But you can buy an excellent pen for $25 (there are plenty of cheaper quite good ones also), a bottle of ink, and you are in business for a year or so before you have to buy anything else. Or you can spend any amount above that. Sky’s the limit.
I suggest looking at sites like Jet Pens, Vanness Pens, and Goulet. They have the whole range of materials and a lot of recommendations. I’d start with Jet Pens. And check out The Fountain Pen Network, a discussion board.
In some cases shrinkflation is probably a good thing. Getting a smaller amount of washing detergent in a bottle is going to cause you to buy more and spend more, but getting a smaller portion of food will probably result in eating less which could be a good for some of us.
Smaller portions (less calories) = Good for most Americans
Paying more per calorie = Bad for everyone (except the people selling the food)
It’s probably not good for the people selling the food either. They are presumably doing it in an attempt to hide their own rising costs.
Not for everyone. I know my way around fountain pens quite well, being old enough to have been in school during a time when we were required to use different writing instruments for different subjects (fountain pens for English, ball points for social studies and science, pencils for math).
Plus, I studied calligraphy in college and became modestly adept at uncial and one or two other scripts that I now forget.
So yeah, I can use a fountain pen when I need to. But fountain pens suck if you don’t have a conventional grip. I have a "thumb wrap" grip. Not so great with fountain pens.
Yes, you are right. Lefties have a struggle as well.
How does the grip affect the ergonomics? And does it make a difference if the pen is a fountain pen or some other type of pen? It’s true that some fountain pens nibs are more sensitive to angle and pressure than other fountain-pen nibs.
The Jetpens site seems to list all sorts of gel pens for sale for between $1–$2. Not sure if they have suffered from “shrinkflation”, but a fair number are transparent, so you can see the ink level.
Grips (aka ‘sections’) are very personal, you have to experiment for yourself. Also the thickness of the section makes a difference.
Fountain pen ink is essentially dyed water. Normally just the weight of the pen itself is sufficient to make a line; no more pressure is necessary nor is it good for the pen.
With modern fountain pens, if well tuned, there isn’t that much difference between nibs of the same size. There are only a few manufacturers that supply all the pen companies.
Vintage fountain pens are idiosyncratic, each one writes uniquely. In the early 20th century, when handwriting was a necessary art, many nibs were flexible and wrote a line that varied in width depending on changes of pressure. They were immediate descendants of the dip pens with which people wrote – and still write – calligraphy with. They are highly valued now; the art of making such nibs is virtually lost.
I have noticed a lot of pens with clearly short filling. But that has been true for quite a while. Some of the newer gel ink pens seem especially poor.
The old Bic pens never seemed ever reach end of life due to running out of ink. Some other catastrophic failure always seemed to come first. So perhaps extra ink was a waste of time.
Long term fountain pen user here as well. The nib is very personal and they tend to wear in to the user. So a vintage nib may feel very weird if it has been used by someone else.
When I got my PhD I decided to give myself a present. A new high end fountain pen. I was convinced it would be a Mount Blanc. After a lot of trialing in the shop I realised that their nibs just didn’t suit and I ended up with a Caran d’Arch. Very very different nib. You have to find your own. Stupidly expensive pen however. I also use a Lamy and they are brilliant. I use Lamy ink in both pens. Ink quality matters. (Parker ink is different to other inks and is very specific to their pens.)
YMMV.