Having grown up in the US and spending my summers in Germany, I learned to appreciate fountain pens at an early age. This developed into an appreciation of fine writing later on. While a lot of people will just use whatever disposable ballpoint they have lying around, I think it’s nice to have a small collection of pens you actually enjoy using again and again over years.

Kaweco Brass Sport Fountain pen #

While I do have an extensive fountain pen collection, this one is my go-to pen. It’s compact yet heavy. Purchased in June 2022, the brass has developed a beautiful patina.¹

Parker Jotter #

There are many (nicer) metal pens out there. Somehow the light, slender form of the Jotter just caught my eye. It’s elegant, yet being a ballpoint, still the first choice for utilitarian purposes.

While I prefer the smoothness of a gel refill, they don’t last long enough.² Fortunately there is a huge variety of G2 ballpoint refills.

Usually I try to keep my things in like-new condition, but with brass’s malleability, scratches and dents are inevitable. I managed to embrace it pretty quickly. ↩︎
A Schneider Gelion Plus writes well, but only lasts two or three weeks when I use this pen for University. ↩︎