I have many fond memories of fountain pens. Learned cursive writing in Catholic elementary school using them. I imagine they were the bane of lots of mothers though - blue ink on white shirt pockets.

About the same time I used to see them by the dozens for sale in the local second-hand store ($.05 each) and purchased one or two on each visit just to look at and touch. Wish I had held on to that collection. You know what they go for in antique shops.

Now I use my trusty uni-ball VISION ELITES. Usually buy a dozen every 2 -3 weeks. They disappear you know. I think the good gel pens are are a nice substitute for everyday use.

Ooh, I like the Vison Elites, too. The multi-color packs. Nice marriage of liquid ink and roller balls. They’re very smooth and luscious.

We weren’t allowed to use fountain pens in school when we were learning cursive. I suppose the teachers already had enough to do without trying to wash ink off 20 pairs of hands at the end of the day. That could have been a nightmare scene.

But I have lots of recollections of watching my brother do his homework with fountain pens. Especially his math and chemistry homework with the neat little rows of equations and formulas that looked very interesting and exotic to my pre-school eyes. It was the old clear barrelled, cartridge loaded School Sheaffer fountain pen. Leaky as all heck. He and I are both nuts for fountain pens. There must have been something in our water while we were growing up. ;)

Now he’s a broad nib Montblanc kind of fellow who also has a lovely antique FP collection. And I’m an anything with a fine point nib sort of person. I really do think that Pelikan would be a nice addition to my collection.