At The Beginning, Is It Better To Have A Variety Of Inks Or Pens? - Q&A Slices

[@robert_wigh]

“A pen is a pen is a pen, right? That's why I have 500 of them.” -Brian Goulet, 2017

[@EmmaImholz]

Robert Andersson I actually laughed at that. Hahahaha

[@mirageinthedesert5448]

Robert Andersson 💯 like

[@marcianoacuerda]

I kinda liked where you were going with your analogy. The pen is the car, bit to me the ink is like the road. The same car can take you to different places, that you will enjoy irregardless of the model or price of the car. And Im definitely buying some samples now.

[@Gouletpens]

I like your way better! Lots of different routes the ink can take you on. :) - Colin

[@carolmelancon]

Thank you so much for offering ink samples. Talk about adding value - even though a bottle of ink isn't usually terribly expensive, it's so nice to be able to "test drive" them. I ordered several the other day and a glass pen so I can play with them without a lot of cleaning time.

[@Gouletpens]

Yes, I can't imagine the world of fountain pens & ink before ink samples. Committing to a bottle is hard enough without trying out it out first. Good call on the glass dip pen too, great way to test! - Colin

[@ReticentSparrow]

What is your experience with the glass dip pen? I tried a metal dip pen and find the ink with it is darker than with my Lamy Al-Star.

[@muchozolf]

too bad they're hard to get in my country :c imma have to look around other EU countries, cuz shipping from the USA is crushingly expensive

[@mellow-jello]

The car analogy is exactly the right for your convo about pens & inks. Many look at the body of the car (pens,) when the ride is actually dependent on tires (ink.) While a nice pen feels good in your hands, it is the ink that shows the penmanship & work put into the hobby.

[@WantedVisual]

I've been using fountain pens for as long as I've been writing. You notice the difference in quality and nib properties, yes, but I'll still take a Lamy Safari with seventeen ink samples over seventeen holy grail pens loaded with only standard blue.

[@ReticentSparrow]

New fountain pen user here. Just wanted you to know: yes, I really appreciate the ink samples. Pleased with the selection I got from the random pack.

[@Allocution_TK]

Boom samples. That's what I took from this experience

[@lz3390]

I think ink would be tires in your analogy. Consumable that defines your connection to the paper/road. Good ink can make an unexciting pen great, bad ink can make a wonderful pen miserable.

[@mmmssbb23]

based on reviews,i went for pilot iroshizuku (take sumi). Really a stupendous ink, absolute writing experience with this.

[@Gouletpens]

That's a great choice. You really can't go wrong with any of Iroshizuku inks in my opinion. - Colin

[@popnsplat]

The Goulet Pen Company i love my first iroshizuku (yama budo) on great paper, but on anything less than fantastic paper it's probably the worst behaved ink i own short of noodlers polars. i was overall kind of disappointed. sailor jentle, on the other hand, is basically perfection from a sheening and behavior standpoint. the bottles are infinitely worse though. pilot bottles are insanely gorgeous.

[@BrandochGarage]

I'm an artist, and I thought I'd be just doing black ink all the way, but that lasted literally less than one month, as I grabbed soem wine coloured cartridges and then some brown, then green inks. Then I ordered more ink and some fancy paper... (sigh). I like your analysis and journey here. The inks do have so much character. I had one pen I didn't like with the first coloured ink in it, but then I switched inks, and it became an amazing writer.So much to experience. It's all very inspiring.

[@barryporter6993]

Thank You. I think Inks are definitely the way to go. Lots of great ways to express yourself.

[@imarinobr]

Thanks for answering my question Brian! Went crazy on ink samples! rsrsrs! Write on!

[@Gouletpens]

Ink samples are totally the way to go. I have a whole desk drawer filled to the brim with them. - Colin

[@popnsplat]

The Goulet Pen Company i always get so sad when i get an ink sample that i really like. it's gone in a day, i want to try it out in everything, stubs, flex pens, fines, broads, match it to any of my similarly colored pens. but when I'm really not sure, like on the platinum iron galls (which i wound up adoring and can't wait until you get a bottle of citrus black in, any idea when/if you're restocking?) or an ink i Just don't know if I'll like (visconti green was a real dud in my green divina) it's great. are you guys planning on trying to get sailor products again? i don't own many sailor pens, but their jentle inks are some of the most dramatic sheening inks ever, with stunning manners, even on cheap paper they refuse to feather, and apart from the lame bottles, the three i have (with four more on the way fruition Japan) are instantly my favorite colors in their respective categories. i would like the samples to hold 1 or 2ml more just for convenience of trying to initiatally fill my #6 stuff (which is impossible for stuff like the vac700) If i buy 2 or 3 of an ink sample, is it possible to combine them into one vial? or do you separate them all out early on and can't? i would much prefer to buy my ink from you guys over waiting for it to come from japan.

[@imarinobr]

+popnsplat in your opinion, which are the best Sailor jentle inks colors? Great the idea of extra ml in the samples! I feel the same drama. Rsrsrs! Regards

[@popnsplat]

Marino (imarinobr) they are all outstanding, but for blue, souten is a vibrant blue with a stunning red sheen and is perfectly behaved, no feathering ever, great flow and great shading. for green/teal, yama-dori is a deep dark green/ teal with a lovely dark red sheen and moderate shading (the sheen is really dramatic here too) for red, oku-yama. a very dark red similar to diamine oxblood, with a subtler sheen that most shows around the edges (but is still nicely visible) of a bright gold/dark green all three are my favorite colors in there categories and for the price just can't be beat in any way other than water resistance (of which there is none) with excellent dry times as well. the bottles suck though, with a weird shaped cone that doesn't work with any nibs ofa a #6, but you can just throw thay away. I'm getting four more colors from japan, a grey, a seaweed green, and a couple more, but the three i mentioned can be had on Amazon with free prime shipping for under $15 a bottle (through always buy goulet if they offer a product)

[@imarinobr]

+popnsplat Thank you!!!

[@fcsolis]

I'm two months into this fountain pen craze. I'm sold on Brian, Drew, and the Goulet Pen Company crew. Thanks.

[@Uramlal]

I started with pens and have just started with inks, I’ve gone with Cross, Pilot, Lamy and Parker and I’ve only delved into Pilot Iroshizuku and Parker inks. You videos have been most helpful....thank you.

[@diserasta1]

I have to admit I went full bore on the pens myself recently. I started with a Lamy Logo, then a Jinhao, which I put a 2mm music nib in. I bought some 10-15 inks from Diamine. And then recently I got a new job that pays SIGNIFICANTLY better, so I bought a Nebulosa and a Montegrappa Copper Mule. >_>

[@Gouletpens]

Wow, congrats on the new job! Took the FP collection to a new level, love the look of the Nebulosa. :) - Colin

[@ZarahMcIntosh]

All the above. lol I think the most important part is learning about the ink and paper. Once you understand the importance of good paper, it's easy to get samples of fun inks to try. Next is to purchase a few different models of inexpensive pens that mimic the high end stuff. Inexpensive but really great pens like Jinhao, Wing Sung, Yiren, etc allows you to play with making eyedroppers, and changing out nibs, etc, all to your heart's content without feeling too worried about any damage. I have really enjoyed learning and trying different things with-out breaking the bank while slowly building my ink collection.

[@robynfuller3988]

This is excellent info! I've just gotten into fountain pens, and it was the colors of ink that really drew me in. But some of the pens out there are so beautiful.... one day 😃🙂

[@niconico4962]

I'm still getting started in the fountain pen world and my collection is made out of a parker vector and a parker cisele 65 silver sterling. They were both family relics. For now I only have turquoise cartridges, but I'm looking foward to christmas to get some more ink.

[@kitleydefelice865]

As just starting getting into fountain pens, I've found that I am tending to have more variety in pens rather than inks. I often am just writing my not important thoughts on random paper (extra fine nib, so it's okay on bleeding, feathering, etc.) because I just want to use my fountain pens! I love the smooth and effortless lack of pressure when using fountain pens. For me, I guess it's more about the experience of using the fountain pens rather than the final product, although I do calligraphy and other list-writing, journal-type writing where the final product is fairly important. But I'm finding that ink is really not a big important factor for me, it's more about the pens for me. That's just me though

[@lizdelisle1912]

When I first started with fountain pens I was really crazy about good paper but I didn’t have a lot of options for ink. Now I’m going to explore the ink world!

[@athenaenergyshine7616]

This is great advice I now picked my 9 pens and 9 inks with with the colours of the rainbow

[@pinkpandamiranda]

I think I like having a variety of both at the beginning. I got a few bottles of ink with four or five pens in the first year and had fun with different combinations for a while. Eventually I got a few more pens but a lot more ink with samples and bottles. Now I think I'm getting into more pens! Gosh this is a fun hobby. Eventually I'll get into different paper haha.

[@lucindabreeding]

I just got my first "real" pen from Goulet Pen Company. A purple pilot metro pop. I've used it every day since I got it.

[@teaartist6455]

I've actually used fountain pens all my life including (unknowingly until four days ago) a Pelican M200 but was now kinda thrown into this entire world of pens by finding an unbranded vintage lever pen or rather discovering its lever and realising that it's in fact a fountain pen, not some weird dip pen. From then on things kind of spiralled out of control which is why I currently have an ink sac kit on the way and am kinda regretting throwing the old one out so soon because I remember the pen feeling great on the paper on the test drive but the sac was already starting to harden and I had to get the measurements... But yea, samples will be next, I already have a bit of experience with different colours, even if my current collection is largely not fountain pen compatible.

[@AJB2K3]

I'm using Daler Rowney Acrylic Artist Ink (I have several due to being a model maker). I found them a bit too thick for the JinHao 5000 at first but one I made up a 2 to 1 mix of ink to water, the ink worked great.

[@Gouletpens]

Even with the dilution, I would caution against that. Looking online, it doesn't seem like a great option for fountain pens as it's acrylic-based & pigmented. Could cause some flow issues. - Colin

[@thedoover6520]

I just bought my first fountain pen as a reward for finishing NaNoWriMo. I found your channel/company while searching for a particular pen out of stock in several companies. I didn't buy my pen from you, you were out, but, I know I'll buy in the future. The inks are so freaking cool! I'll buy inks and save for another pen for the next win NaNoWriMo.

[@narsplace]

You talk about ink paper and pens but what got me into fountain pens was Japanese writing. Writing can be a big factor to get into fountain pens.

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah for sure. Someone who is learning a new language or into journaling and writes a lot, gravitating towards fountain pens and the elevated experience they bring is totally valid. - Colin

[@robert_wigh]

Like learning another alphabet/writing system or even improving your cursive handwriting!

[@zx_style]

So I just bought a few inexpensive pens and some nicer inks. I bought the pilot iroshizuku kon peki and I'm super excited to see how I like them.

[@thadtheman3751]

How many different colors do you have per page. Since the way I do things, I like to have several to distinguish parts of what I write. Once you decide to stick to fp, get one pen per color on page plus one ( as a emergency replacement ). Then start picking inks.

[@davidsilva8695]

As a newbie myself, I have to agree.

[@edwardlee3511]

Hi, I'm 13, and I decided that I am gonna treat myself with an Edison, and I use it often.

[@magnoliamike]

I just bought my first fountain pen last week and I got the White TWSBI Eco with a medium Nib and I got 2 inks to go with it and just ordered a LAMY Safari

[@VampireKa1n]

What I've been doing so far, is sticking with cheap pens. I've got twelve pens so far and 7 of them are jinhaos. My most expensive is an Ahab. I do this because they're super cheap, yet good quality with what are actually some of the nicest looking designs to me that I''ve seen in most pens under $60. This allows me to buy lots of pens AND lots of ink samples / bottles, and kind of get the best of both worlds. I am planning my first major pen purchase for next month. I'm looking at the Pilot VP Decimo in blue, Monteverde Invincia in caron fiber, Pilot E95S in Silver/gold, and Monteverde Mountains of the World in either Everest or Vesuvius. I'll probably be able to pick up two of these in May. Any suggestions?

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, sticking with budget pens is a good way to try a few out. As for the next pen purchase, I'd lean more towards the Pilot pens. The Decimo with the retractable nib is such a unique feature you can't find it on other fountain pens. I personally have the E95s, and it's a really smooth nib, especially if you'd like an EF nib. - Colin

[@VampireKa1n]

Not sure how I feel about finer nibs. I have a Fine Metropolitan and feel that it doesn't show shading well enough. I think I will be getting the Decimo next though, I'm just still on the fence about the second. Thanks!

[@SniperWalrus]

In my humble opinion you should try getting a variety of colours of inks. Like black, blue, red, grey etc. Not only is it way cheaper to have a solid collection of colours if really familiarises you with the hobby. It gives you time to think about things including if you want to become more of a collector, and most importantly, in my opinion, it gives you a solid reason to spend more time writing, which helps to develop your style, your consistency and your preferences. I figured pretty early that I liked fine nibs, Japanese pens (especially Pilot's) and my second favourite nib type was italic. It may also help you pick a favourite colour. Mine is grey, but once you have a solid number of colours you can get like 4 blues, 5 blacks, 10 greys, 3 oranges, 4 reds etc. Once you know those things you're less likely to make bad purchasing decisions on pens. You can laugh off a bad buy of a £10 ink but a £100 pen that you find yourself not liking 2 years down the line really stings. :|

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, I totally agree. Not even bottles necessarily, but samples are a great way to try lots of different colors and brands until you know what works for you. You are familiar with how it behaves, how it cleans out, etc. - Colin

[@SniperWalrus]

As a resident of the U.K who started collecting a few years ago I didn't really have a clear path to ink sampling. If it's an option for someone new to the hobby I think that's the best way to start without a doubt. The closest thing I had was buying Diamine 30 ml bottles which I bought prolifically. But thankfully I stumbled upon my proffered ink colours very early on. I sit upon a throne of grey. Which honestly isn't very big, since there aren't THAT many greys, comparatively, to say blue.

[@HighWideandHandsome]

You've confirmed the approach that I was already taking, basically. My first fountain pen, a LAMY Safari, which I've had for nearly a year and a half now, was a gift from a friend. He also gave me a bunch of LAMY inks and some nibs. I didn't really start getting into fountain pens until a month ago, though. I bought a LAMY AL-Star and some paper, and around that time another friend who has been in the fountain pen world for a while let me pick out some inks of varying brands that he had received. My most recent order, my first from your company, was a TWSBI Eco, a LAMY stub nib, and a bunch of ink samples. So now I have three pens and a *ton* of ink. I'm hesitant to buy another pen, but I almost think I need to because I want to try all this ink and I'm not getting through what's currently in my pens fast enough!

[@calska140]

I can't see it as any other way but inks. But that's because pens arentu main interest. Although I do have fountain pens and do alot of writing , I mainly use a nib, nib holder, and some fine brushes, with a myriad of inks to create art pieces. Ink is just great for creating almost any kind of illustration you want. Unlike paints and watercolors you can create hyper detailed drawings with very crisp lines and amazingly vibrant colors or you can use inks exactly like watercolors. So if you have disparate art styles you like to create, chances are you don't have to invest in much more than a penci, a nib holder, a few nibs, a paltry amount of brushes, the ink, and paper. Which is great if you are prone to spontaneous inspiration or just like to be able to work on different styles without alot of hastle.

[@max_ishere]

I am currently on the journey of finding the pen itself that I like. I started with a extremely fine nib on a knock off of Parker 51 and am very sad that quality of the pen is not the best. However the nib is exactly what I need. So now I am in search of a stiffer body with a similar nib and larger capacity. I hope TWSBI Eco will have that. If not I would have to buy some nib grinding material. Although maybe it is not worth the loss of the nib.

[@robert_wigh]

So, about when should you begin diving into different NIBS? I guess that is a really important part of a fountain pen. When should you buy a flex nib, for example? I guess that should wait a bit, or what do you think?

[@Gouletpens]

That sort of goes hand in hand with pen purchases for me. I usually try to go with a different style nib when getting a new pen. If you're talking just swappable nibs, I think that could be something you can wait in. Make sure you find the pen/ink/paper combo you like and are comfortable with first. Using a flex nib is pretty hard and takes some practice. - Colin

[@ashleyrobinson3298]

Love what you said! I have 3 pens and I've gotten into ink samples and it is so much fun. Speaking of your pen collection, do you have your pens insured? You ball parked around 500 pens and I am certain some are expensive ones so I was wondering if you have done that :) thanks Brian!

[@Gouletpens]

That's an interesting question! I'm not sure if Brian has or not. But it'd be a good question for Q&A, so I've added it to our spreadsheet. Thanks. - Colin

[@coyotetrickster5758]

Get a cheap pen(pick from good reviewers, not just the amazon listings), and it's free cartage. You will quickly figure your wants, it's all different. There is no wrong choice in getting an ink or a pen, but which ink or pen might be. It is better to listen to trusted reviewers or hobbyist that make postings online with comparing inks and pens. Naturally do more than place, but it will steer you away from some cheap pitfalls and less than optimal expensive options. I have been a hobbyist artist and only had dip pens until recently. My carry pen died and I got the MUJI aluminum fountain pen, a converter and Platinum Carbon Ink (so I can use with watercolor) and so far so good. My plans for next is a pen (Noodler's Ahab Flex Nib) Then probably some color ink, maybe some samples. It really is individual, so go with what you think will be fun.

[@gingermatchstick]

I recently bought my first fountain pen, a Lamy Logo, and my first ink was just a standard Lamy black for notes and university work. Given Brian's love for the colour I was looking into getting Noodlers Apache Sunset as my first 'shading' ink but, as I live in the UK Noodlers isn't an option. What others compare in the same orange color and get some nice shading but are available overseas?

[@Gouletpens]

Now, I'm not sure what is available in the UK, but Robert Oster NG Special 16 (www.gouletpens.com/robert-oster-ng-special-16-50ml-bottled-ink/p/RO-50666) is very very close. Diamine Blaze Orange or Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-Yake could be good alternatives as well. - Colin

[@joshsterling]

Ginger Matchstick I know this is a long time ago now but I’ve found that purepens.co.uk offer ink samples and noodlers in the uk. Not sure on how trustworthy but they have a 9.8 on trustpilot. So give it a go

[@AM-uy5qk]

Diamine autumn oak!

[@GaryKocharian]

Brian thank you so much for all of your videos! I just got a midori journal for journal writing, scrap booking my fujifilm instax polaroids, and creative writing. I am glad that I also discovered the beauty of fountain pens almost simultaneously (or else I would be scribbling away on my Midori with a ball point right now!). your videos (old and new) have been so helpful. I have a pilot metro, and just ordered Lamy safari. I am interested in buying the samplers to try a variety of inks, but it's a real pain in the ass to have to do the thorough cleaning every time. Is it okay to just do a regular water cleaning in between inks? And how long should you let it dry after a water cleaning? Thank you again for all of your help!

[@Gouletpens]

Yeah, flushing out the pens with water is fine (kzbin.info/www/bejne/mX-9ZGydis5_eJY). I usually shake out some of the excess water, but beyond that, you should be fine to ink back up. The water might appear diluted to start, but should return to normal after a few lines. - Colin

[@GaryKocharian]

Colin, thanks for the fast response and video link. i picked up some syringes from lab and it worked perfectly for faster and more thorough flushing. Also for a quicker dry, i used some Kimtech Kimwipes (very fine tissue paper), and when you roll a corner up into a thin long column, it works perfectly for getting inside pilot metro bulbs and lamy converters to dry it up quickly from the inside. If I am using Noodler's black, can I still rinse with water (and just do more thorough longer rinses) or do I need to move onto using special cleaning solutions? Thanks!

[@Gouletpens]

Permanent inks like Noodler's Black should still wash out with just water unless its been in the pen for a long time (couple months). Might take longer, but water should still do the trick. - Colin

[@GaryKocharian]

thank you Colin!

[@Loungemermaid]

Oh god. I’m a newbie and I bought a whole bottle of Apache Sunset and I don’t think I’ll ever be rid of it. Please do ink samples!!!

[@Gouletpens]

We DO have ink samples! Hundreds of them! - Drew

[@Loungemermaid]

@@Gouletpens sorry, wasn’t clear!!! Was telling everyone else to buy y’all’s ink samples, not to suggest y’all didn’t offer em!

[@bentheben1145]

Pen is the car, Ink is the road and Nib is the tires

[@lotgc]

I think that I would prefer more variety of pens over ink, but I not some iroshizuku yu-yake and it's kinda making me question my loyalties. I love my sweet potato ink, man

[@katie4623]

I love fountain pen inks.

[@hughmungus1572]

Which nib writes wetter? Lamy Steel M (Safari,...) or Faber Castell M (Basic, Loom, Ondoro,...)

[@Gouletpens]

In my experiences, the Lamy Medium nib is a bit wetter. You can compare for yourself with our Nib Nook tool: www.gouletpens.com/nib-nook - Colin

[@hughmungus1572]

Thanks a lot, Colin. Didn't know that tool, it's awesome!

[@danielfernandez5721]

When buying the random ink sample bundle, what brands of ink are included? Is it just random $1.25 ink samples. Or does it included also $1.50+ inks, I obviously don’t expect premium inks to be included in this.

[@Loungemermaid]

They do really good ones! This last time I got two shimmers that are pretty expensive for ink

[@TheLifeOfJogn]

I would like to try iron gall inks on a mabie todd

[@asmarz4212]

i'd love to start collecting cheap pens first to experiment. so can someone please list the brands i should look for?

[@Gouletpens]

The Platinum Preppy & Pilot Varsity are definitely nice affordable options to test things out with. Jinhao or a Pilot Metropolitan could work as well. - Colin

[@lailanityler2380]

Spoiler Alert Jinhao is a really really good one. It's the brand I own. I have about four different pens currently. Pilot and a few Parkers might be nice as well. Oh, and platinums like the preppy. Lame safari and studio are more that sorta transition pen I find. Given they're on the higher end of what is generally considered "cheap pens". But lots of people just start out with them and love them to death so it's really personal taste

[@asmarz4212]

The Goulet Pen Company thank you!

[@asmarz4212]

Lailani Tyler lots of info :D thank you!

[@BC21beats]

I'm also really out of control 😅

[@Rebecca-di1el]

Wish I'd gotten this advise about 30 years ago. 😏

[@Gouletpens]

Well, 30 years of collection both pens & ink has its own merits! - Colin

[@divyanshusingh8256]

RJ How old are you bro?

[@wild_lee_coyote]

Get a few good cheap pens, then you can really have fun with ink. Once you found your inks, then you can get the nice pens.