What’s next on my to-buy list?
I’m trying to prioritize buying entry-level good-for-beginners fountain pens. For research, so I know best what to recommend, and because there are tons of great reasons to expand my collection of “cheap” FPs: I love using them , they’ve stood the test of time, I’d rather add a dozen cheap pens to my arsenal than one expensive pen, etc. There are SO MANY recommended under-$50 pens I haven’t tried yet (and even a lot under $25)! So more affordably-priced pens are at the top of my list for research and adding to my collection.
But I am also researching who to buy from, and I haven’t bought from Vanness before … so I’m filling out a shopping cart there. I need more Preppies, more Parker ink cartridges … and to qualify for free shipping (and also get enough stuff to get a good idea of how an average-sized order from them feels to unbox / what the experience is of buying from them). So I’m browsing through and thinking of what I *want* and what I “need”. Weighing desire along with what is the best research investment that I will also use.
Narwhal Schuylkill Asfur Bronze Fountain Pen
The truth is I’m just not very excited today to try a Pilot. Or a Lamy. Or a Faber-Castell. I want a TWSBI eco, but I already decided against recommending that as a first-timers fountain pen (because of the filling system, and my motto of “write more, clean less”, plus I know I am going to be able to get one whenever I’m ready). And I already have a Cross and a Conklin and a Sheaffer and a Monteverde Monza on my rewards altar awaiting my trials. I also eliminate pens that do not come in AT LEAST a medium nib (the broader the better for me right now). The only entry level pens I’m positive I want right now are more broad nib Diplomat Magnums (I *love* my first one) and Kaweco Frosted Sports (but they’re not really what I want to write with most, I just want all of the colors to go along with my Frosted Sport in Blueberry). So I cannot allow myself to order more Sports or Magnums.
I try to tell myself that I don’t have to be super-excited about the pens I get right now — it is good to test them out and put them in rotation. I can totally give them away / replace them as time goes on, I do more research and reviews, and my collection grows. But there’s also the whole DOES IT SPARK JOY factor (one of Marie Kondo’s excellent questions in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up). So I try to look at the options in my price range, and nothing is really sparking joy for me.
Then I see something that CALLS OUT TO ME: the Narwhal Schuylkill Asfur Bronze fountain pen. Really sparking joy. Such pretty colors! At $55 it’s just above the maximum of what I’d call entry-level, so it won’t really count as research. It’s also a piston-filler and I’d already decided against any fancy-filling systems, feeling truly committed (for now) to my system of syringe-filling cartridges (both because I love doing it that way, and because it fits with recommending / reviewing really clean and accessible easy and manageable fountain pen advice).
But here’s the thing: I am ticking off other categories. And when my friend asked me what the most expensive thing is on my rewards altar and I said “$60”, I realized … maybe I need a few more things that are treasures in other ways that are not strictly utilitarian. I’ll still be ticking the boxes off for research by buying from a store I’ve never tried and getting more preppies and parker cartridges. So … maybe it’s okay for the other thing that qualifies me for free shipping to be something a little teeny bit over the top. Plus I am probably not going to get to reward myself with actually using it for months at this rate, so by then I may be ready to try a piston-fill.
When I do a price comparison I see it is a good deal, and also … kind of hard to find. Out of stock on Goldspot. Not even available at others. And I love these colors … I love that there is going to be an element of surprise since it seems to photograph differently and there are no doubt variations / each pen unique with the way the swirls and balance of colors come out.
I am just not in the mood for another gloomy, dark, somber pen, and don’t feel like I can justify buying more WHITE or plain pens. I made a teeny bit of money with bitcoin this past month, so that pays for it in theory (I’m not actually going to take out that tiny bit of bitcoin for this and there is no way to pay using BTC on Vanness but anyway). I also dropped $60 on dinner and drinks with my friend last night – MORE than this pen costs. Kind of puts it into perspective.
I wrote this post last year in August. Since then I placed and received my order with Vanness. Are you curious what I wound up ordering / whether I did go through with buying the Narwhal Schuylkill Asfur Bronze?