Refillability
The main reason fountain pens are such a good eco-friendly swap is of course that they are refillable. From cartridges which yes, are still single-use (though you can refill them with a syringe or pump of some sort) but still produce way less waste than throwing out an entire pen! I later bought a pen with a converter which is to be used with a bottle of ink. Just dipping its nib in the bottle and twisting the converter’s pump allows me to refill the pen with the ink of my choice and keep writing. There are so many options on the market: from converters that are attached to the pen, to others that resemble cartridges, some you twist, some you pinch, etc!
Fancy writing
Depending on the pen, they can be super smooth and glide on the paper. They look very fancy and certainly give a classy style to your writing. You can choose among a variety of ink colors and different models of nibs. I personally only use two colors, black and blue, for a more academic style since I use them to write and take notes.
For this reason, I always use only two pens at a time. If you let a pen sit without using it for a while, the ink within the nib will dry. It usually is water-soluble, so it will only be necessary to rinse thoroughly the pen, but it can be a waste of both time and ink. The solubility in water also makes these pens mess-free, a huge advantage for clumsy students :).
Finally, you should also pay attention to the kind of paper and ink you use. Some inks will bleed through certain papers, while others won't. Sometimes the ink won't dry as fast and highlighting will put your text at risk of smudging I recommend trying it out on another piece of paper and always having a backup pencil just in case!
Price
Despite their fancy look, fountain pens are not crazy pricey. They can go from very cheap to expensive, much like any other type of pen, depending on the quality, brand, etc. However, since it is so easy to refill them, they will last a long while, so investing in your perfect pen is not a bad idea! They also make a beautiful Christmas, birthday, or even graduation present to either gift or receive. The ink bottles I bought cost about CAN$15 and will last many months, if not years! Cartridges, on the other hand, last for about a week or two (more or less, depending on how much one writes of course) and the cost can go up pretty quick! Every item can easily be found online or at your nearest stationery and office store.
So, I highly recommend trying them out, getting used to them, and happily cutting down waste and clutter from your pencil case.
Later fellow students 🌱
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