So my GF recently got interested in fountain pens and I was thinking of getting her one. Are there any good intro pens and inks which are particularly good for left handed people? My plan so far is to get her a Pilot Metro F (because that's what I started on and have a good feel for it) and Noodler's Q 'ternity because I heard it was quick drying.
Anything else I should look at?
Posted Apr 30, 2019, 3:03 AM UTC
Just a few thoughts...
Goulet pens has a brief video series hosted by a left-handed staff member who discusses lefty issues. Video link
I have recently gotten a bottle of [[Pilot Iroshizuku Kon Peki]] for the nice color. I was surprised to find how quickly it dried on my nice Rhodia paper. I didn't have to think about smearing the ink with the heel of my hand. There are inks that advertise a "quick dry" feature, but I have mostly shopped for color.
I've mostly used TWSBI Eco (F).
Lamy has fountain pens specifically designed for left handers. Look for fountain pens that have “LH” nibs or buy any Lamy fountain pens (except Lamy 2000) and swap with LH nib (sold separately).
There is no general-purpose pen for lefties because it depends on how they hold their pen. I have my nib sideways and push it along the paper. Because the nib is not in the standard orientation, I avoid nibs that are sensitive to position, like flex nibs. However, contrary to many lefties, I do not like fine or EF nibs, so I use medium and broad ones and just lift my palm to avoid smearing.
My favorite paper is Rhodia. I found Clairfontaine a little too smooth and long-drying.
TL:DR, Aim for inks that dry under 10 seconds, I like J. Herbin. Buy ink samples. Extra fine to Fine nibs should be great; medium is too wide for regular writing.
Lefty here, I started with Lamy Extra-Fine and that worked really well for me. I had the Jinhao x750 (the black sparkly one), which I liked until it fell apart on me after a year. I have some Jinhao Shark pens, which I like, they're fine writers but not ones I use for inks with particular properties, like sheen or shimmer, and so cheap. I love the Pilot Fine, I have two Preras and I love them, snap caps, dainty and light, but low ink capacity and $30+. I love also the Preppy fine, but not the extra fine! I stabbed through several papers with that one and had to give it away. It kind of depends on how one holds the pen, I tend to push, so the Japanese extra fine on the Preppy was too sharp. Conversely, I also have a TWSBI Extra Fine, and it's one of my favorites.
I like a wide collection of inks, and don't consider dry time as an extreme concern of mine. I generally aim for one that dries within 10 seconds without much smearing for a black or blue every-day color especially. I can't say that I've got strong opinions on inks, I like the J. Herbins, Diamine, and Noodler's Black, I just got some Iroshizuku ink and it's pretty great, but pricey. I haven't bought an ink that is advertised as 'quick drying' because they look like they feather on the paper and I'm a snob.
Spend the $10-$15 on ink samples instead of a bottle, find some colors she might be into. That way, you don't make a big commitment to an ink you may not like/be able to use. See Goulet for ink samples. They've got sets arranged by color and property, I particularly like looking at their staff picks of ink sample sets.
Good Luck!
I am left handed and my first pen was a Lamy Safari with a LH nib, at first I could totally see the difference and it was really worth it. Now I also use ordinary nibs without a problem, but I still prefer my Safari.
Any. Left handed nibs exist, but their necessity is overrated. (I'm left handed myself).
I'd worry more about the ink and paper than the nib. Go for quick drying ink and more absorbent paper to reduce the risk of smearing.
Lefty with crappy but alright fountain pens here. No prob at all, if you stick with F or EF. I used to write with a M nib Daiso, just gotta slow down my writing pace lil bit to avoid smudges.
Currently inked: Pilot Petit and Monami Olika
Nothing specific for LH, but for a very first pen I might go M instead of F - a medium tip has a nice round ball of smooth tipping, and since a LH is going to be pushing the pen to the right instead of pulling it, the tinier the nib the more apt it is to be wanting to poke 'into' the page and feel rough. You can always get a pen with a finer nib tip after she is comfortable.
For your consideration, I've been a LF fp writer for 5 decades. I've got a whole post with tips for LH people new to fps here.