Ridiculously Expensive FP Ink!

by Tony Thomas

Let’s face it, fountain pen ink is ridiculously expensive!

Most ink is somewhere around $12 for a 50 ml bottle.  And as it takes over 3785 ml to make a gallon, that is over 75 bottles of ink.  At $12 per bottle, a gallon of fountain pen ink costs $900 per gallon!  

Noodler's ink is one exception that I can think of (aside from Chinese or Indian inks).  You can get 90ml for around $12 and a huge 16 oz. bottle of selected ink colors for $50.  That is around 473 ml of ink for less than .11 per ml, or right around $400 a gallon.  A comparative bargain!

When you add in the high cost of shipping and tax, unless you are pretty well off, you will be seriously constrained as to the range of inks that you can buy.  That is why I am thankful for ink samples offered by Goulet Pens, Anderson Pens, Pen Chalet, and other vendors.  That at least gives the most frugal of us a chance to experiment with small quantities of even the most expensive fountain pen inks.

I hope that manufacturers will provide more low cost ink options.  I am sure that this can be done as that the bottle is probably more expensive to manufacture than the ink inside.

What do you think?  Do you think that fountain pen ink is too expensive?  What is your favorite "go to" ink?

Are Hand-Finished Fountain Pens Worth It?

 

by Tony Thomas

I bought my Edison Collier back in 2013 and it is one pen purchase that I have never regretted.  Although it is not a completely custom pen, it was turned on a lathe and hand finished.  It is really a work of art.

I prefer hand-finished pens to those created in factories using mass production methods because of the tender loving care that goes into them.  The human touch.  

It really makes a difference.  And, yes, hand-finished pens are worth it.

I love pens from Edison and other companies that produce hand-finished pens like Franklin-Christoph and Ranga.  They are unique and very versatile.  I can swap nibs, use them with a converter, with cartridges, or as an eyedropper.

One day, I hope I can afford a custom pen from Edison so that I can pick the design and materials that are tailored to my aesthetic sensibilities and my writing needs.  

Until then, I can only imagine the pen of my dreams.