Reddit mentions of PILOT Namiki IC100 Fountain Pen Ink Cartridges, Black, 12-Pack (69100)

That's really cool that you're trying to share the hobby with your co-worker. Unfortunately, I'm not sure about sites for used fountain pens, (maybe check out r/Pen_Swap), but I have a few suggestions for cheaper pens:

• The Pilot Metropolitan is a very nice entry level pen and it's only $11 on Amazon right now. It comes with a black cartridge and a converter if you want to get him a bottle of ink. You could also get him a pack of extra cartridges to go along with it and stay under $20.
  
• The Platinum Preppy, which is about $3-$5 and comes in many different colors. (This is the blue-black version). It comes with one ink cartridge and works with standard converters. (The converter is not included)
  
• Pilot also makes the Varsity, which is a line of disposable fountain pens that come pre-filled with ink. You can get a set of 7 different colors for around $12.
  
  I hope this helps!

Pilot Iroshizuku Shin-Kai. I love blue inks but I also use Pilot Namiki black cartridges when I'm lazy.

I second this. I can seemingly write forever with my fountain pen.

I got the Pilot Metropolitan pen, and use this replacement ink cartridges.

Fountain pens aren't great for throwing in a purse. They can leak if they're held in a bad position for too long (note that the only problem I've found from a leaking pen is just black finger tips. Doesn't even get on anything else). So I also keep these TUL pens around because they also write like a dream.

Yea I use THESE but it also comes with a plate converter for the old school approach to loading and using ink.

I am pretty sure it is this

A cartridge is disposable and comes prefilled with ink. This is a cartridge for a Pilot MR Metropolitan

A converter takes the place of a cartridge and you fill it with bottled ink. They (typically) have a piston that you twist that sucks the ink up into it. This is a converter for a pilot MR Metropolitan

You CAN technically refill cartridges with a blunt tip syringe (because I know someone will try to correct me on this). I hope that helps!

Anecdotal input here: Within the past few weeks I got my own first fountain pen, so I am far from an expert. This is just me sharing my limited experience with you since I also use my pen for work/notes.


The pen I chose as my first was the Pilot Metropolitan. I use the pen almost exclusively for both work, and my notes in sessions with my clients. The nature of the notes each of us takes are going to be very different, as I work in mental health and write very few formulae.


Often I end up having to use the low quality paper that my office supplies; the sort of paper commonly found in printers and photocopiers. Before I started using my Pilot Met I was using the Pilot G2 gel pen with a 1.0 tip. The Pilot Met that I got came with a medium nib, but you can see in the Noob Guide that this pen comes with a nib that is on the Fine side of Medium.


When writing with the new pen I have noticed a few things:

1. The thickness of the line of the fountain pen is very comparable to the G2 1.0, so you may be dealing with a thicker line than you are used to. A Fine nib might be what you are looking for if that is the case.
   
   
   
2. Using a fountain pen does not significantly alter how your writing looks with a narrow nib. Yes, there are some differences in how the ink sets into the page, but my notes really are not too different than when I used a regular pen.
   
   
   
3. The paper will have an interaction with the ink. What sort of interaction is dependent on the qualities of both, but this too need not have a significant impact on your note taking. On cheap paper the ink bleeds a tiny amount, but not so much as to really be noticeable unless you are looking for it. The ink also does not take much special care to dry. As long as you are not rubbing on it right after writing it should dry at about the same rate as regular pen ink. (For the record, I am still using the original ink cartridge that came with my pen, and have purchased These Refills. Other inks may have other properties, and I am new enough to not know how they all may interact.)

sorry forgot to mention the ink I got, I've updated my post Pilot Namiki Ic100 Fountain Pen Ink Cartridge

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okay thanks for the advice! The squeeze converter is the grey looking sac I've got with the pen right? Is that one good or should I get another one? I've seen some fountain pens with a piston converter that seems better

Pilot Namiki ink cartridges

I did the same thing, recently, and got mine in black for $3.41 shipped Prime via Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002G4DHGM

I should also mention this set of syringes with blunt tips because I'm particularly happy with them:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0773BT39W

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Pilot Blue Black is commonly enjoyed by people, it's a good basic blue with some water resistance. Pilot Blue has even more resistance but it's lighter...


I personally use Pilot Black in a lot of my pens but it's not a very dark black. These Pilot inks are more about utility than fancy color.

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Refilling cartridges is a good lifestyle. I wish I did that from the start - it's actually less work than refilling a converter. (No 'wiping off the nib' and the syringe cleans out very easily.)