I’m always looking for the smallest linewidth and the hit-tec-c .25 has been my favourite so far. The Jetstream is new to me as is the Kleid notebook - looking foward to trying them out!
How about you? Any favourite super fine lined writing instruments you like to use?
Cool! I don’t think I’ve tried the 0.28 Signo, I’ll add it to my list.
Custom pen bodies are something I haven’t even considered! Are there more manufacturers that you’d recommend?
There are thousands of great pen bodies out there at prices ranging from “that seems like a lot for a pen” to “Oh my God who pays that kind of money!” :-)
Classic pen companies like Parker, Cross, Waterford and Lamy make some beautiful pens at many different price points. Smaller operations like Big Idea Design, Autmog, Tactile Turn, Nottingham Tactical, and many others produce small batches of pens designed for enthusiasts. The market currently tends toward industrial design styles and unusual mechanisms, but there is something for everyone.
Just bear in mind that high-end pen bodies are primarily about the enjoyment of beautifully made things. They can offer great ergonomics, exotic materials, different weights and balances, efficient or interesting mechanisms, and amazing looks. Some of them qualify as real art. They do not add that much to the functional aspects of the act of writing.
A lot of cheap plastic pens aren’t particularly well designed, but some are amazing. You can generally find one that will work for you on a functional level for under $10, if that’s what matters to you.
There is also a huge rabbit hole involving the different shapes and sizes of refills and which pens will fit which. It helps that most fancy pen bodies are design to fit the standard Parker refill. That is by far the most popular form factor and is available in every imaginable from hundreds of different manufacturers. The Pilot G2 refill is probably the second most common form factor. Just make sure you end up with a pen body that will fit whatever refills you like the best.
One of the reasons I like the Big Idea Design pens is that most of them can be adjusted to work with almost any refill. They are the perfect platform for experimenting with different refills to find the ones you really love. The refill actually makes more difference to the overall writing experience than the pen body.
Like most hobbies, everyone has there own preferences and opinions. These are just mine, so take them with a grain of salt and figure out what matters to you and what works best for you.
And if you want to see just how much trouble it’s possible to get into, you can take a look at my collection.