I originally got hooked on these pens when working as a runner at a law firm in Birmingham. In case you haven't spent much time around lawyers, they are the most coddled group of professionals out there. They have to have everything done for them by their secretaries, paralegals, and runners. At least in my experience, they are incapable of brewing their own coffee, cleaning up after themselves in the kitchen, or making their own copies. When it comes to pens, they are so picky that our office supplies area had around fifty different types of pens just because all of the lawyers wanted different ones and would have been unable to function if there wasn't a box of their favorite always stocked. One of these boxes happened to be full of Varsity pens, and at the suggestion of the all-wise receptionist, I gave it a try. I had never used a fountain pen before, but after using it for a while, all other pens paled in comparison. When I left the firm, I think that I took at least three of those pens with me.
There is something very satisfying in writing with a fountain pen, and the Varsity represents a great introduction. That being said, as far as disposable pens go, they aren't exactly cheap. You can usually buy a 3-pack of them at your local office supply store for about $9-$10. You could probably get 50 Bics for that price, but the Varsity pens are worth every penny (except for the stupid purple pens that they keep putting in those 3-packs; just leave it at black and blue, please). Apparently you can pick them up for $1.88 a piece from the Sam's Club website, so maybe it's time to stock up...
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4 comments:
Nice post. Pilot is an historic Japanese company that makes great pens. I haven't tried the Varsity, but I do have a bunch of their smaller cartridge fountain pens on my desk in many different colors. I can believe that the Varsity would be a great pen, as al the the pilot pens I've encountered have been well manufactured. I'll have to look for it.
Now, now as a lawyer who is married to a doctor I can tell you that lawyers are not the most pampered profession. I make my own coffee, my own copies most of the time and have cleaned up the office kitchen on more than one occassion.
Thank you. I've actually been looking for just such a pen, one that could provide an easy introduction to fountain pens. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I am in Japan at the moment. I'll be giving these a look.
My dad is an attorney in Birmingham, and I can tell you that you presented an entirely accurate portrayal of their pen choosing habits... Although my dad has the tendency to stick them in his shirt pocket without a top on... Oh well.
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