A year ago, I wrote an introduction to fountain pens, followed, sort of, by a a review of my most-used pen in November.

Today, then, Fountain Pens 102: What parts of a pen actually matter?

98% of pen reviews on the internet seem to concentrate on the same two aspects: aesthetics, and cachet. That’s great if you’re a snobbish pen-fondling lawyer trying to impress your fellow partners at work, I suppose – “I say, darling, doesn’t the luxurious precious resin on my new Starwalker nicely complement the texture of this Armani suit?” – but absolutely irrelevant if you care about functional tools meant to be written with. “Insert_Pen_Manufacturer_Here have a rich tradition of crafstmanship stretching back generations…” So? Kraft have been making “Macaroni and Cheese” / “Kraft Dinner” since 1937, but that doesn’t mean it’s great… or even good.

Anyway, what most reviews – and most pen users – overlook is that there are really just three parts to a pen that actually matter – and two of ‘em you normally don’t even see.
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