The niche bullshit will continue until… Well, actually it’ll continue indefinitely.

https://www.printables.com/model/791788-pilot-parallel-cap-with-pocket-clip

I just got done solving my years-long festering irritation with my spread of Pilot Parallel fountain pens, which come with a caps that ain’t got pocket clips. Among other flaws. They bloody well have clips on 'em now.

  • earlgrey0English
    90·
    8 months ago

    OMG I was complaining to myself today about the same problem! I am genuinely grumpy that the pen cap has a bump that basically resembles a pocket clip but isn’t functional. It’s like having pants with decorative pockets!! Now I just need to get a version that doesn’t require me to constantly screw and unscrew the cap for use and I will have less complaints. Thanks for being part of the very niche solution internet stranger!

  • N0x0nEnglish
    70·
    8 months ago

    Nothing to do with your post… But my brain is a bit confused right now…

    That parallel nib style is used for drawing and not writing stuff right?

    • dual_sport_dork 🐧🗡️OPEnglish
      80·
      8 months ago

      The other commenter is correct, this is a calligraphy pen.

      https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/d3b86faa-1ab7-4cde-8f3d-010d7a1b2666.jpeg

      The parallel plates of the nib are flat in cross section which isn’t very clear in the picture I took, which had the pen just oriented randomly. Maybe I should re-take it with the flat side towards the camera.

      https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/c3348b68-3960-488b-bf65-6b909a0a2535.jpeg

      The Parallel takes the normal fountain pen nib design with the split down the middle and kind of flips it on its head. The ink flows between the two plates and because of this you get very even coverage. The Parallel is capable of, if you keep up your end of the operation anyway, producing really sharp, very square, and highly directionally differential lines. Even moreso than a traditional fountain pen. It’s also not as prone to having its ink dry out over short periods of disuse, at least in my experience.

      https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/44fdda00-6881-41e1-860c-81cdfa27ff82.jpeg

      Of course you can get them in an array of nib widths and of course I have all of the OG sizes. A 3.0 and 4.5mm nib were released later after I collected my whole set and one of these days I’ll get them, too.

      • N0x0nEnglish
        20·
        8 months ago

        Thanks. Didn’t expect such a dedicated answer ! 👍

    • SparrowEnglish
      50·
      8 months ago

      They’re mostly used for calligraphy.

      • N0x0nEnglish
        20·
        8 months ago8 months ago

        Ahh thanks :) so a mix of both, but not for general purpose. I though I missed some strange new writing style.

  • technomadEnglish
    20·
    8 months ago

    I like it! Will you show what the old design looked like?

    • dual_sport_dork 🐧🗡️OPEnglish
      50·
      8 months ago8 months ago

      https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/8f2a7e99-edc1-4457-8b5f-d7d752a8aca2.jpeg

      The original caps look like this. There is a fin on it that prevents the pen from rolling away – only when it’s screwed on the business end.

      As you can see this is not actually a pocket clip, and also the cap cannot be “posted,” that is, stuck to the tail end of the pen body. You can balance it there, but it doesn’t lock or or grip so it won’t stay there and just falls off. So you can’t carry the pen in your pocket without it becoming annoying (although it is quite long, sized and shaped more like a dip pen nib holder, so make sure you have deep pockets) and you can’t mount the stock cap on the tail to keep the pen from rolling away if you’re using it on a sloped surface like e.g. a drawing or drafting table.