Another FP enthusiast here! Medyo mahaba yung kuwento ko… but here goes!
2011: I started with a Parker Vector in freshman year of college, kaya lang hindi siya magandang panulat sa blue book at sa papel na kaya kong bilhin at the time for notes & exams so tinabi ko muna. Hindi talaga bagay ang fountain pen ink na ginagamit ko noon (Quink) kasi matindi siya mag feather sa bluebooks. Mabigat rin ang kamay ko at the time dahil sanay akong magsulat ng sobrang liit. Nasayangan talaga ako kasi naubos yung allowance ko sa Vector, tapos na-disappoint lang ako dahil di bagay yung papel na gamit ko. Hindi ko yun ginamit until 2017, kaya lang the barrel’s cracked na kaya nakatabi na lang.
Jan 2017: I saved up my first significant amount of money over 6 months (estudyante pa rin ako nun so kadalasan wala akong naitatabi na pera), and bought myself a Parker Sonnet as a Christmas gift to myself. I kept that pen until late 2019, when I dropped the nib while cleaning. I had it snipped into a sharp italic as a last resort since the tines were too bent to be repaired without losing all the tipping. As a result, sobrang unforgiving na siya gamitin at tinago ko muna. Baka bumili ako ng nib replacement in the future.
Feb 2017: I got hooked on fountain pens at this point, and as the start of my rapid acquisition phase, I bought myself a TWSBI Mini with a 1.1 mm nib a month later. I loved how reliable the pen was, but I sold it after a year to a friend of a friend, to be able to fund a Valentine’s dinner (wala na ulit akong ipon noon haha).
May 2017: My mom got me a Pilot Decimo with a fine nib as a gift. That pen has been a staple in my collection ever since. While the finish remains shiny, may mga dents na sa body and swirlies/micro scratches na sa clip and nose cone. Gamit na gamit sa clinics to the point kahit sa ER noon, pinangsusulat ko sa chart. I can’t emphasize enough how smooth, reliable, and consistent its nib is. Walang tatalo sa convenience nito dahil sa click mechanism nito.
Jan 2018: I got through my most of my internship year with the Decimo and Sonnet, and loved their reliability so much that I bought a Lamy Safari in the second sem of internship. Actually, niregaluhan ko rin yung girlfriend ko nun since tuwang tuwa siya sa fountain pens. I eventually found the pen to be quite uninspiring so it’s been relegated to my pen roll.
May 2018: Some time after I acquired a Wing Sung 3008, which I held on to until the end of boards season. The high capacity of this pen got me through grueling 12 hour review lectures (with some ink to spare) and my self-directed reviewing at home. I practiced some minimal nib work here, since nabagsak ko siya before and Gave it to my girlfriend who started internship in the hospital soon after.
June 2018: During my last month of internship, my parents gave me a black Pelikan M200 and a green Pelikan M400 as grad gifts. Those pens have been in my EDC ever since. I had the M400 EF nib modified to a cursive italic, while I swapped the M200 nib for a flexible vintage one from an old 400 in December of last year. So now the M400 has a flexy nib, and the M200 is using the EF CI one.
Boards season came around and I had my mind off acquiring fountain pens, but got attracted to the Parker Vacumatic. I didn’t realize at this point that it had come in a wide range of sizes, and almost pulled the trigger on a mint Debutante in azure blue. Good thing I decided to wait.
October 2018: When I was reviewing for the boards (na-move yung second weekend ng boards namin dahil sa bagyo), my lola found an unused ST Dupont Classique among my late lolo’s stuff. Sadly, the converter has a tendency to leak heavily when unused (even if I put silicone grease along its walls) so I haven’t been using it for a while. I’ll probably look for a compatible cartridge or converter, or find a way to repair the converter it came with soon.
Right after boards season, my mom and I went on a trip abroad as thanksgiving , where I made it a mission to find a Vacumatic in a flea market. This turned out to be fruitless. I saw other fountain pens, but none caught my eye in particular.
February 2019: After months of poring through numerous articles about Vacumatics, I decided I’d get myself a gift for getting into my first choice residency program. I found an azure long major in near-perfect (restored) condition. It had a two-toned oblique stub nib, which feels like writing with a really smooth pencil, and makes pleasant scratching noise as it goes. This pen, like the Sonnet, fits perfectly in my hand.
October 2019: As a birthday gift to myself, a reward for finishing my most dreaded rotation in first year, and for completing my emergency fund (na nabawasan na dahil sa pandemya), I bought a Montblanc 149 Calligraphy edition. This was my first flex nib, and it really sets the bar high for my expectations of one. The quality’s impeccable, and I really enjoy using this pen. My only issue with it is that its size is cumbersome, so I don’t think I can use it for prolonged periods of time. I wanted this pen to be something that I would use for signing important documents, especially those that commemorate milestones.
I’ve been looking at other pens again, and someday I may hunt for a Pelikan M800 Ocean Swirl (parang sobrang mahal na kumpara sa dati) or a vintage blue M400. Pero iba na rin ang pinag-iipunan ko ngayon kaya self control and inner peace na lang talaga muna. Hehe.
TL;DR: My EDC consists of the 149, Vac, both Pelikans, and the Decimo, which gets the most mileage among the five. Each is inked with a different color, save for the M200 and the Decimo – both are using Iroshizuku Momiji at the moment. 
