> I can’t even read my own hand writing any more - it must just be the lack of practice

I still write checks to pay bills (remember?). I have a timeline now of my handwriting and notice that it has deteriorated in periods of my life when I was under stress – sometimes unawares. But it has improved since retiring.

May be a component?

I buy my pens from them. They have a very good selection and are also cheaper than Amazon even when you factor in shipping to the US.

I like the juice up .3mm gel pens that write as well as a ball point but with a much finer point and ink that lasts for months.

If you’re in the UK then cultpens might be a good alternative.

https://www.cultpens.com/

Yes I’ve used them for fountain pens. Very good and never had any issues. Great customer service. Highly recommend.

I just bought some things from them. Great experience! Not sure what international shipping is though, but give them a shot.

I did some research into pens and my preferences 10 years ago. I settled on the Zebra Sharbo X LT3 from jet pens. I've gone through about 5. The matte paint gets worn smooth and chips to the brass underneath, the coating on the stainless steel pocket clip starts to come off and irritates my skin, and occasionally the the plastic mechanism on the inside melts because it goes through a clothes drier. I love it. I flip and write with it every day. I got through undergrad and grad with it.

Unfortunately, it does not come in orange anymore. I use 0.5 mm graphite, 0.7 mm blue ballpoint (most uses), and 1.0 mm black ballpoint. I've considered red ink instead of blue for a long time, but I'm not a teacher or accountant.

I struggle to think of any moment in someone's daily life where they have to write something down. You'd have to make an active decision to make your life more complicated! I noticed that even my mom who is 66 years old has terrible handwriting while it used to be quite pretty.

I don't want to alarm you, but changes in handwriting are something that's worth discussing with your doctor, especially as you age.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/978111954448...

Is it not also true that if you do not practice at all this skill you lose it?

That too, that's why it is not cause for panic but still a sign that should not be ignored

> I struggle to think of any moment in someone's daily life where they have to write something down.

I am finding that life without a smart phone in my pocket is palpably more pleasant — and without a smart phone, the utility of a notepad and pen increases quite a bit.

If you don't have a second monitor then pen and paper are handy for work.

I don't like the look of a second monitor in my home office, so (yeah, Japanese) stationery are a more palatable alternative for me.

Not a pen geek but I did buy some Jetstream Uni 0.5 pens (one of the pens in the lead photo on the article) on Amazon for me and my other half to use in our home office and they are very nice. Price wise it was less than £10 for 3 shipped from Japan - can't argue with that really.

This is a shame. I got through to payment and I am presented with ‘Due to recent changes in United Kingdom's tax laws, we can only accept orders over $200 USD to the United Kingdom at this time.’

Wonder what recent tax law changes they’re referring to?

It's to do with the recent changes to VAT e-commerce rules: https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/ioss_en

Thanks!

I have some Hi-Tec-C pens I got from them in 2009 still on my desk right now. The FOMO is real with their products even if I hardly write.

$50 order here. Good damn marketing.

their prices seem a tiny bit higher than local japanese paper/pen shops in my area (SF bay area)... maybe such stores are limited to the west coast us?