Fountain Pens Toronto

“Proper writing ink comes in a bottle, can be swirled like brandy in a glass, and smells like apple blossom after rain.”

--Fennel Hudson, A Writer's Year - Fennel's Journal - No. 3

There is a lot of power in the written word – more so when it is written by hand. The texture of the paper, the color of ink, and the handwriting of the writer come together to tell a story even without reading the words while the bold flourish of a signature at the bottom of a contract adds authority – especially if the writing instrument of choice is a fountain pen. There are just no two ways about it! A sleek fountain pen is a must have accessory for anyone who appreciates well-crafted products and individuality.

It is the appreciation for exactly these qualities that drove us to open Blesket Canada as a speciality store. It gives us great pleasure to help our customers choose the right pen for themselves or their loved ones. We also understand how a particular fountain pen can be your pen for life and love to help our clients restore or find parts for beloved pens that they think are beyond repair. But more about that later.

Here's why we believe that everyone who can write, is learning to write, or draw needs to experience what it is like to use and own a fountain pen.

What are fountain pens?

To explain what fountain pens are, we need to travel a little back in time. People used sharpened quills and dipped them in ink to etch out their words. While this may look romantic on screen, they weren’t very practical as the ink would start to fade after a few words and the chances of the ink blotting every time the quill was refreshed in a pot of ink were pretty high. Writing a simple letter could turn out to be quite a messy affair!

People, being the innovative creatures that we are, naturally started looking for a solution. There are a few records of fountain pens going as far back as 973 A.D. when Ma'ād al-Mu'izz, the caliph of the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa demanded a non-messy pen that could store ink. While we don’t know what this pen looked like or how it worked, working models of a fountain pen invented by Leonardo Da Vinci have been recently recreated.

How we got to the modern fountain pen could fill many interesting (handwritten!) pages. Let it suffice to say that after models that leaked in pockets and had to be filled with an eye dropper, the modern fountain pen with a fitted rubber sac made an appearance somewhere around the 1850s. The next hundred years saw several models come into the market, many of which are still available today.

Right, to get to the crux of the matter, fountain pens are writing instruments that have a reservoir of ink and use capillary action and gravity to deposit ink on paper through a nib. Well, that’s a technical definition anyway! We know that fountain pens are so much more than a tool to write with. Fountain pens can turn your words into works of art, apart from being works of art themselves. In fact, many people agree that writing with a fountain pen (as opposed to a ballpoint or felt-tipped pen) improves their handwriting.

Why use a fountain pen?

Here are a few reasons why you should give fountain pens a try:

1. They make a statement:Anyone who pulls a fountain pen out of their pocket, even for something as mundane as filling out a form, immediately looks like a boss! Can you imagine 007 using anything less stylish?
2. Your handwriting really looks better: This is because, unlike ballpoint pens, fountain pens do not rely on the pressure of your hand on paper to release ink making writing effortless and smooth.
3. Art projects: They are ideal for calligraphy with nibs that come in different shapes and thicknesses.
4. Better for the environment: Unlike ballpoint pens which are used and thrown away, fountain pens can be refilled every time they run out of ink creating less trash.

Why choose Blesket Canada?

We hope we’ve convinced you to give fountain pens a try. We’d be happy to help you choose the right fountain pen for you – whether you are new to fountain pens or someone who wants to add to your collection. We offer genuine and authorized, high-quality fountain pens that you will not find in local stores. What’s more is that we have a range of pens to suit every budget.  

Here are a couple of our favorites:

Lamy Safari:

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sleek, modern fountain pen by Lamy pens with an ergonomic grip for effortless writing. It comes in a variety of colours to suit your look. There’s also a special edition released each year to indulge the collector in you.

Lamy 2000:

This is a timeless classic with a partially platinized 14-carat gold nib. The fibreglass polycarbonate body with a matt brushed finish is sure to earn appreciative looks wherever you go.

A note on fountain pen ink:

Fountain pens typically come separately from ink. At Blesket Canada, we offer bottled inks that come in a wide range of colours to suit your style and mood. We’ve got you covered whether you’re looking for a vibrant electric pink or a staider olive green! If your favourite pen needs a cartridge, we have those to offer too. Get in touch with us if you are looking for a specific colour or a custom nib for your pen. We’d be happy to help.

We have a brick-and-mortar store located at the Brampton Town Centre where we welcome fountain pen enthusiasts, old and new. If you can’t make it here, you can browse products on our online store too. We offer Free Canada Post ground shipping/expedited domestic purchases over $39.99 (before taxes) in Ontario and Quebec and ship all over Canada and the U.S.

If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call, reach out on social media, or send us an email!