I never got too obsessed with the equipment though, decent paper (the stuff that doesn't gunk up on the nib) and a Lamy Safari (EF nib) were perfectly adequate.
Sounds like we have been on a similar journey (typing this on a Corsair K95). I still enjoy finding a really good pen, but they rarely cost more than 10-20 usd and I mostly use them for sketching UI. If only there was a keyboard equivalent to The Pilot G2 0.7.
I used to write with Cello Maxriters but at some point they became too thin and uncomfortable for me. Then I discovered G2 0.7 – and for the next 8 years (2 in high school and 6 in the uni) I refused to write with anything but them. When I couldn't find refills I just bought new pens (plural). Eventually, they started to miss from the local shops but at the same time, I started to write less with a pen and more with a keyboard.
I still have packs of red, black and even green refills in a box somewhere in my house.
I used Liquid Expresso pens back when I was a bike messenger. Every secretary would try to steal them, and often beg me to leave one for them.
They might not be 'pleasant' to write with, but writing is such a passive task to people they don't notice or care.
I've gifted people starter fountain pens on occasion, if there job involves lots of writing. Very few actually got into it, and just stuck to cheap Bics, since they always worked with no issue. And the only Montblancs I've ever seen in the wild were Roller Balls, though I suppose Doctor's scratch the tool doesn't matter.
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The keyboard analogy is nice. Since people often hunt for vintage fountain pens like old Model M's. And I suppose a keyboard's just a modern pen.
There's a reason that AutoCAD was incredibly successful in the 1980s. Any CAD system was at least an order of magnitude faster than pen and ink drafting.
There really is something horrible about cheap pens, and nothing is worse than a pen that looks expensive yet writes cheaply... for those who don't know what I'm talking about, when lines matter, little things like skipping, shaking, and uneven lines become massive aggravations, no matter how minute they seem to a casual observer.
With all that said, I'm not so into writing implements that I'd want to drop hundreds or thousands of dollars on a pen. I'd need a lot more convincing to believe that extra money is worth it.
I still like the article.