Modern pens are horrible to write with, you have to press down on the paper to get the ink out, and doing so causes the fingers (or at least, my fingers) to cramp up. I switched to a fountain pen over a year ago, and the difference is night to day. No longer do I have to press down on the paper---the ink just flows out of the pen with no pressure required, and it's now a pleasure to write cursive. I also think my handwriting improved just using a fountain pen.