I do a lot of long-form writing. I switched from typing first drafts to writing them and saw improvements in my creativity, organization, and general quality of writing, and also found that I finished my work faster. Then I switched from ballpoints to a fountain pen and saw what all the fuss was about. People who write a lot appreciate how smooth fountain pens are, how the well-designed fountain pens have great ergonomics that reduces hand fatigue, and how the ability to pick your ink can let you fine-tune your writing experience even more. Yes, they can be impractical, and I can absolutely see how disposable ballpoints and rollerballs eventually won the market competition (in the US at least) but modern fountain pens, for some use cases, deserve a try.
I have a few fountain pens, some were not cheap. The one I use the most is my Lamy Safari. Taking and using an expensive fountain pen outside of the house where I may lose it kinda creeps me out. That said, the Lamy is a solid, not that expensive fountain pen. ~$30.
Another Lamy Safari fan here. It’s my preferred pen amongst the others in my collection. Though, I just discovered the Lamy CP1, which feels like a sleeker version of the Safari. I’m giving the CP1 an honest go right now.
You will not be disappointed! I use a black Lamy cp1 as my "daily driver" for the last, I don't know, 35 years? I got it in school as a present and it is lying here, next to me right now. The varnish has rubbed off at the sharper edges and the metal shows. I changed the nib about 20 years ago, at the end of my academic career. Somewhere in the 2010s the small ring in the cap broke, so that it did not stay closed anymore and I had to replace it. I started out with black ink (uh edgy) but changed to blue later. I love Pelikan's 4001 Royal Blue, it is so smooth.
I also have a few other fountain pens, among them a Montblanc M146. It is crap for writing and I only bring it to put it on the table in certain meetings -- the same ones where I actually wear my Speedmaster ;)
I also think the Safari is just a very cool looking pen. I haven't really gotten into writing with fountain pens much as of yet, but I saw a Safari in a store and bought it based on looks alone.
The smoothness is night and day for me; seconds after picking up a ballpoint pen I want to reach for my FP, because with ballpoints you have to apply pressure, and even then the flow doesn’t match a fountain pen.
