Fountain Pens

When creating a name for my blog, my friend C encouraged me to use something in line with what I like or enjoy, something that says it is me.  We talked about my preferred beverage which is a cup of hot tea (preferably Sadaf), my drinking water without ice (I detest cold beverages) and ultimately my affection for fountain pens.  In fact what I said was that I preferred either a fountain pen or pencil, and nothing in between. 
I really do have an appreciation of fine writing instruments which in my opinion do not include ballpoint pens, rollerballs, gel pens, and the like. However, I do like a pencil, even a mechanical one, especially a Pentel.
There is just something about the balance of a fountain pen in your hand as you write and the way the ink flows through the beautifully detailed nib and it just seems to gift itself to the paper. 
I own over 100 fountain pens, some as old as 1874, and actually have two vintage fountain pen desk sets in my office. They are both from the 1960's when most professionals used them and at the time probably meant "I have arrived.  See the matching pens on my desk?"
You do not need to spend a lot of money to have a good to great pen.  It would be hard to beat a Schaefer for dependability, reliability and smooth writing. I own several. Another excellent choice would be Waterman or Pelikan. 
My favorite is the Visconti that I received for my 20th anniversary from my employer who has a "Sterling" reputation. The Italians make some of the best pens even though as a young woman years ago recognized them only for making a fine pair of shoes.
I even have fountain pens to match my suits along with a great pair of shoes of course.  In fact today I had a choice of pens to match my silver and mother of pearl earrings: Dani Trio and Pelikan. 
I prefer my Dupont over my Mont Blanc, both are quality and pricey but people tend to name drop both brands or in a meeting angle the pen to show the logo.
The Dupont writes beautifully but I did not have to buy it.  The person to whom it was given really did not prefer fountain pens and knowing that I did, passed it along to me.  I will always appreciate his thoughfulness and do not care that it has another banks name on it. 
You may recall that I am a banker and if my bank with the sterling reputation had fountain pens available with their logo, I would proudly angle it while writing to make sure "everyone" could read the name of "MY" bank of choice.