Pen brand tiers?

[Quix]

When I started looking at getting into fountain pens, I checked out the popular forums and searched around for one that was my style. I take a lot of notes during the day, so, I needed a workhorse pen, but, I wanted a little style. I went with a lamy 2000, which I think is a really iconic pen with very simple style to it, coming out of the Bauhaus school of design language. It has a hooded nib, meaning that it is partially covered, so, it doesn't look like a fountain pen as obviously as others with an exposed nib. Lamy's are reasonably priced and they have cheaper lines that write well, such as the safari that will help you to test the waters cheaply. As I think about it, I think the lamy 2000 is more akin to a Rolex ss submariner perhaps more than any montblanc. I always thought of the monts as more akin to a gold or platinum Rolex.

One bit of advice that I got early on was to chase the nib, not the pen. That's important because the most expensive fountain pen in the world with a bad nib can completely turn you off. There is a gentleman by the name of Richard binder who sells new and vintage pens and is also a real expert at tweaking nibs. I also have a small pelican and I hated the nib, but, I got a new nib from Richard, and was truly amazed at how smoothly it wrote.

Just like a watch, find a pen that really speaks to you and then find an expert who can supply you with that pen with a properly tuned nib.

By the way, be careful, because you may develop pen acquisition disorder that may compete with your watch acquisition disorder!

Good luck, and enjoy the journey in finding the perfect pen for you. Once you find it, and start learning the nuances of caring for and maintaining the pens, I think you will see similarities to maintaining a good mechanical watch.