Pilot pens are reliable and they have pens at different price points. As is true of many Asian brands, their narrower are significantly narrower than European brands. I also like Diplomat and Faber-Castell. Two American pen makers Stand out, but they Are not cheap: Edison and Franklin-Christoph.

Atlas Stationary has Vanishing Points for 20% off

Goulet pens has years of YouTube videos that provide A great deal of info. The company is controversial now because of positions that the owners have taken, but they provide a great deal of free and helpful material. SBEBrown has interesting reviews of pens.

I’m currently using a Midori A5 size soft cover notebook, which is less espensive that various hard cover notebooks that I’ve used in the past (Rhodia, Lechturn and others).

Check the YouTube videos and blogs of major pen retailers like Goulet, Atlas, Pen Boutique and Goldspot they have lots of information and recommendations . Pilot, Lamy, Faber-Castell, and others make good quality pens that are relatively inexpensive.

Use only Waterman and Parker inks for pens that have Latex sacs. Buy from reputable people. Watch CardinalPens on YouTube— they have a wealth of experience.

Take photos of things you like, and the dealer's table number so you can find them again. You can sometimes get a better price for cash. Take a small notebook with you, with paper you like, so you can test a pen on known paper. Talk to people and learn as much as you can - that's half the fun.

Youtube has some videos about preparing for a show. Have a budget. Know beforehand what you want to see. Don't spend any money in the first hour - you need to see a good part of the show first, or you may buy the first things you see.

Faber Castell's E-Motion fountain pen may be what you are looking for. They have multiple models, some with wood, some without. If a resin pen would do, Edison Pen's Collier or Collier Grande might be good, or Esterbrook's Oversize Estie would fit the bill.

You might look at Hebin Vert de gris (green grey). It is a shade darker than the pen color, but it is close.

Midori is my personal choice, but it has a somewhat rougher texture than Rhodia and Clairfontaine. There are some online vendors, including Goulet, who sell groups of small notebooks so that you can easily test different papers.

Shimmer inks, tend to clog fountain pens, because of the small particles suspended in the ink.

The Washington DC pen show is this weekend, July 28-31. It is held in Fairfax, VA. If you are looking to go to a pen show, this one is massive. The San Francisco show is coming up in a few weeks.

Some inks dry quicker than others. Narrower nibs are less likely to smear. Coated papers smear more easily. Don't let left-handedness stop you. Experiment!

Goulet pens has a “fountain pens 101” series on their website and on YouTube.

There are fountain pen shows in many places around the US and Europe. They are great places to meet people and see pens and inks and paper. The two big shows coming up are outside Washington and San Francisco.

Goldspot Pens: Fountain Pens, Inks and Notebooks Goldspot Pens is a leading retailer of fountain pens and ink, ballpoint pens, rollerball, mechanical pencils and notebooks, from brands including Pelikan, Waterman, Parker, Pilot Pen, Lamy, Kaweco, Rh...

Goldspot.com and Gouletpens.com have videos about choosing pens. Many people recommend Lamy Safari. I like the Faber-Castell Hexo. Any pen with a cartridge converter can take any dye based bottled ink. Cartridges are easier to handle. Larger diameter pens help with coordination issues.

Thank you for posting this. It is helpful to know.

re Goulet: I don't know if they are or they are not. I've read allegations, and I've seen their online response. I've dealt with Goldspot, Atlas Stationary, and Endless. I look forward to dealing with Fahrney's now that Drew Brown is there. Van Ness and Drumgoole's are also highly regarded.

Welcome to the obsession! Go slow, there is plenty of time to buy more. It often takes a couple of years before someone discovers what pens and inks they like best. There are plenty of reviews on YouTube. If you can, go to a Fountain Pen Show and you will see great variety of pens, inks and people.

That preservation was done in monasteries. Only when the invading horde was Christianized and civilized could the learning of the high middle ages recommence, and it was the Church that founded the first great universities of Bologna, Oxford, Cambridge, Paris and elsewhere.

The Dark Ages resulted from the abandonment of western Europe by the Catholics of the eastern part of the Roman-Byzantine Empire, and the invasion on pagan germanic and Scandinavian peoples. All the learning of the ancient world that was preserved in western Europe was preserved by Catholics.

Please provide documentation.

The nib looks likes a Lamy. Maybe a Lamy Aion or Lamy Studio.

Waterman cartridges are proprietary. To use a cartridge, pull the converter straight back off the nib unit and push a cartridge onto the nib unit. Or, buy a bottle of fountain pen ink, dip the nib in the ink, and twist the converter to draw ink. There are many YouTube demos on this.

Notice what you like about your Safari and what you don’t. Then try out a different pen. You can buy online or you can go to a retail store if you are near one, or to a fountain pen show. There are lots of YouTube videos that talk about pens and inks, and you can learn a lot from them. Enjoy!

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm on the fence about this.

Does anyone have any thoughts about, or experience with, the Parker Duofold Centennial fountain pen? I'm thinking of getting one, but it is so pricey!

Thanks for posting this. I really do want to get to one of these meets, but my schedule often makes it impossible.

I feel your pain. Fortunately there are American pen makers -- Edison, Franklin Christophe, Hinze and many others.