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So, I have been into this writing & fountain pen thing now for perhaps 4-6 months, give or take a foot. And whilst I have had some nice experiences the majority have been, well, irksome to say the least. Most of my fountain pens are 'cheap' Chinese affairs, granted, but the few 'expensive' ones I own have usually come with their own issues very similar to the lesser priced ones. I'm talking about hard starts, skipping, iffy scratchy nibs, nib sizes being somewhat 'wrong' (fine's writing like mediums, mediums writing like broads etc) and unfortunately I just don't have the knowledge to fix such issues myself. Is there a price point where all this frustration, not to mention completely wasted money, stops? Or at least becomes less frequent? I was recently looking at the Visconti Homo Sapiens thinking that a £600+ pen just HAD to be perfect right out of the box, only to be met with a deluge of reviews saying the exact opposite. As a baseline, my 'expensive' pens...pen, is a Karas Kustoms K with a god-awful Bock No5 nib. I also have a Parker sterling Ciselé that too was a disaster (eBay, came with a fine nib that was like writing with a poorly sharpened pencil, Parker themselves wanting £150 to replace the nib, managed to source a NoS medium on eBay for half that...but still an extra costing). The only pen I have nothing but praise to sing about is my NoS Sheaffer 834 which writes just a beautiful, fine line every time, even after being sat unused for weeks. My frustration is compounded by the fact that I will be losing my job at the end of next month (funding coming to an end) so every penny counts, I simply cannot afford to buy a pen then have to buy a new nib every time. Ok, I'm done moaning.

Hello everyone How often you've craved for a particular costly fountain pen? As a fellow pen lover, these moments of longing are quite frequent for me. Out of all these desires, a few materialise through months of penury and self deprivation, saving each penny by carefully substracting the same from daily home budget. There is the intense but sweet time of going through all the choices from online stores or local shops and selecting the desired model at the most appropriate price, ordering it and waiting anxiously for the pen to arrive. There is this tremendous anticipation and joy running through the body. Everything looks so positive and happy. Then the pen arrives, I open it, marvel at the beauty of a marvellous and precise instrument. I ink it up, draw a line on paper and WHAM. All my romanticism, all my happiness, all my effort stands vilified. The nib doesn't write like those famed nibs I was expecting, rather is one of the most scratchy nibs I have encountered. Now, how often you face this? I can take such below the belt turn of events with a broad smile, if, the pen is one of those 3$ Chinese pens, we more than half expect that while ordering. But the same thing, if it happens with a Waterman hemisphere, or a Sheaffer Taranis, or a cross century, or a Lamy 2000, how are you supposed to console yourself? Deep down my brain I know may be the nib can be tuned or salvaged. May be!!!! Are you kidding, how this 'may be' cropped up with so much care and so much fame of these companies? Are not they supposed to supply tested and super smooth nibs? Why I have to take up the stress of using micro mesh and loupe on my precious buy, even if it's mid range or even low range fountain pen? And I can assure you, these even happen with much higher range pens. Somehow Waterman, Lamy, Cross and any reputed non Chinese fountain pen makers must realise, it's our heart they are playing with. The pens must be tuned before being put on sell. Otherwise what advantage can they claim in this competitive market other than their reputation? Hope to know your experiences with such disappointing purchases. If that somehow help us to cope with these miniature disasters of our lives.

I know it is hard to do your own work. Every so often, some one puts up a "tell me what fountain pen I need" topic. Or has a problem such as, "My pen is broken, how do I fix it?" So, such topics are a request for help. Without enough information for FPN'ers to reply. Then, the new member gets the impression that FPN isn't very helpful. Not true, many of our members are great at helping with a problem. If they can see what the problem is. Or if it's apparent that the questioner is aware enough to understand the answer. So please, questioners, give us questionees a break. Do some research on the threads. Read a few reviews. And ask well-formulated questions. Love having you here, hope you contribute often. And, if properly formulated, that question you ask -- and the answer -- may help you and many another member.