I'm not entirely sure what direction (if any) I should take my pen collection. My collection currently revolves around Parker ballpoints. That's sort of strange because rollerball pens sparked my childhood obsession. Rollerball pens suck, though. The write-out on a rollerball refill is pathetic, and they dry out far too quickly. A good percentage of cartridges seem to dry out within 6 months. That's no good for something that goes for $3.50 each. I have a few rollerballs, but I don't plan on buying many more.
With ballpoints, you get the flexibility of using ballpoint or gel refills. It's a big advantage over rollerballs because ballpoint refills have a massively long write-out and a good shelf life. Gel refills are smoother than rollerball if you ask me, even if they have a slightly shorter write-out. I haven't noticed the drying out problem with gel pens, either. Ballpoint refills are scratchy and only available in a few colors compared to gel ink, but I have recently learned they are the better option, at least in the Parker pen. I have had several black ink gel cartridges start leaking oil. That's disturbing. What is even more disturbing is that two blue gel cartridges have apparently exploded in my pens. The gel ink is the messiest ink I have ever dealt with, too. I looked like I voted in the Iraqi elections of a few years back when I got done dealing with my initial attempt to clean the first pen I discovered with this problem. I didn't get any ink on clothing, but it took me over a day and several attempts to scrub/file the ink off my skin to look relatively normal.
Given all of this, I'm a bit tired of the modern pen. Fountain pens have leaked on me in the past a little bit, but they're a pleasure to write with when I use them. In addition, I have finally figured out my beloved Parker 51 has a crack in its hood which is why I have been leaked on in the past. I'm not certain if the flaw is slight enough to allow for repair yet, but it is most certainly out of use. I got it used for not much money knowing it was a vintage pen, so it's no huge deal. My modern fountain pens have survived a week of use at work with no issues. The midnight blue ink I have in my Parker Sonnet is superb -- that has become my signature pen and ink combination for now. I have inked the rest of the pens with washable blue Parker Quink, and they're all doing well. The best news I have about fountian pens is that the Parker 21 Super I bought off eBay appears to write like an absolute champ. It's smoother than the 51 ever was.
The dilemma I have comes in deciding how to grow a fountain pen collection. I have to admit that while I complain about pens drying out above, fountain pens are more likely to dry out than any other pen. Hard core fountain pen collectors seem to ink about 4-5 pens at a time and rotate pens in and out of use. I don't know that I have the discipline to do this or the interest to make it happen. I have two bottles of ink at present and have the ability to fill pens using that ink with just two functioning pens (the Frontier with converter and the 21 Super I'll take to work tomorrow). I need three converters to be able to fully use the pens I already have.
Beyond all of that, deciding what to collect in the realm of fountain pens is difficult for me. Parker is a no brainer, but there is little in the value realm at this moment. I have a bid in on a second Frontier fountain pen that I hope to win, but there are few variants of the Frontier beyond that one that seem common in the States right now. Importing from Europe is a possibility, but the weak dollar and lengthy shipping times make that unattractive. I am attracted to the Lamy Safari series, but they're a bit obvious for the sort of work I do because they are brightly colored. I'm not particularly attracted to Waterman pens, but I just learned that the Phileas and Kultur have been discontinued. They also happen to be cheap, widely available for now, and outstanding writers for the price from everything I have seen. Then again, do I want cheap pens at all? Should I spend $70+ on a single quality Parker fountain pen? It's tough to decide.
I think that's enough about pens given the level of interest I imagine exists.