Pros:

• Smooth easy writing
• Cheap ink
• Customizability of experience
• Feeling like a fancylad, fancylass, or fancynonbinaryperson

Cons:

• Certain inks require specific pricey paper
• Expensive barrier to entry (as in the pens themselves are more expensive than very nice writing gel pens
• trying out lots of different things to decide what you like is pricey and you’ll quickly blow out the benefits of cheap inks
• Looking like a pretentious jerk

Conclusion

Give it a try! You can get a Platinum Pretty and ink syringe for less than $10 and be delighted because the Preppy is genuinely excellent, though not that fancy looking (or at all fancy looking). If you do want something fancy, the Pilot Metropolitan is smoother writing and classier looking, though I don’t have it so much at its new $25 price point as I did at its old $15 price point, especially when the TWSBI go is $20 (though it has more Platinum Preppy Aesthetic). I do like TWSBI’s nibs better than Platinum on the budget end though, but both are very valid. Platinum gives more feedback, while TWSBI is very, very smooth writing. Both require almost no effort to write with, so it’s mostly going to be preference. Still, you can also get a pretty classy looking TWSBI ECO for $32 and get all the advantages tie GO has over the Metro and all the advantages the Metro has over the Go for a mere $7.

TL;DR

Try one of these options, maybe?

• Platinum Preppy - $7
• TWSBI GO - $20
• Pilot Metropolitan - $25
• TWSBI ECO - $32

Fountain pens can absolutely be practical. The only area where I don’t use them is where a permanent waterproof ink is absolutely necessary. In terms of pros, I find them much more comfortable to write with since I don’t need to use pressure on the page, and I like having a lot of choice in the ink that I use.

The only real con for me is that it is significantly more expensive than ballpoints. Fortunately, the claim that they can last more than 10 years is absolutely true, so you don’t really need to buy more of them (I do end up doing that anyways because I’ve fallen too deep into the rabbit hole).

A big pro of fountain pens is the ability to get a wide range of inks depending on your preferences. Also fountain pen nib size/shape/scratchiness/flex/tuning is an endless rabbit hole if you want variety in your writing or drawing experience. I have a few fountain pens that I enjoy using, even with my terrible left-handed scribbling.

A con: if a fountain pen leaks, it could be a bigger mess than you’re used to. Some eyedropper and piston-filled pens have massive ink capacity, which is great for heavy writing. If that high capacity gets deposited onto your floor or if you are sloppy when you refill your pen then you’re going to have a bad time. Cartridge-based fountain pens reduce this risk somewhat, but then you end up having little plastic cartridges to throw away periodically.

Also, lending your pen becomes more problematic. I’ve watched a person do serious damage to a fountain pen nib because they treated it like a cheap ballpoint and tried to stab it through the paper. If you don’t get your fountain pen back after lending it out, the loss is more significant.

A decent, well-made fountain pen can be very useful and long-lasting. I have a Pelikan from the 1970s that I use regularly. It still functions perfectly and I am not the original owner. Even if it broke tomorrow, a half-century is a great run. Build quality differs between manufacturers and pen models, so be aware that some fountain pens are not built to last.

Hi! I got a cheap ugly twsbi go with an extra fine nib on a whim a few years ago -with a boring registrar’s ink the end result doesn’t look much different from a ball point. It’s the only pen in the house now. (If I could go back and do it again I’d shell out a little more for something a little sturdier. The cap is cracking, but it’s fine.)

Pro: There’s a nice feeling when something switches from a consumable to a belonging. The pen survives me fine without any special treatment. It cost about $20 USD for the pen and $20 USD for 100ml of ink, and they will probably last me another 5-10 years

Cons: Through error I have learned refilling is an over-the-sink ritual only. Occasionally if I haven’t used it in a while I have to run it under a tap to get it going. If you like variety, collecting all the different styles and inks would get expensive fast.