Fountain Pen Purchase: Real-Time Thoughts, Part 1

I'm currently brain-deep into my standard acquisition process for a new fountain pen. Looking at the flow chart shown in the linked post, I'm pretty much circling around in the "analysis paralysis" loop right now. I felt that this would be a good opportunity to memorialize the experience because I've convinced myself that this will be the last fountain pen purchase for a long while.

The back-story goes like this . . .

I received a very unexpected tax refund this year, and decided to reward myself for a job well done in 2012. Fleeting thoughts of Japanese denim, a Chris Reeve knife, and a Topre keyboard were quickly set aside in favor of a mental image of an awesome fountain pen that I've had my eyes on for a while. The mental image included a trollish-looking cartoon devil holding a sign with "WANT" painted on it in. The pen is the Professional Gear Imperial Black fountain pen (by Sailor), which is reviewed here, here, and here.

After coming to my senses and realizing that there are many other options available at the price point of the Sailor pen, I decided to do a "little" research before buying anything. This brings us back to the present. At this time, I'm considering the Imperial Black (along with its cousin, the Professional Gear Matte Black version), a custom made Pearl by Edison, and one of the lower-priced offerings from Nakaya (although "lower" is pretty skewed in this context).

So that's where I am at the moment. Stay tuned for frequent updates to this series of posts.

PS - If anyone has any thoughts, advice, or suggestions, please leave a comment.

Go to Part 2; Go to Part 3