I have used fountain pens for years and I love writing with them. Currently, I have a Caran d'Ache stainless steel one, which is a beautifully balanced pen. I have used Cross, and Parker (Mont Blanc is a bit beyond my current price range), but as with many other objects, try to find one that feels right - ie, balanced and comfortable - in your hand for you, rather than focussing just on the famous (justifiably so) brand names.
Thegilly is absolutely right about the relatively recent deterioration in the quality of paper as a consequence of the invention of the ballpoint pen (which have their uses, but I don't much care for them, they were invented to deal with the problems posed by freezing conditions in high-altitude bombing runs during WW2, when the crews were unable to mae logs using standard pens); bleeding and feathering are unpleasant experiences.
Paper in the former eastern Europe & former Soviet worlds, tends, still, to be of a very high quality and worth buying if anyone visits any of those countries, and is interested in pens.
Cheers
Thegilly is absolutely right about the relatively recent deterioration in the quality of paper as a consequence of the invention of the ballpoint pen (which have their uses, but I don't much care for them, they were invented to deal with the problems posed by freezing conditions in high-altitude bombing runs during WW2, when the crews were unable to mae logs using standard pens); bleeding and feathering are unpleasant experiences.
Paper in the former eastern Europe & former Soviet worlds, tends, still, to be of a very high quality and worth buying if anyone visits any of those countries, and is interested in pens.
Cheers