Fountain Pens
1. Why fountain pens are awesome
Fountain pens are tools
One has to respect the tool, but the tool — especially a good one — always gives back. Even entry-level fountain pens can still last you decades.
Fountain pens make hand writing exciting
The feel of a nib (the thing that puts ink on the paper) seamlessly gliding on paper is hard to beat. The quality of one's handwriting doesn't matter because somehow fountain pens make anything look good.
Fountain pens are sustainable
Just think about the amounts of plastic used to produce pens that end up in a landfill after only a couple of hours of use. Fountain pens — as I mentioned — can last you years. Sure, one fountain pen is ten times more expensive than a typical ball-point, but if you take in account how much time each individual product gives you, it'll be clear that fountain pens are just a great deal.
2. Why fountain pens are not so awesome
Fountain pens require a lot of preparation
What type of paper are you writing on, what kind of nib does your pen have, what ink are you using. All of these things (and a lot more, frankly) have to be put in consideration when starting out. It is not a out-of-the-box experience.
Fountain pens are expensive
Especially once you move on from beginner's stuff (which is something I never did, considering how good a 30$ pen can be). Still, fountain pens have become not just tools for putting ink on paper, but a status symbol. There are tens of brands that are targeting this niche market of luxurious stationery. It's a bad thing because these companies inflate a struggling market with ridiculously expensive toys with gimmicks. You can appreciate the artistry and craftmanship all you want, but at some point you'll have to face the fact that it's all about making ugly things for people so rich they think that fountain pens are a good investment.
Hand writing is obsolete
Writing in your cute journal is great, until you understand that most of the real work you do is typed out on a computer keyboard. We live in a sad, paperless world, and fountain pens are a reminder that maybe we took a turn for the worse.