Two options: One, buy a Pilot Penmanship and swap the steel EF nib into another Pilot pen like the Metropolitan or Prera. That nib is as fine as any needlepoint.

Two: Franklin-Christoph stocks steel needlepoint nibs ground by Mike Masuyama.

Absolutely. That's my team and I will root as hard as ever for them, even in a year like this where they will be one of the worst teams in the league.

Wow that is a brutal question! Plaid shirts is a definite 3.

Baseball 1, Fountain Pens 2.

I'm coming around on it. I generally don't like basic black pens with gold furniture. If I can get something more unique, like the Pelikan M800 Tortoise or the 823 I just bought, I'm game. If I have a choice and the pens are identical I will never choose gold.

I either use the incredibly sturdy Doane Paper Idea Journal (or Moon Camera) or plan to bring my iPad and use that as a firm backing. I was actually just writing in my lap in the Moon Camera before launching this chat.

Marker. I can go a lot faster and the way meeting ideas work speed is important.

No! But thanks for the reminder. I need to update the overall rankings too now that #30 has been released.

Dip nibs and a nib holder, a small bowl of water, and a paper towel. To step it up a bit buy an old Esterbrook pen and you can swap nibs in and out of it for variety. I do that a lot, and the nibs only cost $2-$5 each.

You can definitely do fine with one of their stock nib offerings. The reason why the Masuyama nibs are so popular is because it is cheaper to buy with the pen than to send it of to get worked on. His cursive italics and needlepoint grinds are some of my favorites, but they aren't for everyone.

I'd have to say it is worth it. It is a completely different pen in just about every way. The step up would likely be a TWSBI 580AL anyway, and the ECO isn't far behind that one.

Susan has been trying to get a review model for us to look at, but no luckk yet. Take a look at Matt's great review of the Decoband: http://penhabit.com/2015/12/14/pen-review-wahl-e...

Nakaya would be my first choice, with a to be determined urushi finish. Ernest Shin has made some of the most beautiful pens I have ever seen so he might actually be at the top of the list. http://www.hakuminurushi.com/

Before I made the jump the idea was scary, but now that I have done it I think scary is too strong of a term. It's nerve wracking, but I understand it's on me to make things happen and I'm good with that kind of setup.

You can find Micarta options still being made so that is the route I would go. Stylo-Art (http://stylo-art.com/?mode=f11) is a good starting point. They have several Micarta options.

Thanks! I'm really happy with it so far. And when I'm done, I should be able to export the results into a simple post. We shall see!

The Lamy 2000. It could be the one and only pen for many people. It checks so many of the boxes that I like in a pen.

Well, unfortunately my favorite in that range was Omas (RIP). After that I would look at what Visconti does. Great designs and excellent nibs.

Goodbye!