As they improve, guitarists gradually acquire pedals for reverb and gain and flange, PC gamers acquire expensive graphics cards, snowboarders become downright gleeful about jumping from lethal heights... and fountain pen owners start to hunt for demonstrator pens, 14k gold nibs, and piston fillers.

The first fountain pen to appear in written record was built in 953 BC for a Moroccan Caliph, who demanded only that his pen should: 1) Never stain his hands or clothes, and 2) Successfully deliver ink from reservoir to nib.

Add about 500,000 choices to that list, and you should have a pretty good idea of what the industry looks like now. The breadth of choice is truly phenomenal -- everything from the shape of the nib to the shade of ink can be tweaked to suit the writer’s preferences. There’s a fountain pen out there for every conceivable purpose, from filling out DMV paperwork to signing birthday cards.

The idea of wielding a fountain pen is intriguing, yet also kind of intimidating. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, want a basic rundown on fountain pen options, or simply feel a bit befuddled, carry on reading!

A lot of you are familiar with the traditional piston-style fountain pen converters, as seen in our previous blog entry: How to Use a Fountain Pen Converter.

Pilot makes a bladder-style CON-20 converter also. Instead of twisting a knob to fill this converter with ink, you simply have to squeeze! Please keep in mind that this particular converter is only compatible with Pilot brand fountain pens.