Pilot Elite 95S vs Pilot E95S

It’s a very classy and elegant looking pen. The fine nib writes beautifully and the capping mechanism is simply sublime. I bought it through Amazon for less than $100, which, for a 14k gold nib with a very unique looking pen, is a bargain in my mind.

Even then, not all of those pens are worth the price. Montblancs from around the 80s onward are just an average pen with a logo, Visconti have absolutely wank-arse quality control and customer support and Lamy are charging £500 for a 2000 because 'hehe it's brown', meanwhile Pilot is producing the objective cheapest gold nibbed pen out there (the E95S, my first gold-nibbed pen), Platinum make the Preppy, which is dirt cheap and a very competent writer and multiple companies produce very good value for money school fountain pens for under £10.