There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Many pen brands use their own proprietary cartridges. This presents a choice if you want to go with something other than Cross. You can buy a pen that takes standard international cartridges, which gives you the option of having other pens in the future that can all use the same cartridges. Or you can go for a brand with proprietary cartridges with the knowledge that if you get different brand pens in future you will need different cartridges.
Gouletpens.com is a good place to start looking. They have a large, well-reviewed range, respectable pricing and excellent customer service. If you contact them they will help you find exactly what you need.
As for individual pens, something like the Italix Parson's Essential (standard cartridges), the Platinum 3776, or the Pilot Vanishing Point (both proprietary) are often recommended as excellent workhorse pens. I own and recommend both the 3776 and the Parson's Essential, though I find the solid brass body of the Parson's Essential to be on the heavy side for all-day use. The pens I use most are the much cheaper Pilot Metropolitan filled with Pilot Blue Black or Rohrer + Klingner Salix and a vintage Parker 51 filled with Iroshizuku take-sumi or Pelikan 4001 Black.
Regarding nib sizes: Japanese nibs are finer than Western nibs. A standard rule of thumb is that a Japanese M is equivalent to a Western F. This is not always the case however, so it is best to ask the retailer if you are unsure.
As for inks, what do you need from them? If you want to be able to write on paper that isn't designed for fountain pens I recommend Pilot Blue Black, which is waterproof and performs well on just about all paper. You can find it cheap on ebay, though shipping from Japan takes at least a month (for me in Australia). Diamine, Noodler's and Sailor inks have wide ranges and followings for various reasons. What you end up going with will depend on how much you want to spend, what's easily available in your country and what kind of paper you use.
gouletpens.com (USA) cultpens.com (UK) lacouronneducomte.nl (EU)
I would recommend the above stores as good places to start.
Good luck!
I love the Pilot Vanishing Point - but it's out of my budget right now. I really don't think that I want to spend more than 80USD and 50 is really a better goal. The Parson's looks nice as well, but it seems to be difficult to get a hold of outside of UK/EU.
I'm eyeing the LAMY CP-1 Massdrop has right now. Do you have any opinions on that?
As for inks - I imagine the most versatile is the best option right now. I'll do everything from writing cheques, note-taking, groceries, etc. I come in contact with a wide variety of papers throughout the day. I'll check out the Pilot blue-black you mentioned - are there any keywords I should be looking for when trying to find a suitable ink?
Thanks for all the info! Really helpful.