Why the hell are fountain pens so expensive? Like, thousands of dollars expensive. Even just a decent one is in the hundreds of dollars range. Before ballpoints appeared, people used these all the time. How the hell were they affording it? Or was it that fountain pen manufacturers realized they lost a large portion of the market share, so they turned their product into a luxury item? It's kinda crazy when you consider technologically ballpoints or gel are much better; no blotting, no having to deal with ink bottles, nothing. So they should be the more expensive ones. The pros a fountain has is mostly calligraphy, an art form that's lost amongst the masses. And is it worth it?