iv been writing with 40p and £3 pens all my life (except for a £20 parker fountain pen i lost some time ago), just bought a montblanc skywalker roller ball for my fathers 50th, and might have broken it in before i gave it to him amazing...
personally iv always preferred fountain pens and have decided to invest in one... however i know F-all about them and was hoping u could give me a hand.
i think cartridge will be more practical and a reasonable medium-large grip iv found more comfortable
what nib?? does the carat of gold make a difference or any material at all??? from a few pics from the parker website the nibs form £90-£200 seem pretty much identical.
really i have no idea i don’t want to spend much more that £150 unless its out of this world... really i have no clue any suggestions would b greatly appreciated.

If you have access to a pen shop, go play with them. See what size fits your hand, what feels right when you hold it. Don't be afraid of what the nibs are made out of, a good brand pen's steel nib will feel as good as some of the not so good gold nibs. The most common nib sizes are F, M or B. Think about what size line feels right to you using markers, ball points or rollers.

I'd start with an inexpensive, reliable pen and use that until you know what you like. A Waterman Phileas might be a good choice without laying out a lot as they've got great nibs for their size/price range.

Read up on all the threads here, especially the pen reviews and take your time. No rush.

Go visit your local pen shop. Pen shops are normally owned by people who love pens and love to talk about them. Do not go to some mass market office supply store. At a pen shop you can browse and look and someone will normally chat you up about pens they love and let you try things out. Best way to get to know what you like.

Going to a pen shop and trying what you like is a good idea.
Never the less I would advice you to go with Pelikan M600.Since you want only C/C filler then the Pelikan is off the list.
So I think the Waterman Carene would be a good pen for you.The price is right,it is a good quality pen with a beautiful and smooth 18K gold nib.

If you are just starting then I would go with a Waterman Phileas or Lamy Safari. If you're not sure whether it's something that you're going to like or not, pick up a Parker Reflex or Vector, which are about $7. I have a Phileas myself, and it is the pen that I started with. I actually don't have a Lamy Safari, but many people love them, you just have to be able to put up with the aesthetics. Like the others said, going to pen store to try sme pens out would be great, but I don't have the opportunity and I have been fine with my purchases so far. As far as nibs go, GENERALLY the stainless steel nibs are the cheapest, then 14k, and 18k. Looking at pictures of a nib will not necessarily tell you what material the nib is made of. Depending on the color of the pen, stainless steel nibs are often gold plated and gold nibs are often rhodium plated. You need to look at the specifications to find out what materials that nibs are made of. I believe that Parker does list them when you select the color of the pen that you are looking at. Good Luck.

Hi Mike121
Guessed you were in the UK as soon as I read you wrote "F-all" and before you put the £ sign. One of my favourite phrases!
Any road. Good advice given here but this is what I suggest.
Definately go to a pen shop. I dont know where you live in the UK but look for a "Websterspenshop". It is a privately owned chain and I have dealt with the main (at least London area) manager (owner?) on several occasions. As you should expect (expect in England where any shop service is universally c**p) their help and guidance is excellent.
But go to ebay and look for Frenchpenseller (J. Lwertowski) and bag a Waterman Expert with a medium nib for about £24. I've got four of them in regular daily use right now. There is usually some on Buy It Now. Then go to thewritingdesk.co.uk and get some Private Reserve ink in colour of your choice. You will also need to oreder a Warterman converter.
The Lamy Safari is a good start but I stopped using mine as they are a bit dry. The Watrman Phileas is dry and scratchy. The Carene is expensive and difficult to use (in my expereience).
You will have plenty of time to start exploring more expensive pens but wait until you decide how much you like writing first with a FP.

Good luck!

Armchop