I collected pens as a young man, but eventually wised up. However, I use a Parker Duofold ballpoint daily (about $300 now) that I got in about 1996, that often impresses clients. It has a Lifetime Warranty! Parker replaced it twice (the design wasn't as robust as they apparently intended.) Parker was acquired a while back, and the new owners are somewhat less amenable to honoring the warranty. They seem to think that "Lifetime Warranty" has some legal definition that is not exactly what it sounds like, and they seem to be prone to blaming the owner now; I had to pay for the last problem, which is always the retraction mechanism. I understand that the warranty is two years on new Duofolds. It may make some sense to buy an expensive pen intended to last for the rest of your life, but not otherwise, imho.
On the other hand, if you want a good fountain pen, it aint' cheap to make an 18K rhodium plated nib.
