Goddamnit. One fountain pen shows up at my doorstep, and the next thing I know, I’m tumbling headfirst into some godforsaken rabbit hole—cash hemorrhaging from my pockets like blood from a fresh wound. It’s a mess. A financial freefall. And I am not happy about it.

But at least I can say I found the Lamy 2000 on my way down. A rare consolation prize. For the uninitiated, this is no ordinary pen—it’s a product of German precision, designed by Gerd Müller, the same industrial design lunatic responsible for making Braun’s stuff look like it came from a future we never quite reached. Lamy has been cranking these things out since 1966, and somehow, it’s still regarded as one of the greatest fountain pens ever made.

Now, I’m no expert in the dark arts of fountain pens, but Jesus Christ, writing with this thing is pure, unfiltered pleasure. The ink flows like expensive liquor, smooth and predictable, and even the shittiest paper turns to silk beneath the nib. I can’t explain it, but if you’ve got a spare $150 rattling around and you write like your life depends on it, this thing is worth every damn penny.

Get yours here.