You can do either - I started with a box of Pilot Varsity disposables just to get a feel for it. Then the Preppy / Kakuno / Sport price range. Discovered Sailors, fell even more in love, collection kept expanding… Might as well use the,
Needless to say, I have a fair number currently inked. I don’t have many reserved for special purposes, save for one cheap blue/black ‘business signature’ pen that I generally always carry because some people think signature color matters.
You make your own path in this hobby, for sure. One of my true favorites is my namesake ink, I’ll use that purple shimmer anywhere :)
20+ inked, one set of duplicate inks in semi-duplicate pen (MTM in a Safari, and an Al Star), the rest are all disparate colors. Primary criteria is that it needs to make me smile in some way, or otherwise improve my life.