I can type pretty fast on a full keyboard, so for me writing is slower. But because it is slower, I find it can be more thoughtful. About two years ago I started making an effort to hand write notes to help me think, learn, and remember things.
Pen and paper are also pretty great. You can take them anywhere. They don’t require electricity or a battery. They are small and lightweight. You can use them on a hike. You can use them if the power goes out. The format will never become unsupported.
I primarily use document inks for addressing envelopes, which can be infrequent. To avoid clogging a pen, I’ve been considering getting a dip pen like the Pilot Iro-Utsushi. It’s still a metal nib, as opposed to a glass pen, and more for everyday writing than a calligraphy nib.
Looks lovely! I enjoyed looking at the writing sample. Your ink really helps show off the line variation. I like how the loops in your b, h, and l letters look!
I agree that looks to be a Metropolitan. Great pens!
As @techwizrd said, you won’t be able to see the ink level. When your line starts get get darker, thinner, and the pen starts to skip, it’s time to refill. Or if the pen has been sitting for a while, maybe a quick cleaning.
My favorite notebook is the JetPens Kanso Noto. They have 160 sheets (320 pages) of Tomoe River paper with a 5mm dot grid. Tomoe River paper is a premium fountain pen friendly paper that should solve your feathering problems.
JetPens offers free shipping in the US for order of $35 or more. I don’t know what options are available outside of the US.
The notebook is currently out of stock. I expect more to be back soon. Tomoe River paper was sold from one paper company to another. I think JetPens just cleared out their stock with paper from the original company and I anticipate they’ll bring the notebook back soon with paper from the new company (Sanzen). In the past, the notebooks sold for $19.50, which is a great price for a premium paper notebook (seriously, I think only the Nanami Seven Seas notebooks have a better price per page for premium paper) . However, to keep the price low, the notebook doesn’t have bells and whistles like an elastic closure or page marker ribbons.