The pen was a gift. I already have a charcoal Safari, a gray Al-Star, and another demonstrator, so I thought I’d try something different with this one. The nib was yanked from a $4 Lamy Joy knockoff on Amazon, but it fit perfectly and writes very well. Inked it up with a twenty year old bottle of Pelikan brown. Keep small bottles sealed, and honestly there’s not chance for evaporation or mold.