I used the Pilot Varsity for a while in Jr. High because it was different and bought another cheap fountain pen recently, the name of which escapes me right now. I liked them and lost the cheapie pretty quickly, so I decided it was time to try a different pen. I bought a pair of Reform 1745 pens off of Ebay as well as some Noodler's Black and Red inks (forgot which, both are waterproof, etc. Fox Red comes to mind, but I could be wrong) and they were finally delivered to me at my deployed location after a relay from my wife at home. I filled them up today and both pens write well. The black is for general use and the red is for notes/annotations on paperwork in flight. Based on my initial impressions, both will do the trick. The pen filled with red seems to write a little wetter, but nothing drastic. I'm not sure if that's from the ink or if it just flows different than the other. Both are smooth enough and leave a fine enough line for daily use. Hopefully they can take the moderate abuse of sitting in the pen pocket on the arm of my flight suit day in and day out. I don't think it'll be too much of a problem, as I haven't broken a pen there yet.
All in all, I'd say they were worth the $20 + ink that I invested in satisfying my curiosity, plus new toys while deployed is always good to break the monotony.
All in all, I'd say they were worth the $20 + ink that I invested in satisfying my curiosity, plus new toys while deployed is always good to break the monotony.
