The "extremely expensive pens" focus is particularly frustrating because I have gotten the impression that the modern fountain pen market is more about producin

The "extremely expensive pens" focus is particularly frustrating because I have gotten the impression that the modern fountain pen market is more about producing limited-edition goods for collection and conspicuous consumption rather than excellent pens: the actual nib, feed, and entire function as a pen seems to be less important than the appearance of the barrel. Most high-end fountain pens seem to have the same style of usually-too-bold, extremely stiff nib, and the same style of feed and reservoir. Any specialist nib makers with flex nibs seem to just be making the same traditional nibs that have always been available. I primarily use vintage fountain pens not because I would be averse to using modern ones, but because they have better options available. Pens from over a hundred years ago somehow have far better flex nibs than modern pens, despite, as you point out, the many technological advances in flexible materials. And I'm not aware of any modern manufacturers making filling mechanisms like, say, a snorkel filler. Even my 1970s Kaweco Sport has a hooded, semi-flex nib; modern Kawecos have the same generic stiff nib on a standard feed that every other modern pen has (they are apparently actually just a purchased brand name of a cosmetics company now). Surely we could do far better? Yet it seems like no manufacturer is really trying to innovate on the actual pen part of fountain pens at all.