I'll second the Varsity pens. I've bought, used up, and lost several of the Varsity pens. At $3/each, it's still less than having bought the Lamy pen mentioned

I'll second the Varsity pens. I've bought, used up, and lost several of the Varsity pens. At $3/each, it's still less than having bought the Lamy pen mentioned above (which, btw, is considered an excellent starting pen), and in the process I've been able to write with a fountain pen for about a year. I like it a lot. One down side is that Varsity pens have ink that is not waterproof, and now that I live where it rains, I need something that lasts better. Also, most notebooks or pads of paper in the office will absorb fountain pen ink like a 5 year old drinks chocolate milk, which makes your writing look terrible. The fountain pen forums linked above, and many blogs, have reviews about various types of paper. I found that I __really__ like the feel of the Staples sugar-cane paper. It feels nicer to write on than anything other than drafting vellum, so far, and is not very expensive. The notebooks are spiral-bound, but you can also buy it in reams, I believe. I also tried another disposable fountain pen from The Other Brand (I forget the name?), and it seemed roughly similar to the Varsity. The clip on the cap was less flexible, though, and broke. I wouldn't have that problem with a more expensive pen, I imagine.