This is a phenomenal pen. Its pricey, but its totally worth it. Here is a tally of my experience with it.Out of the box, the pen was about average. The upstrokes did not really exist. I was writing on cheap Walmart paper, and it felt slightly scratchy. I was really just comparing this to a $15 Pilot Metropolitan, which seemed to write better. I was infact contemplating returning it. I started reading tips and tricks on FPN, and one of the posts suggested a small "break in" period, and to regulate more ink flow by slightly pressing on the nib 15 secs at a time for a few times. I did this thrice: press down on the nib gently by keeping it static for about 15 seconds apiece.Lo and behold, the pen started loosening up. No matter what I wrote on: cheap Walmart paper, Rhodia, or high-end copy paper (HP 32 lb or Hammermill), it worked. And worked better than anything I have owned before! This pen glides on paper like butter on a hot skillet. Its just incredibly difficult to describe how smooth a pen is using words, but I hope you get the picture.This is not a flex nib. However, since the nib is made out of 14k Gold, it is nevertheless springy. I am able to achieve some line width variation which I find as a huge added bonus. Pen comes with a con-70 converter, which holds a ton of ink. The pen is a demonstrator, so you get to see how much ink is left at all times, which is quite handy.The pen is not heavy or cumbersome by any means. I have written with this pen for more than 2 hours, and I barely felt a thing. And finally, the appearance. I admire that Pilot rolls out pens that are never flashy, and never attract undue attention to them. They just perform like champions without any of the "its made out of gold so lets make this look flashy and gaudy". No one has ever complimented me on this pen for its looks, but they almost always compliment my writing when they look at my notes. I like that a lot. Its subtle, understated, and performs like a champ.The only other pen I would rather buy compared to this one is the Pilot Metal Falcon. I purchased both custom 74 and Falcon, but I think I'll keep the Falcon (which is priced at $240). But if you cannot stretch your budget, and are on the fence about this one, I would heartily recommend it to you! Happy writing!