Fountain Pen --> steel vs gold nib?!

So
You made the decision to buy an up-market fountain pen to extract enjoyment from writing and to inject a little hard & soft flare into your day ...

Now, you're hit with one of history's age-old dilemmas ... steel or gold nib?!

Essentially

- for modern writing styles => stainless steel [SS} nib (good quality steel nibs ... German)
- gold nib
-- more expensive
-- but it is flexible vs SS and this gives it certain properties that could be beneficial

--- "flex" (added downward pressure on nib --> variation in thickness of lines through variable separation of the nib's tines)

--- malleability----> may adjust to your writing style -> even smoother application of ink on paper

(but ?don't share gold nib fountain pen as this benefit could be lost)

Interesting article @Edison Pen Co.
http://edisonpen.com/page.cfm/In-Praise-of-Steel-Nibs




NB:
Most solid gold pen nibs are @14K



Look out:
Gold plating is not the same of solid gold
You only get the gold nib benefits with solid gold
But gold plating can add some visual flare to the pen



After a few hours of desktop research
I decided to buy a fountain pen made by German company Diplomat: the so-called Diplomat Excellence A

The Excellence A comes in a variety of colour and metal options, including the classics Black and Silver or Black and Gold (these represent the entry-level models in the A range)

Different color and texture combinations -> higher prices

Specifically, I have ordered the 
"Diplomat Excellence A Marakesh - Gloss Brown with Chrome Trim - medium SS nib"

Once I have become used to the SS nib, I'll be able to judge whether a gold nib could be better, in which case I should be able to buy a separate gold nib 'unit', designed by Diplomat to be screwed in as part of the end of the pen --> avoid the potentially messy and frustrating process of replacing just the nib itself ...

NB: Excellence B range of fountain pens - just a little shorter/smaller overall compared to the As


For all things pen, always helpful @http://www.fieldnotesblog.com.au/2012/03/ballpoint-vs-rollerball-pens.html