If it ever seems like the refill/pen is dried but you can clearly see ink still in there on a rollerball or gel pen, dip the tip in some really hot water for a few seconds and it'll revive most refills.

One of us! one of us! (the fountain pen ppl)

You'll find these on ebay or etsy a lot. Aliexpress too. I would recommend also Wingsung 601 (for the parker 51 vacumatic experience), the Wingsung 698 with a gold nib for a nice piston, Hero 100 for an aerometric parker 51... or if you want more modern designs, look for Moonman, Penbbs, Live In You brands.

I have a Pilot Metropolitan and it's okay. Are these Chinese pens significantly better?

Also, a plug for Wingsung! They'll look very similar to twsbi or parker 51 at times, but imo they've added some little touches that improve on the twsbi.

Yes, definitely! I just bought a few Wingsung 3008s from eBay (a few dollars each, I think) and they're super-smooth. Couldn't believe I got a TWSBI-like piston filler for that cheap. Only downside to the cheap eBay pens is the shipping time...

Check out penbbs!! (https://www.etsy.com/shop/PENBBSOfficialStore) they've been coming out with really nice materials and all sorts of filling systems.

Assuming you're in the US, you'll be able to find a lot of pens and ink on Amazon. If you're looking to support American retailers, try Vanness Pens, Anderson Pens, Goulet Pens.

Huuuge communities online exist though. You might be surprised - check out fpgeeks forums or fountain pen network - both forums list local gatherings and pen shows.

Reddit's /r/fountainpens, too. There's an IRC channel that's fairly active, but I don't have the server address in front of me.

Sometimes just flushing the chinese pens out with a little water and maybe a drop of detergent will do the trick.

J. herbin makes a rollerball that you can use with FP cartridges. Standard international cartridges/converters.

THERE ARE DOZENS OF US ... DOZENS!!!

And there are pen shows around the world where collectors and enthusiasts come together. e.g. sf pen show in the bay area (sfpenshow.com), LA Pen show (http://www.lainternationalpenshow.com/) which as been going for like 30 years, and more - many more.