Recommend an "adiophile worthy" pen?

Best actual writiing pen I have used in years is common $1 a pop Papermate 'Profile' 1.4b stick pen.
Great writing lines, nice ink. smooth. not too many blobs of ink.
Best bang for the buck I have seen in ages.

Parker $4 click pens with the famous Parker refill are no where near as nice as they were 20 years ago...

The publication PENOPHILE says that the lighter mass Cross will mistrack when writing a vowel, but fine with a consonant! The other publication TAP (THE ABSOLUTE PEN) found no mistracking with the heavier mass Mont Blanc on all types of writing! So you should make sure the seller allows an in home trial before making your final purchase!

It's not just about the pen--there's paper conditioners, optimum pen-handling angles, etc.
And what kind of image do you want--clear and clean vs. round and warm edges, and so forth.
The pen, my friend, is just the tip of the iceberg. You are embarking on a long, complicated and expensive journey.

You forgot. . . .

Ballpoint vs rollerball vs fountain pen
Extra-fine vs fine vs medium vs broad
If a fountain pen, itallic vs non-itallic with a wide choice of nib materials
Size and weight of the pen, itself

I am sure that I have forgotten other parameters

Fountain pen collecting is one of my other hobbies. While my collection is primarily vintage stuff, I do have a lot of new pens as well. Most of the major manufacturers make decent stuff these days, it really comes down to budget and personal preferences. If you have a store near you it's always nice to test write as well. Fountain pens will react differently to different folks based on their writing style so what works for one person might not work for another.

Many collectors look at the mainstream Mont Blanc stuff as kind of like the Bose of the audio world however MB does make some nice stuff, particularly the pens they've released over the years in the "Writers" series.

If you are looking for ballpoints, then I'd say that's kind of like trying to find the best MP3 player. :-)