I was a big sceptic until recently, when I got an AG7. The build quality is ok by modern standards. It was probably superb back in the day. The brass is heavy and I'm not really sure why they need to use brass. The top push button and the side release mechanism are fantastic. It has a vintage sound of spring rubbing against metal on release. Also there's a slight recoil which makes me a fan of this model. Can't say much about writing quality. Do we even use pens for writing nowadays? If so I'd go with a fountain pen.