If you want to spend a couple hundred and are looking for bang for buck, Japanese is the way to go, imo. Check out Sailor and Pilot.
Sailor has some amazing pens with 21k nibs for around $250, which is very hard to beat. I own this Professional Gear in bright yellow (they have other colors) and the nib is incredible:
https://goldspot.com/products/sailor...gold-med-point
Can't go wrong with a 1911 as well:
https://goldspot.com/products/sailor...b-fountain-pen
Another super solid pen is the Pilot Falcon, with its great 14k nib, at $150:
https://www.gouletpens.com/collectio...11884882067499
Finally, check out Edison pens for some great designs and all the customization you dream of, with one of the softest nibs I've used, be it in steel or gold:
http://edisonpen.com/
This should keep you busy until feeling like going to the 500-1k range. Have fun!