The Pilot Justus

[Leigh R]

There isn't much information available on this pen. I was very curious about the adjustable nib, so when I spotted one, I went for it. I am quite delighted I did! My love affair with Japanese pens continues.

 

The Pilot Justus is around 5 1/2 inches long, with a medium girth. Its body is ribbed black with subtle gold trim. It has a twist-off cap. It's heavier than it looks! But not so heavy as to be distracting.

 

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/leighpod/DSC00885.jpg

 

The nib adjusts from "hard" to "soft" depending on the position of a metal piece that moves up and down as you twist the section below the nib. This controls how much the nib flexes. (It's not vintage flex by any stretch of the imagination, but the nib feel changes from firm with a faint spring to almost elastic.)

 

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/leighpod/DSC00941.jpg

 

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/leighpod/DSC00894.jpg

 

Twisting the section feels like playtime! Unsurprisingly, I just do extreme H or extreme S, nothing in between.

 

The Pilot Justus is a cartridge/converter pen, and I am currently using the Pilot CON-20 (squeeze) converter with Waterman blue ink.

 

Here's a writing sample at the extreme soft position:

 

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/leighpod/DSC00915.jpg

 

What I find it's excellent for is sketching - I think it's how the nib feels. Wonderfully responsive.

 

I'll post comparison shots of the H>S writing samples tomorrow!

 

[sam]

thank you for the great review.

this is a pen that, when i first saw it on ebay, really wanted to get...

until the price went astronomical (well, astronomical for me anyways ...

'course i also didnt know just how "adjustable" the flex would be.

i was hoping it would have a wide range from really flexy to stiff...

but i guess thats not the case.

still, its an intrigueing design...wonder if there are any other pens out there with such adjustable nibs?

[Palladin]

What an intriguing pen. I love the nib adjustment mechanism. Where is such a pen to be bought? Wasn't there a Parker that had this same adjustable nib?

[sam]

palladin,

i think the pen is out of production.

and was available only in the japanese market.

ebay may be the best source to find one of these.

i ran across it quite by accident (i was searching for murex, and the seller was also selling this).

and iirc, it finished bidding at over $1000...

[fatehbajwa]

Hi,

Newbie here.

Spend mebbe like 4 hrs on this forum as well as other sites shocasing Fountain Pens everyday!!!

 

Guess I am hooked.This one is a beauty.Is it available online?

 

regards.

Edited October 13, 2009 by MYU
removed entire quote of original post

[tamburlaine]

Wow, that's a great pen.

 

Hi,

Newbie here.

Spend mebbe like 4 hrs on this forum as well as other sites shocasing Fountain Pens everyday!!!

 

Guess I am hooked.This one is a beauty.Is it available online?

 

regards.

Welcome to FPN!

 

There is one on eBay at the moment: item 190162332505. Bit out of my price range...

[sam]

Wow, that's a great pen.

 

Hi,

Newbie here.

Spend mebbe like 4 hrs on this forum as well as other sites shocasing Fountain Pens everyday!!!

 

Guess I am hooked.This one is a beauty.Is it available online?

 

regards.

Welcome to FPN!

 

There is one on eBay at the moment: item 190162332505. Bit out of my price range...

yep,

its an expensive one

theres also a review at the following site...

its in german so some translation is necessary...

http://www.penexchange.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1168

 

edit: seems the pics dont work anymore

Edited October 18, 2007 by sam

[Phthalo]

Great review Leigh... At the softest position, how comparable is this nib to the Nakaya Elastic?

 

 

*General comment to others:*

 

Please don't overpay for these pens folks... they are NOT rare - at least 14 have been offered now on eBay this year alone!

 

This was only a Y10,000 resin pen when it came out, yet people pay $500+. Meanwhile, you can pick up the high-end and flagship Y25,000 pens for $150... think about it.

[sam]

thx for the warning laura.

i havent searched (actively) for this pen since at present its out of my price range,

but the first time i saw it, i just knew that someday i had to get it...

(i guess i love "gadgets")

didnt know that this pen was as common as you mention.

so when the time comes to get one of these, i'll be more careful

[Cloud]

it sure looks fun to write with;)

[phe]

I love your writing sample, I want to put it on my wall!

 

Interesting idea about the nib, I hope it filters down to cheaper models eventually. Enjoy your new pen!

[sam]

i think it may be a pretty old design.

too bad it hasnt been used on lower models.

(or has it?)

i remember seeing adjustable nibs in old wahl's...

but i think those were where you had to manually move the "clip" forward and back to adjust the flexibility.

anyways, lets hope someone will reintroduce the concept soon

[troglokev]

I thought I'd resurrect this to mention that the Justus 95 is now showing up in various places (including my local post office within a week or so, I hope).

[georges zaslavsky]

very nice pen thanks for the review