Search the Community

Hi, The pens I am reviewing today are the latest version of the 78G that Pilot has started selling exclusively in China since early 2017. My husband has a tiny handwriting and his pens 0.3 pens all seemed too thick for the size he was writing in his agenda in. He also likes the least pretentious pens possible in black and even a Metropolitan seemed too flashy for him. Seeing that I have had good experiences with the old 78G B and BB nibs, when I saw the latest 78G+ version comments previously posted on FPN convinced me to try them out. Please check out the following link to see the thread including the comparison between the old and new 78G by Pilot. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/318931-pilot-78g-the-new-78g/?p=3789104 However, not being sure what my husband would prefer, I bought two pens: a royal blue Fine nib and the black extra fine. Since the EF is pretty much a needle point, he ended up preferring the F and Inwas super happy to keep the EF. The pens really are very simple though quite nice. Contrary to adversement, body and cap of the new version are not more luxurious than the original 78G: - the clip and ring holding it to the pen is thinner and less solid - the plastic used on the body and cap is shinnier but also prone to more scratches - the printed-on rings on the cap are already coming off after two weeks of use whereas the old ones who are still nice and present months Despite this, there are positive aspects to this purchase. The blue color keeps getting comments from all who see it (including strangers who apparently get mesmerized by the royal blue hue of the EF). Plus, there is that EF nib which I am writing with on a daily basis. Please note that I write big and usually love BIG juicy nibs, stubs and italics. I rarely enjoy anything smaller than an European M... yet this EF is quite pleasurable. It has just a tad of feedback and lays a consistent ultra thin line. Using a printed Nib Width Chart, the EF is actually 0.1 mm of fine writing pleasure. It is actually so fine that it helped me finish my notebook with French Laid paper with a much nicer experience than any other pen because for once I was actually writing between the ridges in the paper. Oh and though I am not a fan of the CON-40 converter, it is better than the CON-20 in the sense that at least now I can check my ink level. In the photos, the green and teal pens are my older 78G (B and BB respectively), the black and the blue are the latest 78G+ (in F and EF respectively). As a conclusion: Pro: - New EF needlepoint - Con-40 is better than Con-20 - Currently being made from EF to B - Can easily be bought on Ebay - New colors Cons: - lesser quality - no more B.B. Stub nibs - only made for the Chinese market - actually not that inexpensive to buy when out of China Hope this was useful!