Pilot Custom Heritage 92

[MrBlack]

  On 11/21/2010 at 8:39 AM, saskia_madding said:

I totally agree with you - this pen is nice, but honestly, a TWSBI is just as good and 1/3 the cost (minimum - I high balled an ebay auction to get this for $200 when it mostly sells for $150 https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/pubylic/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/rolleyes.gif).

[MrBlack]

Completely agree. Have had both and sold them on. TWSBI are just as good, and much much better value.

[IndigoBOB]

I have a question for you guys. I am interested in the CH 92, however, I have heard about problems with dry inkflow. I prefer to write with minimal pressure that can vary to some pressure that is, I guess, more typical.

 

How are your experiences with minimal pressure (using the pen's weight to write)?

 

I've also heard people discussing adjusting the tines and having success. Has anyone done this and have success with providing good consistent inkflow with minimal pressure?

 

I ask because on Jetpens they say in the product description:

• In our experience, this pen requires moderate writing pressure for best performance. Users with a very light hand may experience skipping or inconsistent performance.

 

Is there a difference between the writing experience of the CH 92 and the CH 74?

Edited August 14, 2017 by IndigoBOB

[Newjelan]

Hi IndigoBob, I can't answer your question about how the CH92 writes with minimal pressure as I tend to use more moderate pressure. However, I have 3 CH92s (all with Medium nibs) and find their flow on the wetter side, which I prefer, but it others may have different experiences.

 

The difference between the CH74 & CH92 is the former is a cartridge-converter and the latter is a piston fill. The CH74 is more of a cigar shape. The nibs and feeds are the same.

[gylyf]

  On 8/14/2017 at 8:42 AM, IndigoBOB said:

I have a question for you guys. I am interested in the CH 92, however, I have heard about problems with dry inkflow. I prefer to write with minimal pressure that can vary to some pressure that is, I guess, more typical.

 

How are your experiences with minimal pressure (using the pen's weight to write)?

 

I've also heard people discussing adjusting the tines and having success. Has anyone done this and have success with providing good consistent inkflow with minimal pressure?

 

I ask because on Jetpens they say in the product description:

 

• In our experience, this pen requires moderate writing pressure for best performance. Users with a very light hand may experience skipping or inconsistent performance.

Is there a difference between the writing experience of the CH 92 and the CH 74?

Every CH92 and Custom 74 I’ve had came adjusted for drier flow, especially on upstrokes. However, after widening the gap between the tines ever so slightly, each became a wonderful writer.

[Honeybadgers]

It annoys me that I can get this pen's entire writing experience for under $80 on amazon in the CH91, but I can't get the piston filler unless I drop the pen's price again.

 

I have the CH91 (identical twin apart from the lack of a piston knob, just a flat bottom) which uses the con20, 40, 50, and 70 vac fill converters in soft fine and it's an exquisite writing pen, but the plastic leaves something to be desired. i like a light pen, but the 91 feels like it should be heavier, and that's off putting. Honestly, TWSBI and platinum do better feeling plastic.

 

But as an everyday writer, it's only matched by the equally cheap 3776 soft fine, which just feels a little more "correct" in its weight and dimensions (and you can get it in proper colors, and it has a much prettier nib)

 

I just think pilot and platinum are really playing themselves short at the price they ask in the US. give me a prera for $25, pilot-made wing sung 698 for $35-40, the 74 and 92 (get rid of the 91, make the 74 the CC and the 92 the piston filler for $70 and $80 respectively, put the falcon and vanishing point at $130, and then put your justus, 912 and 823 pretty much right where they are and you'd have a perfect consumer lineup for people to work their way up.

 

Man I'd love pilot to do a better made wing sung 698 that posts and doesn't have the little piston cap wiggle and comes in EF, F, M, and stub. That's honestly my dream pen.

 

in addition, they could make the custom 74 and 91/92's #5 nib fit the cheaper steel body pens. it'd save money on feeds and extra tooling, and let me throw the soft music nib from my 74 into my wing sung.

 

 

 

Weird discovery. I just learned the wing sung 698 cap screws onto the CH91, even though the 698 is a coarse thread, it just seems to skip threads. But it fits.

 

As for dry inkflow, I think it has something to do with the feed, which is common to the 91, 74, and 92. I notice my 91 and 74 both write markedly drier with the con70 converter, and much wetter with a con40/50. I really don't know why, but it's absolutely the case in both pens, with two different nibs (SF and MS)

 

I have no issues writing firm and flexy (as flexy as you can with the SF, which isn't a lot, but it's an F- all day with either my 74 or 91. The 74 just needed a boatload of smoothing because pilot only seems to tune that nib for writing actual music, completely perpendicular to the page.

 

The 74 has an uglier but more well behaved clip and the rounded shape is much more condusive to sliding into and out of a pocket. Uglier pen, but interchangable grip section with the 91.

Edited August 16, 2017 by Honeybadgers

[IndigoBOB]

Yah, their prices vary tremendously in the US alone regarding the CH 92 ranging from 109$ on Amazon, which is basically a Japan-purchase, to 133$ on jetpens.com for any that aren't the clear demonstrator, which is hiked up to 220$ generally by retailers.

 

It really is worth it to take the time to hunt down the best price. I couldn't believe what the 3776 was going for on Amazon for Prime purchasing.

[Mister5]

  On 8/14/2017 at 8:42 AM, IndigoBOB said:

I have a question for you guys. I am interested in the CH 92, however, I have heard about problems with dry inkflow. I prefer to write with minimal pressure that can vary to some pressure that is, I guess, more typical.

 

 

On mine there's a visible bump in the main feed channel. Not sure if that's there intentionally to maintain a drier ink flow or just a production hiccup. I had to adjust the inkflow on mine by taking the feed out, and applying a brass sheet a few times to the main feed channel. I also cleaned out the tines with the brass sheet as well. Some gunk gets in there. Now it writes nicely. It's not something I'd recommend anyone doing unless they were really judicious. I got the idea after watching the one of the gents at Franklin Christoph booth at the Philly Pen Show do this a bit more aggressively than I did to try to fix a non-working needlepoint.

 

Next time I ink it up, I'll see if it can write with minimal pressure. It might depend on the ink used though. Most of the time I have pretty saturated inks or those with permanent characteristics so they may behave a little differently than a "normal" ink. Last time mine was inked up with Diamine Registrar's Blue Black, which I'd imagine is on the dry side, being iron gall, and the flow was good, but this was after I applied the brass sheet.

Edited August 16, 2017 by Mister5

[Superficial]

My CH92 is easily my favourite pen. It's a perfect size for me, feels well made and writes beautifully. The nib is bouncy and requires a bit of pressure to get the bet out of it IMHO. I can write on cheap papers with no weight, but it writes a very fine line (at a guess, F instead of M). In pressing a bit harder, you can feel a bit of bounce and you get great line variation without trying. It definitely feels like it's designed to write with a slight bit of pressure.

 

When it came it was very dry, to the point that it wouldn't write on glossy paper. I flossed and spread the tines and it's now lovely and wet.

 

I cannot possibly see how anyone could think a TWSBI is a nicer pen. My Diamond 580 is my least favourite pen - it's a total nail. It's half the price of course, but a world apart. I like what TWSBI do but their nibs are nothing on a pilot gold nib.

[Shaggy]

My ch 92 has always been a wet writer, even with light pressure. YMMV

Edited August 19, 2017 by Shaggy

[IndigoBOB]

Inked the CH 92 for the first time today with diamine midnight and it wrote a little dry OOTB... spotty even, but with some pressure and "breaking it in" only a little bit, it works wonderfully, now. It feels great in the hand, better than I thought it would feel unposted.

 

Writes like a true workhorse that feels very comfortable and looks wonderful. I was very nervous opening it up since I couldn't return it at that point, but it is performing better than I expected.

 

I do love this pen . Just the right amount of feedback, not too glassy.

 

I am very impressed with Pilot. Unfortunately I haven't been able to try the other Japanese brands, but the CH 92 fits like a glove.

[InkedPages]

  On 8/16/2017 at 8:48 AM, Honeybadgers said:

It annoys me that I can get this pen's entire writing experience for under $80 on amazon in the CH91, but I can't get the piston filler unless I drop the pen's price again.

 

I have the CH91 (identical twin apart from the lack of a piston knob, just a flat bottom) which uses the con20, 40, 50, and 70 vac fill converters in soft fine and it's an exquisite writing pen, but the plastic leaves something to be desired. i like a light pen, but the 91 feels like it should be heavier, and that's off putting. Honestly, TWSBI and platinum do better feeling plastic.

 

But as an everyday writer, it's only matched by the equally cheap 3776 soft fine, which just feels a little more "correct" in its weight and dimensions (and you can get it in proper colors, and it has a much prettier nib)

 

I just think pilot and platinum are really playing themselves short at the price they ask in the US. give me a prera for $25, pilot-made wing sung 698 for $35-40, the 74 and 92 (get rid of the 91, make the 74 the CC and the 92 the piston filler for $70 and $80 respectively, put the falcon and vanishing point at $130, and then put your justus, 912 and 823 pretty much right where they are and you'd have a perfect consumer lineup for people to work their way up.

 

Man I'd love pilot to do a better made wing sung 698 that posts and doesn't have the little piston cap wiggle and comes in EF, F, M, and stub. That's honestly my dream pen.

 

in addition, they could make the custom 74 and 91/92's #5 nib fit the cheaper steel body pens. it'd save money on feeds and extra tooling, and let me throw the soft music nib from my 74 into my wing sung.

 

 

 

Weird discovery. I just learned the wing sung 698 cap screws onto the CH91, even though the 698 is a coarse thread, it just seems to skip threads. But it fits.

 

As for dry inkflow, I think it has something to do with the feed, which is common to the 91, 74, and 92. I notice my 91 and 74 both write markedly drier with the con70 converter, and much wetter with a con40/50. I really don't know why, but it's absolutely the case in both pens, with two different nibs (SF and MS)

 

I have no issues writing firm and flexy (as flexy as you can with the SF, which isn't a lot, but it's an F- all day with either my 74 or 91. The 74 just needed a boatload of smoothing because pilot only seems to tune that nib for writing actual music, completely perpendicular to the page.

 

The 74 has an uglier but more well behaved clip and the rounded shape is much more condusive to sliding into and out of a pocket. Uglier pen, but interchangable grip section with the 91.

Love this comment as a whole. I agree completely as to the pricing structure adjustments Pilot should make with respect to their whole lineup. And if we could get the rest of the finishes that are available only in Japan (C823 in clear and smoke, non-demonstrator versions of the C74), so much the better. I know we can go to @maz0n, but not with Pilot North America's warranty protection.

 

Also, I'm intrigued by this difference in dryness based on the Con-50 vs Con-70. I love the 70, but I can't say that I've tried the 50 in my Falcon, so now I'm curious.

[Anders23]

Thank you for the review.

Is there any difference in writing between a custom 92 and a custom 74? They seem to have the same nibs.

 

Thanks,
Andy

[IndigoBOB]

You know I bought my CH 92 Broad and it worked well when the ink was first filled and the feed primed, but since then I have had problems with it running dry. I sent it to Pilot and they didn't fix it so I am going to try a nibmeister.

 

If you press hard or use pressure when writing this isn't bad, but if you have a lighter touch I don't recommend the CH 92.

 

I wish I had gotten the Custom 74.

 

I found out that even on Jetpens.com, there is a warning that it requires more pressure to write with and this is even mentioned on gourmetpens.com.

[senzen]

Bad news about the flow problems with the 92, I was warming up to it.

[AmandaW]

I love my 92 with a fine nib. It's not dry at all.

[Mister5]

I had to apply a brass sheet a couple times through the main feed channel on my CH92's feed to get the flow right. Mine was dry & skippy before that. Now it's a good workhorse but before that a bit of a disappointment.

Edited September 15, 2017 by Mister5

[Superficial]

I'm fairly certain the 92 and 74 (and CH 91) have the same nib / feed / section so I don't think you can read anything into anecdotes about one pen or the other not performing - these issues could happen to either pen. Similarly the issue with pressure when writing - it must be the same for both pens.

 

FWIW my CH92 had flow problems to begin with. I widened the tines with a brass shim and it's great now - my favourite pen. Obviously this is not ideal, it's always disappointing to get an (expensive!) pen that doesn't write properly. But it should be fixable.

[Anders23]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. CH92 - orange it is

[effandpee]

One other thing to try before having a go at the tines is just to flush it out. Perhaps because it's a piston filler, I wonder whether the CH92 is left with a little more residue on it than similar pilots. Like others, my orange demonstrator in fine was dry OOTB, but improved a lot on a second inking with the same ink.