Anyone Tried Pilot Kakuno?

[rjbull]

Has anyone tried the Pilot Kakuno, see e.g. Cult Pens http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Pilot-Kakuno-Fountain-Pen.html ?

Cheap, aimed at children, but another possible way of getting a fine Japanese nib. I wondered what size barrel it has. If it's intended for small hands, it might be too slim for my comfort, especially with a triangular section.

[mikehodgman]

This probably belongs in a different section...

[shumanfu]

They have a demonstrator at the local shop..

Seem ok, a little bit shorter than a Lamy Safari. very similar, but with less nib options.

 

I am going to order one online ¥1050, maybe the orange.

Edited January 3, 2014 by shumanfu

[Inkling13]

It's just like the metropolitan in terms of nib behavior, but it's certainly worth it's cost. I purchased 5 for the holidays, and 5 happy people with no issues.

[Gloucesterman]

They are available at "jstationery.com" (no affiliation) with free U.S. shipping on orders over $20.00. I have bought a few things from him and had good service. I am in the same state (Massachusetts) and received his shippment the day after I ordered (in the morning).

 

He has a limited selection on some items and his prices overall have been very good.

[Inkling13]

Jetpens carries them. I have tried to stuff a CON-70 converter into one, but it seems that there are 4 fins in the barrel that are molded into the interior to prevent just that. Otherwise it would fit perfectly. Other than that, it's an honest beginners pen.

[BHall]

Has anyone tried the Pilot Kakuno, see e.g. Cult Pens http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/Pilot-Kakuno-Fountain-Pen.html ?

Cheap, aimed at children, but another possible way of getting a fine Japanese nib. I wondered what size barrel it has. If it's intended for small hands, it might be too slim for my comfort, especially with a triangular section.

 

A short review can be found here:

http://penaddict.com/blog/2013/12/19/pilot-kakuno-fountain-pen-review

 

It looks a promising pen but like you I wonder how it would fit in the hand. I hadn't really considered this until I recently bought a Preppy and for the first time find I prefer writing with the pen capped.

[hscai]

I bought one, and chose the fine nib. It's a good pen. The nib has a little flex, which is nice. It's not too thin, either - around the same width as a Lamy fine. The nib is smooth. Not overly-wet, but definitely not dry.

However, it's incredibly light. It makes sense given that it's aimed at children, but it's too light for my tastes. It's really hard to write normally. This is with the cartridge, so I'll see how it goes with the heavier converter. I ordered the CON-20. Will post an update when it comes in around a month.

[Karin]

I have one with a medium nib. It's fun to write with. Do you post? I find the pen well balanced when posted. A nice little treat.

[hscai]

^ Pardon me, but what do you mean by "post"?

[Inkheart]

"Post" just means placing the cap on the other end of the pen when writing. It can impact the heft and balance of the pen during use, and some pens are designed to easily be posted; some are not.

[hscai]

^Thanks!

@Karin:
Yes, I do post. The pen is balanced, but it's still really light. I don't know if that makes sense or not.

[rjbull]

Jetpens carries them. I have tried to stuff a CON-70 converter into one, but it seems that there are 4 fins in the barrel that are molded into the interior to prevent just that. Otherwise it would fit perfectly. Other than that, it's an honest beginners pen.

According to Cult Pens, it will take a screw-type CON-50 converter as well as the press-bladder CON-20.

 

 

A short review can be found here:

http://penaddict.com/blog/2013/12/19/pilot-kakuno-fountain-pen-review

 

It looks a promising pen but like you I wonder how it would fit in the hand. I hadn't really considered this until I recently bought a Preppy and for the first time find I prefer writing with the pen capped.

Thanks for the review! A good pen, then, though I note comments in this thread about light weight.

 

I bought one, and chose the fine nib. It's a good pen. The nib has a little flex, which is nice. It's not too thin, either - around the same width as a Lamy fine. The nib is smooth. Not overly-wet, but definitely not dry.

 

However, it's incredibly light. It makes sense given that it's aimed at children, but it's too light for my tastes. It's really hard to write normally. This is with the cartridge, so I'll see how it goes with the heavier converter. I ordered the CON-20. Will post an update when it comes in around a month.

I'm surprised that it's no finer than a Lamy fine, which seems to be regarded on FPN as not very fine, but suppose that also makes sense for children. According to Cult Pens, it will take a CON-50 Lamy-style converter as well as the CON-20.

[hscai]

According to Cult Pens, it will take a CON-50 Lamy-style converter as well as the CON-20.

 

 

That'd be correct. Most Pilot pens will take both. There are a few that requires the CON-50, hence packaged with it.

[hscai]

I don't mean to necros a dead thread, but I did promise to reply with an impression with the converter.

 

 

It's slightly heavier, but not by much. It retains the good balance. I'm less worried about its weight now, as I got more used to it. (A little more weight is still desired.) The downside is that the CON-20 is a little fickle to fill, so you often end up with bubbles unless you used a syringe.

[vpam]

i found the kakuno ink dried up easilllly even when capped as the cap have holes in it. the whole ink cartridge dried up after not using an stored capped in an air conditioned environment