Pilot Plumix - Great Value But Finicky

March 30, 2014

Appearance/Design (8/10)

Unusual but functional. The barrel swells out slightly before gently tapering at the end. There's no clip but the cap sports little wings to prevent the (capped or posted) pen from rolling. I like the Plumix's triangular grip. The nib and feed are friction-fit and can easily be pulled out, rotated to any angle, and replaced. I'm giving extra points for that, even though the pen is not beautiful IMO.

http://i.imgur.com/bzg9ugo.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/AQJtWIB.jpg

Construction & Quality (8/10)

This pen is all-plastic apart from the nib. It's well-constructed for the price. I haven't had any problems with disassembling/reassembling the pen. However, ink does tend to creep down into the threads above the nib and it worries me. It hasn't leaked yet, but who knows? I haven't stored it upside-down, put it in a pocket/bag or experimented with a large variety of inks. See the picture below:

http://i.imgur.com/gmVixoG.jpg

Weight & Dimensions (10/10)

Lightweight and long.

Nib & Performance (8/10)

I had high hopes for this M italic nib (~1.0mm?). The line quality is fantastic. However, my Plumix is extremely dry. The first two inks I tried were Pilot Blue (the included cartridge) and Noodler's Nikita red. The ink flow was fine as long as I didn't take the nib off the paper. Once I did, ink wouldn't appear until part-way into the next stroke. I eventually solved this by using a wetter ink - Noodler's Gruene Cactus Eel in this case.

http://i.imgur.com/zTG9ESU.jpg

This "sacks" sucks.

http://i.imgur.com/8bdFmOR.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/eGabDMb.jpg

Filling System & Maintenance (6/10)

This pen came with a single cartridge which I've been reusing. It can also be fitted with a Con-20 or Con-50 converter.

Cleaning the pen requires pulling the nib and feed out. As I've mentioned, ink collects in the threads above the nib and this could contaminate any new ink. That said, the entire process is very simple and straightforward.

Cost & Value (10/10)

For $9, this is excellent value.

Conclusion (50/60)

I like the Plumix, but it's finicky about ink. When it skips, it frustrates me. When it works, I love it. This is a well-designed pen and it has great value. However, it took some experimentation before I could get it to function well. This is not a pen that I can use without keeping pen treatment (store upright to avoid possible leaks), maintenance (disassemble to clean/change inks) and ink choice in mind.

March 30, 2014

You can take the nib and put it into other Pilots. I really like it in my Prera. I opened the slit up a bit with a brass shim to make it a bit wetter..

March 30, 2014

I have two. One I put a (standard international) converter in, the other I'm using as an eyedropper filled. Both are extremely wet pens. The ED one I had to put a little teflon tape around the threads where the nib sits, otherwise it would leak. I know this is frowned upon on the forum, but since this is an inexpensive pen, I decided to take the chance. I'm happy to report the pen has been working flawlessly like this for about a year now. The one with the converter has had no issues at all, just a good writer. Very nice stub nibs.