Planning On Getting A Pilot Pen (Expensive)

[TheAkwardNinja]

So if you know me, I have been iching for a new pen, but instead of getting a cheap pen, I want to save for the higher end pens from Pilot. There are so many from Pilot. Can anyone give me an idea of what pen I should get, and the pros and cons of them.

 

Thanks!!!!!

[TheModernGent]

Their vanishing point seems quite intriguing

 

I don't own one (but want one)

 

Pros

 

Click pen

Gold nib

Durable

Nib units easily come out, so switching nib sizes is a breeze

 

Cons

 

Some people complain the clip gets in the way ( I think you can remove it though )

If you tune your own nibs ( when needed ), this nib is quite small so it may pose a problem

Edited May 27, 2014 by TheModernGent

[Gloucesterman]

Check out YouTube and Goulet Pens videos for more discussion on the different Pilot pens. He does a pretty good job of describing them and you can even see some writing samples as well as nib comparisons at the site.

 

In someways, watching a video will add more visual information to what many of us might be sharing with you in writing.

 

As for removing the clip from a Vanishing Point - when I first started using one, yes, there was some annoyance. Fairly quickly, however, I grew to actually like it and became a comfortable part of my VP writing experience. YMMV!

 

No affiliation with Goulet Pens.

[Matth13]

You could try the Pilot Custom Heritage 91.

Pros: Priced reasonably (About $100 shipped), 14k nib available in various sizes, nice size, classy look and feel.

Cons: Availability is limited (I used ebay to purchase mine), Clip may be stiff (This was the case with mine).

Potential Cons: Filled via cartridge or converter, fairly light, very traditional looking (some might find it boring).

Overall, I think this pen is a good value.

[KBeezie]

What do you currently use? What kind of writing do you want to do, how fine or broad a nib are you looking for? etc.

 

Vanishing Point and VP Fermo are pretty popular if you want capless, but I don't like the idea of the clip in the front (something that can be removed by RichardBinder when you order a VP from him), plus I feel like I'd be syringe filling them half the time since you need a pretty full bottle to fill them by the nib.

 

Pilot Falcon and Metal Falcon are nice if you want a soft nib (I have a resin Falcon with a Soft Fine currently), gives some line variation with the small degree of flex that it has. It's also a very lightweight pen (under 20 grams or so, the body itself is 10 grams), but the soft nib can also be pretty wet.

 

Pilot Custom 74 is a nice demonstrator looking one in various shades of clear plastic with a button-filling converter (Con-70), the body shape sort of reminds me of the Platinum 3776.

 

And if C/C isn't your thing, the Pilot Custom 92 has a built in Piston filler.

 

The Pilot Justus 95 up on the $300 side has a soft fine nib but also has an adjustable ring to control just how much variation the nib gives.

 

But really depends on what your goals are other than just expensive Pilot.

[DanF]

Pilot Custom 742 or 743 (the 743 has a larger nib, the only difference). They are a little larger and heavier than the Custom 74 series. These come with a very wide range of nib styles, but they are only available through Japanese dealers, hence no warranty. They only come in black or dark red, and the full variety of nibs are only available in black and gold. The Rhodium version with flattened ends is called the Heritage 912, and like Henry Ford said about the model T, 'You can have any color you like, so long as it is black". They are large, comfortable pens. They use a cartridge, or CC, so there is not really much need for a warranty, not much to go wrong with them, and the nibs are pretty good out of the box.

 

In spite of my dislike of black pens, I have two 742's, and two Heritage 912's, with WA, FA, PO. and SU nibs respectively. The most inconvenient thing about the one color is that I have to unscrew the cap to see which nib is in the pen in hand.

 

The price from a Japanese dealer is usually under $150, plus $13 shipping.

 

Dan

Edited May 27, 2014 by DanF

[KBeezie]

... These come with a very wide range of nib styles, but they are only available through Japanese dealers, hence no warranty. ...

 

I'm curious about this, why is there no warranty if it's bought straight from Japan? For example my Platinum Century 3776 with a Soft Fine came straight from Japan, and I actually have the Warranty card that's been stamped (in kanji/kana) with the retailer's address and phone/fax number, and the date of purchase written in (H26 5 16, guessing May 16th of the 26th year of the Heisei period).

 

Is the warranty in fact not valid then because it's an export?

 

Though with the above it's *technically* not valid anyways even if I lived in Japan because the warranty is only for models over 10,000 JPY. But I'm curious if it would still be valid if I had paid over 10K JPY for it.

[TheAkwardNinja]

I want the pen for a self graduation gift. Maybe I will use it in college, which means a medium or fine nib. I know that the vanishing point has easily changeable nibs, which appeals. But what about the ink capacity?

[KBeezie]

I want the pen for a self graduation gift. Maybe I will use it in college, which means a medium or fine nib. I know that the vanishing point has easily changeable nibs, which appeals. But what about the ink capacity?

 

Using either a Pilot Cartridge (with the protective cover) or Con-20 (squeeze) filler will give roughly 0.9ml which is nearly twice that of a standard international cartridge. The con-50 it comes with holds about 0.6ml without the little agitation piece in it, or 0.5ml with it. The Con-70 (1ml button filler) isn't compatible with the VP.

 

If you get a Fine Nib (Japanese Fine), it shouldn't go thru as much ink as if you went with a western fine/medium.

 

Outside of the integrated piston model, or ones compatible with the Con-70 (only a .1ml diff from using a cartridge/con-20), the capacity is going to be the same for every Pilot pen.

 

If you skip to the 11 minute mark or so, you'll see where he shows how far down you have to dip the nib to fill it, since you have to take the nib unit out to fill it.

 

 

So you'll probably prefer to refill (via syringe) a pilot cartridge anyways, which has a pretty wide mouth on the cartridge, or just dip the con-50 converter directly into the ink and fill it up that way and pop it into the nib unit just like you would if you filled a cartridge.

Edited May 27, 2014 by KBeezie

[WaskiSquirrel]

I own a Pilot Custom 823 and a Pilot Justus 95.

 

Both have good nibs, though the Justus has more flex. The 823 has amazing ink capacity. I'm not sure what it is, but the pen is a vacuum filler, so the entire barrel fills with ink. However, the Justus has pretty decent ink capacity with its converter (not sure about its name, just that it's the push-button converter). Both are attractive pens, though the 823 is an amber-colored demonstrator, so that may be a deal-breaker if you don't like demonstrators.

 

The Justus has adjustable flex, but really all this changes is how hard you have to press to get flex. The 823 has only limited flex, but it is nice to write with. Both pens have fine nibs, and write perfectly.

 

The biggest fault I've found is that the 823 does not handle standard Noodler's Black very well: the bubbles from the feed just seem to collect in the barrel at the top of the feed instead of bubbling up through. The result is it quits writing. I now use Noodler's Heart of Darkness in this pen and have no problem. I did not have this issue with the Justus, which surprises me. Most of my converter pens don't work well with standard Noodler's Black for the same reason the 823 does not.

 

I like that both are understated designs. I slightly prefer the shape of the Justus, but wish it had an integrated filling mechanism.

[lzykramer]

I want the pen for a self graduation gift. Maybe I will use it in college, which means a medium or fine nib. I know that the vanishing point has easily changeable nibs, which appeals. But what about the ink capacity?

Pilot custom 823 medium nib or Pilot justus 95 medium fine nib, you can not go wrong with them. Buy it directly from Japan is much cheaper.

[Brian1]

I have both an old Namiki Vanishing Point (with the plastic hexagonal barrel) and a new Pilot Vanishing Point. To me the point of carrying a Vanishing Point is for taking quick notes. And to me that means one handed operation. The Pilot Vanishing Point clip fits easily over all but the heaviest flannel shirt pocket one handed. My older Vanishing Point and from what I read the Decimo have a smaller, tighter clip which fits easily over thinner shirts such as dress shirts but not so easily over thicker cloth work shirts. The smaller clip will fit but it takes two hands to put it back, not one.

 

Having been used to the thinner older Vanishing Point, when I got the new Pilot Vanishing Point I almost returned it right away. The Pilot Vanishing Point is made of metal and thus is much heavier, the pen is much thicker and the clip is bigger and much more noticeable when holding the pen. I suspect that it is the different ways that people grip pens which result in some people not being able to stand having the clip in the middle of the pen grip.

[DanF]

 

I'm curious about this, why is there no warranty if it's bought straight from Japan? For example my Platinum Century 3776 with a Soft Fine came straight from Japan, and I actually have the Warranty card that's been stamped (in kanji/kana) with the retailer's address and phone/fax number, and the date of purchase written in (H26 5 16, guessing May 16th of the 26th year of the Heisei period).

 

Is the warranty in fact not valid then because it's an export?

 

Though with the above it's *technically* not valid anyways even if I lived in Japan because the warranty is only for models over 10,000 JPY. But I'm curious if it would still be valid if I had paid over 10K JPY for it.

 

It's my understanding that because the Custon 742/743 series is not sold by authorized dealers in the US, it would be a "gray market" item, not covered by warranty. One of the Japanese websites I have used states that the Pilot warranty is only valid in Japan. It might be different with other dealers, but I think that any of the pens not marketed directly in the US would not be covered by warranty. I may be wrong though...

 

Dan

Edited May 28, 2014 by DanF

[Keyless Works]

What is your price range? I have the Custom 845, 743 and 74. I recommend the 743 as it's the only model to offer Pilots full range of #15 (largest non-Namiki) nibs. I like my 74 it has a music nib but it in all honesty is not anything special; a Platinum 3776 offers more for your money.

[Keyless Works]

It's my understanding that because the Custon 742/743 series is not sold by authorized dealers in the US, it would be a "gray market" item, not covered by warranty. One of the Japanese websites I have used states that the Pilot warranty is only valid in Japan. It might be different with other dealers, but I think that any of the pens not marketed directly in the US would not be covered by warranty. I may be wrong though...

 

Dan

I do believe you are correct; I personally have not had any issues with Pilot fountain pens so the lack of a proper warranty doesn't concern me too much....there are some brands I would be worried about without a warranty.

[Drone]

This page (link below) shows size comparisons, nib types, and converter options for all Pilot Custom series pens; print and/or bookmark it:

http://kmpn.blogspot.ca/2011/06/pilot-custom.html

The soft semi-flex FA "Falcon" nib (Not to be confused with the Pilot Falcon pens) steals the show; but for some reason is only available on the Custom 742, 743, and 912 pens.

 

The Pilot Custom 743 with an FA nib is the pen to seek IMO. Look no further. The 743 is a big bold pen all dressed up in classic black-tie and gold.

 

The Pilot Custom 743 with the FA nib will be hard to find in the USA, and if you do find it, it will likely be priced high.

 

Instead, try Engeika in Japan. I am a satisfied Engeika customer. Their prices are great and they can get hard to find Japanese pens.

 

But...

 

Do not worry if you don't see the pen you want on the Engeika site. That's often NOT how it works - you have to ask. You will likely end up talking with Taizo San (Taizo Okagaki) at Engeika.

 

DO NOT place your order online with Engeika without FIRST verifying by Email with them the availability and expected ship date of your pen, and a final negotiated best price. Always at-least use the shipping option WITH tracking; for more expensive pens something like FedEx is even better.

 

Engeika often custom orders Japanese pens, especially the more expensive and/or rare models. Therefore, ship times may slip. Also, I don't understand why but Email communications can get slow with Engeika at times. Have patience, they'll come through in the end.

 

Here's the Engeika link:

 

http://www.engeika.com/

 

Here's the Engeika Email:

 

engeika.finest.shop@gmail.com

 

Do come back and let us know what happens.

 

Good Luck, David

Edited May 28, 2014 by Drone

[Drone]

I just found another Japanese Pilot 743 w/FA Nib source with pricing on the Web. I have never dealt with them though, Maybe someone here else has:

 

http://www.fountainpen-japan.com/pilotcustom743black.html

 

Price as of post date (28 May 2014) is $236.00 USD + $17.80 shipping to U.S. (likely tracked mail or EMS). At least we have a price for Engeika to beat.

[BillZ]

I have 4 Pilots:

Vanishing Point

Falcon

Custom 98

Custom 74

They are all somewhat different which is what I like. The Custom 98 is a small pen at 123mm Capped vs 143 for the Custom 74 and 137 for the Falcon.

The VP is my go-to for quick notes as it's one handed. It out on my desk all of the time. I don't think you can go wrong with any Pilot. Just

depends on your bankroll.

[Montblanc owner and lover]

I have a Justus 95,nice pen with gold nib and quite fun to use.

[Brotzmann]

I think I've gotten to the point that I consider Pilot my favorite brand. As far as expensive Pilot pens I have the Justus 95, Decimo, Raden Vanishing Point, and the Resin Falcon. I like them all.

I have a Justus 95 Fine and the nib is great. You can adjust the nib to be soft or more firm. The feed doesn't quite seem to keep up for major flex writing but as a soft nib with a bit of line variation it is great. It comes with the Con-70 converter which is nice and holds quite a bit of ink.

The Decimo is the smaller version of the Vanishing point. I agree with all the recommendations of VP. The Raden is a very beautiful pen. I recommend the Decimo if you have smaller hands. I think the clip is less obtrusive on the Decimo as well but I don't mind the clip placement. The capless design is great and makes it a very useful pen. The Pilot capless pens are my favorite EDC pens.

The resin Falcon is also a very nice pen with a soft nib much like the Justus 95 only not adjustable. Again the pen is soft and not good for flex writing because the feed doesn't keep up. Also, the tip of the feed will hit the paper if you try and flex too much. Really it's just a soft feeling nib not flex. If I ever get the chance I would switch up to a metal Falcon.

Edited May 28, 2014 by Brotzmann