Pilot Prera

[ethernautrix]

[Review of Pilot Prera]

 

KCat,

 

Because of your review and photos and the subsequent discussion, I was intrigued enough to order one of these (in slate gray) -- and it is FABULOUS! It writes with a consistent, non-italic, fine line. I LOVE IT!

 

Thank you, thank you!

 

Lisa

[Splicer]

Has anyone compared this with the Pilot Knight? It looks like the same nib.

[aka]

Splicer,

 

I'm quite sure it's the same nib. I remember reading on the forums before that nibs were in fact identical, if not very similar.

 

cheers~

[Cedar]

Someone (maybe Taki) said that the Prera will take a Namiki 69899. I just got two from Pendemonium. My two Preras are loaded with ink right now so

haven't tried them as yet.

 

Cedar

 

I think I'm talking to myself. But whoever would like to eavesdrop....I tried the Namiki 69899 in my Pilot Prera this morning and it works just fine.

 

Cedar

Cedar, sorry I hadn't been following this thread so closely, and thought I already replied to your post. Namiki 69899 is the same as Pilot CON-50, and as you found out it should work

 

Thanks, Taki. I hadn't been following it closely, either. :roflmho: However, I do think it was you that mentioned it somewhere and I just made a note of the information.

I thank you kindly because the Namiki 69899 was much easier to find than the Con 50. The only Con 50 I found on line involved the shipping cost from Japan. A little high when all I needed were a couple of converters. Several places carry the Namiki. I did kind of wonder if there was any difference. Now I know. Thanks.

 

Cedar

[augustmoon]

Someone (maybe Taki) said that the Prera will take a Namiki 69899. I just got two from Pendemonium. My two Preras are loaded with ink right now so

haven't tried them as yet.

 

Cedar

 

I think I'm talking to myself. But whoever would like to eavesdrop....I tried the Namiki 69899 in my Pilot Prera this morning and it works just fine.

 

Cedar

Cedar, sorry I hadn't been following this thread so closely, and thought I already replied to your post. Namiki 69899 is the same as Pilot CON-50, and as you found out it should work

 

Thanks, Taki. I hadn't been following it closely, either. :roflmho: However, I do think it was you that mentioned it somewhere and I just made a note of the information.

I thank you kindly because the Namiki 69899 was much easier to find than the Con 50. The only Con 50 I found on line involved the shipping cost from Japan. A little high when all I needed were a couple of converters. Several places carry the Namiki. I did kind of wonder if there was any difference. Now I know. Thanks.

 

Cedar

 

 

I have purchased the CON-50, from this company here, they ship from California (no affil.. just a..)

 

http://www.jetpens.com/product_info.php/products_id/1531

 

 

 

[KCat]

[Review of Pilot Prera]

 

KCat,

 

Because of your review and photos and the subsequent discussion, I was intrigued enough to order one of these (in slate gray) -- and it is FABULOUS! It writes with a consistent, non-italic, fine line. I LOVE IT!

 

Thank you, thank you!

 

Lisa

 

Glad you're enjoying it. I'm seriously considering buying a third! Well, the two I have are wonderful but I need one that is a dark color, right? One that's more "business-like."

 

I received a second Prera as a gift and it has a medium nib. The sweet soul that gave me this pen guessed that I might want to try the medium and absolutely aced it. The medium is an absolute dream and yet is what I consider a proper medium (not the big fat lines of Western pens) - probably about .4-.5 mm. Smooth as silk and no baby-bottom. No surprise there. It's also Lime Green! I love it. I have PR Avacado in it. It writes drier than my Pelikan nibs (but not "dry") so I get a nice bit of shading from the Avacado instead of the overwhealming dark green I see in wetter nibs. Avacado is one of those inks that looks gorgeous either way but in this case the softer color suits the bright green Prera.

 

But I think someday there needs to be a dark blue Prera in my case. I'm developing a strong desire for "pocket" pens and the like. I just wish that some of them weren't so expensive. Thank goodness for the Prera and the Sailor Sapporo Mini - small pens I can buy without too much guilt.

 

As I've noted before, Taki brought this pen to our attention and I just blurted my opinion. Can't thank her enough.

[ethernautrix]

But I think someday there needs to be a dark blue Prera in my case. I'm developing a strong desire for "pocket" pens and the like. I just wish that some of them weren't so expensive. Thank goodness for the Prera and the Sailor Sapporo Mini - small pens I can buy without too much guilt.

 

As I've noted before, Taki brought this pen to our attention and I just blurted my opinion. Can't thank her enough.

 

Exactly. I debated between the ivory and the slate gray, not wanting to test two pens at once. I'm very happy with the slate gray. It's a nice upscale four-door sedan color, if you know what I mean.

 

I know this might be anathema in these parts, but I'm satisfied with just the one, but I wholeheartedly recommend the Prera to folks who like a nice, clean fine line.

 

My thanks to Taki, too!

[Margana]

The medium is an absolute dream and yet is what I consider a proper medium (not the big fat lines of Western pens) - probably about .4-.5 mm. Smooth as silk and no baby-bottom. No surprise there. It's also Lime Green! I love it. I have PR Avacado in it. It writes drier than my Pelikan nibs (but not "dry") so I get a nice bit of shading from the Avacado instead of the overwhealming dark green I see in wetter nibs. Avacado is one of those inks that looks gorgeous either way but in this case the softer color suits the bright green Prera.

 

But I think someday there needs to be a dark blue Prera in my case. I'm developing a strong desire for "pocket" pens and the like. I just wish that some of them weren't so expensive. Thank goodness for the Prera and the Sailor Sapporo Mini - small pens I can buy without too much guilt.

 

As I've noted before, Taki brought this pen to our attention and I just blurted my opinion. Can't thank her enough.

KCat, your review encouraged me to purchase an ivory Prera last summer and I've been very happy with it though my medium nib is a little wider than I'd like when I hold it in my normal grip. If I hold it more upright, the line must be closer to .3mm which is more to my liking. In a way it's like getting two nibs in one and I do take advantage of it.

 

It does write much drier than my other Pilots but that just makes it well suited to my inks that dry too slowly for regular use. Like you I am impressed with the shading the reduce flow produces. Also, worthy of mention is the number of pages I can write with one fill in a CON-20 squeeze converter. It is nothing short of outstanding in that respect.

 

The Prera does write and feel like an entirely different pen from the Pilot Elite pocket pens in my collection. While the Prera nib is extremely smooth, it is also quite stiff. My pens from the 1970s aren't quite as silky and offer a little more give. They all have 14k or 18k nibs so that could account for the differences. In addition the pocket pens have a different length and balance that I find very comfortable. None of which takes anything away from the Prera. They are just different.

 

With NOS Pilot pocket pens commanding a minimum of $65 plus the cost of a converter and likely a good bit more eBay these days , the Prera looks like a much sweeter deal at $35-40. Guess which one I purchased yesterday.

 

 

[ericthered2004]

Has anyone compared this with the Pilot Knight? It looks like the same nib.

 

 

As far as I can tell the nibs on the Knight and Prera are identical. They certainly write and feel the same. The major difference is that the Prera is shorter and much much lighter than the Knight.

 

cheers

eric

[Vaiar]

Does the Prera only take the small Pilot ink cartridges or also the longer ones?

[KCat]

Does the Prera only take the small Pilot ink cartridges or also the longer ones?

 

I confess I only know one cartridge size - the size that fits the Capless/VP. This is the same size that fits the Prera.

[Immoteus]

Does the Prera only take the small Pilot ink cartridges or also the longer ones?

 

To my knowledge Pilot only has one standard cartridge for all of their pens. Unless, you're refering to the short cartridges used for the Petit1 (which also fits the prera).

[kadymae]

My Prera just arrived a few hours ago.

 

That nib is a needle!

 

I'll post an in depth review after I've had a week or three to write with it. One thing's for certain: you must use a very light hand when writing or that nib will scratch.

 

On the initial impression end of things, though, I am happy with the light weight of the pen.

[Vaiar]

To my knowledge Pilot only has one standard cartridge for all of their pens. Unless, you're refering to the short cartridges used for the Petit1 (which also fits the prera).

 

I am not referring to the Petit1 cartridges in their bubble. Ujuku's site shows two different cartridge sizes for Pilot-pens, site seems. However, I could be misguided due to the angle of the photo.

 

http://ujuku.jpn.ph/Kaimono/pen/irf_12s.jpg

 

http://ujuku.jpn.ph/Kaimono/pen/irf-5s.jpg

[rollerboy]

To my knowledge Pilot only has one standard cartridge for all of their pens. Unless, you're refering to the short cartridges used for the Petit1 (which also fits the prera).

 

I am not referring to the Petit1 cartridges in their bubble. Ujuku's site shows two different cartridge sizes for Pilot-pens, site seems. However, I could be misguided due to the angle of the photo.

 

http://ujuku.jpn.ph/Kaimono/pen/irf_12s.jpg

 

http://ujuku.jpn.ph/Kaimono/pen/irf-5s.jpg

 

I did a double take on that too but I was at either jetpens or pilotpens not ujuku at the time. There is only one size of cartdridge. What you're seeing is either the image aspect ratio being messed up or, as I finally clued into, the cartridges come in either packs of 6 or packs of 12.

[Vaiar]

Another question: what is the pen's behaviour in terms of starting immediately after being left unused for, say, three days? Or after being uncapped and unused for several minutes? Does it skip frequently?

 

I am thinking about buying one of these in M and in the nice spring and summer colour limegreen

[KCat]

Another question: what is the pen's behaviour in terms of starting immediately after being left unused for, say, three days? Or after being uncapped and unused for several minutes? Does it skip frequently?

 

I am thinking about buying one of these in M and in the nice spring and summer colour limegreen

 

Neither of my two Preras have shown any hesitation after several days of being left unused. I haven't given them more than 4 or 5 days rest for the most part. They seem as consistent as my Pelikans and Sailors in that regard. The same has been true of my Pilot VPs.

 

 

[Vaiar]

Another question. Do you get nib creeb when uncapping due to suction (as happens with my Waterman Hémisphere and the same model pen of a friend of mine)?

[succubus]

I've had my Prera (grey, fine) for a while now - it was the first pen I bought after joining FPN - and had been mostly unhappy with it. At first I couldn't get the converter to stay in (user error :bonk: ) and then I found that it would scratch and skip, and so was only good for jotting short notes. I inked it with Pushkin and kept it with my calendar to record appointments and weights. Then I got some Baystate Blue and decided to use it in "a pen I wouldn't mind losing." It works like a dream now! Instant start-up, nice fine line - I'm glad it's found a new life in my rotation.

[missclimpson]

I just got a Prera with a fine point. I'm finding it too fine and kind of scratchy. I've got Script ink in it and maybe that's part of the problem. Can anyone suggest an ink that might be smoother? Any other advice would be appreciated.

 

 

Edited March 28, 2008 by missclimpson