Pilot Custom Heritage 91 Review

[cgreenberg19]

Writing Sample

 

Top to bottom: Lamy Safari, Pilot Custom 74, Pilot Custom Heritage 91, Montblanc 149, Namiki Emperor.

 

Pilot Custom Heritage 91

Overview:

The Pilot Custom Heritage 91 is a hybrid between the Custom 74 and the Custom Heritage 92. It is only available in the Japanese market, however through eBay or a Japanese seller you can get your hands on one of these pens. I have the Yama-Guri finish which is a dark brown meant to be paired with the Iroshizuku ink. The pen is a cartridge/converter filler and it does fit the CON-70 which is a plus. Also, the pen has a very pleasant nib which has just a tiny hint of feedback. The pen, like many other Japanese pens is understated and rather plain. I like the color of this pen especially when paired with the ink. The presentation is straight to the point and rather bland as well. In all, I really like the pen along with the other Pilot Custom (Heritage) pens I own.

Writing Experience:

I’m a big fan of the way Pilot nibs write, with just a touch of feedback out of the box these are perfect writers in my opinion. This broad is a bit on the medium side which don’t mind. I have tried this pen with two different inks since I purchased it and it hasn’t had any flow problems. Since this pen has a pretty wet nib it feels broader while having the line width of a medium. The nib does have a little bit of flex to it and you can squeeze some out before the feed runs dry. The writing experience on this pen is similar to my Custom Heritage 92 which also has a broad nib. In all, I’m a bid fan of the writing experience this pen.

Design:

The design of the Pilot Custom Heritage 91 is a little plain, but I do enjoy it. Most of the mid range Pilot pens I can think of are more made as wiring tools than showpieces and generally that is what I use pens pens for, writing. As I’ve said the nib on this one writes very well and there is nothing wrong with the design. In my opinion the clip is a big improvement over the standard Pilot clip with the ball on the end. I also am a big fan of the color of this pen which adds a bit more color than a plain black pen, but is not too bright. The section on the pen is very comfortable and is just about the right size for my hand. The threads aren’t sharp even when your fingers rest on them like mine do. The cap band says “CUSTOM HERITAGE 91 — Pilot Japan”. I do enjoy the simple design of this pen.

Presentation:

There isn’t much to how this pen is presented. It comes in a cardboard outer sleeve with a clear top box inside. The pen is nested in a small velvet type pen bed and it comes with a cartridge as well as a use and care guide, but no converter. The presentation for this pen is basic, but I don’t have a problem with simple boxes because that’s not what you want to be paying for in a pen. If you were to give this pen as a gift, I would suggest cleaning up the presentation a little bit before gifting it to make it a bit more appealing. There really isn’t too much to cover about the box so I’ll stop here.

Pros/Cons:

I’ll start out with the pros of this pen: If you’re a big fan of the Custom 74 bu enjoy the looks of the Custom Heritage 92 this is the pen for you. The pen has a great nib; you’ll never need to worry about the quality of a Pilot nib. The color is very nice(there are also others). Now on to the things that are not so great about the pen: When you unscrew the barrel from the section the threads are metal on resin and they make a very unattractive squeaking sound. The presentation is a little messy for gifting, but fine for a gift to yourself. The nib does run a little finer that its designation. The pen does not come with a converter (mine didn’t).

 

 

[Gloucesterman]

Re: the no converter thing...

on the "Bay" especially re-sellers make the price attractive and then hit you up for the extra money (often overpriced) to buy/include a converter. Personally I find it particularly bothertsome (read CHEAP) for a manufacturer to sell any pens over $25/30.00 without converters unless it's an ED, of course,. I am not saying they should give them away for the same price, rather charge an extra $3/4 dollars and include them!

 

How much does a decent converter cost them... 50 cents??

 

Just one of my pet peaves in the land of new pens!!

[Driften]

I used to have a 91 in the light blue color. I liked it better than the Pilot 74 even though all the parts of the pen were interchangeable between the two. Currently I have a 92 and sold the 74 and 91. The piston filler was nicer to have than using a Con-70. The flat top Pilots are at a disadvantage since the 74 gets all of the nib choices and the 91/92 only come in the standard sizes.

 

In any case the 91 is a good pen!

[TheDutchGuy]

Nice review!

 

 

 

...you’ll never need to worry about the quality of a Pilot nib.

 

From personal experience I’d say that this is not entirely accurate.

[cgreenberg19]

TheDutchGuy,

 

I have heard of some issues with Pilot nibs, yet I have never experienced one. I guess nobody is completely immune.

[Tseg]

TheDutchGuy,

 

I have heard of some issues with Pilot nibs, yet I have never experienced one. I guess nobody is completely immune.

 

Interestingly, my only "Pilot" nib with issues came with my Namiki Yukari Royale Urushi No. 20... a bit of baby's bottom. But that is to be expected with a >$1K pen - NOT.

[A Smug Dill]

The flat top Pilots are at a disadvantage since the 74 gets all of the nib choices and the 91/92 only come in the standard sizes.

 

 

Doesn't the flat-topped Pilot Custom Heritage 912 have all (fifteen of) the nib widths/types available to the Custom line?

[Driften]

 

 

Doesn't the flat-topped Pilot Custom Heritage 912 have all (fifteen of) the nib widths/types available to the Custom line?

 

 

You are correct about the 912, I was talking about the 91/92 which do not get as many options as the 74.

[JulieParadise]

There is this one great page to wipe away all confusions regarding various Pilot models: http://kmpn.blogspot.com/2011/06/pilot-custom.html

[cgreenberg19]

Nice

[georges zaslavsky]

Tried one and it was a great pen but I can't justify a plus 1000€ price for a pen with a converter, urishi or not urishi