Pilot E95S (Elite 95S) Review

[A Smug Dill]

3 hours ago, DKnight said:

I have seen comments on other reviews of the E95S (on FPN and other sites) that some people tend to have problems with their hand slipping down to the nib. Can anyone speak to that?

 

Maybe I'm not “some people” but only “anyone”; I have two Pilot Elite 95S pens which I do use, and I've never felt my hand, fingers, or grip slip down to the nib when writing with them. My wife has one as well, and I don't recall her telling me of such an issue or concern.

 

Is that what you were asking to hear from “us” or from “anyone”? I'm never sure whether, when someone asks and words a question like that, they (only) particularly want to hear anecdotes that corroborates the narrative, even though it seems odd, when what would make sense in context is that they seek assurance that spending money on that something they're interested in would not result in something undesirable, but there can never be any certainty one way or the other.

 

 

[JulieParadise]

4 hours ago, DKnight said:

I have seen comments on other reviews of the E95S (on FPN and other sites) that some people tend to have problems with their hand slipping down to the nib. Can anyone speak to that?

Yep, here! As beautiful and well-executed (nib, wetness, cap seal, finish, build quality) every other aspect of my black E95s was, I eventually sold it just because I did not use it. I found my hands sliding down towards the nib, and I had the same Problem with other pens that have a similar grip section design like the Lamy 2000. I only keep my vintage Aurora 88P and do not find the slipping that bad there as the 88s's grip section is significantly girthier.

 

tldr; you are not alone.

[TSherbs]

6 hours ago, JulieParadise said:

Yep, here! As beautiful and well-executed (nib, wetness, cap seal, finish, build quality) every other aspect of my black E95s was, I eventually sold it just because I did not use it. I found my hands sliding down towards the nib, and I had the same Problem with other pens that have a similar grip section design like the Lamy 2000. I only keep my vintage Aurora 88P and do not find the slipping that bad there as the 88s's grip section is significantly girthier.

 

tldr; you are not alone.

 

Same here. Why I sold off my Lamy 2000, and now I only buy pens with sections that have lips/flares just before the nib. 

[DKnight]

8 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

Is that what you were asking to hear from “us” or from “anyone”?

I'm asking as someone who is looking to make a new purchase and seen differing experiences about hands slipping with this pen. I've never used a pen with this kind of grip and don't have access to a brick & mortar pen store to try one. Just looking for more input before I spend >$100 on a new pen.

[langere]

That does not happen to me.  I have that problem with the Waterman Carene, but not with this one.

 

Erick

[effrafax]

If you find your fingers sliding towards the nib, it's most likely because you're pressing on the paper too hard. Try lightening your had a bit.

 

[JulieParadise]

4 hours ago, effrafax said:

If you find your fingers sliding towards the nib, it's most likely because you're pressing on the paper too hard. Try lightening your had a bit.

 

Nope, that's not it, at least not for me. I have a light grip and don't push towards the paper. The shape of the section just does not suit me, and I'd also rather say my grip is too light to have my fingers stay where they need to be to write comfortably. With a more curved grip or one that flares/widens towards the nib I never have problems. Even with a very light grip my fingers stay where they should.

[TSherbs]

8 hours ago, effrafax said:

If you find your fingers sliding towards the nib, it's most likely because you're pressing on the paper too hard. Try lightening your had a bit.

 

Maybe so. Or oily/sweaty hands, which is a bit true for me, especially after my second cup of coffee (which I am not quitting). Handwriting has never been easy or relaxed for me, and I did it for 37 years as an English teacher. But it is what it is. DKnight can think about these things too. Exactly the same way that I ponder >$100 purchases.

 

 

[InkyColors]

On 10/15/2022 at 12:24 AM, DKnight said:

I have seen comments on other reviews of the E95S (on FPN and other sites) that some people tend to have problems with their hand slipping down to the nib. Can anyone speak to that?

Just wanted to add that I haven’t had any problems with this and that I love my E95S.   After reading other responses I think that the only way you’ll know if it’s a problem for you is to try it for yourself. That doesn’t help I know, but it must be dependent on your grip of the pen. If you hold your pen close to the nib it might be a problem. 

[A Smug Dill]

19 hours ago, DKnight said:

I've never used a pen with this kind of grip and don't have access to a brick & mortar pen store to try one. Just looking for more input before I spend >$100 on a new pen.

 

Then I suggest you're better off, for the purposes of information discovery, finding a retailer with a good return policy and ordering the pen from it. You don't need to ink the pen up to hold it for 20 minutes in your normal pen grip, or even ‘write’ on a sheet with the pen (without ink!) with or without dipping the nib into just water for some small amount of lubrication, just to see whether your fingers will slip. At worst, you send it back for a refund and ‘lose’ shipping charges, that being the price of acquiring certain information that can come from no other (cheaper) way.

 

Asking,

On 10/15/2022 at 3:24 PM, DKnight said:

Can anyone speak to that?

is neither going to forecast your user experience, nor produce a survey of a sufficiently broad range of users and their experiences to give you a statistically meaningful indicator of anything.

 

[Maurizio]

I’ve had mine, a fine, for more than 3 years. Never had  a problem with my hand slipping. When I first got it it was the finest nib I had and I used it for writing small for work when I wanted to get as much neatly written printed  text on a single page as possible. It’s no longer the finest nib I have, but I now use it mostly for sketching because the nib is so nice and responsive and the flow is just right.

 

I sometimes use it as a “Frankenpen” for sketching, and screw it into a body of a Pilot Parallel pen; the threads are thoroughly compatible. 

 

I do hold the pen as lightly as possible which is a good practice to try to adopt whether one is writing or sketching. 

[antarmukhee]

Thanks for the review and the great pictures..!

What does the last line printed on the nib ("P720") indicate?

[effrafax]

On 10/16/2022 at 9:17 PM, TSherbs said:

Maybe so. Or oily/sweaty hands, ...

 

 

 

Oily, sweaty hands or not, there still has to be some upward pressure on the pen for your fingers to slide downwards.  It's very easy to unconsciously press just a little too hard.

[VijayGS]

A great review and a definitely a worthy entry level gold nib pen. The only snag on using this pen is with the converter. The pens section swallows up the entire Con 40 barrel leaving the user clueless about the ink level, but definitely a fun pen to write with. 

[TSherbs]

6 hours ago, effrafax said:

 

Oily, sweaty hands or not, there still has to be some upward pressure on the pen for your fingers to slide downwards.  It's very easy to unconsciously press just a little too hard.

Of course, yes. I'm over sixty years old, and I have XL hands, and I hold pens with some pressure. Writing is not easy for me. Holding a pen and writing with it is a complicated manipulation. 

[effrafax]

On 10/21/2022 at 11:58 PM, TSherbs said:

Of course, yes. I'm over sixty years old, and I have XL hands, and I hold pens with some pressure. Writing is not easy for me. Holding a pen and writing with it is a complicated manipulation. 

 

Totally understand.  I'm in the same age group, with a touch of osteoarthritis and RSI to boot.  I also have trouble ensuring a light grip on the pen, and a light touch on the paper.  Note that the two are different!

[Doc Dan]

A alum block, such as wet shavers use, will stop the fingers from sliding, I'd bet. A lot of wet shavers rub their fingers on the block and it keeps their wet razors from slipping. Just a thought.

 

I bought my wife a burgundy-ivory/gold E95s and thought it was the most beautiful pen I had ever seen. I had her buy me a black one for Christmas (already using it).