Show and discuss your Pilot Deluxe series pens!

[awa54]

As was pointed up by discussion in another thread, the Deluxe series is both diverse and long lived within the modern Pilot lineup.

 

It's also (at least IME) poorly represented in the US, so I'm finding myself woefully under-informed about this series... For my part I'll try to post some better pics of my scant Deluxe (and Deluxe adjacent) collection and hope that those of you with more depth of Deluxeness will do the same 

 

 

[PithyProlix]

I'll start. Thanks @awa54 for starting a Deluxe-related thread. I'd love to learn more about this series as well. There seems to be scant info on the web - one of my go-to Western language sites focusing on Japanese pens, https://estilofilos.blogspot.com/, has nothing on the Deluxe, for instance.

 

The photos below, which I posted in another recent thread, were very quickly done and hardly edited, so please excuse the lack of polish of the photos as well as the pens within the photos. The last photo has a Montblanc 221P for comparison. If you would like to see any other photos of the pens, please ask.

 

These three pens, 1976 Burgundy Deluxe (18k F), 1980 Black Deluxe (14k F), and 1984 Maki-e Deluxe (14k F) are the extent of my current Deluxe 'collection' and I'm not anything like an authority or even have much knowledge about Deluxes (nor any other fountain pen model, really). I just like them.

 

Some things not apparent from the photos:

• The 1976 & 1980 pens have resin sections, caps, & barrels. 
• The nib-side section rings of 1976 & 1980 arrived to me with most of the gold plating gone.
• 1976 & 1980 arrived to me without a converter.
• The nibs of all three are all very similar in design. The writing feel of 1976 & 1980 is very smooth, even relative to most the other Pilots in my collection, with ink flow a little greater (i.e. a little wetter) relative to most my other Pilots, and with a slight bit of 'bounce'. (The 1984 maki-e pen is one of two pens I own that I've never inked.)
• Note the difference in cap finials, including 1976 being plated only. The barrel finial of each pen is similar to the cap finial.
• Caps of all three snap on.

 

I vaguely remember seeing something on the Internet regarding the Deluxe's pricing - I believe it was a photo of a NOS standard-looking Deluxe circa 1970s, similar to my 1976 & 1980 pens, with a price tag. What struck me was that the Deluxe's price was significantly higher than the Elite's and, while the Deluxe is a very good pen, I'm not sure what justifies the difference in pricing.

 

I think it is interesting how similar the Montblanc 221, a design that I believe came out in 1968 (and is an evolution of the 22, which I believe came out 1959), looks. The nibs of the Deluxe and this Montblanc have a very similar shape too, with a flat-ish middle part with a fairly sharp angle down to each of the flat-ish sides, a shape that I don't recall seeing on any other pens of the era. I have to wonder if there was any influence of the Montblanc's design on the Deluxe's. Does anyone know when the Deluxe was introduced?

 

 

 

 

[stan]

Here's my contribution.

http://web.archive.org/web/20120310214146im_/http://ryojusen-pens.com/resources/_wsb_491x345_Pilot+Delux.JPG

 

[awa54]

@PithyProlix it wouldn't surprise me if the burgundy pen is just missing its resin inset on the cap-top finial/tassie. I own a different Pilot pen that shows the same shallow metal depression in the tassie and have seen images of that same model showing a colored resin disc inlaid where mine has just a shallow recess in the metal. that particular model also features a resin inlay in the barrel finial (which *is* present on mine), so I had suspected that the top had one originally, even before finding the picture confirming it.

[PithyProlix]

13 hours ago, awa54 said:

@PithyProlix it wouldn't surprise me if the burgundy pen is just missing its resin inset on the cap-top finial/tassie. I own a different Pilot pen that shows the same shallow metal depression in the tassie and have seen images of that same model showing a colored resin disc inlaid where mine has just a shallow recess in the metal. that particular model also features a resin inlay in the barrel finial (which *is* present on mine), so I had suspected that the top had one originally, even before finding the picture confirming it.

 

Yes, I think it is very likely the finial should have a resin inset and, when I purchased the pen, I thought the same. I am not totally convinced, however, because this pen has no inset in the barrel finial, either, *and* I found another burgundy resin Deluxe that also did not have resin insets in the finials. (I didn't buy that one and I don't remember the date.) Also, the finial insets on my other Deluxes seem like they are firmly seated in the finials and are very unlikely to fall out. And there is no sign that there was ever any adhesive in the finials' metal depressions in my burgundy pen.

 

That said, the pens are in Thailand, which is hot & humid, of course, so the glue could have loosened more easily than other places. Also, I Googled for images of Pilot Deluxes* and found three burgundy resin pens where at least one of finials could be seen and they both have finials with burgundy insets.

• https://www.tylee.tw/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=12023 1987 date code - shows a cap finial with the inset.
• https://www.carousell.ph/p/pilot-deluxe-pilot-1061872217/ 2 pens: 1983 & 1990 date codes - shows all finials with insets.

Another thought: is it possible some of the Deluxes originally came without finial insets with the expectation that customized/personalized insets be added to the pen later?

 

Again, I do think the insets fell out on my pen and the other one I saw here. I'd be more convinced, though, if I saw another burgundy Deluxe with the insets intact but with a date code closer to mine (1976).

 

I am certainly making a mountain out of a mole hill, huh?! 

 

*There are pretty few relevant 'pilot deluxe fountain pen' and 'deluxe 万年筆' search results, not nearly the number I expected to find. 

[mallymal1]

1 hour ago, PithyProlix said:

 

 

Again, I do think the insets fell out on my pen and the other one I saw here. I'd be more convinced, though, if I saw another burgundy Deluxe with the insets intact but with a date code closer to mine (1976).

 

I am certainly making a mountain out of a mole hill, huh?! 

 

 

These little details can be important to collectors. 🙂👍

[awa54]

The pens in my reference set are not part of the Deluxe line, so there is a solid chance of making bad assumptions when inferring something like this...

 

My newer pen with resin insets uses translucent red resin, which might have been formed or cast in place (hardened liquid polymer, or heated "enamel" to conform into the available pocket) since there is no gap at all around the edges. Others like some of the Custom series, used aluminum discs glued in place, examples of that type which are missing these insets (at least that I have seen) often show discoloration, or even residual glue visible inside the finial top... It's a stretch, but the pens with perfectly clean finial sockets *could* be an indication that those pens either featured cast/fused in place cap "jewels" or never had them. Additionally, a deeper pocket with thinner edge walls would also indicate to me that the finial/tassie was originally designed to contain a jewel/ inset... 

 

All empty supposition, so pretty useless, but that's my take.

 

Eventually, I intend to have the missing jewel in my pen replaced at the local nail salon, which uses UV hardened nail lacquer, with all the red tints they have on hand, I'll bet they can match it perfectly.

 

 

[IlikeInksandIcannotlie]

I own a Pilot Deluxe that looks like PithyProlix's maki-e deluxe, without the maki-e. It has an 18K gold nib, made in 1976 at Hiratsuka. The body seems to be lacquer over brass, maybe urushi, but I cannot pinpoint the model from any catalogue, considering the similar ones had a 14k nib.

There is a bit of corrosion on the ring, so I surmise it is rather prone to corrosion, considering many examples I've seen had that ring atleast partially corroded.

[Dan Carmell]

On 4/6/2022 at 5:28 AM, stan said:

Here's my contribution.

http://web.archive.org/web/20120310214146im_/http://ryojusen-pens.com/resources/_wsb_491x345_Pilot+Delux.JPG

 

Whew, Stan, still bringing out amazing pens year later!

[stan]

1 hour ago, Dan Carmell said:

Whew, Stan, still bringing out amazing pens year later!

I have a better photo but get lazy and rely on an online reference.

[Dan Carmell]

26 minutes ago, stan said:

I have a better photo but get lazy and rely on an online reference.

I do remember how crisp your photos are, but that one was sufficient to show the amazing variety of finishes. Always liked the Deluxe clip. I don’t own a Deluxe but I have an earlier pen with the same pattern as one of your Deluxe, as shown in the photo with my much later Custom in that pattern. 

Edited April 10, 2022 by Dan Carmell
Typos again

[PithyProlix]

A friend was showing me his 1981 kokkukai Deluxe and I noticed a section that I haven't seen before. Is this section design common? 

 

 

 

[mekitronette]

just got this pilot deluxe in crosshatch sterling silver from a seller in jakarta. the 14k gold nib — smooth and wet with a bit of bounce and spring — has a round breather hole.  on the finial mystery: can confirm that it has black resin filling on both barrel and cap since the one on the barrel came off and i stuck it back on. when it was off it looked exactly like the filling-less finials above. according to the seller (penacea.id on IG), the number code on the bottom of the nib indicates the name of the pilot plant and the month and year of manufacture (last photo). this is a thin pen, but the silver gives it a bit of heft. 

[PithyProlix]

@mekitronette Wow - that's a nice one! And thanks for the info on the resin finial (though I have figured as much by now 😉). 

 

Re: your observations about the nib - I find that the Deluxe nibs write/feel significantly closer to the Montblanc I cited above relative to the other vintage Pilots I have. I have added a couple other Deluxes to my collection and the feel seems consistent. Just more baseless speculation about the influence of the Montblanc on the Deluxe's design... 

[PithyProlix]

• 2007 hira maki-e Autumn Leaves (discontinued pattern). (I believe I am remembering the name of the pattern correctly but I'm not sure.) It's one of my favorite patterns in the newer FD-2MP series and I'm surprised it was discontinued. Everything about this series seems to be the same as the older Deluxe maki-e pens except the clip (I really prefer the older one), the cap ring (slight preference for the older one), and the tassies (metal cone-shaped - I really prefer the older ones). The M nib writes closer to the Pilot FM than other Pilot M nibs I've tried.
• 1977 "diamond cut" lady (DL-1000GS). I think this is a beautiful pen. The barrel and cap are covered with a clear lacquer (or clear resin?) that smooths out the underlying texture, though some texture remains. The two dots you can see on the barrel are flaws with the underlying metal - since the metal is coated with lacquer or resin it is difficult to tell how those flaws came about. The design proportions appear to be the same as the maki-e Deluxes circa the same time (e.g. the 1980 phoenix pen next to it) except the nib is shorter and smaller (see photos below compared to a 1976 standard (resin) Deluxe, which has the same nib as most other Deluxes) and the obviously different section ring. The tassies have a resin inset that matches the section color. This pen can be seen on the second page of the 1977 Pilot catalog that @stan once posted (right column about halfway down). 
• 1980 hira maki-e Chinese Phoenix (2021 replacement nib - damn cat did in the original one 😅). A seemingly popular pattern that continued into the FD-2MP series.

 

All these write with a similar 'soft' feel as my others. 

 

 

 

1976 resin Deluxe nib compared with the 'diamond cut' lady Deluxe nib:

 

 

 

 

[PithyProlix]

Question: In the Fountain Pens of Japan book the authors, Lambrou & Sunami, use "FD" for these pens and do not use the "Deluxe" name. Anyone know why?

[Number99]

10 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

Question: In the Fountain Pens of Japan book the authors, Lambrou & Sunami, use "FD" for these pens and do not use the "Deluxe" name. Anyone know why?

My guess is that the model numbers start with FD.

Maybe "Fountain Pen" and "Deluxe".

Deluxe ballpoint pen is "BD".

Another example is "FL" for Lady fountain pen and "BL" for Lady ballpoint pen.

Again, this is all guesswork.

 

https://ameblo.jp/kamisama-samasama/image-12481693569-14468422084.html

*From the blog post "Fountain Pen Graph

Scroll to the right.

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by Number99
Change the display position of the link destination.

[PithyProlix]

42 minutes ago, Number99 said:

My guess is that the model numbers start with FD.

 

I was thinking the same but the book focuses on higher end versions, mostly maki-e, and, from what I can tell, none of the model numbers for the Deluxe pens in the book are "FD" numbers.

[PithyProlix]

Please delete

Edited May 24, 2023 by PithyProlix
Inadvertently posted personal message here instead of in my Inbox.

[Number99]

8 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

 

I was thinking the same but the book focuses on higher end versions, mostly maki-e, and, from what I can tell, none of the model numbers for the Deluxe pens in the book are "FD" numbers.

This was an assumption based on the 1984 catalog only.

As you say, the model number of the lady version of the Artcraft series Maki-e at that time starts with "FDL".

I believe there are other Pilot Deluxe from an even older era.

The base pen, the Pilot Deluxe Tomo or Deluxe Urushi, was launched in 1976 and model numbers were D-1000RS or D-1600 DR.

These fountain pens were changed to model numbers start with FD in 1980.

 

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by Number99
Added deluxe Urushi to examples.