Pilot Mr Review {Comparisons With Safari Included}

[Blazing]

Hello everyone!

 

Today I will be reviewing the Pilot MR. It is a pen made by Pilot with similar (if not identical) dimensions and weights. The MR was released to fit international large standard converters and cartridges rather than only the Pilot ones. Other than that, there seems to be no difference between the MR and the Metropolitan. I wasn't aware of this before I actually bought the pen, so I guessed that it would be important for people to know if they were to order one.

 

This is my first actual pen review and the second real fountain pen I've had, so please excuse me if my descriptions etc are less helpful than you would've liked.

 

http://i.imgur.com/Jlq2c3t.jpg

 

Appearance and Design

As you can see in the picture above, the MR looks identical to the Metropolitan. It has a professional look and feel to it. The materials used in making this pen seem to be steel on the inside of the barrel, glossy plastic for the darker black part which may have patterns on (zig-zag, dots or plain) and a matte black finish. Silver and gold versions of this pen are also available like the Metropolitan if you aren't a big fan of the black. I like this design but I guess it's all down to personal preference.

 

Score: 8/10

 

Construction & Quality

The pen feels very solid. I've had a Lamy Safari before this and there are no scratches on the pen yet. I'm not sure if it's due to the glossy plastic on the Safari which seems to get more scratches, but the matte brass finish on this pen seems to work a treat. It seems like there aren't any manufacturing flaws with this pen.

 

I don't think dropping it would do too much damage apart from a few scratches, but I wouldn't like to try.

 

Score: 8.5/10

 

Weight & Dimensions

The weight of this is quite a lot more than the Lamy Safari's at 1 pound and I'd say it has the right balance of weight.. The pen seems to be a bit smaller than average but looks average sized when you post it. It is at least 1/5 thinner than the Safari (the pen isn't consistently narrow due to it's shape). The cap securely posts and seems to be more tight than posting a Safari. This sort of size is perfect for my tiny hands but the significant dip at the gripping section might be a problem for others.

 

Score: 7/10

 

Nib & Performance

http://i.imgur.com/c9H79KI.jpg

 

The only nib size option for buying the MR or the Metropolitan with the pen is a medium so I didn't really have much option in terms of size. However, it can be interchangeable with the other Pilot pens such as the Prera and 78G. A medium seems like a fine compared to the Safari's medium which was perfect for the type of writing I do. It's a plain steel nib which writes smoothly and firmly. There have been no obvious skipping issues with the nib so far and it is moderate in terms of wetness. It works on a variety of papers but I haven't been able to test different inks. Comparing it to the Lamy Safari, I'd say that it actually writes smoother with a better ink flow but around the same wetness as the Safari.

 

This nib has an incredible performance for it's price range.

 

Score: 9/10

 

Filling System & Maintainence

This particular Pilot MR model only accepts international standard converters and cartridges but that isn't really a bad thing. It gives you more options in terms of getting converters and cartridges. I'm not really sure what the capacity of ink that holds but I'll be sure to update it soon with a good comparison with the amount of ink my Lamy Safari can hold. I'm ordering my Pelikan converter today which will be able to fit the Pilot MR.

 

All the parts are easily disassembled and inserting ink cartridges and converters should be fine and will stay in place. I'll update this section particularly once my converter arrives and I've used it. After all, I really was expecting it to come with a converter until I realised that the MR version was different to the Metropolitan in terms of filling system.

 

Score: 8.5/10

 

Cost & Value

This is where the Pilot MR really stands out.

 

I bought the pen new from CultPens for £18.95. It's probably been the better value out of my Safari and this due to the better nib performance and (what seems to be) higher capacity. Any other deals are a lot more expensive if you live in the UK due to the massive international shipping costs.

 

Score: 10/10

 

Conclusion

This has exceeded my expectations for a pen of this sort of range. I would buy the pen again if I broke it unless I would be looking for something brand new. I'm intending to keep this pen and use it as a daily workhorse pen. The Pilot MR/Metropolitan would be the first pen I'd recommend to someone looking for pens around this price range unless I thought that their hand would be too big for the gripping section.

 

Score: 9/10

[usk15]

Good review! I'm looking for a new pen like Lamy Safari or Pilot Mr/Metropolitan. Indeed on this one you can fit international cartridges/convertor, i think this feature is very convenient. Can you upload more pics? Maybe compare with Lamy, open section...

[Blazing]

Good review! I'm looking for a new pen like Lamy Safari or Pilot Mr/Metropolitan. Indeed on this one you can fit international cartridges/convertor, i think this feature is very convenient. Can you upload more pics? Maybe compare with Lamy, open section...

I may/may not be able to do that but I'll tell you now, the Safari is a lot wider and looks a lot bigger with the cap on.

[tguk911]

Have you tried using any of Pilots proprietary converters?

 

Edit:BTW your Avatar is awesome : ) I still can't find one I like.

Edited May 17, 2013 by tguk911

[Blazing]

Have you tried using any of Pilots proprietary converters?

 

Edit:BTW your Avatar is awesome : ) I still can't find one I like.

It won't fit, it clearly says in the description of the pen at CultPens that it only accepts international converters.

[Blazing]

My converter is probably coming in a few days.

[yutokicker]

Pretty nice fountain pen for the price!

[Blazing]

Pretty nice fountain pen for the price!

Agreed.

[nakiana]

Excellent review and a very nice looking pen.

[tguk911]

It won't fit, it clearly says in the description of the pen at CultPens that it only accepts international converters.

Yes but I've heard that it accepts both Standard international and the aeromatic converter and on StationeryArt.com they show the Pilot MR with the proprietary cleaning/aeromatic converter http://www.stationeryart.com/pilot-pilot-fountain-black-fine-p-4398.html

[Blazing]

Yes but I've heard that it accepts both Standard international and the aeromatic converter and on StationeryArt.com they show the Pilot MR with the proprietary cleaning/aeromatic converter http://www.stationeryart.com/pilot-pilot-fountain-black-fine-p-4398.html

I'm not sure about that.

[tomkeb]

Yes but I've heard that it accepts both Standard international and the aeromatic converter and on StationeryArt.com they show the Pilot MR with the proprietary cleaning/aeromatic converter http://www.stationeryart.com/pilot-pilot-fountain-black-fine-p-4398.html

It is true, because Stationery Art sells the version which fits Pilot cartridges and converters… it is the same with the US and Japanese (Cocoon) version; only the European one fits the international cartridges/converters.

[Blazing]

It is true, because Stationery Art sells the version which fits Pilot cartridges and converters… it is the same with the US and Japanese (Cocoon) version; only the European one fits the international cartridges/converters.

I have the European one.

[kenmc]

The U.S. model is called the Metropolitan. I have 3 of them and swapped the nibs out with Pilot Plumix nibs on all three. They make nice italic writing pens after the conversion. I have one that I have been experimenting with Pilot Parallel ink cartridges for several months and haven't had any problems. I'm not sure why the Parallel ink warns they are only for Parallel pens? Maybe I'll find out one day if my nib section falls to pieces. But, at the price of these pens, I thought it was worth a try. I love the choice of all the Parallel inks.

[Blazing]

The U.S. model is called the Metropolitan. I have 3 of them and swapped the nibs out with Pilot Plumix nibs on all three. They make nice italic writing pens after the conversion. I have one that I have been experimenting with Pilot Parallel ink cartridges for several months and haven't had any problems. I'm not sure why the Parallel ink warns they are only for Parallel pens? Maybe I'll find out one day if my nib section falls to pieces. But, at the price of these pens, I thought it was worth a try. I love the choice of all the Parallel inks.

Yeah.

[tguk911]

I have the European one.

This is what I've gathered the Metropolitan is the US ver, The Cocoon is the Japanese ver and the MR is the Eur ver. Now the Cocoon doesn't come with a converter but takes a con-50/20, the Metropolitan comes with an aeromatic converter but also takes a con-50/20. Now I've seen 2 different MR's one takes standard international and is available with a med nib in black(plain), silver(dots) and gold(zig-zag) and I've seen another MR that comes with an aeromatic converter that is also available with a fine nib as well as a med. So I'm just wondering if anyone has at least tried putting a con-50 or con-20 on the Pilot MR despite that the website says it takes Standard International cause I don't see why they would make 2 different MR's especially since the Cocoon and the Metropolitan are the same I would figure they would keep the MR the same from an economical standpoint and considering I don't think they offer another fountain pen that doesn't take a proprietary cartridge or converter.

[Blazing]

This is what I've gathered the Metropolitan is the US ver, The Cocoon is the Japanese ver and the MR is the Eur ver. Now the Cocoon doesn't come with a converter but takes a con-50/20, the Metropolitan comes with an aeromatic converter but also takes a con-50/20. Now I've seen 2 different MR's one takes standard international and is available with a med nib in black(plain), silver(dots) and gold(zig-zag) and I've seen another MR that comes with an aeromatic converter that is also available with a fine nib as well as a med. So I'm just wondering if anyone has at least tried putting a con-50 or con-20 on the Pilot MR despite that the website says it takes Standard International cause I don't see why they would make 2 different MR's especially since the Cocoon and the Metropolitan are the same I would figure they would keep the MR the same from an economical standpoint and considering I don't think they offer another fountain pen that doesn't take a proprietary cartridge or converter.

The MR is more expensive than the others. It cost me £18.95 which is about $29.

[tguk911]

The MR is more expensive than the others. It cost me £18.95 which is about $29.

Well I don't think price should warrant anything cause the Pilot Metropolitan is $15 and comes with a converter and the Pilot Cocoon is about $30 and doesn't come with a converter and they are basically the same pen just sold in different countries also we know the markup for Pilots pens outside of Japan is kind of high i.e Pilot Custom Heritage 92 $220 in the US and around $120 in Japan.

[GirchyGirchy]

I inked up my gold one recently, it's typical Pilot inexpensive-pen-perfect. Very smooth, great fit and finish, etc. Love it.

[parnesh]

Yes but I've heard that it accepts both Standard international and the aeromatic converter and on StationeryArt.com they show the Pilot MR with the proprietary cleaning/aeromatic converter http://www.stationeryart.com/pilot-pilot-fountain-black-fine-p-4398.html

Just to clarify. I got a back dots Pilot MR from stationary art. It came with a squeeze convertor that is the standard pilot size. Although I haven't tried yet I am pretty sure the pen will accept con20/con50. It will not accept international carts and convertors.