Pilot Kakuno Fine Nib

[lourdesgirl101]

I purchased the Pilot Kakuno because I wanted a fine nib in my collection - and it had a smiley face so I thought it might cheer me up on bad days. (I am 22, but hey - it works.) It only cost $16.50 so it would not set me back too much. Be aware: this is my first fountain pen review and my first fine nib. You will notice I have mostly medium nibs.

 

I hope you enjoyed this review!

Edited January 27, 2014 by lourdesgirl101

[The Blue Knight]

A very nice concise review. Thanks for posting and being one of the first too! Quite funnily I am kind of tempted by a similar pen the Lamy ABC even though I'm probably over 12 year's past it's target market!

[Inkling13]

I was actually surprised that it wrote identical to my 823 in fine. I guess that goes to say something about Pilot's consistency.

[Steven]

Thanks for the nice review. I am always amazed at how well inexpensive FP's write.

[shumanfu]

I bought my daughter an orange capped one with a M nib.. she loves drawing with it and she's only 2 years old. very well made for the price and she loves the smiley face on it.. very good for a $10 pen.

[eastsidekate]

I bought the exact same pen (F nib, pink) a month ago as my "take everywhere" pen. It writes beautifully, even on cheap copy paper (Pelikan violet fit the bill nicely). It's not noticeably scratchy, and it starts up every time.

 

If there's a drawback, it's that it feels like a $16 pen. It's made of lightweight plastic, and it lacks the "heft" of other beginner pens I've used (the Lamy Safari and Al-Star). The cap didn't fit well on the post. At times it took a lot of pulling to get it off, which has led to a bunch of cracking. (I bought it from Jet Pens, and they were happy to exchange it).

 

Still, I can't say enough about this pen as a workhorse/beginner fountain pen. On cheaper paper, it writes every bit as well as my more expensive Lamys. Sure, when writing on fountain pen friendly paper it's not as nice as my beloved Pelikan, but if you're looking for a pen to throw in bag and use to take notes of whatever scraps of paper are available, I highly recommend it.

[Inkling13]

The nib is very nice, as that's the same one i got for my fiancee. Comparing it to my 823, the line it puts down is exactly the same, which is very impressive for this pen at this price point.

[Pen2009]

This pen seems like a cheaper version of Prera. Pilot designed it well as it can be used with a Pilot converter. The triangle shape of the grip section should help the user to keep the pen at the right orientation.

[cleosmama]

I saw a review of one on a blog--maybe Anderson Pens? Anyway, I bought one when it showed up on JetPens, and I really like it. I got the F version, and it makes me smile, too. I'm kind of into economy offerings, so this was a nice addition.

[holgalee]

I've seen some reviews written in English, such as by Brad of the pen addict blog. I have an F-nibbed one and like it a lot! It's really under-rated!

Edited February 21, 2014 by holgalee

[zebra baker]

Thanks for your review, Lourdesgirl. I too have one that I like a lot. I really do feel comfortable just tossing it in my bag, and the Pilot nibs are just great.

[Blue_Moon]

I've got the medium lime green. It is a great pen! I can't say enough good things about it!

[Pen2009]

Can someone comment on the durability of this pen? Is it as sturdy as Lamy Safari?

[Blue_Moon]

Can someone comment on the durability of this pen? Is it as sturdy as Lamy Safari?

 

I've got both, and I like it better than the Safari. No, the Kakuno doesn't feel like a high quality pen, but then again the Safari doesn't either. However, It feels like a plastic pen that can take pretty much anything. It's a knock around pen that doesn't cost so much that you feel terrible if you lose it or it's damaged. It's one of those cheap pilot pens that writes when you need it to, doesn't skip or have hard starts, and one you can depend on to do what it's designed to do. It's not like a diva pen that you have to coax to write, and treat oh so delicately. It simply gets the job done. Lamy nibs are hit and miss. If you get a good one, congratulations. If you get one that skips and is a hard starter - well, no surprise. My record with Lamys is about 50-50. Maybe 55-45 in favor of it working well. Pilot nibs are dependable...maybe not 100% of the time, but the percentage is way up there close to it.

Edited February 23, 2014 by Blue_Moon

[lourdesgirl101]

Can someone comment on the durability of this pen? Is it as sturdy as Lamy Safari?

 

Hmm, I'm both a Lamy fan and a Pilot fan. I recently acquired a pink Lamy Safari F. I find that when I taking a quiz and using crappy run of the mill paper I use the Kakuno because it's such a fine nib. I prefer the sturdiness of the Safari, but I like the Kakuno grip better. Of course I've found my own way around the Lamy grip, but am practicing the correct grip.

 

Both are marketed towards school children so there is definitely durability in mind when the pens were made.

 

Basically, I like them both. But the Safari is definitely heavier compared to the Kakuno. I thought I'd nix the cap when I wrote with the Pilot Kakuno, but I find it so lightweight I MUST post it.

[cleosmama]

The Kakuno is closer to the Sailor Clear Candy pen than to the Lamy Safari. I would rate them about the same, though I have seen more negative reviews of the Sailor Clear Candy than I have of the Kakuno so far.

 

The Kakuno and the Sailor Clear Candy are both fun to write with. I have a Pelikan Pelikano, and even though I would rate the Pelikano studier than the Kakuno or the Clear Candy, both of them are less scratchy than the Pelikano.

[Nyanzilla]

The Lamy Safari looks nicer and has that famous clip. But I prefer the Kakuno for its much more comfortable grip section. It hasn't got that sharp edges as the Safari. The grey colour is a bit dull. It would look better with a coloured or transparent barrel.

[Safari_Camo]

I've been using a Kakuno M nib for almost 6 months exclusively with Bay State Blue, no problems, take everywhere and purchased a Kaweco clip as a complement.

 

It's my workhorse FP.

[bleunuit]

It's a great pen and I can't say this enough, especially for the price. The nib is dependable, never skips, and writes nicely on cheap paper.

 

It's also light, a plus for me (and probably children, for whom it seems to have been designed for). The fat barrel is pleasing to hold and doesn't have the weird shape which puts some off the Lamy Safari.

 

I wasn't keen on the fact that it doesn't have a clip, but surprisingly this hasn't proven to be too much of a problem. And the bright colours and smiley face are sure to make you smile back!