Sampling Japanese Fp Cuisine With A Delicious Orange Pilot Custom 92

[Sallent]

Let me begin by saying that i have never owned an Asian FP. In my 8 years as a FP enthusiast I have owned dozens of vintage American pens, several British and Italian FPs, and nearly two dozen German FPs. But I have always stayed away from Asian pens namely because I saw them as either extremely cheap junk (ie. some of the super cheap Chinese and Indian brands) or severely overpriced eye candy not meant for serious writing (ie. some of the artistic Japanese pens crafted by masters.)

 

To put it lightly, I was misguided, naive, foolish, and just plain wrong.

 

Lately I've been educating myself on the many options available from Japan, and I stumbled on the deliciously looking Pilot Custom 92 in orange. I've always been drawn to blue, dark, black, or clear pens, and the ridiculously old-fashioned side of me has avoided colorful and flashy pens like the plague. But since I'm embarking on a new journey to a part of the FP universe I have never traversed, why not go out all the way? So orange it is...and I don't care what anyone else thinks about it

 

Anyway, the pen is probably 40,000 feet up, half-way across the Pacific ocean, as I type this. For someone more accustomed to Pelikan M200-M400s, how does the Pilot Custom 92 compare? What can I expect?

 

Mine is in a FM nib. Not sure what to expect, but I'm hoping it's close to the standard European/American F nibs.

Edited April 8, 2014 by Sallent

[Sallent]

This is bad...I just also purchased the clear version of the pen on Ebay. Two Pilots in 2 day.

[JLS1]

Congrats on the Pilot...they're really good pens in general. FYI, Japanese nibs run a size finer than Western nibs, so a Japanese Medium-Fine is roughly the equivalent of a Western F-XF, but YMMV...

[scbarber]

Congratulations on the Pilot. I happen to have the same Custom Heritage 92, with the Fine nib and love it. While I do not have any Pelikan M200s or M400s, I do have an M605. Here are some photos for comparison.

 

 

 

The Pilot is slightly larger than my M605, but not enough that I've noticed it in the hand. The bigger difference in my hand is the size of the grip section, in which the Pilot is slightly more comfortable for me.

 

 

 

The nibs on my Pilots are all finer than my Pelikan (though this M605 is a 0.7mm stub ground down from EF). The FM nib should be quite close to a Western fine, bordering on extra-fine. That said, the fine on this Pilot is smooth, and I love it.

 

Happy waiting!

 

[Sallent]

Oh wow. Those pictures are amazing.

 

Seeing those pictures makes me glad I went for the orange. But today I also ordered a second Custom 92 with full transparency (I've always loved fully transparent demonstrators.)

 

Let's see how it goes. If they are close to what my experience with the M200/400 and the M600 has been in the past, I'll probably buy the blue and the smoke Pilot Custom 92s next month and complete the collection.

 

I do have the Pilot Custom 823 in my wish list, so that may be next after I'm done collecting the whole Custom 92 series (provided Pilot turns out to be a good fit for me.)

Edited April 9, 2014 by Sallent

[scbarber]

Oh wow. Those pictures are amazing.

 

Seeing those pictures makes me glad I went for the orange. But today I also ordered a second Custom 92 with full transparency (I've always loved fully transparent demonstrators.)

 

Thanks for the compliment! The orange is quite nice, even sporty. Maybe it's just me, but it makes me think of a sporty race car. I'm afraid that I even tend to write a bit fast with it!

[parnesh]

I have a smoke one on the way soon hopefully. It's a special order for a SFM or SM nib, whichever of the two they can get a hold of. Pilot pens are really good writers (I have a 823, VP and Metro) and pretty good value too.

 

Ordered iro kiri-same (grey) ink to go in the smoke 92.

[holgalee]

I have the 92 in blue, and sold my Pelikan M205 blue demonstrator not long after. The 92 is much more solid and has a classier feel than the Pelikan, and I prefer the smoothness and predictability of Pilot nibs as well. It's my favourite pen at the moment and has been for the past 2 months! It will be difficult to find another pen that can match the size, weight, price and nib smoothness for F or EF (swapped with another no. 5 Pilot nib).

[migo984]

The Pilot Custom series pens are fantastic IMHO. As well as the 74 and 92 (I have the clear version), I also have two 742s, two 912s and an 823. The Pilot nibs are wonderful, and all have worked perfectly for me straight out of the box. My preference is for the #10 nib. The Sutab (stub) is great - I was surprised how much I like it considering I usually prefer EF and F.

I will also soon have two Pelikan demonstrators. An M250 in Amber with an EF Binderised nib, which is fab, and I am waiting for the M200 Cognac. I think the Pelikans are lovely pens but my heart belongs to Pilot.

[Alex2014]

Congratulations on the Pilot. I happen to have the same Custom Heritage 92, with the Fine nib and love it. While I do not have any Pelikan M200s or M400s, I do have an M605. Here are some photos for comparison.

 

 

 

The Pilot is slightly larger than my M605, but not enough that I've noticed it in the hand. The bigger difference in my hand is the size of the grip section, in which the Pilot is slightly more comfortable for me.

 

 

 

The nibs on my Pilots are all finer than my Pelikan (though this M605 is a 0.7mm stub ground down from EF). The FM nib should be quite close to a Western fine, bordering on extra-fine. That said, the fine on this Pilot is smooth, and I love it.

 

Happy waiting!

 

 

Super pics!

[Sallent]

One of my two Pilot Custom 92 is finally here. Unfortunately I missed the delivery attempt today, so I have to pick it up Monday at the post office. The other one should be here by Tuesday

[E8x8]

Congratulations on your Pilots; they are great pens. Pilot has mastered the art of consistent nib quality all the way from the humble 78g to the 823.

 

Definitely keep the 823 on your wish list. If you are used to Pelikan M200s/M400s, you might find the Pilot 823 initially overly huge by comparison. But if you can get over your initial impression, you will find the 823 has better balance and as a result is less tiring for long writing sessions.

 

Enjoy!

[maverink]

I enjoy my pilots especially my transperant fine and smokey with M but now I am tempted to get a blue or the orange 92 as we'll

[Sallent]

The first one is finally here. This are some quick pictures with my cheapo phone camera, so excuse the poor quality. I will try to take better pictures later

 

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h206/sallentlaw/WP_20140414_09_37_17_Smart_zpsb720b9ad.jpg

 

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h206/sallentlaw/WP_20140414_09_36_00_Smart_zps280cee52.jpg

[rudyhou]

i have mine FM comes in smoke black color. the FM nib may still be finer than a european/american one, depending on which brand. my pelikan F nib still writes broader than my pilot FM, though pilot FM seems to write closer to my Lamy F.

[Sallent]

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h206/sallentlaw/WP_20140416_09_35_06_Smart_zpsb95bff9b.jpg

 

The other Pilot just arrived

[scbarber]

How do you like them and how do they compare to your Pelikan?

[Sallent]

Honestly, they are very similar pens. However, I do think the Pilot is a little bit better in the sense that it has a smoother piston filler mechanism (I've owned around 20 Pelikans in the past, so I can attest to that). Also, the nib is slightly more springy than on the M200/M205 series (which i prefer), although it is obviously not flexible. The piston collar on the Pilot is also made of metal, so I'd imagine it would be less likely to fail than the Pelikan. Finally, the nib itself is gold vs steel on the Pelikan, and from my personal experience Pelikan nibs have a little bit of a quality control issue, while I've heard almost exclusively nothing but praises from Pilot nibs (and mine are great.)

[sannidh]

Congratulations on the Pilot. I happen to have the same Custom Heritage 92, with the Fine nib and love it. While I do not have any Pelikan M200s or M400s, I do have an M605. Here are some photos for comparison.

 

 

 

The Pilot is slightly larger than my M605, but not enough that I've noticed it in the hand. The bigger difference in my hand is the size of the grip section, in which the Pilot is slightly more comfortable for me.

 

 

 

The nibs on my Pilots are all finer than my Pelikan (though this M605 is a 0.7mm stub ground down from EF). The FM nib should be quite close to a Western fine, bordering on extra-fine. That said, the fine on this Pilot is smooth, and I love it.

 

Happy waiting!

 

Nice pictures

Thank you

[DylanKeefe]

So?? Whats the final verdict? I'm glad you're enjoying them!! I'm on the fence between a Custom 74 and a Custom 92 myself...