Review Of The Pilot M90 F Nib

[xuan87]

More pen reviews can be found on my blog: http://inkoholicanonymous.blogspot.sg/

 

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss324/xuan87/Fountain%20pens/DSCF0933.jpg

 

INTRODUCTION: My first reaction when I saw the Pilot M90 in person was: “ This pen is tiny!” For those not in the known, they would have thought that I was an idiot for paying $180 for this pen. I was initially slightly disappointed as well but knowing that this pen was designed as a tribute to the famed Pilot Myu, I decided to reserve judgment till later and boy, was I proven wrong!

1. Appearance & Design (8/10) – The pen has its design based on the Pilot Myu series and thus is a pocket pen, which will explain it's small size. It is simple and unassuming, a plain pocket pen with the pen body and cap made from stainless steel. There is also a small plastic sapphire crystal found on the pen cap tip, which I supposed did serve to break the monotonous design. However, the main attraction, is the integrated nib, which is actually part of the pen body. This will be elaborated on later. I give the appearance and design an 8 out of 10 because of the “cheap” impression that it gives to other people.

 

2. Construction & Quality (10/10) – The surface metal isn't smooth but has a grainy feel, which I prefer. In addition, it provided more friction to grip the pen with as well. I've had the pen for half a year now and with a closer look, I can see many micro scratches on the pen body caused by the repeated removal and capping of the pen cap. This is unavoidable and not a design nor construction flaw so I'm not particularly concerned with it.

 

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss324/xuan87/Fountain%20pens/DSCF0934.jpg

 

3. Weight & Dimensions (9/10) – Japanese pocket pens are designed with a long pen barrel and pen cap, but with a short pen body. When in use, the pen cap should be posted so that the pen will resemble a regular size pen. This allow the user to enjoy the portability of a mini pen and the usability of a regular size pen. Ingenious, to say the least. I usually write with my pens unposted but in this case, the pen feels too imbalanced and light without posting. With posting, I enjoyed perfect balance and writing with the M90 becomes a pleasure. I will give it a 9/10 because I'll like the option of being able to write with a pen unposted.

 

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss324/xuan87/Fountain%20pens/DSCF0935.jpg

 

4. Nib & Performance (20/20) – This is by far my favorite part of the M90: The nib design, and it's performance. My nib size is a Japanese Fine, and it writes slightly smaller than a Western Fine. It's not dry, and not too wet as well, and I haven't experienced any skipping or smudging with this pen. As mentioned earlier, the nib is made from stainless steel and is part of the pen body. This is a design that is seldom seen, and extremely attractive to my eyes. Lastly, the nib is stiff as a nail which is fine by me as I do not have to exert any pressure to get the ink to start flowing. As it is my favorite nib, it naturally deserved a perfect score.

 

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss324/xuan87/Fountain%20pens/DSCF0936.jpg

 

5. Filling System & Maintenance (5/10) – This area is the only part of the pen that I truly do not like: It can only accept a Con-20 converter, which is a pump filler. Due to the small size of the pen, the Con- 20 is the only one which can fit on it. The Con-20 works well, but the ink capacity is too small. Coupled with the fact that I cannot use any other converter with it, the M90 only deserved a 5/10 in this section.

 

6. Cost & Value (7/10) – This pen is part of a limited production, and is limited to 9000 pieces worldwide. When I bought it, the pen has already been out of production for some time. Though it can still be purchased today, it is available at a premium ( relative to the MSRP). I bought it new for $180 but I have seen it selling for more than $200. Despite the higher-than-normal price that I paid for it, I still find it to be a pretty good deal. I gave it a 7/10 because I paid more than the MSRP (which usually doesn't indicate a good deal) and I didn't like the filling system.

 

7. Conclusion (Final score, 59/70) – In conclusion, this pen has become one of my favorite pen, and I highly recommend it others. People who have tried my pen praised the exceptional nib performance as well. After tallying up the scores, the pen scores at only 59 but in reality, the pen feels like a perfect 70 to me. Since it has been out of production for a while now, it's best to strike fast and get one of these beauties before they completely sold out.

[effrafax]

These are great pens, I agree, having both the M90 and MYU 701. Love 'em both.

 

You might like to note that you can actually use a CON-50 with the M90, although that doesn't buy you much in terms of capacity.

 

You can see it in this post: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/143369-review-of-pilot-m90-le/page__st__15

 

Others seem to have had problems fitting the CON-50, but it works perfectly in mine.

 

As always, YMMV.

[xuan87]

These are great pens, I agree, having both the M90 and MYU 701. Love 'em both.

 

You might like to note that you can actually use a CON-50 with the M90, although that doesn't buy you much in terms of capacity.

 

You can see it in this post: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/143369-review-of-pilot-m90-le/page__st__15

 

Others seem to have had problems fitting the CON-50, but it works perfectly in mine.

 

As always, YMMV.

 

Yup I've tried the Con 50 and like most other users, there's a small gap left and if i'm not wrong, when i twist the cap, the cap will twist the converter top as well too.

[breaker]

nice review and pics!

thanks!

[Joe in Seattle]

Mine is one of my smoothest most reliable writers.

[PenandDesign]

Congrats on that pen - it looks fantastic! I was actually looking for one for almost 6 months but to no avail...costs have definitely jumped far past the $200 barrier. If someone offered me a mint M90 for $200 today, I'd take it without thinking twice.

[Pen2009]

Can someone comment on the durability of M90's cap mechanism? I think the cap clicks onto the the barrel when capped. Same as when you post the cap. Does it get loose after repeated usages? With Pilot Decimo, the click on / off mechanism gets sloppy after repeated use due to the spring fatigue. So, I would like to field some inputs on M90's cap mechanism's durability.

[Montblanc owner and lover]

Well a nice good looking pen,simple and so is your review what can we ask more?

[professionaldilettante]

Can someone comment on the durability of M90's cap mechanism? I think the cap clicks onto the the barrel when capped. Same as when you post the cap. Does it get loose after repeated usages? With Pilot Decimo, the click on / off mechanism gets sloppy after repeated use due to the spring fatigue. So, I would like to field some inputs on M90's cap mechanism's durability.

The cap mechanism is VERY sturdy. It relies on the little retaining tabs on the body to snap into a groove of the cap. I had used it for a year constantly, and then on and off since then, and it had never failed on me.

[georges zaslavsky]

a legendary modern reproduction of the myu. Then ib is quite nice on it. What stopped me to buy one was its too short lenght

[MyDarnSnakeLegs]

Man, I want one of those so hard. It's probably the only > $100 pen that I really want to have.

 

Could I talk you into taking a picture of it next to a "standard" sized pen like a Lamy Safari, or even a smaller one like a Kaweco Sport, so I can get an idea of how big it is?

[alc3261]

Man, I want one of those so hard. It's probably the only > $100 pen that I really want to have.

 

Could I talk you into taking a picture of it next to a "standard" sized pen like a Lamy Safari, or even a smaller one like a Kaweco Sport, so I can get an idea of how big it is?

 

I will do that for you a bit later tonight.

[smoothascactus]

The Pilot m90 is so inspiring. Love the design and I bought a Pilot MYU's through ebay but had issues with ink flow never was able to get it to work.

 

Any m90 owners interested in selling? Now that you've had your turn, maybe it's time to share... and profit?

 

Please contact me if you have a used m90 which you'd be willing to part with for the right price.