The Fountain Pen Network: Pilot 78G - The Fountain Pen Network

I recently purchased a Pilot 78G from Norman at Hisnibs.com. He shipped it from Pennsylvania on a Monday afternoon and I received it and another pen on Wednesday morning. I was pleased to see the stamp on the package from the USPS that the shipping charge was exactly what Norman had charged me! I have gotten so tired of eBay and other internet merchants jacking up their shipping price to stretch their profit margins, and it was refreshing to find an honest merchant! He and James at Pear Tree Pens are far and above the best pen merchants out there on the net! Now on to the pen!

Fit & Finish:
The 78G is a conservatively styled pen with gold tone furniture and accents, as well as the nib. It is classy and elegant in a simple way. The clip grips my shirt pocket with enough strength to hold it in there when I bend over, but not the death grip of my Hero 100! Here I have to give it a 4.5 out of 5, as I would prefer if it were available with silver tone.

Heft & Balance: This pen is very light weight, I think it may be the lightest fountain pen that I own, which I love. It is also very well balanced, with the weight distributed very evenly. Here I give it 5 out of 5.

Nib Quality: This is the best nib I've ever bought on a pen for less than thirty dollars, bar none! It is a medium, that writes more like a western fine. It is incredibly smooth, like butter on glass. The only nibs that I own that are better are the medium and broad nibs on my Pilot Vanishing Point pens; I also own a fine VP nib, but it is such a fine nib that it can be a little scratchy at times. This nib is great for filling in forms and jotting down notes. I wish I had had this pen in college as it would have saved me from some nasty hand cramps after marathon note taking sessions! Definitely a 5 out of 5 here!

Filling Mechanism: This pen features an aerometric style converter that is very is easy to squeeze and fill. It seems hold a very respectable amount of ink. Also, it is removable and you could use cartridges in it if you were so inclined. I assume it would take Pilot's brand of cartridges, but I couldn't say for certain. I'll give it a 4.5 out of 5 here because while it works very well, I do have to take it apart to refill and I can't really check the level of ink in it.

Overall this is the best pen I have purchased for under $30. Period. Unless you like a heavy pen I think you would be very happy with this little gem. I would definitely recommend this as a first pen purchase for a newbie or as a give away to someone you are trying to hook on fountain pens. Head on over to Hisnibs.com and let Norman take care of you!

--J. Haney

Note: I am not connected to Hisnibs.com in any way, I'm just an extremely satisfied customer!

What an attractive pen! I went to the website you linked--seems to have sold out of all of them. I can see your enthusiasm over the appearance--it looks like a pen to write with and get on with your work. I'll keep an eye out for one.

Thank you for the review--

It's a nice pen and I hope Norman Hasse gets more in -- he is great, meticulous about communication and ships very quickly.

that is a very good quality pen with very sober looks, I like it.

I've only bought one pen from Norman H. and he was so very nice that I would like to buy another one. I've emailed him and am on a waiting list for the 78G broad, which he says he may or may not get some more of.

I've been on the list for several weeks but didn't know that shipment was iffy. Too bad it can be so difficult to get Japanese pens in the states. This discussion has gotten me thinking that a fine nib might be good for writing in margins. Maybe that will tide me over till the bold nibs arrive.

Are there any inks the 78Gs either love or hate? Not that I need more bottles of ink ...

I don't think these are made any more, so I gather he's finding NOS sources.

Thanks for the review. I should have ordered a broad/stub/italic when I had a chance.

I ordered a couple from hisnibs and am very pleased with the pens. And they do indeed take Pilot cartridges.

I just ordered a medium from HisNibs along with some Private Reserve ink. Blue Suede looks like a good color for it. Still got my name on the list for a broad nib if Norman ever finds a few more.

FPN comments and reviews are the only way I would have found out about the 78G. Thanks, FPNers!

These remind me of some of the old 1960s and 70s pens I found in my dad's collection of various items awhile back when he asked me to clean out his office of all the old supplies.

Speerbob (ebay store) has both B and BB nib black 79G's. Or he did last week.

Do a search on eBay for Speerbob. He is located in Thailand and occasionally posts on the Zoss list.

I have no association with him, except as a satisfied customer.

Thanks for the review.

I agree the pen is very light, which is a little too light for me. The pen is also small for my hands, but not too small. But the darned thing writes so well that just use it and enjoy it. I got a B nib that is a great M italic. The nib is relative smooth, ink flow is good, and the line variation is surprising.

I am on the waiting list for a second B nib. I had also understood that Norm is sniffing out NOS items, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

I bought one in each colour from Norman, all with F nibs. I love them!

This post has been edited by Phthalo: 12 February 2007 - 09:18 AM

Yesterday I pulled the trigger on a black 78g with a fine nib, from isellpens. Would have preferred a green medium nib, but after all of the rave reviews, these pens are tough to find.

I've been looking for something lightweight and inexpensive that writes a fine line. Lately most of my writing has been note-taking in classes, and I think this will be a sweet little pen for it. Can't wait to get it.