Pilot Penmanship, EF Nib

[kadymae]

I purchased this pen because I was k'noodling through the Jet Pens website (no affiliation), feeling a bit spendy, and I couldn't believe there was a Pilot non-disposable for $7.50. (Okay, I was looking for some refils for my Zebra Sarasa gel pens, but we won't talk about that.)

 

I purchased an F nib Pilot Prera and found it almost impossible to write with, scratchy and fussy. I purchased an M nib Pilot Knight about a year ago and while I love the nib, not only is the pen too heavy for extended writing, but I find the section too short for comfort.

 

Given my history with the Prera, I was hesitant to purchase, but since I needed another $7 to hit free shipping? I took the plunge and bought a clear one because I dig demonstrator pens.

 

First Impressions

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h305/tartymae/pens/Penmanship1.jpg

 

Well, Pilot's certainly not trying to impress us with the packaging.

 

However, while inexpensive, this pen is not cheap. The body is formed of high quality plastic and all the little rough edges and imperfections have been polished off. The quality of the screw threads is good.

 

Appearance and Design

A good deal of thought has gone into the design of this pen. I normally ... tolerate ... screw cap pens because the threads are usually at the top of the section where they end up chafing against the webbing of my hand. The threads of the Penmanship are below the section where they do not interfere with the grip.

 

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h305/tartymae/pens/Penmanship2.jpg

 

The section itself is a rounded ergonomic triangle grip. Very comfortable ... dare I say it? Even more comfortable than a Lamy Safari, as good as a Pelikan Future.

 

The small cap lacks a clip , but it does have two little ears on the side to make it easy to grasp and turn and also to prevent it from rolling away.

 

Its elegant streamlined taper makes it look retro-modern.

 

All in all, it's pleasing to the eye, a true meeting of form and function.

 

Weight and Dimensions

Capped, it's about 5.75 inches/14.8 cm. Here it is next to my Pelikan M205

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h305/tartymae/pens/Penmanship3.jpg

 

It's also a bit lighter than the 205, but not as light as a Preppy -- just a skoosh heavier. The balance is very good and it's one of the pens I can write with posted and not have it feel annoyingly topheavy.

 

Nib and Performance

This nib is a NEEDLE. Seriously, I think I could give myself a tattoo with the thing. It's reliable writer, smooth delivery of ink, starts every time with no hesitation or skipping.

 

But since the nib is a needle, even on silky smooth paper and with the lightest of touches, it's still a "skriffly" writer. (I'm of half a mind to swap it with the nib on the Knight, given they are the same nib and feed design.) But I will say that over the course of the past 3 weeks, it's smoothed up a hair ... I don't think I've adjusted my style that much.

 

Filling System

This pen takes the standard full size Pilot cartridge (I don't think it will do Petit cartridges) and will also take the Pilot converter.

 

Cost and Value

I'm flabbergasted by the cost and value of this pen. This nib, on a Pilot Prera would cost about $40. It's an excellent way to get one's hands on one of the finest (both in size and craftsmanship) EF nibs on the market for about the price of a lunch entree.

 

Conclusion

If this pen were offered in an F or M nib, I'd be in heaven. If not for the nib, this would be a daily driver/extended writer. Right now? I'm using it for jotting notes and annotating margins. This is an excellent pen.

Edited September 2, 2009 by kadymae

[minnman]

Intriguing review. What size converter will fit?

[johnnyies]

I have this pen too. It was my first fountain pen. You can also convert this to an eyedropper if you want. Really wish I could just rip off the nib and stick it on another pen.

[MYU]

Kadymae, thank you so much for this review--what an eye opener! I had no idea that these low end Pilot pens were so good. I'd been toying with the idea of getting a 78G at some point, for a kick-around pen, but seeing this one makes me think differently. I especially like the added benefit of a demonstrator version available. This is the kind of pen that might put a smile on a kid's face, too. Also, the nib looks like a standard Pilot nib... I wonder what the size is (e.g. is it like a No. 8?). If standard, then one may be able to interchange nibs without too much of a hassle (not as easy as a screw-in nib, but maybe not far off from a Safari?).

 

About the Prera, I'm sorry you encountered a scratchy nib. Did you ever examine it under a loupe up close? There are plenty of people here who've had good experiences with the EF and F Prera nibs... must have been an anomaly, unfortunately.

Edited September 2, 2009 by MYU

[Zoe]

Thanks for the terrific written review.

 

I have this pen, too. It is terrific at the price and is a great pen for line drawings as well as writing.

 

Zoe

[Gran]

Can you say how the nib compares to the nib on the Pilot 78G?

 

Thanks.

[Edgar Allan Bo]

Can you say how the nib compares to the nib on the Pilot 78G?

 

Thanks.

 

It's the same nib, you can switch them... the finest nib on the 78G is the F so if you want a finer nib on the 78G you can put this EF nib on it!

 

I have some M and F italics from the pilot penmanship pen (Plumix) which I've put on my 78G's

Edited September 2, 2009 by sk2yshine

[hehiheho]

Wait! This is the penmanship/calligraphy pen. It is sold here in France with the name "Plumix".

 

Then, the nib of this pen is italic. Hence it will be less scratchy only if you hold it as an italic. To be precise, its width is 0.32mm. I recommend getting used to italic nibs with wider ones. There is no comparison with a Knight/Prera/78G nib, except that they are interchangeable.

 

[Edit: un-highlighting, as the sequel proved me wrong. Thanks for this review.]

Edited September 2, 2009 by hehiheho

[kadymae]

Intriguing review. What size converter will fit?

 

The standard one, I guess. The one I have in my Knight is a squeezy one, and it works in this pen, too.

[kadymae]

Wait! This is the penmanship/calligraphy pen. It is sold here in France with the name "Plumix".

 

Then, the nib of this pen is italic. Hence it will be less scratchy only if you hold it as an italic. To be precise, its width is 0.32mm. I recommend getting used to italic nibs with wider ones. There is no comparison with a Knight/Prera/78G nib, except that they are interchangeable.

 

I have a Plumix, it's purple. And this is the nib.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h305/tartymae/pens/PlumixProb1.jpg

 

 

[kadymae]

Also, the nib looks like a standard Pilot nib... I wonder what the size is (e.g. is it like a No. 8?). If standard, then one may be able to interchange nibs without too much of a hassle (not as easy as a screw-in nib, but maybe not far off from a Safari?).

 

I have no idea about the size, just that it's the same style of nib and feed as on the Prera and Knight.

[kadymae]

Can you say how the nib compares to the nib on the Pilot 78G?

 

Thanks.

 

I've never had a 78G.

[hehiheho]

Wait! This is the penmanship/calligraphy pen. It is sold here in France with the name "Plumix".

 

Then, the nib of this pen is italic. Hence it will be less scratchy only if you hold it as an italic. To be precise, its width is 0.32mm. I recommend getting used to italic nibs with wider ones. There is no comparison with a Knight/Prera/78G nib, except that they are interchangeable.

 

I have a Plumix, it's purple. And this is the nib.

[picture]

 

The pen you photograph is maybe a "Pluminix" or a "Plumix Neon", as you say it is purple. And as the italic nib is an "M", it is 0.58mm wide. The italic sizes on Plumix are: 0.32, 0.44, 0.58, 0.70, 1.00 for respectively EF, F, M, B, EB.

 

Sorry to have thought you did not make the difference between an italic and a standard nib. I must have been wrong. I am surprised to see a non-italic nib in such a pen, and interested by the existence of ordinary extra-fine nibs for prera/knight/78G range.

Edited September 2, 2009 by hehiheho

[christinaofvermont]

Hello! I'm a newbie so please pardon any gaffes. Also I've had no time to do any dressing-up of my posting profile and such...

 

Thank you for your review. I have this pen sitting in my JetPens cart and I had already made up my mind to buy it but your review certainly adds some good information. I just got a Lamy Vista with an EF nib and was shocked by its rather broad line, broader than my fine nib Phileas, so the Lamy comparison was of special interest. I like needle points! Also glad to hear cheap doesn't have to mean cheesy...

Edited September 3, 2009 by MYU
removed full quote of original post

[Chthulhu]

The pen you photograph is maybe a "Pluminix" or a "Plumix Neon", as you say it is purple. And as the italic nib is an "M", it is 0.58mm wide. The italic sizes on Plumix are: 0.32, 0.44, 0.58, 0.70, 1.00 for respectively EF, F, M, B, EB.

 

Sorry to have thought you did not make the difference between an italic and a standard nib. I must have been wrong. I am surprised to see a non-italic nib in such a pen, and interested by the existence of ordinary extra-fine nibs for prera/knight/78G range.

 

hehiheho, here in the US we get the Plumix, which is a longer version of the Pluminix (which doesn't seem to be sold here), and it generally *only* comes with the <M> italic nib, at least for the ones available in the Target stores (which carry the pens but no cartridges!). In Europe it appears to be called the Plumix Neon as you mentioned, and is available in a wider range of nibs. The Penmanship is very similar to the Plumix; it seems to have a slightly different barrel without the stylish grooves, and can be had on-line only with an EF nib, in either opaque black or clear as kadymae has.

 

Take a look:

 

http://www.jetpens.com/index.php/cPath/214_856

[Gran]

It's nice to know more about these. Thanks!

[hehiheho]

The pen you photograph is maybe a "Pluminix" or a "Plumix Neon", as you say it is purple. And as the italic nib is an "M", it is 0.58mm wide. The italic sizes on Plumix are: 0.32, 0.44, 0.58, 0.70, 1.00 for respectively EF, F, M, B, EB.

 

Sorry to have thought you did not make the difference between an italic and a standard nib. I must have been wrong. I am surprised to see a non-italic nib in such a pen, and interested by the existence of ordinary extra-fine nibs for prera/knight/78G range.

 

hehiheho, here in the US we get the Plumix, which is a longer version of the Pluminix (which doesn't seem to be sold here), and it generally *only* comes with the <M> italic nib, at least for the ones available in the Target stores (which carry the pens but no cartridges!). In Europe it appears to be called the Plumix Neon as you mentioned, and is available in a wider range of nibs. The Penmanship is very similar to the Plumix; it seems to have a slightly different barrel without the stylish grooves, and can be had on-line only with an EF nib, in either opaque black or clear as kadymae has.

 

Take a look:

 

http://www.jetpens.com/index.php/cPath/214_856

 

Thank you for the additionnal information. Actually, the stylish grooves are quite new, and the model I have bought here in France from a supermarket some years ago does not have them. It is indeed incredibly close to the "Pilot Penmanship" described here. I am maybe going to buy that pen: that would allow me to finally have a true EF nib for a good price. I will wait to know more about smoothness, though.

 

If you ever buy a Plumix from France, beware, it takes standard cartridges, not Pilot ones. And hence no Pilot converters.

 

Very sorry for my first reply in this thread.

[Chthulhu]

Thank you for the additionnal information. Actually, the stylish grooves are quite new, and the model I have bought here in France from a supermarket some years ago does not have them. It is indeed incredibly close to the "Pilot Penmanship" described here. I am maybe going to buy that pen: that would allow me to finally have a true EF nib for a good price. I will wait to know more about smoothness, though.

 

If you ever buy a Plumix from France, beware, it takes standard cartridges, not Pilot ones. And hence no Pilot converters.

 

Very sorry for my first reply in this thread.

 

I wish the ones sold here *did* take standard cartridges instead of Pilot's proprietary carts; then a standard converter would also fit, and both are much easier to come by here. My solution to the italic nib was to buy two more pens and regrind one nib to somewhere between F and EF. With a couple of diamond files and a flexible polishing wheel from a Dremel set, it didn't take much work to do, and turned out fairly smooth, too. :-)

[kadymae]

It is indeed incredibly close to the "Pilot Penmanship" described here. I am maybe going to buy that pen: that would allow me to finally have a true EF nib for a good price. I will wait to know more about smoothness, though.

 

This pen is not a skratchy writer, it's just that because the point on the nib is so fine, not much broader than the tip on a pushpin or thumb tack, that it's never going to be as smooth as a broader nibbed pen which lays down more ink and has less friction.

 

It's always going to make a "skriffle" noise when writing, even on very smooth paper.

 

I'm getting proper inkflow -- no skipping on any part of a stroke, no sudden changes in the effort to move the pen across the paper. It's an even, predictable writer and I'd say it's as smooth as any nib this incredibly fine can be.

 

It's not my choice of pen for several pages of writing, given that I have carpal tunnel, but I'm finding it perfect for short notes and annotating in the margins. You may find that this is the EF nib of your dreams and perfectly suited to your needs and style.

 

[Sailor Kenshin]

I have a Pilot Plumix, a Pluminix, a 78G B stub AND a Surfboard (supposed to be a sort-of vintage pen).

 

The Surf is an absolute needle, but not a stingy one.

 

The Plumix and Pluminix write similarly, the 78G is a little softer. I'm happy writing with all of them---though the Plumix and -minix don't really like us southpaw overwriters.