Pilot 78G B

[WillSW]

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/p78tex.jpg

 

This pen came to me from hisnibs.com. I had originally just e-mailed to ask when his majesty was getting more red and black stubs in stock, and he replied with a kind word and a payment request, so I went ahead and bought the in-stock green. I am happy I did. The pen arrived a few short days later, my first peice of mail at my new address (I recently moved), packed securely and with this great sealed note.

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/p78pe_5.jpg

 

Man! Look at that seal. And I hear it's on a ring! Norman Haase is a badass. I hope that word is allowed. The note was very useful as well, for he demonstrated the other nib sizes of the Pilot and allowed me to see PR Chocolat and Sherwood Green. Judging by the quality of my pen, I may very well come back to this pen in another size. So, thank you Norman for a lovely transaction.

 

The Pen.

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/p78pe_4.jpg http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/p78pe.jpg

 

This pen was $25, about $30 shipped. It is not a showpiece. The plastic is plastic, nothing special or less-than there, the faux-gold used on the clip, rings, and nib looks very faux, the cap rings are printed on (I think this is the main thing contributing to the cheap look). It is, of course, very light, and the size is such that I always post. The clip is very secure, which is nice. I know this is an inexpensive Japanese pen, not a cheap Chinese pen, but I had begun to take loose clips on my Heros as a given. The screw on cap adds a bit of quality feeling to the pen.

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/p78pe_1.jpg

 

Not a beauty, but by no means ugly; a completely neutral nib. For some reason I always smile when I read "PILOT SUPER QUALITY JAPAN" on it. I mean, what other kind of quality could it be? The tipping is invisible from above, it is miniscule. As for performance, it slides around the page with a pleasing feel, smooth but not like butter, ice, vaseline, or anything on glass; the nib feels like a finger running over the page, if that makes sense. There's no resistance, just a tactileness which lets you know you're writing. I like it. I can easily imagine what a higher-end stub might feel like, and now more than ever want one, but I don't think a "better" nib would displace this one, they could co-exist happily.

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/p78pe_2.jpg

 

Though I've been happily tossing (shoving) this pen into my pocket lately, it's not really what I use for casual script. It's more a pen for writing to people with, not for writing things for oneself. This is my first stub and I love the built-in line variation for letters, not so much for class notes (and definitely not for sketching). I love having a pen I can very casually play around with practicing calligraphy (for some reason I have a strong aversion to calligraphy set pens).

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/p78pe_3.jpg

 

I say: buy this pen. It writes very well and without issue, it doesn't skip at all if you're holding it correctly, is fun to play with and write with, and is inexpensive. I'll go ahead and recommend the M and F as well, based on this nib's performance. I'm not really sure what else to say. The Pilot 78G is a great guy.

[Wilfred86]

Hello WillSW,

 

Nice review! I was thinking of getting one of these too.

By the way, the letter with te seal is great!

 

Wilfred

[artaddict]

I have two of these(soon to be three). They are great for showing the shading of inks.

[pearle]

Just received one of these (Cinnabar Red w/ Fine nib) from hisnibs this past week. It's a great pen and I'm glad I purchased it.

[His Nibs]

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/p78tex.jpg

 

This pen came to me from hisnibs.com. I had originally just e-mailed to ask when his majesty was getting more red and black stubs in stock, and he replied with a kind word and a payment request, so I went ahead and bought the in-stock green. I am happy I did. The pen arrived a few short days later, my first peice of mail at my new address (I recently moved), packed securely and with this great sealed note.

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a94/willsw/p78pe_5.jpg

 

Man! Look at that seal. And I hear it's on a ring! Norman Haase is a badass. I hope that word is allowed. The note was very useful as well, for he demonstrated the other nib sizes of the Pilot and allowed me to see PR Chocolat and Sherwood Green. Judging by the quality of my pen, I may very well come back to this pen in another size. So, thank you Norman for a lovely transaction.

 

Hi Will,

 

Thanks for your terrific review and kind words. As mentioned to you backchannel the other day, I'm thrilled that you like the Pilot. They're terrific pens.

 

I just received word from one of my suppliers that I have more of the 'B's on their way from China (yes, Japanese pens from China ).

 

Regards,

 

Norman "badass" Haase :embarrassed_smile:

 

[Jimmy James]

I just received word from one of my suppliers that I have more of the 'B's on their way from China (yes, Japanese pens from China ).

 

Oh no.

 

Soon I'll have no excuse not to buy one of the red ones.

 

FPN, my wallet curses you! :roflmho:

[Silas]

I too have a black one from Norman. I let one of my students compare his brand new Pelikan 200 with an italic nib (.9) from Binder. I have to say, the Binder nib was nice and sharp and a better variation....but the Pilot, for $25 was excellent. I let my students write with it and they are amazed!

I also bought the Wing Sung Sheaffer Triumph lookalike and it was a smooth great writer....for $15.

 

All in all, 2 inexpensive pens that I carry so that when someone invariably says, "Can I borrow you pen?" I have these.

 

A colleague noticed I had a fountain pen in my pocket and says, I have to sign an official recommendation quick....let me see your pen. It was the Danitrio Densho fine flex.....she said...."Wow, that's a big one!! And it's so smooth!"

After that, out came the Pilot to sport next to the Densho!

[SteadyHand]

Nice review. Thank you. I have 3 of these. One each in F,M, and broad. The latter is my favorite.

[hari317]

Thanks for the nice and informative review. I find that the printed cap-lip rings on chrome trim models tends to rub off with use. Other than that the pens are good writers.

 

Regards,

Hari

 

[Judybug]

I may have to order a pen from His Nibs just to get one of those classy, sealed notes!

 

Judybug