First Impressions - I decided to purchase this pen because I was attracted to the character and flair that flex nibs give to the written word. I started out with dip nibs (which can be seen in my ink reviews) and wanted to try flex fountain pens. I bought this pen from Ujuku along with a Custom 743 FA. Shipping time was fast (3-5 Days) But Ujuku's response was somewhat slow (It took him roughly one week from the order date to ship out the pens). The package arrived in perfect condition. This pen came in a white cardboard box with a plastic case which held the pen securely with a strand of ribbon. Inside was the standard items that comes with Pilot pens; Pen, Converter, Cartridge, and papers.

Appearance/Finish/Design/Size/Weight - As expected from Pilot the pen the quality and craftsmanship was excellent. Pen is a plastic (lightweight) torpedo shaped in Black (High Gloss) with Gold Trim (Why Pilot?! Why?! ) Despite being made out of plastic the pen felt well built.

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Nib Design & Performance - The 742 came with a rose gold 14k #10 FA Nib. The writing was smooth, flexy (between semi-flex and flex) with a hint of feedback (A pref. of mine). But, I have to recommend a fast flowing ink for this pen if you're going to use the nib to its full potential. Reason I say that is because the nib would starve sometimes if it was used for western calligraphy (You'll see what I mean in my writing sample attached below). I'm guessing the nib was either designed for short broad strokes in Asian calligraphy or the design of the feed wasn't taken into consideration when making this nib.

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The Filling System - Pen came with a Con-70 (Push Button Converter); one of my favorite converters aside from eyedroppers/piston filling systems.

Overall Opinion/Conclusion - Overall, I would recommend this pen to anyone interested in flex nibs (because it has better flex than a falcon). Fortunately, pilot uses the same pen grip in most of their pens; so if you dislike the black/gold (like me) you can use it on the Bamboo.

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Comparison with the Custom 743 FA - The only difference between the two pens is the nib size. The #15 nib is a little bit wider and somewhat longer (I'm guessing 1mm) than the #10 (I don't have any precision tools, so I can't give exact measurements). Due to the larger (and longer nib) the difference is reflected in the overall length of the pen (743 has a longer cap).

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Writing sample below
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Paper: HP 32 Lb
Ink: FPN Dumas Tulipe Noire

I apologize if it appears to be messy as I'm still adjusting to the nib.

Thanks for the review and nice handwriting! How do you compare the 742FA vs the 743FA? Other than the nib size are there any differences?

I have the Custom 743 with the excellent FA nib.
I do agree about the skipping. Which are the so-called fast flowing inks that you know of?

Would appreacite some recommendations.

Ernest

Thanks for this initial review. May we prevail upon you to let us know your side-by-side comparison of the two, once you have extensively tried out both, that is.

Other than nib size and overall length, no difference.


Well, I think Purple Mojo is possible, because I recently reviewed the ink and it was quite runny (didn't care for the colour too much though).


I'm currently leaving the 743 uninked so I don't know when I'll get to that.

New pictures uploaded

Good review, thank you. I've had a Pilot 742 FA for a while now, and it has been a remarkable pen, not only because it sports the only of-the-shelf modern flex nib, but also because it's super reliable. I hadn't experienced any skipping yet, though, I must admit that I have only used Richard Binder's Tanzanite mix.

Update: After inking and using both the #10 and #15 nib, I found the #15 FA more responsive and easier to control. One thing though, the #10 nib appears to be less flexible than the #15 as I accidentally sprung the tines while writing (But only if you're attempting BBB swells, otherwise it shouldnt be a problem).

Ah, thank you for the follow up review. Your experience confirms my suspicion that the #15 FA nib would be marginally more flexible than the #10 FA nib on account of its size alone. The #15 nib on my Custom 845 produces a line weight variation somewhat similar to that produced by the newer Pelikan M1000 nib.

Thanks for providing us with this long desired info. I hope your 742's nib is repairable.
I find that Pilot BlueBlack (bottled for the overseas market) works well in my 743.

Thanks for the info and pics. I like the side by side shots of the cool looking nibs. Thinking of getting one but undecided on 742 or 743.

Mike

How long is the barrel on this pen?

I have just received my Pilot Custom 742 and the Falcon nib is a sheer delight to use. Smooth, light and responsive.
I purchased mine from Ujuku in Japan; time from purchase to receipt here in the UK was under 7 days.
Seriously impressive customer service!!
I would highly recommend this seller and this divine pen.
Enough said.

No affiliation etc. just a very satisfied customer

Immoteus,

Thanks for a thoughtful review. I once owned a 742 purchased a long time ago from a small mom and pop store near Misawa in Aomori Prefecture. That was a long time ago and I paid something less than 10K yen. I made the mistake of getting a medium nib that was too broad. The thing I learned was that the Pilot push button convertor is probably the best available (IMHO).

I don't have the pen anymore and sold it because of the nib. Your post tells me it is time to revisit the 742 or 743 with the FA. Can you tell me how many turns to get the cap off?

Best Wishes

A little less than 2 turns (I'm guessing 1 7/8th). If you do have a choice, I would spring (pun intended) for the 743 FA since its slightly more flexible than the 742 FA and less fragile as well (I've sprung the tines on the 742 FA twice and it was expensive to repair...)

Where and how was your 742 repaired?

I had it repaired @ the LA Pen Show

With regard to the skipping (not standard skipping; here, not enough ink reaches the tip to create a single solid line when the nib flexes unless you write slowly; instead, you get two thin lines, one per prong), at the Philadelphia pen show Richard Binder explained an adjustment makes to the back of the nib which results in a enough ink getting to the tip to prevent the double-line effect. He told me that he had done this to his own pen and to others'. Maybe he or one of them will report back. (I left mine for him to take back to work on, but given his 19 week turnaround time it will be a while before I can do so....)

Simon

Please report back as to how this works! I'm thinking of having my 743's tip reduced to increase the range of the line width it can yield. If the modification you describe doesn't cause your pen to become too wet, I may have Richard do that to my pen, too.

I will - preferably with fewer typos than I generated this morning (I must learn to refrain from posting until after I'm awake...).

Simon

Immoteus, thanks for the comprehensive review. One of these pens is definitely on my wish list.

Lisa

Update: After using the #10 FA on a daily basis (three months and some odd days), the nib feels much more flexible compared to the #15 FA (used thrice throughout the three month period). So my point is that it doesnt really matter which nib size is chosen as long as the nib is properly maintained and "broken-in."

what does that mean?

how do you properly maintain and brake in these fa nibs? i am really curious now.

btw- i am loving my 743 fa! i have been a bit timid with it and havent practicing nearly as much as i was thinking i would. today i used it to write a card for my mother. pretty cool what it can do.

cheers,
ryan

I too bought a 742 with Falcon nib and how I love the nib! Unfortunately, I also experienced the ink feed starvation issue but I think I have it worse than the displayed images above. With even short strokes like crossing the t-bar and making commas, the ink stops flowing. I'm not even doing serious flexing with the nib at all. I'm just using my regular handwriting script. I have just mailed my 742 back to Engeika for an exchange. I hope the next model is better. If not, I'll send it in to Richard or Greg for "repair".

I've attached a sample of my writing with the Custom 742 Falcon nib pen and my Namiki Falcon pen with Soft Fine nib.