Pilot Prera Ef

[XiaoMG]

When I first ordered a Pilot Prera, I was looking for something a bit finer than the TWSBI EF I was having trouble adjusting to. I really wanted something that got down to the size of the finer gel pens that I frequently used, and folks suggested the Prera. I got one, and I was relatively happy with it, though it didn't really ever take, since it was still just a wee bit broader than I was hoping. At work, I often have to write realllly tiny, and didn't want to go to the trouble of getting a custom nib done. The Prera F could handle it sometimes, but I had a much easier time with pencils and gel pens.

 

Not long ago, I learned that the Pilot Penmanship pen has a nib that is interchangeable with that of the Prera, and is an EF (compared to the Prera's F). Naturally, I wanted to get one just to swap nibs, so I ordered one. Today I received it, and while I've only loaded it up with a blue cartridge, the pen shows promise. The line is not the finest I've ever used, but it's very respectably in the <0.4mm gel pen range, which is great. The ink comes out a little weak, but can darken a bit with pressure.

 

[insert apologies for mediocre photos and bad handwriting]

http://i.imgur.com/bHXIG.jpg

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/UfXtQ.jpg

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/j6P1f.jpg

 

 

I'm planning to load some other ink into it, though exactly which ink has yet to be determined. I've read several posts mentioning that this could be done, but I must have overlooked the posts in which people actually did swap in the EF nib. Has anyone else out there done this, and if so, what inks did you manage to work things out with?

[Fredjo]

It's good to hear it turned out well! You've got a beautiful Prera there, I ordered my first FP today and it was a Prera with medium nib, so it's good to know there's a way to get an extra fine if I needed one!

[Ernst Bitterman]

Some pens won't do this trick, but most will accomodate; try writing with the feed upward. It may be scratchy, but it usually produces an even thinner line, and if it works, that would be a thin line indeed with this pen.

[rwilsonedn]

If you wish, you can always have the nib reground to an EEF. You might also be able to adjust the flow so you are getting a wetter line without getting a greater line width. Enjoy!

ron

[Sandy1]

Some pens won't do this trick, but most will accomodate; try writing with the feed upward. It may be scratchy, but it usually produces an even thinner line, and if it works, that would be a thin line indeed with this pen.

Hi,

 

Having a moment and the perceived need, (aka curiosity), I tried the Pilot Penmanship with its XF nib in regular orientation and inverted.

 

Unfortunately the feed didn't do well inverted. However, if one needs a few very very tiny characters on-the-fly, then the inverted nib manoeuvre should do the trick.

 

http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/yy116/Sandy1-1/FPN%20Stuff%20-%202011/958c5a9d.jpg

Paper: Rhodia A4 coil-bound pad. Ink: Visconti Green.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited November 30, 2011 by Sandy1

[XiaoMG]

I too tried to write with the nib flipped over, as I do it occasionally with several pens. I noticed my Edison F isn't very good at it, while my TWSBI M does a respectable F without being too scratchy. The EF Prera does it, but I agree with Sandy1 that it is for only occasional use. It's a bit scratchy in one direction, but with a light touch, I was able to squeeze the word "technology" into a 5mm square while maintaining legibility. Apologies that I have no photo of that at the moment.

I don't have a fetish for ultrafine writing, but it may come in handy on rare occasion. The normal orientation of the Prera EF is almost perfect for the majority of the smaller notes I take (assuming the ink doesn't feather), and feels surprisingly nice on decent paper. I do wish the Prera were a bit less plasticky, or had more of a brushed matte finish at least, but it is a very good and now a pretty practical option for me.

[Chevalier]

I knew it, I shouldn't have opened that thread .... *adding a white Prera to his list*

[Sandy1]

I knew it, I shouldn't have opened that thread .... *adding a white Prera to his list*

Santa is № 1 on my speed-dial.

[Chevalier]

I already tried to send my list to him the last couple of years. Looks like I am the Santa on duty in my family.

[myyrkezaan]

You can also switch in the 78Gs B and BB nibs as well as the Plumix's Italic Fine and Italic Medium.

[XiaoMG]

I knew it, I shouldn't have opened that thread .... *adding a white Prera to his list*

Mine is the ivory (off-white) and I think it is one of the nicest colors I could have gotten in the series. It is still polished plastic, but it's a very agreeable color and seems to work with absolutely everything. My roommate was intrigued so I got her a "vivid pink" and she seems to enjoy it. I have another friend who might be interested in the yellow as well...so my ivory one seems a little boring by comparison...but it's still very attractive.

[XiaoMG]

You can also switch in the 78Gs B and BB nibs as well as the Plumix's Italic Fine and Italic Medium.

Yeah, I noticed that as well. I don't really have much desire to go that direction with my pens (a standard medium is pretty insanely broad to me), but I think it could be a fun and very simple DIY project for folks who have one of these excellent entry-level pens and want to try out different nib styles. It's too bad these nibs aren't individually available, because I'd probably buy a set from EF to BB just to play around with them.

[XiaoMG]

It's a bit scratchy in one direction, but with a light touch, I was able to squeeze the word "technology" into a 5mm square while maintaining legibility. Apologies that I have no photo of that at the moment.

I got home this morning and decided to grab my loupe and a cheap camera to try it again.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/TA0QU.jpg

 

 

Not beautiful, but very fine. I would not do this kind of writing often (plus I had to wait a bit for the ink to dry up a bit before trying it, otherwise it wrote too wet to get a line that thin), but if anyone's curious how fine a Japanese EF nib can be when flipped over...hopefully this will give a good sense of it. Casual estimation (nothing fancy) puts the stroke width of the "l" at around 0.145mm.

[Chevalier]

Mine is the ivory (off-white) and I think it is one of the nicest colors I could have gotten in the series.

 

Thank you Xiao, I might have bought the wrong color.

[myyrkezaan]

Mine is the ivory (off-white) and I think it is one of the nicest colors I could have gotten in the series.

 

Thank you Xiao, I might have bought the wrong color.

 

What were you interested in and which did you buy?

[Chevalier]

The ivory Prera, but I noted white on my "to get list".

[crunchmaster]

Very nice! Impressive on that louped photo. I also have an ivory Prera, but I put a Plumix MI nib in it to make it a bit "fancier". I do have a Penmanship EF too. It's great. Baystate Blue does very well in it too; I have Kung Te Cheng in it right now.

 

Isn't the cap amazing? I've never seen another pen that feels that way when you cap it.

[XiaoMG]

Very nice! Impressive on that louped photo. I also have an ivory Prera, but I put a Plumix MI nib in it to make it a bit "fancier". I do have a Penmanship EF too. It's great. Baystate Blue does very well in it too; I have Kung Te Cheng in it right now.

 

Isn't the cap amazing? I've never seen another pen that feels that way when you cap it.

Thanks for this! I was hoping to get some advice on what ink to put in it. I was considering putting my boring but excellent Sailor Kiwaguro in it, but I recently realized that that stuff doesn't adhere well at all to printed magazine pages that I frequently jot notes on at work (my other inks generally work fine though). The Pilot blue isn't a terrible color, but not really to my taste. I'm thinking of tossing Kon-Peki or Yama-Budo in it.

 

Like you, I'm a big fan of the cap on the Prera. I'd like to try the Legno 89s to see if its cap behaves similarly. I'd really love a Prera with slightly more heft and more interesting finish...but unfortunately I'd lose the option to drop in a superfine nib.

[crunchmaster]

That's not a bad idea: a jumbo Prera. Hm, we should email Pilot.

 

Do you have any TWSBIs?

[XiaoMG]

That's not a bad idea: a jumbo Prera. Hm, we should email Pilot.

 

Do you have any TWSBIs?

Well, the Custom 98 and the 89S pens are in the right vicinity, using a #3 nib and quite short dimensions. I do not know if they're "beefier" than the Prera, since I haven't had the chance to try them. I think the size is great, but part of me just feels that the plastic bodies are a bit cheap. I've done wood and metal work and have never been very impressed by lightweight low-density plastics on pens. I'm itching to get a Pilot Custom 74, but I know it's another featherweight pen, and that holds me back just a little bit.

 

I've got a TWSBI 540 M and a 530 EF (which is currently on loan to a friend). I rather like the weight and the overall feel of them, but they are a bit wider than I prefer, and I am a little ambivalent about the design. Still, they're good pens, and I wish they were offered with Japanese fine nibs to go with my handwriting.

 

Oh, and I grabbed a Plumix with the MI nib on an order I placed at Goulet just a few minutes ago. Maybe it'll be fun to play with an italic on occasion.