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Pilot Elite Short/long Nos Vs. Metropolitan?


Alex McSnack

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I'm in a bit of a conundrum here, and I'm looking for some help. My pen history is basically nil. I've only owned Varsities, a Lamy Safari EF, and a couple of 78Gs. I'd like to graduate someday to actual fountain pens like the MYU 701 or custom 74, but as a poor college student, I cannot do so in the near future.

 

With that in mind, which should I purchase? A White Tiger Pilot Metropolitan, or a NOS Pilot Elite Short/Long FP? I've been intending to get the Elite for awhile now, but the seller is currently away and won't be back until 1-15-2014 (one can still view the item in question here:http://www.ebay.com/itm/350810855581). I've got some Diamine Red Dragon ink burning a hole in my desk drawer, but I don't want to spoil its 'new factor' by putting it in my well-used 78G or recalcitrant safari.

 

I imagine that a japanese extra fine nib would probably be too litte for my use, and I've read on https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/182020-clean-out-my-office-sale-round-1/ that another user purchased this pen from the same seller, but "It was a firehose with ink"

 

I'll stop rambling now, but I think I've become fixated on a pen which seems to have a good chance of dissapointing me (the Elite S/L, that is). Can anyone help me make sense of the situation and if needed talk me out of my fixation?

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I can't speak on the Elite since I never owned one, but the Pilot Metropolitan on the other hand...

 

is an excellent pen! I bought one a couple of months ago and it has rarely come out of my rotation. It is important to note that the Metropolitan comes in only one nib size: Medium. That said, it is a Japanese pen, the nib size (to me at least) is most comparable to a Lamy fine.

 

The Metropolitan has a really smooth nib and is extremely wet. You mention that you are in college, so if you are forced to write on cheap paper, having a wet nib might be a problem, but otherwise I would fully recommend the pen, a great value for the price!

 

 

 

Happy Hunting!

Nick

Edited by Nick13

"It is much more interesting to live life not knowing, than having answers which might be wrong."

"Courage is grace under pressure" ~ Ernest Hemingway

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I would suggest the elite. I have both that you mention. The elite has a nice "springy nib", and is small. It fits well both is a shirt pocket, or in a pants pocket without issues when capped. When posted, the length is that of a proper pen, with a nice balance. It is tough to find such a nice nib, for $22.

 

It is part of my everyday use pens. The cartridges are easy to refill with a syringe. my fine nib, writes with a touch of flex. It goes from fine to medium, based on pressure. It makes for a nice script for daily writing or note taking.

 

Best to you.

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A Japnese XF is pretty darn fine.

Think 2 steps finer than your Lamy XF.

I would not get a nib that fine to use.

I have a Chinese XF nib pen, and it was not a pleasant pen to use, because the tip was so small. It is currently deinked.

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

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The Metropolitan is a very good and well-known pen, a predictable (and excellent) writer and a flexible C/C pen also. I've never used a Pilot Elite, but just looking at that listing I can see that the pen uses an aerometric filler system and that system seems to be integrated, so I'd ask the seller how to put a cartridge in before buying. If your 78G is an M nib, it's probably about the same line width as the Metropolitan, and if it's an F then it probably makes a much thinner line.

 

Pilot XF nibs are very, very fine (smaller than .3mm), and have an unavoidable amount of feedback that simply can't be smoothed out due to the nib size. If you prefer very smooth writing, or if you like to see different ink colors, the Metropolitan will probably be better. I wouldn't get an XF nib to put a new ink in, the color would appear very different because of the thin line.

 

Also, don't be so down on some of my favorite pens! :) I use the 78G every day for work, it's great for note-taking. Your pens are real fountain pens, and the experience of using a higher-cost FP isn't going to be all that different. It's like that old saying about pants, regardless of how much they cost you still write with them (or put them on) just the same.

Edited by WirsPlm
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I can't speak on the Elite since I never owned one, but the Pilot Metropolitan on the other hand...is an excellent pen! I bought one a couple of months ago and it has rarely come out of my rotation. It is important to note that the Metropolitan comes in only one nib size: Medium. That said, it is a Japanese pen, the nib size (to me at least) is most comparable to a Lamy fine.

 

The Metropolitan has a really smooth nib and is extremely wet. You mention that you are in college, so if you are forced to write on cheap paper, having a wet nib might be a problem, but otherwise I would fully recommend the pen, a great value for the price!

I should've clarified, my 78G is a Med nib as well, so I'm sure as far as performance goes, the metro will be fine. My worry is the clicking cap and flimsy-looking clip. I generally put the 78G in my jeans pocket, as I got too many looks when I stuck it to my T-shirt collar, and I've been fine because the cap screws on. But, with my safari at least, I often reach for my pen to find that I've only pulled out the cap, and the pen has been sitting in my pocket for some time. I've yet to have a major disaster that way, but I'm still paranoid about it. Would you say that the Metropolitan has a strong cap (and if you own a safari, compare the two), or a weak cap?

 

I would suggest the elite. I have both that you mention. The elite has a nice "springy nib", and is small. It fits well both is a shirt pocket, or in a pants pocket without issues when capped. When posted, the length is that of a proper pen, with a nice balance. It is tough to find such a nice nib, for $22.

 

It is part of my everyday use pens. The cartridges are easy to refill with a syringe. my fine nib, writes with a touch of flex. It goes from fine to medium, based on pressure. It makes for a nice script for daily writing or note taking.

 

Best to you.

Thanks for the advice. I'm glad the nib has some springiness to it. I've used flex pens before, and I really enjoy using them, but so far I've yet to own one of my own.

 

A Japnese XF is pretty darn fine.

Think 2 steps finer than your Lamy XF.

I would not get a nib that fine to use.

I have a Chinese XF nib pen, and it was not a pleasant pen to use, because the tip was so small. It is currently deinked.

That's what I'm thinking, glad you clarified it for me. If it's as fine as say a Hi-Tec-C or Signo DX, I'm gonna be stuck.

 

The Metropolitan is a very good and well-known pen, a predictable (and excellent) writer and a flexible C/C pen also. I've never used a Pilot Elite, but just looking at that listing I can see that the pen uses an aerometric filler system and that system seems to be integrated, so I'd ask the seller how to put a cartridge in before buying. If your 78G is an M nib, it's probably about the same line width as the Metropolitan, and if it's an F then it probably makes a much thinner line.

 

Pilot XF nibs are very, very fine (smaller than .3mm), and have an unavoidable amount of feedback that simply can't be smoothed out due to the nib size. If you prefer very smooth writing, or if you like to see different ink colors, the Metropolitan will probably be better. I wouldn't get an XF nib to put a new ink in, the color would appear very different because of the thin line.

 

Also, don't be so down on some of my favorite pens! :) I use the 78G every day for work, it's great for note-taking. Your pens are real fountain pens, and the experience of using a higher-cost FP isn't going to be all that different. It's like that old saying about pants, regardless of how much they cost you still write with them (or put them on) just the same.

Thanks for replying. I'm glad you clarified just how tiny the nib is. I think that will probably be too small for me...My 78G is a medium, so it'll be a similar experience. I'm not a fan of feedback, which is the primary reason my Lamy is currently sitting empty in my pen cup. (Maybe I should order an M nib for it).

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I should've clarified, my 78G is a Med nib as well, so I'm sure as far as performance goes, the metro will be fine. My worry is the clicking cap and flimsy-looking clip. I generally put the 78G in my jeans pocket, as I got too many looks when I stuck it to my T-shirt collar, and I've been fine because the cap screws on. But, with my safari at least, I often reach for my pen to find that I've only pulled out the cap, and the pen has been sitting in my pocket for some time. I've yet to have a major disaster that way, but I'm still paranoid about it. Would you say that the Metropolitan has a strong cap (and if you own a safari, compare the two), or a weak cap?

 

Thanks for the advice. I'm glad the nib has some springiness to it. I've used flex pens before, and I really enjoy using them, but so far I've yet to own one of my own.

 

That's what I'm thinking, glad you clarified it for me. If it's as fine as say a Hi-Tec-C or Signo DX, I'm gonna be stuck.

 

Thanks for replying. I'm glad you clarified just how tiny the nib is. I think that will probably be too small for me...My 78G is a medium, so it'll be a similar experience. I'm not a fan of feedback, which is the primary reason my Lamy is currently sitting empty in my pen cup. (Maybe I should order an M nib for it).

Yeah, if you don't like feedback, than you won't like any Pilot nib smaller than M. The Metropolitan in M is a very, very smooth pen (one of my smoothest), so no worries there, but Pilot's F and XF nibs are much smaller than US/EU F and XF and there's not many ways to eliminate feedback at that size.

 

Larger nibs are generally smoother, so ordering an bigger Lamy nib for your Safari might work, or you can practice nib smoothing with some micromesh and mylar paper. Lamy Fs are about the size of Pilot Ms, so that might be the right size, but the thing about Lamy nibs is that they don't do the same QC that Pilot does so sometimes their nibs just aren't smooth.

 

About the Metropolitan cap, I've never had it come off inside my bag (I usually don't carry pens in my pockets), but I have had the cap come off when I dropped the pen on a hard floor. So I'd say it's reasonably strong but YMMV, I don't use it the way you would. A pen sleeve or case might help, there's reasonably nice leatherish pen sleeves available on eBay for about $15, the Market Watch subforum has links. The Metro clip is studier than the 78G clip, the metal is less flexible and it's better secured to the cap at the top. The big problem I can see is that the Metro is much heaver than the 78G, and it will pull your pants down.

Edited by WirsPlm
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Yeah, if you don't like feedback, than you won't like any Pilot nib smaller than M. The Metropolitan in M is a very, very smooth pen (one of my smoothest), so no worries there, but Pilot's F and XF nibs are much smaller than US/EU F and XF and there's not many ways to eliminate feedback at that size. Larger nibs are generally smoother, so ordering an M Lamy nib for your Safari might work, or you can practice nib smoothing with some micromesh and mylar paper.

 

About the Metropolitan cap, I've never had it come off inside my bag (I usually don't carry pens in my pockets), but I have had the cap come off when I dropped the pen on a hard floor. So I'd say it's reasonably strong but YMMV, I don't use it the way you would. A pen sleeve or case might help, there's reasonably nice leatherish pen sleeves available on eBay for about $15, the Market Watch subforum has links. The Metro clip is studier than the 78G clip, the metal is less flexible and it's better secured to the cap at the top. The big problem I can see is that the Metro is much heaver than the 78G, and it will pull your pants down.

Well, we wouldn't want that, now would we? :P Thanks for clarifying about nib-size feedback. I didn't realize that even F nibs can be affected, I just thought it would be EF or Japanese XF nibs that could be toothy (presuming undamaged/correctly aligned tines)

I acutally got a pen box for Christmas, and I was considering putting it with a pen inside in my pocket, but that would just pull my pants even further down! I'd be walking like a penguin in no time :yikes:

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Okay, so I've ordered the Metropolitan, because I know that I had to get one someday no matter what, and I think I'm still going to order the Elite, once it becomes available on the 15th.

 

First order ever placed with GouletPens. Hope it goes well! X_X!

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Glad you placed the order! Goulet is one of the best places (if not the best) place I have ever bought pens from, you won't be disappointed! As for the sturdiness of the cap, I would say it is about average. I don't have a Lamy, so I wouldn't be able to compare it to that, but compared to some of my other snap-on caps, I would say it is average. My Lamy 2000 is a little more sturdy, but the pilot is more sturdy than my Cross, so I would say you have it about half way. As mentioned before, the clip is, at least in my case, extremely secure.

 

I hope you enjoy the pen, and post a couple of pics when you get the chance!

 

 

Nick

"It is much more interesting to live life not knowing, than having answers which might be wrong."

"Courage is grace under pressure" ~ Ernest Hemingway

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