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Newbie Thoughts On Pilot Kakuno (Medium Japanese Nib)


PenGal17

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Let me start of by saying..... I LOVE this pen.

You may think that the Kakuno is a child's pen but honestly? It writes amazing! So smooth and wet that it is perfect for a beginner and seasoned as well. All around pleasure to write with! If you don't want to write with it in public (i.e. Its childish looks) at 14$? Get one for home!

No start up issues even without flushing. Right out of the box its ready to write. Id suggest a pilot CON-50 converter and bottled ink (sold separate) if you want lots of color options (why not? 😁) and if not you can get refill pilot cartridges on amazon .com or jetpens .com as far as I know.

All in all at 14$ this pen is a steal!

Happy Writing everyone!

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I agree ... I have all kinds of more expensive pens including Nakaya, VPs and Montblanc.

 

I have 5 Kakuno and 2 on order ... Mixed between fine and medium.

 

Great writers, great gifts for teenagers you are trying to steer on the "right path", if I'm going somewhere I don't want to take my 6 pen case or I want to quickly try out a new ink ... they are my "go to" pen. I even occasionally put one in my 6 pens EDC.

 

I think the smiling nibs are great and the new winking ones make me smile too

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I agree ... I have all kinds of more expensive pens including Nakaya, VPs and Montblanc.

I have 5 Kakuno and 2 on order ... Mixed between fine and medium.

Great writers, great gifts for teenagers you are trying to steer on the "right path", if I'm going somewhere I don't want to take my 6 pen case or I want to quickly try out a new ink ... they are my "go to" pen. I even occasionally put one in my 6 pens EDC.

I think the smiling nibs are great and the new winking ones make me smile too

Haha i didnt even know there were winking ones! Just checked mine in case i didnt notice lol i got the regular which is totally fine. I too am going to get multiples. I plan on getting 1 of each of the colors that i will write with corresponding inks. :) the only thing i believe that might make it better is the lamy grip that makes you write correctly but then again this pen teaches self correction which is even better imo.

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I the love the design, I just wish that I had bought a Medium instead of a Fine because my fine nib is too fine and starts to skip.

Sometimes life is merely a matter of coffee and whatever intimacy a cup of coffee affords. - Richard Brautigan

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I highly recommend doing what I did, and frankenpening a Plumix 0.9 italic and/or a Penmanship EF nib onto your Kakuno if you ever get tired of the smiley face.

 

The nibs of the Pilot Kakuno/Plumix/Pluminix/Penmenship/Metropolitan/MR/Cocoon are all easily interchangeable.

Semper Faciens, Semper Discens

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I the love the design, I just wish that I had bought a Medium instead of a Fine because my fine nib is too fine and starts to skip.

Ya i bought a medium because i knew the fine would be tiny lol

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I highly recommend doing what I did, and frankenpening a Plumix 0.9 italic and/or a Penmanship EF nib onto your Kakuno if you ever get tired of the smiley face.

 

The nibs of the Pilot Kakuno/Plumix/Pluminix/Penmenship/Metropolitan/MR/Cocoon are all easily interchangeable.

I would but i am not really a fan of italic nibs (yet) lol i mostly like medium Japanese nibs so far.
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I got a Kakuno recently, and was surprised to find it winking at me. Now I know why :-P I got the fine because, well, I like fine nibs. Mine was dry and skippy, which was a first for me. I did a little tine spreading and adjusting, followed by some brown paper polishing, and now it hardly skips at all. It's quite close to my Penmanship EF, which is my favorite pen, but now that my Kakuno is cooperative, I'm sure I'll love it too.

My pens: Penny the Penmanship, Dot the Metropolitan, Pallas the Parallel, Neoma the High Ace Neo, Petra the Petit1, Calliope the Kakuno (Also, a Sheaffer No-Nonsense)

My bottles of ink: Sailor Epinard & Ultramarine; Mysterious Blue (Wishlist: Oku Yama)

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I think for the price, they are the best pens on the market ... as well as having that Kawaii factor

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I have a winking Kakuno too, and I agree it's a wonderful pen for the price. Mine is an F nib that writes beautifully (on the Iroshizuku and Sailor inks I've fed it so far), and to think I had no interest in them and only bought one because the shop was out of the Clear Candy I wanted.

 

I am, however, hesitant to order another one as I can't help but feel I might have lucked out the first time and gotten a wet, smooth writing nib. Mine doesn't skip or hard start at all, and I worry I wouldn't be so fortunate the second time around.

I was once a bottle of ink, Inky Dinky Thinky Inky, Blacky Minky Bottle of Ink!

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Mine is easily a favorite. Too dry for Salix but runs everything else easily. Dropped it and bent the nib months ago, straightened it (experience with my hands helps), and back to work it went.

Physician- signing your scripts with Skrips!


I'm so tough I vacation in Detroit.

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I use an M nib exclusively for BSB (Noodler's Blue State) and works perfect, I'm still trying to remove the nib for proper cleaning, but I don't know if that's possible, is kind of hard to take out.

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  • 1 year later...

I have a winking Kakuno too, and I agree it's a wonderful pen for the price. Mine is an F nib that writes beautifully (on the Iroshizuku and Sailor inks I've fed it so far), and to think I had no interest in them and only bought one because the shop was out of the Clear Candy I wanted.

 

I am, however, hesitant to order another one as I can't help but feel I might have lucked out the first time and gotten a wet, smooth writing nib. Mine doesn't skip or hard start at all, and I worry I wouldn't be so fortunate the second time around.

 

I'd looked at them but never got around to buying one because I was in my "must get more next level pens" phase.

 

As fate would have it, a soft blue with the winking smiley nib dropped in my iPenBox subscription, and I just inked it up.

 

It's a fine nib, but you would never know it from how it writes. Mine is super wet, and super smooth.

 

This is an incredible little pen for the money!

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  • 4 weeks later...

I love my Kakunos, absolutely great pens and tremendous value. I have both fine and medium nibs.

 

I was inspired to try the Kakuno because I was displeased with the ergonomics of my Pilot Metropolitan. I loved the Metropolitan's nib, but that skinny little grip section was not enjoyable for prolonged writing. I had hoped that the Kakuno would give me the ergonomics I wanted with the nib I already knew I liked. So off to Amazon I went, and ordered a Kakuno. A couple of days later, a box arrived with my new Kakuno. I flushed it, dried it, and inked it up... then did my first writing test with it...

 

The heavens parted, and the angels sang. The Kakuno was exactly what I hoped it would be. I promptly bought a second one.

 

Both of my Kakunos have been smooth, reliable writers. Great ergonomics, smooth nibs, and muted enough in the "Gray" color to use at work (even in conferences and meetings). Plus, the latest version of the Kakuno takes the CON-70 convertor for a big upgrade in ink capacity (about 1 ml). The fine nib is great for marginal notations and use on cheap paper, and the M is good for pretty much everything else (except important signatory work).

 

Only concern for some might be the lack of a pocket clip. Not a problem for me. I think that the Kakunos offer excellent value: outstanding performance for low cost.

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@bigkahuna,

 

Good to know that another satisfied Kakuno user/owner in the forum, I use a Kaweko clip for my Kakuno, it works fine, if you want a picture how it fits, ask me and I post a photo.

http://static2.jetpens.com/images/a/000/018/18883.jpg?mark64=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5qZXRwZW5zLmNvbS9pbWFnZXMvYXNzZXRzL3dhdGVybWFyay5wbmc&markalign64=dG9wLHJpZ2h0&markscale=19&s=7cb3c14d095f2ec98690e9ab124c9547

This Clip is available in Jetpens and any major fountain webstores.

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@bigkahuna,

 

Good to know that another satisfied Kakuno user/owner in the forum, I use a Kaweko clip for my Kakuno, it works fine, if you want a picture how it fits, ask me and I post a photo.

 

This Clip is available in Jetpens and any major fountain webstores.

 

@Safari_Camo,

 

Thank you for the information! I'm assuming the clip just slips over the cap. Do the clips fit pretty securely?

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Well... it's enough to carry in your pocket, don't expect a ultra grip like Pelikan :)

http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i455/rendergroup/Fountain%20Pen/kakuno_zpsqw9bw1bu.jpg

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I like the Kakuno too. Where I live it costs the same as a Lamy Safari or the Metropolitan (around 15€).

Pilot nibs run finer and less scratchy in the small sizes, Lamy nibs are wetter in the larger sizes. Lamy Safari feels more durable than the Kakuno, but I love Japanese fine nibs and the Kakuno grip for writing formulas. I was never able to warm up to the Metropolitan, so the Kakuno is a nice alternative.

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