Just Got A Pilot Mr (Metropolitan) At The Local Office Supply Store

[bwDraco]

So, I went to the local Staples store today to buy a new hole punch and found a bunch of Pilot MR fountain pens on the shelf. I was naturally intrigued and bought myself one, seeing that it only costed $16. This particular pen has Retro Pop green trim and a fine nib.

 

 

Unlike the European-spec version (which accepts international cartridges), the US/Japan-spec MR (which is essentially the same as the Metropolitan) requires a Pilot proprietary cartridge or converter. Luckily, I had an extra CON-50 converter on hand from when I bought my Pilot Prera a few years back and it fit perfectly. If the packaging says the pen takes IC-50 or IC-100 cartridges, that means you'll need a Pilot proprietary converter to fill it from a bottle. The pen came with a single black cartridge, but I haven't used it.

 

I filled the pen with Sheaffer Skrip Jet Black and found that it behaves very similarly to my Prera: as expected for a Japanese pen, the nib lays a very fine line and has some tooth but otherwise very smooth and very consistent. On Clairefontaine paper, there's no feathering, skipping, or bleed-through. The pen is constructed of a combination of plastic and brass so there's a bit of heft to it, but it doesn't feel excessively heavy, even with the cap posted.

 

To see that run-of-the-mill office supply stores like Staples are selling these inexpensive fountain pens as regular shelf items in blister packaging shows fountain pens are gaining mainstream acceptance once more. I'm happy with this pen and expect it to give me many years of reliable service.

 

Your thoughts?

 

Draco

Edited March 28, 2017 by bwDraco

[mmg122]

Draco...thanks for the review. I'm a great admirer of the Pilot MR. I especially think it's a great pen for beginning users since they typically are trouble free. Good to hear that Staples is carrying them now.

 

Mary

[ManofKent]

I picked up the European version in the UK Staples (would prefer it if they took Pilot cartridges too...) and they're great pens for the money. Nice balance and a very good nib. The barrel step down prevents me from finding it comfortable for long periods of use, but for short notes etc. it's great.

[Sakura FP Gallery]

I agree this is a very nice pen to start with. I've noticed they preform very well with Graf von Faber-Castell Cobalt Blue cartridges.