Pilot Elite short/long: cross-hatched cap, 18K white gold nib

May 5, 2008

First Impressions

Finally! A short/long with white metal trim, and a stainless cap! This one came to me from a Malaysian friend of mine. No box or paperwork, but frankly, that stuff isn’t important to me. I’d been looking for a gold-nibbed short/long without gold trim,m so this one was right up my alley.

Appearance

the barrel and section are glossy black plastic, with a chrome trim ring acting as a bump-stop for the cap (it’s a slip-cap). The barrel is imprinted FP17, but I’m not sure what that mean. The nib is an 18K white gold nib that’s similar to those found on the Pilot Super series from the 50s and 60s (and maybe early 70s). It’s sort of shaped like a fingernail. The nib is marked 18K 750, Pilot <F> H1276; the H1276 indicates a December 1976 manufacture date. The feed is a translucent smoky gray.

the cap is stainless steel, with an etched rectangular cross-hatched pattern. The etching is enameled black. The clip is metal, chrome-plated, with a divot/valley running the length of it. Pilot is engraved in it. At the bottom of the cap, aligned directly below the clip, is the word “Elite” in Pilot’s signature script.

Design/Size/Weight

As a short/long pen, the barrel is very short at about 1.5” in length. Historically, these pens were designed to fit in a Japanese shirt pocket, which wasn’t terribly deep. The great thing about these pens, though, is that they post out to a nearly perfectly-balanced full-sized pen that’s slender, but about 5.5” long. as far as portability is concerned, they’re perfect for a pants pocket or a purse. To me, it’s nearly perfect as far as weight, too. I’m guessing that when fully loaded, it’s no more than 25g. It’s very comfortable to hold, and works great for long writing sessions. I wish I’d had one of these when I was in college!

Nib

Here’s where it gets interesting, as far as this particular pen is concerned. When I got it (and I knew it was coming this way), it wasn’t writing well. It was a little scratchy, and had a persistent skipping problem. The tines seemed okay, but it wasn’t working the way that it should. After a thorough cleaning and flossing of the nib, it got a little better, but still wasn’t what I was happy with. I did a little more cleaning in an ultrasonic bath, but wasn’t able to do much with it, as my life had taken a sudden change in direction. I put it away, and didn’t come back to it until late this week.

Well, I think that having that time to rest must have done the trick, because when I finally got back to it and filled it with a converter of Pelikan Royal Blue, it’s been nearly perfect. No skipping or scratches here; just a very even, moderately dry inkflow, and a super-smooth nib.

This nib is markedly different from other short/long nibs I’ve written with. While the others (a 14K XF Platinum and a steel Pilot Volex) have been good, they’ve been very rigid. This one, though, is remarkably soft. I wouldn’t call it flexible, but it’s not too much of a stretch to call it springy. It’s really nice to write with.

Filling System

While not terribly groundbreaking, it’s worth noting that these Elite short/longs use Pilot’s cartridges, the aerometric CON-20 converter, and (I think) the CON-50 screw-type piston converter. I’m pretty sure that the cartridge holds the most ink.

Cost and Value

I think that short/long pens, as a category, are quite a bargain. They’re not always the easiest to find in the model you’re after, as they weren’t always well-catalogued like other vintage pens (i.e., Vacumatics, “51”s, etc.) But...once you know what you’re looking for, you’ll find that there are lots of them (many still uninked with stickers) available on eBay. Prices range all over the place, but you can typically get one for less than $100 shipped.

Conclusion

I think that these are great little pens, and this one is a shining example of what they should be. It’s rare to get one that’s a bad writer. Try one...you won’t be disappointed!

http://www.roossinck.com/FPN/review/elite1.jpg

May 6, 2008

Ryan, a very nice review of a pen that I'd say often goes understated. At first these short pens look peculiar, with their stubby bodies and long caps. But over time, it grows on you. I use a couple of these, one a MYU with integrated nib. The non-integrated nibs are better writers and tend to write leaner than by Western standards--which is a good thing!

I think you did the right thing--getting a used one without a sticker. That lowers the price reasonably and also encourages use (there's something about a mint pen with a sticker on it that feels like sacrilege to ink up). And these pens are best when put to paper.

~Gary

May 6, 2008

Congratulations, Ryan, both on finally acquiring a metal pocket pen and the fine review of it. I have the same Elite "Isaac Newton" though mine is a little older than yours with a date code of 876.

BTW Namiki Blue as well as Waterman Blue-Black seem to improve flow in the Elites when that is an issue. Rather than scratchy I'd say mine give a bit of feedback but a good match of ink to pen usually minimizes it.

One thing that surprised me about these pens is the balance and comfort. In fact it's so good I can draw with them, something I cannot do with heavier Western pens. For me that's the ultimate test that these pens pass with ease.

May 6, 2008

Thanks to you both. I think that as a genre, they're very under-rated, and I really don't understand why. Nearly every Japanese nib I've ever written with has been fantastic, and they're often heralded as about the best you can get out of the box, so it doesn't make sense to me that these nibs aren't more highly sought-after in a vintage application.

Maybe it's the stubby body or something.

Oh well...I guess that means more for those of us who really love 'em!

May 6, 2008

Thank you for a great review, Ryan! My first pen was short-long pen, and I wish I still had it. Mine was Platinum but also had an 18K white gold nib, too.

H on the nib code means it was made in Pilot Hiratsuka Factory in Kanagawa Prefecture. There used to be another factory in Tokyo, and the pens made in Tokyo had T instead of H. Tokyo Factory closed in 1978. Currently there are two production lines in Hiratsuka Factory - Line A and Line B, and the nib codes starts with A or B depending on which line it was produced.

May 26, 2008

Hey, I have that pen!

The tuxedoed Pilot Elite with it's fine stainless steel cap, black barrel and white gold nib is truly a pleasure to write with. Easily one of the best pens Pilot ever produced. If you are interested in finding a good one, most likely, you'd go to eBay and do a search. Since these pens were made only for Japan, it's very rare when you can find one in the States. Start on the auctions and go from there. You won't regret writing with a Pilot Elite. Thanks for the fantastic review, Ryan!

Shamouti

Edited May 26, 2008 by Shamouti

May 26, 2008

Hi Ryan and all,

I've got one like Ryan's except mine has the barrel end also in the cross-hatched stainless. I really like it a lot. I've also got it's near kin sitting on my desk, a Platinum black stripe - it's just waiting on me to modify a Platinum converter so I can use bottled ink.

Take care,

Michael