Opinions on the Japanese pocket pens?

[blak000]

I've grown very interested in the old, Japanese pocket pens. I'm talking about the Pilot Elite, Sailor Short/Long, etc....

 

Anybody have any experience with them? How do they compare to other fountain pens?

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

[Gojira]

They're reliable writers, just like contemporary Japanese pens. You can find some that come with interesting flexy nibs though I have yet to try one myself. Very handy because of the size and they become a decent length once posted. The only thing you need to worry about are their filling systems as they are commonly sold without any converters. All of mine came with 1 or 2 cartridges so I usually just refill these with a syringe, no problems. The pocket pens are also a quite slim, but I find them comfortable enough and I'm the type that prefers bigger pens.

 

But once you start looking at these, be assured that they'll very likely grow into an incurable addiction! How can you resist such cute yet functional pens?

[saintsimon]

They are really nice and surprisingly comfortable to use, despite their slimness.

Just don't buy the cheapest Elites. I have two with ultra-dry nibs and porous section plastics = inky fingers. My Sailor long/short (are they really nameless?) is a nice one and I can use Sailor carts with those great inks of that brand.

 

Yes they're addictive ...

Edited October 23, 2007 by saintsimon

[blak000]

So what's a good pocket pen, that you would recommend? I'm more interested in the ones that have converters available, as opposed to cartridge only.

[jsonewald]

I have a Platinum that is carried every day in my pocket. It has an F nib, and so is very fine. It writes extremely well. I liked it enough to buy another, Sailor this time, on eBay. It should arrive this week.

[rroossinck]

+3 on the short/longs. Don't own one...yet. Still looking for the perfect one. Once I find it, it'll be an EDC pen without a doubt.

 

They really are comfortable, too, despite the diminutive size.

 

I'm a big handed feller, and they fit me well.

[jimg]

The Pilot Elites can use the modern "squeeze" converters and cartridge. I think the converter model is CON-20 but Mr Yamada from the Japan Ujuku Shop Japan Ujuku Shop would be able to tell you for sure.

 

The steel ribbed Elites, although more expensive than the all black plastic ones, have a little more width and "heft".

 

I still favour the Pilot MYU-701 from the 1970s, especially the Black Striped ones, but they are quite pricey. Approx $150-200 for a good used plain steel up to $400 plus for a mint black striped.

[blak000]

Interesting. Aside from the Pilot Elites, does anyone know if the Platinum or Sailor pocket pens take anything besides cartridges? Some of the Platinums look pretty nice, too... It would be awesome if the Platinums take their standard converter. Not exactly looking forward to the syringe method.

 

That MYU-701 is one interesting looking pen! I'm a big fan of the design! jimg, how do they write??

Edited October 23, 2007 by blak000

[Tberry010]

Can't speak for the Sailors but the Myu701 in F nib writes smooth and about as wet as any Japanese fine I have ever tried. I agree with the opinion tha tthe Elites are a little 'dry' but that is also the way my Platinums-both 14 and 18K, write. But, don't forget it can be the difference in the ink one uses. My favorite is the Volex. One caveat-I like a real pocket pen, that is one I can carry in my trouser pocket, and I find those with built in clips tend to snag on other things in my pocket. Yep, maybe carry too much stuff, but for an inexpensive pocket carry you might try a Kaweco Sport. If you like finer nib work, send a medium nib for tuning.

One last thought-I agree-these things are habit formiing. Tberry

[Nikolaos]

You can't go wrong with any of the short/long japanese pens especially if you are willing to spend a little more so that you avoid the very cheaply made ones. I have the MYU striped that i received last week with a medium nib (using it today) and it writes extremely well. It is a beauty to hold and to look at of course! I also have a Pilot Elite with a sterling cross hatched pattern cap and again a nice medium nib (and one in Fine on the way to me). Finally i have a stainless steel platinum striped (similar to MYU just not wtih the integral nib) with an XF nib and that is a great writer as well. All of these pens are very comfortable, compact, super light (even though most are made of steel) and well balanced once posted. A total pleasure to use.

 

Nikolaos

[blak000]

So which Pilot Elites are considered "cheap"? The plain black barreled ones?

 

Also, who are some good Ebay dealers, that specialize in these pens? I've stumbled across Russ and Stan... also dealer by the name sakura_zeppelin

 

Any others?

Edited October 23, 2007 by blak000

[stan]

The small Elites come in all kinds of types, from the plain black to sterling silver. In no particular order, the following combinations are found.

 

Sterling cap/sterling barrel.

Sterling cap/plastic barrel.

Stainless cap/Stainless barrel (crosshatch design)

Stainless cap/plastic barrel.

Metallic cap/colored plastic barrel

Balck cap/black barrel.

 

That's only the exterior. You really got to look under the hood to know what kind of performance to expect.

 

Even with plain black you can get super nibs that really make or break the pen. Check out the soft flexible fingernail nibs. They seem to only come on the black models. If you are looking for a big nib similar to that found on the Custom, go with one of the sterling or stainless models. Pilot was, in some regard, like General Motors of the 1970s. They could mix and match all kinds of parts to meet every need and budget.

 

If you're just getting into them, please send me a note. There ares everal in my book I could part with.

 

 

[saintsimon]

So which Pilot Elites are considered "cheap"? The plain black barreled ones?

 

Any others?

 

I consider the cheap ones to be those with the plated steel nibs. The gold nibbed Elites are hopefully better, but I haven't tried them yet.

[jsonewald]

...

 

Also, who are some good Ebay dealers, that specialize in these pens? I've stumbled across Russ and Stan... also dealer by the name sakura_zeppelin

 

Any others?

 

I have a pen in transit from soundboy_jp on eBay. It should arrive today or tomorrow. This is my second purchase from him. The first was my Platinum pocket pen. The pen was perfect, and the service was the fastest I have ever had from a seller.

[Keng]

I am using all three make of the long caps. AFAIK converters for the Platinum and Sailor long caps are now rare or hard to find and most sellers just provide cartridges to go with the pens. As the the Pilot model you can use the pump filler but not the long converter.

 

Mike

 

[shahrincamille]

I used to have 3 Platinum pocket pens but sold off 2.

 

These pens only use cartridges, and converters for the Platinum pocket pens are no longer in the market, but there's an article on Russ Stutler's site on how to modify a commonly-found converter to fit a Platinum pocket pen, here

 

 

 

Shahrin