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  1. After acquiring a lot of gift cards for my birthday, I decided I would like to finally get a gold nib pen. All I can afford is an eBay/Amazon seller of the Pilot Custom 74, but I am dedicated to this pen after many reviews., so I would not like to change that. This seems to be the best pen for my hand size, school and other things I may use it for, like generic writing. One thing I cannot seem to find much of are pictures or suggestions of nib comparisons. I would definitely like a nib with a bit of line variation (and yes I know flex and soft are not the same thing). I know the soft nibs and according to some websites, even standard nibs will offer that, but I would like some more judgement on my opinion. I can be a consistent writer when I want to, but also want some creativity in my writing which is why I might want a soft nib. Any opinions on them? Again this would be for a high school student who's looking for a bit of line variation, and would like a nice pen to carry around. Thanks!
  2. collectorofmanythings

    Pilot E95S (Elite 95S) Review

    Hello! First of all, this is only my third review on FPN, so if you can please leave constructive criticism below! I would love to improve the quality of my reviews. The Pilot E95S seems to be like the least expensive gold nib pen that is consistently offered here in the U.S. . The only cheaper one I can think of is the Platinum PTL-5000A, which I would love if it was consistently offered in the U.S., but they seem to constantly discontinue it. So, this is a very popular first gold nib pen. It was my second gold nib, so I did get it relatively early in my fountain pen hobby. For a quick summary of the review, I like this pen. I don’t love it, but it’s is great value, and I definitely recommend it. Design and Build Quality (8.5/10) For the most part, this design is great. It is slim, but comfortable, has a great inlaid nib (which I love), is compact, but bigger when posted, and the feeling of capping and uncapping is great. But, Pilot’s black resin does not hold up to the little metal things on the inside of the cap that hold it on. It has fine scratches on it, which are pretty apparent. Now, I am one of those people who sort of like that, and don’t really want pens to look brand new, I want them to look like I used them. But I can understand how this can annoy some people. That’s why it’s a 8.5/10, instead of a 10/10. Nib Performance and Writing Experience (9/10) This nib is great. I have a fine nib, which is 14k gold and inlaid. It is smooth, and quite soft. I would call this a flex, semi-flex, or soft nib, but a quite soft nib. By that I mean that you can get some line variation, but not that much where you can use it for calligraphy, just a bouncy writing experience. The only thing is it is just a bit particular with inks. Both Noodler’s Walnut and Diamine Chocolate Brown were just a bit too dry for it, and it had some skipping. But all Herbin, Jacques Herbin, and Iroshizuku work great with it from my experience. With them the pen is not especially wet, but I wouldn’t call it dry either. With the writing sample, I used Jacques Herbin Terre d’Ombre, which is currently my favorite ink but might be replaced by Robert Oster Caffe Crema when that ink sample gets to me, and on 52gsm cream Tomoe River Paper. Conclusion This a great pen, and a great value! I highly recommend it. It’s really great! Little Note- It seems like every place I go to except for JetPens sells it as the Pilot E95S for $136, but JetPens sells it as the Pilot Elite 95S for $136 as well. Just a little thing. Edit- It was to commemorate the 95th anniversary of Pilot, but is not a limited edition. It also comes with the Pilot CON-40, but can fit the discontinued CON-20. Now the pictures: The second to last photo shows scratches on the barrel, and the last one shows the metal things on the inside of the cap.
  3. So I have both a Custom 742 and a 743, both with the FA nib, and while the 743 was pretty much a perfect writer out of the box, the 742 is pretty much useless, constantly hard starting and skipping and making writing an otherwise miserable exercise. I've tried every ink in my collection, including the obscenely wet Private Reserve Tanzanite, and it did pretty much nothing to improve the flow. I've gotten the 2-slit feeds as well from Flexible Nib Factory, and while the 743 went from an already good writer to a phenomenal one that can use pretty much any ink, the 742 only became just slightly more usable, now capable of a few words without skipping/railroading and still borderline unusable for regular writing because of the constant hard-starting. I've ordered a 3-slit FNF feed to see if that might remedy the issue, but I've largely given up on the pen, and from searching the forums and Reddit, this seems to be a pretty common issue with #10 Pilot FA nibs. What exactly is the reason these nibs perform so much worse than their bigger cousins, even for regular writing?
  4. Hi all! I just bought a Pilot celluloid pen at a local antique store and I can't find anything on it. I know it's a Pilot and that it's old. I am confused on the filling mechanism (solved), and would like to find out the model #/name and history of the pen. UPDATE: The filling mechanism is a Japanese Eyedropper with a closing valve. I still would like to find out the model #/name and history on it.
  5. I got a brand new Pilot Explorer (F). I replaced the CON-B converter with a CON-70 converter and then put in some Diamine Writer's Blood into the converter using a syringe. I plugged in the converter and let the pen sit nib down for about 3 minutes. Tried writing, but no flow. I stood the pen up for another 5 minutes, and then tried writing. but still no flow. I couldn't even see any ink in the tines. I stood the pen up for another 5 minutes, and then tried writing, but again still nothing. Still no ink in the tines. So I just put the cap on and did an arm swing like throwing a boomerang while holding on to the pen. That put a splat of in inside the cap, and also got the pen going. Is this typical with Pilots? This is only the second Pilot fountain pen in the house. The first one was my daughter's Kakuno. I for her pen, after 10 minutes of standing up and still no ink flow, I just gave the cartridge a squeeze, and that got things going. Or do they assume that you follow fountain best practices and flush the nib/section of a new pen with water first? I think I saw this recommendation at Goulet Pens as well as a few other sites. Will the dampness in the feed (even after a quick air drying with a bulb), help get things started?
  6. Thought I'd share the result of stripping down a matte black Pilot Vanishing Point and setting to work on creating an aged, vintage brass look.
  7. yazeh

    Pilot Blue Black

    I participated in a blind testing on the fpgeeks forum of three ink samples. This is the 2nd sample. Paradoxically, I enjoyed using it for drawing. I was really excited by the complex chroma but ultimately but in the end it left me indifferent. Maybe I've become to blasé Note: in the reviews, you see it mentions as Mystery ink #52. Lets start with the delicious chroma: Writing samples: Note how dry times double with Japanese paper, isn't that ironic? It doesn't like copy paper: Photos: Paper is Mnemosyne Watertest: Paper is Mnemosyne. On absorbent paper it doesn't budge when sufficiently dry. Comparison: and finally a sketch, it's a homage to Mabie Todd, Swan pens. Inks used: Pilot Blue Black, Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-guri Sailor Kiwa Guro pigment Organic Studios Oscar Copper (red) and the nib was done with a gold metallic marker. · Pens used: Lamy Safari (Ef/F/M/B), Osmiroid copper plate nib, Jinhao 450 (fude) · What I liked: The chroma, price and for drawing, · What I did not like: Colour, washed up blue, long dry times on Japanese papers, short on Rhodia (I don't use the latter 😇) · What some might not like: Same as above. · Shading: Yes. · Ghosting: Yes, on cheap paper. · Bleed through: Yes, on cheap paper. · Flow Rate: Excellent. · Lubrication: Good. · Nib Dry-out: No. · Start-up: No · Saturation: No · Shading Potential: Yes · Sheen: A hint · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: No. · Nib Creep / “Crud”: No. · Staining (pen): No. · Clogging: No. · Cleaning: I had to use pen flush for the Osmiroid and the Jinhao feed. I was too lazy to wait for more than a day. · Water resistance: The more absorbent the paper, the more water resistant it is. · Availability: 70 , 350 ml bottles, cartridges. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier
  8. yazeh

    Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-guri

    I participated in a blind testing on the fpgeeks forum of three ink samples. A fun thing about this endeavour is that one is free of the burden of the manufacturer, the name, the country it is made and any expectations or associations with said brand or ink. The first one was Yama-Guri, which translates to Wild / or Mountain Chestnut. It's a dark brown ink, but when you do the chroma, it is obviously a Japanese ink Writing samples: Dry time is decent and the purple is only obvious if you smudge the ink. It definitely doesn't like Hammermill 20lb paper: Photo - Paper is Mnemosyne This was done with the semi-flex pen. The red ink, is Organic Studios Oscar Copper Comparaison: Water test: (under running water for 10 seconds) And finally a sketch. A great thanks to @LizEF for giving me permission to create (hopefully) sketch of her fantastic Quin and Makhabesh serial. This is part of an ongoing creation. This is Makhabesh surprised/ horrified discovering a secret The brown ink in the background is Gutenberg Urkundentinte G10 Iron-gall ink. Makhabesh is drawn with Yama-Guri. And then washed with a brush. The scarab on his chest and the other gold lines were created by applying bleach with a glass nib. · Pens used: Lamy Safari (Ef/F/M/B), Soennecken Schulfüller (Semi-flex), Jinhao 450 fude, · What I liked: Really nice dark colour, well lubricated, classy, complex chroma, water resistance. · What I did not like: Long dry times, and it’s not easy to clean, might as well go for a permanent ink. · What some might not like: It doesn’t like cheap paper. Not for lefty over writers, or ink hoppers and price. · Shading: With broad nibs. · Ghosting: Yes, with Hammermill paper. · Bleed through: Yes, with cheap paper. · Flow Rate: Wet · Lubrication: Really nice. · Nib Dry-out: None. · Start-up: None · Saturation: Very saturated · Shading Potential: With wide nibs · Sheen: None · Spread / Feathering / Woolly Line: None · Nib Creep / “Crud”: None. · Staining (pen): No · Clogging: No · Cleaning: I had to use a pen flush. · Water resistance: Very good. · Availability: 50 ml bottles. Please don't hesitate to share your experience, writing samples or any other comments. The more the merrier 🙂
  9. All, I bought a stub as a spare nib for my Pilot Vanishing point. But it seems to me that it wants to write at pretty much a 90-degree angle - nearly perpendicular to the paper. Is this how they're supposed to be? Below are pictures, if a different angle will help, please let me know. (Sorry, they're not all the greatest... I could take pictures of my other stubs to show their more-rounded bottom-to-tip areas...) My questions: 1) Is this normal? Is it really supposed to be used at basically 90-degrees? Or is that little sliver of the edge (see a couple pics below, with comment) really supposed to be the writing area? Am I missing something? 2) Does anyone see any problem (other than the obvious risk of screwing it up) with me trying to adjust the nib (via micromesh) to essentially create a sweet spot at an angle that's comfortable to me? Side of the nib (so you can see it looks rather boxy - my other stubs are sort of rounded from the bottom toward the tip of the nib, so that you write at about a 45-degree angle): http://paradoxcommunity.com/vps/side.jpg http://paradoxcommunity.com/vps/side2.jpg Bottom of the nib: http://paradoxcommunity.com/vps/bottom2.jpg ...(above) I suppose that little tiny edge reflecting all the light could be intended to be the sweet spot, but it's nothing like the other stubs I have, and it's impossible to find / maintain while writing... http://paradoxcommunity.com/vps/bottom3.jpg http://paradoxcommunity.com/vps/bottom45degree.jpg ...I suppose that little tiny edge reflecting all the light could be intended to be the sweet spot, but it's nothing like the other stubs I have, and it's impossible to find / maintain while writing... Tip of the nib: http://paradoxcommunity.com/vps/tip.jpg http://paradoxcommunity.com/vps/tip2.jpg http://paradoxcommunity.com/vps/tip-angle.jpg
  10. Namiki Yukari Royale versus Pilot Custom 845 http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7346/11918876405_a4b358c5a4_b.jpg Introducing the Namiki Yukari Royale in Black Urushi (top) and the Pilot Custom 845 (bottom). Both pens are resting on a Nakaya three-pen pillow in Kuro Tamenuri Urushi on top of a Midori pad. On the right is a box of Namiki Black ink. Introduction This is a long over-due comparison between two of Pilot's arguably most luxurious mainstream pens, the Namiki Yukari Royale and the Pilot Custom 845. As you all know, the Pilot Corporation uses the Namiki brand for its premium line of writing instruments, much like Toyota uses the Lexus brand and Honda uses the Acura brand for their luxury marquees. The Yukari Royale occupies the second highest rung of Namiki writing instruments, and many people have also made a case for the Pilot Custom 845 being the "flagship" of the regular line-up of fountain pens that Pilot produces, due to its comparatively high MSRP and the superior materials used in its construction. I first acquired the Yukari Royale in 2010, and found it an ideal pen to use. Over time I found myself attracted to the Pilot Custom 845 because it was similar, yet different enough so that I could justify ownership of the pen to myself. So late last year I found an 845 making its way from the sales board into my stable of pens. Some history behind these two pens, according to Fountain Pens of Japan by Andreas Lambrou and Masamichi Sunami (2012), and I paraphrase the information from this invaluable resource here. The Yukari Royale design came from a Balance model first used for the principal pen series made to commemorate Pilot's 80th anniversary in 1998. It was smaller than the #50 FFK Jumbo pen (also known as Namiki Emperor) but bigger than the standard FK Balance model (also known as Namiki Yukari). This limited edition of 1918 pens is long sold-out, but they came in black or red urushi finishes (even the clip was lacquered), and a "four animal gods" lacquer band theme around the opening of the pen cap. See this link from Namiki's website for a picture of this pen and RLD's excellent review of the Pilot 80th anniversary pen. The 845 first debuted in 2002 and its design was derived from the Pilot 75 pen (edition of 7500 pens) made to celebrate Pilot's 75th anniversary in 1993. The Pilot 75 was designed to resemble pens made in the 1930s and it sported a Kikuza clip reminiscent of 1940s-style clips. See Rokurinpapa's extensive review of the Pilot 75 pen. So how do these two pens compare, given their distinguished lineages? First up, their prices. The Yukari Royale has an MSRP of $1500 while the Pilot Custom 845 sells for around $525. Market rates of these pens brand-new hover around $1200 for the Yukari Royale and mid-to-high $400's for the 845. Fortunately, I managed to acquire both pens for much less. Are they worth their suggested retail prices? This will be up to the individual, but for me hunting for a good price is part of the fun in the pen chase. Packaging and Pen Presentation http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3716/11921486675_9a296dfab1_b.jpg The Namiki Yukari Royale pictured in its paulownia wood box. http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5473/11916545376_e7e6dbba02_b.jpg Another picture of the Namiki Yukari Royale in its box. The Yukari Royale comes in a box made of paulownia wood. Included is a bottle of Pilot Blue ink as well as some literature describing the operation of the pen. Notable is a certificate attesting to the authenticity and quality of the urushi finish (not shown). According to the Namiki website, the Yukari Royale comes with a lifetime guarantee: it is "unconditionally guaranteed against failures due to faulty materials or workmanship throughout [its] life with the original owner." http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3818/11916544816_10ee357512_b.jpg The Pilot Custom 845 in its box. The 845 comes in a faux suede-covered box with a velvety-lining inside. One ink cartridge and some literature describing operation of the pen are included. A short card emphasizing the history and excellence of the urushi finish is pictured above. http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5532/11919204383_8d23bbf501_b.jpg The two pens uncapped. Pen Construction and Urushi Finish On to the real comparison. The Yukari Royale is torpedo-shaped and has a underlying body of brass. Conforming to the Japanese aesthetic ideal, it is unadorned, save for a clip as well as a thin gold ring to protect the cap lip from impact. The 845, on the other hand, is styled in the tradition of the Montblanc Meisterstück series but with squared-off ends. There are five trim rings on this pen (including the one on the section) and the cap jewel has a golden ring around it as well. The 845 is made of hard rubber (ebonite), the material traditionally used to make fountain pens. The cap and barrel ends, as well as the section, are made of plastic, however. In his review, MYU had noted that the 845 is a cross between a Montblanc 149 and a Sailor Professional Gear (which itself debuted in 2003), and I concur. I first happened across the 845 in a Hong Kong shop called Winner Pens Collection (you can read my Hong Kong trip report here), and I was taken with its large, yet comfortable size. Both pens have triangular-shaped clips which terminate in a ball, making them highly usable. The Yukari Royale's clip is attached to the cap in a seamless fashion, while the 845's clip is clearly part of the gold trim at the cap end. The Yukari Royale's clip measures 41 mm in length/8 mm at the top while the 845's clip measures 38 mm in length/6 mm at the top. There are four numbers at the top of the Yukari Royale's clip, which might serve as the pen's serial number. More measurements for the statistically-minded here: the Yukari Royale is 46 g capped/29 g uncapped while the 845 is 29 g capped/18 g uncapped. Weights were measured with the converter completely filled. Dimensions: the Yukari Royale is 150 mm capped/134 mm uncapped/179 mm posted, with a diameter of approximately 14 mm, while the 845 is 146 mm capped/132 mm uncapped/165 mm posted, with a diameter of approximately 12.6 mm. Both pens are very well-balanced in the hand, no problems with comfort here. Both pens initially appealed to me because of their urushi finish. I was impressed as well with the history and legendary in-house expertise of Pilot/Namiki in urushi lacquering. The entirety of the Yukari Royale - including the section - is flawlessly lacquered in jet-black urushi lacquer. After four years of hard use, the finish remains impeccably shiny, a testimony to the durability of the lacquer finish. When I first received my 845 last year, I noticed two tiny specks in the lacquer finish towards the barrel end, which are only visible from certain angles and lighting. These specks are probably dust or imperfections in the underlying ebonite body. In any case, these defects did not bother me very much after I inked up the pen and discovered how good of a writer it was. Note that only the ebonite parts of the 845 are lacquered with urushi; the plastic cap and barrel ends, as well as the section, are not. The transition between the urushi and plastic bits of the 845 is seamless - with only the tiny and subtle "URUSHI" gold letters above the cap trim ring serving to remind one of the special lacquer finish. Peering inside the caps of both pens reveals a thin ring of felt that serves to protect the barrel end from marring, should one choose to post the cap on these urushi pens. The felt ring inside the Yukari Royale cap tends to wear away with time, but I haven't found this to affect the urushi finish during normal use. The Yukari Royale comes in both Black and Vermilion urushi finishes, as well as a variety of exquisite maki-e designs. The 845 normally comes in a Black urushi finish, but certain shops in Japan have managed to procure a special Vermilion edition (see here and here and also kmpn's blog for some absolutely breathtaking comparison photos of the Black and Vermilion edition 845 pens, amongst other pens). http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3677/11921489765_1be37c4ca4_b.jpg Comparison of the two sections with attached CON-70 converters. The Yukari Royale is inked with Pilot Blue-Black while the 845 is inked with Pilot Black. Both pens use the superior CON-70 piston converter, arguably the best converter on the market today. I shall not belabour the obvious, except to say that I have had no problems using this filling system. The urushi section of the Yukari Royale tends to stain with Pilot Blue-Black ink but can be cleaned off with some elbow grease. I have had no issues with ink staining the 845 plastic section. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3774/11916555726_8945294163_b.jpg Close-up of the two nibs: the 845's #15 nib is two-tone while the Yukari Royale in plain urushi finishes come with monotone #20 nibs. The #20 nibs on maki-e Yukari Royale pens are two-tone (the stylized Mount Fuji on the nib is rhodium-plated), however. Writing Experience My Yukari Royale in Black Urushi has a medium #20 nib while the 845 is equipped with a broad #15 nib. The #20 and #15 are approximately the same in length, but have different shapes and feeds. Initially the Yukari Royale nib was a hard-starter. I persisted in using it for approximately six months without much improvement. While cleaning the pen one day, the centre channel rod in the feed came out (also see Richard Binder's page on feeds for more information). Naturally the pen went back to Pilot USA for warranty repair. After it returned, the pen wrote like a dream. I'm not sure what the service centre did but over the course of the last four years, this pen has become my absolute favourite to use. The nib on this pen is springy and extremely responsive, and will lay ink down at the slightest touch to paper. The date code on the nib reads "A809", indicating that it was made by the "A" machine in the Pilot Hiratsuka factory in August of 2009. See kmpn's blogpost for more information on dating Pilot nibs. My 845 pen's broad #15 nib came to me pre-adjusted by Yukio Nagahara of Sailor Pen Company during a pen clinic in India. It writes very well too, requiring absolutely no pressure to put ink onto paper. The date code on this nib is 1210, indicating that it was made in December of 2010 (Since 2010, Pilot has stopped using the "A" and "B" designations on their nibs). In comparison to the Yukari Royale nib, however, the 845 nib is rigid. I have another Yukari Royale with a broad #20 nib ( date code 712 - made in July of 2012), and the nib is inflexible as well. To me, it appears that Pilot broad nibs tend to be more rigid than their finer brethren, perhaps to cater for heavy-handed people? http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2831/11915941023_b990a2faeb_b.jpg Another close-up of the two nibs. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3732/11916114524_8da4105d9e_b.jpg Side-profiles of the two nibs. The 845's nib tends to stick out more beyond the feed, giving the impression that the user is wielding a brush rather than a pen. http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2810/11915944563_405e387c83_b.jpg See how different the two feeds are! The Yukari Royale's feed is more finned than the 845's feed. Both feeds are made of injection-moulded plastic, however. From this picture, it is apparent that the two nibs are shaped differently as well. The shoulders of the 845 nib tend to flare out a bit more. Conclusions These two pens have excellent construction, an impeccable urushi lacquer finish, write well, and fly under the radar for most people. Either pen is definitely worthy of "grail" status. As might already be apparent from the following pictures, I have chosen the Yukari Royale as my favourite pen to own. Anyway, I hope that you have enjoyed reading this review! Size Comparison to other well-known pens Because more eye-candy is always welcome IMHO. Why would I take photos of all these pens and not share them? http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7369/11916119674_78a7fc57a0_b.jpg Both pens depicted with the Namiki Yukari Royale in Vermilion Urushi. http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5520/11915945783_b74755a931_b.jpgBoth pens depicted with the Namiki Emperor in Vermilion Urushi. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3682/11915661975_5cf6eec826_b.jpg Both pens depicted with the Sailor King of Pen in Crimson Urushi, reviewed here. http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2873/11915945153_d82eccab9b_b.jpg Both pens depicted with the Sailor Professional Gear Kanreki. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7319/11916118974_82b36dc5a6_b.jpg Both pens depicted with the Montblanc 149. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7343/11915937543_41a3e08573_b.jpgBoth pens depicted with the Pelikan M800 in Green. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3834/11916118674_f73a8ea1ca_b.jpgBoth pens depicted with the Pelikan M800 in Tortoiseshell Brown. http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5547/11923905185_93af11c485_b.jpg Both pens depicted with the Parker Duofold Centennial in Black. http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5477/11916119294_a1a38c6d05_b.jpgBoth pens depicted with the Nakaya Portable Writer in Shobu. A non-exhaustive listing of FPN reviews for the individual pens (Apologies in advance for any omissions) Namiki Yukari Royale: pmrogers, Archimark, enlasombra, enlasombra (again), rhk (comparison between four pens), Mkim, Painterspal, Brian. Pilot Custom 845: J-san, MYU, Hari317, Hari317 (again), seikoguy, Pen2009.
  11. A wait longer than words can define, an Emperor in Red singing a glistening rhapsody, and then a Yukari dazzling in Royale Red glory. The pens, an encompassment of elegance of words, combined with precision of maki-e artisans have been unsurpassed. The Yukari did anxiously waited in my hands to have it's first sip of ink and I had same thoughts with what if clauses! Before getting the Yukari, this is a must read-review by FPNer shuuemura, which is a rather poetic series of pictures with practical words, comparing two pilot beauties in black urushi. This pen, one can find ideal for everyday carry to write or to keep admiring the marvel it is! The doubly magnified and magnificent emperor would be more suitable for the latter though. Having said that, when both are together, it’s more fulfilling than a sumptuous meal. PS. Google says Yukari in Japanese means Affinity (上記) and is feminine by gender. In case you are looking for a review of the Yukari Royale or the Emperor (sized pen), the below links redirect to the necessarily ‘unnecessary’ eye-candies on a blogger optimized view The Yukari Royale Review The Namiki Emperor Review A BRIEF HISTORY The Namiki Yukari Royale more or less derives itself from the 80th Anniversary fountain pen (with only 1918 produced) aka the ShiSen, which was launched in 1998. The cap band was then imprinted with four mythical creatures - Dragon, Phoenix, Tiger and XuanWu (Tortoise). The band decorated with the Shijin (four gods) was finished in Togidashi maki-e. The Chinese fable of these creatures goes like this - Each mythical creature is supposed to guard one particular Earth direction and is Harbinger of a particular season. They are respectively, Shujaku - the red phoenix of the South (Summer), Byakko - the white tiger of the West (Autumn), Genbu - the black tortoise of the North (Winter) and Seiryu - the blue dragon of the East (Spring). The latter four are the Buddhist guardians of the four directions who serve Lord Taishakuten (who represents the center), and are associated with China’s Theory of Five Elements. The 80th Anniversary pen is rather excellently reviewed here by RLD. And later, in 2005, another 50 Seki Shun LE pieces (branded as Dunhill Namiki) were made by Pilot/Namiki for the Elephant & Coral Store which are still available. The clip matches the colour of the main finish in the earlier editions, something which may or may not appeal to all of us. URUSHI Urushi as you may know is the otherwise poisonous sap of the urushi or lacquer tree (Toxicodendron Vernicifluum) which grows in Japan, China, and Korea and is primarily brown in colour. The sap of this tree polymerises to form a hard, durable, plastic-like substance, when exposed to moisture/air. Liquid urushi can be applied to multiple materials like wood, metal, cloth, resin, ceramics or ebonite as opposed to the best available synthetic lacquers. When it solidifies, it turns into a very hard coating that is waterproof and protects the coated object from effects of fungus, ambient chemical reactions at surface due to heat or humidity or even from caustic acids. By mixing pigments into cured urushi, colored urushi such as black or shu (red) are made. With natural exposure to air and ultraviolet light (extended UV exposure ends up in discolouration), the urushi layers gradually increase in transparency and the material gradually unveils shades of original bright colours within. Like the Emperor, the Yukari Royale also comes in a spacious wooden box, made of traditional Paulownia wood. The box is protectively packaged inside a cardboard box. I had to let go of the box, while someone hand-delivered the pen, along with the accessories! The model number of the pen, in this case FNK-128S-<R/B>-<F/FM/M/B> contains the launch price, colour and nib width. The 128 refers to the list price of JPY 128,000 whereas the third digit R/B refers to the red/black urushi. THE TORPEDO This Lacquer No.#20 model comes in two standard finishes - Black & Vermillion (Urushi) with gold plated clips. The brass body feels comfortable in hand, from dual perspectives of dimensions and weight. The torpedo shaped pen in Vermillion/Red is adorable in both light and shadow, and when light reflects through layers of urushi, it renders itself an electric red appearance. I believe the brass substrate is partly responsible for its bright hues compared to a relatively darker scarlet hue off the Emperor’s ebonite. The expected fit & finish seem impeccable. The simplistic yet elegant design comes with two golden accents, provided deftly by the traditional triangular shaped tension fit clip with a sphere and a thin gold ring at the cap lip. Again there is a marked absence of any other decoration like a cap band or ring or anything else on the entire pen, extending infinity to modes of artistic convergence. Vermillion is considered as an auspicious colour throughout East Asia, where it’s culturally imbibed. It has four synthetic & natural shades as of today: Red-Orange[sRGB (255, 83, 73)], Orange-Red[sRGB (255, 69, 0)], Plochere[sRGB (217, 96, 59)] and Chinese Red[sRGB (170, 56, 30)]. The shades/hue of the pens in red urushi might vary. The cap finds itself after two turns, revealing a nib with the modern Mt.Fuji inscription. The seamless grip shows a pronounced taper starting from the barrel and ends up with a smoothly carved out bump, rendering continuity. The cap threads on the barrel are carved out with artistic finesse, deftly spaced and carved out of brass. The barrel at the other end leads leisurely to the smoothest tail. The brass cap again displays the most subtle art, sans any discernible extravagance. It carries the same perseverance and focus with a fluid like finish. The finish is impeccable with a parabolic finial and with colours hovering between bright and dark red, with the play of light. The clip is traditional triangular Pilot with a sphere at the end, inscribed with Namiki with the ‘Isosceles Triangle within a Pentagon’ logo. There is a thin gold ring at the cap lip, the only adornment than the golden clip. There is a alphanumeric code inscribed on the upper base of the clip, where it delves into the cap. FILLING SYSTEM - ‘CON-70 ZINDABAD’ The section unscrews from the barrel with three and half turns, with a metallic clink, given the metallic threads on both the section and the barrel. This exposes the golden metallic threads of the section, which would otherwise remain ever hidden! A special CON-70 converter, in black, is pushed inside. The inner barrel carries the opposite metallic threads. With a short black coating near the threads which contacts with the section, the rest of the brass barrel is all exposed metal on the inside. The pen can take all pilot converters CON-20/40/50 (0.4-0.5 mL) & CON-70 (1 mL) along with pilot proprietary cartridges (0.9 mL). I have used the included ‘special black’ CON-70 converter, which has a push button filling mechanism. Mind you, the ink bottle with have some froth during the otherwise fun filling exercise. Although, for Yukari I have always directly filled the converter from an eye dropper! NIB WITH THE ‘OVAL’ BREATHER HOLE The nib with the Yukari Royale is 18k, Size#20 (similar to Pilot#15) and it comes in four stock widths - F, FM, M & B, across Japan and other distribution countries. Inscribed upon it, is the symbol of Mt. Fuji and the upper part does seems symbolic of the snow caps! Comparatively the nib weighs a tad more than a usual pilot#15 nib (0.78g vs 0.70g), but at the same time it is much less wide at the shoulders. The oval breather hole rests within the snow caps. Below the snow, etched are the Namiki Logo (Isosceles triangle inside a Pentagon), Namiki, gold alloy specs (18k-75%) and Nib width <M> On the left the #20 nib carries the Namiki Logo with Ste PP-F hallmark and on the right it carries a simple date stamp. The red plastic feeder does converge with the overall color of the pen, though I would have preferred a similarly urushi coated feeder, which only the Emperor has! May be it’s a feed size limitation, may be Pilot doesn't want to spend more money, I have no idea. The moderately spaced fins ensure levelling ambient air pressure and give you a good buffer, my experience says it’s a tad better than the usual pilot feed. You can see the three different feeds, Size#50 Emperor, Size#20 Yukari Royale & the Size#15 Custom 823, side by side. PHYSICS AS RELATIVELY IT IS The lacquer somewhat helps in keeping the pen warm which is otherwise metallic, and renders it comfortable for writing. The pen is deftly balanced for writing, even for extended use. The grip, smooth & soothing, showcases both utility and elegance at the same time. I do not post the pen as the cap is not as inlaid with as much felt/velvet as the Emperor. Figures for weight and dimensions run below for the technically minded ones. Length closed ~ 14.9 cm Length open ~ 13.4 cm Grip Diameter ~ 1.1 cm Nib Leverage ~ 2.4 cm Weight (without ink) ~ 45 g Weight (without cap) ~ 27.4 g Capped, uncapped pictures with a Pilot Custom 823 run below for your reference. There is an Emperor posing, just to highlight its relative significance The uncapped Emperor without weighs around 31 grams and the Yukari with an unfilled converter weighs around 27 grams. And this is one of the most comfortable pens, I found. ECONOMIC VALUE The Yukari Royale retails at around USD 1200 in the US, and you can find it at similar prices in Japan. I was able to source the pen at a good bargain. Logically the economic value should be equal to salvage value of the pen after a few years of use and I don't think the price will vary by much even after few years of use, given that someone finally decides to sell it off. Having said that, even though the pen is one of its kind, you should give it a serious thought. It will result in a fair amount of money trapped within the urushi layers! FINAL WORDS IN WRITING The medium nib is graced with a super wet flow, which might put a few of my Pelikans to utter shame! The nib is as smooth as I want it to be, with a slight hint of control, evident in all pilot gold nibs, strictly speaking. I feel that there is some characteristic spring and softness because of the size & shape of the nib, and it does open up with a bit of pressure. The verticals grow thicker with pressure, and this nib runs a tad thicker than a usual pilot medium nib. No skips with fast or normal writing. It writes pretty similar at whether held at a high angle or a low angle. A relatively wet Sailor Nioi-Sumire ink takes around 55 seconds to dry completely on Tomoe River paper with the #20 medium nib. Thank you again for going through the review. You can find other pen and paraphernalia reviews here. REFERENCES Urushi FPN Thread on Care for Urushi lacquered pens Pilot Custom 823 Review The Namiki #50 Emperor Review
  12. When not using my Fp, my choice of writing on good paper has always been the Pilot V-Ball 0.5mm Blue . Yesterday I was in a stationery store and I picked up the Uni-Ball Eye Fine Blue, since i wanted to try it out and compare to the pilot's single use rollerball. I do not have any good photos, so I will explain the best way I can. ■External factors: ● Uni-ball Eye is thicker than the Pilot V-Ball and looks like it hold more ink ● Eye has softer plastic on the cap and tail than the V-Ball. ● Eye's clip, although is a little more dificult to use, secures the pen better than the V-Ball's clip. ■Internal factors: ● Eye's grip is a little bit larger than the V-Ball's ■Ink and writing ● V-Ball's ink is dark. Navy dark almost like blue-black. On the othe hand Eye has a lighter shade of blue, almost azure. ● V-Ball's line is as thin as expected from a 0.5mm pen. Eye's line is a tad thicker, which in return make the a pen a little smoother. ● In the particular paper I used Eye feathers more than the V-Ball and bleeds more, although this might be because of the thicker line it lays down. ■Waterproofness ● The Uni-Ball, just as advertised, performed well in my water test and less ink was displaced than the V-Ball, which also held quite good (although worse than the Eye) Which one do you prefer? I will do more testing to see which one works better for me.
  13. truthpil

    Pilot 78G+ = The New 78G?

    Hi Everyone, Last year a pen starting popping up for sale in China that looks like a legitimate reincarnation of the discontinued but beloved Pilot 78G. The interesting thing is that this new pen, the Pilot 78G+, seems to only be for sale in mainland China. At first I thought it was another knockoff like the Wing Sung 659, but then I saw this on the official Pilot website for China. Scroll down to see a detailed comparison of the 78G and 78G+. In short, the major differences are that the 78G+ comes in 2 new colors (bright blue and bright red) and an EF (0.28~0.3mm) nib is finally available. If these EF nibs are nice, this would mean no more having to put a Pilot Penmanship EF nib in a 78G body. Also, the CON-20 squeeze converter has been replaced by the new CON-40 piston style. Before I take the plunge and buy one of these new pens, I wanted to know....do any of you have one of these and how does it compare to the original 78G? http://www.pilotpen.com.cn/upload/fckimage/image/1(14).jpg http://www.pilotpen.com.cn/upload/fckimage/image/2(2).jpg
  14. Recently, one of my old CON-70 converters wore out and broke after years of intensive use. So off I went to buy a replacement. To my surprise, I found that Pilot has redesigned the CON-70 slightly. It is now labelled as the CON-70N. The upper metal part of the CON-70N is silver; previously, only CON-70 converters that came bundled with pens were silver-coloured, while old CON-70 converters sold separately were black. Now it seems all CON-70N are silver regardless of whether they are bought separately or not. The new design of the CON-70N differs from the old CON-70 in two respects: Firstly, there are now moulded ridges on the inside surface of the converter - a narrow band of ridges near the top of the clear plastic part close to the metal top, and a wider band of ridges in the region of the "neck" of the converter where it narrows somewhat towards the front end. I am not sure of the function of these ridges; perhaps they are meant to help guide ink flow downwards. The second difference is that on the metal rod that hangs in the middle of the converter, the new CON-70N has an additional small metal cylinder bead (presumably an agitator?) on top of the black rubber stopper thing that was present in the old CON-70. This metal agitator (?) moves freely and independently of the black rubber stopper along the axis of the central rod, and it does make a slight clunking noise as it moves. This clunking sound remains audible when the CON-70N is installed and inked in a pen, although it doesn't seem quite as loud as the clunk of the big agitator in the discontinued CON-50 screw converter. It is more like a dull leaden "thunk" sound, which I find less annoying than the bright rattle of the ball bearings inside the current CON-40. Apart from the above differences, the CON-70N is the same as the old CON-70 in dimensions and in operation. I was able to fit it in a Kakuno and it is now installed in my Custom Heritage 91; I think it should fit in any pen that was able to take the old CON-70. Having now inked it (with Sailor Sei Boku, in my Custom Heritage 91) I do not find any functional differences. It works exactly the same, no worse, nor any better. It fills well, all the way to the top, just as my old CON-70 did. Alas, it still exhibits some degree of converter wall surface tension issues, although my past experience with the old CON-70 has been that after about two weeks of continuous usage, the surface tension issues tend to abate and the converter then functions very well. I shall see whether this will also be true of the CON-70N. Lastly, a note regarding pricing. I bought mine for RM45, which is about 11USD. Not sure whether there will be price differences in other regions.
  15. From the album: Mercian’s pens

    The back of the point-of-sale packaging for my European-market Pilot Plumix ‘F’. I am delighted by the fact that Pilot actually listed the nominal measured widths of its different grades of Plumix nib.

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  16. From the album: Mercian’s pens

    The front of the point-of-sale package in which my Pilot Plumix ‘F’ arrived. My pen is a European-market version, so takes ‘short international cartridges’. Caveat lector: A long’ ‘international’ cartridge just about fits in to this pen, but if one unscrews the barrel from the pen, doing so pulls the cartridge off the feed-nipple! At least, it does that to the (already-empty) Pelikan GTP5 cartridge that I tried in the pen. I do not know whether it would also do that to e.g. a long cartridge made by Waterman.

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  17. From the album: Mercian’s pens

    Everything that was in the point-of-sale packaging of my Pilot Plumix ‘F’: The little booklet that gives a brief outline of how to ‘draw’ calligraphic glyphs for the Latin alphabet; Two short ‘international’ cartridges (do they contain Pilot ink? Or some other brand? Il ne dit pas!); The European-market Pilot Plumix with its ‘F’ nib.

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  18. From the album: Mercian’s pens

    A side-on view of my (European-market) Pilot Plumix ‘F’. The ‘ventral morphology’ is more obvious on this, solid-black-bodied, pen than is that of its translucent-bodied, ‘M’-nibbed, cousin.

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  19. From the album: Mercian’s pens

    Behold; the belly of the beast! 😉 A side-view of my example of the European species of Pilot Plumix. Mine has a nib that is marked ‘M’. Inside it one can see the ‘Short International’ cartridge of blue ink that came to me with the pen.

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  20. Mercian

    Pilot Plumix - top view.jpeg

    From the album: Mercian’s pens

    This is my Pilot Plumix. It nib is marked ‘M’, and has what I think is an Italic grind. Pilot makes a similar-looking pen called the ‘Pluminix’. That one is a smaller ‘cousin’ of this one. The way that I remember the difference is by thinking of the Pluminix as a ‘mini Plumix’. This photo is partly intended as a demonstration of how very ‘squid-like’ this thing is in appearance. If one pictures the cap’s ‘fins’ as the ‘mantle’ of the squid, one can picture the pen’s body as the beast’s tentacles, reaching out to capture its prey. When one holds it with the top of the nib upwards (as in this photo) one can not see one very unusual aspect of its shape - on the underside of the pen’s barrel, the moulding swells out like a ‘belly’, and has curved ridges moulded on to it too. The pen has a shaped grip-section that has three facets moulded into it. I hold my pens with a traditional ‘tripod grip’, and I find it to be actually surprisingly-comfortable in my hand. My Plumix is an example of the European species of Plumix; it is ‘chambered’ for ‘Short International’ cartridges. Mine came to me with one SIC of a blue ink inside its barrel. The species of Plumix that one encounters everywhere outside Europe is chambered for Pilot’s own proprietary cartridges. One final point - Pilot prevents Britons from buying either version of the Plumix, or the Pluminix - I had to order mine from a vendor in continental Europe. Pilot also prevents us from buying any of its pens that are more-expensive than their disposable ‘V-pen’ (about £5ea as I type this) but less-expensive than their ‘Custom Heritage 92’ (about £185ea as I type this). Pilot also prevents us from buying their standard inks in bottles. We are only allowed to buy their ‘luxury’ ‘Iroshizuku’ inks. I conclude that Pilot hates Britain ☹️

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  21. Mercian

    Pilot Plumix - side view.jpeg

    From the album: Mercian’s pens

    This photo is an attempt to show another aspect of the strange, rather ‘loligoform’ shape of this pen - its ridged ventral swelling, aka the ‘belly of the beast’ 😉 Clearly though, I ought to have first removed the sticker 🤦‍♂️ The sticker has the code FCD-PXN-B-M printed on it. My pen has a nib that is marked ‘M’. I believe that it has an Italic grind. The SKU is 4902505335471. My Plumix is an example of the European species; it is chambered to take ‘Short International’ cartridges, rather than Pilot’s own proprietary cartridges. It came to me with one SIC of blue ink enclosed. Although the pen’s shape is decidedly unusual, and visually-striking, it is surprisingly comfortable in the hand. N.b. I hold pens with the traditional ‘tripod’ grip; if you do not use that grip, you may find its three-faceted grip-section to be decidedly uncomfortable!

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  22. Mercian

    Pilot Metropolitan with CM nib.jpeg

    From the album: Mercian’s pens

    Pilot (in 2023 at least) actively prevents its Authorised Dealers from selling this pen to people who are in the UK 🤬 In continental Europe, similar-looking pens are sold by Pilot under the name “Pilot MR Retro Pop - Metallic Violet - Ellipse Ring’. Those pens are chambered to take European ‘Short International Cartridges’. This pen is chambered to take Pilot’s proprietary cartridges. As such, I believe that it would have been sold in the American & Australasian markets as a ‘Pilot Metropolitan’ (perhaps still as a “Retro Pop” etc). I believe that it would have been sold in Japan as a ‘Pilot Cocoon’. This pen came to me here in England from Australia, so I am calling it a Metropolitan. My chief interest in acquiring it was the fact that it is fitted with one of Pilot’s ‘CM’ (Cursive Medium’?) nibs. Although Pilot sells pens that have these nibs to the American and Australasian markets, the company, in its ‘ineffable wisdom’, once again actively prevents the sale of pens with these nibs to people in the UK 🤬🤬 This pen was - very generously - gifted to me by another FPN member 😊

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  23. Hello, At present, I am using these 8 FPs. All of them are excellent writers. I am sharing the images here. Thanks
  24. visvamitra

    Shin-Ryoku - Pilot Iroshizuku

    In December 2007 Pilot's created exclusive line of inks called Iroshizuku. I believe they may well be the most well known fountain pen inks in pen world. These inks are supposed to work in any pen with any nib on any paper and in any situation. I haven't tried all of them but so far the Iroshizuku inks I've tried were behaving flawlessly. The colors were created by Kiyomi Hasegawa who after fifteen years of working in a stationary shop and communicating with Clients come to conclusion that not all fountain pen users are willing to write in black and blue. Wise woman. The bottles are stunning although they have their issues: if the ink is left unused for some time the cap tends to stick and break when you try to twist it open. It happened to my bottle of Shin-Ryoku. Anyway Iroshizuku line of inks counts 24 "standard" colors. Three inks were made some time ago for Tokyo stores: Edo-Murasaki, Fukagawa-Nezu and Shimbashi-Iro.After seeing the scans over blogosphere I wish these three were accesible, because they look interesting. Edo - Murasaki looks cool while Murasaki - Shikibu is of no interest to me. Even though I kind of like Fuyu-Syogun I find Fukagawa-Nezu more compelling. Nothing indicates Pilot plans on extending the official line any time soon (if ever) so let's take a look at what's possible to obtain from dealers and online shops. http://imageshack.com/a/img538/1595/lYAayJ.jpg I don't have all of the inks but sooner or later I'll try to check them all. With time I'll review all of them (hopefully). Ajisai Ama-Iro Asa-Gao Chiku-Rin Fuyu-Gaki Fuyu-Syogun Ina-Ho Kiri-Same Kon-Peki Kosumosu Ku-Jaku Momiji Murasaki-Shikibu Shin-Kai Shin-Ryoku Syo-Ro Take-Sumi Tsuki-Yo Tsukushi Tsutsuji Tsuyu-Kusa Yama-Budo Yama-Guri Yu-Yake Shin-ryoku is named after forest green. To me it has too much blue for a forest green. Ink Splash http://imageshack.com/a/img913/6935/4flOYm.jpg Drops of ink on kitchen towel http://imageshack.com/a/img538/5072/65VOO9.jpg Chromatography http://imageshack.com/a/img673/2994/MqNedq.jpg Oxford Recycled ( 90g), Graf von Faber-Catsell Guilloche, M http://imageshack.com/a/img908/8057/Ioo95J.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img673/3807/FOIpon.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img537/2977/WuWGrz.jpg Cheap notebook, Graf von Faber-Catsell Guilloche, M http://imageshack.com/a/img538/1047/cxqUue.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img907/4748/trxgBn.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img905/5944/DS0laS.jpg Cheap notebook, Graf von Faber-Catsell Guilloche, M http://imageshack.com/a/img910/9179/vJ4MeB.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img908/4054/5Lssrc.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img538/8263/Do7mMj.jpg
  25. Recently acquired a vintage Pilot fountain pen with a cursive *L* on the cap. It was sold to me as a “Laureate,” but the body style and *L* inscription makes me think that this is actually a vintage version of the Pilot Lady. I was not able to find any documentation on the pilot Laureate, which causes me to suspect that there was some confusion involving a Waterman in the sale documents. The pen is a gorgeous but lightweight metal construction with red and gold paint. 14K 585 nib. Pictures here: Can somebody explain to me what this pen actually is? Will it take the Con70?





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