Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'pilot custom 74'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • FPN Community
    • FPN News
    • Introductions
    • Clubs, Meetings and Events
    • Pay It Forward, Loaner Programs & Group Buys
  • The Market Place
    • The Mall
    • Market Watch
    • Historical Sales Forums
  • Writing Instruments
    • Fountain & Dip Pens - First Stop
    • Fountain Pen Reviews
    • Of Nibs & Tines
    • It Writes, But It Is Not A Fountain Pen ....
    • Pen History
    • Repair Q&A
  • Brand Focus
    • Cross
    • Esterbrook
    • Lamy
    • Mabie Todd Research/Special Interest Forum/Group
    • Montblanc
    • Parker
    • Pelikan
    • Sheaffer
    • TWSBI
    • Wahl-Eversharp
    • Waterman
  • Regional Focus
    • China, Korea and Others (Far East, Asia)
    • Great Britain & Ireland - Europe
    • India & Subcontinent (Asia)
    • Italy - Europe
    • Japan - Asia
    • USA - North America
    • Other Brands - Europe
  • Inks, Inc.
    • Inky Thoughts
    • Ink Reviews
    • Ink Comparisons
    • Co-Razy-Views
    • Th-INKing Outside the Bottle
    • Inky Recipes
  • Paper, and Pen Accessories
    • Paper and Pen Paraphernalia
    • Paper & Pen Paraphernalia Reviews and Articles
  • Creative Expressions
    • Pen Turning and Making
    • Pictures & Pen Photography
    • The Write Stuff
    • Handwriting & Handwriting Improvement
    • Calligraphy Discussions
    • Pointed Pen Calligraphy
    • Broad (or Edged) Pen Calligraphy

Blogs

  • FPN Board Talk
  • Incoherent Ramblings from Murphy Towers
  • The Blogg of Me
  • FPN Admin Column
  • Rules, Guidelines, FAQs, Guides
  • Musings on matters pen
  • Marketing & Sales
  • Iguana Sell Pens Blog
  • Newton Pens' Blog
  • Peyton Street Pens Blog
  • holygrail's Blog
  • A Gift For Words
  • I Don't Have a Name; So This Will Do
  • Karas Kustoms' Blog
  • Debbie Ohi's Inky Journal
  • Sus Minervam docet
  • Crud!
  • Clut and Clutter
  • Federalist Pens

Calendars

  • Pen Events Calendar

Product Groups

  • FPN Pens
  • FPN Inks
  • FPN Donations
  • Premium/Trading/Retailer Accounts

Categories

  • Fonts
  • Tools & Software
  • Rules for Notepads & Paper

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

Found 25 results

  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. velox brunneis vulpes

    PXL_20211128_065132680.PORTRAIT

    From the album: Images

    Lines from the Zen Buddhist Heart Sutra. Pilot Custom 74 soft fine. Kuretake No.50 fountain brushpen. Pilot Iroshizuku Take-Sumi.

    • 0 B
    • x
  3. Bell_Shell

    New from CA with A question

    Hi, nice to virtually meet y'all. I am somewhat new to the fountain pen world but now that I've found it I'm totally obsessed. I got a Pilot Retro about a year ago as a gift and I'm looking to upgrade to a nicer one. I'm torn between the Pilot Pera and the Pilot Custom 74. I've never spent more than $20 on a pen before so I want to make sure I'm getting the right thing for me. My biggest worry is that I'll buy to Pera and then in a few months want to get the Custom 74. I guess my question is is the 74 worth the money at the point I'm at or would it be better to get the Pera first? Also is it better to get it from the company or dose getting it off Amazon just a well? I sort of figure it's less expensive on Amazon for a reason...right? Thanks in advance for the help! ~Bell
  4. As the title says, new colours are to be introduced in the Pilot Custom 74 demonstrator line. Namely Forest Green, Blue Black and Orange Red. I saw the news on reddit Pen Gallery from Malaysia has showed a pic and is selling them https://www.instagram.com/p/CJsrqDpDhvt/ I assume these will be available everywhere where the other demos are available (except that maddeningly blue and violet seem to be US exclusives?? WHY???) It would be nice if more colours were added to the regular 74, the 91, the Elite95s, 742 and 912. That said, my wallet thinks it's best as it is and I begrudgingly agree. What would really be super exciting though is if Pilot would introduce their Stub (SU) and Waverly (WA) nibs to the 74 and 91 (pretty please, if anyone from Pilot is reading!).
  5. Agenzen

    Pilot Custom 74 Feed O-Ring?

    Hi, is there supposed to be some kind of o-ring or soft plastic/rubber skirt that sits at the bottom of the feed on a pilot custom 74? If so I think I lost mine, or at any rate it's missing. Does anyone know how I can replace it? The feed is somewhat stable but can easily be diveven off center even though the nib is firmly in the feed slot. Basically the feed is a little lose. Not terrible but bad enough. I've seen some pictures that suggest that there may be a soft plastic transparent skirt that sits at the bottom of feed. I'm not taking about the hard collar that sits inside the section. Anyway I need a replacement if it is missing. If anyone knows where I can get one or some other solution i would be most greatfull. Thanks. Albert.
  6. thespyingdutchman

    Pilot Soft Nibs

    Hi! I'm planning on buying my first "premium" fountain pen. I'm currently set on getting a Pilot Custom Heritage 91 (or Custom 74, but I suppose it doesn't matter much since the nibs are interchangeable). I'm pretty sure about what model and what finish I want to get, but I just can't decide on the nib size. I don't have any experience with Pilot fountain pens, or any Japanese fountain pen for that matter. I'm used to writing with western fines and mediums, so I thought a Japanese FM would be a good choice. I want to go fine or maybe finer than a western fine, but I don't want a nib that is too fine, because I also like a line thick enough to show some nice ink properties. I also really like the sound of the soft nib options, so I thought I'd get a SFM. I've read that the soft nibs are wetter than the stiffer, regular nibs. Problem is that I'm not sure a very wet nib would be a good choice for me. I'm a college student, and I'll probably be using a lot of cheap paper. So I'm a bit afraid it will be too wet for that purpose. I could always get a SF, but I really think the FM size would suit my writing better. Beside, I'm going to be using it a lot for quick, daily note taking. I mostly use my laptop during lectures, but I still usually write a lot as well. I know the soft nibs are by no means flex nibs, but I don't know if they would be stiff enough for this purpose either. Do any of you have experience with Pilot's soft nibs? Do you have advice for me? Thanks a lot!
  7. Hello! I'm not sure this is the right place to ask this. If it's not, I apologise. I'm very new to FPN. Still figuring things out I suppose! Anyways, I want to get myself a Pilot CH91 or 92 for my birthday this month. I'm not actually looking to buy a 74, but I thought I'd put it in the title as well since it's a more popular pen than the 91 and 92, and it uses the same nib section. Like the title says: I'm looking for a permanent ink that flows well in any of the aforementioned pens. I currently don't have any inks that are even remotely waterproof (mostly Waterman and Pelikan 4001s). I'd like to have some permanent inks for daily carry. I'm currently looking at buying Noodler's Black, KWZ Iron Gall Mandarin and KWZ Iron Gall Turquoise. I'll probably put the Iron Galls in my Parker 45 mostly, and the Noodler's was the permanent ink I was thinking I'd get for the 92. However, I've heard people have had some flow issues with this ink. If anyone has tried the KWZ IGs in their Pilots, I'd also be interested in knowing your experiences. I'll definitely get a bottle of Pilot Blue Black as well, but it's not really permanent. Do you have any suggestions for a permanent ink that will flow well in a Pilot 74/91/92? Preferably a blue black or a black. Also, do you have any experience with KWZ IG and Noodler's Black in a Pilot? Would you say they are a good match? I'd be so grateful if you guys can help me find the right ink. I have no experience with either Pilot pens or permanent inks, and as you know there are so many inks to choose from. I just have no idea what to pick! Initially I just wanted to go with Noodler's, because it's both permanent and I think a wet ink, which I thought would go well with the drier Pilot. Thanks
  8. Hello all, I decided to swap the Medium nib from Custom 74 & the Fine-medium (FM) nib from Custom Heritage 91. This has been discussed at length before, as many Pilot models use the same size #5 gold nibs. My question is whether the feeds should stay with their original grip sections or go with the original nibs. I understand that in theory the feeds should be identical (and they do look identical), but they do feel a little different when mated to the other nibs & grip sections. Is it possible to generalize on what would be the best approach? Are feeds & grip sections individually mated or are feeds and nibs or does it all depend? Thank you
  9. I was in Tokyo for business this week and I had few hours to visit Itoya and Maruzen in Tokyo. Pilot already distributed 2 new colors for Custom 74 for 2017: it is a kind of milled pattern body and cap, available in blue and black. As I'm not english mother language, and I'm not sure if the description is understandable, here below a picture for the blue I purchased. They had very few of that pens available: at Itoya only some black left, and the blue were available only at Maruzen, where I bought one of the last, even with a nib not ideal for me.
  10. glowy01

    Ebay Authenticity

    I am in high school and have a high school budget ( below $110 USD.) . I saw this listing for a Pilot Custom 74 for $85 shipped from Japan on eBay. Is it authentic? How do they get the price down so low? http://www.ebay.com/itm/F-nib-Pilot-NAMIKI-Custom-74-Fountain-Pen-Demonstrator-Clear-Transparence-14K/172663774260?_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3D9f0ac632a1214902afab5edaae6062cb%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D172663774260&_trkparms=pageci%253Adbbd793b-426f-11e7-b430-74dbd180dce2%257Cparentrq%253A4736afd415c0aa19ebfdbe32fff9d902%257Ciid%253A1#shpCntId And is this a good pen? My current collection is 2 Lamy Safaris (M), and a TWSBI mini (EF). I want a gold nib with a bit of flex. Thanks in advance!
  11. PILOT CUSTOM 74 - MUSIC NIB Pilot Custom 74 – Music Nib This happens to be my latest addition or you may call addiction to Pilot Pens. After buying and using PILOT CAPLESS I realised that I need more Pilot Pens and lot of fellow fountain pen users and friends recommended me to buy Custom 74 and here I must thank Dhruv for connecting me with Bunkidou Shop. Dealing with Bunkidou was an amazing experience and his service was excellent. I actually bought two PILOT pens from him, CUSTOM 74 and CUSTOM HERITAGE 92. And the EMS service was so amazing that the pens reached to India from Japan within 5 days. I will be doing reviews of both, however this review is about PILOT CUSTOM 74 WITH MUSIC NIB. DESIGN & BUILT : 4/5 The pen is regular sized classic cigar shape pen. The pen comes in various colours like Black, Burgundy, Dark Green and Dark Blue with gold trims. There are demonstrator versions also available with chrome trims also, but the music nib is only available in Black colour in Japan. Pilot Custom 74 – Beauty Shot Pilot Custom 74 – Uncapped and Capped – Classical Cigar Shape Pen The classical cigar shaped pen is thickest at the cap centre-band and cap tapers down to rounded finial at top. The finial is visually separated by gold colour band. The clip is stiff and sturdy and has a ball end. Pilot Custom – Cap View – The clip is stiff and sturdy and has ball shaped end Pilot Custom 74 – Cap View Pilot Custom 74 – Cap Inner View The cap has dual centre band, with slim one at top and broad one below where branding is done and reads “PILOT – MADE IN JAPAN *CUSTOM 74*” . The clip also displays the the brand name PILOT engraved. Pilot Custom 74 – Centreband Pilot Custom 74 – Close up showing clip & centreband branding and beautiful nib The pen is extremely well detailed out. There is a gold colour band at the bottom of barrel separating it from the bottom finial and also there is gold colour band at the bottom of grip section (as you can see from above image) separating it from barrel. Pilot Custom 74 – Rounded Finials separated via gold trim bands The material used is plastic resin which is of same quality as Pilot 78G, thus nothing premium in that regards.The material is very well polished and finished. The quality control is superb and amazing and that is where Pilot excels. The pen uncaps in 1 – 3/4 turns and the grip section is slight concave albeit just a little bit. Below are the few images showing the comparative with other pens: Pilot Custom 74 vs Jinhao X-750 vs Lamy Safari Pilot Custom 74 vs Jinhao X-750 vs Lamy Safari – Capped Pilot Custom 74 vs Jinhao X-750 vs Lamy Safari – Uncapped and Posted I actually wanted to buy demo version but music nib was not available available in any other colour, so I had to settle for this. But this black colour has grown over me because of its classical, understated and professional look. BALANCE : 5/5 The pen is made of resin and is light weight and superbly well balanced whether you write with cap posted at the back or not. yes the cap posts securely at the back. The pen is of regular length comparable to that of Lamy Safari as shown in comparison above. The pen is slim and the grip is perfect. Pilot Custom 74 – Writing Unposted Pilot Custom 74 – Writing Posted Few specifications are as follows: Length (Capped) : 141 mm Length (Uncapped) : 125 mm Length (Posted) : 158 mm Dia (Section) : 9.7 mm Dia (Barrel) : 11.5 mm Dia (Cap) : 14.5 mm Weight (Capped) : 20 g Weight (Uncapped) : 12 g Pen is very ergonomic. I absolutely love this pen because of the grip and balance. NIB & INK FILLING MECHANISM: 4.5/5 Now comes the best part for which the pen was bought irrespective of the colour and by the way this colour has really grown on me. It looks so decent and professional. Well the pen comes in various nib widths, EF, F, SF, SFM, M, SM, FM, B, BB, MS, & C but the I am here using Music (MS) nib which has 3 tines. The friction fit nib is #5, 14 K Gold nib and writes amazingly soft and wet. I would say it writes fairly wet on higher medium side. The nib offers amazing and precise line variation . Its actually a kind of very wet stub and thus it helps in shading a lot. Even this black ink shades a little bit. It suits my script writing very well. Pilot Custom – 14k #5 Gold nib – Beautiful Nib Writing cursive with the nib gives you a feedback but by no means it is scratchy. Feed is made of plastic. When first I inked this pen it used to get dry but after flushing the pen its a loveliest wet stubby pen I have. Ink just dries at 25 sec mark. Pilot Custom – Nib Unit View – Top Pilot Custom 74 – Nib Unit View – Side Pilot Custom – Nib Unit View – Bottom The pen actually came only with black ink cartridge so had to purchase the converter separately. It actually takes all the Pilot proprietary converters , CON 20, CON 50, CON 70 and also Pilot cartridges. I like CON 50 because its easy to fill and clean and also I like its small ink capacity because I like changing inks. Pilot Custom – Ink filling via Pilot cartridge or converter The pen can not be used as eyedropper because of metal tenon underneath the grip section which accepts the cartridge or converter. Pilot Custom – Metal tenon I have enjoyed writing every single letter with this pen. Below are the images of my handwritten review containing ink drying times and writing samples: Pilot Custom 74 – Handwritten Review – Page 1 Pilot Custom 74 – Handwritten Review – Page 2 Pilot Custom 74 – Handwritten Review – Page 3 Pilot Custom 74 – Handwritten Review – Page 4 CONCLUSION: 13.5/15 The pen is no nonsense , classic looking pen. And at 82 USD shipped via EMS from Japanto India in 5 days, its terrific value for money. Cant beat that. Lot of retailer are selling it at 160 USD. So buying via Rakuten really helped. I recommend this to all the fountain pen users who like using stub nibs. Must buy. What I Like: Classic Design Superb Finish & very well detailed Ergonomic Size & Wonderful Balance Beautiful 14K wet Nib Better than many higher priced pens Complete Value for money What I don’t Like: Material quality is same as Pilot 78G Proprietary Converter and Cartridges. This is for the love of my life My other reviews can be checked at my blog here : MEHANDIRATTA
  12. Arcticcfoxx

    Pilot Custom 74 Won't Flow

    Hello all, I had an issue with a Pilot Custom 74 Medium Nib. I bought the pen awhile ago, however never really used it too much as I found my Lamy 2000 provides a much more enjoyable writing experience in my opinion. Recently however I decided to give the Pilot Custom 74 another go. What I'm having issue with is the flow. Once the Con-50 converter I purchase was firm inserted into the pen and filled with Noodle's Dark Matter ink, the pen would write for awhile, then begin to run out of ink flowing to the feed. To get the pen to write again I would have to unscrew the barrel from the nib unit and turn the screw to push the piston slighting forward to get ink to flow into the feed again. I suspect maybe this is happening because the pen and the ink combination isn't the best? Maybe an ink that has less colligative properties and maybe a lower surface tension would allow the pen to work properly again? I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this issue and might be able to recommend a remedy. Thank you for helping me with this issue in advance.
  13. Pilot Custom 74 Soft Fine Review This is my first ever review, so please bear with me and please let me know of any mistakes. Table of ContentsIntroductionPackagingForm Factor and AppearanceNib and SectionConclusion (TLDR) Statistics · Name: Pilot C74 · Country of Origin: Japan, imported to US · Model Number: FKK-1000R-B-SF · Color: Black with Gold Accents · Price: $84.39 from Amazon (free Prime one-day shipping included) · Included Items: Box, warranty papers (no converters, just a cartridge) Part I: Introduction The Pilot Custom 74 is perhaps one of the most well known 14k next-step pens on the market. Its name comes from when it was first manufactured, in 1992, 74 years after Erich Drafahl and Ryosuke Namiki created the Namiki Manufacturing Company, which would go on to be named Pilot. The Custom 74 looks extremely different in Pilots US and Japanese markets. In the US, it is sold to distributors for around ¥20,000 ($168), and is available only in demonstartor colors. In Japan, the pen is called the C74, and is available only in solid colors. In Japan proper, the pen is sold from Pilot for ¥10,000, however, it is available from most importers for around ¥8,500 (~$86). The Amazon vendor Future Station, from where I purchased the pen, is currently selling it for $84.39. However, it is a direct Japan import, so it only ships with a cartridge, box, and papers (no converters included). Luckily, Con-70s are not rare, so I ordered one with the pen for an added $9. Part II: Packaging (85/100 It serves its purpose in a very no-frills fashion) The packaging the Japanese Market C74 arrives in is rather nondescript and utilitarian. There is a grey cardboard sleeve, with the Pilot logo embossed in a glossy gold finish on the top. Besides this, the box has a set of letters Z-C-GN on the front, and some Japanese recycling notifications of the back. Once the sleeve is open, the utilitarian focus continues. You are greeted by a black, lightweight plastic boxwhich I personally think looks more like a chest. It, like the sleeve, features the Pilot logo in gold on the top. Once opened, the box has the Pilot logo on a stitched fabric background, with the pen sitting in its plastic sleeve and clip tag on top of a plastic felt-ridged cover with a decorative ribbon. Once you take out the plastic pen rest, you are left with a warranty card (in Japanese), a return policy guide and fulfillment form (if you are not satisfied with the product), and a sticker of some sort. Also included is an instruction manual with English, Japanese, and pictograms. It is very detailed. In some similar reviews Ive read, people often describe the box as being cheap, and to some extent, theyre right. The box is in no way comparable to that of a Pelikan m205, or even perhaps a Conklin or Monteverde. However, the box serves its purpose excellently with no frills attached. It is protective of the pen, built well using the least expensive materials as possible, and is brilliantly functional. This seems to be a bit of a metaphor for the not only the box, but also for the entire pen itself. Part III: External Form Factor & Appearance This pen is the classic cigar shape. From end to end, I measured the Pen as being 14.1 cm with the cap, and 12.6 cm without the cap. By itself, the cap is 6.7 cm. Compared to my current pens, its just a couple millimeters longer than my TWSBI Eco, Lamy Safari, Platinum #3776 Century, and Waterman Kultur capped. With the cap off, it is longer than the Century, but shorter than everything else. However, it does stand out due to its narrowness. Its maximum circumference is 11 mm, and is 10 mm at the grip (about the same as the barrel of a Safari). Most of my other pens hover around 12 to 14 mm, and those two to four millimeters do make the pen seem thin. Although it is not uncomfortable for me (my hands are about average size, erring towards slightly large), it definitely feels awkward compared to some of my other pens. For someone with big hands, it may be uncomfortable for long periods as time). It gets a little bit tiresome for me after 40 minutes of writing. (This week, I had final exams, and challenged myself to use each pen for the essay portion of the test.) However, this pen, by the end of the test, did make my hands cramp up. The pen is made out of black resin (aka plastic) with gold-colored accents. It is very light, weighing 12 g without a converter or ink inside. Although it is light, and plastic-y, the build quality is excellent. It is sturdy and has so far received no cracks even after a small number of drops onto hardwood flooring. It also looks nice; it has a very classic, almost Mont Blanc-esque feel to it. The clip is a triangle with a sphere on the end. It is connected to the cap by a simple gold ring separating the finial. It is stiff, but serves its purpose well. To keep things symmetrical, the pen also has a similar gold ring by the end of the barrel. At the end of the cap, there are two gold bandsone wider, raised band with the text ☆ Custom 74 ☆ Pilot Made in Japan. Next to it, is another thin gold band like on the finial and barrel. The cap screws on tightly in about two rotations. The threading is firm and there is no movement. In my short ownership, the pen has not once become loose without me unscrewing it. The cap is firmly attached to the barrel, and there is little to no movement. It does take a little force to unscrew if it has been screwed tightly. It friction posts posts securely. The pen is also well balanced, both with the cap on and off. The pen, although it seems to be cheaply made, is very well made. It feels good in the hand, and is not cumbersome or obstructionist. It also looks good. It has an understated, functionalist beauty to it that some may not like. It is not gaudy or attention-calling, it just looks classic and feels sturdy. Part IV: Nib, Section, and Writing Like the body of the pen, the grip is simple. It is a small section, only a centimenter in diameter and 1.6 mm long. There is no ledge between the threads and the grip, and the threads themselves are not sharp, so they can be used as a grip if need be. It is a normal, circular grip, and the pen feels nice in the hand. Now, we get to the #5 nib, the golden portion of this instrument (pun not strictly intended). It is a 14 karat (58.5%) gold Soft Fine nib. (Roughly a JoWoTWSBI, Goulet, Monteverde, etc.EF size). It writes gorgeously. I inked it with my go-to Noodlers black, and as soon as it touched my Rhodia paper, I was astonished. The nib is very smooth, with just the right amount of feedback (as I got to cheaper and cheaper paper the feedback got more and more intense). It feels incredible in the hand. Not only that, but it is gorgeous. It features some really nice scrollwork besides the pilot name, model and size number. It really gives the nib some visual character. However, this is no normal fine nib, it is a soft fine, and it feels amazing. With it, you can get line variation going from a western EF to a western M or maybe even a B. Every once in a while, it will get to a BB, but it normally railroads before then. And although this is not a flex nib (and please, please do not use it that wayyou will kill the poor tines), it does make it possible to add some panache to your writing quite easily. The feed keeps up with the nib no matter how fast, providing a nice, steady, wet flow of ink. It is really a joy to write with. Writing Sample on 90g Rhodia Part V: Conclusion (or TL;DR) For $86, this pen is truly incredible. It has a 14k nib with great variation and wonderful characteristics. It is built well and it feels sturdy; the resin is wonderful. It is compatible with all Pilot convertersespecially the incredible Con-70, and is all around an incredible pen. I really recommend it. Final Score: 265/300 88%. Would recommend. As this is my first review, please let me know what I can do better next time, Caleb
  14. I am trying to decide between getting a pilot custom 74 with a medium nib and a platinum 3776 century with a medium nib. To me, their designs are similar but I am not sure how their nibs compare and what the big differences between the two are. If anybody is able to help I would greatly appreciate it.
  15. reductioadabsurdum

    Pilot Custom 74 Sf Vs Sfm Nib

    Hello all, I am looking to purchase my first "nice" fountain pen, and have decided on the Pilot Custom 74, due to the excellent reviews it gets, the nib options, the appearance, the screw cap, and perhaps most of all, the price (~$80 vs. $130+). I currently own two fountain pens - a Sheaffer Viewpoint Calligraphy Pen with a 1.5mm italic nib, and a Pilot Metropolitan with a fine nib. I enjoy both pens very much, although the nib on the Pilot is slightly deformed at the moment. The Pilot puts (put) out a beautifully thin line, which is perfect for my writing needs as a student. At last I can fit summations on one line! The problem I have with it, though, is that that when using the copy paper of infamously terrible quality that we are given in school, the nib tends to catch on the fibers of the paper, resulting in a very scratchy, unpleasant writing experience. If have none of this problem with the 1.5mm italic, of course, as the writing surface is much larger. I am therefore considering a slightly broader nib, hence the sfm in the title. Now we come to the culminating question: First, precisely how much broader than the sf is the sfm, and then is the increase in line width worth the increase in smoothness? Also, is there any reason to not have a soft nib on a daily workhorse? I very much like the idea of a "cushioned ride" and the ability to occasionally add some line variation. Thank you in advance, Reductioadabsurdium
  16. Lovely_Pen

    Pilot Custom 74 Nib Issues

    So I recently bought a Pilot Custom 74 from an online retailer, and I love the pen but the nib is a huge disappointment. When I first inked up the pen it was incredibly scratchy, and there were some ink flow problems. However, since using it the scratchiness has evened out a bit, but the flow still remains problematic--sometimes it dries out completely and won't write a single line. I've contacted the seller, and they've said that I can mail the pen back to them and they can "re-tune" the nib for me, but I'm not sure I should. 1. I'll have to pay for return shipping to them, and 2. they were supposed to have tuned the nib before shipping the pen out to me in the first place. I'm not sure, if they weren't able to tune, or they did and the pen was jammed back into its cap, but all I know is that the new pen I received does not write very well. My cheaper Pilot 78g and Metropolitan steel nibs write smoother and wetter than this pen There's a FP shop near me, and I'm tempted to just take the pen to them and see what they can do....any advice? Should I just mail the pen back to the original seller and hope that it gets tuned properly? For the record, I first inked the pen up with Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun and wrote on Tomoe River paper, so I wasn't expecting any issues. The pen is currently inked with Sailor Jentle Yama-dori, which seems to be working better (in terms of scratchiness). Thanks, Lovely Pen
  17. So due to a number of recent personal events, I find myself in the market for my first gold nib fountain pen! I'm very excited, and I've narrowed it down to a few options: Lamy 2000, Pilot Custom 74, and Platinum Century 3776 Nice Pur. I know that there have been a ton of similar threads from other newbies asking questions, but I thought I'd throw my thread into the ring anyhow... In particular, I'm curious to know how gold nibs compare to their steel counterparts in term of line thickness and general feel/writing experience. For example, is the Lamy 2000 M gold nib similar to the steel version they produce, and the same for Pilot? I own a few Lamy Safaris and Pilot Metropolitans, but they're the lower range for each of those brands and obviously the nib material is different. So I'm wondering how much can I safely gauge about these gold nib sizes from their steel versions? Interestingly, I have both a M Pilot Metropolitan and a M Pilot 78G, but the two don't write the same. The 78g is a nicer writer, the nib feels like it glides along the paper more smoothly and the line it puts down looks thicker than that achieved with either of my two Metropolitans--why is this? I've played around with Goulet Pen's Nib Nook, but I figure the manner in which the writer is holding the pen greatly influences the outcome of those pictures...and I just wanted some personal feedback from people here on FPN I've never used a gold nib pen before, so I feel out of my league, and I'd just like to hear some advice from more seasoned FP users before I go dropping $150ish... Many thanks for all your advice!
  18. I'm tempted to buy a demonstrator and I'm partial to fine-but-good nibs with some spring. Careful Googling and forum searching has led me to these two: the Pilot Custom 74 in fine and the Pelikan m200 in extra-fine. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to sell me on one or the other or both of these pens using whatever rhetorical means necessary. I thank you for your wise counsel in advance.





×
×
  • Create New...