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Pilot CON-20 vs CON-50: Which converter is better?

Arts11

By Arts11
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churl Extremely Rare

churl

Posted
Posted

I will cast another vote for reloading carts for Pilots. The carts seem to get better ink flow IMO. Of all the converters (20, 50, 70), I find the 50 to be the most tempermental about filling. These days, I use converters mainly just for flushing pens.

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gylyf Collectors Item

gylyf

Posted
Posted

I never really liked the CON-50. The CON-20 was fine, but to me, the better option for the VP definitely consists of refilling a cartridge. The wide opening makes them easy to fill and assures good flow, at least in my experience. Best,

David

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  • 4 weeks later...
Pen2009 Collectors Item

Pen2009

Posted
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Is there a video on how to fill up with the CON-50? I could be doing something wrong with this. I dip the nib in ink, load up ink by moving the plunger up by turning the knob counterclockwise. I see no ink in the plastic transparent window.

 

Then, after using for a while, when I reopen the pen to look at the inside of the VP/Capless, I see that ink window filled with ink.

My collection: 149 EF/F/B/OBB, Collodi B/Twain F/Mann F, 146 M, Silver Barley F, M1000/M800 B'o'B/M800 Tortoise/Sahara/415 BT/215/205 Blue Demo, Optima Demo Red M/88 EF & Italic/Europa, Emotica, 2K/Safaris/Al-Stars/Vista, Edson DB/Carene BS, Pilot 845/823/742/743/Silvern/M90/Makies, Sailor Profit Realo M/KOP Makies/Profit Makies/Profit 21 Naginata MF&M/KOP/KOP Mosaiques/Sterling Silvers,Platinum #3776 Celluloids/Izumos/Wood pens/Sterling Silvers,YoL Grand Victorian, and more (I lost counting)

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Silvermink Donor Pen

Silvermink

Posted
Posted
Is there a video on how to fill up with the CON-50? I could be doing something wrong with this. I dip the nib in ink, load up ink by moving the plunger up by turning the knob counterclockwise. I see no ink in the plastic transparent window.

 

Then, after using for a while, when I reopen the pen to look at the inside of the VP/Capless, I see that ink window filled with ink.

 

Leave the nib in the ink for a few seconds after raising the piston. Also, I recommend cycling the piston twice with the nib immersed, which seems to get rid of most of the air above the ink.

http://twitter.com/pawcelot

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Currently inked:

 

Montegrappa NeroUno Linea - J. Herbin Poussière de Lune //. Aurora Optima Demonstrator - Aurora Black // Varuna Rajan - Kaweco Green // TWSBI Vac 700R - Visconti Purple

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  • 2 weeks later...
Pen2009 Collectors Item

Pen2009

Posted
Posted
Leave the nib in the ink for a few seconds after raising the piston. Also, I recommend cycling the piston twice with the nib immersed, which seems to get rid of most of the air above the ink.

Thanks for a tip on CON-50. Would you have some advise on CON-20? With this, I cannot even see if I got ink there.

My collection: 149 EF/F/B/OBB, Collodi B/Twain F/Mann F, 146 M, Silver Barley F, M1000/M800 B'o'B/M800 Tortoise/Sahara/415 BT/215/205 Blue Demo, Optima Demo Red M/88 EF & Italic/Europa, Emotica, 2K/Safaris/Al-Stars/Vista, Edson DB/Carene BS, Pilot 845/823/742/743/Silvern/M90/Makies, Sailor Profit Realo M/KOP Makies/Profit Makies/Profit 21 Naginata MF&M/KOP/KOP Mosaiques/Sterling Silvers,Platinum #3776 Celluloids/Izumos/Wood pens/Sterling Silvers,YoL Grand Victorian, and more (I lost counting)

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Silvermink Donor Pen

Silvermink

Posted
Posted
Thanks for a tip on CON-50. Would you have some advise on CON-20? With this, I cannot even see if I got ink there.

 

Just squeeze it a few times until you're not getting bubbles anymore.

http://twitter.com/pawcelot

Vancouver Pen Club

 

Currently inked:

 

Montegrappa NeroUno Linea - J. Herbin Poussière de Lune //. Aurora Optima Demonstrator - Aurora Black // Varuna Rajan - Kaweco Green // TWSBI Vac 700R - Visconti Purple

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  • 2 years later...
Bruno Taut Rare

Bruno Taut

Posted
Posted

Can someone tell me the best way to refill a Pilot cartridge?

 

Use a syringe.

 

Cheers,

 

Iosepus

Bruno Taut - Crónicas Estilográficas (https://estilofilos.blogspot.com)

The contents and pictures of this post belong to the author, here identified as Bruno Taut.

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RobW Mint

RobW

Posted
Posted

Can someone tell me the best way to refill a Pilot cartridge?

 

Use a syringe.

 

Cheers,

 

Iosepus

 

Ta.

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  • 1 year later...
cjjohnst Near Mint

cjjohnst

Posted
Posted

I don't know about ink capacity but in my albeit limited experience so far, I've had more success with the CON-20 than the CON-50. The CON-50 seems prone to having the ink get stuck at the top of the converter. It's the Heinz Ketchup bottle of converters.

I couldnt agree with you more.Thank God somebody else noticed this.

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Pen2009 Collectors Item

Pen2009

Posted
Posted

I believe the revised CON-50 coverter has a surface tension breaker (a light metal looking thing in the converter) to prevent the ink stuck to the surface.

My collection: 149 EF/F/B/OBB, Collodi B/Twain F/Mann F, 146 M, Silver Barley F, M1000/M800 B'o'B/M800 Tortoise/Sahara/415 BT/215/205 Blue Demo, Optima Demo Red M/88 EF & Italic/Europa, Emotica, 2K/Safaris/Al-Stars/Vista, Edson DB/Carene BS, Pilot 845/823/742/743/Silvern/M90/Makies, Sailor Profit Realo M/KOP Makies/Profit Makies/Profit 21 Naginata MF&M/KOP/KOP Mosaiques/Sterling Silvers,Platinum #3776 Celluloids/Izumos/Wood pens/Sterling Silvers,YoL Grand Victorian, and more (I lost counting)

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MYU Donor Pen

MYU

Posted
Posted (edited)

As for the CON-50, I consider it a failure. The CON-20 takes in more ink and is a more reliable system (no twisting knob to foul or break).

 

For a while, I stocked up on CON-20 converters for my Pilot fountain pens, but then later realized that you get more ink by refilling cartridges. Plus, there's none of the mess that you end up getting with dipping the nib into an ink bottle.

 

What you do is get yourself a medical syringe, but then take the tip to a file and remove the sharpness. You can make it into a blunt tube that you don't have to worry about poking yourself with. Works like a charm. And besides, these syringes can be had very cheaply.

Edited by MYU

[MYU's Pen Review Corner] | "The Common Ground" -- Jeffrey Small

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Koyote Collectors Item

Koyote

Posted
Posted

Both the Con-20 and Con-50 (esp the newer Con-50 with the widget that ensures ink flow) work just fine, and mine seem to hold about the same amount of ink. Alternatively, Pilot makes some nice ink for its cartridges.

 

The advantage of filling from a bottle is that you will fill the feed (and the converter) with ink - using cartridges means starting with an empty feed. And refilling carts seems a bit of a fuss, really, when it could be much easier.

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  • 3 weeks later...
EvolvingK NOS (New Old Stock)

EvolvingK

Posted
Posted

The advantage of filling from a bottle is that you will fill the feed (and the converter) with ink - using cartridges means starting with an empty feed. And refilling carts seems a bit of a fuss, really, when it could be much easier.

 

I really dislike filling from the bottle, and I always refill my converters with a syringe. I have two little kids, and when they see me sticking pens in bottles, first of all, they try to imitate me by sticking their crayons in my water glass (ew), and second, they tend to run over to see what I'm doing, jostle me, and what a mess! They see me messing with a syringe and keep their distance.

 

To get around the feed dryness issue, I tend to dip the nib into the bottle of ink for just a moment before I close up shop entirely. It gets enough ink in play that I never really get a dry spot in the first writing.

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  • 3 years later...
dauodwa Mint

dauodwa

Posted
Posted (edited)

I'm inclined towards con-50. Don't like the idea of a squeeze filler that I can't view the ink level in. I have no problems filling the con-50 all the way either, and I use the same technique as mrwh1609.

 

Plus I prefer bottles of ink to cartridges as it's cheaper and I don't need to restock so often!

Edited by dauodwa

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