Pilot 78G: Short first review

[penburg]

I like them, both the fine and the B stub. Dependable, basic, great-writing pen. My lightest pens, but the nibs are worth it.

Edited February 1, 2008 by penburg

[zaqrack]

I received my 78g's today (the same 3-pack, but I passed down the medium to a pen friend), and I must say, these pens are really awesome. I can not add anything what has not been said yet, except maybe a writing sample:

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj180/zaqrack/78gsample-1.jpg

Can't wait to have my stub 78g filled with some nice shading color ink!

Edited February 1, 2008 by zaqrack

[graceaj]

 

Lovely handwriting for both the English & Chinese characters. Makes me want to start writing Chinese just for fun.

[tawanda]

JUst want to add that I received two of these from a dear friend and absolutely love them. I got a black fine, which my husband promptly purloined!, and a red medium, which is as good as a Western fine. I'm very happy to use them anywhere. They look great (not too space age or indusrtrial looking - perfect), feel good to the touch, and I won't lose sleep if one gets 'lost' at university. They are also cheap enough to load up with the more aggressive inks you keep well away from your older treasures.

Well done Pilot!

[Silvermink]

I bought a red B (I have enough black pens for the moment) off eBay today. Looking forward to receiving it.

Edited October 28, 2008 by Silvermink

[techman]

How does this pen compare to a lamy alstar with a fine nib?

[adallak]

The best writer among my pens. Love it! Will buy more.

[adallak]

I have also got one in green and M nib.

This pen is really smooth! Even smoother than much more expansive Pelikan M200(the most expansive pen I have)!

It seems much cheaper in Hong Kong, Only cost USD6-8 dollars~

However, it is hopeless to see how much ink left, as it has no ink window and non-transparent plastic pump, except using cartridges instead.

The converter is removable. You can replace it with a Pilot cartridge (check out eBay). I personally find refilling cartridges with a syringe a cleaner procedure compared to filling from a bottle.

[penmanila]

i got four of these today here in shanghai, where i'm visiting until tomorrow. got two Ms for me and two Fs for friends. too bad i couldn't find any of those Bs! cost me about $9 each.

Edited December 23, 2008 by penmanila

[speerbob]

It's funny. Whenever this article makes its way back to the top of the list I get a run on 78G's. Happened yesterday. It's a great pen!!!!

[aovelez]

I have two of these, bought in Binondo, Manila from a Pilot importer. Its NOS I think. Got a black with fine nib and a green one with medium nib. Both are great writers, but I like the medium one better, as the fine nib really is very fine.

[Gothmeister]

Just bought a red with B nib (to help me learn italic) from a Fleabay seller in Honkers! £9.28 including postage!!

 

What a deal!! Well, provided it actually arrives, that is!

 

(Second Pilot in a week....I have a Blue Prera on its way. Now, how am I going to explain to 'erindoors? )

Edited March 4, 2009 by Gothmeister

[mike1]

I love this pen as does my son.

[Rufus]

I've noticed a huge price range for these pens from a little over $8 to over $50.

Edited March 17, 2009 by Rufus

[loyalarcher]

BillTheEditor, you bought your 78g for $25 plus shipping? That's weird, because I got mine only for 500 Philippine pesos, which is around $10-$11.

[loyalarcher]

I'm getting a black one with medium nib soon. Got it for only $10! Can't wait.

[wing6]

Thanks to all that have contributed the Pilot 78G reviews, I've got my 78G last week and loving it for daily use. I reckon it is the confidence that cheap pen also writes well.

[12345Michael54321]

My Pilot 78G (teal, fine nib) showed up a couple of days back, but it wasn't until a couple of hours ago that I inked it up. (Bexley Harmony Green ink - I've still got about half a bottle of the stuff left.)

 

Good lord! This thing writes the finest line of any fountain pen I own. I mean, none of the other pens even come close. For years now, my everyday, utility, "go to" pen has been my Pelikan M200 w/extra fine nib. Well, that Pelikan is like a broad paintbrush, compared to this 78G.

 

I'm not complaining, really. I guess it'll be good to have one pen in my lineup with a sufficiently fine nib that I can write a sentence or two on a grain of rice.

--

Michael

[JustinL]

I just found out about these. I see that pokydady is selling them for $9.99 including shipping. That price sounds good.

 

My favorite non-fountain pen to use is the Pilot G-2 gel pen with 0.7mm tip. Does the 78g fountain feel similar? If so, which nib would be comparable to 0.7mm?

 

Thanks.

[12345Michael54321]

My favorite non-fountain pen to use is the Pilot G-2 gel pen with 0.7mm tip. Does the 78g fountain feel similar?

 

Not really. I've used G2s with 0.7mm tips, and they're good pens (of their type). But ultimately the 78G feels like a fountain pen, while the G2 feels like a gel ink rollerball pen.

 

If so, which nib would be comparable to 0.7mm?

My 78G may be abnormally fine, but it actually seems to write a little finer a line than a G2 0.7mm. No, this isn't hyperbole.

 

Tell you what - I happen to have a G2 in 0.5mm, right here on my desk. It's finer than the G2 0.7mm. I also have my 78G inked up and on my desk. What say I dash off a few sentences with each, scan the result, and post it here? (It's a rhetorical question. I'm gonna do it right now.)

 

http://www.time4email.com/fountain_pens/CCI11052009_00000.jpg

 

Looks to me like my 78G measures up pretty well against a 0.5mm Pilot G2.

 

Oh yeah, the black text is from the G2. The green is from the 78G. Paper is 90g Clairefontaine. Ink is Bexley Harmony Green.

 

(I've added a few more writing samples, including those from a couple of my finer-nibbed fountain pens. And yeah, the Pelikan M200 is filled with Omas Roma Blue 2000, not Aurora Black.)

--

Michael

Edited November 5, 2009 by 12345Michael54321