Similar Pens/nibs To Pilot Petit1?

[hermes1908]

Hey guys, I'm looking for a cheap fountain pen which feels similar to the pilot petit. So far I've owned both a Lamy Safari (which I no longer possess) a Kaweco Sport, a Platinum Preppy and a Pilot Petit/. Oddly enough I've found the petit to be my favorite amongst these pens. However since the petits are becoming hard to find (going out of production?), don't have converters and aren't "real" fountain pens, I'm looking for a suitable replacement. Since I'm in university I don't have alot of money to experiment with, so my current budget is something in the sub $30 range. Being relatively inexperienced I would appreciate any suggestions .

 

Thanks in Advance.

[hermes1908]

Hey guys, I'm looking for a cheap fountain pen which feels similar to the pilot petit. So far I've owned both a Lamy Safari (which I no longer possess) a Kaweco Sport, a Platinum Preppy and a Pilot Petit/. Oddly enough I've found the petit to be my favorite amongst these pens (I suspect this is because it is a "wet" writer and this works well with my Noodler's Zhivago Ink). However since the petits are becoming hard to find (going out of production?), don't have converters and aren't "real" fountain pens, I'm looking for a suitable replacement. Since I'm in university I don't have alot of money to experiment with, so my current budget is something in the sub $30 range. Being relatively inexperienced I would appreciate any suggestions .

 

Thanks in Advance.

 

P.S

 

I was partial to my safari at one point (I gave it to a friend), but am reluctant to purchase another since I only found it plesant to write with after purchasing a steel nib (despite there supposedly being no difference between the two). I am unsure if this is the same nib that ships with non-charcol safaris, or if I found it more pleasant because I purchased it seperately (http://www.ebay.ca/itm/LAMY-Nib-Safari-Vista-Joy-AL-Star-Fine-/400265496708?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d31aec884). While I would much prefer a matt-charcol safari, I also wish for a steel nib, is it possible to find such a combination without purchasing them seperately?

[theblahblah]

I'm pretty sure the nibs are the same, it's just that Lamy's nibs are pretty inconsistent out of the box and you may need to do a bit of adjusting to make it write the way you want

[Pen Is Mightier]

From many posts around (like this one https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/217172-cheap-fountain-pens-that-write-awesome/ )I have heard many recommendations for the Pilot 78G.

 

While I have never tried the 78G I have not heard anything really bad against it, other than some people find it to be a little thin for long writing sessions.

 

Also be aware that Asian nib sizes tend to run one size smaller than their western counterparts. For example if you typically use a western fine you would want a Asian medium.

 

Lastly you should be able to find any of the 78G's for around $10-15 plus shipping, sometimes you can find them for $10-15 with shipping included but that is usually from Asia so the you will have to wait for awhile to get to you.

 

Hope this helps!

 

(edited to add pricing info)

Edited March 25, 2012 by Pen Is Mightier

[PenandDesign]

The Petit1 nibs are the same as the Pilot Varsity nibs. The Varsity is a disposable, but can easily have its nib and feed plucked out in order to be refilled. It holds a copious amount of ink too, and is about the price of the Petit.

 

Try one or two, and see if you like them. They're certainly larger, but they write just as well if not better.

 

One caveat that both the Petit and Varsity have are that their ink flow system is developed upon the same system used to help ink flow in a marker. This means that they may not last beyond a certain number of refills, or their writing quality may begin to diminish after some time, I don't really find this a problem, as these pens are extremely cheap and write fantastically - it's more of a nuisance to me. If you take care if your pens, and use them appropriately, like I have, they shouldn't suffer from too many of the above faults. I, personally, find that my Petits and Varsitys (Varsities?) still write pretty fantastic, and haven't really seen their quality degrade. Yet I do have a friend whose Varsity can't write as well as it once did; I attribute that to the way he used the pen.

 

Finally, where have you heard that the Petit is going out of production? I know that they just recently had a reboot, and they currently sell on Jetpens.

 

Sorry for the long response, I must sound like one of your profs

 

Thanks!

[PenandDesign]

The Petit1 nibs are the same as the Pilot Varsity nibs. The Varsity is a disposable, but can easily have its nib and feed plucked out in order to be refilled. It holds a copious amount of ink too, and is about the price of the Petit.

 

Try one or two, and see if you like them. They're certainly larger, but they write just as well if not better.

 

One caveat that both the Petit and Varsity have are that their ink flow system is developed upon the same system used to help ink flow in a marker. This means that they may not last beyond a certain number of refills, or their writing quality may begin to diminish after some time, I don't really find this a problem, as these pens are extremely cheap and write fantastically - it's more of a nuisance to me. If you take care if your pens, and use them appropriately, like I have, they shouldn't suffer from too many of the above faults. I, personally, find that my Petits and Varsitys (Varsities?) still write pretty fantastic, and haven't really seen their quality degrade. Yet I do have a friend whose Varsity can't write as well as it once did; I attribute that to the way he used the pen.

 

Finally, where have you heard that the Petit is going out of production? I know that they just recently had a reboot, and they currently sell on Jetpens.

 

Sorry for the long response, I must sound like one of your profs

 

Thanks!

[hermes1908]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the detailed responses. I have considered the varsities but they seem kind of cumbersome to refill and aren't available (like the petits) in Toronto (afaik), making ordering a pain. I was hoping for a more permanent solution, a "real" fountain pen if you will. I used to have a Pilot 78G, after ordering one after upon hearing many good things about them. However I found the nib very scratchy, though I suspect this may have been caused by my choice of ink (noodler's zhivago, same one I use in my petit), or maybe I just got a bad pen. I'm reluctant to spent another $10 on a 78g, since my last one was a terrible writer. I've noticed many cheap chinese pens on ebay (jinhao/baoer), can any of you recommend these? Thanks.

 

Hermes

[hermes1908]

P.S

 

Someone mentioned "adjusting" the nib on a safari, how might one go about doing this?

[studiohead]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the detailed responses. I have considered the varsities but they seem kind of cumbersome to refill and aren't available (like the petits) in Toronto (afaik), making ordering a pain. I was hoping for a more permanent solution, a "real" fountain pen if you will. I used to have a Pilot 78G, after ordering one after upon hearing many good things about them. However I found the nib very scratchy, though I suspect this may have been caused by my choice of ink (noodler's zhivago, same one I use in my petit), or maybe I just got a bad pen. I'm reluctant to spent another $10 on a 78g, since my last one was a terrible writer. I've noticed many cheap chinese pens on ebay (jinhao/baoer), can any of you recommend these? Thanks.

 

Hermes

 

Hermes,

 

I am thinking what do you like about the petits because I cannot just put my finger on doing a recommendation. The Jinhao/Baoer are made by the same company but have widely different styles. (Jinhao have a more traditional Chinese design elements while Baoers pay homage to most classic designs) The Baoer 388 would be the choice pen in my opinion if you are looking at Baoer or the Duke 209 if you are looking for Dukes. Both are classic and simple and have good nibs. They require some proper cleaning before use. But a Chinese nib doesn't have the perfection I find in Japanese nibs. (Please be careful as there are fake Chinese Pens which give the illusion of problems) Nice thing about the price (at least what I pay for them which is cheaper than what I have to pay to buy a Petit) is that they can be tinkered with. I don't have a petit at the moment but I know you can easily remove nib section and swap nibs on the Baoer 388. I have yet to try my Kaigelu 356 and Hero 5020 so I am not recommending them yet. The Baoer 388, Kaigelu 356 and Hero 5020 are Chinese "clones" of the Parker Sonnet which is to me, one of the best designed metal bodied pens.

[terminal]

Anyone know if the Stipula Passport would fit the bill?

 

http://www.coloradopen.com/category/Stipula-Passport

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/135846-stipula-passaporto/page__st__100__p__2261831__hl__%2Bstipula+%2Bpassport__fromsearch__1#entry2261831

[hermes1908]

The passport is way outta my price range. Aside from being roughly the same size (something which doesn't really concern mean), there is nothing to suggest that there aren't cheaper pens out their with the similar nib as the petite1. My favorite thing about the petit is the nib. I like fine nibs and the petit is just the right width and provides exactly the amount of feedback I want from a pen (not too rough/not too smooth [oddly enough I have a problem with pens that are "too smooth"]). I guess what I'm really after is a good fine nib (and something that doesn't leak/isn't). I don't really care about aesthetics as this point, just utility and price.

[Jimmy James]

I'd suggest a $15 ten pack of Hero 616s. You're likely to get 2-3 bad ones, 2-3 great ones, and 4-6 average ones.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Or you could buy the real Hero 616s and be sure of getting a good one.

 

Try isellpens for that.

 

You can order Varsities online, and their ink supply lasts a lonnnnng time. I've never refilled one myself.

 

The Pilot 78G is not a terrible pen, but a dry writer and a little thin through the section.

 

If you like the Petit and you (evidently) are able to refill it, go with that!

[Jimmy James]

You can get a ten pack from a reputable eBay seller for $15. You do have to do research into who is good and who is bad.

 

In my book, Todd can assure you that his Heros are authentic, but he can't really be expected to make sure you're getting a good one. The authentic ones are still hit and miss. It's just the nature of the item. If he had them in stock for $20, I'd gladly pay the extra $5 for a ten pack from him, but he doesn't have them in stock at the moment.

[hermes1908]

Thanks for all of the suggestions guys. I'm probably going to end up getting another 78G, despite my previous experiences with them. Until then I guess I'll just use my petit.