Pilot Metropolitan Review

[yutokicker]

What a beautiful pen for the price!

[PenCity.com]

Wow, great review! We aren't stocking the Metropolitan at PenCity at the present time, but it sounds like we should be!

[parnesh]

It is a great pen for the price. Feels more like 30-40 dollar pen. I got mine from stationeryart.com . No affiliation, just a satified customer. They have three colours in M and F nibs and shipping is decent.

[mohan]

My experience with pilot metro was bad. I bought one gold and one silver colored metros. Both mediums. The gold one developed a crack in the section and started staining my fingers. Later silver one started leaking where the pump joins the section. But no problem with catridges. Any way the nibs are very smooth and I am planning to use in my 78 g.

[ac12]

I just got mine today.

But my CON-50 converter is still "in the mail." So not wanting to hassle with cleaning the CON-20 when I switch from my break-in ink (Waterman blue) to my normal usage ink (Cross blue), I tested by dipping the pen into a bottle of Waterman blue.

 

It wrote like a dream, very smooth. But part of that is a M tip (vs. my normal Parker F tips) and a wet tip. It puts down a fair amount of ink and that ink lubricates the tip as it goes over the paper. This pen is more forgiving than the Parker F tips of slightly rough paper.

 

The grip is a bit large for my preference, and it showed in the writing. I have smaller fingers and prefer a smaller pen. But it isn't so large that it is not usable. I think it will just be a matter of my getting used to a larger grip.

 

It has just joined the rotation of "office pens" that I am building.

Inexpensive and decent/good writers.

 

Now the anxious wait for the arrival of the CON-50 converter, so I can really use the pen.

 

@PenCity

If you can get replacement nibs for the Metro that would be even better, then we can change out the tips to whatever we want F, XF, B, CI

Edited July 17, 2013 by ac12

[tmenyc]

I got mine today, from Anderson Pens. Stuck the cartridge it came with into the section and it started writing perfectly after one squeeze of the cart to get it going. I still can't believe this is a $15 pen -- weight, balance, feel, look, appearance of nib, smoothness, all of it -- perfect. I love it.

 

Tim

[Penman222]

Just received a plain black one today, filled it with Sailor Jentle Blue-Black. So far, it is hands down the best entry-level fountain pen I have ever used. The line width and wetness is just what I like, and the nib is nearly as smooth as on my Pilot VP. This pen will replace my Lamy Safari as my shirt pocket work pen. Highly recommended for $15

[jrnabors]

Just got mine in and it's great. Just as bhbarto said, it goes toe to toe with Lamy Safari and will beat it unless you have spent time fine tuning the Lamy. I am not a fountain pen expert so I need something that works right out of the box. You shouldn't have to take a gun to the gunsmith for tuning right out of the box, and you shouldn't have to "tune" a pen right out of the box. What happened to quality control at the factory?

 

German made nibs are used by all the makers, but I tell you, the Japanese could clean up bigtime marketing their own nibs for manufacturers to use on pens, because this Metro's nib is excellent.

[Lone Coyote]

I really like mine, I've got it on silver with zigzag finish.

 

The cartridge that comes with it is actually quite water resistant.

 

Cheers,

 

Lone Coyote

[stoof2010]

I have to say, even with my still growing pen collection, my metros are my all around favorite. I have 2 ( black plain and silver zig zag) and just put in an order with goulet for two more. Also a plumix for the nib.

Great value and great look and functionality.

My current black i use for work in a factory. Has been dropped, even to the point of the nib and feed coming out with the cap, and the finish is still great!!

The matte black has turned to glossy from the rubbing im guessing from being clipped to my pocket. But i'm very pleased with every part of it.

Great review!!!

[william2001]

I think the Metropolitan now comes in F nib too.

Wait... am I wrong?

-William S. Park

[tinysnail]

It does, William. I like it better than the medium. (also: whoa, thread revival)

[maverink]

yes i have both the fine and medium nibbed metropolitians

[stoof2010]

My fine metro i got seems like alot of feedback almost to the point of scratchy... anyone else notice that?

[Jamerelbe]

My fine metro i got seems like alot of feedback almost to the point of scratchy... anyone else notice that?

I have a Fine Metro, and find it writes really nicely - certainly there's a bit of feedback on the page, which is not surprising given it has such a fine nib, but I wouldn't call it scratchy at all.

[stoof2010]

I have a Fine Metro, and find it writes really nicely - certainly there's a bit of feedback on the page, which is not surprising given it has such a fine nib, but I wouldn't call it scratchy at all.

 

Yeah, thays true. Considering its technically an ef to my standards, but it does dig that page quite a bit...

[Jamerelbe]

Yeah, thays true. Considering its technically an ef to my standards, but it does dig that page quite a bit...

 

That said, if your nib is particularly scratchy it's still possible you have a slight misalignment of the tines, or some other 'quality control' problem - or that the ink you're using in the pen is not well lubricated. I've come across a few complaints here and there... So at the very least it's worth getting a 10X magnifying loupe and having a closer look... and maybe trying a different ink in the pen to see if it alters your writing experience. I just whacked in the Pilot black cartridge that came with mine, and have had no problems.

[stoof2010]

That said, if your nib is particularly scratchy it's still possible you have a slight misalignment of the tines, or some other 'quality control' problem - or that the ink you're using in the pen is not well lubricated. I've come across a few complaints here and there... So at the very least it's worth getting a 10X magnifying loupe and having a closer look... and maybe trying a different ink in the pen to see if it alters your writing experience. I just whacked in the Pilot black cartridge that came with mine, and have had no problems.

I have a 15x loupe and it doesnt seem to be misaligned. Ink may be the issue. Ive tries noodlers LE and a couple others. Maybe i just dont like the feedback. Its the only ef i have and lamy fine and kaweco fine is the finest ive used.

There is probably nothing wrong with the pen, just my personal view of it. It has its place in my collection though. :-)

[gwyneddd]

I bought one of the $13 dollar matte silver ones on Amazon and I am VERY pleased. It's a fairly smooth and wet writer, the way I like pens. The only thing I don't like is that the bladder style converter makes it impossible to see how much ink is in the pen--it's opaque and there's no ink window. And to fill the converter, you're better off using a dropper or syringe (the opening is large, so it's not difficult.) I read (maybe here) that the cartridges have an equally large opening and can be refilled.

 

For the money, it's a decent looking pen and a good writer. Definitely the pen you want when you don't want to worry about losing a comfy writer. Mine does not have the dot pattern on the grip or the animal pattern of the Animal MR version (four whole dollars more for color and pattern.) Can't believe you can get that good a pen, with a converter, for this kind of price.

Edited October 3, 2014 by gwyneddd

[Vpen]

Finally I bought this pen after experimenting with other fountain pens and I wasn't pleased. The nib would like slip on the paper sometimes, kinda like skipping but putting a thinner line than normal.

Then I accidentally misaligned the tines trying to open up the nib a little but after I re-aligned then pen it wrote really beautifully . Guess sometime it takes a little love(or luck ) to make even an icon work.