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RainbowsHurt

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Hi,

 

So... since this is my first post, let me tell you guys a little about myself. Last summer, I was at Waterloo University for a camp, and, as an impulse purchase, I bought a Pilot HiTech-C 03. I loved the fine point, and got myself completely enamoured with pens and paper. I promised myself that, at least, I would never get into fountain pens, for they were too fussy, but...well, I'm here.

 

For my first fountain pen, I've been looking into a cheap fountain pen, with a super fine point, and a really durable body that can last me years-something practical for school that I can replace my HiTech-C with. The Pilot Penmanship is the only pen that I found that with the thin tip I want, but I'm not a fan of the body. I was thinking of replacing it with the body of the Metropolitan, but the two pens with a better converter would set me back around $30-40, and at that price point, I'm not sure if I should just get a different pen.

 

The only way that I would spring for this arrangement is if the nib of the Penmanship was super smooth (taking account that it's extra-fine) and if the body of the Metropolitan will last me at least 10 years.

 

What do you guys think? Does the Penmanship/Metropolitan combo satisfy my needs, or should I consider a different pen?

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You can get the MR / Metropolitan with a fine nib. Stationary Art (no afil) used to stock them for ~$14 with a converter. If you can get one at that price it is hard to beat.

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I agree with a Pilot Metropolitan with the nib from a Penmanship. I think this is going to work great for you.

Sun%20Hemmi2.jpg

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Honestly, the Penmanship nib is very, very extra fine. If you're aiming for a .3mm line, I think the Pilot F nibs will get you there, and you can get an F Metropolitan/MR for $25 or an F 78G for $10 (or, for a super-cheap try, the VPen or Petit1 also come in Pilot Fs for under $5) to let you try out the nib size. MRs are solid metal and very sturdy, 78Gs are plastic but still nice and solid pens that I have no problem seeing as long-lasting (I like the 78G nib better than the F MR), and the Varsity/VPens and Petits are cheap enough to not worry about it, but they are decently made pens and shouldn't really have problems. That's the beauty of refillable FPs, there's no moving parts in the writing point to wear out, and modern converter/cartridge pens can be repaired very easily if the filling system is off.

 

If you know for sure that you want a Japanese XF (Japanese nibs tend to be a size down from US/EU nibs), then for $40 I'd see if you can get the Pilot Prera in XF or take a look at some of the cheaper Sailor pens (I think they have a pen in that price range).

Edited by WirsPlm
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I traveled almost the exact same path, except from the fractionally wider 0.4 gel pen, and the Penmanship/Metropolitan hybrid has certainly ticked the fine line box most successfully. My only reservation is not whether the body of the Metropolitan will survive ten years, but whether the clip-on cap will. Unfortunately I don't have a Pilot fine nib to compare, but I suspect it might be found to be too wide in comparison with a 0.3 (the actual line is a somewhat narrower than the given size).

 

Hope whatever you decide proves to be successful.

 

Cheers, Al

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Hi, my first FP purchase was a PIlot Prera. I don't hear much praise for Prera here on FPN, it's always Plumix/penmanship and Metropolitans.

 

I've not tried the plumix nor the MP.. But as I understand, and looking at pictures, it uses the same nib.

 

Since body shape is your concern now, maybe you can consider a Prera?

 

I used mine for a couple of months, from spontaneous note taking, to long extended writing sessions, I never really did have a problem with it - and it always seems to start up immediate after uncapping it. Plus, the capping mechanism has a very satisfying slip-on cap feeling that you know that it's airtight :)

 

Edit: it's a little on the short/small pen side, I tend to go unposted, but posting works well too and give will its length and weight distribution.

Edited by gregorychoong
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Thank you everyone for the replies! I didn't know that the Metropolitan could come with a fine nib, so I'll definitely consider that as well.

You can get the MR / Metropolitan with a fine nib. Stationary Art (no afil) used to stock them for ~$14 with a converter. If you can get one at that price it is hard to beat.

I checked out the website and it seemed great (free international shipping over 100$!!!- which is usually impossible in Canada), but the MR and a lot of the other products were sold out. Do you know when they usually restock?

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Pokydady, mentioned above, is rock-solid dependable. Some of us bought many (many, many) cartridges of the discontinued and great Paker Penman Sapphire: all exactly as advetised.

 

At $20 or so, that price is hard to beat, and the Metropolitan has a good reputation.

 

Ordinarily, a Japanese nib runs about a half-gauge narrower than a typical US/European nib. I have a Pilot 1911M with medium nib that is soomewhere between a Parker medium and a Parker fine.

 

My personal favorite first pen is a Parker 45, available on EBay because Parker made so many from 1960 - 2007. All components can be unscrewed and swapped out, so they are easy to repair, although they don't often need repairs. Nibs are typically fine. medium, or broad, but Parker made several other nibs in the '60s. Early ones were gold, in fact.

Washington Nationals 2019: the fight for .500; "stay in the fight"; WON the fight

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I am not an extra fine nib person at all but my Pilot Metropolitan with M nib is one of the most boring pens to write with; it just has no personality. That said you wont find a better quality pen for the price. A Lamy Safari and a Kaweco Sport while certainly not better have more personality.

 

A very controversial recommendation would be a Noodlers Konrad flex pen. It writes very fine and is a ton of pen for the money but there is a little bit of trial and error to get it setup correctly.

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I use the Penmanship/Metro combination and let me tell you, the Penmanship is *fine*. It's a fair bit finer than the 0.38mm gel pens I used previously, and those are finer than any gel pen I could get in America.

 

It's a great combo, I love it, but it is *fine*.

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Pilot Metropolitan would be nice, but you can get a Lamy Safari for 30 dollars which in my opinion is better.

 

For a fine line (which is what the OP wants), the Japanese pens can't be beat. Have 2 Lamy EF nibs and they come no where near my pilot prera fine.

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Well, it belatedly dawned on me that maybe a comparison might prove useful - forgive the quality; I clearly need to work on my scans as well as my handwriting.

 

http://i43.tinypic.com/2pzenab.jpg

 

Worth mentioning, I suppose, that being in the UK these are actually a Pilot MR and a G-Tech C4, but as far as I'm aware for all practical purposes they're the same thing. Bless Pilot and their lovely desire to complicate communication between countries... Oh, and the Noodler's is diluted to stop the stuff feathering like a maniac (yes, even with such a fine nib), so it's now writing a pretty "true" line, I believe.

 

Cheers, Al

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Well, it belatedly dawned on me that maybe a comparison might prove useful - forgive the quality; I clearly need to work on my scans as well as my handwriting.

 

http://i43.tinypic.com/2pzenab.jpg

 

Worth mentioning, I suppose, that being in the UK these are actually a Pilot MR and a G-Tech C4, but as far as I'm aware for all practical purposes they're the same thing. Bless Pilot and their lovely desire to complicate communication between countries... Oh, and the Noodler's is diluted to stop the stuff feathering like a maniac (yes, even with such a fine nib), so it's now writing a pretty "true" line, I believe.

 

Cheers, Al

 

Thank-you! This is exactly what I was looking for! Was the body upgrade worth it?

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Pilot Metropolitan would be nice, but you can get a Lamy Safari for 30 dollars which in my opinion is better.

 

The finer Lamy nibs are quite hit and miss compared to the Pilot ones. They are usually quite a bit broader as well. The Pilot penmanship, which comes with an EF nib is quite fine, and in my experience, the extra-fines Pilot makes are quite nice. I have two of them. From my experience, the ef nib from the penmanship combined with a different Pilot body is a good choice. It's worth it if you want a nicer body.

 

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2 different pens.

In the US it is the Pilot Metropolitan and only available with a M nib.

In other parts of the world, it is the Pilot MR and available with different size nibs.

I think in Europe the MR is available with the international cartridge, where as in other parts of the world it uses the Pilot cartridge.

 

WARNING.

XF and XXF tip pens can be difficult to use.

I use F and XF nibs, and I do NOT like a scratchy pen. So my paper surface must be smooth, the smoother and harder the better (for me). The very fine tips will feel every texture in the surface of the paper, and you will feel the scratchiness as you write. In the worst case, the tip will actually snag on the textured paper. On the same paper my M and wide M nibs work just fine.

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

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The Penmanship is awesome...if you don't like it, why not try the Preppy with an eyedropper conversion?

The pen I write with, is the pen I use to sign my name.

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For my first fountain pen, I've been looking into a cheap fountain pen, with a super fine point, and a really durable body that can last me years-something practical for school that I can replace my HiTech-C with. The Pilot Penmanship is the only pen that I found that with the thin tip I want, but I'm not a fan of the body. I was thinking of replacing it with the body of the Metropolitan, but the two pens with a better converter would set me back around $30-40, and at that price point, I'm not sure if I should just get a different pen.

I did exactly that a few months ago. I like the Metropolitan body very much, but the medium nib not so much. And vice versa for the Penmanship. The converter (I *think* it came with the Metro) works well enough; no need to replace it with a CON-20 or CON-50 unless it fails catastrophically. Please note that the XF tip, while it writes a very fine line, will tend to be pretty scratchy on most any paper you're likely to be using. That might eventually turn out to be an issue for you.

 

Here's another option: You might search for a Pilot 78g, which may be found on line for as little as $12 or so (or $25 if you don't do your homework). It uses the same nib and feed as the Metropolitan, Penmanship, Plumix and Prera, so you'd have some options, nibwise if you'd like to modify things later down the road. My wife has two 78g's now, and someone further into the "I prefer a fine, but smooth nib" boundary region you're unlikely to ever find. She likes hers.

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Thank-you! This is exactly what I was looking for! Was the body upgrade worth it?

 

You're welcome. And yes; it has a more "grown-up" feel and look to it, and a clip! Plus I knew I wanted it as an everyday user, so the sturdy metal body was a plus. Had the Prera not been so (relatively) over-priced or the 78G been available in the UK, I would certainly considered those as well. Lots of nib/body swapping options available to suit all tastes.

 

Cheers, Al

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