Pilot Parallel Review

[MrSpiffy]

I finally got my hands on a 1.5mm Pilot Parallel pen, and figured I would offer a quick review of my initial impressions. I did a quick writing test using the black ink that came with the pen, and wrote in a Leuchtturm 1917 journal.

Overall, I really like the pen. It's pretty smooth, and had excellent ink flow between the nib plates. It does take a little getting used to, though. You have to make sure to keep the nib flat on the paper and apply even pressure. It's not that hard, but it is easy to mess up as you write quickly across the page. You can notice a few spots where I definitely had issues. (Some were near the spine of the journal, where the pages had some curvature to them.)

You can even turn the nib sideways to make very thin lines, or write in broad strokes across the page.

Pros: For $10, I don't know that you'll find much that will write this well. Good ink flow. Easy to use. Smooth nib, if you keep it flat on the page. There's no top or bottom of the nib, so you can write with either side and it's the same on both sides. (So, easy for beginners, I guess..?) Versatile line width and a lot of variation when writing.

Cons: Looks and feels cheap. Wider versions of these pens will burn through ink quickly, so setting it up as an eyedropper would be wise with those pens. Appears to be a non-standard cartridge size and converter, but I could be wrong.

Feel free to add your own thoughts below. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/images/smilies/animated_and_colorful/thumbsup.gif

Here's a handwriting sample. My writing is not exactly a shining example of proper form, but it gets the point across. I'd love to try a true italic or oblique nib sometime, but this is a pretty fun place to start. And affordable, too!

 

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t314/Mr_Spiffy/Pens/Handwriting/PilotParallel_zpsa80c9de6.jpg

 

 

[brunico]

I'd love to try a true italic or oblique nib sometime

 

Well, the Parallel is a true italic, just a new way of getting the results. I prefer a normal-sized pen if I want to carry a 1.5mm nib with me, but I'll happily take the Parallel if it has the ink I want. I use these larger sizes for headings and such: it means writing a lot larger than normal, but I have other pens for normal writing. I really bought the 1.5 for the sake of completion, because the other sizes are great fun, though the 6.0mm takes some skill to wield fluently.

 

Cartridges are Pilot's proprietary fit. You can use a CON-20 (squeeze) or CON-50 (piston) converter, or the converter which comes with the pen but which Pilot says is only for flushing (though some years ago I had one that didn't fit securely, so maybe Pilot changed the converter slightly so it can be used for ink?).

 

Looks cheap? Yes, the barrel looks like something out of a Christmas cracker. But I think the caps are attractively designed and well made, certainly when you compare them with any other pen you can buy from an art store. Feels cheap? It feels much better than my Edding 1255 calligraphy markers, which just feel like felt tip pens, which is, after all, what they are, but I don't think it feels any cheaper than Rotring ArtPens (better barrels, flimsier caps).

 

Thanks for your review.

[mirosc]

I prefer these Parallel Pens for blacklettering, because it's so much easier than with dip pens.

Thank you for the review!

[MrSpiffy]

brunico, don't get me wrong. I really like the pen. But, compared to a typical fountain pen that I would carry, these do feel pretty cheap. By cheap, I mean they're made of very light plastic and have no heft or sense of balance to them. (Then again, the Parallels are also only $10!) But the Parallel pens write fantastically, especially at this price point. I do also like the caps. They're unique, and really help apply some torque to remove them if you've screwed them on tightly. You definitely know it's a Parallel just by looking at it from afar. It's a great marketing move by Pilot to make these pens stand out.

 

These aren't pens that I'll carry daily, but I would like to get some practice writing with an italic nib to create some beautiful lettering for cards, notes, labels, etc. And I think these will fit my needs perfectly.

 

I haven't tried the other art pens or markers that you had mentioned. But I have tried a couple of cheap calligraphy sets. And these Pilot pens beat those sets, hands-down, no constest.