Thoughts On The Pilot 78G

[XiaoMG]

I don't like them out of the box. I refinish mine with longitudinal sandpaper strokes, removing the gold paint bands and giving the whole pen a much nicer (but still too-light) feel.

 

I adjust nibs on 78Gs and I suppose of the ones that have been through my hands, 20% are really excellent on all counts, 60% are good when adjusted but might not write upside down due to tine asymmetry or something, and 20% need some reshaping or significant adjustment.

 

I occasionally swap in an EF nib from a Penmanship as I think they have the potential to be wonderful writers, but the F is still pretty practical, and the M is pretty nice, if a little too wide for me.

 

I wish I could get unplated stainless clips for them. I have a few clipless models that are nice, but the clips are too practical for me to discard most of the time.

 

Like most cheap things, there's going to be variability, so a small sample is a gamble. The best ones are among my favorite pens for the shape/size, light weight (they disappear when clipped to a shirt pocket), comfort, benign postability, nib quality, and speed/ease of cleaning.

[vjackso2]

Any reliable US sources for this pen? I have been searching and a lot of the retailers seem to be out of stock. I'm not quite ready to fork over $20 on the bay for one... Any suggestions?

[Algester]

Any reliable US sources for this pen? I have been searching and a lot of the retailers seem to be out of stock. I'm not quite ready to fork over $20 on the bay for one... Any suggestions?

isellpens is the only one I know that sells them in the US

[vjackso2]

Thank you Algester! They are on sale too!

[JanKafka]

In short the conclusion is: The Pilot 78G is either a damned good pen for the money, with a wide option range of nibs or a cheap plastic piece of junk that will have you looking elsewhere. So helpful!

[rutherfordr]

No the conclusion is that different people have different opinions about the pen.

 

You can choose the one you like!

[alwayssunnyalwaysreal]

While essentially they have the same nib, I prefer the Pilot Metropolitan more than the Pilot Prera (had one, now sold), and I prefer the Pilot Prera more than the Pilot 78G (which I'm selling).

 

I bought a Pilot 78G Red knowing that it should have a great writing performance. But before inking it up, I felt that the pen is too light in my hand and the plastic feels extremely cheap. I don't have the same feeling for the Pilot Prera, or the Metropolitan. For how much it costs I can understand that the material is probably indeed just too cheap.

 

Therefore I ended up leaving it brand new, not inked, and listed for sale. It's just not for me.

[senzen]

I don't like them out of the box. I refinish mine with longitudinal sandpaper strokes, removing the gold paint bands and giving the whole pen a much nicer (but still too-light) feel.

 

I adjust nibs on 78Gs and I suppose of the ones that have been through my hands, 20% are really excellent on all counts, 60% are good when adjusted but might not write upside down due to tine asymmetry or something, and 20% need some reshaping or significant adjustment.

 

I occasionally swap in an EF nib from a Penmanship as I think they have the potential to be wonderful writers, but the F is still pretty practical, and the M is pretty nice, if a little too wide for me.

 

I wish I could get unplated stainless clips for them. I have a few clipless models that are nice, but the clips are too practical for me to discard most of the time.

 

Like most cheap things, there's going to be variability, so a small sample is a gamble. The best ones are among my favorite pens for the shape/size, light weight (they disappear when clipped to a shirt pocket), comfort, benign postability, nib quality, and speed/ease of cleaning.

 

Interesting. There's one ebay seller with "78S" steel (?) trim pens. Haven't tried them as I value reliability and not having to mess with pens.