Pilot Kakuno, F Nib

[melodiousb]

My mom went to Japan recently, and I asked her to check out a stationary store for me and maybe bring me some ink. And she did--Sailor Nano Ultra Black, or whatever it's called, plus some of those 15ml Iroshizuku samples--but she also surprised me with a Pilot Kakuno.

 

I think it's pretty great. It's got a fine nib, a dark gray body and a red cap. There's no clip, but the rounded hexagonal body and cap keep it from rolling. The body and cap are plastic, and the grip is a clear gray, so you can see the ink in the feed. I have small hands, so this kid-sized pen works really well for me. I find the grip very comfortable.

 

The nib and feed look approximately the same as the ones on my Prera and Plumix, and I assume I could swap them, but instead of the usual markings, it's just got <f> and a smiley face. It's a silly touch, but it's cute and I definitely enjoy it. It also seems to make the pen less intimidating--my coworkers are more likely to try it out than my other usual work pens (a Pilot Falcon, a couple of Esterbrooks and Osmiroids, the Prera).

 

The nib isn't super smooth, but it's pretty good for something this fine, and I like a certain amount of feedback, anyway. It's not scratchy by any stretch, and it works well on a variety of papers. I do a lot of editing on good-but-not-great copy paper, and the Kakuno writes finely enough that I can get my comments in between the printed lines. It doesn't put down too wet a line, but the feed has kept up with my writing consistently.

 

Cons? A lot of ink seems to end up inside the cap, and I'm not sure why. It hasn't caused any mishaps yet, but it's not great. Also, I would really like to have a clip.

 

The Kakuno cost my mom the equivalent of about $8, and for that price, I think it's amazing. Obviously it's not a super high quality pen, but it's solidly good by almost every measure. I see that you can get this pen from Jetpens for about twice as much, and it's not quite as impressive at that price, but I think it's still a pretty good deal.

[HollyGolightly]

One of the first pens I bought was a Kakuno, though mine is a medium nib. I agree with a lot of what you said. It fit my hands comfortably, has a little feedback, and is pretty cute all around. I think the medium lays down a lot wetter than it sounds like your fine does. Not sure if all M kakunos do that or just mine- but it feathers on poor quality paper. It's a great liltte pen, though! Definitely good to take out with you or let people try. Great review

[swanjun]

I am always tempted by the cuteness of the Kakuno (for some reason the eggy combo of the white barrel/yellow cap appeals to me) but then I remind myself how I already have two Metropolitans and should really just stop, already.

[rollerboy]

Here's a question for those who have Kakunos. I purchased two, an F and an M. On my F Kakuno the top flat of the section aligns with a flat on the barrel (if you look at a Lamy Safari that's the way it aligns as well). On my M Kakuno the top flat of the section aligns with a vertex on the barrel. I've unscrewed and screwed on the barrel enough times to know it's not a question of multiple start points on the threading. Obviously it's not a crisis but it is a surprising inconsistency. How do your Kakuno section and barrel align?

[melodiousb]

Here's a question for those who have Kakunos. I purchased two, an F and an M. On my F Kakuno the top flat of the section aligns with a flat on the barrel (if you look at a Lamy Safari that's the way it aligns as well). On my M Kakuno the top flat of the section aligns with a vertex on the barrel. I've unscrewed and screwed on the barrel enough times to know it's not a question of multiple start points on the threading. Obviously it's not a crisis but it is a surprising inconsistency. How do your Kakuno section and barrel align?

 

On mine, the top flat on the section is one of the narrow ones, and it aligns with one half of one of the flats on the barrel.