Thoughts On Pilot Falcon

[kansaskyle]

I see Massdrop is selling Pilot Falcon's for $119.99, and I was curious what y'all think of this pen.

 

I have a Pilot Vanishing Point and Pilot Elite (from the 1970's) that I enjoy, and was just trying to decide if this is a good deal.

[Algester]

its still a pen use it how you wish all you know its also a heritage type pen since its inception went back as far as the late 1970s

Edited October 1, 2015 by Algester

[tragique]

I enjoyed mine so much I sold my resin one and bought two Metal Falcons (SEF, SM). I'd go for it at that price. Don't expect a crazy amount of flex but rather just a nice soft nib that gives decent enough line variation to be useful. I find my SM amazing for long writing sessions, it's very smooth and bouncy.

[Tas]

It's a BRILLIANT sketcher !!

 

I hardly ever use it to write with but LOVE how it behaves when drawing. Really reliable too. No hard starts easy to clean. Get one.

[rutherfordr]

I have a plastic Falcon, and I'm afraid I don't like it very much.

I expected it to be smooth and wet and springy, and instead I find it to be scratchy and a little dry.

I even took it to Richard Binder at the Baltimore pen show to get it tuned, and it didn't help.

 

I suspect it has more to do with my writing style than the nib, but it really doesn't work for me.

[Kataphract]

Great pen, but if you don't care about the flex, you can get a cheaper and smoother pen. It's generally softer and flexier than other pens that claim to be soft, but the flex is still limited. For fancy writing, I might think about a stub instead, for drawing, it's great.

Edited October 1, 2015 by Kataphract

[kansaskyle]

Great pen, but if you don't care about the flex, you can get a cheaper and smoother pen. It's generally softer and flexier than other pens that claim to be soft, but the flex is still limited. For fancy writing, I might think about a stub instead, for drawing, it's great.

 

Ah, so the big thing is soft/semi-flex nib. I'm more into italics, so maybe I'l look for something else.

 

Thanks for the feedback!

[FOUR X FOUR]

Hey Kansas Kyle, before you decide against the Pilot Falcon go to YouTube and check out some videos of it. I think you'll come back around to liking it; especially at that price

[macaddicted]

Have both the resin and metal Falcon, and a couple of VPs. For comparison the resin VP is similar in size and weight to the Lamy 2000.

 

The Falcon is, as others have said, soft, but not flexy. They are softer than a standard 14k gold nib, and give some line variation, but nothing like a turn-of-the -20th-century Waterman.

 

I had the SEF on my metal Falcon modified to be more flexy, and it is, but it takes some effort to get a good line variation. It's more springy than wet noodle. Many of the nibmeisters can modify the nib to be more like a vintage flex nib.

 

If you're looking for the real thing look at something like a vintage Waterman. They're similar(it) in size and can come with a true wet noodle nib. I have one of those too, but I don't use it much since I can't control it all that well.

[PAKMAN]

Mine was too dry, the feed couldn't keep up with the nib, sold it.

[shane27]

Also, I think this is the plastic version, not the metal one.

[macaddicted]

Also, I think this is the plastic version, not the metal one.

 

Resin, please. Unless it's a MontBlanc, then it's precious resin.

[tragique]

Have both the resin and metal Falcon, and a couple of VPs. For comparison the resin VP is similar in size and weight to the Lamy 2000.

 

The Falcon is, as others have said, soft, but not flexy. They are softer than a standard 14k gold nib, and give some line variation, but nothing like a turn-of-the -20th-century Waterman.

 

I had the SEF on my metal Falcon modified to be more flexy, and it is, but it takes some effort to get a good line variation. It's more springy than wet noodle. Many of the nibmeisters can modify the nib to be more like a vintage flex nib.

 

If you're looking for the real thing look at something like a vintage Waterman. They're similar(it) in size and can come with a true wet noodle nib. I have one of those too, but I don't use it much since I can't control it all that well.

 

Did you find the modification worth it? I've considered it in the past for my SEF Falcon but decided not to get it since it's so expensive and I have enough vintage flex pens for actual flex.

[macaddicted]

Did you find the modification worth it? I've considered it in the past for my SEF Falcon but decided not to get it since it's so expensive and I have enough vintage flex pens for actual flex.

Wellll, here's the thing. I only started using it yesterday. I've been using it constantly and I like it thus far. As others have noted it works great as a drawing pen. Mine works ok for writing, but for flex I'm going with my Waterman pens.

[Moynihan]

The best way to describe the nib on these, i think, is "responsive". I think each user may have a slightly different experience with this nib, due to its softness.

I use a metal (SF), a resin SEF every day (along with other pens) for general writing.

I also have the Namiki (gold trim) versions in SF,SM, & SB.

My experience with the nibs is that like all Pilot soft nibs, there is a break-in period, at least for me...

The nibs are unique.

Not flex nibs, but very different from other nibs, even different from the "regular" shaped soft nibs you can get on the various Custom (Custom/Custom Heritage: 74/742/743) models available from Japan via various sellers/Amazon.

I love them. But they do seem to cause different reactions for different people.

[max dog]

I have the resin Falcon with SF nib and would characterize it as semi-flex. It's feed just isn't at vintage flex standards which is the biggest drawback railroading more easily. With the right ink and paper combo can get consistent line variation though from F to BB (0.4mm to 1.2 mm) with minimal railroading. Rhodia/Clairfontaine paper doesn't work the best here. More absorbent paper is better. Montblanc Permanent Blue works good among other select inks that work well with this nib. SF nib has fair amount of feedback compared to my regular F nibs. I would think a soft medium would be a good trade off for smoothness.

 

All in all I like my Falcon. It's a nice rugged modern semi-flex I can carry around in my pocket/pen case without worry which I dare not do with my fragile vintage pens, ie Waterman 52.

Edited October 4, 2015 by max dog