New Pilot Custom Ns And A 742 Impressions

[Vicary]

Received a couple new Pilots from Japan this weekend. I've been wanting to try one of the new Custom NS pens, and I also found a great deal on a burgundy Custom 742 with a broad nib. The Custom NS I also got with the broad nib. I opted for the light blue color on the NS, wasn't sure what to expect but it's a nice, soft color. Sort of veers between blue and grey. I thought it might look too soft, but it's actually quite nice.

 

The thing that surprised me most about the NS is its size. For the price, and how it seems to be positioned in the line up, I expected it to be a bit smaller than a 74. In fact, it's just about the same length at the 74, but noticeably chunkier. In fact, it feels much more like the 742 than the 74. The caps on the 742 and NS are interchangeable, so the barrel and cap diameters must be the same. By contrast, the 74's cap won't go on the NS, it's too narrow. Between the three pens the lengths are within a fraction of each other, but the NS has some good substance. It has the weight of the 74, but the chunkiness of the 742.

 

The Custom NS has some nice features. There's a wide cap band that's a little more modern, if slightly less classy than on the 74/742. There are two metal end jewels, which is a nice touch. The top one has a blue disc inset in the steel jewel. The bottom on is just steel. The overall shape of the pen is slightly different as well, coming to a bit more of a point towards the ends. It's a bit more torpedo-y than the 742 and the clunkier 74.

 

The nib is pretty nice, but feels quite different from the broad #5 nib on my 74 or on the 742. It's finer, much closer to a true medium, and has a firmer feel. It's drier as well, though the ink flow is very nice and consistent. It's really very smooth as well. Compared to the 74, I find this pen to be a bit more comfortable in my hand, so writing with it is enjoyable. I would prefer a little more softness in the nib, but overall I find this to be a superior nib to the stainless steel nibs Pilot fits to the Metropolitans and Preras.

 

The 742 is also a lovely pen. I've had a hankering for one of the burgundy 742 or 743s, and snagged this one new for less than $150 shipped from Japan. I really like the size and shape of this pen, and the #10 14k broad nib that came with it is a lovely writer, actually pretty broad and a very wet writer. So wet in fact, that I had to compare the feed with my Custom Impressions, which has a #10 14k Music nib that the feed just can't quite keep up with. I ended up putting that music nib on the 742 feed and mounting it in the 742 and it's become a glorious writer, with none of the skipping or hard starts it was prone to on the CI. And the broad nib from the 742 is just about perfect for the CI's feed. So that's a win-win.

 

So now that I have the Custom NS, a 74, a 742, and an 823, I guess the next thing to get would be a 743. I'd love to try the soft medium or sutab nib out on that...

 

I've included some pics of the Custom NS and 742, and a couple with the 74 for size comparison purposes.

 

 

[hari317]

Thanks for sharing.

[Drawing61]

Thanks for the helpful info.

[senzen]

Great info, thanks!

[kpong11]

Thanks for info and size comparison