My first stub nibs

[Karmachanic]

1 hour ago, RJS said:

Do Pilot sell any 1mm stubs or are they all mislabeled by Western retailers? I'm looking at the $200+ pens.

 

Pilot offers the SU nib - 0.63± on the 912, 742 and 743 pens.  Clear, crisp line variation.

 

https://kmpn.blogspot.com/2011/06/pilot-custom.html

[Prof Drew]

On 4/12/2024 at 6:59 AM, Karmachanic said:

0.6 cursive italic

Was that 0.6 cursive italic a special grind or is it available? Sounds like a cool nib to try.

[RJS]

3 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

 

Pilot offers the SU nib - 0.63± on the 912, 742 and 743 pens.  Clear, crisp line variation.

 

https://kmpn.blogspot.com/2011/06/pilot-custom.html

Thanks for that. The SU looks interesting. I looked at a few reviews (all positive!) and stumbled across this post, and found a blog on an official Pilot site mistakenly referring to the CM nib as a 1.0mm stub. 🤦‍♂️

 

https://pilotpen.com.au/blog/fountain-pen-nib-sizes

[Karmachanic]

3 hours ago, RJS said:

mistakenly referring to the CM nib as a 1.0mm stub. 🤦‍♂️

 

And not available on the MR pen linked to in section 2 of said post.

[Karmachanic]

6 hours ago, Prof Drew said:

Was that 0.6 cursive italic a special grind or is it available?

 

Available as a custom grind from your local nib magician.

[Mercian]

6 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

 

And not available on the MR pen linked to in section 2 of said post.

They can though be swapped onto an MR from a Prera, and so can the calligraphy nibs from the Pilot Plumix.

 

If, of course, one can find any such ‘donor’ pens, and is comfortable with the idea of pulling out the pens’ feeds in order to swap their nibs.

 

Edit to add:

Actually, there is at least one US retailer who sells the MR/Metropolitan with the CM nib installed on it, in various colours too - linky.

[DLCJr]

Amazon sells the Pilot Metropolitan with the CM nib for as low as around $21 or so. Probably the easiest,  lowest priced way to acquire the Pilot CM nib. And the nib can be swapped into Kakuno, Prera, et al.

 

After some nib polishing, my Prera and Kakuno pens with CM nibs are absolutely superb writing instruments… pure joy to write with!  Very smooth and not “edge catchy” on the paper. They do come from the factory quite sharp.
 

The Pilot CM nib is by far my preferred nib on Pilot Kakuno and Prera pens.

 

I don’t enjoy using the Metropolitan because of the abrupt and huge step up from section to barrel, which bugs me - it is not a “graceful” transition, but otherwise, it’s a fairly nice pen and an easy way to acquire a CM nib for use on other Pilot pens that are not available with CM, like the Kakuno.
 

The Prera Iro Ai, however, can be found on Amazon, with CM nib, for as low as $28 on Amazon. I would spend the extra $7 to get the $28 Prera Iro Ai with CM, vs. a $21 Metropolitan with CM. Prera is a superbly made pen that is a joy to use.

[RJS]

4 hours ago, DLCJr said:

Amazon sells the Pilot Metropolitan with the CM nib for as low as around $21 or so. Probably the easiest,  lowest priced way to acquire the Pilot CM nib. And the nib can be swapped into Kakuno, Prera, et al.

 

After some nib polishing, my Prera and Kakuno pens with CM nibs are absolutely superb writing instruments… pure joy to write with!  Very smooth and not “edge catchy” on the paper. They do come from the factory quite sharp.
 

The Pilot CM nib is by far my preferred nib on Pilot Kakuno and Prera pens.

 

I don’t enjoy using the Metropolitan because of the abrupt and huge step up from section to barrel, which bugs me - it is not a “graceful” transition, but otherwise, it’s a fairly nice pen and an easy way to acquire a CM nib for use on other Pilot pens that are not available with CM, like the Kakuno.
 

The Prera Iro Ai, however, can be found on Amazon, with CM nib, for as low as $28 on Amazon. I would spend the extra $7 to get the $28 Prera Iro Ai with CM, vs. a $21 Metropolitan with CM. Prera is a superbly made pen that is a joy to use.

US Amazon does sell them a lot cheaper than Amazon UK/EU, but still not nearly as cheap as in Japan. I love the Prera, though- a terrific thing. For the money it is very precisely made, and comfortable despite its size.
 

The Metropolitan/MR has the same lovely nibs, but as you mention the step from body to section, combined with how narrow the section is, make it unpleasant to use. As one of the entry level pens in this hobby I fear it puts people off.
 

As an aside, I have big hands and bigger sections suit me. Sadly in non-Chinese fountain pen land, section size is related to cost- the more you spend, the bigger it gets, which is absurd. Some fairly narrow pens- Prera and Kaweco Sport, for example- are comfortable, though my Custom 823 is ideal.

[DLCJr]

RJS… yes, the Prera is a very much appreciated and well loved pen, by many. It’s a little gem of a pen.

[Penguincollector]

@RJS I recently bought a Pilot Lucina, which is very similar to a Prera in size, but has a more classic flat top look to it. They’re discontinued, so it’s a secondary market purchase, but is a nice pen. I am not sure if the nib is compatible with other Pilot models. 
 

[RJS]

1 hour ago, DLCJr said:

RJS… yes, the Prera is a very much appreciated and well loved pen, by many. It’s a little gem of a pen.

I agree. I bought my first one many years ago now, a yellow one, from a seller in Japan who posted it for free to the UK (where I was based at the time). I remember being impressed at how precisely and perfectly the cap closed and sealed. It's travelled around the world with me and still closes just as tidily. The only criticism online I see of it is that it is too short- but with the cap posted this isn't a problem even for large hands.

[Prof Drew]

On 4/16/2024 at 7:40 AM, Karmachanic said:

 

Available as a custom grind from your local nib magician.

Thanks @Karmachanic, you are lucky to have your own local nib magician.

 

I have to agree with everyone about the Prera being underrated. Never tried the Pilot Lucina.

[RJS]

2 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

@RJS I recently bought a Pilot Lucina, which is very similar to a Prera in size, but has a more classic flat top look to it. They’re discontinued, so it’s a secondary market purchase, but is a nice pen. I am not sure if the nib is compatible with other Pilot models. 
 

I'd completely forgotten about that one! Looks pretty nice.

[AmandaW]

I have several Wing Sung 3003 housing transplanted Pilot CM-type nibs (actually stamped M and B, from Plumix). The 3003 reminds one of a Prera, but it's a bigger pen and seals very well against drying out, far better than the Prera, MR and Kakuno. I would prefer to be using Pilot pens, and do love the comfort of the Kakuno, but the lack of sealing is a problem here (I have a rainbow of the 3 Pilot models so it's not just one dodgy cap). I'm now trying an EX2 Explorer - which promises perfect sealing - but it was double the cost of a Kakuno and, to be honest, feels no more sturdy than a Preppie.

 

Pictures below are Pilot Prera and Wing Sung 3003 (with a Pilot nib).