Pilot Crystal Fountain Pen

[menick]

Does anybody know about this pen?

 

Nice nib? good performance? Can it be made into an eyedropper?

 

Any info appreciated! Thanks!

 

nick

[Rapt]

Saw a review on a blog someplace... not sure where now...

 

Seemed like it was pretty good, don't recall about ED potential.

[bluestocking]

I got one of these a few weeks ago. I'm not overly impressed. Mine's a F, and I do quite like the nib, very fine and a smooth writer, as expected for a Pilot. However, the plastic body feels just a bit too cheap for me, and in fact I am already getting cracks around the edge of the cap from posting it (which I don't do with excessive force, it's just a bit pants). It would be possible to convert to ED, but as there are threads both at the nib end and bottom end of the barrel where the end cap screws in, it wouldn't be optimal.

 

It's a good writer but an alright pen...I guess I just wish I hadn't paid as much as I did for it. It cost me more than a Lamy Safari when in my opinion it's not as good. That said, I got it explicitly for the fine nib which I can't get on a Lamy, not even with an XF, so I suppose it is serving its purpose and I can't complain. Except for the cracks...alas.

 

[ericthered2004]

I too got one of these recently, and am probably more favorably impressed than bluestocking. The nib is not as smooth as those on the Knight or Prera, and isn't the same kind of nib in fact. Still, with a bit of tweaking it delivers a clear, dryish, precise XF line of reasonable smoothness. I find it very good for writing in a Moleskine. My cap started cracking pretty early on too. The rest of the pen is solidly put together, but has very limited ED potential for the above reasons.

 

In short, it serves a purpose and is nice to look out (except for the cap cracks), but isn't quite as exciting as other pilot options.

 

cheers,

eric

[menick]

Ok, I may wait then. Get a vista, or a better pilot demo...

 

Thanks!

[donwinn]

Does anybody know about this pen?

 

Nice nib? good performance? Can it be made into an eyedropper?

 

Any info appreciated! Thanks!

 

nick

 

Yes, yes, and yes. I have a FS (fine soft) which is not a true flexy, but a little soft, so I get good line variation. Nice very fine line with no pressure, up to about a western medium if I press fairly hard. I used mine as an eyedropper for awhile, but went back to the pressbar converter. If you convert to eyedropper, be sure you use plenty of silicone grease to seal the threads to prevent leakage. Even doing that, the inside of the pen is stained, and it is green (originally clear).

 

Got mine from speerbob in Thailand off eBay. Love it.

 

Donnie

[theblackpen]

...or a better pilot demo...

Hi!

Here is what I believe is a better Pilot demo:

http://ujuku.ath.cx/ujuku-shop/kaimono/fou...pen/FKK-1MR.htm

 

No affiliation with the site above.

Regards,

[Gepzo]

I have a Crystal, or the remnants of one - I have to comment that the plastic is fragile. I dropped mine from standing position, and the barrel cracked, the blind cap off the end rocketed off, never to be found, and the cap has several cracks at the edge. The nib was never all that smooth, but did get better after some brown paper bagging. The nibs are not interchangeable with the Prera/78G/etc, but they are CLOSE to the same size. I liked it for the price (sub-$20), and I'm saving the parts, in hopes of creating a new body to hold the remainders. The other caveat is that the Crystal won't puncture the little stopper in a Pilot ink cart, so you'll need to refill a used cart, or flip the stopper manually, with a toothpick, probe, screwdriver, etc. The little plastic stub in it that holds the converter doesn't project far enough into the carts to reach the stopper.

 

- George

[diplomat]

I purchased a couple of Crystal from thaigoodwill on ebay some time ago. Not completely impressed, even considering the low price. The nib (XF) it is scratchy and a difficult starter. The section, as it is possibly to note since it is a demonstrator, slightly leaks in the pen body... so I did not used more than once.

 

Regards,

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

It is one of the lower quality Korean Pilot pens. The plastic is polystyrene, and gets cracks easily. Other than that, it's a nice writer--while it lasts.

 

Dillon

[Gojira]

I have 2 courtesy of Speerbob. The plastic body does feel cheap and a little fragile but you do get Pilot's consistent nib performance for a very low price. Not bad at all...

[Davidpen]

Does anyone know which cartridge this uses ?

[Dillo]

This uses a Pilot cartridge. You will need to use another Pilot pen to open the cartridge before inserting it into the Crystal.

 

Dillon