Best Pilot pens (top 7 sellers)
These are our most popular Pilot fountain pens:
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Pilot Metropolitan & Kakuno: These are our top sellers and recommended as excellent entry-level fountain pens. Affordable, yet offer smooth writing, from a reliable stainless steel nib. Metropolitan (also called Cocoon) offers the advantage of an all metal body, whereas the Kakuno can fit the Converter 70 (sold separately) to hold more ink.
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Pilot Custom 823: Jen's favourite gold nib pen, known for its ink capacity, large 14K nib and smooth writing experience. It features a vacuum filling system, suiting users who infrequently change ink colour. Available in Fine, Medium and Broad, with the potential to interchange nibs from the Pilot Custom 743 range.
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Pilot Capless & Decimo: Also known as the Pilot Vanishing Point, it's unique due to its retractable nib mechanism, which makes it very convenient for quick notes. The Decimo offers the same retractable nib, in a lighter and more compact design. Our stock is the 18K gold nib.
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Pilot Custom 74: This is a popular step up from stainless steel to gold nibs. Features a more traditional design and a large variety of 14K nib options. In our experience, the most reliable out-of-the-box gold nib of all.
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Pilot Falcon: (also known as Pilot Namiki Falcon) It's popular for its flexible 14K nib, which allows for some line variation. The nib is described as a soft flex, sitting between a normal handwriting nib and a flexible nib for Spencerian calligraphy. The result is you can use the Falcon to write quickly or with hand pressure to get thick and thin lines.
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Pilot Pera & Pilot Elite E95S: Pocket pens for when space is limited. The Prera, with the same stainless steel nib as the Metropolitan and Kakuno, is compact when capped, but extends to a full size pen when posted. The Elite E95S is a modern take on the classic Pilot Elite design from the 1960s, with a 14K gold nib and super lightweight body.
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Pilot Custom Urushi: For those looking for a luxurious option, the oversize Custom Urushi features exquisite Urushi lacquer work and a springy, size #30 18K gold nib. It's a collector's dream and a testament to Pilot's craftsmanship. The Custom Urushi 845 is the smaller cousin, offering the same nib size as Custom 823 and Custom 743, but in 18K.
As with any pen, your choice will depend on writing style, preference for nib size and material, budget and intended use. For Pilot, it is also useful to consider if the model is compatible with the smaller Converter 40 (better ink flow) or the larger Converter 70 (holds more ink).