Pilot Kakuno Fine-Nib Fountain Pen, White Body Soft Violet Cap Body (FKA-1SR-SVF)

sfwriter United States

Amazingly well-made, practical pen for the money.

Suckered by that cute winky nib, I finally gave in and bought one of these, though I certainly don't need another Metropolitan avatar. But I was pleasantly surprised by this pen. First, it's very lightweight (which I much prefer), but has a good length and a nice comfy girth. The hard plastic it's made of doesn't feel cheap or unpleasant in the hand. The grip has slight indentations something like the Pilot Plumix which guide the fingers to the right position, but these are more subtle than those on the Plumix (which I also like) and very comfortable. The pen is hexagonal so it won't roll away, plus it has a little roll stop on the cap just in case it decides to try. The snap cap is quick to deploy and quite secure. The pen posts well if you like posting, and the lightweight cap won't overbalance the pen though it does get pretty long. Best of all, the barrel is large enough that it can take the big Pilot con-70 converter, which normally only fits the higher-end Pilot pens and not all of them. You can't eyedropper the pen unless you plug up the holes at the end of the barrel, but the Con-70 will hold a lot of ink. The fine nib on my pen wrote very smoothly from the first moment. And of course like all the low-end Pilots, it's reliable, writes the moment you pick it up, and is easy to clean. The only slight downside to this pen is that maybe because of the holes in the cap it does dry out a little faster than some others, but it's still fine to leave it for several days, and it will recover quickly with a drop of water if you do leave it too long. It's a great everyday writer. It's also a fun, simple, sturdy pen to introduce children to fountain pen writing - but I love it for me as a grownup too. Wish it came in colours I like better, but I'm not going to quibble about that!

Dana Oira United States

Great as a starter pen for high school and college students

Wonderful pen! I bought these for my cousins as Christmas gifts and they enjoyed it. It was even better that they were in their favorite colors. Of the three I bought, one did have a little problem with ink flow, so I had to adjust the tines slightly so that it could write wetter. Aside from that issue, it has been writing well. APPEARANCE The nib is metal and has a winking face on it, which is a cute touch. The feed area is clear, so you're able to see the color of your ink through it. The body and cap are made of plastic and has a hexagonal shape, which keeps it from rolling off of surfaces. The body is a bit wide, but comfortable in the hand. The cap has no clip. COLOR The purple is a pretty soft pastel purple. Almost lilac. WRITING It takes a little while for the ink to fully saturate the feed and nib, so for beginners, don't be surprised about the wait. It helped to hold the nib down so that the ink would be pulled down by gravity. Writing with the nib while the ink was traveling down the feed also helped to draw the ink out. Once the pen started writing, the line was very fine, so it won't bleed too heavily on regular lined paper since they will be using it in school. The proprietary cartridge and Noodler's Black both wrote slightly wet, but dried quickly. Depending on how wet your ink is, dry time may take longer than others. OVERALL This pen is a great pen for beginners and bears the same great quality that Pilot pens come with. My cousins loved their new pens, especially since they're in their favorite color.

An ordinary consumer United States

This is the line to use for sketching!

Love it! Love the design! Love the colors of the plastic! Love the shapes! Love the quality! Everything! NOTE: in these photos the cap may appear as soft and some vendors do use the phrase "soft cap." However, that is NOT true. The cap is made out of hard plastic, the same as the barrel. That plastic feels to be similar to plastic used in LEGO parts. Great news: the feed and the nib of this pen and the Plumix (with 1 mm stub) ARE interchangeable! Just take a paper napkin (to prevent leaving skin oil on the nib and the feed), grab around the nib and the feed, and pull them out carefully. The swapping between two pens take seconds! Also, it is extremely important and useful for cleaning. If you will forget one of your Pilot Kakuno pens with ink for a while or worse, with permanent ink, then you don't need to panic. Just disassemble and clean! I use mine for testing permanent inks where I cannot risk pens from other brands that are not as easy to disassemble. The size of the pen is just right for sketching. I have family big hands, but I love this design! By the way, there is a small knob on the cap to make it easier for removing the cap. Also, it is great that it does NOT have a clip on the cap! I love it! Those clips always get in my way. I own Lamy and Pelican, but after trying my friend's Pilot Kakuno, I was hooked and purchased four of these in various colors and nibs along with four of Plumix (for their 1 mm stubs).

Jillian H. United States

Love my kakuna! Great day to

Love love love this little pen! As like many other inexpensive fountain pens, she doesn’t travel well on a plane.. pressure causes leakage, but it at least remains in the cap and doesn’t escape the pen body. Just be aware when opening after landing, or travel unfilled. Writes consistently, light weight. Doesn’t feel “cheap” but clearly is an inexpensive, but still reliable, worthy little FP🥰