PILOT Metropolitan Collection Fountain Pen, Black Barrel, Classic Design, Fine Nib, Black Ink (91111)

J. B.United States

It's a fine pen, thus the writing style is indeed different ...

I'm not a professional pen reviewer, but I'm a semi-professional pen "nerd"... yeah, that's a thing. I have a few very high name pens including Mont Blanc and I got my first Fountain about 7 years ago from my wife. Though this pen Probably doesn't stand up to a Mont Blanc, it also would require that it would cost about 30 times what it does for that to be a fair fight. A lot of the fountain pens I have used are very flimsy or they have a common problem of seperation in the nib. I've had one that hasn't, and that's the 7 year old pen. This pen has the same flexibility and feel that the old one does. It's a fine pen, thus the writing style is indeed different than that medium. The all black is dead sexy. I love all black and black ink, it just makes things seem elegant. I would not put this on a pilot pen at first glance. I would actually have to look closely to find out what brand it is. After using it, I totally would not have put it as a Pilot. Don't get me wrong, Pilot makes some of the best pens out there, I mean, seriously, the F series and the Dr. Grip and the... I'll stop. This pen is heavy enough to be not light and feel great when using but light enough that you can use it well. For the price you cannot beat this pen. I personally would suggest that you go out and get this pen, a convert ink well for the back of the pen allowing you to refill the pen from a bottle and then go get you some of the best ink you can find. This is where I suggest some of the Mont Blanc ink. I do not have one of their Fountain Pens, but all of my fountain pens will eventually have their ink. This one too after the included cartridge runs out and I use the converter. WHAT IS A CONVERTER??? ---- A converter is a type of pen refill that you can place into an ink well and draw ink up into it and keep putting it back into the pen over and over. Most are just some sort of a screw that you can put the open end into the ink, screw it up and it basically sucks the ink up. You write off the ink, and then you fill it again. At the start, way more expensive than a few dollars, probably going to put 20 - 30 dollars into the converter and ink. But, the ink well could last you years and the converter will pretty much last forever. If you then put a cartridge in a couple times a month in a few months you're ahead. tl;dr - Get a converter and ink well.

Tyler JonesUnited States

Great Entry-Level Fountain Pen & Nib

The Pilot Metropolitan is a remarkable pen for only $15. People who are new to fountain pens will be hard-pressed to find a better introduction to the wonderful world of fountain pen writing. It's a cigar-style metal body that feels substantial in the hands without being too heavy and fatiguing. It (personally) looks much more professional than the Lamy Safari or Platinum Preppy. As far as size/weight is concerned, it can be comfortably written with the cap off or on depending on how big your hands are or personal preference. The grip above the nib is smooth plastic and flares out right above the nib. It's large enough for someone with large hands, but not too long that it needlessly extends the body. I purchased the Fine nib. Japanese nibs usually run a size smaller than western nibs, and a Metro <F> is the equivalent of an <EF> with many other brands. It probably doesn't need to be said, but this is a very fine point, and I'd recommend the <M> nib if you tend to write big or very quickly. PROS: - It flows very well with a variety of inks, and unless I'm very low on ink it won't skip at all. - Even if I store the pen nib-up for a few days at a time, it starts with very little problems. - Pilot is known for having high QA for pens/nibs so cheap. You are almost guaranteed to get a properly-functioning nib. - The nibs on the metro behave much better than most other pens at this level (Lamy~$30, Chinese~$7). - The clip on the cap is neither too tight or loose, it sticks to shirt or pocket fabric very well without being a pain to attach. CONS: - Like some other users, I found that it dried out fairly quickly if I had the cap off and didn't write for a smallish amount of time. - I wasn't a fan of the included pilot black ink and felt that it dried very grey and didn't behave the best on poor paper, but that boils down to personal taste. Most people will use bottled ink and either refill the cartridges or use the included converter. - The included sac converter is cheap, but it will work just fine until you see the light and order a nicer converter. It's difficult to know how much ink you are actually filling. However, the fact that a converter is included at all is great for a pen at this price point. TL;DR: Great-value pen, very minor cons. Writes and looks like a more expensive pen and outclasses everything at its level.

MelonieMUnited States

Exquisite with every flourish

I am a shameless pen geek, and to skimp on praising the many virtues of the Pilot Metropolitan Collection fine nib fountain pen would be a sin of omission. I have carried this pen on my person for an entire month now, writing with it as often as I could throughout the day. I began with the black ink cartridge included in the handsome box the pen arrived in, and wrote voraciously -- perhaps often unnecessarily -- in order to use it up so I could fill the squeeze converter with my preferred Noodler's Blue. As a reporter and journalist, I earn my living writing, so you can imagine my amazement (and, eventually, consternation) at how long that single black cartridge lasted. Had I loved black ink, I'd have been in Heaven! But yesterday, the cartridge finally ran dry and now the pen is full of my Noodler's Blue. This is Nirvana of a conscious kind. I don't know how else to describe what the blood running through my own veins feels like as blue line after blue line appears on my fine paper with this exceptional pen. Pardon my language (or don't) but this is equal to the thrill of blossoming romance and its culmination in making the beast with two backs! I am simply beyond thrilled and I have paid far more for fountain pens in the past. I do also love my Lamy and Waterman pens. They are well-made and worth the cost. But compared with this pen, there are some little things that niggle at me concerning the quality of writing they produce. From a collector's standpoint, yes, the other pens have great sentimental value as they are the best pens of their ages. But we have arrived at a new age -- and the Pilot Metropolitan Collection, I pragmatically insist -- is a destination to which all previous efforts have long aspired to reach. I attribute this largely to technology and engineering. And to style and fashion. This pen is uniquely balanced in heft, different to the other pens I adore that were crafted in decades past. The writing is natural, with a perfectly suitable audible scratchiness on the right sort of paper, and my signature absolutely rocks while using this pen. How can it be so inexpensive then, you may wonder. Technology. Science. Art. These are how.

Larissa McGovernUnited States

The best writing investment I have ever made

This pen could not be a more complete entry-level fountain pen; Solid, Stylish, and Affordable. This pen feels about as good as it writes, it has the right weight and balance whether you write with the cap posted or not, it is also long enough to do either comfortably assuming you don't have HUGE hands. I bought a bottle of Purple Pelikan ink ( Pelikan 4001 Ink, 1 fl. oz Violet (311886) ) to go with this pen and I can say that this pen writes flawlessly, it never skips and it will write with feathery or a heavy handed strokes. This pen, aside from being an attention grabber, is a solid well-constructed pen that feels much better than any fountain pen you might happen upon at Office Depot. If you are looking for a cheap fountain pen to start writing with, or to just have your friends ogle over, look no further. Now to address some complaints you might have read before buying this pen: Ink Capacity- Some people recommend buying a converter with the Metropolitan, such as CON-50. I have found that the standard CON-20 converter that comes with the Metro will survive a hefty school day with multiple essays even though I cannot see how much ink is left in the bladder, I have even made it through three days with consistent use before I needed to refill (not to mention the bottle of ink will last you an absurd amount of time). So unless you are travelling, enjoy the comfort of seeing your ink level, or can't waste the MINUTE every few days to refill it, stick with the CON-20 and put your money towards better ink. The Pen Cap - I have read complaints of the cap not securing as tightly as many would hope, however I have been using this pen for about two weeks (as a student in High school) and I have not experienced this problem yet. I carry this pen in my pocket putting constant tension on the cap, It still clicks with the same snap it did when I first took it out of the case. I cannot say that I will not experience this problem in the future, but do not worry about this pen falling apart after a few days of use, just because of the price.