Pilot Prera Fountain Pen Review

(This is a guest review by Bryan Gushikawa)

The Pilot Prera is one of the best fountain pens ever made! I can say that without reservation because there are no other pens out today that offer the same blend of style, comfort, smoothness, and value. It's an excellent pen for beginners and it also offers a lot to experienced fountain pen users. I can spend pages and pages just writing paens to the Prera, so let's get into the specifics of why this is such a great pen!

General Notes: This pen is a little shorter than a typical fountain pen, but the thickness feels nice in the hand. The body comes in many colors and the nibs come in a range, with M and F nibs being excellent choices for most users. The Japanese nibs write smaller than their Western counterparts, so expect to get an M nib for daily writing (~0.6mm) and F nibs for fine work (0.4mm lines).

Smoothness: This pen uses a stiff, steel nib, made by Pilot, and offers a very smooth point. Although a large part of the smoothness of a fountain pen is based on the ink used, the tip contributes quite a bit to the feel of the pen on paper. The Prera is a big winner here, with a tip that glides effortlessly across the paper.

Grip and Balance: Not thick and not thin, but JUST right. Although there is no texture in the grip area, it's sufficiently sized and the plastic isn't so slick to make it hard to hold. When posted, the pen balances well and the weight is distributed evenly.

Ink Flow: Again, although this can be dictated by ink choice, the feed on every Prera I've owned is perfect right from the factory. No skips or blotches here and there's enough flow to allow the pen to start without scribbling.

Build Quality: Wow! Thick plastic and metal accents! The clip is securely affixed to the cap and WILL hold the pen in a pocket. There is a cushioning effect of air when capping the pen, letting you know that the cap is airtight and your pen won't be drying out while capped.

Capacity: Pilot offers a superior range of converters, from the squeeze-type CON-20 to the larger piston CON-50. They all fit the Prera and so do the Pilot cartridges.

Clip: Excellent. Simply excellent!

Post: Secure and rigid. The posting is wonderful! You'll want to post the cap to make sure it's long enough to grip properly.

Overall: I really love this pen and recommend it to everyone! You really will never be disappointed by this pen. It's nice enough to be business ready, but cheap enough so that you don't feel anxious about taking it to the office. A definite recommend and a must buy! Note that you'll get excellent results from the Pilot line of inks, but converters will let you try brands from other companies, as Pilot pens can only fit Pilot carts, not international standard cartridges.

Pilot Cavalier Fountain Pen Review

(This is a guest post by Brian Gushikawa)

Disclosure: This is a review of a used pen that I repaired to working condition. Writing performance might not be fully reflected in this, but the rest of the review is solid for all Cavaliers. Note that manufacturing variance means that some nibs and feeds need adjusting and no mass produced pen is immune from needing adjustment sometimes.

The Pilot Cavalier Fountain Pen is a slender and very elegant pen, seemingly custom-tailored to fit into pen loops in journals and reminder calendars. The pen is light and styled for office and professional use. This pen seems ideal for women because it's a perfect fit for smaller hands and the pastel colors available can mesh quite well with professional attire.

Smoothness: The steel F nib makes about a 0.4 to 0.5mm line and is not as stiff as the wider Prera and Penmanship pens. The tines are longer and the overall width of the nib is about half as much as a standard Pilot wide nib. The unit I got was fairly smooth for such a thin line; thin nibs are scratchier because they have less of an ink cushion to glide on. This pen is good, though.

Grip and Balance: The grip is smooth and slender, meaning that folks with larger hands might find this uncomfortable to grasp for long periods of time. The cap is kind of heavy compared to the rest of the pen and the balance when its posted is helped greatly. It counterbalances the longer nib very well.

Ink Flow: My unit needed some work, so I cannot say how a standard production pen will be, but expect finer nibs to lay down less ink and seem a little scratchier.

Build Quality: This is where this pen really excels. The tight fit and finish is wonderful to behold and the lacquer job on the barrel is really thick and well done. Threads align 100% and the cap posts on the front with a very nice snap. The seal is tight enough to prevent nib dry out, too.

Capacity: You have options for Pilot Cartridges or a CON-20. I am not sure that the CON-50 or CON-70 would fit the slender barrel, but the choice of the CON-20 expands options on ink.

Clip: Strong, solid and metal. Affixed securely to the stoutly constructed cap.

Post: Affixes to the back with a satisfying click. Although the cap will spin, it won't come off while writing. Pilot really nailed it on this one.

Overall: Although this pen seems aimed at the female demographic, I'd say that a man with smaller hands would enjoy this pen quite a bit. The slender size is perfect for pen loops and the fine writing is great for college ruled notebooks. As long as the hand size is properly matched, I can recommend this pen without hesitation.

Ohto Fine Fountain Pen Review

There is no doubt that the Ohto Fine is a beautiful fountain pen. Long, sleek lines, sharp chrome accents, and a few curves for added visual effect. But functionality is the most important thing for me when using and reviewing a pen, and that is where the Ohto Fine falls short.

I have had great success with other Ohto pens I have reviewed, so I was surprised to be let down by this one. First of all, the length and weight of the pen with the cap posted makes it top heavy when writing. This leads to balance issues, and eventually writing fatigue if you use this pen for long periods of time. I didn’t make it that far due to my second issue with the pen - nib alignment.

I am not a fountain pen expert by any stretch, so it took me some time to figure out. The pen was very scratchy when making certain strokes, and upon closer inspection, the nib appears to be mis-aligned. It is very slight and hard to see, but one side of the nib is higher than the other. I could probably adjust it for slightly better performance, but by this point I was disillusioned with it.

The final issue - and one that will vary between user - is the grip section. Ohto may have gotten too aggressive with the design on this one, because the sharp curve of the barrel hits me right where I grip the pen. That angle cut digs right in to my fingers, and again limits the length of time I can write with it.

At $22.00, it isn’t going to break the bank, but there are better options in the same price range - the Lamy Safari comes to mind immediately. Sorry Ohto, three strikes and you’re out!