Pilot Custom Heritage 912 - Ranking the Nibs

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

Last year, I was fortunate enough to get to test 14 of Pilot’s #15-sized 14K gold fountain pen nibs on the Pilot Custom 743, so I could see which ones would be my favorites. This year, I not-so-shyly asked Jaclynn Burleigh of Pilot USA if I could test their #10-sized 14k gold nibs in their Pilot Custom Heritage 912 pens and she said yes! The biggest difference between the 743 & 823 and the 912 & 742 is the size of the nib - the former utilizes the size 15 nib and feed while the latter takes size 10.

Side note: August sees the two of the largest US pen shows (DC and San Francisco), so you should take advantage of the opportunity to try all the nibs for yourself at the Pilot USA tables and let me know which ones are your favorites! But if you can’t, read on!

I have several pens with size 10 and 15 nibs, but I don’t have them all (nor do I want to, for now ;-) ) so I was curious to see if my favorites from last year’s 743 nib ranking would translate to the 912 nibs. It’s been a year since I’ve used some of these nibs in the 743 size, so I tried not to bias myself by re-reading last year’s article (I did rearrange them according to new rankings). I had limited time with these pens (as they needed to be sent back to Pilot so they can take them to different shows), which is a good thing because this would end up being a 10 page article, lol. I decided to follow a similar approach as in my last nib ranking, which was based off of the one the Bossman did in his Custom Heritage 912 writeup.

A few things to keep in mind:

• I am right-handed but have a “stupid steep” writing angle - 75 degrees isn’t uncommon for me, while most people have a 45-50 degree angle.
• I tend to write primarily in cursive, and occasionally in print (but not like the Bossman’s block print), typewriter font and calligraphy-esque styles like Copperplate and Italic. My go-to nib size from any maker/country/region is Medium. I also prefer broader nibs as well as stubs/italics. I rarely reach for Extra Fine, especially since I own very few of them.
• Pilot asked that I dip these pens instead of inking them up, which I don’t think is the best way to test the flow in the nibs, but it’s enough for short writing samples. I dipped, then dragged the tip across the ink vial so there wouldn’t be blobs of ink on the page.
• The first writing sample with all the nibs was done in the Maruman Bodoni A5 Notebook, while the others were written in an Endless Recorder with 68 gsm Tomoe River. I used a sample of Pilot blue ink.
• My Chinese teachers from high school would be shuddering, but hey, it’s accurate, just not beautiful. The character means “always” or “forever”.
• Thank you Pilot USA for sending these 912s so I could do a nib showdown!
• Last but not least, I mostly followed Brad’s formatting but I did not read his ranking (nor mine from the 743 ranking) so I wouldn’t be biased.

My aging eyes were so happy to be on #teamsticker even if the stickers didn’t all align with the front of the nib.

Based on writing samples of all of these nibs, do you think you can tell which ones I will like more than others? (Bodoni notebook)

Writing sample of the “regular” nibs on Tomoe River 68 gsm.

Specialty nibs - Stub, Music, Waverly, Posting, Falcon/FA.

Line width comparison of the Extra Fine & Posting nibs, and the Waverly & Fine Medium.

15 - Extra Fine

Admit it, you knew this was coming. I don’t hate EF nibs, I just really don’t prefer them most of the time from any brand. That said, I was expecting to like this more than the PO nib because I remember disliking the size 15 PO the most. For some reason, that wasn’t the case here. The EF gave me more feedback than I liked, so it was my least favorite of the nibs.

14 - Posting

The size 15 Posting nib was my least favorite to use because it felt like I was writing on the top of the nib, with it almost curving backwards on the paper. The original idea behind the nib was to write on postcards, which had limited space and therefore the extra fine line allowed you to fit more words. The angle of the nib also made it very stiff, unlike their regular and soft nibs, so you could also write on multiple sheets, like with carbon paper (does anyone remember what that is?) or forms in duplicate/triplicate. I’m not sure if it’s because the nib is smaller but this wasn’t as uncomfortable to write with, and while it was still uncomfortably fine for me, I liked it more than the EF>

You can see the downturn of the Posting nib, which gives it a firmer writing experience as well as a drier line.

13 - Coarse

You would think that I’d love this mega broad line because I love showing off inks, but like its size 15 sibling, this nib lays down quite the Sharpie line! It gives a smooth writing experience but since I don’t have large handwriting, this isn’t a very practical nib. This would still be a great platform for a nib grind, but I’d probably get a Broad or Double Broad for grinding before I’d get the Coarse.

Of COARSE this is a fun nib if you need a thicc line.

12 - Waverly

Unlike the Posting nib, the Waverly was designed with a slight upturn on the tip of the nib, which makes it much more pleasant for folks who “push” their nibs, like lefties. As a rightie, I didn’t really notice the difference as it still wrote with a smooth, slightly broader than Fine Medium line. I’m sure I’d rank this much higher if I was a leftie, but since I’m not, I’d pick any of the remaining nibs instead of trying to hunt this one down.

The Waverly’s upturn is more noticeable from the side.

11 - Music

The Music nib was not offered in the 743, so I was not able to test this last year. The writing experience is very stub-like, wider down strokes and narrow side strokes. The down strokes are wider than the Stub’s. Similar to the Coarse, its lines are a bit too thick for my writing, so it’s less practical for me, but I do like the line variation, which is why it gets a higher rating that the Coarse.

10 - Fine

The Fine gives a nice writing experience with a fine line. As I mentioned earlier, I like laying down ink and this Fine just doesn’t give me as much as I’d like.

9 - BB / Double Broad

I liked the not-quite-as-insane width of this nib compared to the Coarse but it is still too broad for my everyday use. As with the Coarse nib, this would also be a great canvas for a nib grind. Even though this is impractical for me, I ranked it higher because I’d picked this over a Fine if I had to choose between the two.

This BB has one too many Bs for me.

8 - Soft Fine

I liked this more than the Fine because the slight bounce from the softer nib gives it an almost imperceptibly wider line and ever so slight line variation (more from the release of pressure than from adding pressure). That said, it’s still a bit too fine for me.

Soft Fine, you’re finally number nine! (it was #10 last year.)

7 - Fine Medium

The top seven are much harder to choose from, so I used two criteria to help me decide: (1) what would be a better everyday writer for me and (2) what nib would I pick to buy next.

This one was REALLY hard for me to put in this spot, but having owned this nib in both the size 10 and 15 sizes, I have come to accept that while it is a great writer, it is, say it with me, just a bit too fine. It is a very practical size for every day but this inkophile wants to lay down more ink, and go through fills quickly and this FM is too fine to do that.

6 - Medium

Yep, my go-to nib size, Medium, barely made the top half of this list! It is such a nice and smooth writer that it’s one of my favorites, but I have enough Mediums so it barely made the top half of this list.

Medium is 7th because I’d rather get one of the other remaining nibs first, it’s not cuz I don’t love you.

5 - FA or Falcon nib

Not to be confused with the Falcon pen (aka Elabo), the FA nib has cutouts on the side of the nib that gives it the ability to flex a bit. It is not like vintage flex, more like semi-flex. The size 10 FA is actually softer/flexier than the size 15 FA, and gives a bit more line variation than the 15. I have both and prefer the 10 FA because I do like to really slow down and write in a Copperplate-like style when using it. Even though I already have one, I wouldn’t turn down another FA if it were to cross my path, but having both means it’s lower in the list for me.

You can see the cutouts from the top of the FA nib.

A better view of the side cutouts.

#10 vs #15 size comparison.

Writing samples of the 912 FA vs the 823 FA, inked up with the Bossman’s Fire on Fire on Fire! You can see that I can get slightly wider down strokes with the 912 FA vs the 823 FA.

4 - Broad

I am shocked that I still don’t have any Broad nibs in either the 10 or 15 size, though I do have it in a VP nib and I love it. This would be a great ink layer-downer nib without having an overly broad line and as such would be a great addition.

Broad. It me.

3 - Stub

As someone who occasionally likes to do italic calligraphy, as well as write cursive with stub nibs, I was really curious to see how Pilot’s stub nib would feel. I absolutely loved writing with it! It is a fairly smooth stub, unlike Pilot’s sharper steel nibs like the ==CM== (Calligraphy Medium) which are more like italics. The only reason this is ranked third is because this wouldn’t be as practical for me as an everyday writer, but it’s definitely high on my list of nibs to get next.

Stub, where have you been all my life?

2 - Soft Fine Medium

I ranked the Size 15 SFM as #1 and I already knew that I loved the size 10 SFM since I’ve had it for several years now. Going into this test, I wondered how it would rank against the Soft Medium and while I still love this nib a lot, if I had to choose between a SFM and SM, I’d choose the latter. The slight softness of the nib makes the line a bit broader than the regular FM, which means it is the perfect width.

Soft Fine Medium, I still love you, even if you’re #2.

1 - Soft Medium

I don’t have this nib and I want it. I love the slight bounce that this gives over the Medium, but it also makes the line a touch wider too. I could have easily swapped the SFM and SM spots but this one ranked higher because I don’t have one. Yet.

Soft Medium, I need this so much.

How did the size 10 nibs do compared to the size 15 nibs?

Ranking:

There was a bit more movement in the bottom half of the rankings versus the top half, but I was surprised that I liked the Waverly and Coarse nibs more last year than I did this year.

And there you have it, my ranking of the size 10 nibs from the Pilot Custom Heritage 912 collection! We already know that the Bossman and I don’t agree on most nibs and this is no exception (how dare he rank my #1 Soft Medium as #13??). That’s the beauty of this rabbit hole - we all like different things and that’s ok!

It’s the circle of life, I mean, nibs!

Oh, one more thing, this article also marks my 4 year anniversary of writing for The Pen Addict! Thank you so much to Brad “The Bossman” Dowdy for taking a chance on me four years ago and you still put up with the longest articles ever (barely over two thousand words in this one!). And an even bigger thank you to all of you for reading, commenting and encouraging me - it really means a lot! Can’t wait to see what the next year brings!

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Schon DSGN x Custom Nib Studio Sashiko Fountain Pen Review

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

My purchases at the recent 2025 Pacific Northwest Pen Show were pretty restrained and I hadn’t planned on buying any pens, but when I heard that two of my favorite pen people were doing a collab, I knew I had to take a look.

Schon DSGN x Custom Nib Studio Sashiko fountain pen.

Gena Salorino of Custom Nib Studio launched their Sashiko Fountain Pen collab with Ian Schon of Schon DSGN a couple weeks ago at the PNW Pen Show. This Sashiko pen has an engraved design, which is inspired by the Japanese stitching/embroidery technique of the same name. According to Wikipedia, “Sashiko (刺し子, lit. 'little stabs') is a type of traditional Japanese embroidery or stitching used for the decorative and/or functional reinforcement of cloth and clothing.” There are different kinds of patterns for Sashiko embroidery/stitching, like stripes, checks, diamonds, etc. Gena chose the cross stitch pattern because this is the technique they use to repair their own clothing, which I think is extra cool.

When asked how this pen came about, Gena said they had always wanted to work on a pen with Ian and it came about a few months ago when they “daydreamed” their idea of a pen to him, who took the idea and ran with it. And thus, the Sashiko fountain pen was born.

The Sashiko pen is made from Ultem (also known as polyetherimide or PEI), an engineered plastic that is much stronger than acrylic. It can also be machined to be very thin, resulting in a very lightweight pen. The finish is neither a matte nor super polished, giving it a “warm” feeling to it, similar to ebonite.

Rather than creating a single sashiko pattern and then reproducing that pattern on all the pens, Ian, ever the engineer, challenged himself to “create a style of 'macro' programming to create a new unique pattern for each pen that follows the same logic and styling, but is totally one of a kind.” This gives it a random, handmade feel without actually hand-crafting each stitch. As a result, each of these pens are unique. I appreciate the “imperfection” of the cross markings, which echoes real life stitching on fabric.

You can see that each of the stitches are similar but different.

One of the things that impressed me the most about the pen is the cap threading - in addition to it taking a mere half turn to cap/uncap the pen, the last little turn to cap the pen has a gentle resistance that tells you it’s about to be fully sealed. It’s hard to describe but it is such a satisfying sensation.

Just a few threads are needed for a half-turn cap/uncap.

Cleaning Ultem pens is easy - usually water (and soap, if necessary) is all you need. Alcohol is also safe if you need a deeper clean. Ian recommends avoiding ammonia-based solutions, including pen flush. If you want to use pen flush to clean the nib/feed, unscrew the nib unit to clean it separately.

The pen measures 5” (127.5 mm) when capped and 4.8” (122.5 mm) when uncapped (note that the pen does not post). It weighs 0.66 oz. or 18.77 g with nib unit & converter. Here are some pens that are similar in size, along with their weights:

Pen

Weight (uncapped with converter)

Weight (capped with converter)

Sashiko

0.546 oz/15.46 g

0.66 oz/18.77 g

Schon Dsgn Full Size Fountain Pen - Aluminum

0.729 oz/20.66 g

0.927 oz/26.28 g

Sailor Pro Gear

0.543 oz/15.43 g

0.835 oz/23.69 g

Platinum 3776

0.475 oz/13.50 g

0.840 oz/23.82 g

Franklin-Christoph 03

0.440 oz/12.48 g

0.657 oz/18.62 g

Pilot CH 912

0.440 oz/12.47 g

0.755 oz/21.41 g (with Con-40)

Pelikan M600

0.397 oz/11.22 g

0.646 oz/18.31 g

Note: I sorted this by descending uncapped weight since the Sashiko can’t be posted.

Pens similar in size and/or weight to the Sashiko pen (L to R): Sashiko, Schon DSGN full-sized fountain pen, Sailor Pro Gear, Platinum 3776, Franklin-Christoph 03, Pilot Custom Heritage 912, Pelikan M600.

Writing sample of the Sashiko pen, with a Broad Journaler. Robert Oster Tokyo Denim Blue seemed like a good choice for the Sashiko. Paper is Ayush Paper dot grid.

The Sashiko pen includes an o-ring for the grip for eyedropper use only.

The Sashiko pen costs $300 and comes equipped with a converter, an unbranded Jowo 6 nib from Extra Fine to Broad, and an o-ring (only for eyedroppering). If you want a nib grind for the Sashiko, you have to add that to your cart separately. You can also order a Monoc with a grind from Gena via email.

When I first saw the IG post announcing the Sashiko pen, I thought that it was cool, but probably not my thing. Despite being in the tongue-in-cheek Black Pen Society, I prefer more colorful pens. I’ve also felt that Ultem pens were a bit too light (weightwise) for me. But when I got to touch, hold, feel the pen in hand at the PNW Show, I was sold. It isn’t cheap but it wasn’t overly expensive either. I went from “it’s cool, but maybe not for me” to “this is more interesting than I expected it to be and I’m glad I get to buy one and support two wonderful people”.

A batch of 100 pens were made, with no current plans to make more. Gena will have them at their table at the upcoming DC Pen Show and SF Pen Show, as well as on their website.

(Disclaimer: The Sashiko Pen was purchased by me at full price from Gena at the 2025 Pacific Northwest Pen Show. I also paid regular price for the Journaler grind on the Broad nib. Everything else shown is also my own.)

BENU Pixie Emerald Green Fountain Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Benu Pixie has gotten a lot of attention and hype ever since it launched since it's a new entry in the pocket pen category. Pocket pens are exciting because they usually have some sort of interesting or unique design due to the size constraints. While pocket pens aren't for everyone, the Pixie is certainly one to consider if you're a fan of the small form factor.

The BENU Pixie in Emerald Green and Silver Trim is the one that called out to me, and I couldn't be happier with the look of this little pen. The material is a mix of a rich, royal blue and a vibrant emerald green that both have sparkly, reflective particulates floating around to add character and dimension to the luxurious colors. Where the green and blue materials meet, there's a band of gold/copper flakes that do a great job of marrying to the two hues.

The pen body and grip section are both made of the same blue material, while the cap is split 50/50 between the blue and green. The gold/copper flake band and debossed BENU logo fall directly on the border of green and blue material. The area of the cap that has the logo is also slightly concave. Either capped or posted, the pen is gorgeous. The silver BENU logo and nib match well with the green and blue materials.

Like a lot of pocket fountain pens, this pen also relies on you posting the cap when you want to write. When the cap is posted, the length of the pen is comfortable for writing as long as you like. It balances nicely and the fit of the cap on the back of the pen is snug and secure. It's easy to operate, and the cap only takes a couple of turns to remove or screw on. The pen body without the cap is just impossible for me to use, but I'm sure some people could make it work. I'm not sure why you'd want to when the posted setup is so comfortable, though.

The silver #5 Schmidt steel nib worked great out of the box for me. I chose an EF point since this such a tiny pen, but it's actually comfortable enough in my hand that I could have easily gone for a large nib. In my mind, smaller pens are easier to use when they have small nib tips, but that's entirely unrelated. The Pixie can easily handle large, wet nibs with no problem.

But, large, wet nibs will fly through short international cartridges, which is the largest refill you can fit in this little pen. This isn't a problem for anyone that's used a pocket pen before. The diminutive size means they're also paired with a small ink capacity. You could probably find a converter or two that can fit inside the tiny body, but I'd stick with the short international cartridges. Either that, or you could convert this into an eyedropper pen pretty easily provided you have some silicone grease. There are plenty of threads mating the grip to the pen body to ensure a tight seal.

I was hoping the concave area of the cap would provide a nice stopper for the pen to keep it from rolling around, but this is unfortunately not the case. The concave detail just isn't prominent enough to offer any sort of stopping power, so the pen rolls freely on uneven surfaces. This is a slight bummer, but not a deal-breaker.

I also wish there was an option for a clip on this pen. Pocket pens can be tricky to secure to things given their unique sizes, and a clip can be handy if you don't plan on carrying this pen loose in a pocket or bag. I'm betting that they didn't include a clip so as to keep the minimal aesthetic and to avoid covering the beautiful material. Still, I like to think it could have been done tastefully if they really wanted to.

LAMY AL-Start, left, Kaweco ART Sport, right.

The Benu Pixie has been an absolute pleasure to use. I like pocket pens and really enjoy a Kaweco Sport. The Pixie is similar in size, but a little shorter both when capped and posted. For my hand, it doesn't seem to make much difference in terms of feel between the two pens. Once again, BENU has given us a bunch of gorgeous material options to choose from. While I still adore this Emerald Sea colorway, there are several others that are still calling to me. I just don't need that many pocket pens. Right?

If you want a Pixie of your own, you can peruse the different options at Vanness. There are several material options split between two main categories: silver trim and gold trim. The trim and materials are meant to compliment each other.

At $72, the Benu Pixie is priced in a way that makes it really difficult to turn down. It's cheaper than most BENU full-sized pens, but you still get the stellar materials and color options. Sure, it's more than double the price of a Kaweco Sport, but it's well worth it in my mind due to the custom materials that give the pens most of their character. Either way, if you like the color, you won't be disappointed in the performance.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!