Pilot FriXion Ball Slim 0.38 mm Orange Review

If you didn't know this already I am a big fan of orange. Orange pens, orange barrels, orange inks, orange detailing, pretty much anything orange. There is no real reason why, other than the fact I am not a fan of red, so I use orange as my red replacement.

What I have never been a huge fan of is the Pilot FriXion line. They are completely fine pens, but usually not for me. They are growing on me though, especially as the product line matures. I think the turning point for me was the FriXion Biz, which is the only FriXion I use regularly, but the recently released Pilot FriXion Ball Slim may join the club.

The Slim has two things going for it: An ultra-fine 0.38 mm tip, and a slim but comfortable barrel design. I like these slim single cartridge barrels more than I ever thought I would, starting with the Uni-ball Style Fit. The FriXion Slim feels great in the hand and is very manuverable. The knock is placed subtly on the side of the barrel allowing for the eraser to be placed properly on the top of the pen.

I think the 0.38 mm tip is even finer than that. It writes more like a Uni-ball Signo DX 0.28 mm to me. That means there is some scratchiness when writing, which should be expected on a pen this fine.

Where the FriXion runs circles around other pens in this category is erasibility. No other company can hold a candle to Pilot in this area, so if an erasable gel ink pen is what you need, look no further than the FriXion.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Pilot Juice Gel 0.5 mm Black Review

Stop what you are doing right now, click this link (Update: No longer available), and then click on the blender icon. Trust me.

The Pilot Juice is a pen imported from Japan by JetPens. This means there are likely import taxes, customs fees, and shipping costs just to get this pen across the Pacific. After all of that, this pen only sells for $1.65. In Japan, I would guess the Juice sells for less than the equivalent of one dollar. This is about as inexpensive of a pen as you can get, and it gets the full marketing treatment with an incredibly cool interactive website.

This is why we can't have nice things in the US.

In Japan, stationery is regarded much more highly than in the US. The tradition is greater, the products are cooler, and the marketing is fantastic. The Japanese people support these products because they are an integral part of their every day life. In the US, stationery is mostly an afterthought.

Why has the Pilot Juice got me so riled up? Because this isn't just some cheap no-frills pen. It is a pen with impressive features like pigmented ink (water-resistant and fade-resistant) and 30 shades of ink. And it is $1.65. This just doesn't happen very often.

The 0.5 mm gel ink cartridge is a solid writer too. I bought the black model and the obvious comparisons to the G2 are apt. The Juice barrel is slightly thinner, especially in the grip area, and has a spring loaded clip. The tip writes very similarly as well - my lines were dark and clean.

The Pilot Juice is a no-brainer. While it may never be the best pen you ever own, it will hold its own in any pen arsenal. You aren't going to find more features at a better price than this.

Guest Review: Pilot Custom 74

(This is a guest review by Joseph Pang)

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Unlike many fountain pen users, I have the luxury of living near some of the finest pen stores in the country. For those who haven’t been to a good pen store yet, let me fill you in. Being able to go to a brick and mortar location to see pens in their display cases, try out new nibs, and look at hundreds of bottles of inks is still one of my favorite things to do on the weekends. There is one disadvantage; it is extremely dangerous for your wallet.

On my most recent spending spree I picked up the Pilot Custom 74, the most beautiful fountain pen that I have ever seen. When I think of the ideal fountain pen, a few things come to mind: a screw-on cap, simple yet elegant styling, the ability to use a converter, and a comfortable section. The Custom 74 has all of those qualities and more. Aside from the nib, the pen seemed to be custom tailored to my preferences right out of the box.

My handwritten review briefly recounts the experience that I had with the nib. When I first brought the pen home and loaded it with ink, I was disappointed. The nib was a little scratchy and the ink flow was inconsistent. Upstrokes and sidestrokes in one particular direction were nonexistent (a common problem for this pen). After applying some of the very basic nib tuning techniques that I have learned over the years, I had the pen writing like what I had dreamed it would be from the start. The line is wet, smooth, and consistent.

If I had to point out a shortcoming of the Custom 74, it would be the durability. Because the pen is plastic, it is prone to cracking. This means that you do not want to drop the pen on a hard surface like tile flooring, as I found out the hard way. My pen will be making a trip down to Pilot USA to get a new cap in the near future. I have never really worried about dropping my Lamy CP1 or Kaweco AL Sport, as I know they would survive the fall just fine. Ironically, I have never actually dropped those pens.

So, should you buy one? If it helps you out at all, I am in the process of buying a second one in blue. The nib will take some getting used to for those who have never used a gold nib before. In my experience, steel nibs are stiff whereas gold nibs have some flex and spring to them. For $160, the Custom 74 is priced near pens offered by Edison, higher end Pelikans, and maybe even Mont Blanc if the right deal comes along. For that price, it really comes down to what is right for you. If you can find this pen for cheaper, perhaps $100, I think that it is a no-brainer. If you are like me and cannot resist the good looks of this pen, go for it; you will not be disappointed.

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