Posts filed under Pilot

Pilot Otobaco Pen Case Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

The Pilot Otobaco is a pen box that transforms into a desk stand. A very cool idea, if a puzzling execution. It's made of hard plastic with a magnetic closure, and the inside is comprised of a number of compartments that unfold to serve various stationery related purposes. The material is sturdy but lightweight. If you were a kid in the 80s-90s, this is the same plastic your toys were made of. This is the 90’s Barbie fold-out camper of pen cases.

When the case is opened, the front flap folds down to become a pen tray, one part smooth, with part of it ridged to keep pens from rolling. Behind the ridged tray is a rubber strip designed to work as a stand for your phone or papers. Behind the stand strip is a deeper compartment with a hinged cup that folds up to serve as a pen cup.

There's a lot going on, and it's definitely fun, but not entirely functional. When closed, it only holds 5-6 pens total because so much of the interior space is taken up by its mechanics. While you can use the front edge of the tray, or the deeper back compartment to hold things when the case if fully opened, all of those things will have to come out before you can close the case back up, because the pens fold into those spaces when it closes. Overall, it makes a better desk stand than a case, and might be handy as a permanently open wee stand on a wee desk. As a case for on-the-go, it doesn't quite work for me. It's large and inflexible and doesn't hold enough stuff.

I could see this being useful for a student, though. If you don't need a lot of gear, and will be moving between multiple small desks throughout your day.

Whatever you're carrying in this case will need to be fairly small, also. It is only 16.5 cm long internally, so it won't hold most wood pencils or longer pens. That's what keeps me from recommending this for wandering artists. Bulky pens or highlighters would take up most of the interior. There isn't space for things like washi or erasers or other accessories.

As a mini-mobile desk stand, I think it does serve its purpose, but the trick is, what is the audience for this purpose? I'm not sure. It's also a bit pricey at $27. That's $10 more than the SMAND, the now legendary case-tray-stand that serves a similar purpose and is close in size, but holds at least a dozen pens.

So while I don't enthusiastically recommend this, it does make a useful small desk organizer, and no doubt it will find its audience who will love it dearly.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on July 21, 2022 by Sarah Read and filed under Pilot, Pen Case.

Pilot Kakuno Fmaily Series Fountain Pen Review

I love a good theme, and while I don't love having my stationery unnecessarily gendered, these are pretty cute. And cuteness aside, the Pilot Kakuno is a good pen.

It's a pen that's perfect for kids or beginners, but it is also very at home in the collection of experienced Pen Addicts. The low price point and ease of use it offers makes it a great gateway pen for those looking to get into the hobby. It's not too precious to entrust to young writers, and it can be guiltlessly tossed into a pen pouch or backpack without much worry.

The pen body is made out of 85% recycled plastic, and this model is in a lovely transparent pink. There are lots of other colors to choose from as well. The clear body lets you see all the inner workings and even watch the ink flow through the feed, which is always fun.

The cap snaps to close and is shaped to make it easy to remove and also prevents the pen from rolling on a desk. It does post securely. The grip section is slightly shaped to promote a "proper" grip, but it isn't as obtrusive as some brands. It suggests a certain hold, but I can comfortably hold it several ways.

The best thing about the Kakuno, though, and the thing everyone knows it for, is the smiley nib. The family series gives these nib faces characters, all members of a smiley pen family. A dark blue dad, dark pink mom, light blue boy, light pink girl, and green baby. They all have some accessory etched in addition to the smile--the girl pen has a ribbon and long eyelashes. It's cute and also a little creepy in a Stepford kinda way.

Cute or creepy, it writes well. The nib is smooth and the ink from the included cartridge flows well. I wish they came with fun ink colors instead of black, but Pilot Black is a very good black.

This pen costs $12.50, which is quite a bit more than its main competition--the Platinum Preppy, which is also excellent and sells for under $5, AND comes with fun ink colors. The Preppy doesn't stare at you, though--unblinking and smiling, while you write. So if you're into that sort of thing, you definitely need a Kakuno.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on July 14, 2022 by Sarah Read and filed under Pilot, Kakuno, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Pilot Kakuno Transparent 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 Pilot Kakuno was introduced several years ago at this point, and I'm embarrassed that it took me this long to try one out for myself. With a collection of Pilot Metropolitans and Platinum Preppys, I just didn't see a reason to add another low end fountain pen to an already unwieldy collection. But in the same way that I keep adding Kaweco Sports and Lamy Safaris to my collection, the Pilot Kakuno just has a unique and amazing feel all its own. This Transparent Green Pilot Kakuno has really impressed me so far.

The Kakuno is a fairly small and lightweight pen, but don't let it fool you. This pen is also sturdy and ready for every day shenanigans. The transparent plastic is vibrant and resistant to fingerprints. While this pen may cost three times more than a Platinum Preppy, it also feels at least three times more durable. The cap is held to the pen with a snap fit mechanism that feels nice to use and also does a great job at keeping the cap in place. The cap can easily post on the back of the pen, and due to the light weight, it doesn't really change the balance of the pen when posted. The cap also doesn't have a clip, but it does have a couple of nubs that keep the pen from rolling away.

Compared to the Metropolitan, the Kakuno is a little thicker overall since it doesn't taper like the Metropolitan. The grip section is a good diameter for my fingers and I feel like the grip is incredibly comfortable for my low three-finger grip. The grip section has a triangular shape similar to a Lamy Safari, but it's not as noticeable as the Lamy version. For my grip, it fits my fingers well and feels secure.

The nib of the Kakuno is pretty much the same nib that you'll find in the Metropolitan or even the Prera. And that's a great thing — the fact that Pilot include this excellent steel nib in their entry level fountain pen is fantastic. The only real difference with the Kakuno nib is the branding — it has a happy smiley face on the nib along with the size designation. Out of the box, my copy worked perfectly. It's smooth, responsive, and the lines are super crisp. If there's one thing I love about Pilot, it's how consistent they are when it comes to nib performance. To this day, I've never had an issue with a Pilot nib needing any kind of tweaking or adjustments out of the box — they just write as intended.

The Kakuno comes with a single black ink cartridge. This is par for the course, but I wish Pilot included a more exciting ink cartridge color to match the pretty transparent blue-green pen body. You can use a Pilot cartridge converter (like the CON-40 or CON-70) with this pen, which makes it easy to use whatever ink you'd like to use, but I wish it came with a blue ink cartridge.

It's a shame I waited all these years before trying the Kakuno. It's really a world-class fountain pen, and the fact that you can pick one up for less than $13 is incredible. This makes for a great gift, a great foray into the fountain pen world, or a great treat for yourself when you want to throw a new reliable pen into the mix. You can pick from EF, F, and M nibs, and several fun colors. Don't be like me — try one out sooner than later!

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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