Thank you for the run-through of these pocket pens. When you're trying to widen the space between the tines to get more ink flow, a brass shim usually works without cracking the section. You can add that to your Goulet Pens order. My only current pocket pen is a Schon DSGN Pocket 6, beautifully machined metal pen, shorter than any of those when closed, cap screws on back of pen to post, has a full-size #6 nib.
You're welcome! I've seen Mike Matteson (from Inkdependence) showing off his Schon DSGN fountain pen. It's a nice looking pen for someone like me who prefers a pocket pen that becomes a full size pen when posted. And a brass shim is one of those little things that I need to invest in. Stay well Roderick!
Thank you for your review. Your voice is so smooth and well enunciated. I heard every word. You don’t know how rare that is nowadays ! I came here after I realized how much I love writing with my montblanc Boheme and my Montegrappa micra. I will probably do a video on those one day. Currently the pockets I have are 1. Boheme 2. Micra 3. Opus 88 Fantasia 3. Kaweco sport demonstrator 4. Stipula passporto 5. TWSBI vac mini 6. Kaweco Supra. Again, thanks so much for your walk through of your pockets and keep up the good work
That Ohto Tasche has turned out to be a very reliable go-to knockaround pants-pocket pen, and depending on where you find it on sale, it can be significantly less expensive than your price here ($9.99 on Amazon, my daughter's and I each have one). Always writes, good line, smooth, and its thinness has not been uncomfortable even with my ham-hands. I appreciate your feelings about metal sections, but usually a pocket pen like this is generally a jotter so discomfort hasn't been an issue. One small note, not to denigrate the fine people at Goulet, but you can find micro-mesh MUCH cheaper, often at a local hardware store (same for o-rings and silicone grease) or any of several online Woodworker Supply companies, where ultrafine mesh papers are a commodity.
sdovas I always get compliments on my Ohto Tasche when I'm out and about with it. It's definately a good pen for the money. And thanks for the information about where to find nib tuning supplies at a reasonable price.
gadgetstop321 glad to get a positive response from you, discovering the Ohto was a surprise, and honestly the initial one that I bought had some quality control issues but the ones my daughters have and the replacement that I was sent work beautifully and have for quite some time. And it's funny, I get those compliments for it too!
Great video, very informative. Thanks. Love my Kaweco Skyline. It is in my shirt pocket all day every day. I agree with you on that the E95S seems too delicate for pocket carry, I have three, a vintage Elite with an 18k M nib. It is smaller than the modern E95S and is my favorite. I also have the Black E95S with a 14 k M, and the Burgundy with a 14K F nib. Although I said the vintage was my favorite it is like a 9.9 and the others are a 9.7 or 9.8, great pens all.
I didn't realize that the vintage Elites were smaller than the E95s. That's interesting. I tried to sell my E95s (14k F) at a recent pen show but it didn't sell and I'm glad. 😀
Thanks for an interesting video. My Conklin Minigraph with a Fine nib has none of the difficulties you encountered and writes really well. It fits into a small pocket in my handbag and is great for taking notes when I'm away from home.
martynsnan I'm glad you're having a good experience. I should have returned mine but I was just too impatient at the time. I did a little work on it myself and now it writes well with a little feedback. I can't wait to get some micromesh and smooth it out. It's a beautiful pen.
My favourite shirt pocket pen is a Kaweco sport with a wonderful 1.1 nib. My cheapest pen is a Hero 366. Good fine writer. It even has a hinged pocket clip. They come in sets of 3, burgundy, green and black. £1.50 a set. Most reliable jotter that I enjoy is the metal Jinhao 911 ( handy in emergencies )! Comes with a good converter and a fine nib. £1.50. Nice review. My thanks to you and good wishes from the UK.
Really enjoyed this video! Hopefully you make more like this in the future! I feel like there isn’t enough pocket pen videos like this showing all sorts of options, they are tiny but mighty pens. Thanks again for sharing!
Like you I prefer finer nibs. After using a Sailor compass (which I love) as a work pen, I found the screw cap just took too much time to open and close. I need to take quick notes and simultaneously use the computer. Just bought an Ivory Prera with fine nib. Its a joy with a smooth writing experience experience and the snap cap allows me to open and close the pen quickly. Love, love love it. And with the lower price point, if its lost won't break the bank...
This review was great! I love your channel ❤️ I got a Kaweco Sport about a month ago and it’s my 2nd favorite fountain pen next to my Moonman C1. It wrote really well right after I put a cartridge in and smoothed the nib a little w/ sandpaper. I can’t wait to use it at Uni!
Thanks Kayla, I'm glad you liked it. The Kaweco Sport is a great little pen. I've never used a Moonman C1, but it is a nice looking pen also. Good luck at University.
In Prera there is a nib of the PILOT starting pens - we just overpay a little for a better body than the Kakuno. KAWECO Sport has a Bock nib - definitely better metal than Prera nib. KAWECO's gaps can be associated with a large baby - bottom - but it seems that they don't do it at all (if it doesn't exist, you can just write circles to the left on good craft paper, gradually tilting the nib to the left - ideally so that she draws circles with the largest blockage left).
Pilot and Kaweco are my favorite fountain pen brands. Pilot makes my favorite nibs, but I like that Kaweco makes affordable replacement nibs for their pens.
I use a Sailor and Levenger ink. I have not run across a fading over time, but it does write a bit dry, Unlike my other pens, I put just a bit of pressure on the pen/paper. During strokes with little to no pressure, the line thins and fades, but doesn't stutter or totally disappear. I seriously doubt that this was planned, but for me, it gives my cursive writing a "character" that I like. This doesn't occur when I print. On this note, I hope you consider commenting on the writing qualities of these pens in future videos.
Thanks -- fun video of some very practical pens. Really appreciate the pen list/ price sheet as well. I don't what it is about Kaweco and hard starts. I have the Dia2 that has the same problem. I did some tweaking on it which improved the issues but didn't fully resolve 'em. I find Diplomats to be much more reliable and find their "Traveler" to be similar to the Liliput (albeit a bit longer). As for the Pilot E95S, I can only claim to be jealous. I had one but my hands are pretty large so even posted it was just too small for me. One of my daughters was NOT disappointed to have "inherited" that wonderful writer.
You're welcome. I think I heard Brian Goulet say that Kaweco had switched nib suppliers so I hope that corrects their problems. My Liliput is unusable with certain inks. I've been reluctant to try new pen brands recently because of the bad luck that I've had, but the Diplomat Traveler is a pen that has tempted me. It's nice that your daughter shares your interest in fountain pens...and it seems fortunate for her.
Lisse A just to add to your search, I've just ordered what looks to be quite a nifty new pen, the Moonman Wancai Mini, which is a fat, tiny little thing that comes with cartridges & can be eyedropper filled. Inexpensive ($12.85 on eBay) and looks verrry interesting, I'll report back when I get a chance to usevit.
I should be recieving a Ohto Tasche in the next few days. On an unrelated note, 6:20 I cant thank you enough for this trick, my lamy safari nib went scratchy I was going to buy a new one however I thought I'd try this anyway as I'd be buying a new nib if it failed and if not, I save money so I tried it and now my safari is as good as new!!
The final pen featured - Pilot E95 S has what is known as an 'Intrasia' nib - partially cloaked by the bordered sides of the section - it's not to my taste, but as with most Pilot pens, very good writers. That's quite the collection you have, there. Favourite has to be, the Kaweco Skyline Sport - but they're all good enough for the job in hand. Thank you for sharing !! :)
Thanks for the thorough review. Since then, some Russian pens have come on the market that some of your viewers may want to consider: The brand is Benu, & they come in several models. I own the following: The smallest is the Minima, under 5" long capped. Next in size is the Briolette 5.5" capped, and finally is the Scepter, 5 1/8" long. All of these pens are acrylic, with various brilliant gold-colored accents. The Briolette and Scepter models are international cartridge full-size or converter-fill, whereas the Minima takes only short international cartridges. I have two of them in M, and one in F nib sizes. All have excellent ink flow, no start-up or skipping problems. All of these pens are shorter than the Pilot G-2 ball-point you used as a "yardstick;" 5 3/4" long. I also have some Kaweco Sport pens, some with F, others with M nibs. The plastic ones can be eye-dropper filled; the aluminum ones are international short cartridge only. The one I have filled with an eye-dropper sometimes "burps" ink. I have two of the Pilot E95S pens, the burgundy with a M nib, and the black one with an F. I ordered both directly from Japan, so both are called "Elite" instead of E95S (same pen, but different designation). Like you, I buy many of my pens from the Goulet Pen company, and like you, I refill my empty cartridges and converters with ink from a bottle, using a syringe.
I've never tried a Benu pen, but I've always thought the Supreme was beautiful (it's probably too big for my small hands though). I'm not familiar with the Minima, but I also like the look of the Hexagon. I have never tried eyedropper filling my Kaweco Sport because I'm afraid that it would burp or leak and I like to carry it in my pocket.
@@gadgetstop321 writes: " .... I'm not familiar with the Minima, but I also like the look of the Hexagon ...." ...... If you want to see the minima, www.fountainpenhospital.com/ click on fountain pens and select Benun then Minima. I have the one called Opal Dust.
You are not alone, my metropolitan too doesn't perform that well,plus I hated the grip. I have both fine nib and medium nib metropolitan, I liked the fine nib one more... In budget segment I find parker frontier to be a very good option and also faber castell loom. The grip on the loom needs some getting used to though..
I watched Matt Armstrong's review of the Pocket 45 a couple weeks ago. He really liked it and he doesn't usually like pocket pens. Must be a great pen!
I don't understand why you would eye dropper a converter. To avoid wiping down afterwards? But you still need to clean the syringe. I would worry about wearing out the converter's connection point.
I haven't been using the ink syringe to fill my pens lately. Since I got the 78G with the squeeze converter, I've been inking up directly from the bottle most of the time. 🤓
Add a Jinhao 886 in there. My favourite metal pocket pen for a shirt pocket. My best plastic pocket pen is a Kaweco sport. I just have to keep plastic pens away from my young dog. He chewed up one already.
neil piper Thanks for suggesting the Jinhao 886 - I’ll check it out. Also, I agree with you on the Kaweco Sport. It’s shape and size is a perfect fit for me. I’ve often thought of trying one of the aluminum models. And finally, I also had a dog that chewed up a pen. Fortunately it was a cheap multi pen.
It was a Benu pen which cost me £70. I rescued the nib and converter which I put in my Jinhao 601. The dog has grown up a bit now. I have mostly metal pens now. Pilot Metropolitan is tough.
Thank you, comprehensive and a very interesting comparison. I have lots of Petit1s and love them. The nib is apparently the same as on the Varsity (V-Pen here in the UK). The way the Petit1 posts is fascinating and I can spend ages fidgeting with them, clicking the cap on and off. My other go-to from those in this video that I own has to be the Prera. I have 11 of them, some demonstrators and some opaque, mainly medium but two fine nibs which are gorgeous and far smoother than I expected; plus one CM nib. One of these days I'll treat myself to an E95 (Pilot Elite here in the UK). On the subject of Pilots, the UK equivalent of the Metropolitan is the MR/MR2/MR3 series and these take standard international. The nib, cap and barrel are interchangeable with USA Metros but the feed and section are not. It feels like the feed has a slightly different diameter and consequently the inner diameter of the section also varies between UK MRs and USA Metros. I have many MR-series and quite a few genuine Metros too, again mainly in medium but a couple in fine. The MR/Metro fine feels more scratchy than the Prera fine. One pen you might want to consider adding to your great collection here is the Pilot Pluminix. These are effectively a shorter variant of the Plumix. Some take Pilot cartridges and some take standard international (the barrel is too short for most converters). The Pluminix has the same great nib as the Plumix as far as I can see, being a sort of italic/stub variant. One other pocket pen to consider may be the Moonman Wancai Mini which is crazily short when unposted but whose cap screws on the barrel to make for a far better length. I believe the Wancai Mini is similar to a Stipula Paparazzi but I don't have that one, so I may be wrong.
I am amazed that Pilot has a different variant of the Metropolitan for the European market but I had heard that before. However, I was not aware that the Pluminix existed! How have I missed this?
@@gadgetstop321 I'm not sure if the Pluminix is officially available in America. Similarly I now have two Pilot Cocoons that I had to import from Japan. These seem to be almost identical to the (USA) Metropolitan including filling mechanism, except with a slightly heavier barrel, a more visually ornate nib and some colour options only available on the Cocoon. Apparently they are a very smooth writing experience but I have yet to ink one up.
@@bikkies I'm looking at the Pluminix on eBay and the sellers are all from Hong Kong. The CM is the only calligraphy nib available on the Metropolitan or Prera, but it looks like the Pluminix comes with a cursive fine nib. Thanks for the heads up about this little pen!
@@gadgetstop321 Glad I could help; that's what the FP community is all about! In terms of the Pluminix I can see them available here in the UK from Amazon via Prime membership. Perhaps not the cheapest option but maybe look via Amazon.co.uk rather than .com and see if you can find it there. If you get stuck and are unable to find them, drop me a message (if UA-cam supports private messages, can't say I've ever looked) and I can post you one of my Pluminixes.
@@bikkies I ordered one on eBay and it looks like I'll be getting it in about 6 or 7 weeks. It ended up costing $12.50 USD. I'm looking forward to trying a cursive fine nib.
@@gadgetstop321 after buying a number of Pelikan, Sailor and Waterman 🖋 in Western fine and Japanese medium and very happy with them, I purchased an E95S in fine point and realized that you needn’t spend a lot of money on a pen to get an excellent writer. This little 🖊 is the smoothest writer of the bunch, maybe a little too smooth. I prefer a little feedback so the pen doesn’t get ahead of my writing.
The Kaweco Sport is the best pants pocket pen that I have used. The Liliput was my dream pen for a long time, but after using it I realized that the Sport is far more comfortable to use.
Thank you for a good review of those adorable mini fountain pens. I have most of what you displayed. Last year I bought a Sailor Pro Gear pocket pen and I absolutely love it. Another favotite one is a very reasonable priced Jetpen metal pen, produced by Kaweco. There are a few China made mini pens but most are imitations and of low quality. The most outrageous imitation is Kaweco pocket pen. But they are just badly made.
You're welcome. The Sailor Pro Gear Slim is a pen that I have had my eye on for a while. I've never used a Sailor, but I hear good things about them. Also, I didn't know that the Jet Pens metal pen was made by Kaweco. That's interesting.
Gadgetstop321, I just ordered one from JetPens, and I'm waiting on its arrival. I bought the Elite 95S and fell in love with its buttery smooth gold nib. Wanted the same smoothness but in a weightier pen, (Stargazer being brass will give me .30 ounces more weight, same weight as the Pilot Metropolitan, than the 95S;). I don't doubt that it will give me exactly what I anticipate it will.
If you compare the aluminum Liliput to the aluminum Sport, the Liliput is less expensive. But both pens also come in a variety of finishes and materials that influence the price.
The Fireblue looks awesome but I've heard that the finish can wear off. I know other pen makers with a similar finish use a protective coating but I don't know if Kaweco base started doing that or not.
gadgetstop321 I can recommend the TWSBI Mini Classic without reservation. Its section is resin rather than metal. The 1.1 stub might be excessively wide, though, if your handwriting is small.
I've never used any Kaweco ink, but it looks like the Pelikan inks that I have used. They tend to be dry and less saturated. My Skyline Sport isn't as finicky, but my Liliput performs better with wetter inks like Pilot Iroshizuku.
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What a great survey of modern pocket fountain pens! It was great to see such an array side by side. Thanks!
Thank you for the kind words! I have enjoyed collecting and using these pens.
Thank you for sharing all those lovely pocket pens.
@@fossilimprint2954 You're welcome! 😀
Thank you for the run-through of these pocket pens. When you're trying to widen the space between the tines to get more ink flow, a brass shim usually works without cracking the section. You can add that to your Goulet Pens order.
My only current pocket pen is a Schon DSGN Pocket 6, beautifully machined metal pen, shorter than any of those when closed, cap screws on back of pen to post, has a full-size #6 nib.
You're welcome!
I've seen Mike Matteson (from Inkdependence) showing off his Schon DSGN fountain pen. It's a nice looking pen for someone like me who prefers a pocket pen that becomes a full size pen when posted.
And a brass shim is one of those little things that I need to invest in.
Stay well Roderick!
Thank you for your review. Your voice is so smooth and well enunciated. I heard every word. You don’t know how rare that is nowadays ! I came here after I realized how much I love writing with my montblanc Boheme and my Montegrappa micra. I will probably do a video on those one day. Currently the pockets I have are 1. Boheme 2. Micra 3. Opus 88 Fantasia 3. Kaweco sport demonstrator 4. Stipula passporto 5. TWSBI vac mini 6. Kaweco Supra. Again, thanks so much for your walk through of your pockets and keep up the good work
You're welcome! I'm not familiar with the Montblanc Boheme or the Montegrappa Micra. That would make a good video.
That Ohto Tasche has turned out to be a very reliable go-to knockaround pants-pocket pen, and depending on where you find it on sale, it can be significantly less expensive than your price here ($9.99 on Amazon, my daughter's and I each have one). Always writes, good line, smooth, and its thinness has not been uncomfortable even with my ham-hands. I appreciate your feelings about metal sections, but usually a pocket pen like this is generally a jotter so discomfort hasn't been an issue.
One small note, not to denigrate the fine people at Goulet, but you can find micro-mesh MUCH cheaper, often at a local hardware store (same for o-rings and silicone grease) or any of several online Woodworker Supply companies, where ultrafine mesh papers are a commodity.
sdovas I always get compliments on my Ohto Tasche when I'm out and about with it. It's definately a good pen for the money. And thanks for the information about where to find nib tuning supplies at a reasonable price.
gadgetstop321 glad to get a positive response from you, discovering the Ohto was a surprise, and honestly the initial one that I bought had some quality control issues but the ones my daughters have and the replacement that I was sent work beautifully and have for quite some time. And it's funny, I get those compliments for it too!
Great video, very informative. Thanks. Love my Kaweco Skyline. It is in my shirt pocket all day every day. I agree with you on that the E95S seems too delicate for pocket carry, I have three, a vintage Elite with an 18k M nib. It is smaller than the modern E95S and is my favorite. I also have the Black E95S with a 14 k M, and the Burgundy with a 14K F nib. Although I said the vintage was my favorite it is like a 9.9 and the others are a 9.7 or 9.8, great pens all.
I didn't realize that the vintage Elites were smaller than the E95s. That's interesting. I tried to sell my E95s (14k F) at a recent pen show but it didn't sell and I'm glad. 😀
Thanks for an interesting video. My Conklin Minigraph with a Fine nib has none of the difficulties you encountered and writes really well. It fits into a small pocket in my handbag and is great for taking notes when I'm away from home.
martynsnan I'm glad you're having a good experience. I should have returned mine but I was just too impatient at the time. I did a little work on it myself and now it writes well with a little feedback. I can't wait to get some micromesh and smooth it out. It's a beautiful pen.
My favourite shirt pocket pen is a Kaweco sport with a wonderful 1.1 nib.
My cheapest pen is a Hero 366. Good fine writer.
It even has a hinged pocket clip. They come in sets of 3, burgundy, green and black. £1.50 a set. Most reliable jotter that I enjoy is the metal Jinhao 911 ( handy in emergencies )! Comes with a good converter and a fine nib. £1.50.
Nice review. My thanks to you and good wishes from the UK.
neil piper I need to try a Hero and a Jinhao. I agree with you regarding the Kaweco Sport, it's a great everyday carry pen.
5:56 I once smoothed the nib of one of my Lamy safaris by using drawing figure eights on my MacBook air, and honestly it worked pretty well.
LOL...I would have never thought of that! 😂
Really enjoyed this video! Hopefully you make more like this in the future! I feel like there isn’t enough pocket pen videos like this showing all sorts of options, they are tiny but mighty pens. Thanks again for sharing!
Like you I prefer finer nibs. After using a Sailor compass (which I love) as a work pen, I found the screw cap just took too much time to open and close. I need to take quick notes and simultaneously use the computer. Just bought an Ivory Prera with fine nib. Its a joy with a smooth writing experience experience and the snap cap allows me to open and close the pen quickly. Love, love love it. And with the lower price point, if its lost won't break the bank...
I agree. The Prera is one of my all time favorite pens. 😀
This review was great! I love your channel ❤️ I got a Kaweco Sport about a month ago and it’s my 2nd favorite fountain pen next to my Moonman C1. It wrote really well right after I put a cartridge in and smoothed the nib a little w/ sandpaper. I can’t wait to use it at Uni!
Thanks Kayla, I'm glad you liked it. The Kaweco Sport is a great little pen. I've never used a Moonman C1, but it is a nice looking pen also. Good luck at University.
gadgetstop321 Thank you!
Which has the wider section or most comfortable- the kaweco sport or the pilot petite? Also, love how detailed your reviews are. Always so helpful.
In Prera there is a nib of the PILOT starting pens - we just overpay a little for a better body than the Kakuno. KAWECO Sport has a Bock nib - definitely better metal than Prera nib. KAWECO's gaps can be associated with a large baby - bottom - but it seems that they don't do it at all (if it doesn't exist, you can just write circles to the left on good craft paper, gradually tilting the nib to the left - ideally so that she draws circles with the largest blockage left).
Pilot and Kaweco are my favorite fountain pen brands. Pilot makes my favorite nibs, but I like that Kaweco makes affordable replacement nibs for their pens.
FYI,
I believe the Kaweco Sport and Liiput used the same nib. I have the Petit and Sport.
I have small hands so a narrow pen doesn't bother me.
I use a Sailor and Levenger ink. I have not run across a fading over time, but it does write a bit dry, Unlike my other pens, I put just a bit of pressure on the pen/paper. During strokes with little to no pressure, the line thins and fades, but doesn't stutter or totally disappear. I seriously doubt that this was planned, but for me, it gives my cursive writing a "character" that I like. This doesn't occur when I print.
On this note, I hope you consider commenting on the writing qualities of these pens in future videos.
- - That's a good idea. Thank you for the suggestion.
Thanks -- fun video of some very practical pens. Really appreciate the pen list/ price sheet as well. I don't what it is about Kaweco and hard starts. I have the Dia2 that has the same problem. I did some tweaking on it which improved the issues but didn't fully resolve 'em. I find Diplomats to be much more reliable and find their "Traveler" to be similar to the Liliput (albeit a bit longer). As for the Pilot E95S, I can only claim to be jealous. I had one but my hands are pretty large so even posted it was just too small for me. One of my daughters was NOT disappointed to have "inherited" that wonderful writer.
You're welcome. I think I heard Brian Goulet say that Kaweco had switched nib suppliers so I hope that corrects their problems. My Liliput is unusable with certain inks. I've been reluctant to try new pen brands recently because of the bad luck that I've had, but the Diplomat Traveler is a pen that has tempted me. It's nice that your daughter shares your interest in fountain pens...and it seems fortunate for her.
I just got a Kaweco sport roller ball in burgundy to carry in my EDC kit. Love it.
You can't go wrong with a Kaweco Sport and I've always liked the burgundy. I've never tried one of their rollerball pens.
Thank you so much for this comprehensive overview, I'm looking to buy my first pocket fountain pen so this helps :)
+Lisse A You're welcome. There's lots of good pens to choose from. Good luck with your search.
Lisse A just to add to your search, I've just ordered what looks to be quite a nifty new pen, the Moonman Wancai Mini, which is a fat, tiny little thing that comes with cartridges & can be eyedropper filled. Inexpensive ($12.85 on eBay) and looks verrry interesting, I'll report back when I get a chance to usevit.
I should be recieving a Ohto Tasche in the next few days. On an unrelated note, 6:20 I cant thank you enough for this trick, my lamy safari nib went scratchy I was going to buy a new one however I thought I'd try this anyway as I'd be buying a new nib if it failed and if not, I save money so I tried it and now my safari is as good as new!!
The final pen featured - Pilot E95 S has what is known as an 'Intrasia' nib - partially cloaked by the bordered sides of the section - it's not to my taste, but as with most Pilot pens, very good writers. That's quite the collection you have, there. Favourite has to be, the Kaweco Skyline Sport - but they're all good enough for the job in hand. Thank you for sharing !! :)
The Pilot Prera is my favorite for overall writing experience.
Thanks for the thorough review. Since then, some Russian pens have come on the market that some of your viewers may want to consider: The brand is Benu, & they come in several models. I own the following: The smallest is the Minima, under 5" long capped. Next in size is the Briolette 5.5" capped, and finally is the Scepter, 5 1/8" long. All of these pens are acrylic, with various brilliant gold-colored accents. The Briolette and Scepter models are international cartridge full-size or converter-fill, whereas the Minima takes only short international cartridges. I have two of them in M, and one in F nib sizes. All have excellent ink flow, no start-up or skipping problems. All of these pens are shorter than the Pilot G-2 ball-point you used as a "yardstick;" 5 3/4" long. I also have some Kaweco Sport pens, some with F, others with M nibs. The plastic ones can be eye-dropper filled; the aluminum ones are international short cartridge only. The one I have filled with an eye-dropper sometimes "burps" ink. I have two of the Pilot E95S pens, the burgundy with a M nib, and the black one with an F. I ordered both directly from Japan, so both are called "Elite" instead of E95S (same pen, but different designation). Like you, I buy many of my pens from the Goulet Pen company, and like you, I refill my empty cartridges and converters with ink from a bottle, using a syringe.
I've never tried a Benu pen, but I've always thought the Supreme was beautiful (it's probably too big for my small hands though). I'm not familiar with the Minima, but I also like the look of the Hexagon. I have never tried eyedropper filling my Kaweco Sport because I'm afraid that it would burp or leak and I like to carry it in my pocket.
@@gadgetstop321 writes: " .... I'm not familiar with the Minima, but I also like the look of the Hexagon ...." ...... If you want to see the minima, www.fountainpenhospital.com/
click on fountain pens and select Benun then Minima. I have the one called Opal Dust.
Great review.
This is the information I was hoping to find.
Thank you Michael! I'm glad I could help. 😀
You are not alone, my metropolitan too doesn't perform that well,plus I hated the grip. I have both fine nib and medium nib metropolitan, I liked the fine nib one more... In budget segment I find parker frontier to be a very good option and also faber castell loom. The grip on the loom needs some getting used to though..
ARUNABHA LAHIRI I haven't tried a Metropolitan or a Loom. I've heard good things about both, but I don't think I would care for the grip on either.
You have to check out the Franklin Christoph pocket 45 - one of my all-time favorite pens!
I watched Matt Armstrong's review of the Pocket 45 a couple weeks ago. He really liked it and he doesn't usually like pocket pens. Must be a great pen!
I don't understand why you would eye dropper a converter. To avoid wiping down afterwards? But you still need to clean the syringe. I would worry about wearing out the converter's connection point.
I haven't been using the ink syringe to fill my pens lately. Since I got the 78G with the squeeze converter, I've been inking up directly from the bottle most of the time. 🤓
Add a Jinhao 886 in there.
My favourite metal pocket pen for a shirt pocket. My best plastic pocket pen is a Kaweco sport.
I just have to keep plastic pens away from my young dog. He chewed up one already.
neil piper Thanks for suggesting the Jinhao 886 - I’ll check it out. Also, I agree with you on the Kaweco Sport. It’s shape and size is a perfect fit for me. I’ve often thought of trying one of the aluminum models. And finally, I also had a dog that chewed up a pen. Fortunately it was a cheap multi pen.
It was a Benu pen which cost me £70. I rescued the nib and converter which I put in my Jinhao 601. The dog has grown up a bit now. I have mostly metal pens now. Pilot Metropolitan is tough.
Thank you, comprehensive and a very interesting comparison. I have lots of Petit1s and love them. The nib is apparently the same as on the Varsity (V-Pen here in the UK). The way the Petit1 posts is fascinating and I can spend ages fidgeting with them, clicking the cap on and off. My other go-to from those in this video that I own has to be the Prera. I have 11 of them, some demonstrators and some opaque, mainly medium but two fine nibs which are gorgeous and far smoother than I expected; plus one CM nib. One of these days I'll treat myself to an E95 (Pilot Elite here in the UK). On the subject of Pilots, the UK equivalent of the Metropolitan is the MR/MR2/MR3 series and these take standard international. The nib, cap and barrel are interchangeable with USA Metros but the feed and section are not. It feels like the feed has a slightly different diameter and consequently the inner diameter of the section also varies between UK MRs and USA Metros. I have many MR-series and quite a few genuine Metros too, again mainly in medium but a couple in fine. The MR/Metro fine feels more scratchy than the Prera fine. One pen you might want to consider adding to your great collection here is the Pilot Pluminix. These are effectively a shorter variant of the Plumix. Some take Pilot cartridges and some take standard international (the barrel is too short for most converters). The Pluminix has the same great nib as the Plumix as far as I can see, being a sort of italic/stub variant. One other pocket pen to consider may be the Moonman Wancai Mini which is crazily short when unposted but whose cap screws on the barrel to make for a far better length. I believe the Wancai Mini is similar to a Stipula Paparazzi but I don't have that one, so I may be wrong.
I am amazed that Pilot has a different variant of the Metropolitan for the European market but I had heard that before. However, I was not aware that the Pluminix existed! How have I missed this?
@@gadgetstop321 I'm not sure if the Pluminix is officially available in America. Similarly I now have two Pilot Cocoons that I had to import from Japan. These seem to be almost identical to the (USA) Metropolitan including filling mechanism, except with a slightly heavier barrel, a more visually ornate nib and some colour options only available on the Cocoon. Apparently they are a very smooth writing experience but I have yet to ink one up.
@@bikkies I'm looking at the Pluminix on eBay and the sellers are all from Hong Kong. The CM is the only calligraphy nib available on the Metropolitan or Prera, but it looks like the Pluminix comes with a cursive fine nib. Thanks for the heads up about this little pen!
@@gadgetstop321 Glad I could help; that's what the FP community is all about! In terms of the Pluminix I can see them available here in the UK from Amazon via Prime membership. Perhaps not the cheapest option but maybe look via Amazon.co.uk rather than .com and see if you can find it there. If you get stuck and are unable to find them, drop me a message (if UA-cam supports private messages, can't say I've ever looked) and I can post you one of my Pluminixes.
@@bikkies I ordered one on eBay and it looks like I'll be getting it in about 6 or 7 weeks. It ended up costing $12.50 USD. I'm looking forward to trying a cursive fine nib.
Excellent video
Thank you!
Great channel too, subbed!
What size nib is on your E95S? It's beautiful. Fun to see your pocket pens.
Thanks Jill! My E95S has a fine nib, but it writes more like a medium. I don't know if that's typical for an inlaid nib or if it's just my pen.
@@gadgetstop321 after buying a number of Pelikan, Sailor and Waterman 🖋 in Western fine and Japanese medium and very happy with them, I purchased an E95S in fine point and realized that you needn’t spend a lot of money on a pen to get an excellent writer. This little 🖊 is the smoothest writer of the bunch, maybe a little too smooth. I prefer a little feedback so the pen doesn’t get ahead of my writing.
Love pocket pens! My Kaweco sports are always with me no matter what!
The Kaweco Sport is the best pants pocket pen that I have used. The Liliput was my dream pen for a long time, but after using it I realized that the Sport is far more comfortable to use.
@@gadgetstop321 I agree! And they make so many fun colors they are easily a collectable pen! :)
Thank you for a good review of those adorable mini fountain pens. I have most of what you displayed. Last year I bought a Sailor Pro Gear pocket pen and I absolutely love it. Another favotite one is a very reasonable priced Jetpen metal pen, produced by Kaweco. There are a few China made mini pens but most are imitations and of low quality. The most outrageous imitation is Kaweco pocket pen. But they are just badly made.
You're welcome. The Sailor Pro Gear Slim is a pen that I have had my eye on for a while. I've never used a Sailor, but I hear good things about them. Also, I didn't know that the Jet Pens metal pen was made by Kaweco. That's interesting.
@@gadgetstop321 I am sorry. It was not a Jetpen but a CultPen mini.
Thanks, I'll have to check it out.
Impressive collection, very good video, I enjoyed it, thank you!
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.
Bril mini eyedropper pen $3. Hero 366 3 for $6
neil piper Thanks for the recommendation.
Thank you! Helpful video
Thank you for sharing all these different options
You're welcome!
I would add both the Pilot Stargazer (4.8 in. capped/5.3 in. posted) and Pilot Vanishing Point (5.5 in) to gadgetstop321's collection.
Ali I've always wanted a blue Stargazer.
Gadgetstop321, I just ordered one from JetPens, and I'm waiting on its arrival. I bought the Elite 95S and fell in love with its buttery smooth gold nib. Wanted the same smoothness but in a weightier pen, (Stargazer being brass will give me .30 ounces more weight, same weight as the Pilot Metropolitan, than the 95S;). I don't doubt that it will give me exactly what I anticipate it will.
Ali I'm happy for you. Pilot makes good pens.
This was really helpful! Thanks.
You're welcome Kathryn!
Surprised at the price of the lilliput pen considering you are using half the material needed.
If you compare the aluminum Liliput to the aluminum Sport, the Liliput is less expensive. But both pens also come in a variety of finishes and materials that influence the price.
I'm a huge fan of keweco. I really want a liliput, but I really want the fireblue version which I don't know I can justify the price 🤔😂
The Fireblue looks awesome but I've heard that the finish can wear off. I know other pen makers with a similar finish use a protective coating but I don't know if Kaweco base started doing that or not.
Can you make a display on eyedroppers ? It would be very useful.
Then liliput is too dang small and it takes too long to post. I'd suggest the sport in either plastic or aluminum. those would be the cheapest.
keggerous The Liliput is more of a novelty. I'm glad that I have one in my collection, but the Skyline Sport is the better all around pen.
You know I think women don't carry pens in their pockets. Do they ? Thanks.
It's not as common for women to carry pocket pens as it is for men. When women carry pocket pens it's usually in a dress or pants pockets.
sounds to me like you need another twsbi!
tardigrada6000 I am looking for a good stub nib. Maybe if I like the next limited edition mini.
gadgetstop321 I can recommend the TWSBI Mini Classic without reservation. Its section is resin rather than metal. The 1.1 stub might be excessively wide, though, if your handwriting is small.
Snap cups seems to originate an eartquake.... much better threads, I would say.
twsbi is garbage , keep the pilot pens , throw away the rest
kaweco pens dont work great with their own ink !
I've never used any Kaweco ink, but it looks like the Pelikan inks that I have used. They tend to be dry and less saturated. My Skyline Sport isn't as finicky, but my Liliput performs better with wetter inks like Pilot Iroshizuku.