FK-3000P-SKU

Recently, I had the chance to put my hands on a fountain pen with maki-e decoration on the body. It is a Pilot with the very non-descriptive name of FK-3000P-SKU.

The maki-e pen with ornaments in cherry tree flowers, sakura. Also known as FK-3000P-SKU.

This pen is on the cheap side among those maki-e pens of the company. It is equipped with a size 5 14-K gold nib, and only two points are available: F and M. The price in Japan, JPY 30000.

One of the cherry flowers adorning the pen.

Indeed a nice pen whose only fault, other than the price, is the very limited selection of nibs. The reasons not to offer any of the other nibs Pilot has in that size is beyond my understanding. The looks are great, delicate and quite discreet despite the often striking contrast between red and black. But at the same time, this pen gives the impression of being a very delicate object. It is a pen to grab with white cotton gloves to prevent any scratch. In this regard, I wonder whether it is a writing utensil or a jewel to exhibit.

The cap has a velvety material inside to avoid scratching the barrel when posting the pen.

Functionally, this maki-e pen is almost identical to the more modest model the Custom 74. Their dimensions are the same, and weight-wise, the maki-e is four grams lighter than the twenty-two of the Custom.

The CON-70 attached to the Custom 74 section (with a golden ring) had to be purchased separately.

The difference in price between them is JPY 20000. JPY 20000 for the maki-e decoration. Ah! And for the converter CON-70 included with it, and not with the Custom 74. And the cheaper pen can be ordered with a selection of eleven different nibs, some of which are a lot more interesting than the plain F and M.

On the left, the rather rigid F nib of the maki-e pen. On the right, the springy soft-fine nib of the Custom 74. There is no problem whatsoever in interchanging them, but Pilot does not offer the SF nib on the maki-e pen.

This detail is a strong argument to conclude that the FK-3000P-SKU is more of a jewel than of a pen.

(Pilot Custom 74 with music nib – Sailor Red Brown)

Bruno Taut
(Inagi, October 11th, 2010)
[labels: Pilot]