German Pocket

To the regular reader of these chronicles, pocket pens are well known and need little introduction. Suffice to remember now that the first of them was launched by Pilot in 1968. But that might not be the first time the idea of a “pocket pen” came to light.

Kaweco is a German pen company in business since 1883. As early as in 1908, the model Sport was created—a dip pen of very compact dimensions: 10 cm when capped, and 14 when posted. A 1909 patent allowed the company to create a safety pen that did not leak, and in 1911 a new safety Sport was marketed.

Pilot pocket pen and Kaweco Sport in aluminum. Posted, the Pilot is 148 mm long, and the Kaweco is 130 mm. Capped, 118 mm for the Pilot; 105 for the Kaweco.

The year 1934 model was a safety pen made either in artificial horn or in ebonite in a shape very much alike to the current Kaweco Sport. Since then, the Kaweco Sport has preserved that basic style while changing the filling system -- safety, piston, and cartridge-- and the materials –ebonite, celluloid, plastic, aluminum, etc.


This Kaweco Sport model and the typical Japanese pocket pen have some similarities: both are very compact pens when closed, and they have unusually long caps. And posted, they become long enough for a pleasant grip.

Now, the construction of both pens is completely different. Might them be different interpretations of the same idea.

(Kaweco Sport with 1.1 italic nib – Diamine Evergreen)

Bruno Taut
(In exile, December 14th, 2010)
[labels: Kaweco, Japón]

Matching (IV)

The controversy is always there: Is that pen original or a copy of another? Which company did father that idea? Well, this time the story is well known and well documented.

In April 1970 Parker released the very unique T1—nib and section were made out of the same piece of titanium. It was the perfect streamlined pen. But titanium was difficult to work with and the whole production process was very expensive. The T1 was phased out in 1971, after only 104000 units produced. Few of those are said to write satisfactorily. Its rarity, nonetheless, has made this pen highly valued among collectors.

Pilot Myu-701.

In 1971, Pilot, in Japan, released an all steel pocket pen with a similar nib—the Pilot Myu-701. This time, the pen worked very well and remained in production for about ten years. It is arguably the most successful pocket pen, that very Japanese invention from the late sixties.

Pilot MuRex (top), and Parker 50 (bottom).

A full sized evolution of the Myu-701, by the name of MuRex (or MR) was marketed in 1977. The nib has a very different design, showing somehow a less clean profile. The section, on its side, has a rugged area to provide a better grip. A later model (1978) of the MuRex had the decorative elements in red instead of black, and some changes in the clip, while it kept nib and section untouched.

Parker 50 "Falcon" (top), and Pilot Myu with black stripes (bottom).

Parker, by chance or by plan, created in 1978 the Parker 50, nicknamed as “Falcon”. In a sense, it was a new attempt to create the T1, but in steel, following the teachings of Pilot. This model showed a big improvement over the titanium predecessor—it actually wrote and was a lot less fragile.

Parker 50 "Falcon".

There is a newcomer to this story. In 2008, Pilot decided to commemorate its 90th anniversary with by recreating the 1970’s Myu under the name of M90. Although the M90 is not an exact copy of the old Myu, it certainly preserves the streamlined spirit of the design.

Pilot Myu-701 (top), and Pilot M90 (bottom).

Writing-wise, in my personal experience, Pilot’s Myu, MuRex and M90 win hands down over the Parker 50.

My thanks to Kinno-san.

(Parker 50 “Falcon” – Pilot Iroshizuku Sho-ro)

Bruno Taut
(In exile, December 11th, 2010)
[labels: Parker, Pilot]

Simple and Clean

Some days ago I published a review on a remarkable Spanish pen—the Súper T Gester 20. After using it for a while I ran out of ink and proceeded to clean it. This was very easy despite the fact it is a piston filler. The reason, as I pointed out, was that section and barrel attach to each other by a simple thread.



What I had not foreseen was how easy disassembling the piston was. Once the section is out of the way, the piston comes out of the barrel unscrewing the knob further. And that is it!


Easy to disassemble and easy to clean. There are no internal sheaths or hidden screws. In a sense, this pen is an eyedropper with a piston, a very easy piston.


Hats off for the designer Manuel Portus Ribas.

(Kaweco Sport with 1.1 mm stub nib – Diamine Evergreen)

Bruno Taut
(Madrid, December 9th, 2010)
[labels: Súper T, soluciones técnicas]

Matching (III)

The controversy is always there: Is that pen original or a copy of another? Which company did father that idea?

The Sheaffer Balance is a well known pen from the thirties, marketed in 1929, though—about which there is a lot of information. That pen combined a number of features to make it very attractive and a success—lever filler, colorful celluloid bodies, “torpedo” shape, lifetime guarantee…

Becoming an icon it was bound to be copied and imitated. The pen I am using to write this chronicle is one of them.

It is a lever filler called Hawaiian: "Registered Practical Pen", the inscription on the barrel says. It is made in green celluloid and follows very closely the design patterns of the original Sheaffer, including the white dot sign for lifetime warranty.

The white dot!

The main difference lies on the nib. The Hawaiian uses a very rigid and apparently untipped steel nib. However, it is fairly smooth.

The inscription on the nib reads "Hawaiian / PRACTICAL / GOLDEN PEN / -<5>- / S. Y. S. Co."

I bought it through an online auction thinking it was a Sheaffer Balance. Only once I got my hands on it I discovered the fake. But the price had been cheap and I decided to restore it and now it is a decent writer.

I have no information on this manufacturer.

Hawaiian Balance in green celluloid – J. Herbin Vert Empire

Bruno Taut
Madrid, December 8th, 2010
labels: Sheaffer, Hawaiian

Matching (II)

The controversy is always there: Is that pen original or a copy of another? Which company did father that idea?

The well-known all metal Pilot pocket pens.

Among pocket pens, the all metal Pilot Myu 701 is the most widely known, and its close relative black stripped pen is one of the most desired.

The black stripped pens by the big three Japanese companies. From left to right, Pilot, Sailor and Platinum.

The jewels on the caps.

On the other hand, the big three Japanese pen companies are always paying a close attention to each other.

The three nibs. From left to right, the Sailor's in 18 K white gold, the Platinum's in golden 18 K gold, and the Pilot steel nib.

Platinum’s version of the black stripped stylus was a pen with a springy 18 K gold nib. The black plastic section and the golden colored nib take some charm away from this wonderful writer.

On its side, Sailor released an all steel pen with black stripes with a very smooth 18 K white gold nib. Again, an amazing and pleasant tool.

The Sailor pen in detail.

I cannot say which of them was the first in seeing the market.

My thanks to Kinno-san

(Hawaiian Balance in green celluloid – J. Herbin Vert Empire)

Bruno Taut
(Madrid, December 5th, 2010)
[labels: Platinum, Sailor, Pilot]

Petit

Para Aina-chan.

Pen review. Pilot Petit 1.

Pilot Petit 1 are small and inexpensive fountain pens aimed, so Pilot said, at the market formed by high school and college students. It seems Pilot marketed these pens only in Japan, although there are a number of online shops ready to send them anywhere. Interestingly enough, these pens attract the attention of many people, and later they become frustrated for not being able to buy them easily.

The object under review.

1. Appearance and design. (8.5/10)
Pilot Petit 1 are small pens made of plastic. The only metal part in them is the stainless steel nib. I guess we could call them demonstrators as they are transparent. Feed and clip show the original ink color, of which there are 14 different variations.

The overall aspect is very informal, but also appealing. In my opinion, this is an attempt to bring a fountain pen into the realm of kawaii!!!, cuteness, so dear to Japanese youngsters.

The 14 different Petit 1.

2. Construction and quality. (9.0/10)
This is a well made plastic pen. The material shows some flexibility keeping it from cracking. The cap fits perfectly well on the section, when closed, and on the barrel, when posted. The section has four small bumps to ensure this perfect fit, and the barrel has a special form matching that of the cap.

Inexpensive, but well made pen.


3. Weight and dimensions. (7.0/10)
Small pen, but not a pocket pen with the usual design of long cap and short barrel. Nonetheless, as was mentioned before, the cap fits tightly on the barrel to provide the extra length needed to grab it comfortably. However, this is not a pen to write long texts.

The balance is easy to achieve given the very low weight and there is not much difference whether the cap is posted or not other than providing a comfortable length.

Dimensions:
Length capped: 104 mm.
Length open: 90 mm.
Length posted: 129 mm.
Diameter: 13 mm.
Weight: 9 g.


4. Nib and writing performance. (8.0/10)
Rigid steel nib with only one possible point: F. This pen, however, shares the nib with the disposable Vpen, and this one also has the option of a medium nib. The steel nib is fairly smooth and has a very correct ink flow.

A Vpen M nib together with a Petit 1. The red arrow points at one of the bumps to secure the cap in place when the pen is capped. There are four of those on the section.

5. Filling system and maintenance. (6.0/10)
The Petit 1 comes already inked with the matching ink. It uses a special type of Pilot cartridges—smaller than the regular ones. These can be used in other Pilot pens, but regular cartridges —nor any Pilot converter— do not fit inside the Petit 1 barrel. Too petit!

The special cartridge.

This pen, with some minor adaptation in the thread between barrel and section, could be used as an eyedropper.

Nib and feed can easily be extracted from the section by yanking them out. Therefore, the cleaning of this pen is very easy.

The nipple to attach the cartridge to the section.

6. Cost and value. (8.0/10)
This pen costs JPY 300 (plus taxes) in Japan. It is indeed inexpensive and offers a nice performance. The small size might be its main problem.

The other big pen companies in Japan also produce inexpensive pens. Platinum’s Preppy and Riviere, and Sailor’s Ink Pen rally on the same category. However, in my experience, the Petit 1 offers the best writing performance of the group. Filling system-wise, the Petit 1 is the worst as it does not accept any converter, and uses a very special type of cartridges.


7. Conclusion. (46.5/60=77.5/100)
Inexpensive and fun. Good writer save for the dimensions. Correct nib. Being a cartridge-only pen took points away.

(Note added on March 29th, 2012: Second and third generation of Pilot´s Petit 1 introduced some modifications that could affect the grades of this review. One of those changes was a substantial reduction in the price: from JPY 300 to JPY 200).

(Pilot Petit 1 – Pilot Blue Black)

Bruno Taut
Madrid, November 30, 2010
[labels: Pilot, Platinum, Sailor]

Empty Boxes

Among fountain pen enthusiasts, ball pens do not enjoy much particular favor. One of the arguments is that the essence of a ball pen is an empty box given the fact that the writing object –the ball and the ink deposit— is disposable.

Having this in mind I cannot help taking a critical look at the very successful Pilot Capless or Vanishing Point.

Six Capless pens. From left to right: Red Capless from 1964 with a 14 K gold nib. Dark green model from 1996. This model was on production in different colors between 1973 and 1998. Dark gray, silver colored and red Capless from the 2000s with either steel or 18 K gold nibs. Finally, blue Décimo from 2010 (on production since 2005).

This Pilot model was launched originally in late 1963 and several major changes and improvements have seen the light along its history. The current model in steel and some form of enamel dates from 1998. Since that date, Pilot has marketed a big number of variations including several limited editions. In 2005, a thinner and lighter version of the 1998 Capless was released as a limited edition with the name of Sesenta, and later renamed as Decimo. And in 2006, Pilot marketed the bigger Fermo, with a twisting knob to operate the nib.

Two Capless F nibs in different materials.

But the only variation on those pens lay on the external decoration. The nib (together with the feed and the ink deposit) is exactly the same for all of them, and exchanging them requires no technical ability whatsoever. Therefore, it is possible to change the box while keeping that nib we enjoy so much. Actually, the list of Capless points is quite limited:


In the past, there also existed 14 K gold nibs.

The full gamut of points in Capless nibs in 18 K gold (as of November 2010).

The Pilot Capless/Vanishing Point with all its variations is a big marketing operation backed, of course, by the response of us stylophiles. The Capless, some say, is a very collectible pen, but that obeys, I think, solely to the aspect of empty boxes—just like ball pens.

(Pilot Custom 74 – Pelikan Turquoise)

Bruno Taut
(Madrid, November 30th, 2010)
[labels: estilofilia, Pilot]