Signature (II)

So, Pilot created a new nib point for its size 10 implemented on the model Custom 742 (and potentially on the rhodium-trimmed Custom Heritage 912). But, only on that size? No, but this other Signature nib came as a limited edition.

Also in 2022, Pilot celebrated the 30th anniversary of its workhorse pen, the Custom 74. And for the occasion, the company released a special edition of the pen.

The boxed set includes three different pen barrels in three transparent colors, a bottle of ink of “Anniversary Blue”, a CON-70N converter, and a booklet summarizing the history of the Custom models since its inception in 1971.

There are some other details that make this pen –or these pens- special and different to the regular Custom 74. The cap ring is engraved with a specific text: “PILOT CUSTOM 74 30th ANNIVERSARY JAPAN”. The nib, rhodiated size 5, also displays an original design and script: some bay leaves –or so Pilot declares- framing the text “PILOT CUSTOM 14K-585”, plus the nib point.

The anniversary nib in Signature point.

Four points are available on this limited edition: F, FM, M and the new S, Signature. And the fact that this S point is now and exclusive to this model makes this option the most desirable among them.

S nibs on sizes 5 and 10. Note how the size 5 nib is not labeled as such.

This new S nib becomes the twelfth nib point available in the size 5 nib by Pilot. Whether this nib became part of the catalog or not remains to be seen, but one more nib option in an affordable workhorse like the Custom 74 would indeed be great.

The price of the Custom 74 30th Anniversary is JPY 28000, plus taxes, for any of the nib points.

Moonman A2 - Diamine Bilberry

Bruno Taut
July 18th, 2023
etiquetas: Pilot, plumín

Signature (I)

Last year, 2022, Pilot released a new nib point for the model Custom 742—the Signature. And by doing this, the number of points available in Pilot's size 10 nibs (::1::, ::2::) is 16.

The Signature point—a sort of smooth stubbish broad nib— is not particularly new. In Japan they existed in the 1960s and 1970s by the hand of Pilot and Platinum. On the picture we can see two of those together with the new Custom 742.

Now, do they draw a similar line? Or, in other words, are all Signature nibs alike? Not really, and the larger differences are between those made by Pilot—a smooth broad nib with a stubbish character on the 742, and a very round symmetric point on the Pilot E from 1968. On its side, the Platinum pocket pen, also from 1968, is more of a stub nib, with an overall width finer than that of the Custom 742. So it might be worth to reflect on those names and their definitions at some point.

Anyway, the Custom 742 with Signature nib adds even more value and appeal to the Pilot lineup of nibs, particularly to the size 10. 16 different points in a single pen model is not something any other company currently could brag about.

Pilot Custom 742 - Diamine Imperial Purple.

Bruno Taut
July 14th, 2023
etiquetas: Pilot, plumín, Platinum

Mannenhitsu-no Yamada

Nothing lasts forever...

万年筆の山田. Mannenhitsu-no Yamada.

Mannenhitsu-no Yamada, the operation run by Mr. Kubota in the city of Matsumoto (Nagano, Japan) closed its doors this past May. Therefore the production of pens came to an end.

Mr. Kubota, born in 1939, took over the business in the 1980. Initially he used maki-e techniques to decorate his pens, but that proved too time consuming and not many customers were willing to pay for them and make ends meet. As a consequence, he changed his approach and began to use Damascene techniques that were popular in Japan in the Edo period. Kubota's pens started showing those metallic inserts together with some mother-of-pearl designs and some other materials –wood, tortoiseshell,...

Lately, his pens were simpler—plain ebonite, bamboo,... But he still took orders from customers.

The nibs were more often than not, Sailor. However, he used Pilot cartridges and converters on some of his pens.

Well, no more. Mr. Kubota, now 84, has decided to retire and his pens will become more appreciated. After all, that is how the market works.

Mr. Kubota.

My thanks to Mr. Kubota and to Poplicola-san.

Pilot #10 Tsugaru nuri - Diamine Imperial Purple.

Bruno Taut
San Fermín 2023
etiquetas: Mannenhitsu-no Yamada, mercado, Japón

Gold 60th

Meanwhile...

Pilot continues with the old policy of rehashing the well-known Capless through yearly special editions or, less often, exclusive/original models made for a particular customer. Nagasawa, Isetan, Mitsukoshi had their own Capless pens at one point or another.

And by the end of 2022, Pilot went one step further—Pilot collaborated with the company JMA Management Center to produce a Capless model to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the release of the Noritsu Techo Gold planner in 1962.

The Pilot Gold 60th for Nolty. Note the decoration on the pen body.

This anniversary pen is named Gold 60th. It is a black matte Capless decorated with a golden double central ring. The engraving on it reads “Limited Edition XXX/365 NOLTY GOLD 60th”. The XXX refers to the pen number in the 365-unit limited run. Nolty is the commercial brand of the Nortisu Techo planners and other office supplies.

The package includes a small Nolty notebook.

The nib is a standard Pilot Capless unit in 18 K gold and golden trim. And there is only one point available—EF.

The EF nib, dated September 2022.

The distribution of this pen was very reduced. I could only see it in the Nolty website and in Itoya. The price was not cheap—JPY 33000, plus taxes, which is more than twice the price of a regular Capless with a similar nib.

Is there any point in making this pen? For one, it was a big success—it sold out quickly. And we also know that rarities like this preserve their value over time.

Sailot Profit Sr, Naginata Togi nib – Sailor Blue-black

Bruno Taut
June 30th, 2023
labels: Pilot, Capless

Moonman Again

Some months ago I analyzed the Moonman A1, the capless pen made by the Chinese company. The main conclusion in that text was that the Chinese copy was a good product for a very good price. But did it offer anything new with respect to the Pilot original? The answer, suggested by a commentator, was the existence of a clipless variation of the model.

Moonman, apparently, had paid close attention to what some enthusiasts had said in the Net: the clip in the Capless was a nuisance to many.

Following that strategy it was only normal for Moonman to try to replicate the popular and missed Pilot Capless FCN-500R (and variations)--the faceted model in the market between 1984 and 1998. And that attempt is the Moonman A2. But, how faithful is the replica?

The faceted Moonman A2.

Just a quick inspection of the A2 shows some clear differences with the Pilot model:

– The Moonman A2 is bigger than the Pilot FCN, as can be seen on the following  table:

	.Pilot Capless FCN.	.Moonman A2.	.Moonman A1.
Length closed (mm)	132	141	142
Length open (mm)	133	139	139
Max diameter (mm)	11.8	12.2	12.9
Weight, dry (g)	17.6	20.8	33.7
Ink deposit (ml)	0.9 (cart) 0.5 (CON-40)	0.9 (cart) 0.4 (conv)	0.9 (cart) 0.4 (conv)

Pilot Capless FCN-500R (front) and Moonman A2 (back).

– The original Pilot FCN implements a very clean solution for the clip—it is made out of the same piece that conforms the nose of the pen. On the contrary, the A2's clip is closer in design to that of the regular Capless and of the Moonman A1: a separate part attached to the nose.

This is no small detail as the FCN's clip is often regarded as less intrusive and more comfortable than that of the current Capless model.

The clips. Pilot's on front, Moonman's on back.

– The previous table also shows that the A2 is slimmer and lighter than the A1. Moonman accomplished this removing the internal metallic thread in the A2. But this results in a metal-to-plastic thread in the A2—a weak point shared with the Pilot FCN. In fact, it is not uncommon to see cracks on the area of the plastic thread in the Pilot model.

Moonman S2. Metalic thread on the left, plastic thread on the right.

In any event, the parts of the A1 and A2 are fully interchangeable as these two models share their threads and internal dimensions. This is not the case with the equivalent Pilot models (the old FCN, and the current FC).

Moonman Frankenpens. But they work!

Therefore, the conclusion is that the A2 is little else than a A1 in different costume. Sure there are some changes –the shape of the clip, the absence of metallic thread in the upper body--, but the basic structure and internal dimensions are common to both models.

Then, is the Moonman A2 a copy –or a fair substitution-- of the Pilot FCN of 1984? in my opinion, less so than the A1 with respect to the current Pilot Capless FC.

Capless FCN (burgundy) and Moonman S2 (blue).

Capless FC (front) and Moonman A1 (back).

Other than this, A1 and A2 models use the same nib unit made of steel with only one nib point—a smooth nominal EF. And this unit is perfectly compatible with those made by Pilot.

Moonman A2 - Diamine Bilberry

Bruno Taut
June 28th, 2023
etiquetas: Moonman, Pilot, capless

The 23rd Pen Trade in Tokyo

This past Sunday –June 11th–, the 23rd edition of the Pen Trade event took place in Tokyo. As I had said in the past, this is the actual pen show in Tokyo, at least in the Western sense of the concept.

The drawback of this event, though, lies in its size—17 tables and around 100 visitors. But why is it so small when the metropolitan area of Tokyo hosts about 36 million people, there is an active pen community, and a rich pen manufacturing tradition?

Relaxed atmosphere.

But at the same time, are there real incentives to make it grow? Probably not, and I venture some hypothesis to explain that:

– In Tokyo there are pen and stationery events almost every single month, and people might not feel the need to cater the craving for pen action at this particular moment in the year.

– The Tokyo International Pen Show (TIPS) does attract more people than this Pen Trade event due to its eclectic nature—everything goes in there, new pens, old pens, paper, ink, paraphernalia,...

– Younger generations seem more focused on ink than on pens.

So, in summary, the potential market for a big pen-focused pen show in Tokyo is fragmented.

Some interesting pens on this table.

But in any event, and despite its size, there were some interesting pens and attractive people with whom to share information. And because of that, the date of the Pen Trade is the big day for those who love pens in Tokyo.

Parker 51 – Sailor Tomikei Blue

Bruno Taut
June 12th, 2023
etiquetas: Tokyo, mercado

The Odd Relative: Platinum Glamour

After writing about the Platinum 3776 and its more than 40 years of history, it is only natural to mention its weird relative, the Platinum Glamour marketed in 1987.

The reason for this is clear—not only the Glamour follows the style of the original 3776 of 1978, but also Platinum described it as a modification of that model “by giving it a thicker body but making it compact”. And on the pen box Platinum added “a sense of proportion in deformation”.

"A sense of proportion in deformation. An attractive design”. Platinum dixit.

Well, not the strangest argument in marketing, but certainly paradoxical.

In any event, the interesting detail of the Glamour, beyond its deformed shape, is the fact that Platinum had to create a specific nib –with its corresponding feed—to create that pen. In this regard, it relates to the limited release 3776 Decade and its original nib.

The gold nib (14 K) of the Glamour. It also exists in steel.

Back in 2010 I published a review of the Glamour with a gold nib—more comfortable than what its shape and size might suggest, a stiff nib, and a high price. And right now, even more expensive.

Sailor Mini (1971), 21 K - Sailor Blue

Bruno Taut
June 10th, 2023
labels: Platinum