Pilot Kakuno Fountain Pen of Biginners, Fine Nib, Orange Body (FKA-1SR-OF)

another 5 star review, at least upon opening up and inking within hours of receiving and writing out the alphabet on the back of an envelope, so I guess things could go sour, but I don't expect so: Pilot makes a solid, solid, pen line-up and this pen, aimed at the Japanese school kids learning to write with a proper pen, is just that: a workhorse that can take some abuse but will write as well as pens costing TONS more. Here's why: it's made of plastic, for one thing, so light as a feather. In the right hands, that is perfect (I adore lightning quick pens), but it will never have the heft of an oversized pen made of substantial material. (The latter, however, can be heavy in long writing sessions.) You will also not get a flexy 14k nib, but it is only a nail when you keep your touch light, at which point it remains a FINE point you could write the Declaration of Independence with on a 3x5 card, and only use a drop of ink--for that matter, a wetter ink is best, and the fantastic standard Pilot ink is just that--I recommend you hunt down a converter and try the bottled Japanese stuff among others, but the cartridges offered by Pilot are really second to none. Anyway, yes it might be a stingy dryish pen on crappy paper with the wrong ink I would guess, but with the included ink it puts down a nice wet line that will fatten if you put a little pressure on the nib, and even has a little spring to it that you don't so much have to worry about busting--it's a school pen, right? anyway, at the 11 buck price point, these are a steal, and an absolute best buy for those who want to dip into fountain pens. other thoughts: most of my pens are screw tops, which can unwind at times if carried about. this little guy without a clip of any kind (so not a dress or work shirt pen at all) would slip easily into a pants pocket. I think I will really like the quick pop on/off of this cap, and really the pen writes great unposted. I didn't try posting it and might not do so often for fear of cracking the cap, though it may just click on lightly. nothing would surprise me that the engineers of this pen would not cover. makes me wish I had bought more of the 78g pens when they were cheap. I did not get a fine nib then because I had to write fast and furious and the fines don't always keep up, but it is true that these Japanese fine points with that bit of flex are something special, and you should own at least one version of it (I think this may be the same nib as the 78g without the gold plating and in one other Pilot series as well) if you are into pens and a great starter if you are just interested. It really writes as well as pens double or triple the price, easily, as long as you know what a fine point brings to the table (i.e. don't complain that it's scratchy if it's really just the tiny footprint of the nib, of course it's sharper than a Bold or medium point). It's gonna be hard for me not to start price watching the other colors (chose orange for low price/quick ship and visibility). final word of advice, but before I inked the pen up, I wrote somewhat aggressively on some decent paper to give a little polish to the nib. If you happen to get a rough example, do the same on progressively coarser papers (brown paper bag is final resort) until you rub out any imperfections. A cheapo loupe (little magnifier) is great to see if your tines are aligned on the nib and it does not take too much persuasion to make them even, if you do get a crappy one, but my experience with Pilot has been the same as with Japanese cars from the 80's: high quality, super high performance to price ratio. I covet their higher end models, like the vanishing point. Now that's a pen for a dress shirt!

Newly purchased. Wrote for several hours last night and found this pen to be easy on my hand and a smooth writer. There is also a charm to this pen,, a toy that is also a tool, looking like a child while doing an adult function. It is light, but in a floating way. And what a low price for such a quality fountain pen. (I hope all of you are enjoying your writing.)

Great starter pen, it writes very nice and smooth just like all pilot pens

I already have a Pilot Metropolitan with a medium nib, and that works great. Smooth writing, great feel in the hand, and a bargain to boot. I wanted to experiment with a different pen though, and this was both cute and a little cheaper, and already having a spare Pilot converter, I decided to get the Kakuno. When it arrived, I found it was just downright adorable. The packaging is cute and colorful if somewhat cheap. It has a smiling face on the nib! The black and blue coloring is fun and the finish is nice. The provided instructions are all in Japanese but that's to be expected, and they're not really needed to use for the most part outside of some fountain pen common sense. However, it came in a disposable case rather than the plastic shell and case of the Metro. It also only had one disposable ink cartridge compared to the Metro's two refillable converters. For only 2 or 3 dollars less, 'tis a bit disappointing. In the hand, it feels fine; its rather's light due to the plastic and is surprisingly ergonomic due to the hexagonal barrel. It is a hint more scratchy than the Metro, but being a finer nib, that's to be expected. It still wrote smoothly and without issue. No stutters, no leaking, no hiccups. It's a solid no-frills writing and drawing experience, with some nice pluses like the barrel shape, making it less likely to roll off a desk and break the tip. The smile on the nib even makes a good reference point to use to know when your pen tip is aligned properly. Those two features can be pretty notable, especially for an absolute beginner or younger person learning how to write with a fountain pen. However, every time I used it, I just kept comparing it to the Metro. On value alone, the Metro blows it out of the water in terms of feel and accessories, and the Kakuno doesn't really provided much unique outside of a good soft aesthetic and even more beginner friendliness. It's adorable and personally worth it for that, but with only a small cost difference, those qualities really have to matter in order to get the Kakuno in particular. However, everything about this pen feels more oriented towards being a gift from adults to children to learn the love of using fountain pens, and from that perspective, this pen makes perfect sense, and nails that goal well. If that's what you wanna do, the Kakuno can't be a better choice. For what it's worth, it's a solid pen. I don't regret it and I can see myself buying another as a gift to younger folks.

This is my favorite fountain pen. I received one as a gift from someone who visited Japan and brought it back as a gift. I loved it, then I misplaced it and was super bummed to be missing my favorite pen. I found a replacement on Amazon and ordered it right away. What I like about the pen: It is lightweight The barrel shape is comfortable. I also have another Pilot fountain pen in metal with a tapered barrel but prefer this one for its straight barrel. Nib writes well, the replacement nib is in fine although I prefer the medium (which I had in my original pen) Posted -- I like that the cap fits snugly onto the pen when writing Refills are easy to find Price is great What I don't like: Pen cap clip - I wish it had a pen clip to put onto a notebook (which is how I lost my first pen, it must have fallen off a pile of papers). I created a have with a rubber band and paperclip. Converter -- I wish it came with a converter to make it more environmentally friendly, I can get around this by using a syringe and refilling but having a true converter would make it better. But for the price I can't complain too much.

I love finding great pens that are both functionally top-notch and very affordable. The Pilot Kakuno Fountain Pen of Beginners, Fine Nib, is just such a pen. BUT it's not just for beginners. I have several fountain pens and I typically use them every day in my journal. This pen has been used more than the others lately because it writes so well. It's size fits my hand (med/lg man's hand), the nib is not scratchy, the "fine" designation is accurate, and the ink flow is strong but not too much. I also love the look, which is playful and I assume plays into the "for beginners" designation. I plan on get at least one or two more in different colors.

Excellent pen! You cannot beat the price and quality that you are receiving for the money. Nib is super, keep in mind that body is plastic and is intended for kids but who cares! Is a very reliable writer, is light, is reliable and has an excellent price. This pen is made by Pilot which is a very well know brand in the stationery and fountain pens world. I have a fine nib since japanese fine nibs are very fine and usually this helps to perform well on cheap papers. Keep in mind that for this last statement, the ink is part of the equation. I recommend this gorgeous pen. Mine came with an ink cartridge. A converter is not supplied so you must buy a converter so you can use bottled ink (CON-40 or CON-50) or you can refill the cartridge with a syringe. I have attached some images and a writing sample with the black ink cartridge included. You can attach a Kaweco clip if you need it since the pen does not have a clip.

Love it! Love the design! Love the colors of the plastic! Love the shapes! Love the quality! Everything! NOTE: in these photos the cap may appear as soft and some vendors do use the phrase "soft cap." However, that is NOT true. The cap is made out of hard plastic, the same as the barrel. That plastic feels to be similar to plastic used in LEGO parts. Great news: the feed and the nib of this pen and the Plumix (with 1 mm stub) ARE interchangeable! Just take a paper napkin (to prevent leaving skin oil on the nib and the feed), grab around the nib and the feed, and pull them out carefully. The swapping between two pens take seconds! Also, it is extremely important and useful for cleaning. If you will forget one of your Pilot Kakuno pens with ink for a while or worse, with permanent ink, then you don't need to panic. Just disassemble and clean! I use mine for testing permanent inks where I cannot risk pens from other brands that are not as easy to disassemble. The size of the pen is just right for sketching. I have family big hands, but I love this design! By the way, there is a small knob on the cap to make it easier for removing the cap. Also, it is great that it does NOT have a clip on the cap! I love it! Those clips always get in my way. I own Lamy and Pelican, but after trying my friend's Pilot Kakuno, I was hooked and purchased four of these in various colors and nibs along with four of Plumix (for their 1 mm stubs).