Pilot Python Design Body Fountain Pen Medium Nib, Black Ink

I am going to provide you with a to the point review of my limited experience with this pen.I was on the fence about purchasing this pen and after considering a few others I went ahead with it. Recent price reduction also played a big role in making the decision.Positives:1) Smoothness: I have heard that Japanese Medium nib is somewhat equivalent to Fine nib of European pen companies.I purchased this pen as my EDC, so I will be writing on average to above average quality paper (70 gsm pages, Classmate notebook and some journal notebooks) and not on high quality pages so I went for Medium nib to avoid scratchy writing.The nib is exquisite and just glides on the notebook paper. There isn't any extra effort required to write like that for a ball pen.2) Body: The material is metallic and heavier than Lamy Safari, but it doesn't hamper the flow of writing and tiredness isn't felt during note taking sessions.3) Feel: It is a very pleasant pen to hold and to write with. I write with unposted cap.4) Prospects: This is a very good pen to consider giving away as gifts and also as introductory fountain pen.After writing with this pen I actually felt bad for missing out years of not having used a fountain pen when I could have.Constraints / Negatives:1) Ink capacity: It is adequate for the price point and cannot be compared to the TWSBI pens for capacity but we were used to the eye dropper type of fountain pen and their immense capacity.2) Not readily available in local stationery shops. This pen almost qualifies as premium pen (?) and shops don't carry these. Usually I see Parkers, and Waterman in fountain pen at the shops which carry quality products.If we compare it to the other fountain pens, this would be considered a sleeper pen. It doesn't stand out but definitely ticks all the correct boxes.This would be final review for this pen unless some unforseen issue arises.People who are looking for a fountain pen in 1000/- buy this pen, color and print doesn't matter.

Have been using a Lamy Safari for 4 years then bought this beast. Had some concerns regarding the nib but when it touched the paper it just glided through it.Smoother than the safari .....just go for it.

While I'm not an expert with fountain pens, I can jot down a few of my observations here. The pen itself comes in a good black packaging which seems to be in line with its price range. The colour of the pen depends on what you order, but the finish of the body is non-reflective, smooth and perfect. The strip in the middle (again, the colour/pattern of which depends on the model that you order) adds a bit of character to the pen and helps it from being dull/boring. Everyone who's seen the so far pen likes the way that it looks. There’s only a small “Pilot Japan” branding on the cap, exactly on the opposite side of the clip, on the exterior of this pen. Since the exterior of the pen is made from metal, the pen is not light. But, for people who don’t like a plastic feel or overtly light pens, this is a very good thing.Open the cap with a pull and it comes off freely, the way that it is supposed to. It fits back with a reassuring click, when you want to close it; the quality is top notch here. The clip on the cap not only helps to clip it onto your shirt/pant, but also helps keep the cap from rolling away even when left on a slightly inclined surface. The neck of the pen is black in colour and contoured just about perfectly. My hand are on the larger side, and I’ve still not faced any issues with the grip. People with normal sized hands will find the grip even more comfortable, I presume. The nib of the pen is simple and not ornate in any way. It is all steel with a “V” shaped pattern on it, and again, “Hero Japan” marked on it, along with the Nib Size (“M” for Medium, in my case). All of this is as expected from a pen of this price range. Overall, the exteriors and the neck/nib of the pen are elegant and tasteful, and will not turn any heads towards it, thanks to its lack of bling. This makes it a perfect everyday pen for office, rather than for an occasion/ signing special documents.Unscrew the barrel of the pen from the neck, and you will find the stock fitted converter inside. I’m not really big fan of converters, and hence, I’ve not used it yet. Pilot cartridges are generally reliable, available aplenty and are very affordable; that’s why I went with Pilot cartridges. The quality of the ink is decent for the price that you pay as well. Using these cartridges with the pen is easy: just hold the pen upright, with the nib facing upwards and gently press them into the barrel. Once fitted, hold the pen pointing downwards and gently squeeze the cartridge a couple of times to ensure that the ink flows into the nib. Once you’re done with this step, you’re ready to use the pen.On general use, I’ve not faced any issues with cold starts. Skipping issues are also virtually non-existent so far. The nib is very smooth and while not silk-like (as is common with more expensive pens and some of the other brands even in this price range), the quality is very good for this price. There is just the right amount of feedback and the nib flexes just a little. This makes for a good writing experience. Be careful to ensure that you use decent writing paper with the right surface behind it, though: it is not uncommon for the ink to be visible from behind the page if you’re either using a very hard surface behind the paper or if you’re using low quality paper. Also add to this the fact that this is not a dry nib, and you will know why all this is important.Using this pen continuously for about an hour proved to be of no issue. In fact, the pen was comfortable to hold despite my slightly large hands. As I’ve mentioned above, most people will find the pen very comfortable to write with, irrespective of their hand size. In fact, this is one of the biggest strengths of this pen. The added weight of the pen due to its construction from metal adds to the writing experience. Especially when writing without posting the cap, the weight helps to keep the pen planted. On the other hand, while I prefer to write with the cap kept aside, the overall writing experience did not change much even when I used it with the cap posted. Posting the cap is just a matter of preference. Continuous posting will definitely leave marks on the body of any pen, and I believe that this pen will be no exception. The added weight of the cap (again, made of metal) is not insignificant and is something that should be considered if you write with the cap posted. If you prefer to write with the cap posted, make sure that you are comfortable with a slightly heavy pen, if you intend to purchase this one.This pen is not without its faults. The medium nib on this pen seems to be more like a fine nib, rather than a proper medium. While this will not be an issue for most, it certainly matters if you’re looking for something that writes thicker. Also, while the nib is smooth, the quality of the inks that Pilot sells is not great and there is not even a single cartridge provided with the pen. Add to this the fact that the pen is in no way light – especially with the cap posted – and you get a pen that’s very good overall, has excellent value for money and comes from a pen manufacturer known for making excellent pens. But, it isn’t quite perfect.Note: I’m not sure if this pen is the international version or not. I’ll update that bit of information if & when I find out.

The pen lives upto it's legacy. Writes smooth out of the box without any tweaking. The overall fit and finish is good. Thus good quality control.The fine nib writes in between traditional western fine and medium. It's pretty much the same as the Indian made fine nibs. It's a relatively wet writer. Not much of a flex to the nib.The grip section is long enough and made of polished plastic. Some may find it slippery especially those who sweat a lot on their palms. It's not too thick a section. It's thicker than a Parker vector and thinner than a Lamy Safari.The converter is a sac type. It's opaque black and hence you can't know how much ink you got it or how much is left. So you might want to replace with a con 40 converter or a cartridge. These 3 are the options. It's proprietary design and will not accommodate the standard international design of cartridges or converter.Since it's a brass body pen you can't eye dropper fill it.So overall it's a beginner priced fountain pen with the looks and quality of pens priced many times its value. Hence a value for money pen.I recommend the pilot metropolitan to anyone who has tried out the inexpensive pens like camlin and other Indian brands that make handmade pens, and has decided to try out some international fountain pens. Your other options would be Kaweco sport and Lamy Safari. But they are easily 2.5 times the price (I brought it for sale @ ₹1190)