My Fountain Pen Education: The Pilot Tow

I think I am a Pilot man. For some reason, their pen designs resonate with me, and I have never been disappointed with the quality. Their standard fountain pen inks are excellent, and their high-end Iroshizuku line are some of the best inks on the planet. In the non-fountain pen category they are strong too. Can you say Hi-Tec-C?

One of the things that has fascinated me about Pilot is how well their older designs hold up decades later. I have already reviewed the Pilot Murex - a candidate for the best pen ever designed - as well as a remake of the Pilot Myu in the limited edition M90. While it is nowhere near as old as the previous two pens, the Pilot Tow shares similar design elements and is much more accessible to the average fountain pen buyer.

I am not sure why, but there is shockingly little information available about the Tow online. From what little I can gather, the pen was manufactured in the early-to-mid 2000's ... aaand we're done. Seriously, I cannot dig up much more information on it that that. But having used one I can tell you it is fantastic.

There is nothing about the Pilot Tow that I don't like. The stainless steel barrel is solid and has some weight to it, the cap fits tightly, the clip is firm, and the section is smooth and comfortable. The steel FM nib in this model is great as well. Aesthetically, I like the slightly downward angle of the nib and the slight amount of flex it has when writing.

The Pilot Tow is only moderately difficult to find, but when you do you will discover the best part about this pen: You can have your own for around $30. Speerbob is a well-respected seller and often has them available in his ebay store for that price. Writing this review reminded me I needed to order one of my own. An F nib is on the way!

Pilot Prera Clear Body Fountain Pen - Calligraphy Medium Nib Review

Well, it looks like I am officially a stub man.

When I first started using fountain pens I was content with European EF nibs like those found in the Lamy Safari. Then I discovered what the Japanese had to offer nib-wise, setting the hook deeper. While those Japanese ultra fine nibs are my daily writers the lure of the stub nib has reeled me in. And, like my standard nibs, the finer the better.

The Pilot Prera is a pen that has been around for years. It is known for its quality build, great feel, and excellent value. I have three solid color barrels that make it into the rotation from time to time, but only when the calligraphy medium (CM) nib came out did I pick up a Clear Body model from JetPens.

Compared to many other fountain pens the Prera is lighter and smaller. It still fits the bill as a full sized fountain pen, albeit near the small end of that chart. This makes it extremely portable, which is one of the main reasons I enjoy it so much.

This review is all about the stub nib though (calligraphy, italic, and stub are not necessarily interchangeable - I use "stub" in the general sense). Checking in at approximately 1.1 mm, the nib is as firm as a nail and writes a wonderfully sharp, yet smooth, line. I talk all the time about finding the proper tools to suit your handwriting style and I have found that stubs fit me perfectly.

My collection of stub nibs is growing fast, and I am searching for more in the 0.9 mm and smaller range. Do any manufacturers have stock nibs in that range, or am I looking at custom only?

Pro Tip: If you like the idea of the Prera CM but not the price tag you can get the same nib in the Pilot Plumix for under $8.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Pentel TRFS Tradio Mini Fountain Pen Review

When someone says Pentel Tradio this is the pen I think of. Black barrel, windowed cap, and most importantly, angled felt tip. It has been around for years and seems to be the traditional model. Pentel has found a way to dilute the Tradio line with several unrelated models, such as the Tradio Energel, Tradio Fountain Pen (some people refer to the original as a fountain pen too), and the disposable Pentel Pulaman, which uses the original Tradio tip. Is the Tradio name more about the barrel design than the tip design?

I'm confused, but we are not done yet. Say hello to the Pentel TRFS Tradio Mini Fountain Pen.

The Mini takes the traditional barrel design, shrinks it, makes it translucent, and adds a medium steel fountain pen nib. The size of the pen is nice, but I'm not a fan of the grip area. It almost has a convex feel to it. The nib is decent, although not as glassy smooth as the full size model, but it does take short international cartridges, which is a bonus.

All that said, I don't see a need for this pen. Mini fountain pens are a tough nut to crack and no one does it better than Kaweco. They are well made, come in many price points, and have wonderful (and swappable) nibs.

I'm interested to hear from you on this: Do you have a go to mini fountain pen?