Posts filed under Pilot

Pilot Iroshizuku New Ink Colors Giveaway

When Pilot launched their three new Iroshizuku ink colors, they did something odd. You could buy a three-pack of 15 ml bottles, but only with three of the same ink color. I’ve yet to come up with a logical reason for this, so I took matters into my own hands for this giveaway. I validated their decision buy buying three three-packs of Hana-ikada, Hotatu-bi, and Sui-gyouko, and broke them up to make my own three pack for this giveaway. That will teach them!

To win one 15 ml bottle of all three new inks, read the rules below and get to entering!

Posted on May 3, 2022 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Pilot, Iroshizuku, Giveaways.

Pilot Acro ILMILY Ballpoint Pen Review

Look, the marketing department deserves to get paid too, ok? I mean, how else can you explain Pilot’s ILMILY stationery lineup? What does ILMILY stand for, you ask? “I Like Me, I Like You.”

ILMILY is a lifestyle stationery collection, featuring products with soothing colors, and designed around themes like positivity, happiness, warmth, and general awesomeness. Ok, I’ll stop having fun with the name now, because Pilot has created a product idea we can all get behind.

The ILMILY lineup features several different products, from pens and markers to paper and pen cases. Pilot releases ILMILY products as a series each season, with each containing various products themed to be used together. For example, the first series in 2021 contained a dozen Pilot Pastel Gel pens, FriXion stamps, journaling stencils, small envelopes, and colorful paper pads. The products are made in limited quantities, with each new season bringing us new stationery goodies.

All products are sold separately, which is how I was able to get the Pilot Acro ILMILY Ballpoint Pen from JetPens. The standard Acroball is a personal favorite of mine, so I was interested to see how this upgraded barrel design compares to the standard.

Writing-wise, it compares perfectly. It was safe to assume as much, seeing how they use the same refill. Acroball ink is Pilot’s version of hybrid ballpoint ink technology, made popular by the Uni-ball Jetstream. I believe it is just as good as Jetstream ink, but Uni simply had 1. A years-long head start, and 2. Far better barrel designs, which place them at the top of the market.

The ILMILY Acroball features an 0.5 mm black ink refill. It is fine, clean, and fun. The upgraded barrel of this specific model features a smooth, shiny barrel, that, while called slim, feels like a standard barrel diameter and width. It is very lightweight, and reasonably plain-looking outside of the faux-chamfer where the barrel unscrews. The knock is very clicky.

The barrel colors I have are Winter Navy and Summer Light Purple. Both are excellent, although my preference lies with the darker model. There are six other barrel colors available as well.

At this point, we have sorted out that this is a good pen, and we all love each other. But what we haven’t sorted out is if this is a pen you should rush out and purchase. At $13.25 each, that answer is clearly no. That is a heck of a premium to pay for aesthetics. It looks awesome, that’s for sure, but the standard Acroball has an arguably better barrel, and an inarguably better grip, and is 1/4th the cost.

I like the fact that Pilot has created the ILMILY lineup. I’ll always take good stationery, with a good story. That said, cost will-be a long term limiting factor for many consumers, especially with quarterly limited releases. But Pilot is taking a different tack, with different marketing, for a different market. I love to see it, and I hope it succeeds.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on March 21, 2022 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Pilot, Acroball, Ballpoint, Pen Reviews.

Pilot Custom 74 Fountain Pen Review

Why am I reviewing a pen for the second time that I already praised greatly the first time? And why has it taken so long to re-review this pen that hasn’t changed - at all - from the first time around?

While the Pilot Custom 74 hasn’t physically changed, the greater context around this pen has. And that took me longer to realize than I care to admit.

From a technical review perspective, the Custom 74 is a classically designed fountain pen. The shape is traditional, with a rounded-end barrel design and a classic Pilot clip shape. The translucent barrel adds a modern touch, especially with some of the fun colors Pilot has chosen, like this Teal model.

The nib is purely Pilot, which means the 14k Gold nib is well-tuned out of the box, and a glassy-smooth writer. It has a softer, bouncier feel than, say, a similarly sized Sailor nib, but don’t read too much into that difference. It is a perfect writer.

In the hand, the Pilot Custom 74 is lightweight. This could be the lone knock on the pen if you are a writer that requires a weightier weapon. Outside of that, it is difficult to say anything negative about this pen.

That includes the price, which is the real reason I am putting the Custom 74 on a pedestal today.

In my early days of fountain pen discovery, there was a group of three pens, from three major companies, that all seemed to work in conjunction with each other. They were built similarly, priced similarly, and resided in their respective product lineups similarly. Those pens are:

You may consider other label mates in the same group (Sailor 1911 Standard, Pilot Custom 91, etc.) but for purposes of this conversation I’m going to focus on the three pens above.

Platinum Pilot Sailor — *Top to bottom: Platinum 3776, Pilot Custom 74, Sailor 1911.*

For a period of time in the mid-2010’s, you chose one of those three pens based on how it appealed to your personal style and writing needs. If you wanted the brightest barrel and firmest nib, you chose the Pro Gear. If the nib was the single most important aspect, you chose the 3776 and settled for its basic barrel. If you wanted both style and substance, but maybe not the single best of either, you chose the Custom 74.

At the time, you were able to make this determination exclusive of price, because they were all priced similarly. If your budget was around $125-$150, you had a world of choice for a high-performing, well-designed gold-nibbled fountain pen. Heck, a decade ago you could grab some of these pens for $100, or less.

That time has passed. The cost of materials has increased. The cost of manufacturing has increased. The cost of everything has increased, and fountain pen prices have increased accordingly.

The reason why I’m focusing on the Pilot Custom 74 today is because, while yes, it has increased in price from “back in my day,” it hasn’t increased as much relative to its competition. If I consider it the equivalent to the two pens listed above, and if those pens are now priced higher than the Custom 74, shouldn’t the Custom 74 be more highly recommended?

Yes, it should.

All models of the Pilot Custom 74 are $160 in the US market. The Sailor Pro Gear Slim starts at $180 for classic models, and on up from there, depending on release date vs. Sailor’s 2021 price increase. The Platinum 3776 runs $176 for gold trim pens, and $200 for rhodium plated trim. While there isn’t an outsized discrepancy in pricing, it’s enough to be noted. It’s also worth noting the simplicity of Pilot’s pricing of the 74 versus the other two models.

Not having the Pilot Custom 74 on my Top 5 Pens list in the $100-$200 fountain pen list is a huge oversight on my part. In fact, I think it needs to be in the number one spot in that group. Look for an update soon.

A couple of personal notes on this specific Pilot Custom 74 in Teal, ordered with a Medium nib:

I ordered the Medium nib on purpose, knowing it may not be perfect for me. I had yet to spend time with this nib size in Pilot’s range, so I wanted to give it it shot. It is an amazing writer, but it is too wide for my daily use. The nib tipping is large, and therefore a perfect platform for modification. Likely, a cursive italic grind. More on that soon.

The Pilot CON-70 (which ships with the Custom 74) is the best, worst converter on the market. Trying to fill it attached to the pen and dipped into an ink bottle is an exercise in frustration. I could barely get it 1/3 filled no matter the number of pumps I gave it. I recommend filling it via syringe or pipette, if nothing else, for your sanity. Even so, it’s nice to have this high-capacity upgrade as the included converter.

Finally, I nailed the pen and ink matchy matchy combination with the recently reviewed Robert Oster Cities of America Miami Fountain Pen Ink. A highly recommended combination.

And if you couldn’t tell by now, I highly recommend the Pilot Custom 74. It is a great upgrade if you are making the leap from steel nibs, or entry-level fountain pens, and is high quality for those of us who have many pens in their collection already. The Custom 74 is a good choice no matter where you are in your fountain pen journey.

(I purchased this pen from Vanness Pens at a discount.)

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