As was the case with many of my friend Thomas' pens that he sent me, I didn't know what to make of the Pilot Metal Falcon when I first inked it up. I had heard raves about its flexible nib but never having used one before, I was tentative. It didn't take long for me to get the hang of it and I discovered quickly why it is so well regarded.
It is hard to explain the feeling of a flex nib to someone who has never used one before. In a nutshell, the nib is reasonably firm and produces a fine line while using light writing pressure. When pressure is added, the tines spread and the lines become wider, giving the output on the page a little more flair.
My written review actually does a poor job of showing off the line width variation. Part of that is due to this being an SEF nib, or Soft Extra Fine. The other part is me not wanting to really lean into someone else's pen and spring the nib. If you need more variation, the Falcon nib is available up to Broad.
There were two things I did not like about this pen. One, the metal barrel felt awkward in the hand. I'm not sure if it was the added weight or that it was cool to the touch at start, but I never got used to it. Two, at nearly $250 from most US retailers it seemed expensive for what it is. I didn't find that much novelty or uniqueness to justify the price.
All was not lost though, as Thomas later pointed out to me that there is a Japanese model in black resin with rhodium trim for about $100 cheaper, which we both subsequently ordered. And you guys think I have a problem?
Look for more on my very own Falcon in the near future.
