Pilot Metropolitan for a newbie

[Terie_Benjamin]

I'm going to purchase a pilot Metropolitan as my first fountain pen. I have a few questions I'm hoping you can help me with.

Why is a fine nib more desirable in fp world?

I was going to order from goulet pens with the extra converter. But it doesn't look like they carry ink cartridges for it?
(Am I looking in the wrong place?)

I prefer a pen with a thicker grip. I love my lamy al-star although a little thicker grip would be nice. Does metropolitan have a thick grip?

Thank you all in advance.

[katherine]

I don't own a Lamy, so I can't compare there...

Put, Pilot cartridges fit (and I think the pen comes with one) -- Goulet has them here.

I have no idea why/if fine is more desirable. I think it all depends on each person's preferences. I prefer fine nibs because I write super small... but they also have almost no shading with most inks, so I win some and I lose some. Lots of people seem to love B and even BBB nibs too!

[fqgouvea]

I don't think the grip section of the Metropolitan is particularly thick, but it is round, while the Lamy is, I think, triangular.

Pilot cartridges will fit, as will Pilot converters.


Fernando Gouvêa -- fqgouvea@roadrunner.com

[Inxoy]

The right nib thickness is 110% personal preference.

[Terie_Benjamin]

I don't own a Lamy, so I can't compare there...

Put, Pilot cartridges fit (and I think the pen comes with one) -- Goulet has them here.

I have no idea why/if fine is more desirable. I think it all depends on each person's preferences. I prefer fine nibs because I write super small... but they also have almost no shading with most inks, so I win some and I lose some. Lots of people seem to love B and even BBB nibs too!

Ty, I'm just confused on ink. The only pilot ink I see on there is not for the metro, again I could be wrong. Lol

[Terie_Benjamin]

The right nib thickness is 110% personal preference.

I completely agree, it just seems the majority of users reference a fine nib.

[katherine]

It's the same ink. If you take a look at the description, it says it fits all Pilot (and Namiki) pens. They don't make Pilot Metropolitan specific cartridges.

[Terie_Benjamin]

It's the same ink. If you take a look at the description, it says it fits all Pilot (and Namiki) pens. They don't make Pilot Metropolitan specific cartridges.

Thank you for clarifying that. I was unsure as honestly I don't know much about fps, except that they are gorgeous and have always intimidated me.

I am now researching fps instead of just admiring them. I appreciate the help

[Terie_Benjamin]

It's the same ink. If you take a look at the description, it says it fits all Pilot (and Namiki) pens. They don't make Pilot Metropolitan specific cartridges.

Thank you for clarifying that. I was unsure as honestly I don't know much about fps, except that they are gorgeous and have always intimidated me.

I am now researching fps instead of just admiring them. I appreciate the help

I was looking at the pilot parallel ink.

[jar]

I just flushed and put away a Pilot pen tonight. I had been using one of their blue cartridges in it.

[katherine]

Terie_Benjamin, googling indicates that Pilot Parallel cartridges will fit... but unless you particularly care for the colors, I'd play it safe and stick to the normal Pilot cartridges, since then you can be sure they fit!

[Terie_Benjamin]

Terie_Benjamin, googling indicates that Pilot Parallel cartridges will fit... but unless you particularly care for the colors, I'd play it safe and stick to the normal Pilot cartridges, since then you can be sure they fit!

Thank you very much Katherine.

I'm on my phone so I haven't Googled that, trying to get my monsters to bed. I appreciate your advice. Yes I think I will play it safe.

[katherine]

No problem! Good luck with the monsters.

Pilot cartridges should be pretty easy to find -- Amazon carries them, as does Goulet. (linked above)

[SeminarianMike]

Terie I think i know what your saying about the grip and I do believe you will like the grip on the metropolitan better then the lamy, if you must buy cartridges get a small pack of Namiki pilot but any standard international cartridges will fit. I will go with a medium nib for now unless you write very small then get a fine, hmm what else... You really will like using the convertor once u get into it, one of the greatest things about fp is using exotic inks! let me know any other questions

[VertOlive]

My Pilot's grip feels more narrow than my Lamy, if that helps. It's not a lot smaller but it doesn't have the chunky triangular grip that the Lamys do.

[SeminarianMike]

Vert is right I was referring to your gripping more material with the metropolitan. The lammy is more chunky tho

[Wile E Coyote]

International cartridges do not fit the Metropolitan sold in the USA. There is a variant called the MR sold in EU that does.

Stick with Pilot/Namiki cartridges.

As for fine nibs; from my observations, people like fine nibs whether FP/BP or gel. People that like really fine nibs lean towards Japanese FP since they generally run finer than their non-JP counterparts. Japanese nibs can also be purchased in ridiculously fine points (ie. Silor Saibi Togi) that perform surprisingly well without having to resort to a custom grind.

Over time, I have become a fan of big nibs (BB/BBB Stubs). They really allow you to appreciate the intricacies of the different inks and show more character in the writing.

[Jon Szanto]

International cartridges do not fit the Metropolitan sold in the USA. There is a variant called the MR sold in EU that does.

Thank you. I saw that the use of international cartridges was erroneously mentioned late last night and forgot to come and comment on it. Proprietary cartridge design on the standard Metro.

[ac12]

Nib size Fine or Medium is completely personal preference.

I prefer an old US Parker F/Pelikan EF, because I like how the finer ink line looks.
There are a bunch of folks that prefer WIDER nibs, rather than Fine nibs. A WIDE nib shows off the color of the ink better than a Fine nib, because it lays down a wider ink line, so you can see the color of the ink better than a fine line.

Nib size is also affected by how much space you have to write in. If you have lots of forms with small boxes, then you want a Fine or Extra Fine. If you have lots of open space, then you can use wider nibs, if you want.

Also the finer the nib, the more sensitive it will be to the texture of the paper. IOW, you will feel the texture of the paper surface more with a Finer nib.

Again, it is all personal preference. What do YOU want.

[jar]

Just few suggestions.

First, you will need to reprogram how you write, with fountain pens light and loose is better. You should hold your new pen so loosely that it can easily be pulled from your grasp. Unlike writing with roller balls or ball points, your fingers are there simply to keep the pen from rotating. You don't have to press down at all; just the weight of the pen itself is all the pressure needed.

Those may be your hardest hurdles in the transition but master them and you will find writing becomes effortless.