Metropolitan Collection Fountain Pen, Silver Barrel, Classic Design, Medium Nib, Black Ink (91108)

You simply cannot expect a better pen especially for this price point. The metropolitan is an absolute work horse of a pen where it comes to performance, a Mercedes when it comes to smooth movement, and a Rolex when it comes to stylish finish. I cannot believe you get so much 'pen' at such ab affordable price. This pen packs such a punch and easily competes with $200-$500 pens. Writing with it for an hour is no stress. The grip is excellent. The weight is perfect. The cap can be posted. The ink flow is healthy. And the performance with Pilot Iroshizuku inks is just an absolute delight to witness. And the gold color of the body.... Wow, just wow!

I'm fairly new to the world of fountain pens. I own starter pens from Kaweco, Pelikan, Lamy, Platinum, and other companies, and for the dollar value, I've found the Pilot Metropolitan to be the best deal out there for any fountain pen aficionado. One of the first things you'll notice is the build quality of this pen. I own the Classic Design silver Metropolitan and it is a beautiful pen. The body is made of brass with a coated brushed silver finish, so the pen has some heft to it and the stainless steel accents and clip give it a premium look and feel. I've received compliments on this pen and I've had a couple people think this is a much more expensive writing instrument than it really is. The body is smooth and round, so if you remove the cap and leave the body sitting on a desk, it will roll. However, the cap, which snaps on with a nice *click*, has a clip, which prevents it from rolling if you have it capped or posted. Then, I also like how the Metropolitan comes with an ink cartridge AND an ink converter for people who want to use their own ink. I can't think of many (any?) pens in this price range with an included converter. I'm not a fan of the bladder-type converter (I prefer the Z24 piston converter on my Lamy Safari), but it works and that it even comes with one is great! I've just been using the Pilot Namiki IC100 Fountain Pen Ink Cartridge, Blue/Black, 12 Cartridges per Pack (69102) . Moving onto the real reason anyone would buy a fountain pen--the writing experience. Because of the pen's heft, the Metropolitan is wonderful to write with--posted (cap on back of pen) or unposted. I write with it unposted, as I fear the metal-on-metal will leave a scratch around the barrel of the body, but the few times I've written with the cap posted, it's felt nicely balanced, unlike my Lamy Safari, which feels uneven if posted. The nib is a Japanese Medium which I've found to be equivalent to the Fine nib on my Kaweco Sport Classic. It's a stainless steel nib, so it has little-to-no flex, but is an average writer (in terms of ink flow) with very little scratchiness and it wrote well right out of the box with no skipping. What's great about the Metropolitan, though, is that the nib also interchangeable with the Pilot Penmanship Fountain Pen with Ergo Grip - Extra Fine Nib - Black Body , which I bought from a third-party site for less than $10 and I now have a Metropolitan with an Extra-Fine nib that writes very smoothly! Now, I'm sure a few people read these reviews to see how this compares to other pens in this price range, and I can say that it's sort of in a class of its own. The Platinum Preppies are practically disposables that cost less than half the Metropolitan and the Kaweco Sport Classics and Lamy Safaris are at least $10 more. Still, for those who must know, I think the Metropolitans write about as well as the Preppy (but with a much nicer body, build, and finish), better than the Kaweco Sports, but not as well as the Safari. My favorite pen is the Safari, but I can't say that I feel it's worth $10-15 more, especially without a converter, which makes the Metropolitan a fine deal indeed! From its fit and finish to the little touches (swappable nibs, included converter) and how smoothly it writes, I couldn't be happier with the Pilot Metropolitan--it's a pen that definitely punches well above its weight. Most fountain pen users own several writing instruments and I highly recommend this as an addition to anyone who wants a fantastic everyday pen. Now if only they'd make

Ok, so first off, I know next-to-nothing about fountain pens, but I did a search on how they work and found that this one is a good "entry level" fountain pen. It looks and feels super classy, too! It comes with a converter and one ink cartridge, so you technically have everything you need to get started using it right away - but do read the instructions! Changing out the converter to the ink cartridge is a breeze, and then your pen is ready to use! A few things I've noted and learned in using it: * The medium nib is larger than I expected. (I bought a second one with a "fine" nib, and that seems closer to medium ball point pens that I normally use.) If you have smaller handwriting, you may want to size down to a fine or even smaller nib point. * The pen weight and feel is nothing short of awesome. The weight is perfect, and writing is utterly effortless. It's metal, too, so if you're looking to cut back on plastics, this is a great option. (There is plastic in the internal mechanism and in the replacement cartridges, though. You can reduce that buy buying ink in glass bottles and using the refillable converter.) * Some reviewers said that the included squeeze-type converter is harder to use, so I bought a secondary piston-style converter separately, as I want to be able to refill it (and don't trust myself not to get ink *everywhere* with the squeeze converter!). * The ink that comes with it is pretty great. It flows easily and is dark black - but it does smudge easily until it dries, and it is not waterproof, so using a highlighter over it will make the ink bleed (and ruin the tip of your liquid highlighter). There are waterproof inks out there that can be used with the converter, which is what I plan to do in the future. If you like the ink that comes with it, you can buy more on Amazon. * Fountain pens are meant to be stored ideally with the nib side up - never down! On their side is okay, but supposedly not the best method. To carry my pen with me, I got an elastic pen case that goes around my journal, and I just make sure the tips are up when I put them in my bag. I wouldn't recommend tossing these separately into a pocket or purse, but any container that's mostly liquid-proof will do the job of preventing stains in the event of an accidental spill / leak. * The ink flows beautifully, almost by magic! Writing is therefore just a tiny bit different because there is no "drag" like with ball point pens or felt point pens. (If you don't like the ink that comes with it, you can use the converter to use your preferred fountain pen ink!) Everything I write seems just *that* much more special while using my fountain pen - and it makes writing in cursive feel like signing the Declaration of Independence! * This is a fountain pen, so guess what? Sometimes ink gets on stuff - your hands, places on the paper you didn't intend, your table... When I use my pen now, I take care to wipe it, and to check my hands before touching anything else. It hasn't dripped at all for me, but when the ink gets on a part of the nib that I then accidentally touch, it's easy to transfer. * I haven't had the pen long enough to have learned these things, but apparently you need to clean the pen every so often, take out the ink cartridge if it won't be in use for a while, and take extra precautions if you want to bring it onto a plane with you. Read up on that stuff if you're interested.

UPDATE I have used my Metropolitan for several weeks. The included cartridge did not last long so I am now using the included bladder converter. I just needed one press of the bladder to suck in the ink. Given this quick and easy filling, I am delaying/eliminating my planned purchase of the CON-50 converter. (That saves me $10.) It still is rather annoying that I cannot see how much ink remains in the bladder though. Today, I filled up both the Metropolitan (med nib) and the Safari (extra fine nib) to compare them. Although the nibs are 2 sizes apart, the width of the lines are not all that different! The Metro is only very slightly wider! In terms of writing, the Metro is smoother. The Safari is not necessarily scratchy but you can definitely feel the paper more when you write. I do prefer the butter feel of the Metro. Although the Metro beat the Safari in price and smoothness, the Safari writes immediately even after several weeks of inactivity. I usually need to either shake or scribble a few test lines before the Metro starts writing. Also, the Safari has an ink window to see your ink level. Given that each pen has its own merits, I recommend getting a medium nib Safari (for smoother writing) and a fine nib Metro (for thinner lines for delicate work). This combination allows for a wider range of line width and maximizes writing smoothness. It maximizes the benefits of both pens. ------------------------ I have a Lamy Safari (extra fine nib), a Noodler's Konrad (flexible nib, probably a fine), and several Hero pens. I was itching to get a medium nib pen and came across raving reviews for this Pilot Metropolitan. So, I bought one and it is as buttery smooth as they say! The build-quality is excellent with a metal body and a nice heft. Ends are nicely rounded and the middle is a bit fatter for easy holding. Whereas the Safari is modern and minimalist, the Metro is a business pen that you can bring to any board meeting without curious stares. The set comes with both a cartridge as well as press-plate/bladder converter. I am currently using the cartridge and the ink is good but nothing that I would buy. It varies from light to dark gray depending on the paper you use. I can't wait to use the converter with my Noodler's bullet-proof black ink. My only nit about this product is the press plate converter. You can never tell how much ink is left over from the opaque bulb. In addition, 1 squeeze of the bulb does not seem to pull up much ink. So, I contacted Pilot and was told that you can use the CON-50 plunger-type converter for this pen. That is an extra $8 though. Overall, it is a great pen for 1/2 the price of a Lamy Safari. It's definitely worth a try!

This is my favorite pen that I have ever owned and used!!! I wrote with a few fountain pens back in middle school. I have no idea what brand they were, or even if they were refillable (probably not). Just that they were the cheap ones my parents bought for me at office stores. I have always been very particular about my pens, and was upset when those pens became difficult to find in stores. Ever since then, I've been a huge fan of the Pilot Precision Point rollerballs. They worked well for me through high school, college, and beyond. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I was browsing my local office supply store. To my delight, I came across a pack of Pilot Varsity fountain pens. I immediately recognized them as similar to the pens I used to love in middle school, so I bought them. They were just as wonderful as I remembered, and out of curiosity I looked into other types of fountain pens. In my research, I happened upon some reviews of the Pilot Metropolitan. People seemed to really love it, and I liked the sleek look and its refill-ability. So I bought one for myself as well as for my husband, since his job requires him to sign a lot of paperwork and he is also particular about pens. I also bought bottles of Iroshizuku Yama-Budo and Noodler's Apache Sunset inks for myself and Noodler's Black for my husband. I could not be more happy with this pen. It writes so smoothly, much more so than the Pilot Varsity pens. I do a lot of journaling, and I can write pages and pages in my journal without cramping up at all. It doesn't take much to get the ink flowing, and it works great on all types of paper - from the smooth high-quality paper in my journal, all the way down to cheap notebook filler paper. It does skip every now and then, and the other day I experienced a few hard starts, but overall the performance is very very good, especially for a pen at this price. It performs very well with both the Iroshizuku ink and the Noodler's Apache Sunset inks, though I think the Iroshizuku inks edges the Noodler's out slightly in performance (feels smoother overall). My husband also really likes his inked up with Noodler's Black and says that not only does it write extremely well, but he gets a lot of compliments on it because it looks so sleek and professional. I have since also tried the more expensive Lamy Safari, and I have to say that this one surpasses that pen in every way. If you are torn between the two (as they are both recommended pens for beginners), I would pick this one any day! In fact, just today I went and ordered a second Metropolitan, this time in the Animal Prints series! It is such a good pen that I feel like I need more than one, so that I can have two different ink colors to choose from at any given time!

I compared the size to the two most common stationary. I also show this on basic printer paper for those who might not have the proper paper to see how it works on such. I recommend doing research instead into a good quality paper for fountain pens though. You can find affordable options in the communities forums on reddit etc, or youtube (the comments sections can have others finds as well). I am new but have done a lot of research to try to find my best deal for a reasonable price being a beginner unsure how I'd like the difference as many others recommend getting a cheaper option if new. I definitely have been won over and am officially going to declare a fountain pen fanatic! As I'm sure you too will once you treat yourself to this purchase. I love both of the pens I purchased so I figured I'd compare them. The two pens were both purchased on Amazon and are such, "Jinhao X159 Black Acrylic Fountain Pen # 8 Fine Nib Gold Trim for Writing and Calligraphy with Refill Ink Converter" (from the Lanxivi Store) and "PILOT Metropolitan Collection Fountain Pen, Black Barrel, Classic Design, Medium Nib, Black Ink (91107)" (from the PILOT store). I used the same ink to better review in a controlled setting. I used "Platinum Carbon Ink Bottle 60ml - Black" (Brand: PLATINUM). Be sure to get the honey browser add on because at the time of purchasing there was a great discount for a few dollars! how wonderful. Review: These pens are exactly as I had found in my research to be.The Jinhao is a bit heavier and of course, as you can see, larger. Because of this, people say those with larger hands will prefer this one and it is best used for shorter writings or signatures. The PILOT is smaller and light, perfect for longer writings and those with smaller hands (easy fix is to keep the cap on the back). Personally I have come to see their reasons in saying these things but I personally like both equally and have smaller hands. So, don't let these things deter you from just giving things a try. I got two different types of tips to see the difference. It seems both can be a bit inky but I imagine this will be a bit better once I get the proper papers to write on. Both are wonderfully smooth, glid wonderfully. I highly recommend both and you too should give different types of more inexpensive kinds a try to see what you prefer. ____The shipping for all was fast and well. ____The pictures I included are done with and without flash to best try to pick up the details. (I initially forgot to include the ink used, which is: https://www.amazon.com/Platinum-carbon-bottle-black-japan/dp/B0028MTSFQ?pd_rd_w=Wo2SR&content-id=amzn1.sym.deffa092-2e99-4e9f-b814-0d71c40b24af&pf_rd_p=deffa092-2e99-4e9f-b814-0d71c40b24af&pf_rd_r=NGC4YVT02T9K211E7CFT&pd_rd_wg=mf4HH&pd_rd_r=915e427e-74da-4bed-ae71-8d74f869ae7e&pd_rd_i=B0028MTSFQ&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_d_grid_rp_0_4_t ) Update note: After using them for some time, I have noticed that this one takes a bit to warm up (I have to put it up right to let the ink start it) whereas my others are always ready to go and smooth. This one dries out too and has been the first I've needed to clean and in general most finicky. Its style is scratchy (as is expected for a fine nib) but I thought I'd mention that. The other glides and I think I favour the med. nib over fine despite it bleeding more. Both tend to bleed and that might be the quality of paper (I look to change and let you know. of the quality of ink, which i also plan to research into)

This was my second fountain pen I purchased and i’m so happy with it. I have many fountain pens but I can’t forget how essential this pen is for beginners. It has a very comfortable grip, writes smoothly, easy to use and refill, and looks amazing. If you’re new to fountain pens or looking for your first one, this is the product for you.

Bought this with a medium nib and it writes so smooth, its crazy. I used Diamine Writer's Blood on Rhodia 80gsm paper. Tested similar pens with a medium nib(TWSBI ECO, Lamy Safari) and I gotta say, this pen easily beats them on how smooth the nib feels. The finish on the pen is also very nice and smooth, and the pen itself has a nice little heft to it (which I'm a fan of) compared to a Safari or TWSBI Eco and when posted you can definitely feel the weight difference compared to other pens.

Toda la vida he escrito con pluma fuente, y llevo algunos años probando diversos productos que veo bien reseñados en distintos foros de usuarios de plumas fuente en internet. En resumen, esta pluma es increíble para el precio que tiene. Pilot es una marca japonesa legendaria, y esta pluma perfectamente cumple con las expectativas que uno podría tener sabiendo esto. El peso es agradable, y la plumilla (o séase el metal del que sale la tinta sobre el papel) es fantástica. Les paso el dato: esta es la misma plumilla que otras plumas más caras de Pilot tienen. En específico, la misma plumilla de acero inoxidable que tiene el modelo Prera (que es de hecho mi pluma favorita). Lo cual me lleva al único inconveniente: lo ideal es que la prueben en su mano, antes de sentir que ya pueden quedársela por siempre, porque dependiendo de la forma de su mano y el estilo de escritura puede ser muy cómoda o no serlo. Sucede que yo la probé, y me di cuenta de que la forma en que sostengo la pluma hace que la unión entre la parte de la plumilla y el cuerpo de la pluma me incomode bastante al escribir. Pero, en contraste, tengo un amigo que usa esta pluma sin ninguna incomodidad, siendo perfecta para él. So, en resumen, pruébenla un poco antes de dar por hecho que es perfecta para sus manos. Ya que la prueben y vean que sí es cómoda, entonces habrán encontrado una pluma fantástica y de excelente calidad con un precio inmejorable. Como extra, les recomiendo usarla con tinta Pilot Blue o Blue Black, que es suave, de gran color y además con ciertas propiedades contra agua.

Very nice pen

Em que pese não ser uma caneta luxuosa como outras marcas, ela é espetacular! Aliás, a pilot entrega canetas excepcionais,’como a Kaküno! Essa MR tem Escrita macia, traços médios, sem arranhar o papel, com a tinta fluindo da ponta na medida certa, sem borrões ou irregularidades! Indicada para artistas e para aqueles que apreciam uma boa escrita !

Pilot metropolitan fountain pens are exquisite. Go for this model (it contains c-40 converter, along with the pen) (therefore price is more than the squeeze converter model(₹2350) ) (This pen doesn't have any filled cartridge, only pen)

As mentioned in other reviews, the pen does leak into the cap sometimes (after I replaced the cartridge with namiki pilot black ink, this happened less), but that doesn't affect how smooth it is or how much I like writing with it. Excellent quality pen, nice weight too. Loved it!