Fountain Pen Custom 742, Black Body, FA-Nib

Beautifully crafted, the body is well polished with a gold trim, paired with a light yellow gold nib. The FA nib is an interesting nib. I’ve been using this pen for a while now, paired with the Con-70 converter. (It’s a No.10 nib on the 742.) As far as I know, the FA nib was originally limited to the Asian markets and developed for writing Asian cursive, which often relies on wider downstrokes and brush-like expression. The nib offers decent flex, giving you a nice amount of line variation, which I really enjoy. That said, it’s worth noting that this isn’t a “true” flex nib in the sense of something like a Magna Carta Mag 600—it won’t give you the same dramatic range or vintage-like softness. Think of it more as a softer nib. Don’t over-flex it, and be prepared for a bit of a learning curve if you want to get the most out of it. For occasional expressive writing, it’s a fun nib. Without flex, it behaves much like a Pilot fine or extra-fine, so it’s still practical for everyday use, although you may find yourself writing a bit slower due to the flexiness. The nib has a quick snap back, which makes it responsive and helps maintain control when moving between light and heavier strokes. I use it posted, and the pen feels well balanced in the hand. I also recommend pairing it with high-flowing inks; I’ve used it with Iroshizuku inks and didn’t have any issues with flow even when flexing. At these Amazon Japan import prices, it’s very well worth the money.

*The pen itself: 5 stars. **Beware of purchasing this pen from external sellers here because mine was factory sealed however the Pilot box was obviously used and for a different pen (also didn't come with any warranty/registration papers). No regrets though because the pen came in perfect condition. After receiving this pen I immediately put my Pilot/Namiki Falcon (elabo) for sale! The falcon nib is softer and more flexible compared to the Pilot Falcon, and holds more ink in the CON-70 converter. If you can adapt to the writing style (very light pressure most of the time) than it makes an excellent every-day writer with line variation (not a "wet-noodle" however). If you want this pen just for calligraphy purposes you must write slowly otherwise you will get railroading. Also, this pen is VERY ink dependent. I find that this pen will only perform very well with Noodler's Heart of Darkness. Because the ink is very wet, it will make your lines closer to a medium than a fine however even when flexing and writing quickly I rarely get railroading or dry starts with that ink. All other inks I've tried suffer when trying to attain line variation and writing at normal paces (Noodler's black, iroshizuku inks, waterman inspired blue, etc). It's a shame because the pen is fantastic with a shading ink like Waterman Inspired Blue, but I found after writing for some time the pen will dry start and you need to push some ink through the feed with the converter to get it really going again if you flex it a lot. Of course if you're doing calligraphy this is probably not a huge problem, but if you're at a meeting it's going to look strange if you start twisting the barrel off your pen. These dry starts/railroading issues are known for these falcon nib pens so I don't detract any stars, especially because Heart of Darkness is my go-to black ink and it allows this pen to perform perfectly albeit it widens the pen's lines a bit, however it's not a problem for me because when flexing the broad lines are more broad to match. In summary, great pen if you use a compatible ink. I'm sure there are more I just have not tried that are excellent with this pen. Also, in terms of how the pen looks: it's basically a black/gold custom 74 with slight differences. There are many youtube video reviews where you can see more than a picture of course.

Very fine nib & Works well on cheap paper.

This pen must be appreciated for what it is and what it is, is balance. It is not the modern flex, it is a fine fountain pen with a very soft nib to add some uniqueness to your writing. Do to its ink flow you can use railroading and the nib running dry as an art form, do not complain about what it is not, praise what it is. If you rate less than 5 stars you did not do your research, if you want a wet noodle get a Waterman 52. If you want a truly unique pen get either a Pilot Custom 742 or 912 in a FA Falcon nib. On the quality of the pen itself, it is rather light, the length seems good for it's size. The converter takes some getting used to, you basically need to push the plunger as fast as possible. On the end of the pen the gold band feels a little loose not that it would ever come off but perhaps the cavity it fits into should be shallower. The cap screws on in one complete turn, it does not however slowly get more rigid it s basically full turn and done. The cap has no problems coming off that I have seen so far.

First off, this has the best nib I've ever used on a fountain pen. The balance is excellent as well. It feels good in the hand. The highly polished black resin is beautiful. But... The feed is terrible. I'm left-handed, which probably doesn't help at all, since I push rather than pull the nib across the page. So the pen tended to railroad severely and then go dry. And the feed just could not keep up, especially when flexing. Rather than return the pen, I read some of the other reviews on Amazon and online, and decided to deepen and widen the feed channel and the breather tub channels. I also added an extra channel to the breather tube. I then pulled the breather tube out ever so slightly, without completely removing it . This modification isn't for the faint of heart on such an expensive pen, but I figured I could just get another aftermarket feed (an ebonite one!) If it didn't work out. Since I've owned other fountain pens before, I wasn't too worried about breaking anything, and I was careful with the nib. It's now a nice juicy writer, with no flow issues, and it flexes wonderfully. It's a comfortable pen to hold. So all-in-all, great pen, great nib. Awful feed. If you're willing to modify or replace the feed with a better one, you can have a great juicy writer. This review only applies to the FA Falcon nib. I'll be likely buying another with a Waverly nib in the future. I'd recommend this pen, but only if you're willing to deal with the feed.

Pilot 742 with Fine Medium nib is a great fountain pen. Pilot nibs are always smooth with consistent flow and great feedback. Fine Medium is a great compromise between expressive broad, wet lines and lettering that is far more legible. I love this nib width for lettering, illustration, and general readability. The size 10 nib is a distinct upgrade from Pilot 74, and the barrel size and weight just make this pen a more comfortable writer. Photo compares the 742 FM to standard Pelikan m800 med and m1000 fine. Pelikan nibs are usually wonderfully smooth, but both the medium and fine are far wetter and broader than the Pilot FM. I've owned several Pilot fountain pens, and keep returning to FM as my prefered nib. It's not scratchy, too wet or to thin and inconsistent with very wet Iroshizuku inks, more standard Waterman or Pelikan inks.

I love this pen. As soon as I wrote with it the first time, it was an instant favorite. Smooth, elegant and classy. This pen is always with me everyday, I simply couldn't look at pens the same way after, it's truly earned it's place in my heart and in my daily carry group of pens. This is my #1 premier pen. The nib is ultra smooth and big as well. I got the Soft Medium and I love the way it feels. Every part of the pen feels premium. I have only kind words for it. It comes with a cartridge and a high capacity CON70 converter, and I highly recommend you use iroshizuku ink with it to guarantee best results. Especially for the price, you really can't go wrong.

I hate making returns, but very reluctantly, I have to return and exchange this pen for another one just like it. My pen has great difficulty starting to write. It skips a lot too. When it does write, the writing is just brilliant. The nib is not super smooth like my Pilot Custom urushi fountain pen, but it's commensurate with the price. I've had cheaper Pilot pens with steel nibs write smoother. The variations in the width and generous ink deposit are truly fabulous to admire. This is a special pen for signatures and occasional writing. Not a practical daily driver. As much as I enjoy the writing, I'm not 100 percent happy with my experience for a pen from the world's best pen maker. I hope that the next sample is perfect. My pen was sealed, but when I opened the pen, there was water in the converter as though someone had previously used it, cleaned it up and returned it. Someone then resealed the pen hastily in a new sleeve. Update with the replacement : the second pen is infinitely worse. It is magnitudes rougher and absolutely does not want to write. I'm amazed. I've actually decided to keep the original, because I need/want a music nib pen and this pilot is still my best option at the price. I'll have it tuned by a professional in the future. I honestly don't recommend this pen to anyone.