PILOTKakuno Fountain Pen of Biginners, Medium Nib, Glay Body (FKA-1SR-GYM)

This is sold as a fountain pen for beginners, but I'd read so much about how great these are that I picked one up for my collection, and it's my new favorite among my newer fountain pens! It writes silky smooth, I haven't had any ink flow issues, and even though it's plastic, it feels really sturdy and high quality. It reminds me of a similar fountain pen I used in high school, but even better. Definitely recommended!

Just an FYI for newbies like me. I started with the extra fine nib and is is super super fine. Read some reviews and bought a second one with a medium nib and it is perfect.

Very good value in an inexpensive fountain pen. In use it's comfortable. The medium sized nib gives a line that is between fine and medium. Requires a cartridge (enclosed with the pen) or an insert (purchased separately) that enables bottled ink to refill the pen. Uses only Pilot cartridges (can be bought separately). The enclosed cartridge took some time for the ink to flow down into the nib, but after that the ink flowed well. It's made of plastic but seems substantial enough. There is no hook to hang it in a pocket.

This is a great little pen for the price... it's a wet, smooth writer that gets daily use and the smiley on the nib cheers me up. :o)Maybe I can save you a little research time; the charcoal version has the standard smiley and the white pastel ones have the winking smiley. Being a traditionalist, I went with the standard smiley. (Lol)

Nice pen writes smooth

very smooth, consistent, and fluent. Works well on all kinds of papers such as Rhodia, Tomoe River, Leuchtturn etc. IMHO, it is a better deal than Lamy Safari/Al-Star.

Not as comfortable or satisfying to write with as the Pilot Metropolitan/MR.

This was the first fountain pen I’ve ever owned and I’d say it works pretty well for its price. I originally got this to sketch with, but I ended up liking it so much I now write with it too. The nib writes smoothly but it does occasionally skip, especially if you use cheap ink that’s not 100% fountain-pen safe, like Higgins Fountain Pen India ink. I find that if you’re using cheaper ink, the writing’s less smooth and you’ll have to press just a little harder than with fountain pen ink from let’s say, J Herbin. There’s very little line variation, and you’ll only get a bit of a thicker line if you press really hard, but that’s not what this nib is made for. The pen is pretty light since it’s made of cheap plastic, and you can tell when you need a ink refill because it’s going to feel really light. It doesn’t come with a converter, so you’re going to have to buy that separately. If you’re just starting to get into the world of fountain pens, I’d say this is a pretty good choice for a first fountain pen. The only complaints I have with this pen is that since it’s cheap, the plastic isn’t very durable and my cap has cracked a little bit from being stuck to the back of the pen. If you’re a person who drops things a lot, then I would suggest spending a little more money and buying the Pilot Metropolitan instead. Other than that, there isn’t much to complain about.Just a thing to be aware of - the Pilot medium nib is thinner than other western medium-sized nibs like those from Lamy, so a Pilot medium is about the same size as a western fine or even extra-fine nib size.