#petit1

The Pilot Petit1 has, in some shape or form, marked its presence in my collection - and Pen&Design alike - since I first laid eyes on it. Back in 2011 it seemed to be the quintessential mini-pen, complete with a stunning array of colours and economic price. In 2012, a new model was launched (much to my surprise), and though it boasted several improvements, gone were the varied and vibrant colours, replaced by a set of different Petits - a fountain pen, rollerball, and brush pen. This year (much to my surprise...again), the third iteration of the diminutive Pilot was launched, bringing the back the clear and fun colours, but increasing the size of the barrel by good almost-centimetre (or almost-fourth-of-an-inch) in order to ship it with an uninstalled cartridge. I'm really not sure as to why Pilot keeps releasing new models; the pens don't seem to be prized by their company as some sort of champion fountain pen profit machine, nor do they seem important enough in their fountain pen lineup to warrant three remakes in three years. But I'm not one to complain when a company refuses to rest on its laurels (even if they could use it!)

Unfortunately, not all of the changes to the new Petit1 are improvements. In fact, most changes are barely perceptible. The colour tone seems to have changed to a slightly darker tone, though that might just be my imagination talking (I stained my last black Petit1 red, so maybe that's why). I'm similarly dubious that the pen writes better, or that it writes worse. I don't think that Pilot has changed the nib on the Petit1; its a nib that most like, offering solid if unspectacular writing quality, though - over the last few months - I've become tired of its performance. It seems to write scratchier, and while I originally extolled the values of its nib, I don't find myself reaching for it very often, or even using it outside of the house. The Fine nib is a staunch Fine, and I appreciate the fact that Pilot made it thin yet not needlepoint sharp. There isn't much room for line variation or flex, and only the slightest hint of springiness, but this sentence could very easily be transposed into any modern steel-nibbed pen review. The ink cartridge only holds 0.6 mL, and one cartridge should last no more than 2-4 days with moderate usage. This actually isn't too bad by my standards, and the fact that there are online tutorials which preach converting the pen into a 2.0 mL eyedropper is just an added bonus.

The design of the pen has remained consistent since its inception. I really enjoy its simplicity, from the bright plastics used to the way the clip flows into the pen. The torpedo shape makes it pleasant to hold or slip into a pocket, and the pen is extremely durable. It might gain some scratches throughout its travels, but these don't concern me too much. It's beautifully-designed, and I wish it came in pure demonstrator or solid grey demonstrator models. The two-tone colour scheme still works well for the colours though, and I'm pleased that Pilot got rid of the terrible translucent white colour. This is how colours on a pen should be done.

My hands aren't crazily large, but their not incredibly small either; I enjoy the small size of the capped Petit1, and find its length perfectly acceptable when posted. It fits fine in the hands. While a longer pen might feel a bit nicer, it's more than worth the trade-off for me. One of the changes I don't like, surprisingly, is how Pilot slightly increased the size of the pen. I would have preferred a smaller pen, even if it mean that the cartridge leaked while shipping, or the pen was a bit smaller posted. When you're making a pen this compact, even fractions of a centimetre are important. The pen is still smaller than most other pens on the market (I believe it ranges between 4.2-5 inches when capped, posted, respectively), as one of the pictures above exemplifies, but I can't help but feel a little bad when I compare it to the older Petit1 models. Maybe most people won't mind a difference this small, but it's annoying to me. I've also noticed a price increase make its way through each Petit1 model. I don't see how this is possible; Pilot actually reduced the price after the first model, and has kept it at 200 Yen since. I assume something like taxes or customs must be what's driving the importers' price up by 80% (and $0.50 more than the first model...which was 100 Yen more!) Once again, this change equals to less than a dollar per pen, but it caught my attention nonetheless.

Pick one up here! Pilot Varsity The Pilot Varsity is, in many ways, like a cousin to the Petit1. While it may be physically larger, hold more ink, and have a smoother nib, it suffers due to it’s relatively uninspired design, and the fact that it is disposable and non-refillable (though that can be solved with some DIY… Just search on Google!) If you’ve never used a fountain pen before, or are new to the customs of refilling ink, or maintaining a fountain pen, then this is for you. It’s larger than the Petit1 (and for some, thus easier to write with), has a smoother nib performance and writing quality, and comes loaded with a large amount of ink off the bat. It’s design may please those unaccustomed to quirky fountain pens.

You can pick one up here Pentel Aquash Watercolour Brushes These pens are ridiculously cool. They fill up with watercolors, and are basically pen-brushes for watercolor painting. This is the type of quirky pen that artist, in particular, laud with unfettered delight and praise - it’s not only a novel idea, but a functional one as well! Plus they come in their original Japanese packaging.

Try one of them here! Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pens A retractable fountain pen?! That’s a seemingly impossible idea. Yet, once again, Pilot manages to make it work - and work fantastically to! This pen is basically like one of those cap less click pens, only with a fountain pen nib instead of a traditional ballpoint or rollerball tip. It’s not cheap at over a hundred dollars d

… and many find it horribly ugly, but there’s no denying that this pen takes two fantastic concepts - fountain pens and click-out pens- and marries them together with immaculate design. Search online for these, and you’ll find them in a variety of styles, colours, and, well, price points. Namiki Fountain Pens These pens are ridiculously beautiful, adorned with fine, fine Japanese artwork. They do, however, come with a price. These pens range in the hundreds-of-dollars category. The Namiki Urushi pens, for instance, can easily go for $1200 , if not more. These are beautiful pens, but rest assured that they are expensive. We’ve never even tried one, only seen one. But we assume that that’s what matters - as pens that ornately designed, and sumptuously priced, sell based on…well, their looks. Visit Namiki.com if you’d like to see more of these amazing pens.