So, you started using fountain pens. You completed the tutorial starter pack with either a Muji fountain pen or a Lamy Safari, and now you are looking into something better. Another steel nib? - nah. An interesting filling system? - perhaps, but most of the average ones are with steel nibs, so what should you do? You took your eyes to some of the entry gold nib selections, and landed on a few japanese models.

In this review, I will walk you through why a Pilot fountain pen, with a gold nib, and a piston filler would be your most optimal pick for your first high end pen.

The background info

Out of the Big 3 of Japan, Pilot seems to be the most tamed and contemporary in terms of design, and especially for a model that’s released in 2010 (92 years into the company’s history). It is as evident from the silhouette of the pen to some of the more minute details.

The overall design is quite similar to their more classic looking Custom 74, which is a really popular “first” gold nib pick respectively, but with contemporary details added to the mix.

The two finials are squared off with a slight step down. A sword-hand clip instead of a triangular one with an old-man ball looking thing at the end. No more dated “PILOT” engraved on the top of the clip. Moving your eyes along the cap, you get a double cap band but with the transparent resin used for the 92 it would be obvious that the band is a single piece of rhodium plated metal, still looks good at a distance and close up with my macro lens.

Turning the cap 2 full turns, you can now reveal the nib and the transparent section, which we will get to in a bit. The barrel is also a piece of transparent blue resin, showing you the piston mechanism and you can use a wrench to open the whole mechanism apart for silicon lubing, which is a lovely touch for more careful users who like to maintain their pens.

The nib is Pilot’s no.5 size 14k gold nib, plated with a layer of rhodium to give it that more modern silvery aesthetics. They still keep their signature nib engraving on the 92, and personally out of the big 3, Pilot gets my vote for the most gorgeous nib design.

Now, I’d have to remind you that there is a clear distinction between a gold nib and a soft nib. Depends on the gold alloy some may not be advertised as soft or flexible by the manufacture but can still give you a bit of line variation and vice versa. In the case of Pilot’s nib, their standard gold ones give you a bit of bounce so your writing experience would be a smooth and effortless trip, and do not expect them to carve out exquisite calligraphy style flex strokes. This particular F nib has that signature bounce, and I look at it and the 92 as a whole to be a writer’s pen - something you want to take with you and write for many long hours. It is especially useful for students who has to take note with them during many lectures and class hours, but now the need for such a dedicated pen is reduced due to the use of recording devices and laptops.

However, as your first “gold nib” fountain pen, I believe that you can experience a lot of things with this one pen: a transparent demonstrator design, a piston filling mechanism, a twist cap pen, and a consistent gold nib. Most newbies that came to me for pen recommendations tend to pick something that they are relatively familiar with, i.e. same brand, but an upgraded version. That’s not a bad thing to do because you already have an impression of what their products do and the variation would not stray too far off from what you have already been familiarizing yourself with. New experience is always good in a sense that they let you know first hand whether you like it or not. In the case of the 92, you will get to experience a gold nib to see if the extra smoothness is worth the price, and if you really “need” to have such a hardcore piston filler for the maximum ink capacity. All of those things combined with a rough $200 might be a good starting point for anyone who would like to venture deeper into the world of high end fountain pens.

Overall, in 2023 the Custom Heritage 92 is still a solid choice for a dedicated writing instrument and with a large ink capacity, a fill could last you quite some time. Now I would like to hear from you as well. Do you have any experience with the 92, or would you like to add it into the collection?

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