Fountain pen markets differ from countries to countries, and the fact that the biggest one of them all - the US - has the widest range of pen preferences is still a thing that interests me till this day. US folks have a really particular taste of marbled or swirled resin fountain pens - those that are turned from a rod and then made into beautiful and vibrant writing instruments. To accommodate to that need from the market, pen brands all over the world have to adapt a bit, and today we have in front of us one of those adaptations - The Pilot Custom Legance - now sadly discontinued.

The Custom Legance is really an oddball in Pilot’s highend pens line up. It doesn’t come with a number to easily identify the first year of release, nor does it come with a standardized form.

So the gist of the Legance line is basically the Custom 74 or 91 in prettier resin. However, what I find peculiar is that Pilot has been really indecisive in terms of choosing the final form of the pen, and it’s like they used the line just to test out how well the market receive their more colorful offerings.

The example that we have here today follows the Custom 91 format - flat top and rhodium plated adornments. The Legance seems to me like Pilot trying to branch out and do crazy Barbie stuff, but then they remember Oppenheimer and toned it down just a wee bit. I have always have a soft spot for the semi contemporary design of the 91 and 912 lines from Pilot, as the clip does not seem boring with just a metal ball attached to a piece of metal, and plus, the marble like blue resin adds another layer of depth to the whole thing. This resin is semi transparent, so you can really see the reflection of the smaller chunks of blue flashing when the lights hit it just right.

The pen sits nicely in the hand and is not too small to cause discomfort after long hours of writing, and as per the nib, it’s a typical no.5 14k gold Pilot nib, so it would perform as all Pilots should, with just a bit of give in a smoothly firm writing experience.

I tried looking these up on eBay and other ecom sites and they were listed at around the $150-$170 range, not bad for what you’re getting and as a cooler looking Custom 74 or 91, this is a good pick if you like some colors and variation to your collection.

What do you guys think? Let me know your thoughts :)

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