Friday, February 27, 2015

Review: Pilot Kaküno Fountain Pen - Medium @PilotPenUSA @JetPens

Finally! A review of the very adorable and, in my opinion, pretty awesome: Pilot Kaküno fountain pen.
Review: Pilot Kaküno Fountain Pen - Medium @PilotPenUSA @JetPens
ABOUT

Body Material: Plastic
Trim: Plastic
Length (capped): 131.0 mm/5.16"
Length (uncapped nib-end): 126.5 mm/4.98"
Length (posted): 157.4 mm/6.19"
Barrel Diameter: 11.0 - 12.3 mm/0.43" - 0.48"
Section Diameter: 10.0 - 11.1 mm/0.39" - 0.43"
Nib material: Steel
Weight (all): 10 g
Weight (cap): 4 g
Weight (body): 6 g
Fill type: Cartridge/Converter
Price: ~$15.00USD
Where to buy: Amazon

PACKAGING

The packaging for this pen is simple and nice - it's a plastic cover that opens easily. It shows off the pen well and is pretty tough. The pen comes with a black ink cartridge. I like this packaging. Simple, easy to open, and recyclable.
Review: Pilot Kaküno Fountain Pen - Medium @PilotPenUSA @JetPens
APPEARANCE

I have loved these pens from afar for awhile, but I didn't want to go for the ones with fine nibs. Finally! I have a medium! The pen is cute and fun. It has six rounded facets and is somewhat rounded off ends. The finial is light blue with three open holes in it. There is no clip or other trim on the pen. Just below the top of the cap, there is a small indentation that I like to touch. I'm weird, I know. The cap is marked with Pilot and Kaküno, Kaküno in a very cute font. At the end of the cap is a small plastic notch.
Review: Pilot Kaküno Fountain Pen - Medium @PilotPenUSA @JetPens
The barrel is straight, and the section is clear. It has three flat facets on it and a ridge before the nib. The barrel is a creamy white and the cap is a soft, pastel blue. It's so cute. I love the colors and design of this pen!
Review: Pilot Kaküno Fountain Pen - Medium @PilotPenUSA @JetPens
NIB & PERFORMANCE

The nib is one of the highlights of this pen. It's a steel medium with one breather hole and a single slit. It is marked with for the nib size and a cute winking face. That's part of the cute appeal of the Pilot Kakünos! Others have a regular smiley face. 
Review: Pilot Kaküno Fountain Pen - Medium @PilotPenUSA @JetPens
The nib wrote immediately out of the box - no tuning or adjusting required. Like almost every other Pilot nib I have used (exception: Pilot Knight), this one was great. It flowed well and wrote consistently. It's a firm nib but will give a little with moderate pressure, if you really have to squeeze out some line variation. I thoroughly enjoy the writing experience this nib offers. It's not scratchy at all, and for its size, I find it comfortably smooth.
Review: Pilot Kaküno Fountain Pen - Medium @PilotPenUSA @JetPens
IN HAND

The section might be uncomfortable for some because of the three facets, similar to the Lamy Safari-type of grip. It's a hard plastic section so it's not soft and squishy, but the pen is light so a light grip is sufficient. The ridge before the nib is a little sharp if you grip your pen low.

Unposted, the pen is lightweight and balanced and I enjoy using it like this. The cap does post securely by friction. Posting works well on this pen - it's still not too heavy or unbalanced, so it can be used either way.
Review: Pilot Kaküno Fountain Pen - Medium @PilotPenUSA @JetPens
Review: Pilot Kaküno Fountain Pen - Medium @PilotPenUSA @JetPens
Review: Pilot Kaküno Fountain Pen - Medium @PilotPenUSA @JetPens
The faceted shape of the pen also prevents it from rolling off the desk - something that drives me nuts about some other pens.
Review: Pilot Kaküno Fountain Pen - Medium @PilotPenUSA @JetPens
Review: Pilot Kaküno Fountain Pen - Medium @PilotPenUSA @JetPens
I find the pen very comfortable for my hand - the shape, the weight, and the balance. Again, I find the writing experience very pleasant and I love holding it and using it.

PROS & CONS
Review: Pilot Kaküno Fountain Pen - Medium @PilotPenUSA @JetPens
OVERALL

I'm annoyed with myself for having waited so long to try this pen. It's not world's most comfortable section or softest nib, but it writes really well, it's affordable, it's adorable, and I think it might be my current favorite starter pen. I like it better than the Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen. The light weight of the body doesn't bother me, but others may prefer the looks and weight of the Metropolitan over the kawaii look of the Kakünos.



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7 comments:

Ste_S said...

Thanks for the review. Are the nibs on this swappable with Metropolitan/Plumx/Prera/78G etc ?

It's a shame Pilot don't make more of the fact that their steel nibs are swappable. They have a large range of different bodies that take the also large range of different nibs. Could be a true competitor to Lamy in this regard if they put their mind to it.

Dave P said...

I'm glad you like the pen and it was great to here you say you like it better than the Metropolitan. I agree. I have a fine and gave away the medium ;-) and the fine writes wonderfully as well. Thanks for reviewing it.

Dave P said...

Oh...and I would love to see a serious nibbage on this one. Just for giggles :-)

Azizah Asgarali said...

I LOVE it so much - thank you for sending it (to Stephen but I may or may not have stolen it from him...). I'm so happy to have it! As for Serious Nibbage - already on it - it's scheduled for Saturday!

Azizah Asgarali said...

Oh good, I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way :) Everyone else seems to like the Metro better because it's metal.

Azizah Asgarali said...

The nibs are indeed swappable! They really should sell their nibs individually.. that would be an awesome deal right there. Indeed, you're right, it would be a true competitor to Lamy.

Peninkcillin said...

This is really cool. If I didn't have so many pens that I don't use I would pick one of these up.

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