Everyone needs a pocket pen (or a purse pen), and the Pilot Petit1 might be the best one for someone who is just starting out in fountain pens, or for those who tend to lose things a lot. You wouldn't want to lose the Pilot Custom 74 in the picture below, or even the Kaweco Sport, but I wouldn't cry about losing my Petit1. They're $3.80 at JetPens, so they're not going to break the bank. They also come in a bunch of colors. There are also brush-pen types, but I've never tried one.
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Another interesting thing is the transparent feed. I've got a couple of other pens with a feed like this, and I dig it. This pen came with a blue/black cartridge, so you can only really tell that it's clear from this side angle.
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In the hand, you really want it posted. The posted cap feels solid and sits in the web of your hand quite well.
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It's too short without the cap posted.
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Here's a short write up on the pen with a Quattro pad for scale. It's a good pen. Go get a few.
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| Pilot Custom 74 shown for scale. It's a pretty medium sized pen. |
Size wise, they're about the same size as the well-known Kaweco Sport. They're fractionally longer than the Kaweco, but they're slightly thinner. The Petit1 comes with a clip, though, so there's that. Both could be an eyedropper, but that's not my preference.
I think it's a nice little pen, and they're sturdy enough to take some pocket-abuse. It's one of the pens that does a lot of time in my pocket, and it doesn't show much wear. You can see just a little bit of wear on the cap-sticker and on the "P" of Petit1 in the picture below. You'll also see some condensation inside the cap. That's just a consequence of being in a pocket. It's nothing to worry about.
The nib is like a smaller, finer version of the nib on the Varsity. I like it better than the Varsity's nib, which has always been too broad for me. The nib is a nail, but it's good for a pocket pen. I was using it out in the garden today, and I didn't have to worry about bending the nib. It's stiff, but it's strong. That's also good if you need to lend your pen to someone who doesn't know fountain pens. They're not going to hurt it. (And it's cheap if they do.)
Another interesting thing is the transparent feed. I've got a couple of other pens with a feed like this, and I dig it. This pen came with a blue/black cartridge, so you can only really tell that it's clear from this side angle.
The cartridge is a smaller version of the proprietary Pilot carts, and the feed sits in the same sort of half-pipe that other Pilot pens use.
In the hand, you really want it posted. The posted cap feels solid and sits in the web of your hand quite well.
Here's a short write up on the pen with a Quattro pad for scale. It's a good pen. Go get a few.
I got this pen from JetPens a while before they started sending me stuff to review, so it was paid for with my own cashes. Everything in this review is based on my own experience with the pen. Word.