Pilot Bravo

Every once in a while it's it's good to step back from the noble fountain pens and inks that I generally talk about here. Full confession: I don't always use a fountain pen. I know. Shocking. Sometimes I use rollerballs and porous points and even ballpoints. I'll be putting up some reviews of those types of pens this week, so if you're not into that, then come back in a week or so when I've switched back to FPs and inks. These aren't pens that you'll find everywhere, but I like to pick up singles that look interesting when I get a chance to.

The Pilot Bravo is a big, bold porous point pen. Before I was into fountain pens, I was a big fan of the porous point. It's sort of the gateway-drug that leads to fountain pens. They're usually smooth pens that lay down a wet, saturated line. This one is no exception. The Bravo puts down a good amount of black ink in a thick medium-bold line. It's not as broad as some broad-nib fountain pens, but it's wider than an average medium.

The best part of the pen is the ink, though. It's dark and saturated, but it doesn't feather, spread, or bleed through papers. The paper that I wrote the review on is from a Quattro pad that I reviewed a little while ago. It's an interesting pad, but the paper is a little too absorbent for fountain pens. It tends to bleed, feather, and spread with the inks that I've tried on it. The Bravo, however, doesn't do that even on this paper. It's solid.

At 5.25" capped and 5.66" long it's about the same size as a Pilot G2. The clip is plastic, and not particularly sturdy. I don't think it's going to break off any time soon, but I'd rather it were metal. The grip is smooth plastic, but it's comfortable enough to write with.

I've seen these priced between $2 and $7 online, though I didn't take a note of what I paid for it as a single pen at Office Supplies & More. If you can find them at a reasonable price then you should pick one up. They're good for using as a marker or writing anything you'll want to be bold. My wife is usually a fan of fine tips, but she really liked using it at trivia the other night. Need some gravitas? Grab a Bravo.