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The Pilot Metropolitan

3/24/13
One last pen before we go back to looking at inks. The Metropolitan is a new-ish entry-level fountain pen that will compete really well with the others in that realm like the Pelikanos, Safaris, and Sheaffer VFMs. At around $15, it is the same price as a VFM, but it comes with its own converter so you don't have to refill cartridges in order to use bottled ink. The price is well below the other entry-level pens, so it's a really good place for a new fountain pen user to start with.


Aesthetics




It only comes in three colors, but you can choose from among several detail-designs for the barrel, and I suppose that spruces it up a bit. The black and silver models look pretty classy, while the gold is a bit too much for my tastes. The Metro has an aluminum body and cap with a glossy black section. The nib is tastefully engraved with little hash marks moving towards the tip. It's a smart lookin' pen.

I've been carrying mine around in my pocket for a while, and there aren't any scratches on it yet. Granted, I don't carry around a bunch of change in the same pocket, but it's still survived a couple of months without any damage.


Nib & Performance

The nib in the pictures above is the nib of my Pilot Plumix. These two nibs are interchangeable, and the Plumix is a stub, so I bought both of them specifically to make the switch. That's not because the Metro comes with a bad nib. It doesn't. It's a very smooth nib. It's also pretty stiff. In fact, if anything, it's a little too smooth. It tends to skate a little if you're using a smooth ink, but I haven't had much of a problem with it.

The pen performs well, but it is a tad dry. The first ink I used in it was Waterman Mysterious Blue, and it was not a very good match. I've been using Noodler's Dark Matter in it for a while, now, and it's working really well. I thought it was the nib that was running dry, but I've put it in the Plumix and it works perfectly well. I think the feed could be opened up a little if you want it to run wetter, but if you're using a slightly less viscous ink you won't have a problem.

These two pictures are of the Metro's nib, but that nib lives on my Pilot Plumix now.  That's the Plumix section you're seeing there. 






If you're reading this blog, you're probably already into fountain pens. If, for some reason, you're not already a user, you should pick up one of these. They're a great value for the price, and they're great everyday carry pens. 
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