Saturday, 8 February 2020

The Pilot light is on, but... (a controversial view - and a giveaway)

I have a complex relationship with Pilot.

  • I love Vanishing Points (or "Capless" if you're in Australia - so less imaginative a name!);
  • I love Decimos (marginally smaller Vanishing Points - with another lack-lustre name - but great pens);
  • I like Falcon nibs;
  • I love the gentle cushioned "thwack" of the cap when you replace it on a Prera;
  • I like Kakunos and the cheeky smily faces on the nibs.
  • I love the ingenuity of Pilot Parallels;
  • I love the quality of Pilot nibs - never had a Pilot nib that didn't work well straight out of the box.

There is no question: the Pilot light is on; but...

there is just no spark!

Ok, I'm just going to come out with it: Pilot Pens (other than Vanishing Points, Decimos and Kakunos) are dull; and yes, this includes the iconic 823.

There is nothing wrong with their quality, their ingenuity or even their creativity; but when it comes to design, (again with the notable exception of the VPs and Decimos) to me they lean towards "functional" over imaginative: the pen that takes you from A to B, no issues; then you park it, lock it, and forget about it.

THE CUSTOM HERITAGE 91
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
There is nothing wrong with the Pilot Custom Heritage 91.

Box: utilitarian (but that's fine).

Pen: yeah, it IS one. It looks like one, colour is nice. But gee, its ... O.K.
7/10

APPEARANCE AND DESIGN
I've mentioned this before but let me say again that: “In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing”. Oscar Wild - The Importance of Being Earnest.

The Pilot Custom Heritage 91 is sincere.
I'm pleased that the clip isn't the ball-clip present in many other Pilot pens - ball-clips always remind me of the budget Sheaffer 'No-nonsense' pens - cheap but functional, 1970s clunky -. This clip is better, a touch more class (just a touch); but I'm not too sure about the "Pilot" engraving on the clip: simple, uppercase lettering on the top of the clip that again seems to cheapen the pen and make it look a little like the sort of throw-away pen you buy from a milk-bar or paper shop. 

The Orange, as I've said, is a good colour - and quite bright for Pilot main-stream. The black section and finials (top and bottom) go well with the orange; and the silver hardware tops it off nicely. 
The silver cap-band is probably my favourite feature from a style perspective - and I'm not really sure why. Perhaps it is that the band offers a touch of class, or variation to the pen that helps it to look a little less pedestrian, safe, and middle of the road.
7/10

WEIGHT AND DIMENSIONS 
It's a light pen.

Not too light, not too heavy. A good, practical weight for writing. Functional.

The 91 is a mid-size fountain pen (comparable in size to a Sailor ProGear Slim) at a length (capped) of around 136mm; uncapped around 123mm). 

It can post comfortably, and due to the lightness of the pen this doesn't upset the balance at all. 

While I tend to prefer my pens girthier and heavier; the Custom Heritage 91 delivers on what it promises here.
8/10

NIB AND PERFORMANCE
Pilot knows how to produce good nibs; and this, 14k gold nib is no exception. I managed to snag a soft medium (normally only available for the black model of this pen for some reason beyond me); and it is a dream!
Again for reasons that I do not understand, Pilot tends to make nibs like the Soft Medium (SM) unavailable outside of Japan. 

I have used a Pilot SM nib before: at the Pilot stand at the 2018 Sydney Pen Show. When I last used it I remarked what a fabulous nib it was. Using the SM nib in this pen I was again aghast at why this nib isn't more freely available. It's supurb.

The nib wrote beautifully out of the box. A little wet (the way I like it), a lovely bounce, perfectly smooth, with a dash of line variation. 
Ignore the B sticker, it's a SM.
If I leave the pen alone for a while and pick it up to write again - no issues. It writes beautifully first time, every time.

The nib is a size 5 - just one size too small for my preference - but utilitarian. 

As for the feed. It's plastic (as are most feeds in this range), and it works well; but for some reason, this one was a greyish colour which, for me, made it look VERY plastic and did no favour to the aesthetic of the pen or nib. The only reason I didn't score the nib higher was its size and the look of the feed; otherwise, best feature of the pen.
8/10

FILLING SYSTEM
Piston fillers are always my preference. This pen is a cartridge/ converter pen. Nothing wrong with it. Easy to clean. No issue changing inks. Utilitarian.
7.5/10

COST AND VALUE
The Custom Heritage 91 is meant to be part of Pilot's mid-range. Being mid-range however, does not make this a cheap pen. At Bookbinders Design it retails for around AU$216. Expectations at this price are greater than say for a Pilot Kakuno, Prera or Metropolitan. For AU$200 plus, this pen has to kick a few goals; and it's good - just not interesting. With so many other choices out there, it really has to appeal to you to pay this sort of money.
6/10

CONCLUSION
This blog is a personal opinion; and I know my aesthetics are not everybody's (luckily). There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the Pilot Custom Heritage 91; and there is a lot that is good about it (especially the nib).

It is utilitarian. It writes well. If that is what you are looking for in a pen, then look no further.
Here it is compared with a Blue version of the same pen.
For me however, I'm (clearly) looking for a little more.

A similar size and colour Sailor just provides the spark for me that the 91 just doesn't. I know it'll work; but I want more.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts (politely of course); especially if the Pilot Custom Heritage 91 is your sort of pen. 

AND, if you REALLY like this pen, thanks to Bookbinders Design, it could be yours!

Just write a comment on this Blog story or on my instagram post for this pen by no later than Friday 14 February, (Valentines Day), and I will select a random winner of this pen. Giveaway open to international.

Overall Score: 72.5/100


0-50          = to be avoided at all costs
51-60        = if it’s cheap and you don’t really care….
61-70        = a nice pen with the makings of something better                          (just don’t spend too much)
71-80        = A better than average pen with just a few flaws                            that stop it from being really good
81-90        = A good pen, a keeper only a few minor places off                        being great
96-100      = Grail



28 comments:

  1. I agree with you that most pilot pens are quite plain, but I enjoy the understatement in them. I like having a luxury item that doesn't shout about it, where only someone else who appreciates fountain pens would recognise that your pen is a lot more than it seems

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  2. "Pilot Pens (other than Vanishing Points, Decimos and Kakunos) are dull." - No truer words have been said.

    Thanks for owning up to it. I couldn't say it for fear of being outcast by the fp community where Pilots are highly regarded. ��

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  3. Great and thourough review! As a newbie to the FP community I appreciate your detailed input on the pen.

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  4. I agree with you that the nib is the best feature. That’s what I love about them. The aesthetics are just a plus.

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  5. Have to say that I agree that most Pilots are pretty boring to look at. Of the big three Japanese makers, Pilot (clicky pens aside) are the most boring to look at. Platinum doesn’t always set the world on fire either, but Sailor can tempt the eye better than either. That said, Pilot performance is so consistent, and at the price point, factoring in gold nibs etc, they hold their own. So I don’t think they’re bad value, even if they don’t have the wow factor of other pens in the price range. But they’re not as collectible because of the lack of visual interest. Workhorse, not display set.

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  6. Awesome review! Been looking at getting one of these myself

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  7. They're not my favorite pens for aesthetics, but they're understated in a way I really appreciate, and the writing experience is just hard to fault. I actually really love this orange, and I would love to try one of these soft medium nibs.

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  8. Pilot pens are pretty boring but the 91 gets points for color. The ones that matched Tsuki-Yo and Yama Businss were nice as is this one. Thanks for the chance to win.

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  9. I love orange and have always wanted an orange pen. But for some reason keep missing the addition of one. This is absolutely a worthy contender for the position!!

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  10. Thank you for sharing this review, I am starting to look at mid-range pens and this was an interesting review as you made me ask questions such as, what am I looking for in a more expensive pen?, thank you for your honesty.

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  11. I do love the way that the pilots I have tried write as they just suit me really well although I only own a single Metro myself. I do love the colour of this orange pen as its not one that I have seen a lot of.
    Not sure if I like the screw cap as I generally prefer snap caps as people have damaged my screw caps before.
    Thanks for the review, really great insight

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  12. Utilitarian true, but for me the lovely smooth Pilot nibs make up for it! This makes it a perfect fit for a with pen :)

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  13. I agree with much of what you wrote Nicholas; the Pilot aesthetics are generally ho-hum. I don't like the ball on the clip either, which many of Pilot's other pens share. I have a plain black Pilot Custom Heritage 91 with a SFM nib which I think is the nicest nib I have used bar none. Again, aesthetically, it looks a bit small, so one day I'd like to try an equivalent-but-larger Pilot nib on a slightly larger-bodied Pilot to see whether the 91's nib hits a magical sweet spot. Maybe one day Sailor might make a nib as nice (personal opinion), or Pilot might release a Custom Heritage 912-sized pen in marbled materials like their Custom Legance range and offer it with all the nib options. Until then, I'm happy they're offering this orange option of the 91; it's a small step in the right direction.

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  14. Excellent review, thoroughly detailed in all aspects.

    Disappointing that pilot missed the mark with this one, as the colour certainly caught my eye.

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  15. Thanks for your review. I seem to hover between the utilitarian and unusual side. Yet to find my thing I guess. These kind of personal reviews definitely inform and help folks like myself develop a pendentity. Cheers. Marcel

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  16. for a pen i'll actually use rather than just look at in my collection i'll sacrifice some looks for function

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  17. Unlike you, Pilot is probably my favourite fountain pen brand! While I agree some of their standard line can be boring as they often only come in a limited number of generic colours and nibs, they have many models both in the current and vintage lineup. I know of the 3 big Japanese brands Sailor gets the most love with all the colourful eye candy but if I could only choose one fp brand to buy from for the rest of my life it'd be Pilot! That said, haven't actually ever tried the 91?!
    Great review, and thanks for the giveaway.

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  18. Never met a pilot I didn't love!

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  19. I do like my Pilots but none look as pretty as this! Orange mmmmm I mostly like them for the nibs. They don’t let me down.

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  20. I own a few Sailor pro gears but only the lower range of the pilot pens. Always interested in trying something more then a Kakuno, even more curious now after reading this post! You make pilot sounds like the Toyota of the pen world! However I am really interested in the soft medium nib which I have never heard of. Might have to drop in to bookbinders to try it out!

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    Replies
    1. Congratulations pepperconarts, you were the winner of this pen. Please contact me by DM and I will arrange delivery.

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  21. Certainly depends if you’re using this everyday or for special occasion. Personally this would be an ideal everyday pen from what I’ve read here - very functional, but still nice looking!

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  22. Would you recommend this as a mid range pen or just go to a salior or VP, I need to go to a pen meet eventually to try out the next price point of pens and see where my taste lie.

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  23. Would you recommend this as a mid range pen or do others take the cake there, I'm beginning to research for my first expensive pen and trying to gauge of others opinions because going to pen meets seems scary haha.

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    1. It depends on what floats your boat. I think there are other, more exciting pens out there; but the orange, and great nib, may be enough for you!

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  24. Roses are red
    This Pilot is "meh"
    May one lucky winner
    Turn "meh" to a "yeah!"

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  25. Agree. Pilot pens are great workhorses but there's nothing exciting about them (except for the VP/ Decimo). But we can all do with a great workhorse though!

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  26. Great review! I agree with you that Pilot pens are rather boring looking but so reliable and the orange colour is very exciting. I happen to like more understated looking pens but love the orange. This pen will make someone very happy if it is not me.

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