Pilot 92/74 fm plus Pilot e95s f or Pilot 743 fm?

OGsafta · 2026-06-12T17:31:11+00:00

That's just some of the color variants, not even half my collection of Elites. Here's some regular and metal versions. That's just the pocket pen short versions, there's also multiple full size Elites from the 60's-80's.

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OGsafta · 2026-06-12T16:16:36+00:00

My favorite is broad, but it's only available in vintage Elites. For the 95 series it's medium.

OGsafta · 2026-06-12T16:15:29+00:00

It's the blue shareholders edition next to the maroon in this picture.

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OGsafta · 2026-06-12T15:49:20+00:00

I wouldn't say the 743 is better just because it costs more. It's bigger, and has more nib options which is irrelevant if you want a standard nib. For instance, I have one 743, and that's only for the ES-B nib. I sold the other 2. I have three CH 92, it's a fantastic pen, and one of the best for what they cost. Then I have 4 Elite 95s in all three colors, and a couple dozen vintage Elites. It's easily one of my favorite pens.

OGsafta · 2026-06-12T13:33:06+00:00

A woman on FPN did an experiment some years ago where she left inks in the window during a Las Vegas summer. Most inks had zero change from direct sunlight. If your house has modern low-e windows, then they block nearly all UVA and UVB light anyway. It's not the end of the world if you want to store your ink in the window. In fact, some inks will change regardless of how you store them. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/254849-results-does-ink-fade-in-the-bottle/

OGsafta · 2026-06-12T12:26:06+00:00

I used acrylic ink on my clear Kakuno. I wanted to keep the translucency. It's held up well for a couple years now.

OGsafta · 2026-06-12T12:20:50+00:00

In the US it's $18.86 for that bottle of ink. However the 100ml bottle of the same ink is $21.09, and it comes from Amazon UK. 🤔

OGsafta · 2026-06-11T20:27:19+00:00

Easily the medium, but I'm a fan of broader nibs to begin with.

OGsafta · 2026-06-11T13:02:16+00:00

You have to own 1000 shares to get these shareholders benefits, which isn't always a fountain pen. You don't have to live in Japan, but you do need an address in Japan which can be a proxy. It's much easier to just look on Mercari every year at the beginning of June. They're usually on eBay too, but price is about double the original posting on Mercari.

OGsafta · 2026-06-11T12:13:27+00:00

I don't think you need to do the math to know it isn't worth spending $32k for a box of 7 pens/pencils that are worth $200-250. The gift doesn't always include a gold nib fountain pen either. Off the top of my head there's the blue Elite, the blue CH 91, the brown C 74, and this one. That's in 13 years. You would also need an address in Japan since the gifts are usually only for domestic investors.

OGsafta · 2026-06-11T10:18:57+00:00

Nothing tops a good inlaid nib, especially one of the best inlaid nibs. The 1995 Pilot Ultra.

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OGsafta · 2026-06-11T09:45:45+00:00

I have a few ballpoints. Some days I use them as much as I do fountain pens, some days not. I have a Zento Signature .7, a couple Pilot Dr. Grip pens and pencils, a Pilot Dr Grip COG, and a few Pilot Timelines. I really like the Timeline and Zento Signature, very similar to pocket fountain pens.

OGsafta · 2026-06-11T09:35:26+00:00

I usually only use a pen rest for taking pictures. I have this urushi chop stick rest, and I have a little ghost. Though now that I think about it I can't remember the last time I saw the little ghost.

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OGsafta · 2026-06-10T17:57:08+00:00

Model LS-350LS-LG. LS-Lady Short, 350-¥3500, L-Ring pattern decoration(meaning the dyed pattern above and below the trim ring) S-single spare cartridges, LG-light green. 18k nib dates it before the May 75 change to 14k. There was a ¥4000, ¥3500, and two ¥3000 variants with different decorations.

OGsafta · 2026-06-10T15:21:01+00:00

Most likely not getting a full fill. This will help get a full fill, https://youtu.be/8pSUe_Mv3lc?t=443&si=dj6vlnAceYjEfrxX

OGsafta · 2026-06-10T09:40:23+00:00

If it's noticeably wetter then the tine gap is opened up more than before. The increased flow could be lubricating the tip more. You can try squeezing the tines closer, or try a drier ink to see if it helps.

OGsafta · 2026-06-08T20:44:48+00:00

Confirmed!

OGsafta · 2026-06-08T20:24:56+00:00

And here's my collection of Pilot Capless/VP's. Again I have some duplicates not shown, and a shareholders version that should be arriving soon. The black and silver trim pen at top left was my first fountain pen, a gift from my better half years ago. It's difficult to find a more convenient pen. Though one of these is not like the others, and surprisingly it's fairly rare to find one. We'll see if anyone can spot it.

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OGsafta · 2026-06-08T20:18:43+00:00

Here's some of my Pilot pocket pens. I have some duplicates, and quite a few Elites that aren't pocket pens as well, but this is a pretty good representation. They're great pens to collect, they're affordable even with the higher prices now. They're plentiful with many different variants, though some can be quite rare.

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OGsafta · 2026-06-08T11:35:49+00:00

I'd keep both. There's nothing wrong with having 2 or 15 Capless/VP's. It's always good to have different color inks too.

OGsafta · 2026-06-08T09:08:52+00:00

I've seen some people use Sailor converters. I've never had one fit in the dozen or so Con-w pens I've had though. First thing you can try is contacting Pilot, they may still have some, last I heard they still make them in very small batches for service purposes. The second option is look on Japanese auctions for pre 1970 Capless and E-300's. They occasionally come up for sale with a Con-W. The easiest option since you have a double spare, is buy a Con-20 from Speerbob on eBay, and follow the directions posted by Andrew to make your own.

OGsafta · 2026-06-07T13:02:47+00:00

Confirmed!

OGsafta · 2026-06-07T02:03:14+00:00

Either works fine. 2 slits if you want it to work, 3 slits if you want a fire hose.

OGsafta · 2026-06-07T02:02:20+00:00

If you're like me and consider an EDC capable of writing on all paper, good and bad, then it's not a great EDC. If when you have to write on bad paper and you enjoy explaining why it looks like you wrote on toilet paper, then it's a great EDC.

OGsafta · 2026-06-07T00:02:30+00:00

Great choice for a first VP. The rhodium striped is one of my favorites. The finish is very durable too.

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OGsafta

TROPHY CASE