PILOT Metropolitan Collection Gel Roller Pen, Black Barrel, Classic Design, Fine Point, Black Ink (91207)

Just received this fountain pen and it has already had quite the workout. This Pilot Metropolitan is my fifth addition to my FP collection that consists of a Waterman Hemisphere, two vintage Parker 45 Flighters, a vintage Parker 21, and now this Metro.The Pilot Metro is probably the best "bang for the buck" modern fountain pen out there. My pen came complete with a squeeze type converter that seems to work very well. I prefer using bottled ink by Noodler's, Pelikan, Waterman, and Aurora and an entry level pen that comes with a converter was a huge plus for me. The converter was pre-installed so I filled it with Noodler's Black (Bulletproof black) and started jotting some words down on cheap paper.With the Noodler's, the nib is very smooth and the ink flows well. While listed as a medium nib, I find the Pilot Metro to be more on the "fine" side as it lays down a much narrower line than all my other medium nib pens. Very nice performance with printing as well as script and I have yet to see it miss a beat....even on down strokes which seems to be my Achilles heel when it comes to fountain pen performance.Now that I had wrote with it and was, to be quite frank, shocked at how smooth it glided across the paper, I looked at the overall construction of the pen. It is a very clean, cigar shaped pen with a sturdy pocket clip. It is roll marked with a modest "Pilot" with "Japan" underneath it and the only other marking is on the clip where the two words are repeated but engraved in a very small font. My version is the plain black model and it looks classy when capped.Taking the cap off is a simple pull (I would have preferred a twist) and then the cap can be posted securely atop the pen. The pen really stands out at this point with some engraving on the nib (Pilot M Japan)and silver highlights on the section where the nib screws into the barrel. Construction materials are brass (or so I read) with a stainless looking nib and plastic nib assembly. Overall, very nice for a thirty dollar pen and at this price point (14.99)? Pretty much unheard of.I use fountain pens in the harshest of conditions (metro Police) and this pen has performed on cheap copy paper, state issued report forms, and card stock type forms. My pens have to be sturdy as they are liable to have a M4 or scattergun banged into them while the pens ride in my breast pocket. They are apt to get rained on, scraped, dropped, and otherwise "rode hard". I demand an awful lot from my gear and I have high hopes for this Pilot Metro to be a frequent partner in my daily adventures. Time will tell but I think it will take a lot of dings before it craps out.Great pen.....insanely low price.......fast shipping.......smooth nib.....stylish in a subdued way......what's not to like?

I have wanted a fountain pen for 20 years. But every time I looked for one they were always $100 or more. And I didn't want to plop that down for a pen that wither leaked ink everywhere or was just too hard to scratch away with to ever be convenient to use. I stumbled onto the Pilot Varsity disposables which I also reviewed. I liked them. A lot. So I started looking into these pens again. Lo and behold, a fountain pen with good reviews that costs about $12-$15. Ok I'll try it.I am glad I did. I got the fine nib because I tend to write big and the medium nibs on the disposable Varsity I used put out a lot of ink. I thought the fine nib would be a bit tidier in the look. It is and it is a very fine nib. Not needle fine, but a comfortable neat writing fine that doesn't do a whole lot of scratching even with me being a heavy hand. The Pilot CON-50 adapter fits this pen and works perfectly with it. The pen is very handsome and has some weight to it. Smooth finish and fits the hand nicely. Writes like a dream and it didn't cost $100. I like it so much I bought another one with a medium nib.By the way, you can watch/read a lot of reviews of pens that have a dozen factors which are tested and weighed to determine the quality of a pen. There are only 2 factors you need to judge any pen.1. How well does it write for you.2. How sad will you be if you lost it.In my case with this pen, it writes great for me, and I would be very sad if I lost it. It's a good pen.

I am by nature somewhat analytical, but I am certainly not a connoisseur of fine writing instruments. This review reflects that.In the past month I have decided to experiment with pens to see if any of them were more pleasurable to use, or if any had a positive impact on my handwriting legibility. Since I spend quite a bit of time writing (I am a car salesman who "pencils" deals) I decided it would be worth my time to compare three types of pens: ball point, gel, fountain. I purchased two examples of each: one inexpensive, one mid-priced.Of the various types and brands of pens, this is hands down my favorite. Fountain pens were a bit finicky, and they did not do a good job of transferring images when writing in triplicate. The ball point pens did not "flow." So gel pens were my pick.Over the years I have used inexpensive gel pens from several different manufactures, and found them to be an improvement over ball point pens. However they did not last very long, and they occasionally leaked and ruined a shirt. I did not expect there to be much difference between inexpensive and mid-level pens. I WAS WRONG.I chose this pen as the example of a mid-level gel pen because it seems that Pilot is the best manufacturer of gel pens, and this pen comes with a cap, which virtually eliminates the chance of leakage. Pilot does make inexpensive gel pens with caps, but they scream "cheap," and do not provide any heft or tactile rewards.This simple $12 pen (I chose black because it had the best price) has taken my writing from a C- to a B-. That is no small feat. The combination of Pilot gel ink, a capped pen to prevent leakage, the pleasing feel of this pen, and the control that it provides are a winner.If like me, you have mediocre handwriting (penmanship was the only class I ever got a "D" in), give this a try.