Pilot Fountain Pen Custom 742, Black Body, MS-Nib (FKK-2000R-B-MS)

*The pen itself: 5 stars.**Beware of purchasing this pen from external sellers here because mine was factory sealed however the Pilot box was obviously used and for a different pen (also didn't come with any warranty/registration papers). No regrets though because the pen came in perfect condition.After receiving this pen I immediately put my Pilot/Namiki Falcon (elabo) for sale! The falcon nib is softer and more flexible compared to the Pilot Falcon, and holds more ink in the CON-70 converter. If you can adapt to the writing style (very light pressure most of the time) than it makes an excellent every-day writer with line variation (not a "wet-noodle" however). If you want this pen just for calligraphy purposes you must write slowly otherwise you will get railroading. Also, this pen is VERY ink dependent. I find that this pen will only perform very well with Noodler's Heart of Darkness. Because the ink is very wet, it will make your lines closer to a medium than a fine however even when flexing and writing quickly I rarely get railroading or dry starts with that ink. All other inks I've tried suffer when trying to attain line variation and writing at normal paces (Noodler's black, iroshizuku inks, waterman inspired blue, etc). It's a shame because the pen is fantastic with a shading ink like Waterman Inspired Blue, but I found after writing for some time the pen will dry start and you need to push some ink through the feed with the converter to get it really going again if you flex it a lot. Of course if you're doing calligraphy this is probably not a huge problem, but if you're at a meeting it's going to look strange if you start twisting the barrel off your pen.These dry starts/railroading issues are known for these falcon nib pens so I don't detract any stars, especially because Heart of Darkness is my go-to black ink and it allows this pen to perform perfectly albeit it widens the pen's lines a bit, however it's not a problem for me because when flexing the broad lines are more broad to match.In summary, great pen if you use a compatible ink. I'm sure there are more I just have not tried that are excellent with this pen. Also, in terms of how the pen looks: it's basically a black/gold custom 74 with slight differences. There are many youtube video reviews where you can see more than a picture of course.

I've read a lot of reviews of this pen. The FA nib is the softest, most flexible I've ever used besides my vintage Waterman 52-1/2V. I tend to write with a fairly vertical position, and this pen works well for that. Sometimes I'm writing slowly, and the feed works well. However, I have tried writing in my dash-it-off mode and no, the feed will lose ink before the end of a line. I consider it an exercise in mindfulness and not rushing :-). For drawing, it's. fabulous. I have the Pilot Falcoms in SF and SXF and while those nibs *are* soft, they are nowhere near as soft and flexible as this nib. I also have the G manga nib for a dip pen -- the FA nib is close, without the scratchy point. I am delighted with this, it serves my writing style(s) well enough, and like my other Pilot fountain pens, is worth the money. Had I known about this pen/nib before, I might not have spent so much on other pens first. It's in my top 3, the vintage W'man being one of the others. IF YOU ARE A FAST WERITER you will be frustrated with skipping/stopping of ink, but this pen (the feed) was designed for JAPANESE writing. No fault of the pen if it skips for you writing like a speed demon. Get a Custom 74 for that!

I have a few Pilot Preras with <CM> or Calligraphy Medium nibs that I enjoy writing with. I enjoy the line variations I see while writing with a stub-like nib. I was curious and doing a bit of research here and came across this Pilot Custom 742 with a stub nib option. I was on the fence about ordering this pen as I could find only a handful of reviews. My gut instinct took over and I ordered it.I am so happy to add this Pilot pen to my fountain pen collection. I'm enjoying the writing experience and how lovely this SU nib is. It's a smooth nib with some slight feedback. It creates some nice line variations and makes my writing have a bit more flair. I have included two pictures. One shows a writing sample from the pen. The other shows a writing sample comparison between my TWSBI Go stub and my new Pilot pen.When I look straight on into the nibs, my TWSBI nib has a rectangular shape while my Pilot nib is more square-like. While writing, it feels like the Pilot SU nib writes slightly smaller that my TWSBI Stub 1.1 nib. I also get some thinner lines on the horizontal strokes with my Pilot nib.Overall, I feel this is a fantastic find for a Pilot pen with a stub nib (14kt/585). Also, this Custom 742 is not available in the US market. I'm glad I made this lovely purchase.

This pen must be appreciated for what it is and what it is, is balance. It is not the modern flex, it is a fine fountain pen with a very soft nib to add some uniqueness to your writing. Do to its ink flow you can use railroading and the nib running dry as an art form, do not complain about what it is not, praise what it is. If you rate less than 5 stars you did not do your research, if you want a wet noodle get a Waterman 52. If you want a truly unique pen get either a Pilot Custom 742 or 912 in a FA Falcon nib. On the quality of the pen itself, it is rather light, the length seems good for it's size. The converter takes some getting used to, you basically need to push the plunger as fast as possible. On the end of the pen the gold band feels a little loose not that it would ever come off but perhaps the cavity it fits into should be shallower. The cap screws on in one complete turn, it does not however slowly get more rigid it s basically full turn and done. The cap has no problems coming off that I have seen so far.