‘Tis the Season: Celebrating Blog Readers

/ JD

dovePW is celebrating blog readers with a little holiday giveaway! For those of you wondering about fountain pens and may still persist in your disposable writing instruments, or those of you curious about a Japanese nib with finer writing characteristics, or those of you who just need a gift for yourself or a friend:  maybe you’d like to try a bottle of one of my favorite inks and nice, basic writing pen? Anyone who wants a go is welcome to enter this giveaway!

The winners (chosen by using randomnumber.org to generate random #’s and matching to comment post order #) are:  Victoria (unclaimed) Jack and 123andme! They’ve been contacted via email.

Thanks to everyone who participated. It was great to read of  your enthusiasm for fountain pens!

I’m turning off new comments through the remaining holiday season. They’ll be back on with new posts in the New Year.

Hoping to spread a little love for Japanese fountain pen and ink, a set will be given away to 2 readers:

  1. Black Pilot 78G medium nib, and 60ml bottle of Namiki Blue
  2. Black Pilot 78G bold stub nib, and 60ml bottle of Namiki Blue

Between now and Sunday 12:00pm EST December 16, 2012: Please leave a comment at the end of this post. Tell me something about you, if you’ve never tried a fountain pen, if you’re new to FPs, you’re a long-time aficionado, or something else you care to share! After all, you know far more about me than I know about you, eh? Also, while there’s no guarantee you’ll get it, please feel free to list your preference in nib size. The winners will be contacted via email and announced herein by December 17th. (We’ll do the random number generator thing…your post # will be your raffle ticket, as it were.) A valid email address is required in order to help avert the s-p-a-m-m-e-r-s.

PIlot 78G

Pilot 78G

Namiki Blue 60ml

Namiki Blue 60ml

Made in Japan, the Pilot 78G is a great, inexpensive beginner’s fountain pen when it writes properly. (There can be ink starting/flow issues or scratchy misaligned nibs.) These two pens have been tested by moi to ensure that they will write for you without issue! Both are smooth and sweet pens with steel nibs. While many covet the bold stub nib, the medium is highly underrated nib, IMHO.

Pilot 78G

Pilot 78G

The pens are lightweight: 13g capped/posted; 9g uncapped. Length: capped 5 3/8″; uncapped 4 1/8″; posted almost 6″. All weights and sizes approximate.

The Pilot 78G is not available via a USA authorized Namiki/Pilot dealer. The pen will come with a squeeze converter. If that’s not to your liking, you could replace that with a CON-50 converter or Pilot/Namiki ink cartridges—both of which are available from authorized Namiki/Pilot dealers. Namiki Blue can be found as Pilot Blue outside many countries. Both versions are widely available from authorized dealers.

Happy holidays to all who patiently read PW’s ever so long pontifications, and especially to those of you I’ve come to know through the blog and FPN! Here’s wishing for better, brighter days ahead for all of us in the New Year.

A Smattering of Thoughts about the Pilot 78G

A Bit About Namiki Blue

Medium & bold steel nibs

Medium & bold steel nibs

Size comparison between Pilot 78G and TWSBI 530

Size comparison between Pilot 78G and TWSBI 530

31 thoughts on “‘Tis the Season: Celebrating Blog Readers”

  1. I have been using fountain pens for many years, but my inventory is rather Eurocentric. The only Japanese ones I have are a couple of Pilots 🙂 I never really thought about the disproportionality in my inventory. Looks like I should correct that a bit!

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  2. Hey! I saw this on FPN 🙂 I am still a neophyte at fountain pens, with my F Safari and F 78g. I prefer the 78g, I like the look and feel more. If I had to do it over again, I would get a bold 78g; stub nibs seem like something that would be interesting to try out. Followed your blog, very interesting stuff here and a good read for certain!

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  3. Hi, I have used FP for a while now but I only had a couple of Lamy safaris, ok but eventually the cap wore off. They are good pens but i was not really “in love ‘ with the experience. I tried the lamy vista, better but ok. Tried the Kaweco sport, ok, couple of Vectors, still ok. Eventually I got a Pilot 78g, finally a pen that made me a fan, light, smooth just a great experience would love to try the bold!

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  4. This may sound crazy, but I hadn’t heard of the Pilot 78g until a few days ago when I happened to stumble across it on isellpens.com. I’m a little ashamed to admit that, given I love fountain pens and am otherwise rather obsessed with pens and inks! Namiki blue is on my wish list… a gal can hope 😀 Thanks so much for the chance to win. I’m a huge fan of your blog – always so informative. I learn a lot!

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  5. My wife loves fountain pens and every now and then even lets me use one! I’d love to win one of these for myself, it’d drive her insane when I pretend to refuse to share it..

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  6. I’m fairly new to fountain pens, have a few 3rd tier vintage pens. Would love to try a Pilot but haven’t been able to afford one. I’d go with the bold stub if I won just because it is so different than the F and M nibs I use for work notes.

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  7. I am fairly well versed in fountain pens. I don’t have a Pilot 78G as I was put off by people telling me that the nib is the same as the Plumix (a pen I have never gotten along with). I love Pilot and Japanese pens and my nibs tend to skew towards fine nibs but lately I’ve been itching to get more bold nibs.

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  8. I’d started using fountain pens about a year ago after I saw a teacher correcting our essays with one (I don’t remember the pen, but I think the ink was Diamine Pumpkin). She told me that fountain pens can be used with minimal writing pressure, so its less strain on your hands. I’ve been converted then and never looked back!

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  10. I have some fountain pens but admit I have been looking at a pilot for a long time. The 78g seems like a nice entry level option.

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  12. Hello! I am an avid fountain pen user with 3 Lamy Safaris, a Pelikan M215 and 2 TWSBI minis. I tend to favour cheap and utilitarian so I can chuck them around and show the love around.

    Thanks for the opportunity, cheers 🙂

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  13. I have been using fountain pens on and off for most of my life. Recently have been using them almost exclusively. Currently I have pens from Germany, U.S. and Taiwan. I do not have a Japanese pen however and would love to try one.

    Thanks for your generosity.

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  14. I own and use fountain pens. This is one that I do not have and would, I think, enjoy using.
    Thanks for the chance of owning one of these pens. The broad would be my preference but just winning wold be great.

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  15. Fountain pens have fascinated me since I was little, and only just got into them last summer. I’ve heard great things about the 78g’s, especially the bold/stub nib. Would love to give one a try. And the Namiki blue ink looks great! Thanks for a wonderful Christmas conte

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  17. Thanks for publicizing on FPN. This is a great blog and I’m looking forward to reading more.
    If I’m chosen, I’d be happy with either nib. The Namiki blue looks very nice too.
    Thanks,
    Tom

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  18. I have several fountain pens, but I usually keep it in the budget range (paying back student loans and such).

    I prefer smaller points, and my usual pens are micro tip gels and .7mm ballpoints. I also love a good mechanical pencil.

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  19. Hi! Ive been an avid reader of your blog since I discovered it trough another blog.sarted to use fountain pens since I Was a kid so its been a Long time. Now Im studying which sadly leaves no money or almost no money to keep up with the hobby… I have a preference of bold nibs and Blue ink is my favorite, I love it!!!

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  20. lovely idea. I suppose what I would add to the discussion is that for a mere $10 or so, one can have a pen that can be refilled almost forever, that makes one’s handwriting improve, and is so much more pleasant to write with than any ball point and most rollerballs, what’s not to like? and what a small bet to make it worth a try. Did anyone mention how many ink colors and varieties there are now (from the darkest black to periwinkle, greens, blood reds, purple…..), and at a fraction of the price per use compared to other refillable or disposable pens? thanks

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  21. Hey, new to fountain pens and I started out with a lamy safari. I have also bought a namiki falcon for christmas, when my japanese family is visiting me. They don’t know too much about fountain pens but I think they will think it is great that I reguard japanese pens so highly, and I’m eagerly waiting for my new pen and to share the joy with them.

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  23. Long ago began writing fountain pens… But not very good quality of the affordable pens did not allow to fully master this tool. Maybe now, with your help, I will be able to return to calligraphy ))?
    I like all Pilots…

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  24. I began writing with FPs in August, and I already have 5. This would be a good thing if I weren’t a broke college student spending money and time that I don’t have on pens and ink! I just bought a 78G with a stub nib last week and it was defective 😦 so I am trading it with someone for a medium, but the whole reason I bought it was for the stub. Other than this defective one and a Pilot Varsity (my first FP) i’ve never had a Pilot FP.

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  25. Thanks for posting about this on the FPN. I got hooked when I found a few FPs in our garage, buried in a random box. I had used some inexpensive “school pens”‘before that, but the find of the vintage pens was far more interesting.

    (if I win, I would prefer the bold stub. )

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  26. I’m not new to fountain pens but I’ve just recently gotten back into using them after a prolonged absence. I don’t have any Pilot pens but I’m wondering, it is as heavy as it looks? I guess if I win I would prefer the bold nib or the bold stub – surprise me;)

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  27. I am a big fan of your site, as I love fountain pens, but only have the run of the mill purchases. Your site is encouraging me to widen my horizons, and I have never used a pilot…

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  28. I have been a fountain pen user for about 3 years now. I got interested about them when I read about them being used in a Star Trek Corps of Engineers book. Got me to thinking, and before long I was hooked. I would have to say that Pilot is my favorite maker of pens, as it seems I have so many of them. I like the 78G because it is fairly inexpensive, so I can give them out to others to propagate the addiction.

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  29. Last year when I was working with at risk youth. It was a great source of joy, but heartache at the same time. A youth saw me using a fountain pen and asked, “what’s that? A pen from the future?” I had the widest smile, and said “no it’s the pen from the past.”
    I started using fountain pens at a young age. It was only when my father passed away when I rekindled my love for it. Among the siblings, I’m the only one who uses fountain pens on a regular basis. It’s my way of connecting with my father.
    If I win, I’d hope to get the Black Pilot 78G medium nib, and 60ml bottle of Namiki Blue

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  31. I would love to win this. I am new to fountain pens and only own a few cheap Chinese pens. I would love try one of these and see what a good fountain pen should feel like.

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