Katherine: The Prera is a solid pen, and I enjoy owning and using mine. However, it’s not a pen that brings me great joy to own or the pen I pull out when I just want to “play” with pens and ink. I’d recommend it for anyone looking for a solid pen for daily use or a beginner with a larger budget. The bright silver clip and bands provide a bit of contrast, and the end result is a pen that looks much more expensive than it is. Compare it to the Rotring Newton I reviewed recently and the level of finish — in terms of things like casting lines — is much better. It writes flawlessly One major bad point for Pilot steel nibs is that the pens do not seal inks properly and dryout happens. Of course this is also ink-dependent: Pilot Blue for example, defies evaporation. And this is no random coincidence: the ink was formulated for Pilot's own pens (steel nibs) that evaporate inks. I could have had the green, white, or yellow Prera all equally. I think this pen would get boring with any of the more subdued/common colors. The light blue is nice as well, but since I went to NC State University, I could not get 'Carolina Blue' pen. Lastly, the nib on the Pilot Prera is worth every penny. It’s a true Japanese fine nib and writes wonderfully. Even better, the nibs for the Pilot Penmanship, Plumix, Kakuno and Metropolitan are all interchangeable with the Pilot Prera. This isn’t just a great beginner pen, it’s a penfeels like an upgrade tootherbeginner pens.

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I know that this is a bit of a zombie post, but I would recommend adding something about how different cleaning materials might react with different pen materials (ammonia, isopropol alcohol, etc). Interesting. I probably won't experience this since I rotate through my pens and don't use one daily for weeks on end. Good to keep in mind though. I think the Prera is a nice low-medium priced pen. For about the same money, I prefer my TWSBIs, but I do like my Prera. I never understood the expensive pen thing, either, until I got a Pilot Vanishing Point. It’s still not as expensive as some pens, but it cost two or three times what most of my other pens cost. And worth every penny, it’s comfortable to hold and the nib is insanely smooth and wonderful. I don’t see myself ever having a huge stable of “premium” pens, and maybe not all expensive pens are even worth their cost, but I’m glad to have the one I do. Pam: If I could wax poetry to the “perfect” Prera’s specs and hand feel, I would compose and sing songs about the nib. The nib is engraved with “Super Quality” and I would believe it. The nib writes true to size for a Japanese fine. It writes wonderfully, smoothly and maybe a little dry, which is great for cheap paper.

I have a love-hate relationship with Pilot’s starter level pens. The Kakuno is a great fit for any age and size as long as you don’t mind carrying a pen that looks like a child’s toy. Then they do offer the Metropolitan that has a lovely formal presentation, but with an undersized section and a cliff-like shelf separating not just the body and section, but the comfort from anyone without small hands. I hope you enjoyed this guide. Please post any questions or comments in the box below! Additionally, there is now a "guide" tag, by which you may view all guide posts on this blog! The steel stub/italic (?) nibs are really quite good. They are available in Plumix and Pluminix too.

Franz: Using the two pens finally made me appreciate the Pilot Prera for what it had to offer. I’ve been aware of the Prera for a couple years now but never really paid attention. I would encourage a person with a small to medium hand size to get the Prera. It is quite an inexpensive pen for beginners or intermediate users. As for people with large hands, try it out first and see if it’s comfortable.

It would be unfortunate to see a beautiful pen damaged or dissolved by cleaning with the wrong supplies (especially since you mentioned that your friend was a "clean-freak". It’s really light, which I love, and feel really comfortable to hold. I like that there’s no details on the grip. It’s quite a short pen, which works well uncapped in my little hands. You can make it longer by posting the cap on the end, but I find this unbalances it. Also, when you put the cap on the pen, there’s some cushioning in the lid that makes it SO satisfying to close. I can’t really explain it, you just have to feel it. Unlike other fountain pens, the Pilot Capless featured a fully retractable nib. The Capless was reintroduced as the Vanishing Point in 1972. Pilot Namiki Capless

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I got it on a lark, too -- a friend and fellow fountain pen enthusiast was selling the pens she found she wasn't using, and offered them to people she knew first. I'd been quite happy with the Varsity and Petit1 pens I'd used, and decided to get a slightly higher-tier Pilot pen to see how I liked it. No complaints at all thus far.

Overall, I enjoyed testing the Prera. It wrote smoothly from the first fill. The nib was quite fine; it’s a Japanese nib so it is definitely finer than a Western fine nib. The pen was lightweight and the size is such that I think it would be a great every day carry pen. I do have to say that in terms of feel in my hand, I think I have a slight preference for the Pilot Metropolitan Pop, both because it is slightly longer and because the aluminum body is slightly weightier. I don’t usually post my pens, but I found the Prera too short and slightly awkward to use without posting the cap. MUCH better than on the Plumix - the angled grip was forcing me to hold the pen a certain way, which unfortunately wasn't a good way/angle to actually achieve nicely inked italic writing. Obviously that isn't an issue with the Prera's round grip. In the Hand: Pilot Prera (posted) — from left to right: Katherine, Pam, and Franz In the Hand: Pilot Prera (unposted) — from left to right: Katherine, Pam, and Franz The problem with metal isn’t so much that the pen will leak, but rather that some inks can corrode metal. This could ruin the pen, affect the color of the ink, affect the longevity of the ink on paper, or cause pen leaks over time.Overall, I really like the aesthetics. Only a small issue with the inner cap liner being white and not clear. On a clear demonstrator too? Seriously? Oh well. It's a very minor complaint I have. I love my Prera demo. I have the one with the light blue. It was my first fountain pen. I only paid 40 but I had to wait about 4 weeks cause I got it mailed Sal and it took customs forever to clear (Customs actually told me it never left Japan but it actually was sitting in JFK and it never got scanned). This hasalready been repeated but I’m gonna say it anyway. Capping the Prera was a pretty cool thing to do. I like it as much as capping the Lamy 2000. I had to remind myself of why I originally bought it after shelving it for a while because I was on the search for a full sized pen unposted.