PILOTCustom 74 Fountain Pen, Black Smoke Barrel, Medium Nib (60955)

This is a phenomenal pen. Its pricey, but its totally worth it. Here is a tally of my experience with it.Out of the box, the pen was about average. The upstrokes did not really exist. I was writing on cheap Walmart paper, and it felt slightly scratchy. I was really just comparing this to a $15 Pilot Metropolitan, which seemed to write better. I was infact contemplating returning it. I started reading tips and tricks on FPN, and one of the posts suggested a small "break in" period, and to regulate more ink flow by slightly pressing on the nib 15 secs at a time for a few times. I did this thrice: press down on the nib gently by keeping it static for about 15 seconds apiece.Lo and behold, the pen started loosening up. No matter what I wrote on: cheap Walmart paper, Rhodia, or high-end copy paper (HP 32 lb or Hammermill), it worked. And worked better than anything I have owned before! This pen glides on paper like butter on a hot skillet. Its just incredibly difficult to describe how smooth a pen is using words, but I hope you get the picture.This is not a flex nib. However, since the nib is made out of 14k Gold, it is nevertheless springy. I am able to achieve some line width variation which I find as a huge added bonus. Pen comes with a con-70 converter, which holds a ton of ink. The pen is a demonstrator, so you get to see how much ink is left at all times, which is quite handy.The pen is not heavy or cumbersome by any means. I have written with this pen for more than 2 hours, and I barely felt a thing. And finally, the appearance. I admire that Pilot rolls out pens that are never flashy, and never attract undue attention to them. They just perform like champions without any of the "its made out of gold so lets make this look flashy and gaudy". No one has ever complimented me on this pen for its looks, but they almost always compliment my writing when they look at my notes. I like that a lot. Its subtle, understated, and performs like a champ.The only other pen I would rather buy compared to this one is the Pilot Metal Falcon. I purchased both custom 74 and Falcon, but I think I'll keep the Falcon (which is priced at $240). But if you cannot stretch your budget, and are on the fence about this one, I would heartily recommend it to you! Happy writing!

This is my favorite pen, and I'm glad I bought it! And this price it ain't cheap! But nothing worth having is cheap!And you get a lot of value for the money!This pen lays down some ink, a beautiful, thick line of ink! If there's a fire in my house and I get to grab one item, I'm reaching automatically for my Pilot 74!

A great pen. My first gold nib, and it writes wonderfully. The nib has more feedback than other gold nib pens, but it isn't scratchy. The fune nib is really fine and works on cheap paper.The only drawback is that ink seeps into the nib feed casing, which cannot be cleaned. A small annoyance, but it sure would be nice to be able to clean that between ink changes.

I am so disappointed in this pen. I decided to purchase a nice, high quality pen that comes with a super high price tag. This is by far the worst fountain pen I have ever owned. It’s super pretty, but it DOES NOT WRITE. It worked just fine for about 3 days before it started skipping and then just not working at all. I tried replacing the ink cartridge (even though it wasn’t empty), flushing and cleaning it and still nothing. My cheap $10 fountain pen works better than this one! Not happy!

There is so much I love about my **blue** Custom Pilot 74. I bought it and a Twsbi 580ALR at the same time. I also have a Montblanc Meisterstuck 146, and Kaweco Brass Sport to compare it too.The Custom 74 looks beautiful and writes more smoothly in comparison to the Twsbi and Kaweco but about the same as the MB. The Custom74 is a little thinner and more comfortable in my hand than the MB though. Additionally, the Custom 74 is a fountain pen I’m more comfortable carrying around the office. The MB would be hugely expensive to replace if I lost it compared to my other pens so it will remain a stay-at-home pen. Plus, the Custom74 looks so much snazzier.Filling the Custom74 is easy peasy once you understand how. I watched a Goulet Pen video that provided a few tips.Which brings me to my only complaint. I’m writing with my Custom74 about as much as my Twsbi and am filling my Custom74 more frequently. The Twsbi has a noticeably bigger ink capacity.Would I buy the Custom74 again? Hmmmm, not sure. I don’t regret having the Custom74. She’s a beauty! However, she’s not a dramatic step up from the Twsbi either. Knowing what I know now, I’d lean towards not getting the Custom74 and maybe getting 1-2 additional Twsbi’s instead, filling each with different inks.

I have many fountain pens many cheaper than the Pilot Custom 74 and some are more expensive and yet this one became one of my favorites. It is gorgeous looking, much better looking in real life than the pictures, very comfortable and writes smooth as silk. I love writing with this pen.

linda e escreve bem.

This nib skips like crazy. Apparently this is hit or miss. My others have been good.

Great balance, lightweight, smooth and consistent. It has classic styling with vibrant colour choices to add flair! An excellent starter pen with a gold nib, or as a reliable daily-carry to add to your collection.

Price however it is a good writer

I had a Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen which turned me off of the brand. I had seen many great reviews of the Custom 74 and decided to invest. This is a tremendous pen with great value. The broad, gold 14K nib is very smooth on any type of paper. Ink flows very well and a little on the wet side of the flow. I like the durability and length of the barrel to be comfortable in different writing sessions. Now, I am considering other Pilot pens such as the Custom 823 as future acquisitions.