Pilot E95s Fountain Pen, Black Barrel with Gold Accents, Medium Nib, Blue Ink (60838)

A beautiful pen of nifty compact, short-long design and genuinely understated elegance, and very comfortable to hold and write with. My hands are small enough that I can write easily with the short body even unposted, but when it is posted it is a well-balanced, full length pen (about 5-3/4 inches or 15 cm) that would be comfortable for anybody who does not demand a very wide, fat, or heavy pen. It's reasonably slim but not skinny; because of its gently widening body and lack of thinner section, it feels in fact a little broader in the hand than a Pilot Metropolitan. It is fairly lightweight, but the plastic and metal don't feel fragile or cheap; it caps and posts very smoothly and with a pleasant, secure feel. The gold and black colour seemed a trifle bland to me at first, but grew on me considerably, and now I like it as much as the Burgundy. With its inlaid nib and streamlined shape, this pen looks quite distinctive beside most conservative gold-black pens. I have this pen model in both colours and in both Fine and Extra-Fine, and in my experience there really isn't much difference in the appearance of the writing or the feel of the nib between the two. The Fine is a touch smoother than the Extra-Fine, but they are both quite smooth and relatively wet writers - not gushers, but they have excellent ink flow. These 14K gold nibs seem to write a little broader than the comparable Pilot nibs in steel; even the Extra-Fine is not as fine as the Pilot 78g Fine (which really IS extra-fine!). They are also more sensitive to the paper you write on, in that you can feel its texture more as you write, so they don't seem as smooth as a less sensitive steel nib. However, they are not at all scratchy, especially after the initial short break-in period that many fountain pens need. They are also not flexy nibs and in my opinion don't really take well to being crushed into the paper. They write best with a lighter touch. They are a real pleasure to use, and their well-thought-out, practical, yet elegant design has an aesthetic that really appeals to me, at least. I would recommend looking for this pen from a Japanese seller (there are some on Amazon) to get a better price on it (plus the Japanese model has the full word Elite on it, like the traditional pens it's based on, rather than just the little "E" they put on the American model for some reason). Still, even at its regular American price you're getting an excellent, well-made pen which is a lovable little workhorse. (Note however that the Japanese model doesn't come with a converter. It's still much cheaper to buy the pen and add a CON-20 Pilot converter separately if you want a converter. This pen doesn't take the CON-50 but of course does take Pilot cartridges.)

I love, love, love this pen. Overall, the pen has a classic aesthetic that (to me, at least) evokes Art Deco and feels regal, especially in pearl/burgundy.The gold nib is not only beautiful to look at, but glides across paper like no other fountain pen I've owned. The nib provides nice feedback without ever feeling scratchy. I would say the nib is also a medium wetness, which lends to how beautifully it flows on paper without gushing. The nib is also resistant to drying out. Whereas with the Pilot Metropolitan, which will dry out in a matter of days, I've left the E95s alone for weeks without it drying out completely; I've never had this pen skip on me, and even after weeks of non-use, the only thing that really happens is the ink gets darker.The pen is light and small, which is great for long writing sessions. The lacquered/plastic texture on the cap and body, respectively, is slick to the touch without ever getting slippery. The pen is designed to have the large cap posted. With the cap posted, the pen is balanced and is long enough to fit comfortably in most peoples hands.Small hands might get away with not posting the cap.The only downside is that because the cap is so long, if for some reason ink leaks out while the nib is capped, the ink gets all over most of the body of the pen, especially where you grip the pen with your fingers. Stray ink is easy enough to clean off the slick body, but might get all over your fingers.

Very nice, the design is very elegant with a short-long pocket pen design and a very fitting combination of burgundy and ivory, I love it and I wouldn't mind making it my EDC, considering I don't take pens outside almost never.The writing experience is smooth, pleasant, consistent, good flow(neither too wet or too dry), and with the short-long design I can still use it with comfort, it's a light pen, which also contributes to the overall experience.The inlaid nib design is beautiful, it isn't as fancy as the Sheaffer design, but it's gorgeous anyway.The pen has to use a CON-20 converter, it will not fit with the others(at least, that's what I heard, I don't own a CON-50), so you can't see the ink level on the pen, which honestly I don't care but you probably will.At the price of this pen at the time of this review, I think this is a must; cheap price(relatively) for a gold nib, really relaible writer, beautiful design and funcionality as well.I was going to buy a M400 but decided I had to get this since I already have a M200 and I wasn't dissapointed.

Write with this pen is a great experience, wonderful pen.

Very classy looking pen and writes really nicely. The pen has a 14k gold nib and definitely has more bounce than your average steel nib. The cap just pulls off and stays on with friction. The pen body itself is pretty short but when posted becomes the size of a regular sized pen. It comes with a converter and a cartridge. All in al the pen is phenomenal and i would highly recommend it for someone looking to step into gold nibs.

This pen is even more lovely than the photo. I love its classy look and lines and it's the smoothest and most enjoyable-to-write-with fountain pen I own, maybe even smoother than my Lamy 2000 which I also adore. It looks like something Lady Mary might write with at Downton Abbey.