Pilot Iro-Utsushi DIp Pens in Five Materials

New Arrivals: Pilot Iro-Utsushi Dip Pens

January 7, 2025

By customer request, Pilot Iro-Utsushi dip pens have arrived! These relatively inexpensive dip pens feature a simple holder and a fountain pen nib in either fine or medium, and have become a favorite of enthusiasts looking for a simple way to write from an ink bottle or to sample fountain pen inks. Not as delicate as a glass pen, and not as temperamental as some calligraphy dip nibs, Pilot designed the Iro-Utsushi line for simplicity. Pens are available in five different colors: Black Wood, Natural Wood Grain, and Clear, Clear Blue, and Clear Black Acrylic.

Pilot Iro Utsushi Nib Close-Up — The pens do not have a cap, but Pilot does include a reusable rubber sleeve in the box that you can use to protect your nib during travel.

The Pilot Iro-Utsushi dip pens are priced as low as $8 for the resin models and only $20 for the wood grain versions, the latter of which have a facet on one side to serve as a roll stop. Available now!

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Thursday Drops: Kaweco Sport Fountain Pens, Kaweco Sketch-Up Clutch Pencils, and More!

April 6, 2023

The big news this week is that The Gentleman Stationer is now an authorized retailer of Kaweco! We currently have pens from the Classic Sport and the Skyline Sport product lines, as well as two models of the “Sketch Up” Clutch Pencil in Brass and Black/Yellow SoftFeel. We decided to start with the Kaweco Sport because quality pocket pens are something I value, as well as a product category that has been very popular with our customers. Look for more versions of the Kaweco Sport and other products from the Kaweco line to arrive soon.

The Kaweco Sketch Up Clutch Pencil in Brass.

As we announced earlier this week, we have fully restocked on TWSBI, including some of the last ALR “Punch Pink” and AL “Rose” Diamond 580 Fountain Pens, which are being discontinued and probably won’t be available again for some time. (TWSBI does tend to rotate colors every few years, but there’s no guarantee that these exact shades will reappear.)

The Gentleman Stationer is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

Kaweco Classic Sport Fountain Pens. How do I not own a “Bordeaux” Sport yet? Sometimes the original flies below the radar, and for me the Classic Kaweco Sport is one of those pens. At only $25, these pocket pens represent great value. Kaweco cartridges are available separately.
Kaweco Skyline Sport Fountain Pens. Now I DO have multiple Skyline Sport fountain pens in my own collection, and have owned basically all of these nontraditional, more muted colors over the years. My daughter picked the Mint Skyline Sport for her first pen.
Kaweco Sketch Up 5.6mm Brass Clutch Pencil. It’s shorter length prevents the brass from being too heavy, and the finish will patina nicely with age. Refill with 5B Kaweco graphite leads, highlighter leads, or swap in a brass Kakimori dip nib?
Kaweco Sketch Up 5.6mm SoftFeel Black and Yellow Clutch Pencil. When I saw these pencils on the “discontinued stock” rack in New York back in February, I had to have them. For whatever reason, this “SoftFeel” rubberized material won’t be made going forward, per the distributor, and I love it in the Sketch Up. Get them while you can.
Pilot Custom 74 Fountain Pens. Now available in all colors, Pilot’s 14k workhorse features the high-capacity CON-70 pump converter for one of the best all-around everyday writing experiences under $200. Pilot nibs are astonishingly good, and the “Blue Stone” pen hasn’t really left my side for the past week.
Pilot Custom 823 Fountain Pens. If I ran Pilot, I’d make the Custom 823 more of a focus, because it’s that good. The high-capacity vacuum-filling system can be a bit intimidating to look at, but it’s fairly simple once you get the hang of it. Check out this Youtube video for a demonstration.
TWSBI Diamond 580 AL Rose Fountain Pen. I screwed up and sold my original red TWSBI 580 many years ago, and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the AL Rose come back out. I nearly missed picking these up again for the shop.
TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR “Punch Pink” Fountain Pen. The “Punch Pink” TWSBI 580 features the textured ALR grip, and has a reddish-pink hue that’s somewhere between a true pink and a red. “Punch” is actually a good name, now that I think of it….
Pilot Iroshizuku Fountain Pen Inks. In addition to Pilot pens, we’re happy to add the Iroshizuku line of bottled fountain pen inks to our store. These are some of the best all-around inks on the market, and the wide array of unique colors are based on the scenery of Japan.
TWSBI Fountain Pen Inks. We have all of the TWSBI bottled inks and cartridges available once again, including the six-bottle sets of the 1791 inks!

Pen Review: Pilot Custom Heritage 912 with PO Nib

July 15, 2020

Three years ago I reviewed the Pilot Custom Heritage 912 with Pilot’s flexible “FA” nib, and decided that while I enjoyed the classic look of the pen, that particular nib wasn’t for me. At the time, I predicted that once I had the chance to try the “PO” (or “Posting”) nib - Pilot’s take on the “ultra extra fine” or “needlepoint” trend - I would end up purchasing a Custom Heritage 912 for myself. It took longer than expected, but I was right.

In certain aspects of my work (i.e. annotating documents and working on very cheap recycled paper) it’s advantageous for me to be able to write extremely small. In addition to standard Japanese extra-fine nibs, my collection features several hand-ground needlepoints and also standard “specialty” nibs like Platinum’s “Ultra-Extra Fine”, which I’ve previously reviewed and which is now increasingly available at retail outside of Japan. I’m just now getting around to exploring what the other Japanese pen companies like Pilot and Sailor have to offer in this regard.

Yes, that’s how the tip’s supposed to look!

The first thing you need to understand about Pilot’s PO nib is that it’s intended for a very specific user, meaning that you shouldn’t purchase this pen without careful consideration. For starters, the Custom Heritage 912 costs around $200 whether you purchase from your domestic U.S. retailer or overseas, so it’s not in the “impulse buy” category. While you used to be able to save money buying on eBay or Amazon, the current pandemic has caused shipping rates to rise, cutting into the “discount.” Second, the PO nib is extremely stiff - firmer than any nib I’ve ever used - so if you’re someone who likes even a little cushion when writing, you’ll probably want to take a hard pass on this pen. Those two things notwithstanding, I can comfortably say that Pilot’s PO nib offers my favorite out-of-the-box “ultra fine” or “needlepoint” writing experience on the market.

This nib was originally intended for writing on cheap postcards, which apparently used to cost much less to send through the Japanese postal system than standard mail. The point of the nib has been turned down to reduce ink flow and to prevent feathering on this less expensive, more fibrous paper. While you may still get some bleedthrough, in my experience this nib makes a fountain pen usable on even the cheapest recycled copy paper.

A writing sample showing how you can write even smaller if you flip the PO nib over and write using the reverse side. — A writing sample showing how you can write ***even smaller*** if you flip the PO nib over and write using the reverse side.

Takeaways and Where To Buy

Dare I say that the Pilot Custom Heritage 912 with a PO nib might be the “ultimate note-taking pen” for those of us that like to cram as much writing as possible onto a page? This workhorse might not be flashy, but it showcases the best of what Pilot has to offer nib-wise. While you can purchase this pen with a couple different standard nib sizes (EF and Soft Fine), most people opt for a specialty nib, including the PO nib featured here, the SU (stub), music, FA (flexible), and Waverly. As you can tell from my review above, I love the PO nib, and just wish it wasn’t so hard to find in the U.S.

Currently, both Pen Chalet and The Nibsmith stock the Pilot Custom Heritage 912, but neither retailer has the PO nib in stock. If your preferred retailer can’t place a special order for you, you’ll have to order direct from Japan, where the PO nib still appears to be available. You may get a slight break on price as well, but these days shipping costs will eat up most of the difference.

Disclaimer: I acquired the pen featured in this review from Dan at The Nibsmith for review purposes, and received a discount. Many thanks to Dan for making this review possible!

The Pilot Custom Heritage 912, shown here compared against a Write Notepads Reporter-style Notebook, available for sale in the TGS Curated Shop.

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Ink Review: Pilot Iroshizuku 100th Anniversary Inks, Bishamonten (Red) and Hoteison (Dark Green)

April 20, 2019

Pilot really puzzled me (and a lot of other people), because the company’s 100th anniversary was last year (2018), yet for some reason their “100th Anniversary Iroshizuku Inks” didn’t hit the states until March 2019. Better late than never, I guess.

The 100th Anniversary Iroshizuku inks consist of a fairly basic lineup of colors: Benzaiten (pink), Bishmonten (red), Daikokuten (yellow), Ebisu (light blue), Fukurokuju (green), Hoteison (dark green), and Jurojin (purple). As you can see, Pilot didn’t go out on too much of a limb here. Benzaiten, Bishamonten, and Hoteison are probably the most unique, whereas the others appear similar to inks already in the standard Iroshizuku lineup, though slightly different in tone. The inks are named to correspond to each of the “Seven Gods of Good Fortune” 100th Anniversary Pens, and if you have $30,000+ to drop, you can play the ultimate pen and ink matching game! (Or you can buy yourself a new BMW. Your choice.)

I like the label design - classic, yet still different, and the Iroshizuku ink bottle might be my current favorite. Bishamonten also has a slight gold sheen, which you can barely make out in this photograph. It’s subtle and will likely only appear i… — I like the label design - classic, yet still different, and the Iroshizuku ink bottle might be my current favorite. Bishamonten also has a slight gold sheen, which you can barely make out in this photograph. It’s subtle and will likely only appear in swabs or particularly wet writing pens.

The ink that interested me the most, and in the end, disappointed me somewhat, was Bishamonten . The standard Iroshizuku lineup doesn’t feature a “true red” - the colors that many people characterize as “red” tend to lean pink (Tsutsuji and Momiji) or purple/magenta (Yama Budo). So when I saw a new ink advertised as a “red”, I was thrilled. But while Bishamonten definitely appears less pink or purple than any of the existing inks, there’s still a pinkish hue, which is more pronounced in certain lights. I’m still holding out for Pilot to make an actual red ink, and dare I hope for a burgundy?

Hoteison is a green-black ink that has strong undertones of gray to it once it dries. The dark, muted Iroshizuku colors are some of my favorites, including Shin-Kai (blue-black), Syo-Ro (a dark teal-gray-green), Take-Sumi (a charcoal gray) and Tsuki-Yo (blue-black with teal undertones). Hoteison falls into this category, and will get a lot of use even if I already have a lot of similar shades in my collection.

Both colors are fairly saturated. They won’t appear washed-out. Like all Iroshizuku inks, Hoteison and Bishamonten are low-maintenance inks that don’t bleed or feather on most decent paper. (I’d still caution that Bishamonten, as a red ink, will hav… — Both colors are fairly saturated. They won’t appear washed-out. Like all Iroshizuku inks, Hoteison and Bishamonten are low-maintenance inks that don’t bleed or feather on most decent paper. (I’d still caution that Bishamonten, as a red ink, will have the potential to stain certain light-colored, porous, or transparent materials.)

Takeaways and Where to Buy

As always, Pilot makes a quality product, and Iroshizuku inks are among the best and most reliable out there. Bishamonten and Hoteison are no exception. I do have to admit, however, that the 100th Anniversary colors left me a touch disappointed. The two inks I reviewed here are by far the most interesting to me, and they’re a pinkish red and a dark green-black - not exactly imaginative shades. Regardless, these inks will sell well, simply because they’re special edition Iroshizukus, and if you don’t already have similar colors in your collection you can’t go wrong with any of them.

I purchased the two inks featured in this review from Vanness Pens at this year’s Atlanta Pen Show. Hoteison is currently in stock, but Bishamonten is sold out for the time being. Vanness has most of the other colors as well, and I expect they will get at least one other shipment of ink, though I have no insight into how long Pilot intends to make the 100th Anniversary colors before discontinuing them. If they interest you at all, I’d recommend that you purchase these inks now while they’re generally available.

Disclaimer: This post contains links to paid sponsors and affiliates. I purchased the inks featured in this review with my own funds, for my own use, though Vanness Pens did offer me a discount.

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Overlooked and Underloved: Three Fountain Pens That Don't Get the Attention They Deserve

March 9, 2019

The current fountain pen market can be driven to a large degree by hype, with new or “limited edition” pens selling quickly, only to have sales peter out as the novelty wears off and users figure out that maybe those “next big thing” pens aren’t the best for actual daily use. I’ve been as guilty of this as anyone, as some of what I consider to be the best fountain pens in my collection have unfortunately fallen by the wayside. Today I’ll take a look at three pens that have been around for a while, but don’t necessarily get a lot of attention on pen blogs and websites and social media. That’s unfortunate because all three are exceptional, well-balanced writing instruments that are generally reliable “out of the box” and available at most pen retailers. I’m talking about the Pilot Custom 74, the Pilot Custom Heritage 92, and, yes, the Lamy 2000.

You can read my full write-up on the Pilot Custom 74 here.

Pilot Custom 74. At the top of my list of pens that deserve more attention is the Pilot Custom 74. We did end up selling a handful of these pens in Baltimore, and these colorful demonstrators are what I consider to be one of the better bargains on the market. For $176, which is rapidly becoming the price point for many steel-nib pens, you get a sweet 14k Pilot rhodium-plated nib, paired with Pilot’s high-capacity pump converter, the CON-70. You can also use Pilot’s cartridges if you prefer the convenience, and they hold a ton of ink and last forever. The rhodium trim on this pen nicely complements the jewel-like acrylics. I own the blue version, and Violet, Orange, Smoke, and Clear versions are also available, along with two limited editions arriving in the coming months. Stay tuned!

I’ve previously written a full review of the Custom Heritage, but the orange acrylic version has become somewhat more difficult to find, even online.

Pilot Custom Heritage 92. Sitting at a slightly higher price point than the Custom 74 is the Custom Heritage 92, which runs $220 and pairs the same 14k nib from the Custom 74 with an integrated piston filler. One of the main reasons that I love Pilot pens is the mix of quality and price - with the exception of the Lamy 2000 (discussed below), it’s rare that you will find a quality piston-filling fountain pen with a gold nib for under $300. The main drawback to the Custom Heritage is the fact that it’s only available in a single color. At one point Pilot made this pen for the Japanese market in orange, blue, and smoke as well, with the different colors being readily available online, but those appear to be phased out and are not as readily available as they once were. I recently saw someone trying to sell the orange version for close to $1,000, which is silly.

Most people won’t notice that the Lamy 2000 fountain pen isn’t a ballpoint or a rollerball.

Lamy 2000. And finally, we get to an old standby that rarely sits uninked and out of my rotation for long. Talk about a pen that’s not “sexy” in the traditional sense: the minimalist, somewhat brutal, fiberglass design of this pen hasn’t changed at all since the 1960s, and it certainly isn’t going to win you any “likes” (or generate much blog traffic, for that matter), but if I were to open a pen store, you can bet that I’d stock these in all available nib sizes and try to push them on everyone who walked through the door looking for a durable, bottle-filling daily writer. Especially for an office professional, the Lamy 2000 gives you an understated, reliable pen with a large ink capacity that can get you through long meetings, hearings, depositions, or whatever your need may be. It’s first on my list of “workhorse pens.”

So what prompted this post? At last week’s Baltimore Pen Show, a handful of people came by the Vanness Pens table and described to me what they were looking for. In a few instances, the Pilots would have made a perfect match but didn’t get any consideration at all. I sensed a real hesitation to give these pens a chance, whether because they were slightly more expensive than steel-nib options that customers ended up purchasing, or simply because some people hadn’t heard of these pens before or hadn’t seen them online. Don’t get me wrong - if a pen doesn’t speak to you, then don’t spend your money on it. But one of my resolutions for this year was to shift the focus of the blog from merely following market trends back to highlighting those products that I love and believe will serve readers well over the long term. Sometimes the best option isn’t the newer, shinier release - it’s the old standard that’s been around for many years, for good reason, and you owe it to yourself as a user and enthusiast to give these pens a chance.

Six “Workhorse Pens”, from left: Pilot Custom 74, Pilot Custom Heritage 92, Lamy 2000, Montblanc 146 Ultra Black, Lamy Safari, and Faber-Castell e-Motion Pure Black.

Disclaimer: As of 2020, T.G.S. is supported by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.