The Best Beginner Fountain Pen | Pilot Kakuno 

Pilot is definitely the best pen company. Solid and reliable.

The kakuno is just a great value pen for the way the pen performs you cannot go wrong. I am a little partial towards pilot fountain pens as i just love all the pens by pilot, none have ever disappointed me ever so far.

i love the graphic on the kakuno. The smiley is just kinda cute and i would propably put it on the more expensive ones haha

I bought a Medium one for my first Fountain Pen and am now planning to scoop the other two (Fine and Extra Fine). Needless to say, I absolutely fell in love with this pen. ❤️

It's the pen I recommend whenever I am asked. I have a few and they are really good writers and none have every cracked.

i have a fairly substantial collection of pens at this point, including around 10 gold nibs. but every time i use my extra fine kakuno i think “why am i spending so much money on pens that don’t write half as well as this brilliant little guy?”

The bubbles could also be water that gets into the grip section and doesn’t want to come out. It gets trapped just as ink does as well! Drives me nuts but it’s still a great pen. ❤️🙋🏼‍♀️

Love my Kakunos. I'm pretty sure those weren't defects or bubbles in the section's plastic but a bit of water between inner and outer parts of the section. I get that when I flush mine out and have to let it evaporate.

I have 3 of these little pens. I often put the ef nib in my Pilot Prera. Pilot just makes good pens that are well priced. I think it’s great that the Kakuno has such an excellent nib for the price.

I absolutely LOVE the Extra Fine Kakuno! I have pretty small writing and take a lot of compact notes in A4 notebooks.

I like the clear version with con-70 converter. Thanks, DB!

I find this to be an excellent pen regardless of the price. It works very well, no tuning, great out of the box. The ones I ordered (EF & M) both came with a con 40 and write almost as well as my custom 74 (not as good but this is the same nib as the Prera). It's just great value and a con 70 will cost almost as much as the pen. I like the design too, so why buy a better pen for my pocket.

This was my first pen, and its thanks to it I draw everyday with a fountain pen. I got a pilot falcon now and did inktober with it!

Great channel for someone getting back into handwriting and rediscovering fountain pens. Good work!

Perfect first pen. I think you’re right Pilot make some of the very best and most reliable pens across the whole spectrum. I should get my CH912FA back tomorrow with the ebonite feed fitted. Fingers X’d. Great video as ever thank you. D

Hey DB! Yes! I have pens costing $50-$100+, and this cheap Pilot pen actually writes on par if not better than those pricier pens. I'm trying to figure out how to get my Kakuno nib in a Prera body. Thanks again for your wonderful videos!

Same nib also on Plumix, Pluminix, Prera, Explorer, Metropolitan....Plumix nobs is on the stub side, M and F stubs from Pilot are amazing nibs! You should try them out!

I agree, and when you find the nib you love - get the prera ;) * I also agree that pilot is hands down the best all around FP company.

I have a Prera, the con 40 doesn't deserve the flack. It's a fantastic converter.

Thanks so much for this! I've bought several cheaper fountain pens as its all i can afford😊 i have several Jinhao x750, bought 2 when on sale for a few dollars, but they didnt work well so they semt 2 more, so, that why i have several... I'm over-explaining, sorry, im a mom amd im old and it seems to be a genetic defect in my family to overthink & over-explain😊😬🤦🏻‍♀️ i have a Duke fude for drawing that i love, but it is heavy. I recently bought another on sale, and they're all ok.. but i had to buy an extra fine to get a thin sharp line. The Jinhao i have only come in medium, but it's a fat one, especially with looser ink.. and I'm not sure how to tell which will or won't be loose and don't have the money to try a bunch. I like fountain pens, especially when smooth, because RA is eating my hands amd other joints alive, so they are very painful. But i love to draw and write cards or notes to people since i cant get out much😊 but holding say a Bic pen, mostly straight up and having to grip tight to press down... yea, my hands cramp and becoming excruciating after only a couple sentences at most :/ But with a fountain pen, i almost, if its working and flowing well😬🙄 i almost don't have to touch the paper, so i can hold it loose. Id thought the safari was the best go to to sketch or write, as far as always working, but ive read others that say no... most important in my current situation of recent radical health issues and my husband losing his job, i need to not spend money. I have a small bit left on a gift card, so thinking of this pen, and this color actually. Though it said Turquoise, hopefully its not just baby blue😊 I am wondering about nib size... i do want smooth, and to journal and write letters, but also to use it for sketching. Am i correct that pilot nibs are thinner then say Jinhao nibs? Like a medium on this pen would be like a fine or extra fine on the Jinhao? Or am i backwards 😊 I use platinum carbon black ink, or other waterproof inks since if i use it to draw I'd like the option of using watercolor over it. But i probably need to find a cheaper ink that is very waterproof. And a good dark, but not necessarily black, ink for super smooth writing. My pilot blue is crazy smooth, almost too wet. But I'd rather not a straight up blue. One day when .. if... i get to a point where I'm not sick to my stomach that were losing our home, like i am now... hence my total denial by way of my pen and art obsession😬... then I'd love to try more pens and definitely more inks and maybe mix my own colors. But, that dream land and nothing even close to my future. So, for now, a nice reliable pen that is smooth and comfortable is everything... well, and affordable. I know there are platinum preppys for less, but these have much better reviews. There's so much out there that seems a bit overwhelming. So i appreciate the help with the video. Hopefully my brain fog will lift and i can decide🙄🤦🏻‍♀️ though i REALLY wish the con70 wasn't as much as the pen, more actually. I'd like to have as much ink as possible, especially when sketching and out. But, i cannot afford both, not positive i can afford one😊 but... oy! Sorry this is so long 😳 i get nervous of messing up and not having the money to fix it and having wasted this little gift... hence a million questions. 😊so sorry. Thanks again for the help!! Love your channel!!!

Since the Kakuna is more likely to be used by beginners, they may not attempt to take the nib out as fast as someone who has the ECO - resulting in the possibility of more cracking.

I just got one of these in Papa Blue medium. For $12 this is a very nice little pen. Again just like the Prera, these seem to run neck and neck. I give the Prera the edge. No hard starts writes smooth, and keeps on ticking. I run a converter in it, that I stole from my Pilot Metropolitan. I want to get more pens for my money instead of something real expensive and be disappointed. I had my eyes on the Twsbi Eco but seems like too much maintenance. So far getting the Lamy Al Star. I am happy with my purchases.

I love this pen. I found the cap developed cracks after a year or so of daily use but I liked it so much I bought another.

Such a kind gesture. Definitely need to get one of these pens. It’s been on my radar for a little while.

It’s the best to get you hooked on pilot!

Congratulations, sir, on your wonderful video. Production standards are very high, as usual! These were wonderful when (especially when I was a youngling) - I used a Pilot Kakuno (or Platinum Preppy with a non-gigantic ink converter) with a CON-70 to write all my lecture notes and essays and such. Ink was less readily available back then so I only needed to keep one for blue/black ink and one for red ink and, shock, horror, I NEVER WASHED THEM OUT! I never had a crack on the Kakuno (or Platinum Preppy) but had a crack on my TWSBI back in the day … maybe the plastic was inferior? Less "precious resin-y"? It seemed softer … or maybe I was imagining it? I think only the original TWSBI was susceptible to cracking … I haven't had any problems since. MIND YOU - all you "PENfluencers" do PRESS so so HARD! That would cause HUGE FATIGUE and would negate the main point of using a fountain pen - not having to put also ANY force when you write? I would never be able to keep up with lectures if I pressed so hard! Thank you again.

I hear it's a great pen, but for a beginner I would recommend the Varsity. It's even cheaper, removes all filling considerations, and still lets you feel what writing with liquid is like. Just my 2¢.

kakuno is a great pen.. and a perfect fist pen. And, there is no defect (17:01), just some water in double wall in that section ;)

Even Varsity disposable pens have great nib, Pilot fountains have a great quality overall. The only downside of a kakuno imo is the lack of pocket clip on the cap. Thats how I usually carry my pens, So its really annoying to have a pen just laying there inside my pocket.

The grip section had multiple layers in it. Ink/water often trapped between these layers and there isn't any easy way to get rid of it. You either had to blow it out real hard with an air compressor or just smack it hard to force the trapped water out. Luckily, the pen itself is quite tough so it can handle a few good smacking.

Have the EF, F and M. Yep, love them.

Kakuno EF + CON 70 + Seiboku + Midori Cotton

Just got my Pilot Kakuno in medium today and I have been loving it so far. My plan for my next purchase is to get a good and affordable pocket fountain pen. If your were to see this comment, I would like to get your opinion on which should I get. So far I've been thinking about Pilot Prera and Kaweco Sport.

This seems like a better place for me to start than the Lamy 2K (from your other video). I'd love to see a survey of el cheapo pens for us bottom-feeders, upper limit USD 20, non-disposable ... like my 'free' Too Shiny For Ya job. Love your vids, regardless of price point, I watch 'em all! 😃 (Yeah, I've seen your "Cheap Pens/Crazy" video, but still ... I just can't put lots of money into pens.)

just add a Kaweco clip and a Con 70 converter. Nibs swap easily. I have the completely clear demonstrater version.

First, I LOVE your videos! Thank you SO much for bringing engineering into the fountain pen community. This has really helped me personally to know where to look when purchasing anything. On that topic, I have not been able to find those spring ink syringes that you use. Where did you get them?

I loved my Parker Vectors as my first fountain pens

"the cap not because visually it's stunning it's okay it does the job" ha ha ha, that's just so great! No wonder folks want to give back a little. GREAT REVIEW, enjoyed it from beginning to end. Not a inexpensive fountain pen lover/user, but I recently had some good moments with a Noodler's Charlie pen... (and you don't get much cheaper than that... 🙂) Thanks DB, you brightened my day and the Kakuno takes a con70! Who knew?

It is a really fantastic pen. The nib is superb, I have a pen with a Bock nib, cannot choose between them!!

I love your videos. Interesting, informative and best of all, entertaining! I purchased a Lamy 2000 in 1973 and it was a nightmare considering how expensive it was at the time. Constant problems leaking, lack of feed, plunger/refill problems. Lost count of the times it was repaired. I piffed it in 1990 and only now have decided to get back into writing with fountain pen and relearning/reskilling what was once a beautiful cursive hand. I've purchased the Pilot Prera and Kakuno for starters. The Kakuno fits beautifully in my hand and seems to be a joy to write with. Can you suggest where to go from here without having to go through building and dispensing a collection? I'd like to purchase a grail type pen but hey, do they really feel better, do they really write better and give better results? Can you suggest something that feels like the Kakuno in the hand? Does the Pelikan or the Mont Blanc really outshine and how ... where are the real differences, trophy value and snobbery aside? Many thanks in advance.

DB... If you want a little more flair with your Kaküno (or numerous other Pilots), get a Pilot Plumix... comes with a "M" italic ... and swap nibs. Also, PILOT Enso Plumix Calligraphy Set comes with 3 Plumixes (?) with Fine .44mm, Medium .58mm, and Broad .7mm stub nibs.

Ugly, but the pen I’m most likely to be using at any given moment in spite of have several I’ve spent hundreds on. The reason for that being I tend to want to protect my nicest pens whereas my 4 kakunos I won’t die inside no matter what happens to them. The fact they thought to manufacture a kid friendly fountain pen with cutesy faces, unintrusive trainer grip, and anti-choking safety that still manages not to dry out the nib-it just makes me feel good about being a pilot customer, because I feel like it says they share my personal values. No collection is complete without the whole happy family of kakuno pens in it. ❤

I really like the scientific aspect that include in your reviews! 👍

Just ordered one ($15 cad amazon) , cause you Vouch for it....Happy new year to you & family See you in the new 2024 year. Cheers

I love my medium nib Pilot Kaküno fountain pen. I use it for drawing my comix as well as for regular writing. Mine is a demonstrator model, so it’s totally see-through and the Con-70 ink converter lasts a very long time without needing to refill.

I have noticed that the upstrokes on pilot fine points are dryer than the downstrokes.

I have been very interested in the Kakuno, of nothing else to be able to swap nibs. Seems like a great writer, especially for the price. Thanks for the review.

Make a kakuno without the holes in the barrel. I would buy one in a minute! Love Kakuno but want to eye-dropper it.

❓❓ *@Doodlebud* ...is there a gold nib , that you can attach to these pens ❓❓

I agree. The Kakuno is overall a great pen. But, mine has developed cracks on all facets of the cap within some months of ownership. Lengthwise. They start in the middle of the cap and grow over time to cover the whole length of the cap. Never dropped or even posted the cap. The plastic is also very thin overall on this pen. I am sure you can crack the barrel and cap just by squeezing them a little between your fingers. A Lamy Safari feels much more substantial overall.

I love my Kakunos but they do tend to dry overnight, my EF even develops some small amount of inky gunk with Pilot black. They write great.... when they write. There are better options out there.

I have the clear demo Kakuno (the only one I care about) and I use the Con-70 converter in it. The Kakuno’s price is undeniably great value. And the pen is decently built and totally reliable. I don’t like the looks of the cap or the silly smiley face on the nib all that much. And the nib is just very underwhelming and unsatisfying as a writer. Which is what I feel about Pilot’s steel nibs, in general. I quite prefer Sailor’s steel nibs on their inexpensive ‘starter’ pens, e.g. Profit Jr. , Lecoule (especially).

Pilot nibs are the best!

Can’t post a picture, but if you could see my desk at work, you’d understand my love for pilot. Oooooo I love pilot. Yesterday my 742 black and gold with soft medium nib came in. Absolutely smooth as a baby’s bottom. My second 912 heritage came in with FA nib to which I installed the two channel ebonite from flexible nib factory. By far my nicer of flex. Have a few lower end pilot entry pens that I love. Especially because my seven year old son loves to work with them. He’s a touch (really really) rough on nibs. Just picked up another metropolitan black 1.0 stub. But have many gold nib pilots I find on eBay used for a steal. Only ones I don’t have that I want are the 823 pens. Want a nice fine medium but haven’t found one at a great price yet. Love your work. Thanks for all you do. All the best. Archer d

It's also good for artists

Thank you for this video. Do you have to clean it every time you use it?

Thanks for making all these great videos! I also have a Kakuno and find it to be a fantastic writer. being new to fountain pens though, I'm looking at what may be a good next step. How would you compare and contrast this with the Majohn A1? I've been eyeing that as my next pen.

my pilot kakuno seems pretty scratchy when i write with it, could that be my fault/do I need to do something to fix that?

Subscribing cuz you got nice hand writing ❤

Thank you so much for your thorough review. Vancouver Pen Shop is such a fun place. I was there a couple of weeks ago and I saw their new location. They moved to a bigger space at last November. I recently bought the Pilot Kakuno in Extra Fine. I draw with Platinum Carbon Black ink and I like doing finer details in my sketchbook. I also tried a Platinum Preppy in Extra Fine but I cracked the body when I tried to eyedropper it. The nib is fantastic on the Preppy. Are you familiar with Platinum pens? If so, what do you recommend?

1. I would love to see the internal stress on a Lamy Al-Star section, having shorn the threads off of two myself. My husband has done that to one AL-Star and one rollerball. WTH LAMY! 2. I would have sold my literal soul for a Kaküno when I was in high school and my only fp source was the corner drug store’s Sheaffer No Nonsense or a TERRIBLE run of Parker Vectors. Kakünos are GREAT. I have TWO. Because now I am an ADULT and I can do what I WANT! 🤓 3. I wonder whether the fact that the Eco’s stress points are somewhat localized, whereas the Kaküno’s are spread across/through the entire section might in itself mean the Kaküno is *less* likely to fail-like my bike helmet diffuses impacts to protect my brain if I hit my head. Different challenge, obvs, but similar principle?

So what exactly did you prove about stress concentrations in the Eco and Kakuno? A lot more stresses in Kakuno section with similar concentrations towards the free edge and little to no historical cracking complaints versus almost stress free section in the Eco and some stress concentrations but generally more people reporting cracks in their sections over the years. I am not entirely convinced if this is the conclusion so far.

I feel like the Kaweco perkeo might be an even better starter pen.

Most folks that are unaware of fountain pens generally feel that they are symbols of luxury and status. While I understand that there is a fountain pen out there for everyone, this one (capped) just looks like a crayola marker. I just can't get past that and into the merits. Appreciate you, Dood. Keep up the great vids.

I thought Platinum Preppy was the most beginner friendly?

Is the "extra" rollstop part of the injection molding process?

This is a great pen! It works well without any tuning of the nib, but even better with it. However, I have a few issues with it and I’m not sure if they are common or just with my pen: 1. The ink dries out quickly even with the cap on (everything seems to fit tightly). 2. The ink sometimes splatters when I remove the cap. 3. The inside of the cap is also covered in ink. These might all be due to one problem, which is that the ink might be leaking where the nib meets the pen body, but I can’t see any obvious leaks.

Interesting the resin bubbles didn't pop out under polarized light. Cheers!

Would you judge that the EF nib is as fine as a Hunt#102 Crowquill dip pen nib? Thank you.

Got me a $12 blue demonstrator that takes eyedrop fills - gonna try it out with the Baystate Blue kink coming the next day. Wish me luck! And truthfully, the best pen for beginners is a 12-count box of Pilot Vanishing Point dispostables.

Are the Pilot inks water resistant?

Can you please compare prera vs kakuno. Which do you feel is better

Hey doodlebud, I am on the hunt for that book but having little success. If you have a link to where you can purchase it, I would appreciate it very much if you'd share.

Pilot demonstrator pen grips like to trap water/ink inside them

I have xf and it's very scratchy

I missed out on the pokemon kakuno and so i will never buy a regular because it is an inferior product.

For the record, the name of the pen is 書くの or かくの (which means "writing") and the correct pronunciation should not have an emphasis on the second mora, and each mora is the same length. "ka-ku-no", not "ka-KU-no".

13:20 Tried this but somehow ink got in my mouth and now I look like a dracula with red teeth 😭

Anyone ever tell you that you sound like reviewtechUSA

While this is an excellent starter...the damn thing looks like a rectal thermometer case and every time I've thought about buying one of these...THAT is what makes me not buy one. Gotta love subjective POV's. 😂

Please don't make videos if you can not keep the basic right. The focus! We are here to watch your video. And you don't let us watch with bad focus. Better stop making videos.

I wouldnt recommend anything below the 32$ for the twsbi, 16$ for a kakuno is not worth it. You will want to get a better pen and this one will collect dust in the back of the closet. Waste of money and resources, if youre extremely broke, usr a ballpoint xd

I only wish they made a broad / European medium nib 🥹

Sure, resin, but is it 🏵️ 🪸 p r e c I o u s 🪄 🎎 resin?