Pilot Prera Iro-Ai Calligraphy-Nib Transparent Black Body Fountain Pen (FPRN-350R-TBCM)

Highly recommend this pen! I am new to fountain pens and just wanted a nice pen that was a pleasure to write with, but wouldn't break the bank. I had two misses with the Lamy Safari and then the Pilot Metropolitan, but this one is perfect for me.It has an ideal weight and a very comfortable grip. I can write with it posted or unposted. The CM nib is a pleasure to write with. It gives a nice line variation to my writing, but is suitable for everyday use. It is smooth and easy to write with. Pairs great with the Waterman Ink. Only downside is I don't love the clear body you get with the CM nib. I wish it was available in an opaque color like other Prera pens.Definitely choose this over the Pilot Metropolitan M that is ridiculously heavy - and especially top heavy - even when it's not posted. The M nib was great - smooth and easy to write with. But the grip on the Metro was very uncomfortable for me, and my hand felt fatigued quickly. Yes, it has a great look and comes in a nice box, but the writing experience was disappointing for me.The Lamy Safari M has a much wider nib that is less smooth than the Metro M. I do not enjoy the tripod grip and had trouble with it skipping. The weight was good though and is similar to this Prera.So, in closing, if you're looking for a great starter pen and ink that won't break the bank: get this pen and some Waterman ink and have fun!

I ordered this pen through amazon from a Japanese seller (Kamikaze). The price was much less expensive (under $28) than the price from US sellers, and the shipping was free. Delivery took a few weeks but it arrived well before the end of the estimated delivery time frame. It was obviously new in box and included a twist-type (Con-50?) converter and one ink cartridge. I ordered the clear pen with the black (actually gray) ends in a CM (stub type) nib. I am pleased with the pen, but I would not pay regular US list price for it simply because I think there are better values available at the list price. It's a very good buy at $28; a nice demonstrator pen and available in a stub and other nib sizes.This is a pocket-size pen, very lightweight and attractive, a transparent pen with silver metal accents. The steel CM nib seems slightly wider than the CM nib available on the Pilot Metropolitan and Plumix, perhaps a 1.0 mm or so, but I'm not sure. It writes consistently and fairly smoothly. No complaints about this pen, but I think the Pilot Metropolitan is a better value at ~$15. I like both of these pens, but they are different in style and material. They're both great pens. So far, I've not been disappointed in any Pilot fountain pen.Edit to add: I also ordered the more expensive Stella 90S (same as the US market Stargazer) pen through Kamikaze, and I have to say, I like it even better. Of course, at three times ($87) the price of this Prera, I should like it better. The Stella is also a small pen, but it has a 14k gold nib. I ordered the midnight blue with a M nib and the nib is very, very smooth, an elegant little pen. Had I received the Stella first, I'd have not ordered the Prera, although it's a good pen for the price here. Both are similarly sized, so I'd recommend picking one or the other, depending on your preference of style and price.

The stub nib has potential but needs work. My first Prera wrote consistently dry. I tried different ink but had the same flow issue. I ordered a second Prera with stub nib and it functioned worse. Black ink looked grey.I don't return things, so I watched some videos and attempted to tune the nibs. Under magnification, both had burrs left over from manufacturing and very constricted space between the tines. I flossed the tines with a .013mm feeler guage, then a brass sheet. After some trial and error, I was able to improve the ink flow on both pens to an acceptable level. I would not expect most people to go through this process. It is easy to mis-align the tines and it will take more skill to fix that if it happens.Stub nibs are not calligraphy pens, so set your expectations accordingly. This pen adds a little line variation to give your normal cursive some flair but don't expect anything extravagant. The 1mm tip is fine enough that even if you have small handwriting it wont turn your characters into a blur.For comparison, I have the Lamy 1.1mm stub in an Al-Star. and both the TWSBI Eco and Diamond 580 with 1.1mm stub.- The Lamy has almost no line variation and also writes quite dry. I suspect it is a feed issue, not the nib.- The Eco writes more broadly than the Prera and puts down more ink on the paper. Challenging for small handwriting- The Diamond 580, even though it is also 1.1mm is more broad than the Eco. Best suited to large handwriting.

I tried a friend's Prera with CM nib and liked it a lot, so I ordered one for myself. I am very pleased with it. The Prera comes with a piston converter which is very convenient as I prefer bottled ink. It also takes Pilot's standard cartridge which is an advantage if you're traveling and can't take a bottle with you. The CM nib feels like a stub and writes very smoothly. I like that it's closer to a medium stub - I'd guess around 0.9 mm, which is narrower than the stub nibs commonly found (like 1.1 mm). I prefer fine to medium stubs. Writes very well, and when the cap is posted, it's fits very well in the hand. A high quality, good writing, yet very reasonably priced pen. Recommended.