I'm going to have to change my handwriting style! I have easily, 24 - 26 fountain pens - the common thing is that they are all German made, and the nibs are all indestructible Bock or Jowo steel - broad, wet writers that feature Fine nibs (more like Medium).This is my first Japanese fountain pen, and Fine is more like German Super Fine. With no pressure on the nib and Noodler Eel Black in the converter, it lays down a wet line about .5 -.6 mm wide! The point is so fine it feels scratchy, but an examination under a magnifier shows that its nib is finely polished, just not as blunt as I am used to.Moderate pressure puts down a nice wet 1 mm line. I'm practicing varying pressure with my letter strokes. This is going to be fun!

A bit of a let-down.

The Pilot Falcon SF (soft, fine) nib is not so springy as I'd imagined. Out-of-the-box, it wrote more dry than has been my experience with Pilot E95s and Custom 74 Fine nibs. In fact, the line was so fine I magnified the nib to be certain I hadn't received an Extra-Fine nib by mistake. I implore you, don't let yourself be seduced by those slo-mo videos of the Falcon nib flexing away from the feed and the tines spreading wide under increased pressure. Yes, it does happen, but much less dramatically; in fact, subtly, I'd say. While you'll detect greater character in your routine writing, at least for me so far with two days' experience using Iroshizuku ink, the calligraphic dimension is not easily achieved. If that's what you're after short of a full-flex nib, an ... MoreThe Pilot Falcon SF (soft, fine) nib is not so springy as I'd imagined. Out-of-the-box, it wrote more dry than has been my experience with Pilot E95s and Custom 74 Fine nibs. In fact, the line was so fine I magnified the nib to be certain I hadn't received an Extra-Fine nib by mistake. I implore you, don't let yourself be seduced by those slo-mo videos of the Falcon nib flexing away from the feed and the tines spreading wide under increased pressure. Yes, it does happen, but much less dramatically; in fact, subtly, I'd say. While you'll detect greater character in your routine writing, at least for me so far with two days' experience using Iroshizuku ink, the calligraphic dimension is not easily achieved. If that's what you're after short of a full-flex nib, an inexpensive steel stub nibbed TWSBI Eco may serve you better. All that said, the burgundy Pilot Falcon is gorgeous and under-stated in appearance. The weight and length, posted and un-posted, are comfortable in my average-sized hand. I don't find the posting to make it noticeably back heavy. The resin section above the nib is comfortable in feel and dimension. I believe I will come to love this pen, just not in the way I'd imagined.

Elegant and Comfortable Fountain Pen

It was a delight to open the Pen Boutique package with my new Pilot Falcon Metal when it arrived. The good looks of this pen (specially its nib) are a motivation for me to write with it, but I also discovered that I can write for long periods of time without experiencing any fatigue. It has good balance and its weight is just right for me: not too heavy but not too light. The nib does have some feedback, but I was expecting that feel from a Japanese fine nib. The feedback is not a problem. Since it arrived, I have been using Diamine Oxford Blue ink with it, which I use for work but I also look forward to try other inks with this pen. I have not mastered the technique for using this flex nib just yet, but I am working on that now.

Favorite Pen?

Having previously owned a plastic Falcon, I knew that the nib style is really in tandem with my writing style. The weight of the metal in this pen was not as much as I expected it to be, but that extra bit of weight makes all the difference in the way the pen lays in my hand. It feels great, and just *feels* like a luxury pen somehow. Worth the extra dough to upgrade to the metal, IMO. The soft/flex nib style definitely isn't for everyone. For me, this one has just the right amount of give and resistance to provide variance in lettering with different strokes. The SEF for me is just about perfect. It doesn't feel too thin. There's a tiny bit of tooth to the SEF compared to the SF (I have both) but still produces a consistent line. I have the habit of pressing a bit ... MoreHaving previously owned a plastic Falcon, I knew that the nib style is really in tandem with my writing style. The weight of the metal in this pen was not as much as I expected it to be, but that extra bit of weight makes all the difference in the way the pen lays in my hand. It feels great, and just *feels* like a luxury pen somehow. Worth the extra dough to upgrade to the metal, IMO. The soft/flex nib style definitely isn't for everyone. For me, this one has just the right amount of give and resistance to provide variance in lettering with different strokes. The SEF for me is just about perfect. It doesn't feel too thin. There's a tiny bit of tooth to the SEF compared to the SF (I have both) but still produces a consistent line. I have the habit of pressing a bit harder than I need to, but the SEF won't tear the page and will only leave a slight impression if pushed to its limits. The SF is extremely smooth but obviously produces a slightly thicker line, but the difference is almost negligible.

Great pen but with minuses, too

It's a great pen and the nib is pretty much all that it promised to be. While both soft and extra fine for a fountain pen are quite a ways from what they are for dip pens (just compare the Falcon SEF to e.g. the Brause 515), for a fountain pen, the nib performs beautifully. Also, I love the weight and form of the pen. It's weighty but not too heavy. And the stubby form fits well with my smaller hands (putting the cap over on the end for me produces something that is both too long and too heavy on the wrong end). Two things I'm not so fond of are the converter for one and the overall feed you get from the pen. The converter is very large, which is great, but filling it as it is meant to, even after looking at the instructions on this website, is a pain and prone to ... MoreIt's a great pen and the nib is pretty much all that it promised to be. While both soft and extra fine for a fountain pen are quite a ways from what they are for dip pens (just compare the Falcon SEF to e.g. the Brause 515), for a fountain pen, the nib performs beautifully. Also, I love the weight and form of the pen. It's weighty but not too heavy. And the stubby form fits well with my smaller hands (putting the cap over on the end for me produces something that is both too long and too heavy on the wrong end). Two things I'm not so fond of are the converter for one and the overall feed you get from the pen. The converter is very large, which is great, but filling it as it is meant to, even after looking at the instructions on this website, is a pain and prone to putting more ink on your surroundings than in the converter. However, I'm now filling it with a pipette and that works just fine and gives a predictably good fill. The feed isn't great, though. Unlike the dip pens I'm using and even compared to some cheaper fountain pens, the feed easily ends up not being able to keep up with your strokes, producing strokes that fade out and in. And this isn't even when producing bolder strokes by bearing down on the nib. In fact, the opposite. Bold strokes feed just fine but somehow finer ones end up running dry easily. I've tried various inks but to some degree, get the effect with all of them. Something like de Atramentris archival ink performs worst whereas rather watery inks like Waterman perform a little better.Still, I'm happy with the pen and would pick it again.

Great soft-flex pen

This is my first soft-flex nib as well as my first gold nib. This pens writes beautifully on good paper. It does give a little bit of feedback, but it not enough to complain about. I still am trying to perfect writing with a flex nib to get the varying line thickness so I can't comment on how well the soft-fine nib does for that. Overall, this is a great pen to write with. It is not back heavy when the cap is posted, which make it easy to write with posted. The amount of ink the CON-70 converter holds is nice so you don't have to fill the converter that often. It took a couple of time to learn how to get a full full from the converter, but with a little patience it it easy to completely fill. I would highly recommend this pen if if you are looking for a nicer higher ... MoreThis is my first soft-flex nib as well as my first gold nib. This pens writes beautifully on good paper. It does give a little bit of feedback, but it not enough to complain about. I still am trying to perfect writing with a flex nib to get the varying line thickness so I can't comment on how well the soft-fine nib does for that. Overall, this is a great pen to write with. It is not back heavy when the cap is posted, which make it easy to write with posted. The amount of ink the CON-70 converter holds is nice so you don't have to fill the converter that often. It took a couple of time to learn how to get a full full from the converter, but with a little patience it it easy to completely fill. I would highly recommend this pen if if you are looking for a nicer higher priced pen. I'm glad I purchased it. As an end note, the sapphire color is amazing. It is not too purple and would be a great pen for anybody.

Hard to fault a Pilot, but ...

This was my first foray back into a flex-type pen after I almost immediately lost a Noodler's Ahab (which I suspect has become a cat toy in the cellar). I have small, precise handwriting that can be overwhelmed by a medium nib, so when I was considering buying this pen, I was trying to decide between a potentially scratchy SEF versus maybe a too-wet SF. I chose SEF, and I wish I had gone for the fine, because the SEF just doesn't deliver the drama I was looking for. To be fair, the Falcon is a gorgeous pen that writes a perfect extra-fine line, but the shading/sheening looked like any other Pilot F/EF pen I already own, such as the beloved Vanishing Point Decimo. I had to exert more pressure than I felt comfortable to get any notable variation on the downstroke, and ... MoreThis was my first foray back into a flex-type pen after I almost immediately lost a Noodler's Ahab (which I suspect has become a cat toy in the cellar). I have small, precise handwriting that can be overwhelmed by a medium nib, so when I was considering buying this pen, I was trying to decide between a potentially scratchy SEF versus maybe a too-wet SF. I chose SEF, and I wish I had gone for the fine, because the SEF just doesn't deliver the drama I was looking for. To be fair, the Falcon is a gorgeous pen that writes a perfect extra-fine line, but the shading/sheening looked like any other Pilot F/EF pen I already own, such as the beloved Vanishing Point Decimo. I had to exert more pressure than I felt comfortable to get any notable variation on the downstroke, and even then I had to look for it. I used what I felt was a foolproof ink: J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor. Because, hey, shading, sheening AND shimmer. Only because I knew what to look for could I spot the very subtle red sheen and gold shimmer on Leuchtturm paper (my daily notebook). As expected, the ink properties were nicer on Goulet 52gsm Tomoe River notebook paper, but only marginal ink variation. I enjoyed more EoC ink interest from a Pilot Metropolitan, medium nib--and, of course, the AWOL Ahab.What I wasn't expecting was this pen is a wicked leaker. After inking up, I gently turned the pen for about 10 seconds to mix the pigment, and when I removed the cap, ink flew everywhere. If you use this lackluster review to inform your purchasing decision, please bear in mind my lack of flex experience combined with my need to manage expectations based on using an extra-fine nib. That said, I am rather underwhelmed and hope this ink comes out of my skirt.

Pilot Falcon 2

Nice red or maroon color comfortable in the hand. It was listed as Fine nib I was expecting a Filne nib.It seems to write very smoothly, and the fine(not as fine as I would of preferred) line it produces is very neat and smooth. Great Con -70 ink Converter. The nib is sort of a cross between a Lamy style nib and a hooded nib. but really not either. Great value for the price. very high quality pen.

Pretty remarkable with some learning

For most, this will be a great buy! I believe this pen will be a natural enhancement to your writing without really having to think too much about pressure. If you hold pens with a typical 3 or 4 point grip where the tips of all fingers come together, it will likely be pretty natural. I personally feel I need more time with this one to get the most out of the possible line variation, but I like adjusting my technique to fit the pen I'm writing with. The way I usually grip pens can put them pointing about a 30-45 degree angle away from my wrist. It's a very neutral grip for me that lets me write for a long time without feeling stretching and tightness on the inside of my wrist or hand. But it does seem to make it difficult to vary the pressure in a way that uses the ... MoreFor most, this will be a great buy! I believe this pen will be a natural enhancement to your writing without really having to think too much about pressure. If you hold pens with a typical 3 or 4 point grip where the tips of all fingers come together, it will likely be pretty natural. I personally feel I need more time with this one to get the most out of the possible line variation, but I like adjusting my technique to fit the pen I'm writing with. The way I usually grip pens can put them pointing about a 30-45 degree angle away from my wrist. It's a very neutral grip for me that lets me write for a long time without feeling stretching and tightness on the inside of my wrist or hand. But it does seem to make it difficult to vary the pressure in a way that uses the bounce this nib can provide. The pictures are first what I think is the most common grip and the second is my default where the thumb crosses further back.

Pure Delight

I’m delighted with my Pilot Metal Falcon, which I have in Burgundy with soft fine nib and filled with Diamine Red Dragon ink. I had thought the Metal Falcon might be heavy, but that’s not been my experience, even though my hands are small.This is a pen for beautiful writing. Even though the nib isn’t vintage flex, I can obtain an amount of line variation that satisfies me. The “trick” that I use is to apply absolutely no pressure to the upstrokes, and then just a moderate amount to the downstrokes. Even using no pressure produces a very thin line, and the moderate pressure produces a wider line.I don’t usually spend this much money on a pen, so this purchase is a real celebration. I debated for quite some time before purchasing, and I am so happy with my choice.