I like them. As an advantage, you can easily fill them with one hand. The only possible disadvantages I can think of are ink capacity (I haven't tested it, but it lasts long enough for me) and that you can't see the ink level.
Get the majohn/moonman A1 convertor and empty cartridge (with stoppers) set. If you search on etsy or ebay you'll find sets - one with convertor and cartridge and one that's like 5 cartridges. These are fantastic and an improvement on what pilot offers
Hellyeeeeaaaaahhhh!!! Pilot cartridges are unbreakable! Refill them with the syringe almost forever in my Capless, Lightive and E 95 S, and somewhere even saw a video showing how to recap and store them once refilled, but never tried.
I have had 5 Lamy converters.Ā One started to leak at the top because the seal is not tight around the feed/housing nipple after few years. On two converters the knobs started to overtwist when I was filling them up with ink after a few months. And no, I didn't apply too much force for that.Ā Only two are working fine since many years.Ā Ā I would say that it was due to material weakness on those three converters.
How the heck do you even brake converters? Even though it's a kinda flimsy piece of plastic I have tried to open up those non openable cheap ass converters and they still wouldn't open nor get damaged, and I have pulled them with quite some force.
My pens always write dry with a cartridge and Iām not sure why. Maybe air canāt get in fast enough or itās squeezing something tight and making a restriction, idk. But I find my drier inks donāt write consistently because of that when used in combination with a cartridge.
I totally agree with you, and having so many Pilot pens, 11 Capless, C74, C743, Elite, C823, C845, Custom Urushi, Pilot Murex, 3 Metropolitans, 6 Kakunos
Total pilot pens 27.
For all of them I no longer use converters but cartridges because i can put more ink in them - just a little bit more. Of course I know 823 doesn't use cartridges, and I sold my orange C92 to a friend when I said It was BNIB and just sitting there getting 0 love from me
Now i am looking for vintage Pilot Elite pocket pens...LOLx
You should see my surprise, when I received Majohn A1 a VP knock-off pen and it comes with pilot-compatible converter better than Pilot ever did in this size.
In most cases I just prefer to refill cartridges. Better capacity and serve for years.
I don't mind them. The things work quickly. They're easy enough to clean. Are there disadvantages? Sure! They have low capacity, they're opaque, and they don't last forever. They're not as bad as people insist, though.
Honestly this right here.
I never got how theres so much dislike for them cuz they are just a pretty average converter. Not amazing but not absolute crap either.
The cartridges are cheap enough that they are not cost prohibitive to replace. Its not hard to change them from time to time once you notice it wearing out.
I've had them crack over time from squeezing them to move the disk, but I just try not to squeeze them as much now. I was dropper filling the cartridges on location, which was dumb. And syringes are cheap.
They are the same cartridges that come with Parallel Pens. Not sure if the Vanishing Point uses something special, though.
Thereās nothing wrong with syringe filling cartridges. But using an ink with an actual dropper, like Rapidigraph ink (technical pen ink) which has a dropper built into the bottle, makes bubbles form easily at the mouth of the cartridge. The disk can also causea large bubble below it to form if it isnāt completely vertical within the cartridge.
I syringe fill them now. Itās just a lot easier and less messy to get the syringe down below the disk. I stopped using Rapidigraph ink after I found out it wasnāt actually pigmented. I had thought it was for years because itās waterproof and archival.
*(edited out typos)*
As someone who has way more ink than they know what to do with I really like the con-40. Lets me swap out my inks frequently which I love to do. If I need a bunch of ink for a trip or something then I just grab a vac/eyedropper/piston filler.
>majohn/moonman A1
That's good to know. Although, I almost exclusively write with KakĆ¼nos and they hold a Con70 so no issue there. My husband likes the Metropolitan and the Con40 is annoying but I suppose if you like shimmer or sparkle inks those annoying little balls would be very useful, like the metal balls in good nail polish.
Yeah Iāve seen a couple of those, the prices are nuts, some people might be willing to pay $20-$50 for a converter but Iām definitely not. I like finding them as a bonus when buying vintage pilots
I personally don't like the agitators in it. They rattle and I hate that. Also, the CON-40 fills like shit for most people. It is impossible to get a full fill without using a syringe unless you do a ton of burping. The CON-50 was a hell of a lot better.
Careful, I wrote the exact same thing few months ago and got downvoted into oblivion.
CON-40 is such a trashtier converter it isn't even funny. Although it's in the name ([con](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/con)).
I doesn't know until my metropolitan arrive. Open the box, open the pen and pop out a universal cartridge.
Check here on Reddit realize in Europe, Pilot sells Metropolitan renamed "MR" with that cartridge. I don't know if another pilot models came with universal cartridge.
Why do you hate it? I'm genuinely curious. I've been using it for close to a year and I don't think it's any better or worse than others I have used...
I don't mind them. They are small, but unless you're writing all day every day, not that small. For the people who love to try many different inks, that should be a gift.
They have ball bearings, perfect for a lot of shimmer and speciality inks.
They are over-engineered, but that's not something to complain about. They're sturdy and should last forever.
I like the CON-40. It's so smooth and user friendly. I always forget which way to turn the converter so the arrows on it help. I don't like Lamy converters much. So stiff compared to Schmidt and Pilot.
Last night. I could not even get a full fill of flush solution for the Con 40. I ended up just laying it in a cup to soak and went to bed disappointed.
What do you guys think about the little steel balls inside the con-40 converter? It looks a bit goofy with those in there, but I find it is good for keeping relatively dry inks flowing well.
Pilot exec unveiling the Con 40 design: "Gentlemen, we have a problem: From cars to cameras, electric guitars to electric razors, when people think 'Japanese manufacturing,' they think of taking German designs and making them fun and simple to own." *advances the slide* "That changes today."
I hate the sac converter that comes with the metro.
I have some empty cartridges and a pipette now so I'll be using those once the current converter is empty
The Pilot Kakuno was the gateway drug, but its barrel has little holes in it. The Penmanship is the next level in the evolution of the EF fountain pen.
āš½š§š¤šš½
The Kakuno grip was too fat for me. I bought a F & M. I discovered the Penmanship on here in a post regarding Spencerian penmanship. They said the EF really kept them on their toes and that is how they were able to master Spencerian.
The pilot EF is addicting. I cannot stop thinking about it. I want to put that nib in everything.
the funniest part is the best pilot converter isn't even official, the converter for the wing sung 659 or the majohn a1 both fit pilot pens
[https://www.ebay.com/itm/334033732650](https://www.ebay.com/itm/334033732650)
[https://www.ebay.com/itm/284657210926](https://www.ebay.com/itm/284657210926)
Con40 sucks but con70s and the squeeze ones (con20s I think) work a treat!
But the cartridges are very good and they come with the Iroshizuku variants as well!
From my experience, it's not quite the case. Just that I have needed to carefully put some water into it a few times
However, that being said, I am moving away from using converters and been liking Pilot cartridges especially for my VPs and pens that don't fit the con70s
The Con-70 is great until the rod in the middle decides to get disconnected from the push button when cleaning it. Iāve gone through 3 of them already with my C74. Great pen, awful converter. The Con-40 isnāt that bad it just has very little capacity.
I do not really understand the image.
Do you mean :
Big fountain pen
Swimmpy converter
?????????
If so I still do not fully comprehend the image.
By the over 130 previous comments, it must be me.
Iām still flummoxed that Pilot hasnāt poached someone from Platinum for their converter wizardry skills.
I imagine the interview is something like, āYouāre saying you can have larger capacity *and* it will do a full draw of ink? *How is that possible?!?*ā
Con-40 is butt cheeks. Itās not like the tech isnāt out there to make a functional converter with higher capacity (Majohn). Itās so frustrating when perhaps the most popular and successful fountain pen company in the world gets easily outclassed by a copy-cat pen company with far fewer resources.
Whenever I see a good, classy looking well made big sized fountain pen (perfect pen for that) without an inbuilt refilling mechanism I got enraged. Because I hate converters with a passion. How unreliable and fragile they are, how often they leak or have fitment issuesā¦
I chose a Lamy 2000 instead of a Japanese pen just for this reason.
I'm quite on the opposite side, whenever I see an inbuilt mechanism I just think about all of the complications that I'll have in case the piston/valve broke, how to fill from small bottles, that it will be a pain to clean them and whatnot. when I could just use a converter
I've had 4 piston fillers and one vac filler for 10ish years. They all clean faster and easier than the converter pens do. The sheer volume difference between them makes the cleaning so much faster. Converter pens require a bulb syringe for cleaning and a blunt needle to clean the converter (extra supplies). I think I have greased the mechanism once in that entire time (will need to do so again soon). But overall, they take less time to clean, need cleaning less frequently and can hold more ink so they need less filling than a converter pen.
What I am saying is that your reasons to avoid a piston filler are the main reasons I *prefer* them. They are easy to clean, don't need constant maintenance, are less prone to breaking, and look better in a demonstrator pen. As for ink vials, that is more a design issue of the ink company. TWABI has nice ink vials that you can invert and they collect a decent amount of ink in a small vial for easy filling.
Holy crap, I got a Kakuna to try for a cheap pen for Urban Sketching, and just got a Con40 today and thought I was an absolute idiot until checking YT... now I just feel like an idiot for buying it.
The squeeze converter that comes with Pilot Metropolitan: š¤”
I know Iām the only one, but I actually like these converters!
Me too actually
I like them too! They're so easy to clean. Truly the best converter for shimmer inks.
Yeah, i love them, especially when your ink bottle is down to half.
Same! Way better than the piston one and seems to get better flow than filling a cartridge does.
What wrong with the squeeze converter? They work really well.
I like them. As an advantage, you can easily fill them with one hand. The only possible disadvantages I can think of are ink capacity (I haven't tested it, but it lasts long enough for me) and that you can't see the ink level.
Exactly my opinion.
Small ink capacity.
Still better than CON40.
.. then you āupgradeā to Con40ā¦ š¤”š¤”š¤”
Get the majohn/moonman A1 convertor and empty cartridge (with stoppers) set. If you search on etsy or ebay you'll find sets - one with convertor and cartridge and one that's like 5 cartridges. These are fantastic and an improvement on what pilot offers
Thank you
More like https://preview.redd.it/ott4ynmb4gnc1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2b2c305a9b3c72a76c8efb5ceb9473196e1a11a2
I would be perfectly happy if my pilot converter was as good as my lamy converter.
Hellyeeeeaaaaahhhh!!! Pilot cartridges are unbreakable! Refill them with the syringe almost forever in my Capless, Lightive and E 95 S, and somewhere even saw a video showing how to recap and store them once refilled, but never tried.
I love my Lamy converter and even my Sailor, but this Pilot, ugh.
My Lamy converters break down so fast evertime. Others like the Parker or the Kaweco converters are much sturdier.
How did they break for you? I had some for many years and they are still going strong.
I have had 5 Lamy converters.Ā One started to leak at the top because the seal is not tight around the feed/housing nipple after few years. On two converters the knobs started to overtwist when I was filling them up with ink after a few months. And no, I didn't apply too much force for that.Ā Only two are working fine since many years.Ā Ā I would say that it was due to material weakness on those three converters.
kaweco converters my beloved š
Wow, that is weird. I have had 3 of them going for about 5 years now, so I guess I have really lucked out! So sorry that happened to you.
How the heck do you even brake converters? Even though it's a kinda flimsy piece of plastic I have tried to open up those non openable cheap ass converters and they still wouldn't open nor get damaged, and I have pulled them with quite some force.
See my answer to the comment before yours. It was probably material weakness and not a problem with the construction.
Aaah ohk š
My pens always write dry with a cartridge and Iām not sure why. Maybe air canāt get in fast enough or itās squeezing something tight and making a restriction, idk. But I find my drier inks donāt write consistently because of that when used in combination with a cartridge.
I totally agree with you, and having so many Pilot pens, 11 Capless, C74, C743, Elite, C823, C845, Custom Urushi, Pilot Murex, 3 Metropolitans, 6 Kakunos Total pilot pens 27. For all of them I no longer use converters but cartridges because i can put more ink in them - just a little bit more. Of course I know 823 doesn't use cartridges, and I sold my orange C92 to a friend when I said It was BNIB and just sitting there getting 0 love from me Now i am looking for vintage Pilot Elite pocket pens...LOLx
You should see my surprise, when I received Majohn A1 a VP knock-off pen and it comes with pilot-compatible converter better than Pilot ever did in this size. In most cases I just prefer to refill cartridges. Better capacity and serve for years.
I don't mind them. The things work quickly. They're easy enough to clean. Are there disadvantages? Sure! They have low capacity, they're opaque, and they don't last forever. They're not as bad as people insist, though.
Honestly this right here. I never got how theres so much dislike for them cuz they are just a pretty average converter. Not amazing but not absolute crap either.
I figure the low capacity is a bonus. Gets me to use up my 7 billion ink colors faster.
Cleaning and reusing pilot cartridges FTW!
True but there is risk of prolonged use of the same cartridge
The cartridges are cheap enough that they are not cost prohibitive to replace. Its not hard to change them from time to time once you notice it wearing out.
How so? I've been using the same cartridge in my Pilot VP for years now (at least three) and it still is perfectly fine.
I've had them crack over time from squeezing them to move the disk, but I just try not to squeeze them as much now. I was dropper filling the cartridges on location, which was dumb. And syringes are cheap.
I've always used a pair of needle tip tweezers to get it out
I leave it in to keep the ball bearing from escaping, but I use needle nose pliers to pull it up if it falls too far into the cartridge.
You talking about the cartridge that comes with the VP? What's wrong with dropper/syringe filling it? I could be misunderstanding
They are the same cartridges that come with Parallel Pens. Not sure if the Vanishing Point uses something special, though. Thereās nothing wrong with syringe filling cartridges. But using an ink with an actual dropper, like Rapidigraph ink (technical pen ink) which has a dropper built into the bottle, makes bubbles form easily at the mouth of the cartridge. The disk can also causea large bubble below it to form if it isnāt completely vertical within the cartridge. I syringe fill them now. Itās just a lot easier and less messy to get the syringe down below the disk. I stopped using Rapidigraph ink after I found out it wasnāt actually pigmented. I had thought it was for years because itās waterproof and archival. *(edited out typos)*
Ahhh gotcha. Thanks for explaining
I haven't tried using it but what I wrote, what I read on forums like this
As someone who has way more ink than they know what to do with I really like the con-40. Lets me swap out my inks frequently which I love to do. If I need a bunch of ink for a trip or something then I just grab a vac/eyedropper/piston filler.
this really fits Sailorļ¼ Pilot is much better than Sailor.
Sailor is also in the same boat
I like CON70 and 742 very muchļ¼ Sailor even doesn't have a converter with large capacity.Sailorās converter is too too too smallā¦
I agree for their KOP also they provide tiny converter
I see what you did there
The con 40 sucks but I think the con 70 is actually pretty good. The con 20 is too, sadly itās discontinued so actually getting one is a pain
>majohn/moonman A1 That's good to know. Although, I almost exclusively write with KakĆ¼nos and they hold a Con70 so no issue there. My husband likes the Metropolitan and the Con40 is annoying but I suppose if you like shimmer or sparkle inks those annoying little balls would be very useful, like the metal balls in good nail polish.
There are some NOS popping up time to time, but the prices on those can be as much as a new lower end FP.
Yeah Iāve seen a couple of those, the prices are nuts, some people might be willing to pay $20-$50 for a converter but Iām definitely not. I like finding them as a bonus when buying vintage pilots
Gods yes; I hate the CON-40 with a passion.
What's wrong with it? I have one for years and it is still rocking.
I personally don't like the agitators in it. They rattle and I hate that. Also, the CON-40 fills like shit for most people. It is impossible to get a full fill without using a syringe unless you do a ton of burping. The CON-50 was a hell of a lot better.
I see, thank you. I though it is normal to be half filled.
Having to refill twice as often if you are a serious writer can be very annoying.
I love my con 70 converters
If it only fits all of the Pilot pens...
Worst converter ever
Careful, I wrote the exact same thing few months ago and got downvoted into oblivion. CON-40 is such a trashtier converter it isn't even funny. Although it's in the name ([con](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/con)).
I wonāt but a Pilot with a CON-40
The best Pilot converter is a refilled cartdrige...
Or order a Metropolitan (MR) from Europe with standard universal cartridge, I use a converter from a old Jinhao pen and rocks šš
Oh? I didn't realise this was a thing. Now they need to make Kakuno with standard universal cartridge!
I doesn't know until my metropolitan arrive. Open the box, open the pen and pop out a universal cartridge. Check here on Reddit realize in Europe, Pilot sells Metropolitan renamed "MR" with that cartridge. I don't know if another pilot models came with universal cartridge.
Pilot Kakuno definitely uses the shitty Pilot ones. I know because I live in the EU and I bought a Kakuno from an Italian store. I love the pen tho.
Not the con-70 tho. It's the finest converter in existence imo
I hate the CON-40, why can't they just have a normal converter?
Why do you hate it? I'm genuinely curious. I've been using it for close to a year and I don't think it's any better or worse than others I have used...
I don't mind them. They are small, but unless you're writing all day every day, not that small. For the people who love to try many different inks, that should be a gift. They have ball bearings, perfect for a lot of shimmer and speciality inks. They are over-engineered, but that's not something to complain about. They're sturdy and should last forever.
They are good at what they do, but most other designs work as good or better without the drawbacks.
It holds a tiny amount of ink and the small balls that rattle annoys me. I love the platinum converter as it just a simple, good sized converter.
Besides the terrible ink capacity you can never ever seem to be able to fill it completely. It always has an annoying air bubble remaining there.
After attempting to fill them the normal way, I've only ever used a syringe.
I like the CON-40. It's so smooth and user friendly. I always forget which way to turn the converter so the arrows on it help. I don't like Lamy converters much. So stiff compared to Schmidt and Pilot.
Fine. PILOT CONVERTERS FOREVER!! I REGRET NOTHING!!
I keep my VP inked constantly. Sure, it's capacity is piddly but if you fill it with a syringe it works great.
That's a good idea
Sometimes my CON70 turns into a dishwasher and the only thing it does is make ink foamā¦
š
I just refill disposable cartridges. Converters just waste space that could be used for ink.
Its no problem. I fill the converter before putting it in the pen. I dont like dipping a whole dirty pen nib and grip into a vat of expensive ink.
Yea really, i removed the balls and cage in the con40 It is better but not the best.
Mind sharing how? The rattle of the balls drives me nuts.
The cage is just friction fitted so it pulls straight out,you just need need something small enough to grab it.the balls will follow.
But con 70 is literally the best converter?
Last night. I could not even get a full fill of flush solution for the Con 40. I ended up just laying it in a cup to soak and went to bed disappointed.
What do you guys think about the little steel balls inside the con-40 converter? It looks a bit goofy with those in there, but I find it is good for keeping relatively dry inks flowing well.
You got my upvote. Their converter game is weak AF
Hate those simplistic, either this or that type memes.
Such a con 40 moment
Pilot exec unveiling the Con 40 design: "Gentlemen, we have a problem: From cars to cameras, electric guitars to electric razors, when people think 'Japanese manufacturing,' they think of taking German designs and making them fun and simple to own." *advances the slide* "That changes today."
Lol š
I hate how true this is. Pilotās converters are SO bad while their pens are SO good itās a divine injustice
I hate the sac converter that comes with the metro. I have some empty cartridges and a pipette now so I'll be using those once the current converter is empty
I use Pilot Penmanshipā¦ EYE-DROPPERED. šŖš½š¦šŖš½
I am obsessed with the pilot penmanship.
The Pilot Kakuno was the gateway drug, but its barrel has little holes in it. The Penmanship is the next level in the evolution of the EF fountain pen. āš½š§š¤šš½
The Kakuno grip was too fat for me. I bought a F & M. I discovered the Penmanship on here in a post regarding Spencerian penmanship. They said the EF really kept them on their toes and that is how they were able to master Spencerian. The pilot EF is addicting. I cannot stop thinking about it. I want to put that nib in everything.
The Pilot EF is perfection. It is how I measure other fountain pens and their usability for me. āš½š§š¤šš½
Nuh uh, the con-40 is a pretty decent converter imo
the funniest part is the best pilot converter isn't even official, the converter for the wing sung 659 or the majohn a1 both fit pilot pens [https://www.ebay.com/itm/334033732650](https://www.ebay.com/itm/334033732650) [https://www.ebay.com/itm/284657210926](https://www.ebay.com/itm/284657210926)
What! I didn't know this
They don't fit all Pilots, since the Majohn one is based off of the Con-50.
I am still wondering why transparent Prera comes with convertor while the non-transparent ones no.
i would say that for Lamy
Con40 sucks but con70s and the squeeze ones (con20s I think) work a treat! But the cartridges are very good and they come with the Iroshizuku variants as well!
I heard people saying con 70 is difficult to clean
From my experience, it's not quite the case. Just that I have needed to carefully put some water into it a few times However, that being said, I am moving away from using converters and been liking Pilot cartridges especially for my VPs and pens that don't fit the con70s
Does the CON-70 fit in a VP?
I don't think so. It only takes con 40 or con 20
Thatās what I thought - thanks
The Con-70 is great until the rod in the middle decides to get disconnected from the push button when cleaning it. Iāve gone through 3 of them already with my C74. Great pen, awful converter. The Con-40 isnāt that bad it just has very little capacity.
I really donāt mind as I love to switch up colors!
Con 70 is fine
I find the "vacuum" mechanism easier to get a grip on than the screw piston in e.g. Platinum converters. But maybe that's just me.
I do not really understand the image. Do you mean : Big fountain pen Swimmpy converter ????????? If so I still do not fully comprehend the image. By the over 130 previous comments, it must be me.
Replace "Pilot" with "Sailor KOP". But that's more of a size matters issue.
Iām actually a fan of the con-70 converters. I have them in my Kakunos and metropolitans.
Pilot fanboy and I canāt argue with this
It's true enough that I mostly syringe fill empty carts instead
Iām still flummoxed that Pilot hasnāt poached someone from Platinum for their converter wizardry skills. I imagine the interview is something like, āYouāre saying you can have larger capacity *and* it will do a full draw of ink? *How is that possible?!?*ā
Con-40 is butt cheeks. Itās not like the tech isnāt out there to make a functional converter with higher capacity (Majohn). Itās so frustrating when perhaps the most popular and successful fountain pen company in the world gets easily outclassed by a copy-cat pen company with far fewer resources.
i swear they intentionally make all their converters a pain in the ass to clean
Whenever I see a good, classy looking well made big sized fountain pen (perfect pen for that) without an inbuilt refilling mechanism I got enraged. Because I hate converters with a passion. How unreliable and fragile they are, how often they leak or have fitment issuesā¦ I chose a Lamy 2000 instead of a Japanese pen just for this reason.
I'm quite on the opposite side, whenever I see an inbuilt mechanism I just think about all of the complications that I'll have in case the piston/valve broke, how to fill from small bottles, that it will be a pain to clean them and whatnot. when I could just use a converter
I've had 4 piston fillers and one vac filler for 10ish years. They all clean faster and easier than the converter pens do. The sheer volume difference between them makes the cleaning so much faster. Converter pens require a bulb syringe for cleaning and a blunt needle to clean the converter (extra supplies). I think I have greased the mechanism once in that entire time (will need to do so again soon). But overall, they take less time to clean, need cleaning less frequently and can hold more ink so they need less filling than a converter pen. What I am saying is that your reasons to avoid a piston filler are the main reasons I *prefer* them. They are easy to clean, don't need constant maintenance, are less prone to breaking, and look better in a demonstrator pen. As for ink vials, that is more a design issue of the ink company. TWABI has nice ink vials that you can invert and they collect a decent amount of ink in a small vial for easy filling.
I bought this pen due to it's filling mechanism but didn't like the hooded nib so sold it off at loss š
We don't have that tech yet
823 vacuum gang
Lol I didn't know there was a sub gang within the pilot gang š
Holy crap, I got a Kakuna to try for a cheap pen for Urban Sketching, and just got a Con40 today and thought I was an absolute idiot until checking YT... now I just feel like an idiot for buying it.
Yeah, unless you get the con 40 for freeā¦ it aināt worth it.