Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great, smooth writing fountain pen!, January 3, 2006
I use fountain pens everyday, so I know what I am talking about: This is a great fountain pen for everyday writing -- one that you will not care gets lost or damaged due to its very low price (unlike the average (non limited edition) fountain pens, which can cost over $100 -- and sometimes much more). The Pilot Varsity pen lays down a great fine-to-medium line of ink, and the nib (IE: the writing tip) does not dry out too fast when left uncapped -- and the pen seems to write forever with its large internal ink reservoir. Fantastic buy; and with no muss-'n-fuss of having to refill the pen either! [One of the reviewers below stated that these Varsity pens are not "real fountain pens" but are "in fact ballpoint pens": This is NOT true in the slightest, so I assume the writer of that review must have gotten his pens confused, since all of the Pilot Varsity pens are absolutely TRUE fountain pens.]
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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shockingly good for a disposable!, February 3, 2006
I picked up a couple Varsity pens as a lark a few weeks ago. When I removed the pen from its packaging, I immediatly noticed how light the pen is. I personally am a fan of light pens. Heavy ones may seem impressive when capped, but I find them suboptimal for actual use; they drag your pocket down and cause hand fatigue after long use, or even moderate use if the pen is not perfectly balanced. Much of the point of writing with a fountain pen, to me anyway, is their ease and expressiveness.
When I posted the cap and took the pen for a spin, I was shocked! Frankly, I was expecting a scratchy, skippy horrorshow of a writing experience. Instead, I was treated to a smooth, reasonably expressive line of dark black. The point could be a bit finer. It's marked 'M', and advertised as "fine", which is reasonably accurate, as Pilot nibs seem to run to the fine side.
My only real gripe with the pen itself is that the "clip" is quite nearly worthless. The ink window may or may not be worthless, as well ... either that, or the ink capacity is exceptional. Granted, though the pen has seen daily use, it hasn't been *heavily* used, because of the one serious gripe I have.
The ink, though dark and reasonably quick drying, isn't even permanent enough to address envelopes, let alone write anything really important. I would especially caution against writing any checks using this pen! Granted, the vast majority of fountain pen ink is about as waterproof as tissue. None the less, given that the pen is not refillable (not withstanding the hacks some have attempted), it would have been nice for Pilot to use a more durable ink.
Finally, I can't help but comment on te inDUHvidual below who gave the very low review because "they are tipped with Pilot's trademark rollerball". <sigh> This makes it clear (as if the rest of the review did not) that this person has absolutely no clue about fountain pens. Virtually all fountain pens have a small steel ball welded to the nib. This happens before the nib is split, so the "ball" is actually two halves. On a cheap steel tip like the Varsity, it's not such a big deal -- it basically makes it easier to create a smooth writing pen. But on a gold tipped pen (as most are over $150 or so), it's vital, or the point would wear in no time.
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A smooth writer and a great pen!, January 7, 2006
I use fountain pens everyday, so I know what I am talking about: This is a great fountain pen for everyday writing -- one that you will not care gets lost or damaged due to its very low price (unlike the average (non limited edition) fountain pens, which can cost over $100 -- and sometimes much more). The Pilot Varsity pen lays down a great fine-to-medium line of ink, and the nib (IE: the writing tip) does not dry out too fast when left uncapped -- and the pen seems to write forever with its large internal ink reservoir. Fantastic buy; and with no muss-'n-fuss of having to refill the pen either!
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