Fountain Pen Idleness Updates: Pilot Metropolitan and Petit1

Idle fountain pen champs: the Pilot Petit1 and Pilot Metropolitan.

(See the original Metropolitan idleness report.) On Jan. 24, I filled both my Pilot Metropolitan and my Lamy Vista with waterproof Platinum Carbon ink. Today, 14 days later, both pens were clogged and skippy when I first tried to write with them, as expected. I tried holding a wet paper towel against the nibs for a bit and wiping any ink off. The Lamy required a complete nib flushing to get it flowing properly again. But the Metro was flowing smoothly again after only the paper towel wipe. It’s unlikely that I would go two weeks without using Platinum Carbon, so this test is mostly hypothetical, but the results are interesting anyway.

(See the original Petit1 review.) I didn’t have need for my Pilot Petit1 today (I keep it in my fitness-walking bag, where it’s rarely used), but the results of the idleness test I was running with my Lamy Vista vs. Pilot Metropolitan reminded me that I hadn’t used the Petit1 since I filled it with water-soluble Private Reserve Velvet Black ink on Jan. 12. I just tested it – and it wrote like a charm! No skipping, blobbing or clogging after being idle for 24 days. I wonder how it would do filled with Platinum Carbon and left idle for 14 days. . . ? Stay tuned!

(Updated 2/22/14: Check out the results of my test: Both the Petit1 and the equally cheap Platinum Preppy filled with Platinum Carbon and left idle for 14 days. Spoiler: They both did great!)

And yes – I did get a new Metropolitan – the Silver Python! With the stellar results I’ve been getting with this modestly priced pen, it’s very likely to give the Lamys a boot on my next Top 10 list.

(The winter doldrums are apparently as good for pen testing as they are for bookbinding. At least for this pen geek.) 

Updated 6/21/14: Four months after my Platinum Carbon test, I’m declaring the Petit1 to be my all-time idle pen champ!