Pen review: Pilot Custom 91 in SFM, the best intro to gold nibs
You can disagree but then you’d be wrong
For my American readers, it’s not the 92 I wanted to talk about today (but I might in the future, as we all know, as my collection seems to be growing exponentially). Sadly, no American retailer carries the 91. Naturally, I got mine off eBay, as one has to if they were to get a pen that isn’t generally accessible.
“But,
, why do you need a 91 when there’s a 912 and/or 74?” Decent question, especially with the color options on the 74 and wowness of the 912. Let’s talk differences first, and then we’ll delve into the cool factor and why I needPilot Custom Heritage 91 (mouthful, I know) is a Japanese exclusive, flat top fountain pen that “retails” for just around $100 (usually under, at least before the 2024 price increase; when I got it, it was closer to under $90). From what I know, it used to come in three finishes and nine nibs; the finishes being black, dark blue, and orange (that is not available anymore), whereas the nib options range from EF to BB, including the elusive “soft” nibs, such as SF, SFM, and SM. Naturally, if you want a blue pen, you won’t get all the options, but I dare say that the black and rhodium is the most popular model. The size is comparable to that of a 74, and the nib they use is the same, Pilot’s proprietary no. 5 nib.
Side note, if you want to go bigger, you have the options of no. 10 and 15 and 30 if you’re really rich, but if you want smaller Pilot gold nib, you would need a Time machine, as the only Pilot pen (that I know) that used the no. 3 nib was the Pilot Stargazer/Stella, which was discontinued several years ago.
Now, why would someone go out of their way to order a 91 when they can get a 74 from any US retailer? One answer: nibs. Plus, as it so happens, I don’t like the black and yellow gold combo; I prefer flat top pens, but I also — gasp — like some Pilot converters (not the Con 40, of course, ew), so I never cared to upgrade to the piston filler. What I am trying to say is that if you want to have a cool ass nib, you can’t just buy a nice looking 74, such as transparent red or teal or something else. You’re kinda stuck with yellow gold, and frankly, I’ll go for that option only if there is none other.
Just because my body needs sleep at 9 PM, that doesn’t mean I am really that old.
Pilot Custom 74 and since it fits, it sits.
Interestingly, my maroon 74 has a SM nib, despite it only coming in F and M and maybe B in the US. Or anywhere else. How? From a 91 transplant. I purchased both pens, swapped the F in the 74 for the SM from the 91, and sold off the 91. It was a pretty quick transaction, as people seem to actually like black and rhodium flat top pens (hope Pilot takes note, give us more colors and flat tops). I wish I didn’t have to do that, and that we could just buy pens with nibs we want, but what’s done is done.
Anyway, back to the original 91.
Pilot Custom 91 striking a pose.
My 91 is probably one of the first gold nib pens I’ve purchased, and to this day, I love it more than quite a few of its successors. It’s compact, reliable, and the nib is nice and mushy and to die for (if you’re into that sort of thing). I’ve never had any issues with it. I, for one, do not understand people who dislike Pilot’s soft nibs.
PSA, by the way: this is not a flex nib. It will feel like it, it will tempt you to try to flex it, but don’t do it. It’s not what it wants to do. Hell, not even Pilot Falcon’s nib is a flex nib. So don’t be flexing a nib that’s literally called soft and not flex.
The way the SFM writes is… otherworldly. It may make you feel like you’re using a stick of butter on a hot pan. It may try to get away from you, too, it’s that smooth. The SFM nib is not for the faint of heart, and I wouldn’t particularly say it’s a beginner nib. The pen itself? Sure, the 91 is a good introduction to gold nibs, especially if you go a safe route with an F or an M nib. But the SFM needs some patience and understanding in order for it to shine in your hand, and when it does… boy, does it shine.
Since it’s soft, it might be hard (I really hate what I did here) for some people to keep their hand steady while writing. I recently inked this pen after a few months of it sitting unused, and although it wrote perfectly immediately, it took me a bit of time to get back into actually using it consistently. Using it for the first time on very smooth paper, like Clairefontaine, might prove to be a bit of a challenge. Like ice skating. I hate ice skating.
But once you slow down and take it easy, it’s so rewarding, and my handwriting is super cool.
It’s also light, which eliminates any potential fatigue while writing. The diameter of the grip fits me well with just over 9 mm in width, and the slight taper keeps the fingers steady on the grip.
Again, resin pens will most likely not have your fingers run around and slide down the grip; in all of my time with pens, I’ve only had that happen once, when I actually stupidly purposefully stripped off paint from the grip section. However, that’s okay because I totally fixed that plus. And it was metal anyway. Good experiment. Reminder to self: don’t do stupid stuff you can’t undo.
Another thing I wanted to mention is the ink flow. Now, in my experience, Pilot pens are optimal in that regard, if slightly on the conservative aka boring side. Unlike my Sailors, none of my Pilot pens have ever written stingily. Again, I don’t have any B+ nibs, and the only dry Pilot pen in my collection (again, not skipping, just on the drier side) is my Metro with the 1.0 stub. The 91 is no different; the flow is consistent, excellent, and beautiful with whatever ink I decided to slap in it.
My current victim is Diamine Earl Grey.
Writing sample. Shading is more noticeable on a little less wet nib, but you can see it in the S of the SFM.
This is the perfect pen and nib combo if you want to just slow down and unwind after a long day. If pens were actions, this one would be meditation.
Some size comparisons:
Pilot Custom 91, 74, and 742.
As you can see, it’s quite similar to the 74 in size; and it will be a smidgeon smaller than the 742/912, and two smidgeons smaller than the 743, which I still don’t have, but am seriously contemplating getting (not in 2024 totally because I am doing no buy January/February/March/2024). I would love to compare the SFM on the 91 and the 743. If the no. 5 is this good, I can only imagine how great it will be two sizes up.
When it comes to next level pens or beginner gold nibs, you can’t go wrong with this classic; and then, once you’re comfortable and want to explore nibs, there’s no better nib to do that with but the SFM.
TLDR would be: the pen makes you write slowly and it’s super cool for how classic it is.
So, yeah, I love my 91. Do I feel like I need to upgrade it? I don’t. I will, but it won’t be because it feels like I outgrew it; I’ll upgrade it solely because I feel like a bigger nib with the same nib width will prove to be a grail that I didn’t know I needed.
What are your thoughts on a solid little gold nib pen, and why do you agree this one is super cool? Leave a comment down below!
Diamine Earl Coffee. Pilot Bananas. You thought we wouldn’t notice?
I also kept my 91 (black with rhodium trim) with SM nib and sold the 74 (black with gold trim). I recently inked the 91 after several years and was delighted again by the soft nib. Iroshizuku Tsukushi pairs well with the SM nib.