I really enjoy your reviews! How would you compare the writing experience of the Custom 74 against the Pelikan M200? I am eyeing out both models and prefer the look and ink capacity of the Pelikan's piston fill and do not care about gold nibs at all but do like Pilot's CON-70 converter as well. I like smooth writing with a touch of feedback and I prefer a nail nib over flex. Cheers
Homem das Taças thanks for your kind words! Going from your needs, the short answer is: go for the M200. It seems like you prefer most attributes of the M200 anyways (ink capacity, look, steel nib) plus the nib of the Custom 74 is far from a nail. It isn’t flex either, but definitely a very soft and springy writer that requires a light touch, otherwise you end up with unwanted (minimal but noticeable) line variation.
@@Scrivelynotesthank you very much for your reply! I am also weighting pros and cons of other models such as Platinum 3376 Century but I think the Pelikan is a winner in my book, as you say. It will surely be a nice Christmas present for myself :)
What did you do to make it wet? I got my Fine C74 two days ago and it's too dry to my liking (using Pilot Namiki Black cartridge). Also, do you think switching to a converter (con 70) would help with the flow? Thanks!
Yonathan Zarkovian i just opened up the tines a little. There are videos on RUclips on how to do that. Technically, cartridge or converter shouldn’t make a difference in flow, but you can always try and experiment.
Thank you. Not an easy question. But if I really could keep only one of these two, it would be the Platinum. I find the 3776 a bit wider in the section, hence more comfortable to hold. I also find the cap/body proportions more aesthetically pleasing. I find the larger nib of the Platinum more appropriate (the C74 nib is a small nib), and also the stiff/rigid nib of the Century is a lot easier to handle and more consistant in line width since its not so pressure sensitive. Also the price of the the 3776 is better.
nice review. i would say that the bigger brother of the custom 74 would be the custom 742 (#10 size nib) which has also bigger body and not the 823. the nib on the 823 is #15 and it is quite bigger than the nib on the custom 74.
Regarding Japanese nibs... I have a vanishing point with a F bib. The nib is super smooth, incredible for such a fine nib, but the nib is so fine, and dry, I do NOT enjoy it at all.I tried improving it but could not get it to do much... I am considering changing out the internals for a Medium or broad.
IAT1964 sorry to hear. I also have an F VP. The line is fine, but not that fine. The F on this C74 for instance is considerably finer! Also, it is not dry at all. So I suspect a problem with the nib/feed. Maybe get it exchanged where you bought it and see if at the same time they could swap to M/B at the same time? Also, you could send it off to a nibmeister/-smith for tuning. Should be cheaper than whole new internals.
I love Pilot pens, but have yet to try a 74. I really like the look of this "Black Smoke" and see one in my future. I find Pilot nibs to be second only to those of OMAS. As I've often said, what Pilot may lack in visual appeal they more than make up in writing performance. They get my highest recommendation. Thank you for another fine review, Scrively.
I have the Custom 74 in solid black with gold trim and a Soft Fine nib which is a very nice writer, but I wish the body was a little bigger in diameter. Here in the U.S. we can save quite a bit on cost buying from Japan, and the Chinese pens are practically free, lol. But the cost of many European makes from dealers here is way too high.
I have the Custom Heritage 912 with the FA Falcon nib which feels larger in hand, but I don't really care for that nib. I think the Soft Fine on the 74 is a more practical performer for daily use. For larger bodied pens I really prefer the ones by Edison Pen and Franklin-Christoph since you can get a wide variety of styles, materials and nibs.
Another great review - love the details you cover in your presentation. I find as well that Pilot nibs EF and F arrive writing dry and the tines need to be opened. I'm always concerned about the process of opening the nib but it is necessary.
Thank you for you comment again! Yes, it is always a bit delicate and also quite some work at times. The one right here took me over 2 hours to get the way I wanted it.
It would seem, Michael, that every Pilot fountain pen review you do, I am becoming more & more fascinated by this brand. I do own a 78G - which is (also) a very smooth writing experience, along with a Pilot Parallel (for design purposes), but other than that, negligible use of (their) more mainstream fountain pens; I think it's time that I discovered range, properly. Thank you for such an enlightening presentation :D
this is the most correct way to handle Custom 74 I think, I finally got two of them, in EF and F, and them writing dry out of the box or very terrible up strokes being the norm, is normal and factory tune, 'to facilitate Japanese writing 'flex'' as Pilot describes, but this tune has been found to be rather easily broken in, as Scrively didn't push so far like getting even to broad thickness to achieve that, and perhaps this quick-to-change tune even causing inconsistent reviews, from very wet and thick, to that highly problematic(for what is common about writing with fountain pen) Why do people rate Pilot Custom nibs so highly when they are always designed to write like that is strange, but I think, its the way the nib profile was shaped that allows the gold content to do its more expected job as a gold nib, to bounce and widen. it is the most curved/tubular out of 3 Japanese pen makers, where Platinum is the flattest with its 3776. By lengthening/enlarging the nib such as no 10, 15, this is more to facilitate, actually less of the drastic widening effect from shorter nibs, as pilot calls it 'more stable', and as we can have proof of it that Falcon nib from 742/no.10 has way more drastic line variety than Falcon from 743/no.15
Jazmar they are excellent pens. Unfortunately I heard too often about nib issues. If you wanna avoid risks, I'd recommend an official trusted seller where you could return/exchange - unless you'd be able to fix nib issues yourself, that is
I've been writing with the Custom 74 for a week and I no longer want to use any of my other pens. I got the clear demonstrator with a fine nib. The nib is smooth, the section is very comfortable, the plastic feels durable but very lightweight. When using the con-70 converter the pen is well balanced. I like the soft click when posting the cap. I've been taking lots of notes as I prepare for school to begin and writing with this pen has been so enjoyable.
Well, you can customize it, if you get it from Japan. The "Custom" pens have 14 different nibs for the 74 and the 91, and 15 different nibs for the larger ones, the 742, 743, 823, and 912. My Custom 74 has a Soft Fine nib, which I actually got on Amazon from a Japanese seller. It was $82, which is absolutely ridiculous for a pen of this quality.
I really enjoy your reviews! How would you compare the writing experience of the Custom 74 against the Pelikan M200? I am eyeing out both models and prefer the look and ink capacity of the Pelikan's piston fill and do not care about gold nibs at all but do like Pilot's CON-70 converter as well. I like smooth writing with a touch of feedback and I prefer a nail nib over flex. Cheers
Homem das Taças thanks for your kind words! Going from your needs, the short answer is: go for the M200. It seems like you prefer most attributes of the M200 anyways (ink capacity, look, steel nib) plus the nib of the Custom 74 is far from a nail. It isn’t flex either, but definitely a very soft and springy writer that requires a light touch, otherwise you end up with unwanted (minimal but noticeable) line variation.
@@Scrivelynotesthank you very much for your reply! I am also weighting pros and cons of other models such as Platinum 3376 Century but I think the Pelikan is a winner in my book, as you say. It will surely be a nice Christmas present for myself :)
Homem das Taças hope you will like it!
What did you do to make it wet? I got my Fine C74 two days ago and it's too dry to my liking (using Pilot Namiki Black cartridge). Also, do you think switching to a converter (con 70) would help with the flow? Thanks!
Yonathan Zarkovian i just opened up the tines a little. There are videos on RUclips on how to do that. Technically, cartridge or converter shouldn’t make a difference in flow, but you can always try and experiment.
Great review! I am trying to decide between this pen and the Platinum 3776 Century. Which would you recommend? Thank you!
Thank you. Not an easy question. But if I really could keep only one of these two, it would be the Platinum. I find the 3776 a bit wider in the section, hence more comfortable to hold. I also find the cap/body proportions more aesthetically pleasing. I find the larger nib of the Platinum more appropriate (the C74 nib is a small nib), and also the stiff/rigid nib of the Century is a lot easier to handle and more consistant in line width since its not so pressure sensitive. Also the price of the the 3776 is better.
Scrively thank you!
nice review. i would say that the bigger brother of the custom 74 would be the custom 742 (#10 size nib) which has also bigger body and not the 823. the nib on the 823 is #15 and it is quite bigger than the nib on the custom 74.
Fotis Papadopoulos thanks for the pointer. Yes, you are right. I haven't had that pen on the radar at that moment
There is also a Pilot Custom 743 with #15 size nib. For those interested.
Regarding Japanese nibs... I have a vanishing point with a F bib. The nib is super smooth, incredible for such a fine nib, but the nib is so fine, and dry, I do NOT enjoy it at all.I tried improving it but could not get it to do much... I am considering changing out the internals for a Medium or broad.
IAT1964 sorry to hear. I also have an F VP. The line is fine, but not that fine. The F on this C74 for instance is considerably finer! Also, it is not dry at all. So I suspect a problem with the nib/feed. Maybe get it exchanged where you bought it and see if at the same time they could swap to M/B at the same time? Also, you could send it off to a nibmeister/-smith for tuning. Should be cheaper than whole new internals.
Hi Scrively. Where did you buy yours from? Every other video on the Custom 74 shows different packaging. Great review as always.
Thank you! I got mine from Pilot in Switzerland - and I do believe they ordered it from Japan themselves.
I love Pilot pens, but have yet to try a 74. I really like the look of this "Black Smoke" and see one in my future. I find Pilot nibs to be second only to those of OMAS. As I've often said, what Pilot may lack in visual appeal they more than make up in writing performance. They get my highest recommendation. Thank you for another fine review, Scrively.
Thanks for your comment. It is a really nice pen, indeed!
I have the Custom 74 in solid black with gold trim and a Soft Fine nib which is a very nice writer, but I wish the body was a little bigger in diameter. Here in the U.S. we can save quite a bit on cost buying from Japan, and the Chinese pens are practically free, lol. But the cost of many European makes from dealers here is way too high.
CHRIS LJ maybe look into a 742 or 823? These have larger bodies.
I have the Custom Heritage 912 with the FA Falcon nib which feels larger in hand, but I don't really care for that nib. I think the Soft Fine on the 74 is a more practical performer for daily use. For larger bodied pens I really prefer the ones by Edison Pen and Franklin-Christoph since you can get a wide variety of styles, materials and nibs.
what were the nib adjustment you did?
opening up the tines a bit
@@Scrivelynotes i'm doing it but a little a time. in your case, the up strokes wer a lot skippy than the down ones? i'm a lafty handed as well :P
Fly HIGH SIM i can’t really remember right now. Too long time ago
Another great review - love the details you cover in your presentation. I find as well that Pilot nibs EF and F arrive writing dry and the tines need to be opened. I'm always concerned about the process of opening the nib but it is necessary.
Thank you for you comment again! Yes, it is always a bit delicate and also quite some work at times. The one right here took me over 2 hours to get the way I wanted it.
@@Scrivelynotes Thanks for this nice review. IMHO, it would be helpful if you could talk about how you went about making the nib write wetter.
SN thanks! Guess that would have made the review too long, but there are plenty of videos on RUclips on how to make a nib write wetter.
It would seem, Michael, that every Pilot fountain pen review you do, I am becoming more & more fascinated by this brand. I do own a 78G - which is (also) a very smooth writing experience, along with a Pilot Parallel (for design purposes), but other than that, negligible use of (their) more mainstream fountain pens; I think it's time that I discovered range, properly.
Thank you for such an enlightening presentation :D
this is the most correct way to handle Custom 74 I think, I finally got two of them, in EF and F, and them writing dry out of the box or very terrible up strokes being the norm, is normal and factory tune, 'to facilitate Japanese writing 'flex'' as Pilot describes, but this tune has been found to be rather easily broken in, as Scrively didn't push so far like getting even to broad thickness to achieve that, and perhaps this quick-to-change tune even causing inconsistent reviews, from very wet and thick, to that highly problematic(for what is common about writing with fountain pen)
Why do people rate Pilot Custom nibs so highly when they are always designed to write like that is strange, but I think, its the way the nib profile was shaped that allows the gold content to do its more expected job as a gold nib, to bounce and widen. it is the most curved/tubular out of 3 Japanese pen makers, where Platinum is the flattest with its 3776. By lengthening/enlarging the nib such as no 10, 15, this is more to facilitate, actually less of the drastic widening effect from shorter nibs, as pilot calls it 'more stable', and as we can have proof of it that Falcon nib from 742/no.10 has way more drastic line variety than Falcon from 743/no.15
Pilot is the best writting instrument i have ever owed :)
Thanks for the video. I've been wanting one of these for a while.
Jazmar they are excellent pens. Unfortunately I heard too often about nib issues. If you wanna avoid risks, I'd recommend an official trusted seller where you could return/exchange - unless you'd be able to fix nib issues yourself, that is
Thank you for the detailed review. I have ordered a Custom 74 and am waiting for it to arrive.
gadgetstop321 great, thanks! Let me know how you like it after you’ve used it for a while
I've been writing with the Custom 74 for a week and I no longer want to use any of my other pens. I got the clear demonstrator with a fine nib. The nib is smooth, the section is very comfortable, the plastic feels durable but very lightweight. When using the con-70 converter the pen is well balanced. I like the soft click when posting the cap. I've been taking lots of notes as I prepare for school to begin and writing with this pen has been so enjoyable.
gadgetstop321 thanks for your feedback! Happy to hear you enjoy the pen that much!
yes, its VERY confusing
a Custom Pen that you can't customise.
a Heritage pen that is modern.
Falcon nib but doesnt come with Falcon pen
hahaha
mae chia lol 😊
Well, you can customize it, if you get it from Japan. The "Custom" pens have 14 different nibs for the 74 and the 91, and 15 different nibs for the larger ones, the 742, 743, 823, and 912. My Custom 74 has a Soft Fine nib, which I actually got on Amazon from a Japanese seller. It was $82, which is absolutely ridiculous for a pen of this quality.
very true ! guess they were just kidding.
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