Chris Gryder is a talented artist and a friend of mine (plug for his work here). A few weeks ago he was looking at one of my fountain pens and asked what a reasonably priced pen to start out with was. The pen that first came to my mind was one loaned to me a little while ago by another talented artist friend, Pep Manalang (plug). This was a Pilot 78G which is not only very reasonably priced (it can be had for $12.00) but delivers a fantastic writing experience.
Most of the credit to why the pen is so attractive goes to the bold nib. It writes more like a stub and give some nice line variation. In addition it’s a smooth writing pen which can be a rarity at this price point. The construction is robust and it comes in a number of colors (although, except for the red, they are a bit subdued).
I hope Chris enjoys this pen. Even if he doesn’t become a fountain pen nut like myself he’ll be able to sign his name with some impact. An artist needs that, I think.
They’re nice in blue and green! 🙂
These are definitely among my favorite inexpensive writers. The only reason I don’t give them as “starter pen” gifts: the bottled-ink only situation. Not that I mind, I use mostly bottled ink, but newbies are sometimes scared off by that. But damn, these Pilot 78Gs are some fine pens.
nice ballpen, might be very pricey…
Missive Maven: Yes, cartridges are easy and less scary. The 78G does take Pilot / Namiki cartridges if you remove the converter. That’s something I didn’t realize till just now. Bottled ink does make the experience more enjoyable to me…kind of a ritual. I also didn’t mention there is a BB nib available in the 78G which really has some line variation. A bit much for a newbie, though.
Jeniffer: It’s actually a fountain pen and not a ball pen so that’s one reason it costs a bit more. No rotating ball at the end and it uses liquid ink. There are cheaper fountain pens you can buy (under $10) if you ever want to try one out. I recommend giving it a shot if you like write things by hand since fountain pens can add character to even lousy handwriting like mine.
Thanks for the comments!
i’ve been wanting to get this pen and hopefully this weekend i’ll be able to visit a shop in manila selling NOS 78Gs. cheers!
Clem, good luck! Hope you find some. If not, always the internet. 🙂
hi tom! we went to the store, and yes, we got several 78Gs! i got three: black, teal, and green – all in medium nibs! only the red one is missing and my 78G lineup is complete. 🙂
Clem: What’s nice about these pens is they are so inexpensive you can afford to get on in every color!
You guys living in the Philippines can find this pen at Cosmos Bazar in Binondo, Manila. Google Maps will always come in handy for searching. Happy pen-hunting!
Hi! Are you a member of FPN-P? If not you should check it out since they have great fountain pen meetings. 😀