|
By Mike Stevens You may or may not know the brand Pilot. Chances are, if you're reading this, that you do know Namiki. Rest assured, Pilot is Namiki. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that Namiki is Pilot. The founder of the Pilot pen company was named Ryosuke Namiki. When Pilot needed a name for their higher end pen lines, they chose Namiki. For the most part their entire product line in the US has been under the Namiki name.
The Knight is more than up to the challenge of being a daily user. In fact, for the price, it's one of the nicest pens I've come across. Aside from it's being just a bit thin through the section for my taste, it's a great pen all around. I hate to make such an obvious comparison, but the Pilot Knight reminded me very much of a Honda or Toyota.... Maybe not as "luxurious" as some of it's competition, but utterly reliable, and from an engineering standpoint, downright amazing in terms of value for money. The Knight is an all metal pen, both cap and barrel, which means that it's got good heft for the size. It's not a wide or large pen, measuring out at 5 3/8 inches long closed, 5 3/4 inches long posted, and just 3/8 across the section. It's clearly designed to be a "real world" pen, not a status symbol. The soft matte finish of the cap and barrel, as well as the simplicity of the trim make this a very subtle pen.
The trim is limited to only a thin cap ring, an inset disc on the bottom of the barrel, and the cap top/clip, all of which are finished in bright chrome. The trim harmonizes well with the cap and barrel colors, the Knight being available in Burgundy, Black, Navy Blue, and Silver.
The cap is a slip on style, and locks in place very securely. Posting the cap is also secure. It doesn't click into place as some designs do, but fits very snugly onto the end of the barrel. I'm guessing that this is thanks to the slight friction between that soft matte coating of the barrel and the plastic inner cap. The inner cap, by the way, is also molded to serve as the cap clutch, providing the click on lock when you replace the cap. A nice touch, especially considering the low price point, is the clip. It's a very simple design, a flat sided affair with a gentle curve. The real advantage is that it's strongly spring loaded. This makes the Knight very easy to put into almost any kind of pocket, from a thin summer shirt to a heavy jacket. The spring loaded clip is also very secure, holding the pen in place easily.
The nib is steel, marked "Pilot Super Quality Japan" I'll agree with that, it's a great nib! Very smooth, and this despite being what I would call a fine nib, even though it's marked as Medium. The Knight is a cartridge converter fill, and uses a simple press bar aerometric filler converter. Or Namiki cartridges, if you prefer. As an affordable "everyday" pen, the Knight is great. It will likely serve well as an introduction to the world of fountain pens for those starting out, as well. Given that very reasonable price point, and the obvious quality that's gone into the design and manufacture, it's very hard not to like this pen! copyright 2005 Mike Stevens Images copyright 2005 William Riepl |
The
Pilot Knight is their latest model and is being launched in the US under
the Pilot name. It's obviously being aimed at the lower end of the market,
with a list price of just $45 for the fountain pen. At this price, it's
quite a bargain. There doesn't seem to be quite as much attention paid
to the pens in this price range, but on the other hand, they do tend
to get rather thoroughly tested out when they do get bought. These are
not pens destined to sit in a display case!
In
that task, it's assisted by the fact that the Knight is not exactly
a heavyweight. At just barely over one ounce in weight, it's a comfortable
pen, whether in the pocket or in the hand. I found that it balanced
well with the cap posted, but be aware that the cap is weighted towards
the top. Depending upon how you hold it, you might find it a bit top
heavy with the cap posted.