Pilot Kakuno Fountain Pens Reviews

Purple one is adorable and writes better than more expensive pens. A delight to use.

I got a clear Pilot Kakuno, and it's a great writer. I can see why a lot of people like this as an entry pen. It's affordable and writes wonderfully. The pen is made of resin/plastic, but its body feels solid, perhaps because of its hexagonal barrel. There's no clip for this pen, which I enjoy. It gives it a unique shape, which feels very cohesive and on-brand, what with the emoticon on both the nib and the branding. This pen seems to fill any need for a fun, perhaps even quirky, pen that's still extremely reliable and doesn't break the bank. (And if the lack of a clip is a deal-breaker, you might consider ordering a pen clip separately. I know that a bunch of people do this.)
Finally, a huge selling point is that it accepts the CON-70 converter, allowing for massive amounts of ink for those afraid of making it an eyedropper pen. (People like me. Because I'm clumsy and accident-prone.) There's a lot to appreciate about the Kakuno.

- Pilot Kakuno VS Platinum Preppy (for anyone trying to decide between the two) -
Between this and the standard Platinum Preppy (which I also got so I could try the two), I prefer the Kakuno. Its body feels sturdier, to the point where I'd even be willing to put this in my pen pouch whereas I'd fear that my Preppy would break and leak. Both EF nibs produce wonderfully thin lines that suit my small handwriting, but the Kakuno's EF nib writes thinner by just a hair and pushes it ahead by that much. All that and the fact that it's compatible with the CON-70 converter makes the Kakuno my preference, even if the Preppy wins in the price category.

The Kakuno is a great fountain pen for a new writer.

I absolutely love these. I have over 200 pens, but gotta have a couple of these. I much prefer over a Preppy. Great performance and a great starter pen. Nibs run smaller than typical and use proprietary cartridges. Make sure you have a converter or 2. To me the are more of a staple than “a Fun” pen, but still a must have.

I bought this so I can use the Pilot Colored Inks. This pen works well with no scratching. I like that you can see the inks being used so I can keep track of not putting another color of the same into another pen. The barrel is a pinch to large for me, but the comfort is still there. This is why I rated the Style a 4.

I literally own hundreds of fountain pens, of all different kinds and from all different eras. And although I love all my pens, I most enjoy playing with my Pilot Kakuno pens. I have dozens of them, and have paired each with a Pilot CON-70 converter. I mix and match the pen bodies, caps and nibs to create custom combinations that please me. I normally carry eight Kakunos with me in my brief case: a red cap filled with Diamine Red Dragon; an orange cap (Diamine Pumpkin); a yellow cap (Pilot Iroshizuku Tsukushi); a green cap (J Herbin Lierre Sauvage); a light blue cap (Iroshizuku Ama-Iro); a dark blue cap (Noodler’s Baystate Blue); a violet cap (Fahrney’s Tanzanite – discontinued); and a clear cap (Iroshizuku Take-sumi). All my Kakunos glide across every kind of paper, regardless of nib width (M, F, EF), and they are so easy to clean and maintain. I occasionally ink up one of my more expensive pens for special occasions, but for my everyday writing pleasure, I stick with my Pilot Kakunos. They’re the ones I would want with me on that proverbial deserted island.

These are such fun pens. I bought the EF demonstrator and the purple/white F. I also have the lime green/gray M. Now I have a complete set of smiley face nibs! The EF demonstrator is really cute, but a the nib is a little sharp - not so much scratchy as prone to digging into your cheap office paper if you don't pay attention. On the up side, it lays down a crisp fine line so I can cram tiny notes in tiny places. Yay! And who doesn't love a demonstrator? The purple/white F writes beautifully without digging into the paper and isn't too broad. The low price point and snap caps make these awesome pens for carrying around in my bag. When I first saw these pens, I was underwhelmed with the aesthetics, but they grew on me with use. Super comfortable, excellent performance and really affordable. Fantastic!

Great starter pens for kids. Gave them as gifts for a neighbor's kids and they love them.

It's nice to be able to get a great Pilot nib at the fraction of the price, and another bonus with the Kakuno is that you can use the Pilot CON-70 converter with it, which is the highest ink capacity converter that Pilot provides. So you can't go wrong with a Pilot Kakuno as an everyday writer.

Best fountain pen in this price point. Writes smooth. This is the fountain pen I keep in my purse. I have also gifted one to my 7 year old niece who loves it.

Don't be fooled, it is not just for kids or beginners! I only wish it did not need proprietary cartridges, but you can get around this with a converter.

The smiley fave makes me smile.