There’s a lot of talk about the Pilot Metropolitan being the next great cheapie fountain pen. I agree – mostly.

It has a nice sleek understated look and could be used in even the most conservative business settings. There’s nothing remarkable about the appearance.

At under $20, it is definitely one of the least expensive, readily available refillable fountain pens out there.

The pen comes with a squeezy converter and will also accept Pilot cartridges.  The pen will also take the Pilot CON-50 converter, though I don’t understand why it’s considered an “upgrade” by some when the squeezy converter is equally functional and a bit different from other pens.

The cap is friction fit and it posts nicely.

The pen is a tad on the light side for me, but seems well-balanced overall.  The nib is ultra-super-smooth. There is very little feedback when writing – a bit like writing on glass, perhaps?  The nib is very stiff – no spring at all.

The Metropolitan only comes with a medium nib. It looks like a thin medium to me – and that’s fine from my perspective.

After writing with it for awhile, my hand felt a little tired. This is probably due to a couple of things: the pen feels a little on the skinny side and there is that big drop off below the barrel of the pen that had me adjusting my grip.

So, overall, it’s a good writing experience. Take the crazy pricing into consideration and  it’s a pretty incredible value for the money.