Pilot Prera Demonstrator CI

Before the Kakuno and the Metropolitan, the Pilot Prera was one of the cheaper, entry level fountain pen options from the Pilot range. It was one of my first fountain pens and my first was a plain white one with the standard medium nib. When I found a reasonably priced CI nib demonstrator, I picked it up because I had (at that time) not tried a CI nib before and it was a cost effective way of trying one in a pen body I knew I liked.

For me, the Pilot Prera is slightly more stylish than the other entry level models available from Pilot these days and I absolutely love the look of this demonstrator model. It’s a little more minimalistic and the solid colour versions are a bit more professional looking, compared to say the Kakuno (which was designed for children). However, compared to these other models, the Prera is significantly more expensive, so keep that in mind, because the 3 models sport the same nibs.

The standard nibs in the Pilot Metropolitan/Kakuno/Prera has long held a place in the top 5 for beginner fountain pens and it continues to be one of my favourite and most used today, so I was eager to try the CI version. My first impression was that it was extremely sharp and much scratchier than the standard by comparison. There doesn’t appear to be any tipping to it, so the experience quite different.

I also found the nib to be quite dry – I guess this must be due to the wider line width requiring more ink and the feed not being able to keep up with the flow? Its not as bad as the TWSBI 1.1mm stub I own, which typically runs dry on horizontal strokes, but its noticeable when using it. Since this purchase, I now own a TWSBI stub, a Binderised Pelikan CI and some Franklin Christoph stubs. This is on the sharper side of this small collection – not as sharp as my TWSBI, but sharper than the rest.

For me, I’ve since decided that the CI and stub nibs don’t suit my writing style – my normal (non review) writing is usually cursive and the experience of cursive writing, plus the look of my writing with this nib, doesn’t really appeal to me.

The demonstrator model of the Prera is stunning – I really love the look of it, even though I know a lot of people aren’t keen on being able to see the converter within the pen. I don’t think you can convert this into an eyedropper – there’s a bit of metal trim on the pen barrel.

In terms of whether the pen is worth it, well, as usual it’s a very personal opinion. Its worth noting that the CI nib is the same as that found in the Plumix which runs for much cheaper than the Prera and as mentioned above, if you’re after a standard nib (by that I mean a round nib – fine or medium) the nib is the same as that in the Kakuno and Metropolitan. I love the aesthetic of the Prera, but the Metropolitan, especially in the original 3 colour offerings, are equally professional looking. Its up to you whether you think the pen body justifies the extra cost.