The Well-Appointed Desk

While at the On the Paper Trail LIVE event I saw the Chanomegumi collection from Pilot including pens and wraps themed around tea. I saw the Light Green and it was like a siren song from across the ballroom for me. It’s lighter and more citrusy than the original Metro Pop in Green. Must. Have. The. Green!

This collection is called Chanomegumi which means “the blessing of tea and features 3 color ways with a fountain pen, ballpoint and coordinating pen sleeves.

The coordinating leather pen case/wrap was crafted from LEZZA BOTANICA®, a leather material that incorporates recycled tea grounds. These leather sleeves are quite expensive for the Metropolitan line (approx. $120 per sleeve) but the colors are lovely and the idea that the material is tea infused somehow is fascinating.

Whenever I write with a Metropolitan, I am reminded of what a fabulous writing experience these pens are. The steel nib is firm but smooth, even in the Japanese fine nibs. The build of the metal barrel is sturdy without feeling overly heavy.

I have other pens in my collection that look more premium, fancier or more aesthetic but I am hard pressed to think of another pen with a better writing experience. Damn you, Pilot for making an excellent pen.

The pens are considerably more expensive than the standard Metropolitans as well. I purchased mine from The Gentleman Stationer for about $68US — essentially twice the price of the standard Metropolitans. The nib is exactly the same as my older Metro Pop but the Chanomegumi did ship with a CON-40 which is a about an $8 retail upgrade to the squeeze filling Con-B that shiipped with the Metro Pop. So, if this pen had been marginally more expensive for the converter upgrade (even though both the Con-40 and Con-B are the same price online if purchased individually, but stay with me here…) pricing the Chanomegumi pens at $40 or so would be acceptable. However, DOUBLE the price is ridiculous for any reason other than “I must have that color”.

That said, when I compare the Pilot Metropolitan nib and build quality, to other fountain pens with similar specs from reputable brands (Sailor, Platinum, etc) even at $68, the Chanomegumi pens hold their value.

Sailor Tuzu pens start at under $50 but I am not as confident about the nibs as I am about Pilot steel nibs and the adjustable grip section of the Tuzu still feels a little gimicky to me.

Platinum offers their Procyon at $75 or so and it doesn’t come with a converter but is also a metal barrel and similarly priced to the Chanomegumi line.

A Lamy LX on JetPens is $56. Metal barrel, good quality nib, similar price and the CP1 is about $60 for a slender metal barrel alternative. A TWSBI Ecos and 580s hover between $57 and $90 and they are all plastic (but piston-filling).

Even competing with it’s own line-up, the Prera pens on JetPens are $67 with a plastic barrel and a very similar steel nib.

So, while I complain about the price its just because I know what a fabulous value the Metropolitans were a decade ago. Now, that honor has been transferred to the Kakuno line which can still be had for under $20.

Conclusion:

Nobody needs to spend $68 on Pilot Metropolitan even in these tea-inspired colors. But if you asked if I’d do it again, I’d say absolutely. If Pilot would introduce some new colors and designs to the Metropolitan line and keep the sub-$40 pricing, I would continue to recommend them as one of the best starter pens on the market.

I purchased the Pilot Chanomegumi MR Fountain Pen from The Gentleman Stationer but I think he has sold out of the pens in the retail store so they are not listed on the web site. Call or email to find out about availability.

Bonus: Sailor x Ancora Rainy Day Ink

Since I purchased the Pilot Chanomegumi at the On The Paper Trail event in Nashville, I needed some ink. I remembered the “ink sampling” area and that Lisa from Vanness Pen Shop had kindly put a bottle of the rare-as-hens-teeth Ancora Rainy Day ink on the table that I couldn’t resist taking a little sip of the ink so that I could try it and share with you’all. I half-filled my converter — I’m an ink thief but not a greedy ink thief — and am now sharing my illicit ink booty with you.

I had to suss out some info about Sailor Ancora Rainy Day beyond the fact that it is only available in Japan from a specific shop on a rainy day. It comes from Ancora, a collaboration between Plus Corporation and Sailor Fountain Pen Company, and is only available from their Ginza flagship store in Tokyo on a rainy day.

The color is a mid-saturation blue gray with a slight hint of purple. It’s a shader but not a multi-chromatic, sheener or shimmer ink.

What shocked me was that I didn’t have any other inks in my stash that was even slightly in the same color family. I found a few inks that had similar saturation but were either more purple, burgundy or violet. Dammit! That makes this ink even more covetable and all I managed to get was one paltry converter-full — most of which I squeezed out to make these swatches!

I have seen some bottles on of this ink on eBay for well over $100. If anyone knows of a similar, more available ink, let me know. I really like the color.

 I apologize that both items in today’s post are rare and hard to acquire but I hope that you’ll see this post as a public service and not shameless bragging.

Some tools shown in this review were purchased with my own money for the purpose of review. All opinions and potential small claims court penalties for ink theft are mine.