Pens & Writing Gifts
PILOT Metropolitan: What You Actually Get for the Money
The pen recommended more often than any other as a first fountain pen. Here is every specification PILOT publishes, what those specifications mean in the hand, and where it is beaten.
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The short version
Buy it if you want a fountain pen that works properly out of the box and will still be usable in ten years. The brass barrel, the steel nib and - crucially - the converter in the box are the three things that separate it from everything cheaper. Buy something else if you need a fine nib or a grip that teaches you how to hold a pen.
Every published specification
| Specification | Published figure | What it buys you |
|---|---|---|
| Nib | Medium, stainless steel | A wetter, more expressive line than a fine; too wide for planner boxes |
| Body | Brass barrel with stainless accents | Weight in the hand, which is most of why a pen feels expensive |
| Supplied | One black ink cartridge and a Pilot press-plate converter | Bottled ink is possible on day one, with no second purchase |
| Packaging | Keepsake gift box | It can be handed over without wrapping |
| Refills | Pilot IC-100 cartridges, or the converter | Retail listings for the IC-100 name the MR Metropolitan |
| Grip | Plain round section | Makes no demand about how you hold it |
Quick picks
Ranked for the person doing the buying. Every pick names who it is wrong for.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  PILOT Metropolitan Fountain Pen, Black, Medium Nib A weighted brass barrel and a converter in the box, which is more pen for the money than anything else here. | A brass-bodied fountain pen with a converter included | $31.44 - View on Amazon #ad Price as of September 27, 2026. How this is funded |
| 2 |  LAMY Safari Fountain Pen, Umbra, Fine Nib A German-made steel-nibbed fountain pen with a molded grip that teaches the hold, and a nib width printed on the listing rather than left to guess. | A first fountain pen that is actually usable | |
| 3 |  PILOT Namiki IC-100 Fountain Pen Ink Cartridges, Black, 12-Pack Pilot's own cartridge, twelve to a box, which is the least attention a fountain pen can ask of you for the longest time. | A PILOT Metropolitan, a dozen refills at a time | $6.32 - View on Amazon #ad Price as of September 27, 2026. How this is funded |
1. A brass-bodied fountain pen with a converter included
PILOT Metropolitan Fountain Pen, Black, Medium Nib
A weighted brass barrel and a converter in the box, which is more pen for the money than anything else here.
#ad Price as of September 27, 2026. How this is funded
Including a converter is the single most useful thing a gift fountain pen can do. Without one the recipient is locked to proprietary cartridges until they work out what a converter is and buy one.
Japanese nibs run finer than European ones at the same nominal width, so this medium sits closer to a European fine. If the recipient wants a genuinely fine line, this is arguably a better planner pen than its label suggests.
The brass barrel gives it a heft that reads as expensive. That is the whole trick of this pen and it is why it appears on every beginner list.
| Nib | Medium, stainless steelSource: Amazon listing - PILOT Metropolitan Fountain Pen, Medium Nib |
|---|---|
| Body | Brass barrel with stainless accentsBrass is why it feels heavier than its price suggests.Source: Amazon listing - PILOT Metropolitan Fountain Pen, Medium Nib |
| Supplied | One black ink cartridge and a Pilot press-plate converterThe converter is the part rivals leave out; it lets the recipient use bottled ink on day one.Source: Amazon listing - PILOT Metropolitan Fountain Pen, Medium Nib |
| Packaging | Keepsake gift boxSource: Amazon listing - PILOT Metropolitan Fountain Pen, Medium Nib |
What it does well
- Converter included, so bottled ink works out of the box.
- Brass body feels well above its price.
- Japanese medium writes finer than a European medium, which suits planner use.
What it does not
- Medium is still wider than a Safari fine; for very small boxes, choose the fine.
- Plain black barrel is understated to the point of anonymous as a gift.
Skip this: if you want the gift to look like an event. It is a superb pen and a visually quiet one; the Cross Bailey does the ceremony better.
2. A first fountain pen that is actually usable
LAMY Safari Fountain Pen, Umbra, Fine Nib
A German-made steel-nibbed fountain pen with a molded grip that teaches the hold, and a nib width printed on the listing rather than left to guess.
A fine nib is the right default for a gift because it is the width that works in a planner. Broad and medium nibs are lovely on letter paper and unusable in a weekly grid.
The molded grip is the Safari's most divisive feature. It forces the standard tripod hold, which is genuinely helpful for a beginner and genuinely irritating for anyone who holds a pen differently.
One cartridge is not much ink. A bottle or a pack of cartridges alongside turns this from a pen into a working setup, and costs very little.
| Nib | Size F (fine), polished steelThe width is published, which the Parker Jotter sets do not do.Source: Amazon listing - LAMY safari umbra fountain pen, size F nib |
|---|---|
| Grip | Molded ergonomic grip section, listed right-handedIt only allows one hold, which is a teaching aid and, for some hands, an annoyance.Source: Amazon listing - LAMY safari umbra fountain pen, size F nib |
| Supplied ink | One LAMY T 10 blue cartridgeSource: Amazon listing - LAMY safari umbra fountain pen, size F nib |
| Made in | GermanyLAMY states its writing instruments are produced at the company site in Heidelberg.Source: LAMY - safari fountain pen product page |
What it does well
- Nib width published, so you know what you are buying.
- Fine nib suits planner boxes and everyday notes.
- German-made, and a genuine entry point rather than a novelty.
What it does not
- The molded grip does not suit every hand, and the listing specifies a right-handed nib.
- Ships with a single cartridge and no converter.
Skip this: if the recipient writes on cheap office paper all day. Fountain-pen ink feathers and shows through on 70 gsm copier stock, and the pen will get blamed for the paper. See ink and bleed-through.
3. A PILOT Metropolitan, a dozen refills at a time
PILOT Namiki IC-100 Fountain Pen Ink Cartridges, Black, 12-Pack
Pilot's own cartridge, twelve to a box, which is the least attention a fountain pen can ask of you for the longest time.
#ad Price as of September 27, 2026. How this is funded
Twelve cartridges is the whole point. A fountain pen that runs dry at the wrong moment is a pen that ends up in a drawer, and a box of twelve removes that failure mode for a year or more.
The Metropolitan is the pen on this site that already ships with a converter, so the honest comparison is cartridges against bottled ink. Cartridges win on convenience and lose on cost per page and on ink choice.
Black is the sensible default for a pen used at work. Pilot publishes the same cartridge in blue and blue-black as separate packs.
| Refill type | Fountain pen ink cartridge, blackSource: Amazon listing - Pilot Namiki IC100 Fountain Pen Ink Cartridges, Black, 12-Pack |
|---|---|
| Count | 12 cartridgesSource: Amazon listing - Pilot Namiki IC100 Fountain Pen Ink Cartridges, Black, 12-Pack |
| Fits | Pilot fountain pens including the MR MetropolitanRetailer listings for the IC-100 name the Vanishing Point, the MR Metropolitan and the Plumix.Source: Pen Lovers Paradise - Pilot Black Fountain Pen Ink Cartridges IC-100 |
| Ink properties | Not publishedNo water resistance or archival claim is published for this ink. |
What it does well
- Twelve cartridges - the longest run of any refill on this page.
- Pilot's own part, with compatibility naming the Metropolitan at retail.
- Black ink, which is the version that scans and photocopies best.
What it does not
- No published water or fade resistance.
- Proprietary fitting - Pilot cartridges do not fit a LAMY or a Parker.
- Cartridges cost more per page than the converter this pen already comes with.
Skip this: if the pen came with a converter and you are willing to use it. Bottled ink is cheaper per page and opens up colors no cartridge offers - the converter is already in the Metropolitan's box.
The converter is the specification that matters
A converter is a small refillable piston that replaces the cartridge and draws ink from a bottle. Most pens at this price make you buy one separately; PILOT puts one in the box, and that single decision changes what the pen is.
With a converter you can use any bottled ink ever made, and the cost per page drops far below cartridges. Without one you are limited to what the maker sells in a sealed tube until you work out what part to order. For a first fountain pen, removing that obstacle is worth more than any amount of barrel finish. Pen refills and cartridges covers the part numbers.
Brass, and what weight actually does
The barrel is brass rather than resin or plastic, and that is the difference you notice before you write a word. A weighted pen sits in the hand rather than perching in it, and for a gift it is most of what makes the object read as considered when the box opens.
It is not universally better. Some people prefer a light pen for long writing sessions, and a heavier barrel is more tiring for a hand that already aches - which is why pens that need less force leads with a different pen. Weight is a preference that the specification tells you about honestly.
Medium is the nib, and it is a real limitation
PILOT publishes medium for this pen, and a medium nib lays down more ink than a fine. On good paper that is the point - it is what makes fountain-pen writing look like fountain-pen writing. In a weekly planner grid it is too wide to write in, and on thin office paper it shows through.
There is a second wrinkle worth knowing: Japanese nibs run finer than European ones at the same label, so this medium sits closer to a European fine than to a European medium. That makes it more usable in small spaces than the word suggests, and it is still the wider of the two entry pens on this site. Nib sizes explained lines the widths up.
Where it is beaten
- On nib width, by the LAMY Safari, which publishes a size F. If the pen is going into a planner, buy the Safari - the head-to-head works through both.
- On teaching a grip, by the same pen. The Safari's molded section forces the standard tripod hold, which is genuinely useful for a beginner and unwelcome for an adult who holds a pen their own way.
- On durability of finish. Brass with a painted finish chips if dropped on a hard floor; a resin body does not show it the same way. Neither maker publishes anything about this.
- On ink permanence. Neither the supplied cartridge nor any Pilot cartridge here publishes water or fade resistance, so this is not the pen for anything signed and kept - see pens for signing documents.
Who should buy it
Somebody buying a first fountain pen who does not want a project. It arrives boxed, it works with the supplied cartridge, and the converter means the interesting part - bottled ink - is available whenever they want it rather than after another order.
It is also the safer of the two entry pens as a gift, precisely because the grip makes no demands. If you do not know how the recipient holds a pen, a plain round section cannot be wrong. Is a fountain pen worth it is the page to read first if you are not sure a fountain pen is the right gift at all.
Questions people actually ask
Is the Pilot Metropolitan worth it?
For a first fountain pen, yes - a brass body, a steel nib and a converter in the box is more than anything cheaper provides. If you need a fine nib or a grip that teaches the hold, the LAMY Safari is the better buy.
Does the Pilot Metropolitan come with a converter?
Yes. PILOT publishes one black ink cartridge and a press-plate converter in the box, which means bottled ink works from day one without a second purchase.
What cartridges does the Metropolitan take?
Pilot's own cartridges - retail listings for the IC-100 name the MR Metropolitan. Pilot cartridges do not fit a LAMY or a Parker; the fitting is proprietary.
Is the medium nib too broad?
For a planner grid, usually yes. For a journal with generous ruling it is the more pleasant line. Japanese nibs run finer than European ones at the same label, so it is narrower than the word suggests.
Metropolitan or Lamy Safari?
Metropolitan for a gift and for bottled ink; Safari for a published fine nib and a grip that teaches the hold. See Pilot Metropolitan vs Lamy Safari.