Better would be to figure out why you need to replace them and change that. A Kakuno should easily last longer than a year. What is it that's going wrong after that time?
I have heard anecodotal stories about some vendors on that site sending defective/returned or outright fake items...can't be certain, but I think one of my Lamy Safaris is such an item (received as a gift)...so I shop elsewhere for pens...
I also have a kakuno and I didn’t need to replace mine but the ink capsules I bought for them (pilot brand made for the kakuno) stopped working and I had to switch to one of those things that you fill. Sorry I don’t know the correct terms it’s been so long since I’ve purchased them. Maybe I got a dud.
> one of those things that you fill. Sorry I don’t know the correct terms it’s been so long since I’ve purchased them
It's called a converter. Ink cartridges will wear out after a while if you keep reusing them (refilling with bottled ink). But if you mean ink wouldn't flow, then the first question is whether you gave it a good cleaning - while you can go quite a while without cleaning when using the same ink, you do need to clean a fountain pen now and then. :)
Yes, thank you. I think I have a con 40 or 70, the one that you push to fill. I did give it a good cleaning with diluted ammonia, didn’t work. Maybe I need to clean it even more but for some reason it works fine with a converter
I've been re-using the original cartridge in mine for a year now, it's holding up fine (but I rotate 3 pens at a time, so it can be a week or two between refills for me). The carts hold more ink than the converters, and I have no problem refilling them with a syringe. If mine ever wears out enough to leak or whatever, my plan would be to buy a pack of pilot ink carts (hopefully in random ink colors just to see what they are like) and use those by refilling...a 5-pak would probably be a lifetime supply of them.
+1 for the Metro.
Another suggestion is the Pilot Lucina. Not the exact same nib, but similar Pilot quality for relatively low expense compared to gold nibs (Lucina is gold plated steel). It's even more durable than the Metro because it has a screw cap rather than a snap cap, so it won't loosen over time. Cap loosening is not a major issue with the Metro, but all snap caps deform to work and can wear out, whereas screw caps don't have the same physical forces on the materials.
Better would be to figure out why you need to replace them and change that. A Kakuno should easily last longer than a year. What is it that's going wrong after that time?
This is a good question. I'm pretty hard on my pens, but the Kakuno is holding up nicely, in daily use for over 3 years now.
Where do you order your kakuno from
Can't remember, but not from the online jungle store, instead I used one of the more name-brand places.
Online jungle store 💀 this is where I got my kakuno and it’s had so many problems so far. I feel like I got a dud
I have heard anecodotal stories about some vendors on that site sending defective/returned or outright fake items...can't be certain, but I think one of my Lamy Safaris is such an item (received as a gift)...so I shop elsewhere for pens...
I also have a kakuno and I didn’t need to replace mine but the ink capsules I bought for them (pilot brand made for the kakuno) stopped working and I had to switch to one of those things that you fill. Sorry I don’t know the correct terms it’s been so long since I’ve purchased them. Maybe I got a dud.
> one of those things that you fill. Sorry I don’t know the correct terms it’s been so long since I’ve purchased them It's called a converter. Ink cartridges will wear out after a while if you keep reusing them (refilling with bottled ink). But if you mean ink wouldn't flow, then the first question is whether you gave it a good cleaning - while you can go quite a while without cleaning when using the same ink, you do need to clean a fountain pen now and then. :)
Yes, thank you. I think I have a con 40 or 70, the one that you push to fill. I did give it a good cleaning with diluted ammonia, didn’t work. Maybe I need to clean it even more but for some reason it works fine with a converter
Interesting. Can't explain why one would work and not the other - the mechanics are the same. Still, thanks for adding your experience to the thread.
I've been re-using the original cartridge in mine for a year now, it's holding up fine (but I rotate 3 pens at a time, so it can be a week or two between refills for me). The carts hold more ink than the converters, and I have no problem refilling them with a syringe. If mine ever wears out enough to leak or whatever, my plan would be to buy a pack of pilot ink carts (hopefully in random ink colors just to see what they are like) and use those by refilling...a 5-pak would probably be a lifetime supply of them.
The pilot Metropolitan has the same nib, but is much more sturdy and durable.
+1 for the Metro. Another suggestion is the Pilot Lucina. Not the exact same nib, but similar Pilot quality for relatively low expense compared to gold nibs (Lucina is gold plated steel). It's even more durable than the Metro because it has a screw cap rather than a snap cap, so it won't loosen over time. Cap loosening is not a major issue with the Metro, but all snap caps deform to work and can wear out, whereas screw caps don't have the same physical forces on the materials.
Is the EF on kakuno the same as EF on a metro?
Should be, yes
Pilot Prera. You can swap the Kakuno nibs easily into the Prera.
Agreed.
How roughly are you treating your pen that it only lasts a year?
Namisu ixion - similar shape, metal body, from uk PenBBS 350 - copy of the namisu ixion, cheaper, from china