Here are the pens I chose to use this week:

• Monday: Pilot Hi-Tec-C Slim Knock Gel Ink Pen – 0.4 mm – Blue Black – JetPens.com — Decided to start the week off with some tiny ultra-portable pens. What’s not to like about a blue-black Hi-Tec-C in a tiny package? It’s a sweet little pen. That said, this is one for jotting quick notes. Longer form writing with a pen like this becomes quickly uncomfortable. Still, a pen that pretty much disappears in your pocket until you need one has a lot of practical utility.

• Tuesday: A very, very busy day where I did not have time to write much. But, at the end of the day I reached for the Uni-ball Signo RT1 UMN–155 Gel Ink Pen – 0.38 mm – Black to write it all down in my daily log. No other reason than it was the first thing within reach to grab.

• Wednesday: The Tactile Turn Mover in Olive Green w/ Pilot G2 (0.38mm, black ink) Refill — This is a pen that initially launched via a successful Kickstarter project. It’s a custom machined barrel made of aluminum, brass, copper, and titanium and made to accept a wide rage of refills to suit your needs. It comes with the refill mentioned above. Also, the “clicker” is very, very quiet which I find to be a bit disconcerting (I actually like some “click” on my clicky pens). Writing wise, I found it to be a very good if not a bit heavy. It’s got a bit of ribbing at the grip so it wont slip. My only complaint is that my clip is really loose. Not sure why. Feels like it has to be a manufacturing defect as the rest of the pen feels so solid. I will likely contact the company about it.

• Thursday: Today’s Pen: Pentel Slicci Techo Mini Gel Ink Pen – 0.3 mm – Orange Body – Black Ink — Another tiny ultraportable that I picked up based on The Pen Addict’s review. It’s OK, I guess. Very solidly made but a bit hard to write with because it is so small and slim. That Japanese 0.3 is doing it no favors in the smoothness department either. In fact, the whole experience feels like I’m poking out letters with a needle. Let’s just say that Brad’s take was better than mine, so don’t just take my word for it. Just because it’s not my thing does not mean it might not be yours.

• Friday: Pilot Juice Gel Ink Pen – 0.38 mm – Black — I liked this pen well enough in the coffee brown color so I thought I’d try the traditional black. Writes pretty well, if not as smooth as I’m used to. That’s OK. A good pen with a nice grip and a solid clip. What’s not to like?

Also, a reminder. I usually post what I’m using each day on my personal Twitter account and use the hashtag #todayspen. I welcome everyone to join in. I love seeing what other people are using.

Those of us who have used fountain pens for many years are often asked by those looking to jump in where to start. We pen folks always have a favorite recommendation or two. Unsurprisingly, most of us have the same ones. When I first reached out to my friends at Pen Chalet and asked them to send me a Pilot Metropolitan for review, it was because all I had read about it made it seem like it was the new gold standard in entry level fountain pens. Many reviewers I respected said it would become their new go-to recommendation. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Let me state, up front, that the answer to that question is now abundantly clear. The Metropolitan is not just a great entry level pen. It is a really great pen full stop. In the time that I’ve had it, despite other long loved higher quality pens within reach, I found myself consistently reaching for it and being satisfied I made the right choice. While it is very nice, it still feels like a pen that wants to be used a lot.

In fact, I’m dumbfounded at how a pen so solid, well manufactured, attractively designed, and smooth writing can be delivered at this price point. It’s currently on sale for only $15.00 US at Pen Chalet (and normally retails for not much more). It feels wonderful in the hand — just the right size and weight.

The brass body with stainless steel accents are part of of what make it look far more expensive than it costs.

For ink, I decided to put myself in the shoes of a new fountain pen user and use the included black ink cartridge. That said, it does come with a squeeze converter installed so using ones favorite ink of choice is an option.

The one I have is a fine nib. If you are at all familiar with Pilot’s Japanese made fines then you know it is closer to an extra fine in actual line size. I have really small handwriting so that’s just, um… Fine with me.

To wrap, not only do I highly recommend this pen for new fountain pen users looking for an inexpensive but very good place to start I recommend this pen to all fountain pen users. Seriously, at this price point how can you not want to add it to your arsenal? Like me, you might be surprised that it quickly becomes one of your favorites.