Pilot Prera Iro-Ai Fine-Nib Transparent Black Body Fountain Pen (FPRN-350R-TBF)

I'm a recent convert to fountain pens, since I've reached the age when my hands (ambidexterity FTW!) get tired if I use a typical ballpoint or gel pen too long. At the prices that Jetstream was charging, I was in despair of needing to go bankrupt to keep myself in those pens, until some research led me to fountain pens. I tried the Lamy Safari F. The pen wrote wonderfully, but the lines were too broad and wet. I'm no calligrapher, so the broad line had to go. The wetness of the pen had it soaking through not only to the back of my paper, but through to other pages. This was unacceptable. Then I tried the EF, and I couldn't tell the difference, really, from the F. A little more research and I learned that Japan was where I needed to look for my fountain pen needs, since I like fine lines. I tried Pilot's Vortex line, and that was much better. Pretty lines, proper ink flow, could write on cheap paper--perfect. The problem with the Vortex was waiting for the other pens to come in from Japan. That wait was difficult, though. I needed a pen in the mean time. I saw the Prera when I was researching the Vortex. Best of all, Amazon had it with 2-day shipping. I bought this and the Custom Original with the 14K nib and gave both a try. I loved them both, they both put down a perfectly fine line and the pens weren't scratchy. The Prera instantly became my pen of choice. The Custom Original is a very nice pen, but its expense makes me afraid to bring it with me to college everyday. It can also be tough to tell if the converter is seated properly, and I've wound up with ink all over my hands from a leaky pen. Not so the Prera. I know when my converter is seated properly because I can see if it makes good contact. I had a quibble with the converter that comes with it for being tough to tell if you have ink in it or not, never mind enough. A change to the clear, twisty converter, and I was in business. I like knowing exactly how much ink I'm drawing up, and how much I have left. The converters are on the small side, especially in comparison to the ink cartridges. I just fill up every day, whether or not I need it. That way I know I'll be ready for class. The Prera lets me use my cheap store-brand filler paper. It hardly ever bleeds through. I've used it for graphing in my math class as well (gasp! Yes, I do most of my math work in ink!), and it didn't bleed through the cheapie quad paper I use for that. The lines are fine enough that I can get in margins of textbooks, between lines, and more. Like most fountain pens, the Prera has occasional nib creep, but it's nowhere near as bad as the Lamy Safari. This means little wasted ink, and an easier cleaning routine for the pen. I clean the pen out when I change ink colors, and that seems to be good enough to keep it going like gangbusters. I haven't had it long enough to need a more intensive cleaning, but what I've seen of that is easy enough. The size of the Prera is not for everyone. After the Lamy, I was surprised at how small and delicate this pen looks and is; however, it's perfect for me, even unposted, but I prefer it posted, because the balance of the pen feels better. It's light and my hand never gets tired of using it. It's also taken a beating from rolling off my desk in class, falling out of my hand when I'm carrying it, and falling off my desk at home. It hasn't cracked or gotten scratched, no matter how much I've abused it. As others have mentioned the "snap" of the cap when you close the pen is satisfying and borderline addictive. The bonus of that clicky snap is that I never lose the top of the pen, which I was so prone to doing in my ballpoint pen days that I had converted to retractable pens, long ago. I don't even reach for my pen case until I hear that "snap!" telling me that my writing is done and it's time to put the pen away. If I take it off and write unposted, I will be looking for the cap as soon as I'm done, and I'll get frantic if I don't see it right away. I need my snap fix. I know that thirty dollars seems like a lot, but compared to what fountain pens can cost, like, oh, a Pilot Namiki Maki-e, Omas, Delta or Montegrappa, $30 is nothing. I'll never be able to afford those pens, so I'm happy to have found one that works perfectly for me.

"Iro-ai", or "Colour Love", perfectly describes this lightweight, colourful line of transparent fountain pens from Pilot. Well constructed, this lovely compact pen arrives in a hinged plastic box within a sleeve, suitable for presentation/gift-giving. (Please see photos). One Pilot Namiki black ink cartridge is included, as well as a twist-style converter (Pilot CON-50). There is also an instruction sheet in Japanese and English (see photo) explaining the use and care of your Pilot Prera as well as how to refill it using the converter. As something of a longtime fountain pen afficiando, I own a multitude of nibbed writing instruments; a broad variety of brands in an equally wide price-range. Fountain pens from the common to the rare-collectible. In the scope of my collection ("1"=poor/"10"=outstanding), I rate the Iro-Ai Prera, a firm "7", for overall construction and performance. It's definitely become one of my preferred pens for everyday use. While this orange Prera is the shortest, lightest-weight pen in my collection, these traits somehow work together in a very satisfying way in this pen. The nib is fairly firm, lacking the flex of karat-gold nibs, but it still produces that desirable subtle shading achievable only with a fountain pen. When combined with Pilot's Iroshizuku bottled ink, the *fine-nibbed Prera is an amazingly good fountain pen. It writes smoothly, with no skipping. I use mine both for writing and sketching. This is one economically-priced fountain pen I can easily recommend. *Please remember Pilot Prera nibs conform to the Japanese sizing system: Fine (Japan) = Extra Fine (US/Europe), Med = Fine, etc. Thank you for reading. -CC, Amazon Prime Member-Reviewer

This is a very decent pen. It uses the same steel nib found in many Pilot products and writes as nicely on the Prera as it does in an MR or Kakuno. In my opinion, the pen is a tad bit short. It's kind of an awkward size tbh - not exactly pocket pen size, but feels very small in the hand.

This is a truly fine pen. I've read other reviews on these, folks have said they aren't stylish enough, they're overpriced...and I totally disagree. To me this pen is a bargain. First, the pen is extremely functional. Pilot did their homework with the 'slip-cap' liner, it seals the nib 100% air-tight, you can leave the pen laying for days...and the nib will still be wet with ink, ready to write. And the nib itself...it may be the smoothest fine nib I've ever experienced. It literally glides across good paper. I have always believed a pen with a threaded cap was superior to a pen with a slip-cap...until this one. This pen is a game-changer. Pull the cap off...easily and quickly...post it, and you're ready to go. The nib will be wet with no fiddling or fooling around to coax the pen to write. As to the style, I believe form follows function, and the pen is designed to function while still looking good. Pilot COULD have made the translucent cap liner clear, that way you could see the nib and feed, and truly enjoy having that see-through 'demonstrator' look. This would be my only gripe. The colored cap ends? Call them decorations on a great cake.

Super pen. Small and light but well made, feels sturdy and durable. For a big company with a massive line, Pilot knows how to do the details and maintain quality. The fine nib, as expected with Pilot, is about like an Extra Fine from a European or N. American line. The Prera Fine nib makes a slightly finer line than a TWSBI Extra Fine which itself is on the fine side for a Euro EF nib. Quality pens usually have a screw cap and this one has a snap cap. I kind of prefer snap caps anyway, but this one is a very smooth "snap" that doesn't feel like a cheap snap cap pen at all. Also posts well. Writes well unposted too, even in my fairly large hands, the length is less an obstacle to unposted writing than is the light weight. The only complaint I could muster is the low ink volume in the small converter (included), but that's just from being accustomed to larger volume pens. The barrel looks like it would convert well to eyedropper use but I haven't seen where anyone has tried that. I may.

It’s a very nice pen and writes well. The fine nib is great to help keep my writing small. I like the overall size to keep with my journal. The ink cartridge it comes with is good ink that flows well with the pen and the converter is well constructed. It has a wide mouth and a built in stop for some ball bearings so you can’t fill it as much unless you use a syringe. I do not feel it is worth the 30+ dollars for them though.

Pros: 1. The nib, as can be expected, is fine. Like, REALLY fine - not only is it a 'Fine'-sized nib, but, since Pilot is a Japanese company, it's actually ground even finer than many 'Fine'-nibbed pens out there. This means it's perfect for note-taking in small spaces (I have a lecturer or two who hands out printouts of lecture slides for us to annotate). 2. Not only is it extremely fine, it's VERY smooth. Now, don't get me wrong, I've had smoother pens (the TWSBI ECO comes to mind), but this one is decently high up there. It has a bit of responsiveness to it, but nowhere near the point that it's a nuisance. 3. It comes with a converter!! This is actually a huge plus for me. I use bottles ink, and when I order a pen that DOESN'T come with a converter, it usually means waiting a couple days extra to be able to use it (plus another $5-10). Furthermore, Pilot's CON-50 converter (which I believe this is) has an agitator in it, which keeps the ink from spreading all over the inside of the converter, which I'd say helps compensate for its rather low capacity. 4. It's tiny :D This pen is legitimately pint-sized. I mean, it's actually almost difficult to write with un-posted (not impossible, though)- and that's not necessarily a bad thing. This means it's more compact, portable, and practical for certain situations. Overall, I have basically no complaints. I mean, the ink capacity isn't the BEST, but it's not terrible either. This is definitely one of my favorite pens.

I'm far from a fountain pen aficionado. My first pen was purchased in December 2013 as a pick-me-up while I was preparing for a job interview. The pen (a cheap Cross from Staples) was used in my next two interviews, and both interviews resulted in an offer. Fast forward a year, and I decided to up my pen game by purchasing a Lamy Safari with a Fine nib. It was great and smooth, but put down a very thick line. My writing is pretty small, so that wasn't working. Next i got a Safari with Extra Fine nib, and the difference was negligible. My research on a fine nib pen led me to the Pilot Prera, and being someone who enjoys seeing how something works, I purchased this "demonstrator" pen. HOLY MOTHER OF FINE LINES is the nib on this pen fine. As soon as I wrote "test" on the paper, I knew I had a winner. The line is mechanical-pencil thin, the writing is smooth, the ink flows like melted butter, and my coworkers are in awe of my fabulous pen. Mission accomplished! If you're looking for a nice pen, at a good price, that lays down a very thin line, you can't go wrong with this one.

Écriture fine et trés agréable dès les premières lignes. Je trouve que le chargement du compartiment à encre ne se fait pas complètement mais un plein dure longtemps apparemment ! De plus on trouve un immense choix de couleurs d'encre

For the price, 5 stars. Not going to be as smooth as a gold tipped nib, but it is a good quality steel nib and lays down ink well.

Je suis gauchère, et il est habituellement très difficile d'écrire ou de dessin avec une plume fontaine. Mais celle-ci est ambidextre! Elle glisse sur le papier et l'encre de la cartouche sèche très rapidement! Cette plume est un bijou pour les gauchers...et pour tous! Je l'adore!

This is not a thin fountain pen, but easy to hold. It seems a bit short in the body without the cap posted, but others may not notice this. Time will be the real test of how well it works and if the cap lasts being put on and off many times. If you are into bottled ink, the Pilot CON-40 converter (that was included with mine) is great to use instead of cartridges. A friend said they had been using their Prera for five years and still loved it, so I was encouraged to get one for myself.

Easy to hold and write with. The body is really well built and it looks very attractive. I got the fine nib which is good for small handwriting. Its very smooth, with a nice reliable ink flow. The pen comes with a converter which is an added bonus. The pen is small and light, and would suit people with small hands.