Pilot 78G Fountain Pen Review and Wizard with Nib Swap and Eyedropper Conversion

[@edreilly6674]

I saved watching this till the end of my new videos. Your videos are dessert!

[@InkquiringMinds]

Thank you Ed! :)

[@wittwittwer1043]

I have two of the 78Gs a red one and a green one. The green has a stub nib, and the red has a medium. I haven't used the red one for a long time, but the green is currently in use.

[@WY-bf2fx]

brought it for my calligraphy class back in elementary school in Hong Kong. Still keeping the pen in my case daily for work now in California just in case for a rough write. gold paints all scratch up adds a level of nostalgia

[@edwardwiper1323]

Can not believe the coincidence i ordered a 78G with the very same nib on saturday after watching another video by gadgetshop 321,but as usual Doug you went that extra mile with a comprehensive in depth nib swaps on pilot pens.BRILLIANT👍

[@InkquiringMinds]

Thanks very much Ed! Kathy totally influences me with Pilot.

[@meh8982]

These pens used to sell on ebay for $5-10 a few years ago. The broad nibs on the 78G were always stubs, but they also had BB stubs which you can sometimes still find. Also, the section of the 78G is identical to that of the Metropolitan - you can freely exchange one for the other without needing to remove the nib, if you want to. Basically the Metropolitan is an upgraded 78G, a new barrel and cap for the same section, much like the Platinum Plaisir is a metal version of the Preppy. I don't know if that applies to the Explorer as well since I don't have one.

[@InkquiringMinds]

You're right! I didn't notice the Metro and the 78G sections are identical. Way too thin.

[@goofygame]

I saw this pen swapping video for the first time. It's very valuable, thank you🙏

[@InkquiringMinds]

Glad it was helpful!

[@yuklimka7251]

@@InkquiringMinds I bought a Pilot Metropolitan in champagne gold more than a year ago because I'd just started collecting as a hobby and the Metro popped up multiple times as a good starter pen. I've only dipped it to test write, and it feels like walking across a marble floor in stiletto heels. I cleaned it and put it away. I've since also bought a Plumix as an inexpensive test balloon to figure out whether I like stub nibs - and I do. If it's possible to swap the two Pilot nibs I might end up with a Metro I'll actually like and write with.

[@InkquiringMinds]

I put a Plumix stub into my Explorer and with the Con70 converter it is a great combo.

[@March22012]

I absolutely love my Pilot 78G. It has quickly risen to the top of my preferred pens. Mind you, I have the extra fine nib. It’s a marvel!

[@InkquiringMinds]

Thanks Janice!

[@yuklimka7251]

I just successfully swapped the Plumix stub nib into my Pilot Metropolitan and finally like that pen. It was a breeze. Pilot is one of my favorite brands for the overall writing experience for a reason.

[@March22012]

@@yuklimka7251, I got one with what they call a broad nib but is more of a mini-stub. It writes as elegantly as my Plumix but finer. I love all my 78G’s.

[@yuklimka7251]

@@March22012 That might be worth a try too. Thanks.

[@NelsonFJ]

This stub nib from Pilot is excellent; I bought a 78g + with one, and, just like you did, I had to replace the nibs in the other Pilots I have; so I bought other pens just for NIb, now they are in my explorer and Pilot Tank (or "non self filling pen"). Thanks for the video.

[@InkquiringMinds]

I've been looking around for a Pilot Tank after Alan Light (What I Ink) spoke highly of his.

[@NelsonFJ]

@@InkquiringMinds I saw some NOS in stock at Peyton Street Pens (70's or 80's according to the seller), for $ 18. There are also some; which I believe are new, for sale on Aliexpress. It is a small but very interesting pen, and the ink capacity is excellent when considering its size.

[@neilpiper9889]

I have a Pilot 78g with the B nib clear demonstrated version. I have 2 Pilot Pluminix pens also with B nibs. Hard to find but wonderful. All with con 40 converters. I started my fountain pen journey with a Pilot Metropolitan green Animal series with a cm nib bought from America. About 1mm nib, which is finer than the B nibs. These pens are unobtainable now.

[@jimblackie5476]

Glad you discovered and reviewed this classic. I have 3 of these pens, all broad stub nibs. They’re great. Thanks for all your reviews!

[@InkquiringMinds]

Glad you like them!

[@sathishrao7926]

Your idea of ‘Exchange program’ between Pilot and Schmidt is as good as my idea of ‘Exchange program’ between Harley Davidson and any Japanese motorcycle manufacturer ! One makes beautiful motorcycle with passable technology while the other makes motorcycles with cutting edge technology with passable looks ! My Pilot VP is running on the Cartridges while that awful Con-40 is sleeping somewhere in the drawer !

[@InkquiringMinds]

My e95s runs on cartridges as well. Works fine!

[@Tailslol]

I found out if you put a bottom less cartridge in the feed, the pen burp a lot less. It is because it will restrict the ink flow.

[@InkquiringMinds]

Bottomless??

[@Tailslol]

@@InkquiringMinds bottom removed or cut (or the fake cartridge already inside sometime.

[@InkquiringMinds]

@Tailslol Aaand the ink spills out into the barrel???

[@Tailslol]

@@InkquiringMinds yea for eyedropper, the cartridge is just to reduce the 'wetness' of the pen and limit ink burps

[@InkquiringMinds]

@@TailslolAha! Now I got you!

[@sandorpetofi4321]

"If it ain't on the test, why you learnin' it to us?" Just brilliant. I'll have to try that next time one of my professors says it's not going to be in the exam. Thanks for sharing :D

[@InkquiringMinds]

LOL! Thank you, Sándor Petőfi!

[@oscarmedina1597]

Thanks for learning us about swapping nibs on Pilot pens and for schooling us on how to distinguish putrid from new and shiny. We just wanted the butter. Another awesome video, I must say, ... Now I gotta look for a Pilot Explorer.

[@InkquiringMinds]

Glad you enjoyed it! I must say! Consider yourself learned.

[@anniebus105]

Very fun journey that had an unexpected and fantastic twist at the end. I love that nib! Wow! What a beauty. Super ingenious what you did all the way around. Totally MacGyver 'd it! Awesome! Thanks, Doug. Take good care and stay healthy my friend!

[@InkquiringMinds]

Thank you Annie! You too! :)

[@gabemadorma2933]

This is off topic but thanks for recommending the Bobby pen nib swap on my 601! It’s now one of my favorites!

[@InkquiringMinds]

Thanks, Gabe. My 601 Flighter is with me everyday. I use it for notes and measurements while writing up my video reviews and take it out with me. Probably the only fountain pen I take out of the house. I love it!

[@barrylevitt1170]

Hi Doug, I recommended you to Suson at Osprey pens and suggested that you may be interested in reviewing their models.I have the Madison EEF flex nib and it is a excellent writer. Have a great day.

[@InkquiringMinds]

Cool, thanks, Barry!

[@barrylevitt1170]

@@InkquiringMinds You are welcome.

[@paulmchugh1430]

I have never heard of the 78G. It looks like a beginner's pen in some ways but, then again not, if you know what I mean. It doesn't look like a Varsity. Is the nib about the size of Pilot's 5 size nib? Nice review, Doug.

[@InkquiringMinds]

Yes. They are small. Nice little pens.

[@martintohill5822]

I want. I suppose the question is how many fountain pens do you need? X+1 where x is the current number of pens you own. I love this review and the pen and just found one on Etsy and immediately ordered it. Thanks for another fantastic pen review Doug.

[@InkquiringMinds]

Yes, exactly! Thanks, Martin!

[@marilyngardner4269]

I actually really like my pens with Schmidt nibs...and so, I resemble that remark about their nibs.

[@InkquiringMinds]

Oh! YOU got the good one! Congrats! ;) I'm glad yours work for you!

[@marilyngardner4269]

@@InkquiringMinds Actually, I think I have two good ones. The Schmidt nib on my yStudio pen is glorious--you should try one! Admittedly, almost nothing beats Pilot nibs...

[@tomshult3044]

good review. I don't think that is a con 40 as there is a wide opening with ball bearings in a Con-40.

[@InkquiringMinds]

You are correct. My bad. I should wear my glasses when I’m digging converters out of the drawer.

[@bikkies]

I believe the squeeze converter is actually known as a CON-B in some Pilot circles. The CON-20 was apparently a very similar bladder-based aerometric converter but it was more shrouded than the (alleged) CON-B. I don't have any CON-20s but they visually remind me of the infamous potato-peeler finger-shredder blood converter found in low-end Hero pens. Hopefully not quite as useless (other than as a street weapon) though.

[@lucm6476]

love the nib on that pen . Good stuff. 👍

[@InkquiringMinds]

Thanks 👍 Appreciate it Luc! :)

[@fizixguru101]

As always these videos aren't just educational but entertaining and glad the writing sample doesn't include the irksome pangram 'the lazy dog.....' but nice new quote each time .... Good going 👏

[@InkquiringMinds]

Thank you so much!

[@thuntz29]

I’m enjoying my brand new 78G+ in olive 🫒 with a pluminix F nib. Very cute pen, a bit more expensive than I’d like but really it’s Pilot. It will last.

[@InkquiringMinds]

Excellent!

[@amyr.862]

I thought about getting one of these for the converter. I now have two old Pilots with no converters that I'm itching to write with. I was hoping the Con20 was a little better than the Con-40. They really want you to buy cartridges don't they? From what I read people can't stop complaining about Pilot converters, so I guess I should save the money and buy cartridges. I thought my Staples had them but of course they don't 😂😭 The stub looks good. I've tried a 1.1 from my dirt cheap calligraphy set and it's a little broader than I like for writing. This one looks like you can still write sort of small without filling in the loops.

[@InkquiringMinds]

Thank you, Amy! The only Pilot converter I like is the Con70. It holds a good deal of ink and is easy to use... not easy to clean though.

[@davidmcguigan5497]

Thanks, Doug! I believe you. In the words of Mike Meyers' SNL, Dieter: This review was "as boring as life itself"...not. The nib's the thing in a fountain pen, no doubt. Btw, I've been enjoying a Ranga 8B that arrived, last month. I like the way they do business--ordered a broad nib and it came with an extra feed and a fine nib along with an Oliver pen, nice. Happy with the broad nib, less so the fine, but it's early yet. Cheers!

[@InkquiringMinds]

Thanks, David! :)

[@bikkies]

I have a number of 78G and also 78G+ so this is interesting. I'd never noticed the clip differences though I had spotted the band labelling change. I believe the other differences worth noting are that the 78G+ comes in some different colours as well as allegedly having a demonstrator variant, and probably the biggest selling point for those that are into such things, they have fine and EF nib choices. The eBay seller from whom I bought my 78G+s tends to include a random stuffed toy with the pen. Usually it's something cute and kawaii as I believe those young people would say nowadays. My latest though was shipped with a huge stuffed ragdoll type thing. Apparently it's a character from Frozen but I think it's the kind of thing you'd give your kids (and their parents) to make them scream in the night & sleep with one nervously twitching eye open. Possessed freaky doll from hell is watching you, always watching. Don't dare get ink on her! Argh.

[@InkquiringMinds]

TMI! LOL

[@christopherstarr7607]

I am looking for a Pilot 78G or 78G+ with a good price on a stub nib. The price has gone up the last time I looked. I love the pilot stubs.

[@InkquiringMinds]

Prices are rising across the board.

[@wendyholiday2021]

Thank you!

[@InkquiringMinds]

You're welcome!

[@TheNightowl001]

The only 78g pens I've been able to find have been on eBay, and all the ones I found had broad nibs, which I don't care for, so I think I'm going to the Chinese vendors to find a 78g+ with an EF nib. Thanks for the review, and for letting me know I don't really want the "old" 78g all that much! (Which I promptly went and ordered from AliExpress!) I'm curious about how you "classify" nib sizes. My experience has been that sizes run like: Japanese: 0.3 - 0.38 - EF; 0.5 - F, 0.7 M, 0.9 - 1 B. Chinese: Same as Japanese with MINOR variances, usually to the larger size: 0.38 - 0.4 - EF, 0.5 - 0.55 F, 0.7 - M, and I don't often see Chinese pens offered in larger sizes unless they're offered as "calligraphy" nibs specified by nib size in mm. Western: 0.5 - EF, 0.7 - F, 0.9 - M, 1 mm - B, 1.1 and up - stubs and italics.

[@InkquiringMinds]

I use Richard Binder's line size chart which has different categories for Western and Eastern line sizes. www.richardspens.com/pdf/strokewidths.pdf

[@hrnekbezucha]

Funny thing, all of the Chinese clones I handled are capped with 3 turns. I though that's from the original design, but I'm proven wrong. The section is very narrow and is still a little bit wider than the one of Metropolitan, which is just crazy thin. Overall nice knock-about pen.

[@InkquiringMinds]

I can't write with a Metro and the 78G is too thin. The Explorer has a great section.

[@michaelcorleone89]

Do you think this pen is worth 30 euros?

[@InkquiringMinds]

Not even close!

[@michaelcorleone89]

@@InkquiringMinds thank you very much. I do really appreciate your reviews cause you don’t stay “neutral” or vague. Which is rare and at the same time extremely helpful!

[@coffeegirluk1]

I love the nib on my 78g but the pen is too small. Do you know of any non-Pilot pens I could swap the nib into?

[@neofliermike]

Some wing sungs

[@InkquiringMinds]

Yes, as noefliermike says, there are Wing Sung 659 and 698 nibs fit the Metro so will fit this pen too.

[@adamrichards3174]

"What could go wrong, putting the Japanese and the Germans together?" ....LMAO

[@InkquiringMinds]

Think I gained some fans for that one? LOL

[@adamrichards3174]

@@InkquiringMinds Could be. Hey, thanks for the great reviews. You definitely convinced me to get a Moonman M800 (amber with Moonman F nib), it's my favorite pen! Wheras, I gave my old Waterman Phileas another try... still writes like garbage after awhile, so I don't know about that one just yet.

[@yuklimka7251]

Right? I was dead...

[@yuklimka7251]

@@InkquiringMinds That Neue Deutsche Welle MV... I didn't expect anyone to be familiar with it outside of Germany, especially 30+ years after NDW was a thing. Well played, sir!

[@aag24]

Excellent video once again, sir. I don’t remember the 78G being that nice looking. It’s all one needs in a pen . So true … pilot converters are universally awful! (It appears “the algorithm” has decided that I should no longer get my notifications from your channel! Lord help us! Save us from those who know better).

[@InkquiringMinds]

Well said! Make sure you have that BELL clicked WELL!

[@ryansullivan3081]

I think many Americans might oppose a Germany/Japan team up. Just saying.😂

[@InkquiringMinds]

75 years ago! Too soon?

[@ryansullivan3081]

@@InkquiringMinds exactly. Happy thanksgiving from the US of A. I’ve learned a ton from your videos. Thank you so much.

[@mariemccullough9874]

Funny ha ha 😂 👏👏👏

[@InkquiringMinds]

Thank you, Marie!

[@ajiusasikander1701]

Hello. I have a theatre question for you. May I e-mail you?

[@InkquiringMinds]

Of course. My email is in the description.

[@ajiusasikander1701]

Many thanks to you.

[@kattz753]

Gee. This piece of crap is, other than the nib and the branding, almost identical to my piece of crap Wing Sung 3001. Like within a mm here and there. The fine nib is almost identical to the medium in my Kakuno but of course, scratchier. I don't know if I even want to waste a Plumix nib on this thing.

[@InkquiringMinds]

I see no similarity between the PIlot 78G and a WS3001. Are you commenting on the right video? 🤔🙄

[@carlo344]

It scratches too much

[@InkquiringMinds]

There are ways to fix that.

[@carlo344]

@@InkquiringMinds how?

[@InkquiringMinds]

Here’s a good video on the basics. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJDFf4WohdBog7s

[@vladimirlem1104]

Is there a hole in the back that I would need to clog?

[@InkquiringMinds]

No, just an injection molding gate.