I’ve noted before that Pilot has a solid reputation — not just in the world in general, but also with me — for making good quality writing instruments.  All the way down to their disposable (“Varsity”) fountain pens, Pilot pens are among my favorites.  The Metropolitan has something special to offer: it’s a very affordable fountain pen that doesn’t look and feel like it’s an inexpensive fountain pen.  (The Metropolitan does also come in a ballpoint style if that’s your preference.)

When it comes to writing letters, old-fashioned touches like a fountain pen and/or wax seals can add a touch of elegance.  Pilot puts that within everyone’s reach with the Metropolitan.  It’s pretty versatile, too, in terms of ink.  It arrives with a single ink cartridge and a converter.  Here you can see the cartridge still nestled in the case, and the converter installed in the pen:

If you’re familiar at all with calligraphy pens, the cartridge works the same way.  It’s a small sealed tube full of ink.  When you push it into the tip of the pen, the pen is designed to puncture it, allowing the ink to flow.  Cartridges are very simple and straightforward to use and are available in a variety of colors.  However, you really need to use the same one until it’s empty, and then change it, or you’ll end up with a leaky mess.

The converter is a little different.  It is a hollow tube, as well, but it is designed to suck ink up inside much like an infant’s medicine syringe.  To use it, you first insert the converter, then hold the tip of the pen in a bottle of ink and draw the ink up into the converter.  This converter you see here works by squeezing, like an eyedropper.  The converter shown in the widget below will (I believe) also work with the Metropolitan, and it works by twisting.  (I haven’t had a chance to use mine yet — the second-style converter — but I like that it’s transparent.)

Converters, in my experience, have a little bit of a learning curve.  Beginners (ahem…like me) don’t always manage to get them full, so they run out quickly.  An advantage to a converter, though, is that you can fill them all the way or just partway, making it easier to switch between inks.  And Pilot has a large variety of really gorgeous ink colors.  (I have two different reds and two different browns en route to me right now that I can hardly wait to try!)

The ink you use will make some difference in how the pen writes.  It’s recommended to use Pilot ink, as it’s designed to have the right flow for the tip.  I must confess to using a different brand of ink, though, because it’s all I had on hand and I wanted to give the converter a try.  As  you can see, there’s a pretty big difference, even though both are black inks.

Both inks seemed to write well, though, on both good quality paper and cheap printer paper, with no feathering, etc.

Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen, Black Barrel, Classic Design, Medium Nib, Blue/black Ink, 1 Pen with 12 Refill CartridgesPilot Fountain Pen Converter (CON-50)Pilot MR Retro Pop Collection Fountain Pen, Turquoise Barrel with Dots Accent, Fine Nib, Black Ink (91436)Pilot Iroshizuku Bottled Fountain Pen Ink, Take-Sumi, Bamboo Charcoal, Black (69224)

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