Where Did Pilot Go?

Pilot used to be my favorite pen manufacturer.

In high school and college, I swore by Pilot G2s. At first, I only wrote with the black ones. I love the ghosting on cheap paper and the look of writing all over each other. And then all the colors... I wrote color-coded notes; I doodled; I drew; I journaled.

Then I discovered Papermate InkJoys and Pentel Energels, and I've never bought another G2.

I really fell in love with fountain pens through the Pilot Metropolitan. I had two Metros in Retro Pop Grey - one with a medium nib, one with a fine.

I've given both of those away.

I thought the Pilot Petit1s were the best pocket pens.

I unintentionally broke the clips on every one I owned and have lost at least half a dozen, so I had to give up on them.

I used my Pilot Kakuno exclusively for months. I scored one that used standard international converters on a trip to Europe. The nib's smiley face cheered me up whenever I was sad.

Then I cleaned it out one day and promptly forgot I ever owned it.

Although a risky impulse buy, I fell in love with the Pilot Falcon as my first gold-nibbed pen. Writing with a soft nib brought a whole other level of joy.

Now I'm getting ready to sell it.

The only Pilot that I use even somewhat regularly is my Pilot Parallel 3.8. While it lives in my pen cup, I only use it to play around. It's been a while since I've seriously practiced calligraphy.

How did Pilot go from dominating my collection to disappearing from it?

Part of it, to be honest, is my hipster-esque tendencies. I prefer having a collection that isn't just full of the usual suspects. It's almost as though I steer clear from people's Top Five lists. A big part of it is how much I've come to loathe not just their converters but proprietary converters in general. I'm also figuring out what I really like. I want to be more thoughtful about my collection. Pilot makes damn good pens, so they're a no-brainer to buy. But that led to me buying pens I didn't really need and to holding onto them long after I'd quit using them.

All of the pens listed here are amazing, and I'm so grateful for having gotten to own and use them. Realizing that I've left my Pilot pens away feels a bit like saying goodbye to who I used to be.