ninagobragh | Pilot Kakuno: A Good Beginner Fountain Pen

I love trying all kinds of pens, but for the longest time, fountain pens weren't my thing. There were too many options, too many nib sizes, too many details about ink flow, cartridges, converters. I had no idea where I was supposed to start.

When curiosity got the best of me, I scrolled through JetPens for some ideas and went through the Staff Picks section to see what their employees were using. I figured if the employees were going to dog food, I might as well buy the crumbs.

That's how I wound up buying the Pilot Kakuno Fountain Pen in Soft Pink.

A Fountain Pen for People Who Have No Idea What They’re Doing (like me)

I’ll be honest—I picked the Kakuno because it was as cute as it was useful. And when something is pink, it gets my attention first. But luckily, it turns out this is actually one of the best beginner-friendly fountain pens out there.

It's easy to use. Even though the instructions were in Japanese, I figured out how to load the cartridge without any issues (such as, getting the ink all over my hands).
It's comfortable to hold. It’s lightweight, easy to grip, and effortless to write with. The nib glides across the paper.
It's a smooth writing experience. This is a fine nib. It sits right in that perfect middle ground between too sharp and too broad. If your experience writing is limited to ballpoint and gel-pens, prepare for a whole world to open up to you with fountain pens. Even my usual chicken scratch looks surprisingly legible.
It's ink flow is acceptable: The ink dries as expected for a fountain pen, which is to say, not very long. I smeared a few sentences with the side of my hand a few times. But this isn't a knock against it.

The One (Minor) Quirk

One thing I did notice while using this pen for a while: if I don’t store it nib-down or use it daily, the ink retreats to the back of the cartridge. I know that's probably not unusual with fountain pens and the way ink cartridges differ from ball and gel-ink pens. But this is a new experience that I'm glad I'm learning about.

The first time this happened, I thought I broke the poor thing. But after briskly scribbling the hell out if it, I got it warmed up and the ink started flowing again. I now keep a “pen warm-up” page in the back of my planner, and at this point, two full pages are just devoted to me reviving the Kakuno. It’s not a deal-breaker—just something to keep in mind.

Fountain Pens Don’t Have to Be Scary

If you’re new to fountain pens, JetPens’ Beginner’s Guide to Fountain Pens was incredibly helpful in breaking things down from installing the cartridge, to holding the pen, to even choosing a fountain pen that's best for you. The Pilot Kakuno was about $13USD, which was a decent price for a very good beginner pen. There are many disposable fountain pens to chose from, too, if you'd prefer to not mess with installing cartridges.

I’m glad I finally took the plunge into fountain pens, and the Kakuno was the perfect introduction. I do have one other fountain pen I use for practicing Hebrew, but that’s for another entry.