In the modern panorama, Pilot’s choice proves to be extremely courageous.

After testing the current market’s reactions to the semi-flexibility of the Pilot Falcon (so-called due to the characteristic “hawk’s beak” nib), it introduced a decidedly innovative pen: the Pilot Justus. The characteristic of this specimen is the possibility of adjustment – via a rotating ring positioned at 0.8 cm. from the junction of the nib – the flexibility or rigidity of the nib itself.

How does this “magic” happen? The ring nut in the H – hard position brings the movement of the foil close to the tip of the nib, creating a rigid effect on writing; on the other hand, by positioning the ring nut in the S – soft position, the foil retracts inside the junction between the handle and the nib, allowing good flexibility of the nib itself.

However, Falcon and Justus served Pilot only as a “trail opener”, because it subsequently launched the Pilot Custum 743 – FA nib on the market, whose nib – cut at the sides – presents unparalleled characteristics of softness during writing and flexibility. of the nib found exclusively in vintage examples of a certain level.

Aesthetics and design:

If there is an ugly-horrendous pen it is the Pilot Custum 743 FA nib, even if it writes divinely. The Justus has a fairly harmonious line, medium-large dimensions and truncated ends.

On the cap and barrel there is a series of very discreet “knurls” which are extremely pleasant to the touch, giving the sensation of non-slippery (contrary to most pens which are characterized by their smooth plastic surface). This feature is omitted for the area dedicated to the handle.

Handle:

It is made of smooth plastic and has a space of 2.5 cm. In reality the grip is 1.3 cm. before meeting 0.4 cm. of ring nut and continue with 0.8 cm. of the same smooth material towards the base of the nib, however this “interruption” does not affect either the comfort or the adherence of the fingertips to this section.

Peculiarities:

By operating the ring nut on the handle, you can obtain either a rigid nib or a semi-flexible nib. However, we must point out that the rigidity is not the “rigor mortis” typical of Lamy or Delta (just to name a few, but the list could be endless). The nib in the H (hard) position allows for slightly springy writing in the event of downward pressure;

The tactile sensation of the slightly raised knurling on the barrel and cap is pleasant.

Construction and quality:

Excellent construction materials that give the feeling of robustness and solidity.

Weight and dimensions:

It cannot be hidden that the pen has a significant weight: 18 g. you can feel them, especially if you switch from the Falcon or the 743 to the Justus in the space of a few minutes, however Pilot has well identified the perfect calibration of the weights whose balance allows long and uninterrupted writing sessions.

As regards the dimensions, as you will have understood from the incipit of this review, the pen lends itself both to the hands of an adult and to the hands of a child.

However, the circumference of this pen does not allow it to be housed in the elastic bands of school pencil cases as the latter are of insufficient size.

When opened with posted hood it reaches 16.8 cm.; we therefore recommend using it with the hood on. The dimensions of the barrel alone are sufficient to guarantee excellent writing comfort, resulting in a protrusion at the tail, compared to the hollow of the hand, of 3 cm.

Nib and performance:

H nib: the nib is rigid but does not lack smoothness. A small variation in stroke may be recorded following slight pressure in the descending vertical phase.

S nib: when rotating the ring nut, be careful not to unscrew the barrel! There is a greater marking of the line, probably due to an increase in ink flow. There is the sensation that there is also an increase in smoothness.

The line is constant, free of uncertainties even following “infinity” writing (touching the paper rather than placing the nib firmly on the sheet) and maintains the characteristics indicated (also in terms of smoothness) both with hasty and nervous writing.

Writing test:

1. Left open on the desk for 15 minutes: if you write a number or a letter you lose the first 9 mm of line then resume writing normally without hesitation, if you draw a line you have a “thin” line , almost faded but without interruption for 2.5 cm. after which it resumes with the normal writing flow;

2. On correction tape: in position H the writing is not very smooth, in position S it is acceptable. In any case, the legibility of the writing is guaranteed and there is no fading or enlargement of the lines;

3. On absorbent paper: in position S the plucking is less than the Custum 743 but in position H you get acceptable writing with good readability. It would be tested on the sheets of recycled paper that they provide during the exam.

Quality – Price:

We are in the medium-high range (the list price is $283.00) but it is a pen that presents significant peculiarities:

• The modulation of the nib from rigid to semi-flex
• The tactile sensation of the knurling (engraved discreetly) that covers the barrel and cap
• A good tank capacity of the converter even if, in our opinion, charging by repeatedly pressing the button is somewhat inconvenient and impractical when using Sailor inkwells (the ink all the inside of the mini-funnel is insufficient to fill the converter).

As has already been observed in another and different review, when you choose Pilot you are not paying for the “Brand” but for the quality, efficiency and precision that are provided by that company; in light of this the price appears more than justified by the writing performance provided.

Brand: Pilot
Model: Justus 95
Variants: Gold or rhodium finish
Nib: F in 14k gold
Filling system: Cartridges (proprietary) / converter supplied Converter
Type: CON-70, with 1.2ml capacity.
Cap: screw-on

Technical data:

Weight: 28 gr. of which 6 gr. engaged by the converter (the proprietary cartridge, however, has a weight of 2 g.)
Weight of the barrel alone: ​​18 g. (including converter)
Cap weight: 10 gr.
Closed length: 14.8 cm.
Open length (without hood): 13.5 cm.
Nib length: 2.2cm.
Handle thickness: ranging from 0.9 cm. near the nib up to a maximum of 1 cm. in correspondence with the screw thread