Pilot Kakuno vs Lamy LX

I asked for suggestions from fellow users of the product, but before the answers came, I tried pulling the cartridge back off and putting it on again. This caused a large spraying of ink onto me and the various kitchen tools in the vicinity. Fortunately it didn’t ruin any clothing, and my hands will be clean after a week or so most likely. However, even though the pen now does work, it still smears ink on my fingers whenever I grasp it to write

My only quibble is the build quality of the grip where it screws into the body and the ink cartridge is attached. It's plastic and feels a little wonky when I screw it in or out - I fear it may not last long. It's a little cheap-feeling.

For some reason, fountain pens are really expensive. This one, for beginners, was fairly priced. So, I figured that I could try out a fountain pen without spending alot. The pen is fairly nice, and was easy to install the ink cartridge, even if the instuctions are in Japanese

You'll pay about $50 for one at pen chalet, with one of their easy-to-find 10% coupons. (Try the codes 2Guys or SBREbrown to start.)

For me, though, a daily pen needs to be durable but cheap, because I spend a lot of time around machines, taking notes on them. For me, Lamy Safaris or the Pilot Kakuno are my daily drivers. Reliable, cheap, durable, and work well with Noodler's bulletproof inks (so if a random machine blows a hose, or I spill my morning coffee, my notes don't get ruined).

The pen I received was plastic and not aluminum. Very disappointed with this purchase. UPDATED 16 June 2021 Order this pen from a different vendor and got the same pen. The reason I am giving this a 3-star review is that the pen is not full aluminum nor is the carry case, the outer body is maybe 40% and the rest is plastic

I really like this pen for it's lightweight functionality. It really works very simply and without problems.

The weight of the pen (without the cap) feels perfect, a bit heavy on the back with the cap. The pen writes pretty well - but my nib (F) is really scratchy for some reason. I've used other LAMY Lx pens, and they felt extremely smooth to write with, so I'm wondering if I got a dud. I can't return it because of shipping fees (I live outside US)

Pilot Metropolitan (finer nib point options with a sturdy body, nibs can easily be swapped out next time just buying the cheap plumix instead).

We looked at an LX, the last model that is, and other than potential quality there is absolutely zero reason to choose one over a Range Rover.