Fountain Pens
Pilot Prera review
The Prera solves two problems at once - a pen that fits a small hand, and a Pilot you can fill from a bottle on the day it arrives. It charges you for both.
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Most Pilot recommendations on this site end with the same caveat: the pen takes Pilot's proprietary cartridges, and if you want to use bottled ink you need to buy a converter separately. The Prera is the one that does not need that sentence.
It is also short. Those two facts - a compact body and an included CON-40 converter - are the whole case for it, and they are worth more to some buyers than to others.
What Pilot publishes
A steel Fine nib, a compact resin body, and a CON-40 converter in the box. No nib width in millimeters, which is the usual gap - Pilot publishes 0.3 mm for the Kakuno's Fine but states nothing for this one.
That absence matters less here than it would elsewhere, because the Prera's nib is the same Japanese Fine family as the Metropolitan and the Kakuno. If you have written with either, you already know roughly what line to expect.
The pen
Quick picks
Ranked for the beginner buying their first setup. Every pick names who it is wrong for.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Pilot Prera A compact Pilot with the converter already in the box, which removes the Metropolitan's one real annoyance. | Small hands and a short pen | $35.00 · View on Amazon #ad Price as of October 18, 2026. How this is funded |
| 2 |  Pilot Metropolitan A brass-bodied pen with a nib far better than the price suggests, and the one most consistently handed to beginners. | The default first pen | |
| 3 |  Pilot Kakuno A hexagonal barrel that will not roll off a desk, a smiling face on the nib to show which way is up, and a genuinely good Pilot nib underneath. | Younger writers and small handwriting | $9.90 · View on Amazon #ad Price as of October 18, 2026. How this is funded |
| 4 |  Pilot CON-40 converter The screw converter that fits the widest range of Pilot pens, including the ones with narrow barrels. | Bottled ink in a Metropolitan or Kakuno |
1. Small hands and a short pen
Pilot Prera
A compact Pilot with the converter already in the box, which removes the Metropolitan's one real annoyance.
#ad Price as of October 18, 2026. How this is funded
The Prera is short, which is the whole reason to choose it. Posted it is a normal length; unposted it suits a small hand better than anything else Pilot makes at this price.
The included converter matters more than it sounds. It is the difference between a pen that can use bottled ink today and one that needs a second order first.
The nib is the same Japanese Fine family as the Metropolitan and the Kakuno, so the line width will be familiar if you have used either.
| Nib | Steel, FineSource: Pilot Prera, Fine (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
|---|---|
| Filling | Pilot cartridge, with a CON-40 converter includedSource: Pilot Prera, Fine (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Body | Compact resin barrelSource: Pilot Prera, Fine (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Nib width in mm | Not published |
What it does well
- Converter included — bottled ink works immediately
- Genuinely compact
- Pilot nib quality
What it does not
- Costs more than the Metropolitan for a smaller pen
- Proprietary Pilot cartridges
- Limited nib range in US listings
Skip this if you have large hands, or if you would rather put the money into the pen's body than into a converter you could add later.
2. The default first pen
Pilot Metropolitan
A brass-bodied pen with a nib far better than the price suggests, and the one most consistently handed to beginners.
The brass body is the reason this pen feels like it costs more than it does. It gives the pen weight in the hand and a cold, solid grip section, which is the single thing most people notice moving up from a plastic school pen.
The nib is a Japanese Fine. That matters more than the letter suggests: Japanese grades run narrower than German ones, so a Pilot Fine lays a line closer to what a European maker would call extra fine. If you write small or on thin paper, that narrowness is doing you a favor.
The catch is filling. The Metropolitan takes Pilot's own cartridges, not the international standard ones every other brand shares, and the converter you need to use bottled ink is a separate purchase.
| Nib grades offered | Fine and Medium (stub also sold separately)Source: Pilot Metropolitan, Fine (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
|---|---|
| Nib width in mm | Not publishedPilot does not state a millimeter width for the Metropolitan nib in this listing. Japanese Fine runs narrower than a German Fine — see the nib size guide. |
| Body | Brass barrel, painted finishSource: Pilot Metropolitan, Fine (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Filling | Pilot proprietary cartridge, or a Pilot CON-40 / CON-70 converter (sold separately)Source: Pilot CON-40 converter (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| In the box | Pen with one black ink cartridge and a squeeze converterSource: Pilot Metropolitan, Fine (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
What it does well
- Brass body at a plastic-pen price
- Japanese Fine nib puts down a narrow, controlled line
- Extremely widely stocked, so replacements and spares are easy
What it does not
- Proprietary Pilot cartridges, not the international standard
- Converter is sold separately
- The painted finish scuffs if you pocket-carry it with keys
Skip this if you want to use bottled ink on day one without a second purchase, or if you already know you prefer a broad, wet line.
3. Younger writers and small handwriting
Pilot Kakuno
A hexagonal barrel that will not roll off a desk, a smiling face on the nib to show which way is up, and a genuinely good Pilot nib underneath.
#ad Price as of October 18, 2026. How this is funded
The Kakuno was designed for Japanese schoolchildren, and every design decision follows from that: hexagonal so it stays put, a face embossed on the nib so you can see at a glance whether you are holding it upside down, and a nib tuned to be forgiving rather than fast.
It shares a nib family with the Metropolitan, so the writing experience is closer to that pen than the price gap suggests. What you give up is the brass body and the sense of occasion.
The cap does not post, which is a real annoyance for anyone with large hands — you either hold a slightly short pen or find somewhere to put the cap.
| Line width | 0.3 mm on the Fine nibStated in the listing's own product attributes.Source: Pilot Kakuno, Fine (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
|---|---|
| Nib grades offered | Extra Fine, Fine, MediumSource: Pilot Kakuno, Extra Fine 0.3 mm (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Body | Hexagonal plastic barrel; the cap does not postSource: Pilot Kakuno, Fine (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Filling | Pilot proprietary cartridge, or a Pilot CON-40 converterSource: Pilot CON-40 converter (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
What it does well
- The maker publishes a millimeter figure for the nib
- Hexagonal barrel does not roll
- Same Pilot nib quality as pens costing twice as much
What it does not
- The cap does not post on the barrel
- Unmistakably a children's pen to look at
- Proprietary Pilot cartridges
Skip this if the pen has to look serious on a desk at work, or if you have large hands and need to post the cap.
4. Bottled ink in a Metropolitan or Kakuno
Pilot CON-40 converter
The screw converter that fits the widest range of Pilot pens, including the ones with narrow barrels.
Pilot sells several converters and they are not interchangeable. The CON-40 is the small one that fits nearly everything; the CON-70 holds far more but only fits wider pens.
The CON-40 has agitator balls inside it, which look like a defect and are not — they stop ink clinging to the walls.
If you own a Metropolitan and want to use a bottle, this is the part.
| Type | Screw-type converterSource: Pilot CON-40 converter (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
|---|---|
| Fits | Pilot fountain pens that take the CON-40, including the Metropolitan and KakunoSource: Pilot CON-40 converter (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
| Capacity | Not published |
| Larger alternative | The CON-70, for pens with a wider barrelSource: Pilot CON-70 converter (retail listing, read 2026-09-01) |
What it does well
- Fits the widest range of Pilot pens
- Cheap enough to buy two
- Screw fitting will not fall out
What it does not
- Small capacity
- Not interchangeable with the CON-70
- Pilot does not publish the capacity
Skip this if your Pilot takes the larger CON-70 — buy that instead and get double the ink.
The short body is the point
Unposted, the Prera is noticeably shorter than a standard pen. For a small hand that is the difference between a pen that balances in the fingers and one that levers against the web of the thumb.
Posted - cap pushed onto the back - it returns to a normal writing length, so it is not a pen you are forced to write small with. That flexibility is genuinely useful and it is the reason the Prera turns up in recommendations for people who found a Metropolitan unwieldy.
The trade is that a short, light resin pen feels less substantial than the brass Metropolitan. If the pleasure of a pen with some weight to it is part of why you are buying, this is the wrong direction.
The converter changes the first week
This is the part most reviews undersell. A cartridge pen without a converter is a pen that can only use the ink its maker sells in its own plastic tubes. A pen with a converter in the box can use any bottle on the shelf from the first evening.
For a beginner that shortcut removes a real failure point: the gap between buying a pen and discovering that the interesting inks need a part you did not know to order. The cartridge versus converter guide covers the decision in full, and the short version is that most people end up wanting the converter eventually.
The CON-40 is not Pilot's best converter - it holds comparatively little ink and has agitator beads that rattle. The CON-70 holds more but does not fit every Pilot. What matters here is that you get a working one without a second purchase.
Prera against Metropolitan
| Prera | Metropolitan | |
|---|---|---|
| Body | Compact resin, light | Full-size brass, noticeably heavier |
| Converter | CON-40 included | Sold separately |
| Nib | Steel Fine, same Japanese family | Steel Fine, same Japanese family |
| Price | Higher | Lower |
| Best for | Small hands, immediate bottled ink | Almost everyone else |
Read that table honestly and the Metropolitan wins for most people: it costs less and the nib is the same. The Prera earns its premium on ergonomics and convenience, not on writing quality.
What to put in it
A Japanese Fine puts down comparatively little ink, so it is forgiving on ordinary paper - but it also hides ink character, so an expensive shading ink is largely wasted in it.
A straightforward dye ink is the right first fill. The beginner ink page explains why a boring first bottle is a diagnostic decision rather than a lack of ambition, and black or blue covers the two colors most people start with.
The verdict
The Prera is a good pen with a narrow case for buying it. If your hands are small, or if the idea of ordering a converter separately is the thing standing between you and bottled ink, it is worth the premium over a Metropolitan.
If neither applies, buy the Metropolitan and a CON-40 separately. You will spend about the same, get a heavier pen, and end up with the same nib on the page.
Either way, the Japanese pens roundup covers the cartridge lock-in that both of them share, which is the real long-term cost of buying into Pilot.
Questions people actually ask
Is the Pilot Prera worth it?
If you have small hands or want to use bottled ink immediately, yes - it ships with a CON-40 converter, which most Pilots do not. Otherwise the Metropolitan costs less and uses the same family of nib.
Does the Pilot Prera come with a converter?
Yes, a CON-40. That is the main practical difference from the Metropolitan, which requires buying the converter separately before you can use bottled ink.
What nib size is the Pilot Prera?
The listing states a steel Fine nib but publishes no width in millimeters. It is the same Japanese Fine family as the Metropolitan and the Kakuno, and Pilot does publish 0.3 mm for the Kakuno's Fine.
Is the Prera too small to write with?
Unposted it is short, which is the point for small hands. Posted, the cap brings it back to a normal writing length, so it works either way - but it stays light, and it never feels like a substantial pen.
Prera or Metropolitan?
Metropolitan for most people: lower price, heavier brass body, same nib. Prera if your hands are small or if you want bottled ink from day one without a second order.