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The leaves are falling from the trees and cold weather is moving in. Thanksgiving is all that remains between fall and the blustery winds of winter. Before we bid fall adieu, let's celebrate its fading glory with one final fall ink review. Diamine Autumn Oak is a mellow orange ink with excellent shading properties. The color resembles that of an autumn leaf, with shades of orange and brown.
Autumn Oak is relatively dry and has a moderate dry time of slightly more than 20 seconds. The ink is all about shade, and Autumn Oak has the best shading properties of any ink that I've tried so far. It works best with wider nibs or flex nibs which show off the ink's shading properties. Autumn Oak can be used in finer nibs, but it's a bit too light to use as a daily workhorse ink, unless the nib is really juicy. Autumn Oak has medium saturation, with little distinction between the second and third bar in the ink test.
Diamine Pumpkin is my favorite orange to date, and its low shading and vivid color make it worthy of always being inked up. Compared to Pumpkin, Diamine Autumn Oak is much lighter on the page and leans closer towards brown. Pumpkin resembles the bright leaves at the beginning of fall, while Autumn Oak shows off the orangy browns of leaves that have fallen from the trees.
Diamine Autumn Oak isn't something that I would keep inked up all the time, but the ink's phenomenal shading properties and color make it a worthy addition to any ink collection.
The Pilot Kakuno isn't the pen that you're going to pull from a suit pocket to sign an important document at a stuffy business meeting. In fact, this pen is very easy to dismiss at first glance. It's not sleek and sexy, and it isn't going to wow your friends. Despite first appearances, the Kakuno is a very good pen. It's certainly marketed towards children but, cute packaging and smiley nib aside, it's a great option for anyone from the first-time pen buyer to a pen fanatic who's looking for a solid performer to test inks.
The Pilot Kakuno's body is made from a lightweight plastic that comes in several color combinations. I chose the Kakuno with a solid gray barrel and orange cap. The pen's grip is translucent and slightly moulded, much less so than the grip of the Lamy Safari. The translucent grip shows the inner workings of the feed mechanism, which is a plus for those who are learning about pens and want to know what's going on under the hood. The Pilot Kakuno is very light, but the grip and thicker barrel create an extremely comfortable writing experience.
The Pilot Kakuno's cap uses a snap fit mechanism and caps securely with a satisfying click. Although there's a small plastic nub to assist with uncapping (I assume), this pen is almost impossible to uncap with one hand. This comes from someone with gorilla hands, so avoid the pen if uncapping with one hand is important. The secure cap does protect from accidental uncappings and leaks. The pen fits comfortably in hand both posted and unposted, and the cap posts very securely on the pen's barrel. The cap has flat sides that prevent the pen from rolling.
A Pilot standard ink cartridge accompanies the Pilot Kakuno's cutesy packaging, but the Pilot converters fit as well. I popped the squeeze converter out of my Metropolitan and snapped it snuggly into place in the Kakuno with zero issues, aside from the crappiness of the squeeze converter.
The Pilot Kakuno's nib is on par with the nib on the Pilot Metropolitan, aside from the addition of a subtle smiley face engraved on the nib. It's a stellar nib for the price. I chose a Kakuno with a medium nib, since Japanese nibs run very fine. The fine nib on my Metropolitan is much too narrow for my liking, but the medium nib on the Kakuno is perfect. The Kakuno's medium nib is comparable to a European fine nib, like the one on the Lamy Safari. The nib lays down a juicy line and glides across the paper with ease.
At $10 or so on Amazon, the Pilot Kakuno is an excellent starting point for those diving into fountain pens. How does it hold up to the Pilot Metropolitan? It really depends on what the user is looking for. The Metropolitan is a classy-looking pen with a nice weight, but the Kakuno provides a superior writing experience, thanks to its secure posting and slightly moulded grip. Both have nearly-identical nibs, but the Kakuno's creative design gives it an edge over its older sibling.
Forgive the inconsistencies in the writing in the last part of the review. I ran out of ink mid review.
The North Wind Ink Drop - Goulet Pens offers an ink sampler subscription that ships 5 ink samples to your door each month for $10. It’s a great way to try tons of different inks without selling a kidney. This is my first month, and I can’t wait to give these inks a try.
Lamy 2000 - I finally pulled the trigger, and it’s so so good. Rambly review to come.
Thanks for checking out this week's issue of Casual Sunday. Check back in on Tuesday morning for a brand new blog post or follow A Better Desk on Twitter or via RSS feed so that you don't have to. Thanks for your support!
Looking for a particular pen or ink review? Check out the new Penventory page in the menu bar. Here you'll find a completely sporadically updated list of all of the fountain pens and inks in my collection, as well as links to related reviews and Buy links. Entries are separated into Pens and Inks and listed in alphabetical order by brand. I hope that this makes it easier to find what you're looking for at A Better Desk, but please leave a comment if you have suggestions. Thanks for reading!
