Pilot Metropolitan vs Pilot Kakuno: Same Nib, Different Body

Pilot Metropolitan vs Pilot Kakuno: Same Nib, Different Body

Here is the open secret that makes this comparison easy and interesting at once: the Pilot Metropolitan and the Pilot Kakuno share the same steel nib family. The part that touches paper — smooth, reliable, famous for writing above its price — is essentially the same on a $20 metal pen and a $15 plastic one. So this is not a contest of writing quality. It is a question of what body you want wrapped around an identical nib, and who each pen is for.

We compare them on body and feel, grip, what is in the box, and the Japanese sizing they share.

At a glance

	Pilot Metropolitan	Pilot Kakuno
Price	around $20	around $15
Body	lacquered brass — real heft	light molded plastic, hexagonal
Nib	Pilot steel — smooth, reliable	the same Pilot steel nib family
Grip	smooth round section	gentle molded facets that guide a hold
Party trick	premium metal feel, tasteful accent bands	smiley face on the nib shows correct orientation
Clip	yes	none — a desk and pencil-case pen
In the box	cartridge + squeeze converter	cartridge only
Converter	CON-40 fits (not the larger CON-70)	CON-40 fits (not the larger CON-70)
Best for	a grown-up daily writer or easy gift	kids, students, and fearless first-timers

The nib is the same — so start there

Both pens use Pilot's steel nib, the one that has been recommended for a decade because it is smooth, starts reliably after a pause, and holds a consistent line without the skipping that plagues bargain pens. On the Kakuno it is printed with a tiny smiley face; on the Metropolitan it is plain. Otherwise the writing experience is very close. Whatever you save by choosing the Kakuno, you are not saving it on the nib — you are saving it on the body.

Both are Japanese-sized, which runs finer than Western: a Pilot Fine writes close to a Western extra-fine, and a Pilot Medium lands near a Western fine. That makes either an excellent match for small handwriting, dense notes, and the cheap paper students actually use, all of which reward a finer, drier line. Order the Medium for a familiar everyday stroke, or the Fine if you write small — Japanese vs Western nib sizes explains why even the Medium stays tidy, and the nib finder will match a width to your hand.

Body and feel: heft versus lightness

This is the real decision. The Metropolitan's body is brass under a lacquer finish, giving it a cool, forward-balanced heft that reads as far more expensive than $20. Pick one up and it feels like hardware. The subtle accent bands — plain black, or tasteful tone-on-tone python, tiger, and leopard — let it pass in a meeting and gift like a considered object.

The Kakuno goes the other way on purpose. It is light molded plastic, hexagonal so it will not roll off a school desk, in cheerful two-tone colors. That lightness is a genuine ergonomic win for long sessions or young hands — there is no weight fighting you across a page of homework — and it is the opposite argument to the Metropolitan's satisfying weight. Neither is "better"; a journaler who writes for an hour may prefer the Kakuno's featherweight body, while someone who wants an object with presence will reach for the Metropolitan.

Our Pilot Metropolitan review and Pilot Kakuno review cover each in full.

Grip, clip, and the smiley that teaches

The Metropolitan's section is smooth and round, letting you hold it however you like. The Kakuno's has gentle molded facets — softer than a Lamy Safari's hard triangle — that nudge fingers toward a proper tripod grip without forcing it. For a child or someone re-learning to hold a pen without a death grip, that guidance is the point, and the smiley face on the nib adds an instant visual check that the pen is oriented correctly, face-up. It is charming and genuinely useful.

The trade for the Kakuno's low price is that it has no clip: it is a desk and pencil-case pen, not a shirt-pocket carry. The Metropolitan's firm clip and posting cap make it the more portable of the two.

What is in the box, and feeding bottled ink

The Metropolitan currently includes both a cartridge and a squeeze converter, so you can use bottled ink out of the box. The Kakuno includes a cartridge only. To move either to bottled ink — cheaper and endlessly more colorful — the click-style Pilot CON-40 drops into both. Note the fitment rule that trips people up: the larger CON-70 does not fit either pen's slim body, so buy the CON-40. From there a single bottle of Diamine ink will keep either pen running for ages, and how to fill a fountain pen walks through cartridge, converter, and squeeze.

The verdict

They share a nib, so buy the body that fits the writer. Choose the Pilot Metropolitan for a grown-up metal pen with real heft, a clip, an included converter, and looks that gift easily to an adult — check the Metropolitan's price on Amazon and grab the Medium. Choose the Pilot Kakuno for the cheapest way into Pilot's excellent nib, the lightest body for long or young hands, and a grip-and-smiley design built to teach — check the Kakuno's price on Amazon, ideal for a student, a child, or a fearless first-timer who will not fret over a $15 pen. Add a bottle of ink to either and you have a pen for years.

Weighing other starters? Lamy Safari vs Pilot Metropolitan pits the Metropolitan against the German icon, and both Pilots land in our best beginner fountain pens roundup and the /best hub.