I’ve been looking for a pen that would let me lay down a wide swath of ink without dipping a brush into my ink bottle. I’d seen the Pilot Parallel pens for sale through John Henry Booksellers but I haven’t placed an order with them in awhile. On my latest perusal of the GouletPens.com site I noticed they were carrying them for $10 each. That is a great price. I decided on the 6mm pen for the widest line of ink possible.

The way this pen works is like a fountain pen with a feed that flows between 2 sheets of thin springy steel. You can use the full flat side of the pen for a wide stroke or the corners for a very fine line. The pen feels a lot like a brush and lays down a very wet line. The fine line is very fine and adds a lot of versatility to the pen.

So far I’ve done about a half dozen drawings with the 6mm pen and frankly, it makes me want them all. It’s easily one of the most versatile pens I’ve used in a long time. It lays down a wide wet line of ink that covers anything well. The pen is really great especially when you look at the fact that it was only $10. Essentially it’s like getting a extra fine pen and a 6mm in one pen. In short it’s a good value.

Here are some examples of what I’ve done with this pen.

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The negative aspect of this pen is that it feels really cheap. Its pearlized gray plastic is light and is very slick in the hand. The grip area is also very smooth but clear. The cap is a funny shape and does not post. The corners of the nib do tend to lift fibers and can get blocked. They provide a special cleaning sheet that does a good job of cleaning the nib.

I’m not sure if the pen is a good candidate for turning into an eye dropper due to the threads. There is a gap on one side. I’m not sure that silicone grease would fill it well enough. I will try this and see what happens.

I got mine from GouletPens but it’s also available from JetPens and Pilot’s online store.