Pilot Metropolitan Review: The Best Fountain Pen Under $20

The Pilot Metropolitan has been the default recommendation for first fountain pens for nearly a decade, and it’s earned that position. At $18-20, it writes better than many pens costing three to five times as much. The build quality suggests a $50 pen. The nib is smooth enough to convert skeptics who thought they didn’t like fountain pens.

But no product survives a decade of universal recommendation without developing some mythology. Let’s cut through the hype and talk about what the Metropolitan actually is—and who it’s actually for.

The Basics

Price: $18-20 (Amazon, JetPens, Goulet Pens) Nib sizes: Fine (F) and Medium (M) in most markets Nib material: Stainless steel Fill system: Squeeze converter (CON-B) included, compatible with Pilot cartridges and the CON-40 converter (sold separately) Body material: Brass with lacquer finish Weight: 27g (posted), 17g (unposted) Length: 137mm capped, 153mm posted

The Build

Pick up a Metropolitan and you immediately understand the hype. The brass body has a substantial, balanced weight that feels authoritative. The lacquer finish is smooth and even. The clip is sprung steel, firm enough to actually grip a pocket without marking the fabric.

Available finishes include plain colors (black, silver, gold), retro-pop designs (dots, zigzags, animal prints), and occasionally limited editions. The plain colors look professional enough for office use. The retro-pop designs are fun without being garish.

The cap snaps on securely—a satisfying click that tells you it’s sealed. It posts on the back of the barrel firmly enough for writing, though the posted length is longer than some prefer.

For $18, the build quality is outstanding. The Metropolitan looks and feels like it belongs in a different price bracket.

The Nib

The nib is where the Metropolitan earns its reputation. Pilot’s steel nibs are famously consistent—smooth out of the box with almost no scratchiness. The medium nib lays down a generous line that shows off ink color and shading. The fine nib is finer than Western fine nibs (Japanese sizing runs narrower) and produces a precise, controlled line.

Smoothness: 9/10. Not quite as buttery as a gold nib (which you wouldn’t expect at this price), but smoother than many steel nibs costing more. There’s minimal feedback—the nib glides rather than scratches.

Wetness: Medium-wet. The ink flow is reliable and generous without being so wet that it bleeds on cheap paper. On good paper like Rhodia or Tomoe River (see [INTERNAL: rhodia-paper-review] and [INTERNAL: tomoe-river-paper-guide]), the Metropolitan shows off ink color beautifully.

Consistency: This is Pilot’s real strength. Buy five Metropolitans and you’ll get five nibs that write essentially identically. Quality control at this price point is exceptional.

Which Nib Size?

Fine (F): Best for small handwriting, writing on lower-quality paper (less bleed risk), and writers who value precision. Japanese fine is comparable to a Western extra-fine. If you’re used to 0.5mm gel pens, start here.

Medium (M): Best for average handwriting, quality paper, and anyone who wants to see ink properties (shading, sheen). Japanese medium is comparable to a Western fine-to-medium. More expressive, more enjoyable for journaling and personal writing.

For your first fountain pen, I’d recommend the medium. It better demonstrates what fountain pens do that other pens can’t—the line variation, the ink behavior, the tactile experience of a nib on good paper.

The Ink System

The Metropolitan ships with a Pilot squeeze converter (CON-B), a simple rubber sac that you fill by squeezing and releasing in ink. It works fine but holds less ink than you’d like—expect to refill every 2-3 days with daily use.

Cartridges: The easiest option. Pilot cartridges (~$6 for 12) snap in and go. Available in black, blue, blue-black, and a few colors. The ink quality is reliable if not exciting.

CON-40 converter (~$6, sold separately): A twist-piston converter that holds slightly more ink than the CON-B and feels more premium. Worth the upgrade if you plan to use bottled ink.

Bottled ink is where fountain pens get fun. The Metropolitan accepts any fountain pen ink via converter or syringe-filled cartridge. Pilot’s own Iroshizuku line is spectacular, but the world of fountain pen inks is vast and wonderful. See [INTERNAL: fountain-pen-ink-guide-beginners] for the full tour.

How It Writes

I’ve written thousands of pages with Metropolitans. Morning pages, meeting notes, journal entries, first drafts. The experience is consistently pleasant—the pen starts every time, the flow is even, and the weight feels balanced both posted and unposted.

On Rhodia paper, the medium nib produces a line that’s rich with color and shows subtle shading with most inks. On standard office paper (the 20 lb stuff in the copier), the line is wider and wetter than a ballpoint, with minor feathering on lower-quality stocks. The fine nib handles cheap paper better.

On Tomoe River paper, the Metropolitan really sings. The ink lays down beautifully, dries to show full color depth, and sheening inks actually display their secondary colors. A $18 pen on $15 paper producing writing that looks like calligraphy—that’s the fountain pen value proposition in action.

What’s Not Perfect

The converter capacity. The included CON-B holds roughly 0.5ml of ink. Heavy writers will find themselves refilling frequently. The CON-40 isn’t dramatically better. Pilot’s larger converters (like the CON-70) don’t fit.

The snap cap. Personal preference, but I prefer screw caps for fountain pens. Snap caps are faster to remove but feel less secure for pocket carry. The Metropolitan’s snap is firm and reliable, but a screw cap would inspire more confidence.

Limited nib options. Only fine and medium are available in most markets. No extra-fine, broad, or italic nibs. If you want nib variety, you’ll eventually need a different pen.

The finish longevity. After months of daily use, the lacquer on plain-finish Metropolitans can show wear, particularly on the barrel where your fingers grip. It’s cosmetic, not functional, but it happens.

Who It’s For

First-time fountain pen users: This is the pen. The price is low enough that you’re not risking much. The writing experience is good enough that you’ll understand the appeal. The build quality is high enough that it doesn’t feel like a compromise.

Daily writers on a budget: If you write every day—journaling, notes, drafting—the Metropolitan is a reliable daily driver that costs less than some people spend on fancy gel pens.

Ink experimenters: The converter system lets you try bottled inks without investing in an expensive pen. Fill the converter with a sample, write for a week, clean, and try a new ink.

People who think they don’t like fountain pens: If you tried a cheap fountain pen years ago and it was scratchy, leaky, and unpleasant, the Metropolitan is a completely different experience. Give fountain pens one more chance with this pen.

The Verdict

The Pilot Metropolitan is the most pen you can buy for $18. It writes beautifully, looks professional, feels substantial, and introduces you to the world of fountain pens and bottled inks without financial risk. It’s not perfect—the converter is small, the nib options are limited—but these are quibbles about a pen that outperforms its price by a wide margin.

Buy one. Fill it with an ink you love. Write with it for a month. You’ll either discover that fountain pens aren’t for you (unlikely) or you’ll wonder why you waited so long to try one.

For a comparison of the best beginner fountain pens, see [INTERNAL: choosing-your-first-fountain-pen].