This post is very firmly in the “@drifand made me do it” category (I know I’m not alone, there should probably be a dedicated tag in this forum ), more specifically this post. I had kind of eschewed Pilot’s multipen offerings at first but after seeing it I proceeded to amass the following set of 2, 3 and 4 colours including the weird “Hosobuto” with 3 blacks and a red:
But you can’t search for metal multipens without coming across gems from the 70’s and 80’s so I gathered a few extras along the way (I managed to limit myself to the 4-colour variety):
(L to R: Pilot BK-300S-S, Zebra 4C-DX, older Zebra, Staedtler Mars, Pelikan 4x1M, Montblanc)
These pendulum multipens are very similar and it seems that the only originality allowed to desginers is concentrated on the shape of the colour windows:
As for the battle in the title, I can’t really deliver on my promise. With pens that old, a review would probably be more a comparison of how my specific samples have aged than of the models’ qualities. I’ll just say that I was disappointed by the Pilots’ tendency to jam when not perfectly oriented (both the 3- and 4-colours as well as the Hosobuto exhibit this). The Zebra 4C-DX is my favourite, it does rattle a bit but it has the smoothest action of the lot. It’s also one of only two to have ridges on the grip. I’m using this one regularly.
What have I done… ?
Very nice indeed! I also got hold of a Hosobuto recently - 3 black pens in different line widths, from fine > medium > broad, + 1x red. Hence the odd-sized black dots on the body!
Yes, this one is weird. I have seen other similar multipens (one from Sailor with only the three blacks, one from Ohto with two blacks, blue and red) but I still don’t understand the target audience.
Faber Castell had their first pen of this type in 1965.
The Pilot ones, although they are today highly sought-after collectibles, are of much simpler design than those like the Mars you mentioned, which had crimped, full-metal interiors, which must have been difficult to manufacture in comparison.
The Pilot ホソブト goes up to $80!! Isn’t that crazy::
Other pens use the same two-tone pattern (chrome/satin grey) but I particularly like the design around the colour window, it makes me think of a Jules Verne contraption.
This one is german, from 1957, by Heinrich Morlock sold under all kind of names.
Have you listened to the sound it makes when actuated? A high-pitched metal ‘cling’.
This is due to the unusual mechanism used, which is, of course, not a new principle, but is unique in multicolor pens. So far I know no other multipen that uses it.
The ‘W Knock’ one is indeed made in Japan, as I’ve seen on one of them:
It uses a claw/clutch-type mechanism (for actuation. Not multipen-exclusive of course) that rides up and down an axially movable ring. On the downward press, it claws between the ring and the abudment. When pressed again, it is pushed onto the ring, clamps it tight. When the pusher is released, the claw takes the ring with it, so that the claw can slide back on top of the abudment.
I hadn’t noticed the sound prior to your message but the feel is different from other multipens: if you knock too fast or too far it doesn’t catch, now I understand why.
Now I’m curious: is it easy to take apart or did you get this information from patents or other documentation?
The great part is that it’s just a hull encasing the mechanism and acting as a front stop for the spring. So all I had to do was mill a very tiny few cm long slot, which enables the hull to expand when you pull on it. You can then slide it off, just make sure to not lose the spring and pendulum parts that will shoot out of the pencil. After you’re done, you can push the hull back on again, and it will hold by itself.
Here’s a demonstration that it still works without issues:
), more specifically this post. I had kind of eschewed Pilot’s multipen offerings at first but after seeing it I proceeded to amass the following set of 2, 3 and 4 colours including the weird “Hosobuto” with 3 blacks and a red:
What have I done… ?
