Pilot Varsity Disposable Fountain Pen: First Impressions

Hello all,

First off allow me to introduce myself. I'm Mark, I'm 17 years old from Connecticut, USA, and I joined this forum originally just to learn about wetshaving. However, I have always toyed with the idea of trying out a fountain pen, since I've read so much about them, and since I'm still a student, who writes regularly for school, I figured I could probably benefit from trying one out. They were prohibitively expensive, though, since I'm accustomed to the pack of 4 million pens you get for 6 cents at Staples. I didn't really know there was anything I would consider affordable until earlier tonight. When I read about the Pilot Varsity, a pen that can be easily found for under $4, I knew I had to try it out. I walked over to Staples about an hour ago, picked myself up a pack (black, blue, and purple for $7 and change), and tried them out. I'm glad I did.


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The very first thing that surprised me when I tried out the Varsity was the smoothness. The end of the nib is a round, almost ball-shaped structure. That allows for some very smooth writing and an easy transition from ballpoints. As you can see, it also makes the writing fairly bold. This is not a super-fine pen by any stretch of the imagination. However, I wouldn't say the width is excessive. It's certainly usable for everyday writing.

One thing that kind of disappointed me is the way the ink transfers. This might be a fountain pen thing, and not just this pen specifically, and I might just still be used to ballpoints, but in my opinion, the ink spreads too much. It's not a deal-breaker by any means, but I don't really like how much the ink feathers on cheap, multipurpose notebook paper, especially since this is made to be a cheap, layman's fountain pen, not some fancy-shmancy piece of equipment. In addition, the bleed-through is far from ideal. You will not be able to write on the other side of the page with this pen, because the opposite side's ink is far too clear. Again, this is using cheap, thin notebook paper, but still something to think about.

All in all though, despite it's shortcomings, I really like this pen. It feels fantastic and because of it's reasonable, affordable price, even complete fountain pen virgins can have a great experience with "proper" pens, without having to spend what we might consider a fortune. I would highly recommend this pen to anyone looking to try fountain pens, or to anyone who loves fountain pens but wants a "beater," something they can take around with them and not worry about breaking or losing it.

Pros: Feels great, inexpensive, fairly high-quality considering price point.
Cons: Bleeds through cheap paper, non-refillable.

Verdict: Two thumbs up.

EDIT: The permalink to this review on my blog can be found here.

Absolutely a great way to try FP's.... a couple of fairly good papers to get away from the bleeding on cheap paper are these

http://www.staples.com/Sustainable-...2-x-11-3-4-White/product_749567?cmArea=SEARCH

http://www.staples.com/Ampad-Gold-F...-Medium-Ruled-12/product_652538?cmArea=SEARCH

The bleed through seems to have been cut down on these products for me

The bleedthrough and feathering you're getting is likely one part the paper you're using and one part the ink in the pen. Some ink tends to feather more than others. On the flip side, more absorbent papers feather more than less absorbent ones. I find that with papers especially there is no real correlation to price, it's just that some paper works better than others. You may try some other papers you've got around the house, printer paper for example, and see if you come up with better results.

Also, though the Varsity pens aren't officially refillable there are instructions on the web on how one might refill them. There is the 'take the entire nib and feed out' method. This will work for some finite number of refills, as eventually the feed will not fit snugly anymore. We also have the slightly more complicated 'cut up syringe' method of refilling, in which you use a syringe to force ink back into the Varsity without removing the nib or feed.

Another pen in the same category you might want to take a look at is the Platinum Preppy. It's a disposable pen like the Varsity, but the barrel unscrews from the section to allow you to change cartridges. You can either keep swapping ink cartridges or convert the entire barrel to hold ink as an eyedropper pen. These Preppies usually retail for about $4 each, so they're staunchly in the 'students can afford this' category.

Brian, I will certainly look into those papers at some point... For now, especially during the summer, I don't have that much use for paper and pens, tbh

Groat, you make some good points. I didn't know that feathering is dependent on the individual paper, but I'll definitely check out Brain's papers for that. I know they are refillable, but I don't consider that user-friendly since it wasn't really planned into the design. You can tell it's not really "supposed" to be refilled, so I consider that a con. The Platinum might be interesting to check out. Once my 3 Varsities are done (I don't have the patience to refill them) I'll probably check out the Preppy

Thanks guys!

Welcome to B&B! When you are more comfortable with a fountain pen, I highly recommend trying a Lamy Safari. They are nearly indestructible, come in some fun colours and write wonderfully for note-taking. It has been my experience that moleskin journals and notebooks are the best for fountain pens. I've never had them feather or bleed too much. And a friend of mine had recommended trying the Pilot Varsity pens. They are great for disposables. I prefer them to bic sticks anyday. Best of luck with school!

These are great starter pens. Kind of like the VDH kit/Shea Moisture badger brush of fountain pen use. They're readily available (at Staples) for a good price and set a pretty good baseline for comparison. I bought a pack of them along with a Clairefontaine notebook for my father for his birthday tomorrow. Nice write up!

Thank you bluepunk and orchestrion I was actually going to buy the Lamy Safari prior to tonight, I was just hesitant because of the price. I still want one though... maybe next paycheck

I'm using one right now. I wanted to try out a FP before I went all ADcrazy on something again.
I like it, it's not perfect nor did I expect it to be at the price point.
The ink in mine sucks, but again it was a few dollars.

Time to start looking for an upgrade!

From this site you can get a Lamy Safari for $26 with a free converter. And they ship supper fast!

I like the Varsity as a loaner pen to people who don't use FP's. The nib is strong enough to withstand the pressure that some people put on ball points. Unfortunately, the ink seems to be rather cheap. It tends to feather on paper that Noodler's ink doesn't. It is also difficult to find the Varsity pens with fine nibs.
Another cheap pen that writes and looks good are Hero brand. The 616 models are Chinese knock-offs of Parker 51 pens and they cost ~the same as the Varsity pens. Look for some Noodler's ink and some Hero's and you will be set for school.

Dangit! Now I want to try these FP's in my moleskine... I've never use an FP before, but always wanted to... Thanks, now I feel FPAD setting in....

Hey, coming from another teenager student - THANKS! I was looking for an inexpensive FP I could use without thinking twice at the cost, and I've found it!!

No problem at all Verdict! Dave, that's a GREAT find! Thanks! I hope those prices last...

I find the Varsity lays down a slightly wet line (at least the few I've tried) and this certainly exacerbates feathering.

Also, different inks have different flow characteristics, which is another factor to consider.

I want to second the recommendation for a Preppy for a few reasons - not only are they decent pens for the price, they come in two nib sizes and are refillable (cartridge/converter/conversion to eye dropper). I think the ability to refill the pen makes the pen even more economical and gives you the chance to use different types of inks - so they become good pens to play around with.

I gave my daughter a varsity to use because she kept taking my vanishing point. The varsity is a good pen to try out if your not sure and you just need to know today if fountain pens are for you but the preppy is far better.

I spent a total of around 6 hours writing with the Varsity this past weekend, and I discovered that flipping over the pen, and writing with the side of the nib that doesn't have the plastic insert actually lays down a finer line, and I like it better. On top of that, I was doing some writing in the car, so before I left I just grabbed a pad of paper I found lying around the house. I guess the paper was a different absorbency, because I got much less feathering with it, even using the thick side of the nib. With the thin side, I reached a quality I was very happy with. The writing is clear and easily legible, but the feel is still fantastic. Now the question is, when I get my Safari, do I go for red, blue, or charcoal?

hmmmm turns out I have a Plumix, not a Varsity.
Still, the ink in it sucks!

markn951 said:

I spent a total of around 6 hours writing with the Varsity this past weekend, and I discovered that flipping over the pen, and writing with the side of the nib that doesn't have the plastic insert actually lays down a finer line, and I like it better. On top of that, I was doing some writing in the car, so before I left I just grabbed a pad of paper I found lying around the house. I guess the paper was a different absorbency, because I got much less feathering with it, even using the thick side of the nib. With the thin side, I reached a quality I was very happy with. The writing is clear and easily legible, but the feel is still fantastic. Now the question is, when I get my Safari, do I go for red, blue, or charcoal?

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I have the charcoal which I got for when I'm in uniform it's nice and very understated, I think I'm going to add another color to the rotation down the road. In true B&B fashion I'd suggest you get all three.

instpasr said:

I have the charcoal which I got for when I'm in uniform it's nice and very understated, I think I'm going to add another color to the rotation down the road. In true B&B fashion I'd suggest you get all three.

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Oh, it's THAT kind of forum! So was my old forum, Multitool.org. "Guys, should I get X or Y? Get X, Y, and Z as well to round out the collection!"

I went with the shiny black because my female friend told me to. I'm sure we all know how that is

markn951 said:

Oh, it's THAT kind of forum! So was my old forum, Multitool.org. "Guys, should I get X or Y? Get X, Y, and Z as well to round out the collection!"

I went with the shiny black because my female friend told me to. I'm sure we all know how that is

Click to expand...

Oh were just a bunch of enablers here.