For a pen in this price range, I was pleasantly surprised.
The Pilot Metropolitan is a great low-price, beginners fountain pen charging your wallet only $15. Before we dive into the smoothness of the nib or the solid construction of the pen, let’s get to the facts. The Metropolitan is available in three different colors (black, silver, and gold) alongside different trim options for each pen (leopard, zig-zag, dots, etc) and in a fine or medium steel nib. It comes with a black cartridge as well as a squeeze type cartridge converter.
The first thing noticeable about the Metropolitan is the weight of the pen. The barrel is made out of brass (not common among pens in this price range). The pen is not only hefty but also very well balanced. It gives you the feeling of using a much more expensive pen which I loved.
The nib is about as smooth as steel nibs could be. I purchased my Metropolitan in a fine nib and this is what really stands out about this pen. I expected the nib to be scratchy but the pen performed perfectly on my Clairefontaine 90g French-Ruled Notebook. The nib glides across the paper without any feedback.
However, a pen always has its flaws. For the Metropolitan, something that bugged me during writing is the cap when posted. The cap has a tendency to fall off of the pen when posted which can be frustrating especially if I pick up the pen when the cap is loose (having the cap fly off and roll somewhere far away on the floor is never fun).
It’s also worth mentioning that the nib is a little scratchy on very cheap paper. However, I expected this and it’s nothing unusual for a nib this fine.
To sum it up, this pen would be a great starter beginner pen. It would be perfect for people new to the fountain pen world. For the low price of the product that gets you started right out of the box (cartridge and a cartridge converter), the pen looks and feels like a quality product. However, the limited choice between nib sizes (fine and medium) might deter some experienced pen users, beginners should start with those two sizes anyway.
-90g Clairefontaine French-Ruled Paper
-Pilot Metropolitan Fine Nib
-Noodler’s Gruene Cactus Eel
The Penlog 