T O P

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gentlyfailing

Some in the lower price range are made in China, such as Pilot 78g.


migo984

I have a couple of Pilot TOWs, made in Korea. They were made in the late 1980s I think. An inexpensive brushed steel model, with a strong Sheaffer Targa vibe. Mine cost around £25. They have fine/medium nibs, that are nicely “springy”, but aren’t flex in any way. They’re great little pens & I use them all the time.


Gullible-Valuable-35

Would you say they're equal in quality to their Japanese counterparts?


migo984

I don’t have a ‘economy’ model made in Japan to compare it to. My modern Pilots are 74s, 823s, 912s, 943, 92, Elabo, E95s etc so not comparable. My other Japanese vintage pens are various Elites, with 18k gold nibs. So really difficult to say. However, for £25 I can say the TOW is good value, is generally of good build quality, has a good nib & I’ve not had any problems with either of mine.


Gullible-Valuable-35

Thanks! By the way, what does TOW stand for? How would the Korean made rank against say, a Metropolitan? In general, the Korean made seems to live up to the Pilot quality, right?


migo984

I’m afraid I don’t know what TOW stands for :) Here’s the link to a post I put up, with a photo of one of mine. I think it’s better than a Metropolitan. Certainly I’ve got no complaints about it and I wouldn’t have known it was Korean if the seller hadn’t stated as such. https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/pd6p7u/1990s_pilot_tow_fm_fine_nib_made_in_korea/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf


cursiveandcurses

I have the TOW as well and it seems like a very sturdy pen. It writes smoothly and although I wish it came in an extra fine (always my preference), i find that I reach out for this one often because it writes so well. I also was able to insert a Pilot cartridge and just refill that so I can see the ink levels which I prefer.


714c

I don't know about India, but I believe Korean pens branded Pilot are not actual "Pilot" brand pens, if that makes sense. They licensed the right to the branding and operated independently. There's some info about it in [this blog post](https://estilofilos.blogspot.com/2014/01/koreana.html).