Pilot E95S

Overview

The Pilot E95S (marketed in some regions as the "Pilot Elite") is a small Japanese pocket-style fountain pen with an inlaid 14-karat gold medium nib. It was a gift from Garry's wife during an InkVent (advent calendar) gift period, arriving around the same time as his Waterman Carene. It's his cheapest non-Chinese gold-nibbed pen, priced at $195 AUD in most reviews (quoted once or twice later as $215 AUD, likely a price rise over time). Despite being on the larger end of "pocket pen" sizing, it's designed to be used posted.

Design & Appearance

Shape: Short, slim body with a flat-ish/slightly domed cap top, tapering cap, and a pull-off (not screw) cap.
Colour: Deep burgundy/crimson resin body with a "champagne" cap (Garry says it reads more silver than champagne to him), gold-coloured ring, trim, and clip.
Clip: Faceted, gold-coloured, attached just below the cap-top ring. Notably stiff -- Garry struggles to get a finger under it, though since he rarely uses clips it doesn't bother him.
Cap band: A stylized "E" (or "Elite" marking) lined up with the clip, "Pilot Japan" engraved around the back.
Section: Once uncapped, reveals an unusually long section -- "one of the longest sections I've seen" -- leading to the inlaid nib.
Pen looks scores across reviews: 9/10, 9/10, 9/10, 9/10 -> consistent 9/10

The Nib

Style: Inlaid (flush with the section, not a traditional separate nib unit).
Material: 14-karat gold (hallmarked 14k/585).
Grade: Medium (Japanese medium -- generously sized for a "medium").
Numbering: Factory/date code stamped below the karat marking (e.g. "P622").
Feel: Has a pleasant bounce/spring -- not as soft as his Custom Heritage 92 or Custom 823 gold nibs, but noticeably less stiff than his Platinum or Sailor nibs.
Sweet spot: Narrower than most of his nibs -- writing slightly off-angle can cause it to skip.
Flow: Consistently wet and generous; repeatedly described as one of his wetter-writing pens. No hard starts or skipping reported.
Drawback: Being inlaid, the nib can't be removed for a deep clean -- Garry avoids shimmer and chameleon inks in this pen as a precaution. Some minor ink transfer to his fingers around the section during use.

Filling Mechanism

A cartridge/converter pen. Came with a Pilot CON-40 converter, which Garry found impractical: because the body is so deep, once the converter is inserted you can only see the twisting mechanism at the top, not the actual ink level. His workaround (consistent with several of his other Pilot pens): empty the supplied cartridge and refill it himself using a blunt-nosed syringe, so he can see the ink level through the cartridge wall instead.

Measurements

Measurement	Value
Total length (capped)	11.8 cm
Length unposted	10.1-10.5 cm
Length posted	14.7 cm
Body width	1.2 cm
Cap width	1.27 cm
Section width	0.95-1.15 cm (tapered)
Full pen weight	15-16 g
Body weight alone	10 g
Cap weight	5-6 g

Writing Experience

Not usable unposted beyond a word or two -- posted, the length and balance are excellent and not back-heavy.
Repeatedly described in the same terms Garry uses for his favourite pens: "vanishes in your hand," "disappears" while writing, lets him focus on the words rather than the pen.
Section feels thin to him (he has large hands) -- his one consistent nitpick, occasionally causing mild finger fatigue on long sessions. He frames this as an inherent, acceptable trade-off of its pocket-pen design rather than a flaw.
Writing experience scores across reviews: 9/10, 8/10, 8/10, 9/10 -> average ~8.5/10

Inks Used (as referenced across reviews)

Ink	Context / Notes
Diamine Ancient Copper	Used in the Fountain Pen Focus review; nice shading, a combo Garry liked enough to consider keeping inked for a while
Diamine Syrah	Used in the First Impressions video; deliberately chosen as a wine-named ink to complement the burgundy body
Lamy Crystal Topaz	Used in both the Sailor ProGear Slim showdown and the Pilot Custom 823 showdown; a brown ink that Garry says "works so well" against the burgundy body despite the colour contrast
Diamine Seize The Night	Used in the Kaweco Sport showdown; purple ink with gold sheen
Diamine Writer's Blood	Used in the Waterman Carene showdown and the 5-pen Gold Nibbed Japanese Pens comparison; a wet ink that "gushes" in this nib

Comparisons and Rankings

vs Sailor ProGear Slim (Lamy Crystal Topaz vs Diamine Aurora Borealis)

Both small 14k-gold Japanese pens around the same size. The Sailor wins narrowly on tactile/audible nib feedback; the E95S wins on simplicity of looks and is the slightly wetter writer of the two.
E95S = 8.17/10, Sailor ProGear Slim = 8.33/10

vs Pilot Custom 823 (Lamy Crystal Topaz vs Dominant Industry Lungo)

Opposite ends of Garry's Pilot price range ($195 vs $521), designed for completely different use cases. E95S wins on looks (9 vs 8 in this video); Custom 823 wins clearly on long-session comfort, since the E95S's thin section can cause mild hand cramping over time.
Both scored 8.17/10 (a tie)

vs Kaweco Sport (Diamine Seize The Night vs PenBBS Chengdu Red #276)

Two pocket pens at very different price points ($195-215 vs $41). E95S wins on looks (9 vs 8) for its classier, more elegant appearance; everything else scored an identical tie between the two pens.
E95S = 8.33/10, Kaweco Sport = 8.17/10

vs Waterman Carene (same ink: Diamine Writer's Blood)

Both were InkVent gifts from his wife around the same time. No numeric breakdown given in this video, but Garry says these two are contenders for his top two writers overall at the time. The E95S feels lighter and more disappearing in the hand; the Carene gives more tactile feedback. Posted lengths come out nearly identical between the two pens.

Among 5 Gold-Nibbed Japanese Pens (E95S, Platinum 3776 Century, Pilot Custom Heritage 92, Sailor ProGear Slim, Pilot Custom 823)

Asked to pick an outright favourite among the five, Garry names the E95S -- citing its flexibility, ease of refilling, portability, and how consistently and beautifully it writes, even saying "as much as I love the 823" he'd still choose the E95S.

Listed among "Keeper Pens -- 5 Fountain Pens That Will Never Leave My Collection"

Alongside the TWSBI Eco, Pens By Casey Tokubetsu, Pelikan M1000, and Visconti Homo Sapiens. Described there as "my cheapest non-Chinese gold-nibbed pen."

One of "7 Gold-Nibbed Pens I Own"

Alongside the Wing Sung 698, Platinum 3776 Century, Sailor ProGear Slim, Waterman Carene, Pilot Custom Heritage 92, and Pilot Custom 823. Noted (along with the Carene) as having one of the wider, wetter lines of the group, since both share an inlaid medium nib design.

Overall Scores Summary

Review	Score
Fountain Pen Focus	8.33/10
vs Sailor ProGear Slim	8.17/10
vs Pilot Custom 823	8.17/10
vs Kaweco Sport	8.33/10
Average	~8.25/10

By category (averaged across reviews)

Category	Average
Pen Looks	9/10
Build Quality	8/10
Writing Experience	~8.5/10
Ink Flow	8/10
Comfort	8/10
Value for Money	8/10

Build Quality

No issues reported across multiple reviews -- consistently praised as solid, high-quality Japanese construction. The one recurring caveat is the inlaid nib design, which can't be removed for a deep clean, so Garry keeps shimmer/chameleon inks out of this pen.
Build quality scores: 8/10 across the board.

Value for MoneS

Consistently scored 8/10. Garry's benchmark framing throughout: this is his cheapest non-Chinese gold-nibbed pen, and he considers $195 AUD very good value for a 14-karat gold nib that performs this well.

Key Recurring Themes

InkVent gift -- received from his wife during an InkVent calendar period, alongside the Waterman Carene around the same time.
Posted-only -- too short to write with comfortably unposted beyond a word or two; posted it's perfectly balanced and not back-heavy.
"Vanishes in your hand" -- the same high praise language Garry reserves for his very favourite writers (echoing his Pilot Custom 823 reviews).
Thin section -- his one consistent nitpick, given his large hands; minor ink transfer to fingers noted occasionally.
Named outright favourite among 5 gold-nibbed Japanese pens compared head-to-head, ahead of even the Custom 823.
One of his 5 "keeper pens" that will never leave his collection.
CON-40 converter deemed impractical -- uses a refilled cartridge instead, the same workaround pattern seen across several of his other Pilot pens.

Source Files

#summary