Recently, while at my local Montblanc boutique, I had the opportunity to try their fineliner refill. What an interesting experience! The tip feels a bit like a felt-tipped pen or a rollerball with no pressure needed to make a line. The feeling is almost brush-like. If you have not before had the opportunity to try the fineliner, I definitely recommend that you do so. However, as the refill is proprietary, one cannot simply buy fineliner refills and stick them in any pen body.
While researching the findings of others, it seemed that few folks had pursued alternative pen bodies for the Montblanc fineliner refills. However, a number of internet forums had discussion threads in which the participants spoke about searches for alternative pens to take the Montblanc rollerball refills. One popular option, reported to be successful, was the Waterman Kultur rollerball pen, as well as some Jinhao pens (but not all of them). By far the most popular was a hack in which one cuts some of the plastic from the non-tip end of the refill, shortening it, so that it may fit inside a Pilot G2 body. Inexpensive, mostly comfortable in a utilitarian way, and easy. I loved the idea.
Then, during my last trip to Montblanc, I learned that the rollerball and fineliner refills are interchangeable. This was the breakthrough. While this compatibility may be obvious, if the refills were inspected side-by-side, I had not yet been able to do so. Immediately, I purchased a pack of fineliner refills and sat down (not in the store) to perform the G2 hack on a fineliner refill.
All that it took to modify the fineliner refill was cutting some of the plastic from the non-tip end. Simply line up the tip-end of the main body portion of a G2 refill and the fineliner refill and see how much overhang is on the non-tip end of the fineliner refill. That will show you how much to cut.
My new, inexpensive fineliner was fantastic. I quickly determined, over several days of use, that the fineliner was second only to fountain pens in my mind. However, the G2 body quickly became unsatisfactory to me. I wanted something nicer in which to case a fineliner refill, hacked or un-hacked, without spending a large amount of money.
Knowing that the hacked refill fit a Pilot G2, I began to investigate what other pens took a Pilot G2 refill. Then, I remembered one of the recent, inexpensive entries to the fountain pen world: the Pilot Metropolitan. Since the Metropolitan was available in a rollerball variant, I ventured a guess that it might take a Pilot G2 rollerball refill.
I was right.
Swapping my hacked fineliner refill for the refill from the Metropolitan, I was left with something awesome: the great writing experience of the fineliner refill combined with the comfortable - and affordable - Pilot Metropolitan body.
If you are looking for an alternate body for using the Montblance fineliner refill (or even the Montblanc rollerball refills), look no farther than the Pilot Metropolitan and this easy hack.![Pilot metropolitan rollerball refill Pilot metropolitan rollerball refill](http://static2.jetpens.com/images/a/000/003/3960.jpg?mark64=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5qZXRwZW5zLmNvbS9pbWFnZXMvYXNzZXRzL3dhdGVybWFyay5wbmc&markalign64=dG9wLHJpZ2h0&markscale=19&s=1ed4b791f840ebf92d32a254db3c8aac)
![Metropolitan Metropolitan](http://static2.jetpens.com/images/a/000/032/32484.jpg?mark64=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5qZXRwZW5zLmNvbS9pbWFnZXMvYXNzZXRzL3dhdGVybWFyay5wbmc&markalign64=dG9wLHJpZ2h0&markscale=19&s=5baf74269929faeff6eaddec84212e34)
While researching the findings of others, it seemed that few folks had pursued alternative pen bodies for the Montblanc fineliner refills. However, a number of internet forums had discussion threads in which the participants spoke about searches for alternative pens to take the Montblanc rollerball refills. One popular option, reported to be successful, was the Waterman Kultur rollerball pen, as well as some Jinhao pens (but not all of them). By far the most popular was a hack in which one cuts some of the plastic from the non-tip end of the refill, shortening it, so that it may fit inside a Pilot G2 body. Inexpensive, mostly comfortable in a utilitarian way, and easy. I loved the idea.
Then, during my last trip to Montblanc, I learned that the rollerball and fineliner refills are interchangeable. This was the breakthrough. While this compatibility may be obvious, if the refills were inspected side-by-side, I had not yet been able to do so. Immediately, I purchased a pack of fineliner refills and sat down (not in the store) to perform the G2 hack on a fineliner refill.
Pilot MR Retro Pop Collection Gel Roller Pen, Gray Barrel with Hounds tooth Accent, Fine Point Black Gel Ink (91405) Modern Design Gel Roller Pen with Retro. We're excited to be expanding our rollerball line to include Pilot Metropolitans! For those of you not familiar with our story, rollerballs were the.
Here you can see a comparison of a G2 refill (top), the modified fineliner refill (middle), and an unmodified fineliner refill (bottom):All that it took to modify the fineliner refill was cutting some of the plastic from the non-tip end. Simply line up the tip-end of the main body portion of a G2 refill and the fineliner refill and see how much overhang is on the non-tip end of the fineliner refill. That will show you how much to cut.
My new, inexpensive fineliner was fantastic. I quickly determined, over several days of use, that the fineliner was second only to fountain pens in my mind. However, the G2 body quickly became unsatisfactory to me. I wanted something nicer in which to case a fineliner refill, hacked or un-hacked, without spending a large amount of money.
Knowing that the hacked refill fit a Pilot G2, I began to investigate what other pens took a Pilot G2 refill. Then, I remembered one of the recent, inexpensive entries to the fountain pen world: the Pilot Metropolitan. Since the Metropolitan was available in a rollerball variant, I ventured a guess that it might take a Pilot G2 rollerball refill.
I was right.
Swapping my hacked fineliner refill for the refill from the Metropolitan, I was left with something awesome: the great writing experience of the fineliner refill combined with the comfortable - and affordable - Pilot Metropolitan body.
If you are looking for an alternate body for using the Montblance fineliner refill (or even the Montblanc rollerball refills), look no farther than the Pilot Metropolitan and this easy hack.
![Pilot metropolitan rollerball refill Pilot metropolitan rollerball refill](http://static2.jetpens.com/images/a/000/003/3960.jpg?mark64=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5qZXRwZW5zLmNvbS9pbWFnZXMvYXNzZXRzL3dhdGVybWFyay5wbmc&markalign64=dG9wLHJpZ2h0&markscale=19&s=1ed4b791f840ebf92d32a254db3c8aac)
(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
The original Pilot Metropolitan took the stationery world by storm when it was first introduced a few years ago. A well-made fountain pen with a solid nib and classy metal body for less than twenty bucks? Yes, please! The Metropolitan quickly entrenched itself as a classic, default fountain pen for new and veteran fountain pen enthusiasts alike. It's a modern classic and also happens to make a great gift for fountain pen curious friends.
But, we all know that fountain pens are just one avenue of pen geekery, and sometimes you just want to use a good ol' reliable gel pen for a while. Maybe you're stuck using paper that doesn't play well with fountain pen inks, or maybe you just love using gel refills and are looking for a more classy body to use over the default clear plastic bodies. Well, the Pilot Metropolitan Rollerball might fit the bill.
The Pilot Metropolitan Rollerball is identical to the fountain pen version except for the grip section. In this case, the grip section is unique and fits a Pilot G2 style refill instead of a fountain pen nib and cartridge. If you want, you can swap the G2 section into a favorite fountain pen body to mix and match colors as you see fit. It's great that the only difference between these pens is the configuration of the grip section. I'm sure this cuts down on manufacturing costs, but it's also a nice perk for the customer.
Now, let's focus on the most interesting part of this pen: the refill system. It ships with a standard black 0.7mm G2 refill, but that means you can swap it out for any number of refills that match the G2 size — including the Pilot Juice refills. That's right, Pilot's best refill system will work in this pen, making it a classy combination that fits in at the conference table at work, your pocket while out running errands, or laying on your desk.
I'm a huge fan of the Pilot Juice line, but you are extremely limited by the default line when it comes to exterior design and color options. The Juice is standard across the board — clear body with a color-coordinated soft grip, nock, and clip to match the refill color you purchased. While it's a great pen, it's not classy. The Juice is well-made and plenty durable, but it does look like a bulk-purchase gel pen (same goes for the Pilot G2). If you want to class up your G2 or Juice, the Metropolitan Rollerball body is the perfect way to do this. You have plenty of options as far as the color and middle section design (the design featured here is *Black Crocodile Body) to match your aesthetic, and it will only set you back about $19. To me, this is a great value for a classy pen that's made of metal, interchangeable with the other Metropolitan fountain pen bodies I have, and accepts my favorite gel pen refills.
The Pilot Metropolitan is a timeless design that performs great. It makes a great gift, a great introduction into finer pens, and will last a lifetime if cared for properly. If you haven't tried one out yet, do yourself a favor and order one as soon as possible!
![Metropolitan Metropolitan](http://static2.jetpens.com/images/a/000/032/32484.jpg?mark64=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5qZXRwZW5zLmNvbS9pbWFnZXMvYXNzZXRzL3dhdGVybWFyay5wbmc&markalign64=dG9wLHJpZ2h0&markscale=19&s=5baf74269929faeff6eaddec84212e34)
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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