Pilot Explorer Fountain Pen - Clear

Half the pleasure of a clear fountain pen is seeing how it works. The Pilot Explorer in Clear has a transparent cap and barrel, black accents, and a smoky translucent grip, leaving the cartridge or converter visible inside. A little mechanical curiosity for your daily notebook.

The Pilot Explorer is a perfect starter fountain pen: lightweight, comfortable, and powered by Pilot’s famously smooth stainless-steel nib (the same general nib family Pilot uses across the Kakuno and Metropolitan lines). It's a bit less "cute" than the kakuno, and much lighter (and easier to use for long writing sessions) than the Metropolitan, which makes it perfect for many people new to fountain pens.

The Pilot Explorer has a quick snap cap for grab-and-go notes, a clean modern look, and a grip that works for most hand positions—so it’s the kind of pen you can toss in a bag, take to work or class, and just write without fuss.

It’s a cartridge/converter pen that uses Pilot’s proprietary cartridges and converters, and it’s compatible with both the smaller CON-40 twist converter and the higher-capacity CON-70 push-button converter (both sold separately) if you want more ink on board.

If you’re newer to the hobby, this is also a great “first bottled-ink pen” because it cleans easily and behaves well with a wide range of inks. One practical tip: Pilot Fine tends to run on the finer side compared to many Western brands—great for everyday paper—while Medium gives you a smoother, wetter line that shows off ink shading a bit more.