Pilot Prera: Compact Size, CON-40 & Demonstrators
The Pilot Prera is a compact Japanese fountain pen with a steel nib in Fine or Medium and a snap cap. Pilot lists 120.4 mm (4.7 in) and 15.4 g; Unsharpen gives 134 mm posted. It takes Pilot cartridges or the included CON-40 converter and comes as a clear demonstrator or, since late 2025, in four solid colors.
On this page
Product facts
- Product
- Pilot Prera Fountain Pen (Clear, Light Blue)
- Brand
- Pilot
- Brand origin
- Japan
- Made in
- Japan*
- Material
- Resin body and cap (Pilot); steel nib (Pilot calls the nib material a special alloy)
- Price range
- $$$$20–75 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count)
Notes on these facts
- Made by Pilot Corporation (Japan); sold in the US by Pilot Corporation of America. Made in Japan: Unsharpen gives Japan as the country of origin. Pilot's Japanese catalog pages for the Prera (read in full on October 20, 2026) don't state a country. The Hunter Paper Co. listing cited earlier no longer shows the pen. Source. Price: example listing.
- Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026. Conversions to US dollars are approximate, at October 2026 rates (US$1 = ¥158 = ₩1,330 = NT$32.5 = CN¥6.7 = SEK 9.9 = DKK 6.7 = ₺49.6 = C$1.41 = A$1.43; €1 = US$1.12; £1 = US$1.32; CHF 1 = US$1.21).
Key takeaways
- Unsharpen lists the Prera at 120 mm (4.7 in) capped, 107 mm uncapped and 134 mm (5.3 in) posted, at 14 g.
- Pilot's Japanese catalog lists it at 120.4 mm, 13.4 mm at its widest and 15.4 g, for ¥4,180 (about US$26).
- Pilot Japan sells it with a CON-40 converter (about 0.4 ml by Unsharpen's figure); US retailers say a converter is included.
- US retailers sell it with a steel nib in Fine or Medium.
- Four solid colors (Porcelain White, Honey Yellow, Empress Teal, Cinnamon Brown) reached US shops around October 2025.
What is the Pilot Prera?
The Prera is Pilot’s compact cartridge-converter fountain pen: a short plastic pen with a snap cap and a steel nib, sold for years in the US only as a clear demonstrator. It sits above the Pilot Metropolitan and Pilot Kakuno in Pilot’s line.
The Gentleman Stationer’s October 2025 review says that until then the US got only clear bodies, and that four solid colors (Porcelain White, Honey Yellow, Empress Teal and Cinnamon Brown) arrived that fall. In Japan, Pilot announced four new body colors on March 7, 2025 (Red Brown, Off White, Warm Yellow and Dark Turquoise, on sale that month with a CON-40 in the box), about seven months before solid colors reached US shops. GummySearch’s roundup of Reddit reviews names the Prera among the Pilot pens people praise most, with the Metropolitan and Kakuno.
Pilot Prera specs
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Maker | Pilot Corporation, Japan |
| Body and cap | Plastic; clear demonstrator or solid color |
| Cap | Snap-on, postable |
| Model (Japan) | P-FPR-1 (e.g. P-FPR-1-RBN-F, Red Brown, Fine; JAN 4902505686146) |
| Nib | Stainless steel, Fine or Medium (Pilot Japan: “special alloy”) |
| Filling | Pilot cartridge or converter; CON-40 included in Japan |
| Converter capacity | About 0.4 ml (Unsharpen, CON-40) |
| Length capped | 120.4 mm (4.7 in), per Pilot; Unsharpen: 120 mm; Goulet: 121 mm |
| Length uncapped | 107 mm (4.2 in) |
| Length posted | 134 mm (5.3 in) |
| Diameter | 13.4 mm at the widest point (Pilot); 12.1 mm body, 10.6 mm grip (Unsharpen) |
| Weight | 15.4 g (Pilot); 15.0 g (Goulet); 14 g (Unsharpen) |
| Made in | Japan (per retailers) |
Pilot’s Japanese catalog gives 120.4 mm, 13.4 mm at the widest point (probably across the clip) and 15.4 g; we use Pilot’s weight. Uncapped and posted lengths and the body and grip diameters are from Unsharpen, which lists 14 g; Goulet Pens gives 121 mm capped, 135 mm posted and 15.0 g (7 g body, 8 g cap). Pilot doesn’t say whether its weight includes the converter.
Is the Prera too small?
It is short, so most people post it: 107 mm uncapped grows to 134 mm (5.3 in) with the cap on the end. The Gentleman Stationer’s 2025 review found it comfortable for longer sessions when posted.
The Well-Appointed Desk’s 2018 review called it light and a good everyday-carry size. At 120 mm capped, it’s shorter than most fountain pens we cover, so it takes up little room in a pouch.
What nib and converter does the Prera use?
A steel nib in Fine or Medium, and Pilot’s CON-40 converter or Pilot cartridges. Pilot Japan puts a CON-40 in the box; in the US, Goulet Pens says a converter is included and The Gentleman Stationer says it’s a squeeze converter. Unsharpen notes earlier Preras shipped with the CON-50.
Japanese nibs run fine. The Gentleman Stationer calls the Medium closer to a “fine medium”, and says more nib options, including a stub or italic, are planned. The CON-40 holds about 0.4 ml, per Unsharpen, so it suits short refills and frequent ink changes.
How does the Prera compare to the Metropolitan and Kakuno?
The Prera is the shortest of the three capped and nearly as light as the Kakuno; the Metropolitan is the heaviest.
| Pilot Prera | Pilot Metropolitan | Pilot Kakuno | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capped | 120 mm | 138 mm | 130.9 mm |
| Posted | 134 mm | 153 mm | 159.7 mm |
| Weight | 15.4 g (Pilot) | 26.0 g | 11.0 g |
| Body | Plastic, clear or solid | Brass | Resin, hexagonal |
| Steel nibs | F, M | F, M, 1.0 stub | EF, F, M |
| Price band | $$$ | $$$ | $$ |
Metropolitan and Kakuno figures come from their guides. All three take the same Pilot cartridges and converters.
Which Prera should you choose?
Choose a clear demonstrator to watch the ink level, or one of the solid colors if you’d rather not see the converter. Choose Fine for small writing and planners, Medium for a slightly wetter line.
Japan also gets a Prera that isn’t sold in US shops: the Prera Iroai (色彩逢い), in six tinted clear bodies that Pilot says let you see the ink color, which Pilot’s Japanese catalog lists with F, M and CM (calligraphy) nibs at the same ¥4,180 (about US$26).
If you want a gold nib from the same maker, see the Pilot Custom 74.
For a much cheaper clear pen with ink-matched colors, Korea’s Monami Olika comes in F and EF and runs on cartridges.
Where is the Pilot Prera made?
In Japan, according to Unsharpen’s spec sheet. Pilot’s Japanese catalog pages don’t state the origin.
How much does a Pilot Prera cost?
The Prera is in our $$$ price band, $20–75 per pen. That’s from US listings we checked in October 2026, such as Goulet Pens; it costs more than the Metropolitan but stays in the same band. In Japan, Pilot’s web catalog lists it at ¥4,180 (about US$26) including tax, or ¥3,800 (about US$24) before tax.
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Pilot Prera?
Pilot's Japanese catalog lists 120.4 mm (4.7 in) and 15.4 g. Unsharpen lists 120 mm capped, 107 mm uncapped and 134 mm (5.3 in) posted, with a 12.1 mm body. It's a short pen that most people write with posted.
What nib does the Pilot Prera have?
A stainless steel nib in Fine or Medium in the US, per Goulet Pens. Japanese sizing runs fine, and one 2025 review calls the Medium closer to a fine-medium.
What converter does the Pilot Prera use?
Pilot's Japanese catalog says the Prera comes with a CON-40. In the US, Goulet Pens says a converter is included, and The Gentleman Stationer's 2025 review says the new US Preras ship with a squeeze converter. Unsharpen notes earlier Preras came with a CON-50.
Does the Pilot Prera take standard international cartridges?
No. It takes Pilot's own cartridges or a Pilot converter, like the Pilot Metropolitan.
Is the Pilot Prera better than the Metropolitan?
It's lighter and shorter, at about 15 g and 120 mm capped against the Metropolitan's 26 g and 138 mm, and it comes in clear demonstrator versions; it also costs more.
What colors does the Pilot Prera come in?
Clear demonstrators with colored end pieces, such as Light Blue, Red and Black, plus four solid colors that reached the US around October 2025: Porcelain White, Honey Yellow, Empress Teal and Cinnamon Brown.
Where is the Pilot Prera made?
In Japan, according to Unsharpen's spec sheet. Pilot's Japanese catalog doesn't state the country.
Sources
- パイロット ウェブカタログ「プレラ」P-FPR-1-RBN-F (Pilot Japan catalog: 120.4 mm, 13.4 mm, 15.4 g, CON-40 included, ¥4,180, JAN)
- 万年筆『プレラ』新色 発売 (Pilot Japan press release, March 7, 2025: Red Brown, Off White, Warm Yellow, Dark Turquoise; F and M; CON-40)
- パイロット ウェブカタログ「プレラ 色彩逢い（いろあい）」P-FPR-1-TB-F (Pilot Japan catalog: Prera Iroai, clear colors, F, M and CM nibs)
- Goulet Pens: Pilot Prera, Porcelain White (F and M nibs, 121 mm, 15.0 g, converter included)
- Goulet Pens: Pilot Prera, Empress Teal (snap cap)
- Unsharpen: Pilot Prera review (dimensions, weight, origin, CON-50 history)
- Unsharpen: Pilot CON-40 converter (0.4 ml)
- Goldspot: Pilot Prera Clear, Light Blue
- The Gentleman Stationer: Pen review, the 2026 Pilot Prera revamp (October 22, 2025)
- The Gentleman Stationer: Thursday drops, new Pilot Preras (October 9, 2025)
- The Well-Appointed Desk: Fountain pen review, Pilot Prera (March 2018)
- Endless Pens: Pilot Prera (lengths)
- GummySearch: Fountain pen reviews from Reddit (Prera mentions)