Pilot Custom 74 Fountain Pen - Grenadine
The Pilot Custom 74 is a simple yet sophisticated fountain pen. The minimalistic design with a transparent red-orange cap and barrel makes it a must-have for any pen enthusiast.
Grenadine is a beautiful cross between deep orange and fiery red. The color is vibrant, bold and powerful as it perfectly embodies the effusive beauty of summer. It evokes playful, engaging, and lively energy – the perfect pen to let your imagination run wild.
This fountain pen features a #5 rhodium-plated 14k gold nib and comes with a Pilot CON-70 converter, which holds an ample ink supply while uniquely combining the characteristics of a vacuum-filling and push-button converter.
You can also use proprietary Pilot/Namiki ink cartridges (one is included) if you prefer.
Each Custom 74 pen is packaged in an elegant Pilot gift box.
Click here to shop all compatible Pilot ink cartridges.
- Condition
- New
- Brand
- Pilot
- Type
- Fountain Pens
- Color
- Orange, Red
- Demonstrator
Whether or not the barrel of the pen is translucent, allowing you to see the ink and filling mechanism inside.
- Yes
- Body Material
- Resin
- Cap Rotations
For pens with a screw-cap closure, how many rotations it takes to uncap/recap the pen.
- 1.75
- Cap Type
How the cap is opened/closed from the barrel of the pen. Some common options include Snap-Cap, Screw-Cap, Magnetic Cap, or Capless (no cap).
- Screw-cap
- Compatible inks & refills
Which ink this pen will accept. Choices include bottled ink and various styles of pre-filled ink cartridges.
- Bottled ink, Proprietary Pilot ink cartridges
- Filling Mechanism
How the pen fills with ink. Click here to watch our video tutorial on common filling mechanisms.
- Cartridge, Converter
- Grip Material
- Resin
- Nib Size
- Fine, Medium
- Nib Color
- Silver
- Nib Material
- 14k Gold
- Postable
Whether or not the cap fits securely onto the back of the barrel when open.
- Yes
- Retractable
Whether or not the nib/tip can retract into the body of the pen (usually for click or twist-open style pens).
- No
- Diameter - Body
- 12mm (0.5in)
- Diameter - Cap (without clip)
- 14mm (0.6in)
- Diameter - Cap (with clip)
- 19mm (0.7in)
- Diameter - Grip (mm)
Measured from the place most people choose to rest their fingers, which varies with each pen.
- 9.7mm
- Length - Body
The measurement from the back end of the barrel to the tip of the nib.
- 125mm (4.9in)
- Length - Cap
- 66mm (2.6in)
- Length - Nib
The measured length of the visible portion of the nib when it is installed in the pen, from grip to tip.
- 19mm (0.7in)
- Length - Overall (Closed)
- 143mm (5.6in)
- Length - Overall (Posted)
When the cap of the pen is posted onto the back of the pen body, this is the measurement of the entire pen including the nib.
- 155mm (6.1in)
- Weight - Body
If a converter is included with the pen, this weight is reflected in the total.
- 14g (0.5oz)
- Weight - Cap
- 8g (0.3oz)
- Weight - Overall (g)
- 22.0g
- Max Ink Capacity - Cartridge
The maximum volume of ink that can fit in the pen when using a cartridge.
- 1.03ml
- Max Ink Capacity - Converter
The maximum volume of ink that can fit in the pen when using a converter.
- 1.23ml
Customer Reviews
Fantastic is how I would describe the Pilot Custom 74, both in writing and in aesthetics! The writing has been flawlessly smooth from the very beginning. The Custom 74 feels excellent in my hand, both posted and unposted. Writing is a joy with it: It never felt scratchy, nor did it skip, nor did I feel like I had to press hard on the paper. The Con-70 converter holds plenty of ink and is easy peasy lemon squeezy to use. Overall a great pen to write with, for short and long writing durations. The aesthetics of the pen are beautiful too. This Grenadine colour is a marvelous darker red that hits a neat balance of noticeable but not shouty. The nib is gorgeous too! Overall I'd say this is a superb and marvelous fountain pen, worthy of its not insignificant price tag. It's easy to understand why Brian Goulet holds it in high regard, as mentioned in his "Brian Reacting to His Custom 74 Video After Ten Years!" video. The pen has proved its durability and serves as an excellent introduction to gold nib pens, as he states. I enjoy this pen very much, and it brings me a smile every time I write with it!
I have different Pilot pens, from a Pilot Elite 95 s to a Pilot Namiki beauty in Sterling Silver, this one is no exception in its perfect, reliable quality. I bought the two pens as drawing instruments, since I needed a nib flexible enough to draw on painted acrylic and other surfaces, and hard enough to keep a fine line - I was not disappointed :-) Thank you so much! I will probably be buying two more of those in other colors :-)
I always use fine nibs and Pilot never disappoints in creating ones that are smooth. A reasonably priced pen with fantastic performance.
I am very glad i got the Grenedine color!( please ignore my typos - a box saying buy now is obscuring my typing.)The color must be challenging to get the hue correct in puctures.)Let me say its the perfect ( like light transparent Grenedine.Best described as a pleasing light red with peach/ pink overtones- perfect in my eyes and in hand.Such a subtle upbeat color!I hope to atone for my inital dislike of this pen. I inked/ clean three times with boutique inks and the included converter ( i dislike) then a con 40 +yet an additional ink.Well that didn't go well. It felt scratchy an slow to write with. i was scratching my head about all the adoring rewiees of a 74.Plus i felt the plastic was too thin the oen was too light and that it just dragged it's nib unpleasently acros three high quality paper brands.But I WAS WRONG.. It'sSUPERCALAFRAGILISTICEXPEALADOCIOUS! ( wonderful!)How!I cleaned dried it, and just before i was about to ship it off for consignment at peyton street - i popped in one of a (tourquise) mixable ink cartridge i bought ( a multicolor pack) for my daughter's Prera.WOW. It started well and then the more i wrote with it ( using only pilot ink- in cartridge form) the MORE its true formand writing excellence came through. I highly reccomend a 74.But be aware the convertors/ ink mismatch can give you ink starvation in a that make this pen not optimize. I advise:1. use only pilot ink2. wait til you have written 1000 words - the nib needs a break in period.Gorgeous color- now a favored oen.
My blue Pilot Custom 74, which was my 3rd or 4th fountain pen, was just superb from the start and my carry pen for the last 4 years. I have purchased 40 or so pens since then. My Sailor 1911S is my favorite for smoothness, but my 74 was always a close second. So when the Grenadine version came out I decided why not. I knew I couldn't go wrong and I was right. As with my blue 74, the Grenadine 74 wrote perfect right out of the box. Great price for an always smooth gold nibbed pen. Only question now is which will be my carry pen - probably both!
FAQs about Fountain Pens
How do I fill a fountain pen with ink?
It depends on the pen's filling mechanism, which you can find in the Technical Specs section above.
Here's a quick definition of the most common filling mechanisms:
- Cartridge - A small, disposable, sealed plastic reservoir that holds fountain pen ink. These come pre-filled with ink, and typically you just push to insert them into place and you'll be ready to write! Check out our quick guide here.
- Converter - A detachable and refillable ink reservoir that allows you to use bottled ink in a cartridge-accepting pen. Typically you will install the converter into the grip section, dip the nib/feed into the ink, and twist or pull the converter knob to draw ink into the converter. Here's a video for how to fill a cartridge/converter pen using a LAMY pen as an example.
- Eyedropper - A pen that utilizes the entire barrel as a reservoir for ink. Ink is directly filled into the barrel, allowing for a high ink capacity. Here's a video on how to do it!
- Piston - A type of filling system that uses a retracting plunger inside a sealed tube to draw ink into a pen. They are typically either twist or push-operated. These pens cannot accept cartridges or a converter, and only fill from bottled ink.
- Vacuum - A push-style piston that uses pressure to fill the large pen body with ink. They seal the ink chamber when closed, making it ideal for flying without risk of leaking. Check out our video on how to use a vac filler here.
Check out more info on these filling mechanisms including a video on how to fill each one on our blog.
How do I clean a fountain pen?
It depends on the filling mechanism, but it mostly comes down to flushing it out with water, and sometimes a little bit of Pen Flush if the ink is really stuck.
It's a bit easier to show than to tell, so we've put together a few quick videos showing you the process:
How often do I need to clean my fountain pen?
We recommend a good cleaning every 2 weeks, and any time you change ink colors.
Water will usually do the trick, but we recommend you use our Goulet Pen Flush if the ink has been left in the pen for a while and could have dried up, or when you’re switching ink colors.
My pen won’t write! What do I do?
First things first... make sure you have ink in the pen! Be sure that the ink cartridge or converter is seated properly in the pen, and that you aren't out of ink.
We always recommend you give your pen a good cleaning first, using our Goulet Pen Flush, or a drop of dish soap in some water. New pens often have some machining oil residue left in the feed, so a good cleaning often does the trick first.
If that still doesn't work, try priming the feed. This consists of either dipping your pen nib and feed in ink, or forcing ink from the converter down into the feed.
If it’s still not working after that, please reach out to us so we can help!
What's your return policy?
You can submit a return request within 30 days of your order date. You can read all our Return Policies here.
To initiate a return, please submit a request at the Return Portal. Our Customer Care team might reach out to you for more information.
Please note we are unable to accept a return of any Namiki or Sailor Bespoke fountain pen for any reason once it has been used with ink. Please thoroughly inspect and dry test the pen before use.