The Kakuno is one of my favorite pens!
I believe the Metropolitan and the Kakuno use the same nib. So if you like the Kakuno nib and are just looking for a more substantial body, the Metro should be a great fit. Pilot is know for good quality control, but it does sound like maybe you got a dud.
My favorite notebook is the JetPens Kanso Noto. They have 160 sheets (320 pages) of Tomoe River paper with a 5mm dot grid. Tomoe River paper is a premium fountain pen friendly paper that should solve your feathering problems.
https://www.jetpens.com/JetPens-Tomoe-River-52-gsm-Kanso-Noto-Notebook-A5-Dot-Grid-Black/pd/29704
JetPens offers free shipping in the US for order of $35 or more. I don't know what options are available outside of the US.
The notebook is currently out of stock. I expect more to be back soon. Tomoe River paper was sold from one paper company to another. I think JetPens just cleared out their stock with paper from the original company and I anticipate they'll bring the notebook back soon with paper from the new company (Sanzen). In the past, the notebooks sold for $19.50, which is a great price for a premium paper notebook (seriously, I think only the Nanami Seven Seas notebooks have a better price per page for premium paper) . However, to keep the price low, the notebook doesn't have bells and whistles like an elastic closure or page marker ribbons.
They are quite different! My Pilot pens have fairly narrow bodies, while the Pelikan M400 is more stout. As a western fine, the M400's nib is a little broader than the Pilot fine nibs. I can feel this as a write, a little more contact with the page. Perhaps the nib is also a little firmer. Nothing I don't like, just a different feel.
My biggest complaint about my Pilots is they seem to dry out quickly. (But I still really like them!) I haven't had the M400 long enough to know how it holds up. I expect it to last longer, by virtue of having a screw cap.
Overall I've been enjoying the M400. The nib, being slightly broader, can produce more shading than my Pilots. It is a newer M400, and in the last few years, Pelikan stopped making the barrels translucent, which is a bit disappointing.
Funny, I didn't notice the imgur tag! I went back and edited the post. I used the browse feature to upload an image, but perhaps that isn't enabled on this server?
Looks like my image may not have come through. Here's a link: https://imgur.com/a/pccTP8g
Edit: Updated the post
I was looking through here to see if anybody was recommending a Pilot Vanishing Point or Majohn A1/A2.
Don't have time for a screw cap? How about no cap at all!?
The Vanishing Point is really handy. There is the full sized VP and the slightly smaller VP Decimo. The Majohn A1 / A2 pens are lower cost clones. I have a Decimo and find it can go quite a while without drying out. Longer than my snap cap pens. If you do a lot of writing, I'd suggest a fine nib, or even extra fine nib, to get more mileage per fill. Some people have trouble with the placement of the clip on the pen interfering with their grip. In general, if you use a tripod grip, the clip shouldn't be an issue. The Decimo sells around $160 USD, but you might be able to find a deal. The regular VP is a little more still. I haven't used an A1/A2, but they are less expensive alternatives that still seem to be well liked.
Waterman inks may be easy to overlook because they are moderately priced and have a reputation as safe, well behaved inks. But I really like the shading I get from Serenity Blue with all but my finest nibs.
Copying stuff over has the same drawback pointed out as copying posts from Reddit does: OP is not here and the discussion is fragmented.
For the best experience, our best bet is to be active here and try to nudge more people over. Maybe this weekend I'll round up my modest collection and post it here.
I'm also interested in how we can interact with Mastodon users. @penfount seems to be picking up traction, but I much prefer this format for discussion.
When I first joined this instance (only a few weeks ago), I recall seeing a post that was created from Mastodon. I think there are limitations, like Mastodon users won't see comments, or Lemmy users won't see replies, something like that. But I don't understand it well.
According to this earlier announcement, voting will run for a week. I don't see a need to push notifications out. Just check weekly for votes. A discussion will precede a vote, so interested users will have had time to know the vote was coming/happening.
I'm only at 7 inks and it feels like they will last me forever! Do you tend to start and finish a bottle, or do you move between inks often?
To motivate me to use my inks, and to help control my spending, I'm trying to finish a bottle up before buying another. Or in lieu of a new bottle, I might buy several samples.
From the link you posted, Monteverde Capri Blue jumps out at me. Perhaps that will be my next blue, once I use up Waterman Serenity Blue. I also want to try Waterman Tender Purple, once I get through my Pilot Iroshizuku Maraski-Shikibu.
I agree that looks to be a Metropolitan. Great pens!
As @[email protected] said, you won't be able to see the ink level. When your line starts get get darker, thinner, and the pen starts to skip, it's time to refill. Or if the pen has been sitting for a while, maybe a quick cleaning.