I recently got a Pilot Custom 742 with an FA nib.

This is one of the many pens Pilot will not deign to allow into the hands of U.S. dealers — grrr! — but some of them find their way into this country through purchases by U.S. residents. It's a very ordinary looking, traditionally Japanese pen — until you take off the cap. Then there's that weird nib looking back at you, flaunting its cut-out shoulders and daring you to complain. This cut-out style also shows up on Platinum and Nakaya pens; I'd seen it before, and just looking at it, I figured it was just for show.

Silly me. On Platinum or Nakaya pens, whose nibs are flattened across the top surface, the cutouts allow a little more spring; you get a softer ride. (I have a client's Nakaya in house right now with one of these nibs.) But since I don't much care for that sort of thing I was, like Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar, unimpressed. Then came this Pilot. The Pilot's nib is much rounder, more arched across the top, not flattened, and that difference means that the tines will spread (!) when you apply pressure. They spread a lot, not just a little bit; this is a true, and very delightful, flexible nib. Its flex isn't exactly like that of a vintage Waterman, but what is, these days? Color me impressed. A modern flexie that's a real flexie, now if only Pilot would let me sell these things!

Another recent arrival is a Pilot Custom 743, the same as the 742 except a skosh bigger and slightly more glittery. This one has a P nib, which Pilot says is for posting. I'm still exploring the nib's capabilities, so stay tuned!