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I love the body of the Pilot Precise V5 RT (retractable rollerball) pens.
My question: has anyone found another manufacturer's refill cartridges that fit in that pen, or if anyone's had luck refilling an existing cartridge with different ink (fountain pen ink, etc.)?

Edit 1: Apologies if I was unclear. I love the body of the pen but I'd like different ink colors (and possibly different ink consistencies) outside of what Pilot offers. My question: Are their any other manufacturer's refills that fit the Pilot Precise V5 RT body?

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  • Hi Gunslinger711, we can't give manufacturer recommendations, so only your second question might be answered.
    – Joachim ♦
    Jul 20, 2019 at 14:31
  • For me the essence of the first question is more of a "do any other pens refills fit in this pen body?"
    – Gunslinger711
    Jul 20, 2019 at 15:06
  • Thanks for the clarification. I updated the answer. Pilot offers nine ink colors and two point sizes for that pen. The different point sizes will have slightly different feels. If you want to stick with a rollerball, any manufacturer's refill will have ink with a consistency that isn't too different, due to the mechanics of how a rollerball works. However, if someone makes a different tip, particularly a much broader one, the writing feel is likely to be different. To get a different ink consistency or a radically different writing feel, you will need a different type of refill. (cont'd)
    – fixer1234 ♦
    Jul 29, 2019 at 23:17
  • Some (much more expensive), refillable pens do offer different types of refills for the same pen. Their refills will sometimes fit other pens. The problem is that their refills tend to be much more expensive than the entire other-brand pen. If your objective is to get another type of refill into the V5 pen body, you can expand the possibilities by not worrying about an exact physical match, but modifying the refill to fit. As long as the refill will physically fit in the pen (or can be cut down to fit), you can make "adapters" so they work properly with the pen.
    – fixer1234 ♦
    Jul 29, 2019 at 23:17
  • @fixer1234 This is exactly what I was looking for, do you have any references/web links of people attempting to modify a refill to fit a pilot pen? Or a link to someone who's made an adapter? (maybe 3D printed?)
    – Gunslinger711
    Jul 31, 2019 at 12:45

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It isn't clear what your objective is, whether you're trying to achieve a different writing result, or it's just that you've only found the complete pens for sale and want a way to reuse the body.

Forget trying to refill rollerball cartridges. They are a complicated system designed to work together. The ink needs to be just the right viscosity and other characteristics to be properly dispensed at a certain rate, and then dry quickly without spreading (and it's different from other kinds of inks). Also, the rollerball tip wears with use. If it isn't designed with the right long-lasting materials to be refillable, it will (hopefully) last just long enough to ensure you can use up the ink in the cartridge before it starts blobbing or leaking.

The cartridge is similar in size and shape to some other ones. The writing experience and color characteristics will be different for different brands. If you are looking for that difference, you can probably find some other refills that will fit. However, Pilot does sell refills. The listing on Pilot's web site gives the refill number. Pilot makes nine ink colors and two point sizes for that pen. They should be available from online retailers and office supply stores. I went on Amazon and searched "pilot precise v5 refills", and there was a good selection.

Note, though, that in small quantities, you will pay almost as much for the refills as buying the whole pens in a 12-pack. Buying refills by the dozen will save you about half the cost of the whole pens.

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