I bought a Pilot 743 (fine medium) on Amazon, and it has skipping issues that are most prevalent on downstrokes. So for example, if I write a "h," it'll almost look like an "n." Or if I write an "r," it sometimes looks like I wrote it without the first vertical downstroke. It doesn't happen 100% of the times, but it does happen pretty regularly on cheap notebook paper. It happens much worse on Rhodia. The pen will just straight up stop writing on Rhodia at times, unless I press down harder on the pen to reactivate the ink flow.

Do you think it's baby's bottom? I'm a newbie, so I don't know how to diagnose it, myself. I studied the nib under a loupe, and as far as I can tell, the nib looks fine and aligned, although there's a long scratch running down the side of one of the tines. It's only viewable under a loupe. Maybe it happened during the manufacturing process when they cut the nib?

The ink flow is also very dry, so maybe that could be a contributing factor? So I'm deliberating whether I should try flossing the tines with brass sheets to see if maybe opening up the ink flow will help, or I should just try to return it. I heard Amazon has a great return policy, so hopefully they'll accept it, even though I cut open the plastic package that the pen was inside. I did not use the Con 70 converter or the black ink cartridge that came with the pen.

I tried cleaning the nib and feed, but it didn't fix the issue. I used black Pilot ink the first time and then Pelikan Edelstein Topaz the second time.

Everything else about the pen is great. The nib is smooth, and the feel of the pen is great. It's just that it skips.