#3 for me

As people have already said, yes that is a Metro. The converter is supposed to be opaque, and you will need to guestimate. It’s not just guesstimating how much ink you have left, it’s also guesstimating if you have filled the pen to the maximum possible. The ink does not get sucked up into the pen as quickly as a piston mechanism, and it’s impossible to see if you have a max fill. A couple of tips since this is your first squeeze converter. I usually squeeze the air completely out before I dunk it into the ink to remove the potential of a few drops of ink popping out of the bottle (especially for Noodler’s and the bottles filled to the absolute max policy). I also leave it in an extra second or two after it seems fully puffed up just to make sure the maximum amount of ink is sucked up. Luckily, this is all much easier with the Metropolitan’s cheaper squeeze filler design. The “premium” one that came with my Cavalier was encased in a metal tube. The squeeze bar was manipulated using a “button” located near the top which made it very difficult to fully compress the sac and see if the sac was completely puffed up. Terrible design.

It’s pricy, but have you considered a Big Idea Design Pocket Tool? There is a flat head screwdriver side that is not sharp at all, but can still work as a pry bar or a scraper in a pinch. If you are ok with it, it also comes with a dull insert that is good enough to open packages. The other side is kind of a camp fork that looks a lot less aggressive. Otherwise, just leave the insert at home. You’ll still have a flat head screwdriver and a wrench at least. It’s designed to take any old notched utility knife blade.

I started carrying mines regularly in places I can’t carry around a pocket knife or a multitool with a blade.

I give this pen a hearty +1. I have owned, sold, and given away a lot of 30$USD and below pens in the last decade. The 601 and Lamy Safari (and technically a brass Kaweco Sport if that counts) are the only pens in this budget I have kept. The 601 is my off the beaten path recommendation beside the usual suspects of beginner pens. The pen’s capacity in a very pleasant body is the big selling point for me. The filling system is neat, and the use of a O-ring type piston (is that the technical term?) like the one found in a piston filler over the latex used in the original 601 model is an excellent upgrade in my opinion. For people who throw around their pens, the plastic isn’t the toughest thing in the world, but I think your metal version solves that problem.

The hooded nib is great for slowing dry out too!

My question to you is how the balance on the metal version, especially when posted? The plastic grip worries me a little.