Pilot Vp + Iroshizuku On Massdrop

[learningsquare]

The PIlot Vanishing Point in black matte or black carbonesque (M or F) is now available on Massdrop for $105 shipped. There's also the option to add on various Iroshizuku inks for $20 per bottle.

 

(If you haven't used Massdrop before, here's a shameless plug to register using my referral link. Nice pens and pencils go on sale pretty often for hefty discounts.)

[stevesurf]

The PIlot Vanishing Point in black matte or black carbonesque (M or F) is now available on Massdrop for $105 shipped. There's also the option to add on various Iroshizuku inks for $20 per bottle.

 

(If you haven't used Massdrop before, here's a shameless plug to register using my referral link. Nice pens and pencils go on sale pretty often for hefty discounts.)

 

Massdrop is a great concept; I was able to grab one of the Lamy Stainless fountain pens. They've got some great DACs as well!

[islandink]

Can you please provide a bit more information about Massdrop as it relates to fountain pens and related products? for example, what has been offered over the past 6 months and at what prices? are all colours of Iroshizuku ink offered? can one get the ink without purchasing the pen? thank you

Edited October 7, 2014 by islandink

[WillBright]

Cool to see this posted! Thanks for all the support

[learningsquare]

Cool to see that Massdrop watches FPN! (Now, if only you could get Pilot to drop the Raden Galaxy VP...)

[Jamerelbe]

Can you please provide a bit more information about Massdrop as it relates to fountain pens and related products? for example, what has been offered over the past 6 months and at what prices? are all colours of Iroshizuku ink offered? can one get the ink without purchasing the pen? thank you

 

Off the top of my head, Massdrop has sold a number of Stipula fountain pens (the Speed and the Passaporto) for maybe $20-30 below retail; they've done a couple of drops of Pilot Metropolitans (2 for $25); and a couple of Levenger L-Tech drops (the current one for $60 if it reaches its target of 20 buyers).

 

In the past week or two they've had a series of Lamy sales: the Lamy 2000 (makrolon version) for $110, which is $30-50 below retail; the Lamy Studio for $69 (which was not as big a discount), and, most amazing of all, a Lamy 2000 stainless steel version for $210, which is maybe $100 below RRP (?).

 

My first and only purchase so far was a set of 4 Pilot Parallels for I-can't-remember-what, but much cheaper than I could get them here in Australia, or even from another international source.

 

I think this is the 2nd time Massdrop have done a drop with the Pilot Vanishing Point.

 

That's just from memory - I'm pretty sure they've done a few others as well. The upside with Massdrop is obviously the cost saving, which can be pretty impressive. The downside is that they offer a more limited range of options than an online retailer - limited customisation options, or none at all - but more often than not, that won't be a deal-breaker. Not for me, anyway!

[WillBright]

Haha yea, been lurking since the first fountain pen polls started popping up, only started making some posts recently.

 

Didn't want to step on any toes by posting given my position at the company so I emailed the admins but I have yet to hear back.

 

Ideally we can do more than watch. It'd be cool to run some loaner programs for our samples (I've got a LAMY 2000 Stainless on my desk that I definitely don't appreciate as much as some FPN members would) as an example. Just not sure what's kosher.

 

Either way, I'll look into the Raden Galaxy for you. I think it was limited edition right? Maybe someone has a pile in a warehouse somewhere

[learningsquare]

 

I think this is the 2nd time Massdrop have done a drop with the Pilot Vanishing Point.

 

If I recall correct, within the last half-year or so, Massdrop did run both the blue and black carbonesque VPs in M and F (but ran out of the blue/F combination before I could get one...).

 

 

Either way, I'll look into the Raden Galaxy for you. I think it was limited edition right? Maybe someone has a pile in a warehouse somewhere

 

My understanding is that it's not a limited edition per se (in that Pilot isn't planning on shutting down production anytime soon), but since it's at the $300 price point (~$600 for the other two raden combinations), it's a bit less common to find.

[Jamerelbe]

Haha yea, been lurking since the first fountain pen polls started popping up, only started making some posts recently.

 

Didn't want to step on any toes by posting given my position at the company so I emailed the admins but I have yet to hear back.

 

Ideally we can do more than watch. It'd be cool to run some loaner programs for our samples (I've got a LAMY 2000 Stainless on my desk that I definitely don't appreciate as much as some FPN members would) as an example. Just not sure what's kosher.

 

Either way, I'll look into the Raden Galaxy for you. I think it was limited edition right? Maybe someone has a pile in a warehouse somewhere

 

Hi Will, hadn't made the connection between you and Massdrop - good to have you on board! A few retailers are active members of the FPN community, and happy to provide info. Can I take the opportunity to say 'thanks' for the amazing postage surcharges you give to Australian (and other international) buyers on these deals? A US$5 surcharge on this latest fountain pen offering makes it a far more attractive option than it would otherwise be!

 

I've listed a few of your fountain pen drops (from memory) in an earlier reply - can you think of any others that would give a better indication of just how big a discount you're (sometimes) able to get? The Lamy 2000 in stainless steel stands out to me, but I guess there may be others...

[WillBright]

 

Hi Will, hadn't made the connection between you and Massdrop - good to have you on board! A few retailers are active members of the FPN community, and happy to provide info. Can I take the opportunity to say 'thanks' for the amazing postage surcharges you give to Australian (and other international) buyers on these deals? A US$5 surcharge on this latest fountain pen offering makes it a far more attractive option than it would otherwise be!

 

I've listed a few of your fountain pen drops (from memory) in an earlier reply - can you think of any others that would give a better indication of just how big a discount you're (sometimes) able to get? The Lamy 2000 in stainless steel stands out to me, but I guess there may be others...

 

The FP drops will probably have some of the best international shipping because they're light. In the rest of our drops, international shipping is pretty brutal : (

 

Sadly we don't have any control either way so I'll accept your thanks with the caveat that you should be thanking Pilot for making the VP from non-lead materials lol.

 

Hmm, generally speaking fountain pens on Massdrop will probably be about 30% off MSRP. Sometimes more, sometimes less, changes for every product and even for the same product between drops.

[Jamerelbe]

 

The FP drops will probably have some of the best international shipping because they're light. In the rest of our drops, international shipping is pretty brutal : (

 

Sadly we don't have any control either way so I'll accept your thanks with the caveat that you should be thanking Pilot for making the VP from non-lead materials lol.

 

Hmm, generally speaking fountain pens on Massdrop will probably be about 30% off MSRP. Sometimes more, sometimes less, changes for every product and even for the same product between drops.

 

Re shipping, that's true: the reason I haven't bought in to some of the other 'drops' has everything to do with shipping too... Still, love the concept - thanks for the concept, and for getting it up and running!

 

Incidentally, for those interested, another recent Lamy offering on Massdrop was the Dialog 3. I was sorely tempted... but glad I held out for the Vanishing Point.

Edited October 8, 2014 by Jamerelbe

[parnesh]

Either way, I'll look into the Raden Galaxy for you. I think it was limited edition right? Maybe someone has a pile in a warehouse somewhere

 

Amazon had these at 232 + shipping for a broad. I am all budgeted out atm but if massdrop ever gets this in a broad, I will sign up first thing!

[AZBennett]

 

Amazon had these at 232 + shipping for a broad. I am all budgeted out atm but if massdrop ever gets this in a broad, I will sign up first thing!

At the current Massdrop price you could buy the M with a bottle of ink, then buy a B nib unit from Goulet and still pay less than the 232 on Amazon.

[parnesh]

At the current Massdrop price you could buy the M with a bottle of ink, then buy a B nib unit from Goulet and still pay less than the 232 on Amazon.

 

The amazon one is a raden pen. Usually retails for $380 not a the standard pen retails for $175.