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I Still Don't Like The Modern Namiki Vanishing Point


OldGriz

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I have owned and sold about 4 of the modern style Namiki Vanishing Point pens over the last bunch of years....

I just can't seem to get my head around them...

I find the clip placement uncomfortable, the balance off and the diameter is just not right for me.

 

I recently got a real good deal on a pair of the older faceted Vanishing Points, one in green with a bold nib and one in blue with a medium nib

It was a price I could not pass up, especially knowing I could easily sell them for what I paid for them if not happy.

Well the pens arrived and after a real good cleaning with Rapidoeze followed by a couple of cycles in the ultrasonic the nib assy was as clean as it was going to get.

I filled the pens with corresponding color inks (Pilot Green and Noodlers La Couleur Royale) and decided to give them a good test

I actually emptied the Parker 51s that were on my desk and put them away so I could concentrate on the VPs...

To say I was pleasantly surprised would be a major understatement....

Both pens wrote beautifully and as smooth as I could ask....the broad nib was too wide for me, but the medium came close to what I like with no feedback at all...

After a couple of days of working with the pens I realized the felt almost the same as my Parker 51s in balance and writing ability, something I never thought I would find.

Well, while scanning eBay again I found two more of these VPs... another green one with a medium nib and the grail of early VPs a Stealth Black with a fine nib.

The prices were very right and I jumped all over them....

The arrived and were both uninked pens with clean converters, cartridges and only missing the boxes....

The black got a cart of Pilot black ink and was even smoother than the other pens and virtually perfect for my size handwriting.

I have found a new great pen to carry....

Don't think for a minute I am giving up my love affair for Parker 51s and Vacumatics... it ain't happening....

But I won't worry about carrying one of these older VPs anytime....

 

The older faceted VP has a plastic body and is decidedly thinner than the newer models that have a laquered brass body.

The plastic body makes them a bit more fragile, but I don't do dumb things with my pens, like put them in a pants pocket

The clip on the older VP is one piece with the nose cone and sweeps back smoothly and does not get in the way of your fingers...

All in all I would give these pens a 8.5/10 basically due to the small capacity of the converter.... the ink cartridges hold a fair amount thought

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I have three of the early faceted VPs and except for their really small capacity they are quite nice, far nicer than any of the recent ones I've played with. Mine are blue, burgundy and the regular black and chrome.

 

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Tom, I must thank you greatly for this review, and at the same time be angry at you for writing it...

 

Now I want an older edition stealth VP! Oh brother, not another pen! roflmho.gif

 

Seriously though, thanks for sharing with us your experience. I'm going to go check flea-bay right now and see what luck might have for me. :D

Need a pen repaired or a nib re-ground? I'd love to help you out.

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Colossians 3:17 - And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

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The faceted ones are better-looking, and it seems, a better quality than the new round ones. I loved the review :D

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The lighter, thinner Decimo (as compared to the modern VP) seems to be more the true modern heir to the vintage faceted VP.

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With you 100% OldGriz, love the older ones. I have a green one and a black one with the silver trim. What lovely pens and what attention they tend to garner.

A. Don's Axiom "It's gonna be used when I sell it, might as well be used when I buy it."

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Tom, I must thank you greatly for this review, and at the same time be angry at you for writing it...

 

Now I want an older edition stealth VP! Oh brother, not another pen! roflmho.gif

 

Seriously though, thanks for sharing with us your experience. I'm going to go check flea-bay right now and see what luck might have for me. :D

 

Be prepared to pay around $250 plusus.... that is what I have seen them sell for at shows... mine is only the third or so I have seen online and the only one in a price point I was willing to jump on... the others were in the $200-250 range....

The other colors are generally going around $200.... maybe a bit more at shows...

I got real real lucky in finding these as BIN when I searched for newly listed items...

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Tom,

 

Thank you for the review and pics! I really like more those faceted VP than the modern VPs: sure, the design, cause I've never tried a faceted. How old are they? Do you know what plastic are they made of? (maybe PMMA= Lucite® like 51)? The Black Stealth is terrific! Unfortunately, the price is too high IMO. We can purchase two new VP for one of these!

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Excellent review and astute observations.

 

My old style faceted Vanishing Point is a twin of your blue one. Mine absolutely sports one of the best nibs in the stable, and it came that way out of the box, un-tinkered by any nibmeister.

 

I've tried the modern pieces and find them ... I find I prefer my old style by far. The ergonomics of the faceted model suit my hand better. The old ones seem to be more "go" than "show" - I'm glad I got mine new when I did!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Tom,

 

Thank you for the review and pics! I really like more those faceted VP than the modern VPs: sure, the design, cause I've never tried a faceted. How old are they? Do you know what plastic are they made of? (maybe PMMA= Lucite® like 51)? The Black Stealth is terrific! Unfortunately, the price is too high IMO. We can purchase two new VP for one of these!

 

You may purchase two new stealth pens for the price of a faceted one,

BUT the black on the faceted pen is not going to come off the brass underbody like the new ones

Also the balance of the older pens is much better than the new ones IMO... especially with the thinner body of the faceted pen....

You are paying higher price for the older faceted pens because those who really like VPS (and I was never one) find that the older pens are much more comfortable.

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Glad you like the faceted pens. While I admire their looks, I find them uncomfortable to hold and not quite as well weighted as the modern VPs. They also don't seem as durable to me. The nib on mine was no different than my current VPs in performance. Luckily as you said they are quite easy to resell - I sold mine to a friend and bought another new version.

 

Cheers,

NM

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I LOVED my faceted VP. Until it got the infamous crack round the threads :-(

 

Great review and you're right-- they do have a 51ish feel!

 

Ralf

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I wonder how the faceted VP is for left-handed writers. I found the modern VP a little uncomfortable because my finger would go over the clip when holding it as I hold other pens, and it was irritating. I don't see how the older faceted VP is different in that respect. It still has a clip there. I suspect this is less of a bother to right-handed writers.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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  • 3 years later...

Reviving this, as I love my faceted VP (green & stealth black); I was thinking of adding to the stable but wow, have the priced jumped! I thought paying $120 for the stealth black in 2001 was too high; I just saw an eBay posting for $350 NIB. Oh, well, maybe I'll venture upon another at some point. They are perfect for me; then again, my other daily writer is my P51. :-)

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