The Vanishing Point, Review 2

[mkoenig]

Hello all,

 

Well, last night, as I intended to purchase a couple of pens, one for me, and one for a surprise for my wife, I only ended up with one.

 

A black, rhodium plated Vanishing Point. My wife recently was promoted to Assistant Director at a large Firm in town, that will require more travel with high level folks that she does business with. As such, I thought, it's time that she had a conversation piece with her, everytime she gets ready to "ink a deal". Well, she never has written with a FP before, so I wanted something "user friendly", and not so different from what she's used to.

 

I went to Daly's Pen Shop in Milwaukee, you might have read about it in the last Pen World, and wrote a bit with the VP...I must say for the price, it was smooth as butter, IMO. Well, I was sold...she got one, but my Pelikan wasn't in stock?

 

My wife was thrilled, and in stunning fashion said, "everybody is going to think I'm holding my pen upside down, won't that be funny"? Yes sweetheart, it will be...Other than her initial commentary, she loved it. She said it was the best pen she'd written with, very clean, crisp lines, and comfortable (which I thought might be a problem due to the weight/design).

 

My only complaint...the fine nib is REALLY fine...which is perfect for my wife, she writes really small...you know those Attorneys, always trying to get something by someone In addition, I didn't really like the color of the Blue/Black cartridge they put out...I bought her cartridges to get used to, and then she can pick the color of ink she wants to use...oh yeah, another thing, the plunger is really small, so I bet it would run out quickly if you filled through the conventional method.

 

Notwithstanding my last paragraph, the pen was really nice, much nicer than I thought it would be, it's rock solid...I think I'll get one as well!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[KCat]

well - the good thing about that incredibly fine point (I have one too, and would actually rate it an XF at the very least) is that it will use ink much slower therefore one fill should last her a while. The piston converter is a pain IMO. I end up just refilling carts with the bottled inks I like. Currently I have a Legal Lapis/Ottoman Azure mix in there - just for grings. I'll probably go back to DC Blue which was better (IMO) for such a fine point.

 

My only problem is that now I want more - this is the first quality pen that I've wished I could have more samples of other than my Pelikans. I didn't care for the gold-plating - it seemed too pinkish. But the Raden VP is very appealing. Of course, it's also considerably more expensive than the other colors.

 

someday perhaps.

[hpp]

To Mark: The VP seems to become a ubiquitous writing tool, at least in your family!

 

To KCat: The converter is definitely too small. With my B nib - which is a mere wonder of smoothness - I get about three a4 pages. That is not enough.

 

Apart from that, it's perfect. I like this pen very much. BTW, I have noticed a pen of nearly exactly my age - a Pelikan 100n - at ebay.de. Might be appealing ...

 

Nightly greetings (11:30 pm),

 

Hans-Peter

[Keith with a capital K]

My older VP is fitted with the older squeeze convertor but with the xf and flexy nib this pen writes for page upon page without needing a refill.

 

I can see this pen requiring more trips to the tank if a broader, wetter nib is fitted.

 

My solution... I keep numerous bottles of my most used inks in every desk I work at.

[KendallJ]

Actually, I don't mind the convertor. I have the integral nib, convertor unit and it seems to do fine.

 

Definitely a MED is preferred. Mine writes like a Pelikan F rather than those needle points

[KendallJ]

Roy, you should really consider it. An M nib is fine with capacity IMO. I'm not bothered by it at all. If nothing else, you can use namiki cartridges, but I think they are a great pen!

[mkoenig]

Roy,

 

I concur with Mr. Kendall J, it's a pretty sweet writing machine...quite novel, yet very practical. The carts are pretty sound, and brand new they're about 90 bones, which I think is a very fair price. Plus, from what I'm told, it's a fantastic nib...

 

Just my humble opinion though...

 

Mark

[mkoenig]

Ooops...Mr. Kendall J? Hmmmm...better rethink that Mark...That's interesting, I knew both a female and male kendall, and now can't remember which is spelled which...

 

Well, if I was wrong Kendall, my apologies!

 

Mark

[KendallJ]

definitely male

[KCat]

go for it, Roy. it's great!

 

i'm pretty picky and this one is right up there with my pels for quality and reliability and comfort.

[KendallJ]

well, I just picked up the VP plastic convertor. I want to use it in my Falcon rather than the aerometric. I see what the fuss is about, however, I don't think this is a big deal.

 

I don't think the problem is that is has low capacity. It's almost the same length as my conklin Nozac's convertor and my Sheaffer Balance convertor.

 

The problem is that the plunger only extends 1/2 way down the length of the barrel. This is a little annoying, but the problem is easily fixed. It will require filling 2 times to get the whole thing full.

 

1. fill once

2. turn the pen nib up, and flick the air bubbles to the top.

3. Re-extend the piston until the air is expelled.

4. Dip and fill the rest of the way up.

 

Annoying, but not insurmountable.

 

And now, I'm off to fill my Falcon!

[Big D]

A quick response to Kendal about filling a cartridge:

I purchased a 20 cc syringe from an online taxidermist ($2 + shipping)and i fill my cartridges up about half way then fit them onto the pen. Once securely fitted, i hold my pen upright and twist the piston *slowly* until i see a bit of ink at the top of the nib. Once accomplished, i fill my pen like i normally would. I've been able to extend the time between refills on a couple of my cartridge FP's.

Regards,

-Dan

[Momomar]

A less generous ink reservoir means more opportunity to change inks

 

Seriously, I hope this review will be read by anyone considering the purchase of a VP. I know its virtures have been sung many times within these hallowed halls, but I think many are disinclined to dig deep for less recent threads.

 

IMHO, anyone who writes a lot in starts and stops, particularly under circumstances where juggling a cap would be inconvenient, the VP is simply a pleasure to use. My experience is that there is never a dry start.

 

The "upsidedownedness" is a bit disconcerting initially, but overcome in a short time. People are curious - it's a great icebreaker for the shy and introverted!

[Los]

for me, the newer production of this pen is not worth the retail price. i would price it around $20 to $40 usd. plasticy feeling, and a little cheap looking. the nib is a great writer, though.

[Deirdre]

I'm trying to reconcile "plasticy feeling" with the VPs I've known. And failed to do reconcile.

 

Are we talking about the same pen?

[misterh]

I'm trying to reconcile "plasticy feeling" with the VPs I've known. And failed to do reconcile.

 

Are we talking about the same pen?

 

You beat me to it!! I was just thinking the same, I recently brought a black Carbonesque and there certainly isn't anything 'plasticy' about it.

[purpledog]

I'm trying to reconcile "plasticy feeling" with the VPs I've known. And failed to do reconcile.

 

Are we talking about the same pen?

 

You beat me to it!! I was just thinking the same, I recently brought a black Carbonesque and there certainly isn't anything 'plasticy' about it.

 

Maybe Los is referring to the earlier faceted model, which has a plastic barrel.

 

purpledog

[I am not a number]

for me, the newer production of this pen is not worth the retail price. i would price it around $20 to $40 usd. plasticy feeling, and a little cheap looking. the nib is a great writer, though.

Wot?

[MYU]

Maybe Los is referring to the earlier faceted model, which has a plastic barrel.

purpledog

I'm tending to think that too, as it's the closest to any VP/Capless version having a plastic feel. The "Vanishing Point" model, before the Decimo, is very solid feeling given all the metal inside it.

[J English Smith]

Yes, agreed!

 

I paid about $70 online for a grey one, and I am happy with that - about half of full retail.

 

I think for $70-80, you can't go wrong.

 

And with a fine nib, I find even the small converter of ink lasts for a long time - decent, anyway.