(Sorry, I haven't taken pictures - check out HDoug's excellent review if you want some.)

A few months ago I broke down and ordered my first Capless, a Fermo in the dark blue. It really was a foregone conclusion - I even had a stub nib from Richard Binder already here waiting for it.

Last night I flushed the pen to let some others have a chance (having just received three back from Richard after some work - early Chrismas ), but since I got the pen in September I have used it every day up to now. No single pen has been in action for so long at a stretch since my accumulaiton reached three. That probably tells you what you need to know

Plenty has been written around here, so I'll just hit the key points.

• It's quite hefty, and for someone like me who never posts a cap it's also quite long. However it took me maybe 5 minutes to get used to the size and weight and I like it.
• The clip is no problem at all for me.
• The piston converter is small and a little temperamental when it comes to flow. The squeezy one works a treat. But Pilot carts appear to be the way forward. I haven't used so much black ink in a long time. I haven't used so many cartridgs in a very long time.
• The twist mechanism is great. Quick to operate, neat, feels solid.
• The pen has taken all kinds of abuse. It spent the three months in my jacket pocket, clipped there with no case or anything. Not a mark on it, and flawless performance.
• The medium nib I ordered it with (excellent service from Ujuku) was very pleasant, but I didn't use it for long.
• The stub from Richard makes a good pen great. The combination of the responsiveness of the Pilot nib and the stub grind from Richard makes for a fantastically expressive point. I've been back to school since the summer (couple of days a month) and I look forward to taking down charts and diagrams in my notes because with this point it's actually fun to do so

The end result is that my other pens are getting jealous of all the use the Fermo has been getting. An excellent buy.

Yes, the Pilot Capless family is wonderful. I've got a Decimo and a Sesenta (Decimo LE), both with fine nibs, and really enjoy them. Thanks for the great review. If you get a chance, post some photos and be sure to include a writing sample of Richard's work. Sure, we've all seen photos of Fermos and of Richard's work before, but we haven't seen YOUR pen and YOUR nib, so post away! Thanks for sharing.

I have considerable sympathy for Goodyear on this. My 0.6mm Binder nib arrived today and has just been fitted into a Decimo (I may yet switch it to a standard VP).

The nib is annoyingly good (I'm was not previously a great fan of italics - I bought it as an experiment). I can see it going from slightly quirky to mainstream use with an almost seamless transition.

Curses, my plan for World domination may have to slip to the right by a bit.

The Fermo is definitely on my to-get list - I would like the dark green. And yes, I think a cursive instead of a crisp italic this time. I am also thinking of selling my yellow Decimo and getting a Sesenta. There is a risk of owning too many Caplii! They are gremlin-like in their propensity to multiply. I am glad you're enjoying your Fermo!

I'll try and get a chance to shoot some pics this weekend - but it's a busy one, so it may have to wait...