I have just received my first Pilot Vanishing Point, which I first learned about from this forum, and I love the pen!

It was purchased through one of company's business colleagues in Japan. She ordered it over the internet at the Japanese website for Pilot pens. http://www.pilot.co.jp/products/pen/founta...less/index.html Since this was my first VP and I wasn't sure whether I would like it or not, I purchased the most basic model in yellow (a color you can't find here). Ordering it in Japan in this way was quite a bit cheaper than ordering it in North America.

The pen has a good solid feel to it, with nice finishing. The yellow is actually more of a mustard yellow than shown in the picture at the website. I was surprised by the size -- it is larger than something I would have expected from the Japanese. The nib is medium, but as suggested in other posts, writes more like a North American fine. The website says that the nib on this model is a "special alloy", which I understood to be stainless steel. However, it has a gold colored finish to the nib, so perhaps there is something more than just stainless steel to the nib.

The placement of the clip is not a problem for writing. The barrel is large enough that there's plenty of room for my fingers.

All in all, a most satisfactory pen. Certain to draw some attention!

I have a couple VPs -- they do have a nice heft to them. If you like something slightly smaller, try the Pilot Decimo -- same pen, same retractable nib -- just slightly smaller and lighter. I tried the Decimo, however, and returned to the regular VP -- my hands just prefer the larger size.

Anyway, ENJOY !! The yellow seems particularly nice and was a good choice! HP

For what it's worth, Bittner carries that yellow. They import it.

I agree
I also have the yellow Pilot Capless purchsed form a japanese source. Min was mot less than if purchased in North America. How much cheaper was it?
I love mine. The mustard yellow color ( or baby poo... am I allowed to say that?) is reminiscent of the Datsun 500 and toyota Corollas of the late 1960's. I guess this is a color the japanese like. I am glad the color is exclusive but I do find it rather ugly. My nib sings occasionally. One of the nice things about it is the abil;ity to chage the nib easily. I also have an italic nib assembly but I like the original better.
b

Congrats, Pam. That's a great pen!

If I'm not wrong the nibs on the VP are a gold alloy. My decimo says '18k' on it, but its Rhodium-coloured like the pen trim.

If the nib says 18K, it is 18K. Could be white gold!!!

I think Carmen Rivera said it is Rhodium-coated gold nib but not white gold on her site.

Pam, congrats on your new yellow VP!

The custom nib from Binder is 18K, at least for mine.

The model Pam purchased is one of the steel-nibbed VP's. All the other ones are gold, but last year Pilot issued a few colors with silver trim (I believe) that came with steel nibs. Pthalo I think (or was it someone else) wrote about this on another thread a few months back.

I frankly can't tell my gold nibbed VP's from one of the steel-nibbed ones when writing with them.

This is where the pen purchase gets a little confusing. The Japanese web site (which my Japanese colleague kindly translated for me) offered all the other pens with 18k gold nibs. This particular model of pen is sold with a "special alloy" nib. I had searched the FPN earlier, and the expert opinion seemed to be that these nibs, sold only to the Japanese market, are stainless steel -- all North American versions are sold with the gold nibs (either 18k or 14k). That is why I was surprised that it had a gold-colored finish to it. I checked the nib for markings, and there is nothing inscribed on it to indicate that it is 18K or 14k gold. So perhaps it is stainless steel coated with something to give it a gold-coloured finish.

If I had a camera capable of taking good macro shots, I would send take a picture of the mystery nib. In any event, it is still a lovely pen. I checked the Bittner site, and this particular color of pen is sold by them (with a 14 K nib) for $199. (I had understood that the yellow is a color sold only in Japan, so perhaps that explains the price, which is higher than the rest of their VPs). I paid $70, so it's a great bargain to boot!

In Japan all regular (non-LE) VPs with silver-color trim come with "special-alloy" nibs, i.e. steel nibs. They sell at less than other VPs, which come with 18k nibs. Decimos come with rhodium-coated 18k nibs. I have to check if Fermo nibs are rhodium coated or not, but they also are 18k.

My understanding is that Pilot/Namiki was not exporting the steel-nibbed VP's, but only the models with gold nibs. The yellow ones sold in the U.S. market are gold nibbed pens, while in Japan, you can get both the gold and steel nibbed versions.
Here is a Japanese site that shows the array of the 'Capless' over there, where the 'yellow' is a steel nibbed pen (unlike those for sale in the U.S.).
http://www.nomado1230.net/shopping/pilotindex.html#16
The prices help differentiate the nib composition, with the 8,800 yen models being steel (alloy), and all the others being gold.

My red carbonesque--a model with an 18K gold nib--is marked 18K on the nib (you can't see it unless you open up your pen), as are all my other VP's, which show either 14K or 18K (including a Fermo).

I think you are right, and IIRC if there is no marking on the nib that is the steel one.

I should add that indeed you got a good deal. At 8,800 for the steel-nibbed VP's, at today's exchange rage of 107 yen to the dollar or so, it would be around $82.

There were US only mustard yellow LE VPs several years ago, and I've heard the colof was different from the yellow that is sold in Japan. Not sure which one that Bittner sells.

Wow, that is cool. I wish I had an opportunity to go to Japan to pick one up!

Bittner has the non-limited Japanese color. I saw them when I was in their store last month. The LE yellow was a distinctly different color. Since I bought my orange LE there, naturally I had to ask about the yellow. Since it seemed readily available from them, I didn't pick it up.

The LE VP is a bright yellow compared to the darker mustard of the standard issue.

Here's the best I can manage for a picture. The color of the furnishings aren't quite right (they are silver/chrome), but the color for the pen is reasonably close.

Actually, it was even a better price than that. My Japanese colleague ordered it over the internet in Japan, which resulted in a further discount. Thus, the $70 price tag. But no converter. She's now having to order that separately for me. Fortunately, she,s visiting our company a couple of weeks from now.

I was guessing that would be the case from the price. I've seen the LE yellow going for $300 and up. Thanks for the info.

$200.

Bittner's not known for being a deep discounter of pens.