Well, I took the VP plunge. Gonna make a big splash, hope I don't belly-flop. I just spent the very last of my splurge money. None left. Nada. Zilch. If I go pen lusting now, I'll have to go broken hearted for a good spell before I can think about another pen, or another anything at this point.

Just bought a VP kit for a friend to get him into FP's a little better, and got one for myself, too. Vanishing Point Kit

I'm not sure all the accessories are worth $25, but then again, buying them separately might add up. I probably paid the going rate, regardless. Just what exactly is that cartridge cap supposed to do, anyway? Keep a half-full cartridge from leaking, or is it just something for extra transportation security?

Soooooo....

Tell me I'm going to really, really like the VP, and that my friend will never turn back from a fountain pen again. I just need the reassurance here, after marking off that last spot on the splurge register.

I just did it too. It also burned up all of my fun money. No more pens for a while, but I think I'll be ok when it gets here. Which one did you get?

Kristel and I each have a Namiki VP. They are great.

Which color did you get?

I have no idea what that cartridge cap is for either. But it is a great pen!

The VP Kit is a decent deal if you base it on MSRP. The cart cap is to "supposedly" protect the cart from bending out of shape from the regular amount of clicking (since the cart is made out of soft plastic). Most importantly, Congrats!

Congratulations! I bought one for my sister. It has a .6mm stub nib from Richard B., and my sister is all bonkers for it. I tried it, but I had a really hard time negotiating with the position of the clip and my grip; but that's just me. It's a great pen.

Congratulation on the VP. It is a great pen. I am using my faceted VP almost daily. It is a cool pen for jotting down notes and overall office use. I am using the converter on mine, instead of carts. I am hoping you will get much joy out of it.

Nikolaos

You guys are terrific!







My friend is getting the blue with gold, I decided on the green for myself.





That's good to know.




I'll be using the converter, as well. I'll send the extra cartridges to my friend.

Thanks again, all. I needed that.

Good choice -- So did I.

When you push the button, the inside bangs into the end of the cartridge. The metal cap protects the plastic. I'm not really sure whether the plastic is all that susceptible to deformation. But the pen has moving parts, so it makes some sense.

I doubt that the metal cap serves any purpose in a Pilot or Namiki that isn't a VP.

OH -- and the metal cap also makes it that much harder to check to see if you're about out of ink.

You'll like the VP! You got a great deal on the pen with all the add ons. Plus, the nibs are buttery smooth. Even my husband, who is not a fountain pen guy, thinks these are great pens.

Seems like a good deal to me - and I'm teetering on the edge myself.

Besides, from watching the Marketplace, these seem to hold their value pretty well. If it doesn't work for you, I doubt you'll have trouble finding a buyer.

<grumble>

They "oversold." So, they won't ship until Feb 2 because they have to get their stock back in. At least they didn't cancel the order. Guess I can wait. Plus side is, I'm less than 10 miles away from them, so when they do ship (free shipping, btw), I should still expect them within a day. Should. Yeah, we'll see how UPS handles this, heheheh.

In the meantime, is anyone using that metal cartridge cap in their VP? I saw something earlier about someone wondering if the cartridges seemed loose, so I wondered if not using the metal cap might be the cause.

And, I really am excited about using this pen. I've heard so much good about it. I might have to take a couple other pens out of rotation if it is as nice to use as everyone has said.

That's a drag about the delay. Hopefully UPS comes through on the shipping. Waiting for shipping is one of my least favorite things.

Mine is supposed to ship tomorrow, and I am excited.

I use the metal cap on cartridges in old, faceted VPs only. When I bought newer models, they didn't come with caps and I've been using the pens without a problem. In the faceted model however the click mechanism would not work so well without the cap if I was using a cartridge. No problem with the converter...

mine came with a metal cap and I do use it.

I also use the metal cartridge protectors in both of my VP's. I ordered extras the last time I purchased cartridges from pendemonium as I figured they would probably sprout legs and disappear.

Wow! thats some friend you are! I wish my friends spent their splurge money like that....

Hmmm... Maybe I need new friends....