Where in the US can one find the Pilot décimo? I've heard that these are smaller in diameter than the Vanishing Point fountain pens and am interested in seeing/getting one.

www.jetpens.com, dromgoole's has some in store, if you're in Houston... there's bound to be more!!!

Gepzo, how much is Dromgoole's selling them for?

Generally speaking, the Decimo is not a US market pen. So, authorized Pilot resellers in the US will not stock them (not sure about Dromgoole--maybe they're doing it 'under the table'). The other issue is the matter of warranty--if anything goes wrong with your Decimo, Pilot in the USA will not service it. The odds are very much against anything going wrong, but be sure the seller will allow for return/exchange in case of initial defects.

Ujuku and JetPens are good ways to go for obtaining one. I'd also look at FleaBay history on the Decimo and see what the general pricing is. You might find a reliable seller offering them even cheaper.

Thanks to all of you! I may just stick with a regular vanishing point fp due to the warranty issues.

I wouldn't use that as a basis for ruling out a Decimo completely. These pens are extremely reliable and well tested. The only viable concern I can think of is if the pen is somehow damaged badly enough requiring a replacement part. The one fragile part of the pen is the trap door, which is well protected inside the section. You may be able to get it serviced by shipping the pen to Pilot headquarters in Japan.

I take it you are happy with your VP, but feel like you might enjoy it more if the diameter was slightly smaller? If so, a Decimo may very well suit you. I'd read over the reviews posted to see what people have to say. Most seem to prefer it over the VP or like it equally, with a few stating that they are happier with the VP. I guess you also have to weigh that versus the price difference. I rarely see a used Decimo up for sale, so VP's have that advantage of the "lightly used" discount.

Like the OP, I had and used a couple of Vanishing Points, but they were just a tad bit too large for my hands. Still really liked them, but just saying they would have been perfect in a smaller size. Ended up buying a Decimo from a fellow FPNer. Fell in love with the size. Ended up buying 2 more new Decimos off eBay. I never use my VPs now. Like MYU was saying, I wouldn't let warranty issues dissuade you from getting a Decimo. You may want to look for a used one in our Marketplace thread. Or there are new ones from sellers in Japan on eBay. Good luck. I think you will REALLY like the Decimo if the VP is just a tad too big.

[edited for typo]

I agree with MYU - the quality control on the Pilot VPs is great - I have 10 (with 3 more on the way) and not a single problem with any of them.

If you are patient, you can score a Decimo for under $100 on eBay. If not, you can buy them from JetPens for $170 with free shipping.

My wife has a (Pilot) Décimo and adores it. It just doesn't fit my hand or I'd get one (I do love my VP but it is a bit heavy). We're in the US, and she got one for her friend in France and is getting another, so we're not too afraid.

We have a Pilot Prera and 2 Pilot Elites that need looking into, and we plan to see if we can have Pilot Japan look at them. If we have some success we'll try to remember to post about it and reply to you directly (however this may be months off so don't hold your breath!). That said, I sent 3 Lamy pens to Lamy in Germany. Although their service was a bit disappointing, they *did* service them so I'm optimistic. If anyone has experience in this, please let me know, as well as clip5.

I don't know how much Dromgoole's was selling them for, as I was more interested in the other pens near them, but the price is probably normal retail, $180 or so. They don't have much of a web presence, but they do have a phone number, and I'm sure Larry or one of his employees will answer your price question.

On the warranty question - the decimo takes the same nib/cartridge unit that the full size VP takes, and the Fermo, so if you damage that part, or want a new one, you can get one for $20-30, from waiting patiently for one to come up on the marketplace, or you can get one from Pilot, ebay, Richard Binder, etc.

- George

PS: Pilot USA hasn't been all that helpful to me, and I just wanted a fine nib for the Knight (which would fit my Prera). Really, I wasn't all that pleased with the outcome of that attempt at all. I got a badly composed email response, and no response to my follow-up question about who to contact in Japan for parts.