The Pilot Varsity Must Be A Joke

[TSherbs]

Both the methods of refilling (pull-with-pliers or using water's expansion properties) are significantly inconvenient or run the risk of damaging the pen (or fingers). They're not really refillable, they're hackable (the difference is a big gap in useability that makes refilling it impractical, unless they're the only pen you have for some reason). It's fun to tinker with, but the fact of the matter is that Varsities are not designed to be refillable, we don't recommend them for the ability to refill, and refilling them is not something a newbie should attempt without a lot of warnings and preparation.

I don't find it "impractical." It is a bit challenging, but very practical. Yeah, it took some strength, but there is no real risk of losing any investment if your only alternative is to just throw the thing out, anyway--very "unfortunate," environmentally. So why not at least give it a shot? Just don't have your elbows near anything on a table, especially not an open ink bottle!

[WirsPlm]

I don't find it "impractical." It is a bit challenging, but very practical. Yeah, it took some strength, but there is no real risk of losing any investment if your only alternative is to just throw the thing out, anyway--very "unfortunate," environmentally. So why not at least give it a shot? Just don't have your elbows near anything on a table, especially not an open ink bottle!

Why are you assuming I haven't already done it?

[TSherbs]

Why are you assuming I haven't already done it?

I didn't assume that. I assumed that you had. There I was speaking to the OP. Sorry for the confusion.

[ScottT]

What I don't understand was that if Varsities (and Preppies) can provide a startlingly smooth nib at that price point, why are there so many bloody issues with more expensive pens?

 

By more expensive, I really mean more expensive than the Varsity, say, up to fifty dollars...I'm not convinced you get more 'value' of the higher-end pens. Especially when I read threads about someone's new purchase of a pen that costs well over one hundred, but has to go to a nibmeister as the nib isn't that great out of the box?

 

Is it just greed?

[jrnabors]

I need to buy some Varsities to give away. Everywhere I go people love that I write with a fountain pen. They always want me to let them write with it. It would be awesome to have some Varsities in my pocket to give to people. It would probably convert them to write with a fountain pen themselves, and purchase a "real" Pilot, which, if you've seen some of my other posts, I think is one of the better entry level pens on the market and right now is my top brand in that category. So the Varsity is a great concept from Pilot, and great marketing tool for them and the fountain pen community in general, and they are the only company doing it. Quality, innovation, affordability, marketing--all things that make a company successful.

[Sailor Kenshin]

What I don't understand was that if Varsities (and Preppies) can provide a startlingly smooth nib at that price point, why are there so many bloody issues with more expensive pens?

 

By more expensive, I really mean more expensive than the Varsity, say, up to fifty dollars...I'm not convinced you get more 'value' of the higher-end pens. Especially when I read threads about someone's new purchase of a pen that costs well over one hundred, but has to go to a nibmeister as the nib isn't that great out of the box?

 

Is it just greed?

The 'G'-word again....

 

No one is forcing people to buy pens at any price point. I (Chief Engineer on the Cheap Pen Express) haven't yet bought a new pen above a certain price point but I imagine you might also be paying for beautiful design, and some sort of warranty, employee benefits, and yes, even prestige.

 

Nothing wrong with any of that. Also nothing wrong with sticking to Varsities!

[WirsPlm]

What I don't understand was that if Varsities (and Preppies) can provide a startlingly smooth nib at that price point, why are there so many bloody issues with more expensive pens?

 

By more expensive, I really mean more expensive than the Varsity, say, up to fifty dollars...I'm not convinced you get more 'value' of the higher-end pens. Especially when I read threads about someone's new purchase of a pen that costs well over one hundred, but has to go to a nibmeister as the nib isn't that great out of the box?

 

Is it just greed?

Sometimes, cheaper pens just don't come with a desired feature (a recent thread about piston fillers comes to mind), or the cheaper pens with that feature aren't considered reliable enough. Many buyers view pens as accessories and not tools, so there's a lot of luxury pricing going on. Some pens have complicated internal engineering (again, piston fillers or the vanishing-point-type pens) that raise their costs out of proportion to the cost of raw materials. Some brands offer excellent support, or big-name designers, or both.

 

I don't have a problem with people paying top dollar for a pen if that's what they want (or buying Apple products or designer clothes or whatever). I also don't have a problem with people scavenging for FPs in abandoned office buildings (or going dumpster diving or curb-surfing or whatever). I can see reasons for both (and think they're both kind of crazy), and honestly don't care because it doesn't really impact me. If all the lower-cost FPs were suddenly discontinued, I'd be upset and my tune would probably change, but so long as all the market segments are adequately served everything's functioning correctly, and why shouldn't someone blow money on a huge pen purchase if they want.

 

There's also the way luxury pricing is strange and different from regular pricing (someone explained it in a thread around here from their experience of luxury manufacturing). Basically, items that are expensive enough can absorb a warranty return or repair and cheap items can't, so cheap stuff gets engineered and tested to within an inch of its life because a single replacement can wipe out profit on many items, but luxury items aren't so thoroughly stressed because if something goes wrong it's better to fix it in-house than to make and break all of these expensive items (i.e. the lost cost from returns or repairs is much lower than the lost cost from making thousands of $300 pens and stressing them until they break), which sounds pretty reasonable to me.

Edited November 4, 2013 by WirsPlm

[azmjs]

Varsity was my first fountain pen too. The world of fountain pens must surely owe a lot to pilot and that pen

[xwingrox]

I like to stash Varsities in all my backpacks with either Pilot Blue or Noodler's Black. I can literally uncap one after 3 months of nothing and it will start writing flawlessly. I've even take the nibs to micromesh and made them smooth writers. Cheap backup pens? Heck yes. Daily writers? Heck no. (Varsities would be great daily writers for people focused solely on economy.)

[TSherbs]

I like to stash Varsities in all my backpacks with either Pilot Blue or Noodler's Black. I can literally uncap one after 3 months of nothing and it will start writing flawlessly. .....

Same for me!

[ScottT]

I wonder what would happen if Pilot made a Varsity that took an international cartridge?

 

How many sales would that tactic 'shift' into their pockets?

 

While I too have no problem with people buying whatever they want, I just think it would be nice for some of these higher-end pens to, you know, work right out of the box...

 

and if wishes were fishes...

[lightspirit]

My first pen was a pelikan, then a Parker 45 Both worked perfectly for years. But the Varsity is a no worry pen that's just plan reliable. No frills, no fuss!

[maverink]

i just got my hand on a pilot v disposable inkpen and am loving it as my daily carry

[Sasha Royale]

The Pilot Varsity is inked. It hangs on a store hook, or lies in a bin, for weeks or months. Pick it up. Pull the cap.

It writes. Can anyone tell me which ink is in the Varsity ?

[maverink]

normal pilot blue ink not the fancy iroshizuku one

[Davis19942003]

It's really a practical pen. I wish it has a fine/ extra fine nib version.

[grainweevil]

They do apparently make a fine version - linky. Alternatively you can swap in the fine nib from a Petit 1.

 

Fairly sure the other day on the telly I saw David Cameron, British Prime Minister, using one to sign his correspondence. Make of that what you will.

 

Cheers, Al

[inkstainedruth]

There's also the way luxury pricing is strange and different from regular pricing (someone explained it in a thread around here from their experience of luxury manufacturing). Basically, items that are expensive enough can absorb a warranty return or repair and cheap items can't, so cheap stuff gets engineered and tested to within an inch of its life because a single replacement can wipe out profit on many items, but luxury items aren't so thoroughly stressed because if something goes wrong it's better to fix it in-house than to make and break all of these expensive items (i.e. the lost cost from returns or repairs is much lower than the lost cost from making thousands of $300 pens and stressing them until they break), which sounds pretty reasonable to me.

That's an interesting perspective. A couple of days ago my husband and I had gone out for lunch, and overheard part of a conversation at another table. The guy said that changing something would be convenient but add $2 (US) to the price (I guess per unit). I said to my husband that that didn't seem unreasonable, but he told me that a place he had worked at as a contract programmer had balked over a change that would add 12 CENTS). So it's economies of scale.

Personally I'm ambivalent about Varsities. I've had a couple and I like the color (one was blue ink and one was purple) and I've given away a few for Fountain Pen Day to people because they're cheap enough that you can do that. But the blue one died after 9 pages of writing (after 3 days). And the purple one didn't last a whole lot longer. I still have them and have considered doing the refill hack, but yeah, WirsPlm is right -- it's a hack at best.

@ N2theBreach -- that was hysterical! Loved it!

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[TSherbs]

yeah, I am down to my last working varsity. My nibs have all bent or lost their paint or stopped releasing ink....

[maverink]

Varsities have painted nibs hmm I got pilot vdisposable pens with steel nibs no painting whatsoever