Pilot Decimo For College (And Edc?)

[Sooovasion247]

FWIW, I felt like I should chime in here. I don't think you will have any problems with the ink capacity. When you are using the F or XF (I have both), you are using so little ink that I would be surprised if you ran out during even a long lecture. I would take a cart with you as a backup, but you also shouldn't have any drying out problems with a Decimo that you might with some other pens.

Awesome! I'm glad to hear that I'll probably do what you said and take an extra cartridge to lectures. thanks!

[Renly]

I bought 5 pilot decimos. I'm also a college student and also studying for engineering (chemical). I do love this pen and it's very convinient with it's click/capless mechanic. I never really find myself running out of ink, ever. Like someone else here said you can take extra cartridges to class. As far as inks for notes, I don't think there's anything better than Pilot/Namiki's Black, Blue Black, and Blue. To me they are waterproof, smooth, and never dry + they work great with cheap paper. Iroshizuku inks are also great but they don't really have any water resistance, which frankly I don't care about water resistance. If you only buy 1 I think the fine nib is better for your writing. I do think you could get away with the pilot metropolitan for note taking so don't feel you need to buy this expensive pen. It's stylish though, best looking fountain pen imo.

[Sooovasion247]

I bought 5 pilot decimos. I'm also a college student and also studying for engineering (chemical). I do love this pen and it's very convinient with it's click/capless mechanic. I never really find myself running out of ink, ever. Like someone else here said you can take extra cartridges to class. As far as inks for notes, I don't think there's anything better than Pilot/Namiki's Black, Blue Black, and Blue. To me they are waterproof, smooth, and never dry + they work great with cheap paper. Iroshizuku inks are also great but they don't really have any water resistance, which frankly I don't care about water resistance. If you only buy 1 I think the fine nib is better for your writing. I do think you could get away with the pilot metropolitan for note taking so don't feel you need to buy this expensive pen. It's stylish though, best looking fountain pen imo.

Thanks! I recently bought 2 Pilot Cavaliers (F and M nibs), and I feel like these could get me through for now. My phone broke a couple days ago, and I think that may be more of a priority than a fountain pen right now, seeing as I really have no phone (I'm borrowing my mom's old phone for the moment)

[deacondavid]

I have 3 Vanishing Points and a Decimo. Due to the lighter weight, I would recommend the Decimo for extended writing. I also have a range of nibs (a custom-ground needlepoint (which is my favorite), an extra-fine (nice, but a bit scratchy), a fine (surprisingly wet), a medium (got it with a pen I intended to put the needlepoint nib in, and a medium is not a size I am interested in, so it is going to be custom-ground into a italic) and a stub (the stock Vanishing Point nib)).

 

Personally, I would recommend a Decimo with an extra fine nib. You can carry extra ink in a small Nalgene bottle or sample vial. An excellent cheap pen that you might also consider is a Metropolitan with the fine nib (in my experience, it is finer than the Vanishing Point's fine nib unit). I think it would be a great backup pen for a student on a budget.

[ridiculopathy]

The retractability of the VP/Decimo is soooo convenient. (But I also don't post my pens.) The Decimo is lighter, but I found that over the years I have gotten used to a wider pen, and my grip is a lot more comfortable with a VP, so that's something to consider as well. As for price, some VPs come with steel nibs ("special alloy", as opposed to the usual 18k gold nib) and are therefore a lot cheaper. I got one from Amazon for around $80.

[Sooovasion247]

So here's an update:

 

I've started saving up for a Decimo. I'm pretty sure I'll buy it, there's just that small doubt that the pen won't fit me at all. A Pilot loan program would be amazing right about now

[inkstainedruth]

My Pilot Décimo (same nib unit as Vanishing Point and Fermo) sees much use everyday at work and performs without a hitch.

 

Good to know. I just lucked into a (slightly) used VP at an antiques store a week or so ago. I suspect it will be a bit too heavy for me over the long haul, so I was thinking of gifting it the husband (no cap to lose, which is what I fear will happen with the other FPs I want to try him on -- an Estie J with his choice of EF nib, and a Parker 51 Aero with an EF nib). But I don't know if the F nib in the VP will be fine enough for his taste. So if I save up for a Decimo for *myself* with an EF nib and then swap out the nib unit to give *him* the EF nib unit, I can put the F nib unit into the Decimo.

Man, I'm just SOOOO good at talking myself into spending money....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Shavely Manden]

So here's an update:

 

I've started saving up for a Decimo. I'm pretty sure I'll buy it, there's just that small doubt that the pen won't fit me at all. A Pilot loan program would be amazing right about now

 

Do you have a brick & mortar pen store near you? If so, if they've got a Decimo, they'd probably let you try it out.

[Sooovasion247]

 

Do you have a brick & mortar pen store near you? If so, if they've got a Decimo, they'd probably let you try it out.

I tried out Appointments as I live in Cincy, but they don't have EF, unfortunately.

[Dr.Grace]

LOL, today both my primary and backup pens ran out of ink while I was taking notes at a seminar today.

 

 

I recommend that you get TWO pens. A primary and a backup pen. The backup is for WHEN the primary pen stop writing, for whatever reason...cuz it will fail. You just switch to your backup pen and keep going.

[Sooovasion247]

LOL, today both my primary and backup pens ran out of ink while I was taking notes at a seminar today.

 

 

Get a third pen!!!!

[Dr.Grace]

I have lots of pens... believe me. It's just that I only took two to the seminar. The backup pen is a Pelikan, which holds a lot of ink. But I forgot to fill it recently.

[DavidB]

Wow! That was very informational and helpful! Thank you! The thing I love about Pilots is that they're very fine ,which suits my handwriting very nicely. And my handwriting is preeeetty tiny.

 

To address the list of things I should consider:

1. I do write a ton of notes for HS classes right now, but I don't know how much I'll take notes in college. (Maybe I'll push off buying a pen after I get settled)
2. I haven't really considered the weight of a pen before.
3. I hold my pen the - sorry if this sounds pretentious - the correct way, aka the triangular grip.
4. I'll most likely carry the pen in a pencil case, that will have dedicated slots for FPs.
5. I'm planning on living at home, so no dorms. I think they're very invasive

I have tried a Vanishing Point before and it totally poked at the engineer inside me. Like, why can't there be more pens like this! But the ideal aspect was beaten by the expensive price...

 

While my heart battles itself over this decision, I'll let my brain think of a way to improve Pilot's design. haha

 

As a former scientist and engineer (now a lawyer), I tend to be picky about what I write with.

 

I have a pilot decimo that I use for writing at work, and I love it! Fountain pen nib, and ball-point style "click" and protection.

 

I've had mine for 8 years with a single XF nib. Now, that being said, it doesn't write as an XF anymore because I've dropped it and reshaped the nib several times. But, it has always been smooth and pleasant to hold. I line the clip up between my thumb and pointer finger as I write.

 

As for ink, I use disposable plastic cartridges and refill them every 2-3 days as my supply gets low. I refill using an eyedropper (from a drugstore) and bottled ink (Noodlers was my first ink, then J. Herbin (pretty colors, but not waterfast).

 

- I applaud your using a pen for notes in college. There have been several studies on student retention of information that pretty much all say the same thing: For long term retention, you should take notes with a pen or pencil on paper. (There is something about "synthesizing" or "summarizing" the information in order to fit it into the fewer words that you can get onto paper in a given amount of time that helps you understand it and remember it later on a test or in an essay.

 

-- DavidB

[DavidB]

 

Good to know. I just lucked into a (slightly) used VP at an antiques store a week or so ago. I suspect it will be a bit too heavy for me over the long haul, so I was thinking of gifting it the husband (no cap to lose, which is what I fear will happen with the other FPs I want to try him on -- an Estie J with his choice of EF nib, and a Parker 51 Aero with an EF nib). But I don't know if the F nib in the VP will be fine enough for his taste. So if I save up for a Decimo for *myself* with an EF nib and then swap out the nib unit to give *him* the EF nib unit, I can put the F nib unit into the Decimo.

Man, I'm just SOOOO good at talking myself into spending money....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Ruth, it is possible to order replacement nibs for about $70.

 

Perhaps you can find a pen body that he likes, and then play nib swap tag to get what you both like.

[inkstainedruth]

 

Ruth, it is possible to order replacement nibs for about $70.

 

Perhaps you can find a pen body that he likes, and then play nib swap tag to get what you both like.

 

Oh I think he'll put up with the color. The issue will be whether an Asian F is fine enough for him, or I will have to see about getting him an EF. And yes, I know the cost of replacement nib assemblies (I can pay that amount if I get it directly from Pilot-USA, IIRC). But the point is that I'm going to argue that for Not That Much More (in the great scheme of things) it would be more cos effective in the long run for me to (if he likes the pen otherwise), buy another pen (in this case a Decimo) and then to swap the two nib assemblies....

Don't you know that you're supposed to be an enabler and try to talk me into getting a Decimo?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[domzals1]

I do not have a Decimo or VP, but came here just to say I'm envious that you've discovered FP's while still in college. I was very old school during my college days and refused to take notes on a laptop. If I had been aware of FP's a decade ago, I would have enjoyed the lengthy lectures a bit more!

[ac12]

 

If all else fails, I'll just use my Pilot Cavaliers and maybe buy another ECO (for the ink tank) and grind it's nib finer. I'm counting on scholarships and grants to get me through college. *cross fingers* Wish me luck! And thanks for the great advice!

 

 

Scholarships and grants don't cover all the expenses you will have, or will they? Paper, pens, pencils, etc.

Probably depends on the specific scholarship/grant. Some are tuition and books only.

[Sooovasion247]

  

 

Scholarships and grants don't cover all the expenses you will have, or will they? Paper, pens, pencils, etc.

Probably depends on the specific scholarship/grant. Some are tuition and books only.

Just an update, earlier tonight I received a $5000 scholarship toward tuition. With all scholarships combined, my tuition is now covered and there should be enough for books... I'll be living at home so that's covered also. I got a lot more scholarships than I expected!!! I'm not complaining, not at all! I'm hoping there's enough left for a small allowance. Thus, my dream pen Edited May 25, 2016 by Pengineer247

[Torrilin]

This is a sample of my Psychology notes (on college ruled paper)

 

I received the Al Star, Fine, today. And I must say, despite its smoothness, it writes like a marker for me :/ I feel like I'm gonna finish a whole converter before I even fill up a whole page of notes!

I believe you can get note paper with a 5mm dot rule. I think college rule is more like 8mm? Not sure offhand, whatever the exact width, it's pretty huge for anything except practice with an edged nib. Which is why I stuck with college rule in school... Handy guidelines for my edged pen calligraphy practice. The "wasted" space in regular notes meant I had plenty of room to spare for diagrams, corrections, times when the prof backtracked or gave a lecture in entirely the wrong order etc.

 

Seconding what everyone else said about Euro vs Japanese nib widths. In a random sample, nibs for the European market will be wider than Japanese. And if what you like is a Japanese brand's F or EF pens, you'll almost certainly want EF only in European pen brands. Tho in cheaper pens (like the Pilot Metropolitan/Plumix/Prera, or the Lamy Safari/Al-star/Nexx etc) you can find a great deal of variation from nib to nib. So if you're fussy about nib width, I wouldn't get too hung up on particular pen brands. Instead, make a point of buying in person, so you can get a nib that suits. Your school quite likely stocks some fountain pens in the bookstore, not just cheap disposable ones like a Pilot Varsity. So stick your nose in, find out what brands they stock. Try before you buy is a huge help when you're broke and you want tools that work well for you.