Review Of The Pilot Decimo - Fountain-Pens As Souvenirs?

[stationeryblogger]

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Note that this review was originally posted at my blog at www.stationeryblogger.com.

During the summer of 2016 I went on a trip to Japan. Prior to setting of to my destination I was aware about the rich tradition the country had on stationery and in particular fountain-pens. I had therefore planned to start a new tradition of my own where I would purchase a locally produced writing instrument as a souvenir to mark my travels starting in Japan.

I was not certain about which pen to choose but I was always attracted to the utility of a retractable nib pen. Even though initially the Pilot Vanishing Point did not catch my eye in terms of beauty, it slowly grew on me. It thus became my pen of choice when I finally visited the iconic Itoya stationery shop in Ginza, Tokyo.

SIZE AND DESIGN

The pen I purchased was the Pilot Vanishing Point (Capless in Japan) Decimo in the blue trim with silver furniture. Compared to the normal VP, the Decimo is slightly thinner and lighter. Naturally the clip is also thinner making it easy to grip and I have found to often use it as a marker in order to grip the pen consistently comfortably without looking.

Another visual difference to the larger brother is that the two metal rings that connect the two sections of the barrel for refilling are not the same size. The one towards the nib is slightly smaller than the one on the back. While this is not a deal-breaker for me, I would have preferred for the rings to have been more proportionally sized as it does stand out a bit. The overall size is comfortable to use even though I would not mind the slightly heavier feeling of the classic.

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NIB

One of the biggest selling points of the pen in my opinion is the nib. It is an 18K gold nib and writes like a dream. I chose the medium size which does write thinner than a European medium but its wonderfully calibrated wetness makes it the perfect daily writer size. Thankfully, if I wish to keep my current nib, if I purchase the larger size, the two sections are interchangeable. The nib is slightly soft however and taking into account its small footprint I feel that I have to treat it with a lot of care when I write to not spring the tines or damage it in any other way. Maybe this is just in my head but it keeps me from fully engaging with this pen as the daily workhorse it is designed to be.

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FILLING SYSTEM

The decimo is a cartridge-converter pen. While it does not come with a converter in the box, I was able to easily purchase a CON-40 in a local stationary shop while in Japan. The converter however in my opinion is mediocre at best. It holds a tiny amount of ink and I find it extremely difficult to get a full fill as the piston stops almost an entire centimetre shy of the actual opening point. That one centimetre is a substantial amount of ink considering the small capacity and size of the converter. While I do sometimes try to flip the nib section upside-down to release the air and get a larger fill, it is far too messy and time consuming so I mostly stick to cartridges. Thankfully, the ink selection of the Pilot proprietary cartridges is good in terms of variety and quality but I do prefer using bottled ink.

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WRITING SAMPLE

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FINAL THOUGHTS

While the pen does suffer from some negatives I think that the one-handed ease of use of the buttery smooth retractable nib make this pen an excellent purchase. For me, thanks to my new-born tradition, every time I write with the pen I day-dream about my trip to Japan making this pen have a special place in my heart.

Note that this review was originally posted at my blog at www.stationeryblogger.com.

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Items mentioned*:

Pen: Pilot Fountain Pen Capless Decimo

Ink: Pilot Namiki Blue

Paper: Rhodia Orange Dot Pad

Converter: Pilot CON-40

Photography equipment:

Camera: Nikon D3300

Lens: Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm

Other blogs about this topic:

Other blogs about this topic:
Goulet Pens Blog Decimo Review
The Pen Addict Decimo Review
The Well Appointed Desk Decimo Review

 

 

[TheDutchGuy]

That was a nice read. Thans! I'm interested in the VP as a possible future acquisition. A clever and intriguing pen.

[stationeryblogger]

That was a nice read. Thans! I'm interested in the VP as a possible future acquisition. A clever and intriguing pen.

It is a great little pen and I use it very often! In my opinion, especially if you like using cartridges its a fantastic option. The smoothness and ease of use is phenomenal.

[inkstainedruth]

I just got a Decimo a couple of weeks ago. Really liking the size and weight, and love the color (light grey). I swapped out the EF nib on it (long story there) and replaced it with the F nib assembly on the used Vanishing Point. My husband now has the the EF nib in the VP.

I *am* having a little bit of issue with the nib drying out if it's not used every day (and can't tell how much the squeeze filler from the VP's nib assembly is taking up). Of course, it might also be the ink -- but Yama-budo looks so GOOD coming out of that grey pen....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[stationeryblogger]

I just got a Decimo a couple of weeks ago. Really liking the size and weight, and love the color (light grey). I swapped out the EF nib on it (long story there) and replaced it with the F nib assembly on the used Vanishing Point. My husband now has the the EF nib in the VP.

I *am* having a little bit of issue with the nib drying out if it's not used every day (and can't tell how much the squeeze filler from the VP's nib assembly is taking up). Of course, it might also be the ink -- but Yama-budo looks so GOOD coming out of that grey pen....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

I am glad that you like your Decimo and congratulations on your new purchase. Regarding the dryness issue I have not had such a problem and I leave my Decimo inked and unused for weeks and it always writes upon demand. It could be the ink but I have used inks from the Iroshizuku line with never having an issue. Have you checked whether the tip forms a proper seal when the nib is retracted? I would test that by unscrewing the pen and removing the nib unit. I would then check if I can see any light through the tube and even blow thorough it to see if any air can go through. Give that a try and let me know how it goes!

[Penman222]

Nice review. I am a big fan of the original Pilot Vanishing Point, and I own two of them. While the Decimo is in many ways a more refined pen than the original VP, I found I preferred the wider girth and increased weight of the original.

[inkstainedruth]

 

I am glad that you like your Decimo and congratulations on your new purchase. Regarding the dryness issue I have not had such a problem and I leave my Decimo inked and unused for weeks and it always writes upon demand. It could be the ink but I have used inks from the Iroshizuku line with never having an issue. Have you checked whether the tip forms a proper seal when the nib is retracted? I would test that by unscrewing the pen and removing the nib unit. I would then check if I can see any light through the tube and even blow thorough it to see if any air can go through. Give that a try and let me know how it goes!

 

Tried both of those (thanks for the suggestions) but the seal seems to be okay.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[TSherbs]

I just got a Decimo a couple of weeks ago. Really liking the size and weight, and love the color (light grey). I swapped out the EF nib on it (long story there) and replaced it with the F nib assembly on the used Vanishing Point. My husband now has the the EF nib in the VP.

I *am* having a little bit of issue with the nib drying out if it's not used every day (and can't tell how much the squeeze filler from the VP's nib assembly is taking up). Of course, it might also be the ink -- but Yama-budo looks so GOOD coming out of that grey pen....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

got mine about the same time, fine nib

 

I have been using only Diamine Imperial Purple because this pen has been my essay correcting tool for school (great pocket pen). I have had no drying issues between use, but lately I have only been going overnight between uses. The nib does dry out a bit if I leave it open while making coffee.

[Honeybadgers]

I had a friend who went to japan for a few months hunt down a pen for me in a stationary store.

 

Wound up with a platinum balance. really enjoy it.

[KaB]

so I mostly stick to cartridges. Thankfully, the ink selection of the Pilot proprietary cartridges is good in terms of variety and quality but I do prefer using bottled ink.

 

 

 

 

In that case, may I suggest refilling empty cartridges with whatever bottled ink you preffer? Syringe-filling may sound messy, in my experience it's actually a rather clean operation.

[stationeryblogger]

Nice review. I am a big fan of the original Pilot Vanishing Point, and I own two of them. While the Decimo is in many ways a more refined pen than the original VP, I found I preferred the wider girth and increased weight of the original.

Thats true. I miss having a slightly thicker and heavier pen. I will definitely purchase the original in the future. I was thinking of buying the steel nib version and interchange the gold nib from the decimo to save on the cost. Have you had any experiences with the steel nibs?

[stationeryblogger]

 

In that case, may I suggest refilling empty cartridges with whatever bottled ink you preffer? Syringe-filling may sound messy, in my experience it's actually a rather clean operation.

Thats a good alternative. I do do it sometimes. My issue is that I was planning on having this pen in an office environment and leave it there. Syringe filling would be a bit odd in the office but at home it is a great way to get your favourite ink but also a bit of a larger fill.

[Penman222]

Thats true. I miss having a slightly thicker and heavier pen. I will definitely purchase the original in the future. I was thinking of buying the steel nib version and interchange the gold nib from the decimo to save on the cost. Have you had any experiences with the steel nibs?

 

Not on the VP. I have a steal nibbed Pilot Metropolitan and it is exceptional so it may be good.

[bluebellrose]

And use the converter to clean the pen.

[Flounder]

Thanks a lot for reviewing the Decimo! I'm interested in this model as the clip looks less grip-hindering than the current VP. It looks more graceful too, a bit like the old VP.

 

A couple of questions for owners:

 

Does anyone know if the obsolete con-20 converter fits in the Decimo? I prefer squeeze converters.

How does the narrower Decimo feel in the hand? I'd really appreciate a comparison photo with, say, a Parker 51 fp or Parker Jotter bp.

[hari317]

Thanks a lot for reviewing the Decimo! I'm interested in this model as the clip looks less grip-hindering than the current VP. It looks more graceful too, a bit like the old VP.

 

A couple of questions for owners:

 

Does anyone know if the obsolete con-20 converter fits in the Decimo? I prefer squeeze converters.

How does the narrower Decimo feel in the hand? I'd really appreciate a comparison photo with, say, a Parker 51 fp or Parker Jotter bp.

the con 20 fits well, the pen feels well. It is lighter than the usual capless due to being made of aluminium rather than brass IIRC. I will try to get some pictures a bit later.

 

ETA: the pics.

 

 

Edited March 3, 2018 by hari317

[stationeryblogger]

Thanks a lot for reviewing the Decimo! I'm interested in this model as the clip looks less grip-hindering than the current VP. It looks more graceful too, a bit like the old VP.

 

A couple of questions for owners:

 

Does anyone know if the obsolete con-20 converter fits in the Decimo? I prefer squeeze converters.

How does the narrower Decimo feel in the hand? I'd really appreciate a comparison photo with, say, a Parker 51 fp or Parker Jotter bp.

 

I think you cant go wrong with buying the Decimo. It is a great pen. I personally prefer thicker and heavier pens and the decimo is neither but I do love using this pen. I find it to be one of the best for EDC. I have included the comparison shots in the links below! I hope this helps.

 

https://imgur.com/FLwJbEW

 

https://imgur.com/3hIwSUG

[jchch1950]

Fountain pens are a good souvenir.

[Flounder]

Hari, Stationaryblogger, thank you very much for the info and comparison photos

[MrsHobie]

I love the Decimo I have and the others "regular" Capless. A truly reliable pen.