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Updated Matte Black Finishing On Newer Pilot Vanishing Point?


Gsak

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Hey fpn crew! For those of you who purchased a matte black vanishing point within the last two years, what has your experience of the wear been? Photo de, please...Ive heard that Pilot re-jiggered their matte finish in their manufacturing process to make it more durable. Im very curious to see what everyones experience has been.

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… to make it more durable.

 

Mine's from (I think) the initial release of the matte black model in the US, and the finish seems to have held up pretty well after a few years of serving as my everyday-carry fountain pen. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/342969-pilot-vanishing-point/?p=4161721

 

I was in a bricks-and-mortar writing instruments specialist store in Sydney CBD this morning, and the store attendant mentioned something about a new matte black limited edition model coming later this year. I didn't ask him for any details, though, as I'm not in the market for one of those.

 

I don't carry mine in my pants pocket or regularly side it in and out of pen loops though.\

As my EDC pen, that Pilot Capless was either in the pocket of my business shirt, on the (inside) breast pocket of my suit jacket or leather jacket, or very occasionally inside a pen loop in my leather folio when I took it to work. Most of the scratches, wear and tear is sustained when I throw/place/leave the pen on a desk or meeting room table.

Edited by A Smug Dill

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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I have one that I bought in 2018 and I use it a lot and it looks like new. I don't carry mine in my pants pocket or regularly side it in and out of pen loops though. I have a Lamy Swift in matte black that is a bit newer and shows more wear than the VP.

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I usually leave one in a simple leather slot when i carry it around.

Use it on a regular basis for work, especially for work travel since late 2018.

 

Not a single visible scratch yet. I think if you take some simple care, and not drop it too much or on rough surfaces , or put it together with your keys, it should be quite durable.

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  • 2 months later...

I keep mine in a tiny zip lock sandwich baggie. Its two years old and looks brand new.

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But what about when carried in your shirt pocket, used every day; no special treatments, no special protection, but used and carried like any other pen? I like the look, but the wear and easy damage to mine has frustrated me.

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@Ron Z What else do you put in your shirt pocket other than a pen? I had credit card sized cards, business cards, bank notes and the occasional piece of notepaper in my shirt pocket along with a pen, but almost never anything else; and I don't have a nipple piercing or some such to knock against the pen from behind the shirt's fabric either.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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Another pen and an old Levenger Palm Notes case are all that I carry. These and most other pens never go in a pants pocket - that's reserved for a brass Kaweco or my hard rubber Passaporto.

 

Both the original faceted Namiki and the original black Pilot VP had finish problems. The black plating wore off of the clip on the Namiki VP, and I've got little scratches and chips all over the Pilot. I'm not hard on pens, never have been. But the fragility of the black finishes put me off of any more. I really am curious at how the current production pens hold up without special handling and helps like baggies and all that.

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A full service pen shop providing professional, thoughtful vintage pen repair...

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