Search the Community

So here is my second pen review, again hand written. Summary: Pros - Impressive box, light weight, well engineered design and smooth. Cons - Pen does not look or feel high end, and it may not initially be apparent why the pen costs as much as it does, can be too wet leading to bleed through. http://www.overclockers.com.au/pix/image.php?id=rk77k&f=1 Click to view full size! http://www.overclockers.com.au/pix/image.php?id=yypgp&f=1 Click to view full size! http://www.overclockers.com.au/pix/image.php?id=mjg68&f=1 Click to view full size! http://www.overclockers.com.au/pix/image.php?id=shayc&f=1 Click to view full size! http://www.overclockers.com.au/pix/image.php?id=tiqz5&f=1 Click to view full size! http://www.overclockers.com.au/pix/image.php?id=umhoo&f=1 Click to view full size! http://www.overclockers.com.au/pix/image.php?id=jaocz&f=1 Click to view full size!

[Cross-posted from Nibs and Tines forum - with apologies to anyone reading this twice! I have a question for those of you who have a longer history with the Pilot Vanishing Point - please excuse me if I'm posting this in the wrong place! I bought a matte black Pilot Vanishing Point sometime last year (back when the Australian dollar was worth something ), with a black-coated gold Fine nib. The pen wrote really smoothly, but laid a finer, drier line than is my preference. To cut a long story short, the pen took a 'nosedive' off my son's lap about a month ago, and landed nib first on a wooden floor. The two Aussie nib technicians I've spoken to feel it wouldn't be worth my while (in terms of cost) to repair the nib, so I'm looking at replacing it. So here's the question: I can buy a replacement nib (with converter) for around US$60 plus postage - that's an 18K nib, black or rhodium coated. Or I can buy a older-style 14K nib (no converter) from Anderson Pens for $50. Is it worth the cost saving, if I don't mind my matte black pen having a gold coloured nib? The 14K nibs are only available in F or B - I'd probably buy the F if I head down this direction, but am wondering: is there a significant difference between the 14K and 18K fine in terms of smoothness, wetness, line width, performance that might favour one over the other? If you've written with both, do you have a preference for one or the other - and if so, why? I know the 14K nibs were designed for the US / European (?) market - and that they've now been discontinued. Beyond that I'm completely in the dark. Any help / advice / information that might help me make a decision would be very much appreciated. [Edited to correct a typo...]

I have a question for those of you who have a longer history with the Pilot Vanishing Point - please excuse me if I'm posting this in the wrong place! I bought a matte black Pilot Vanishing Point sometime last year (back when the Australian dollar was worth something ), with a black-coated gold Fine nib. The pen wrote really smoothly, but laid a finer, drier line than is my preference. To cut a long story short, the pen took a 'nosedive' off my son's lap about a month ago, and landed nib first on a wooden floor. The two Aussie nib technicians I've spoken to feel it wouldn't be worth my while (in terms of cost) to repair the nib, so I'm looking a replacing it. So here's the question: I can buy a replacement nib (with converter) for around US$60 plus postage - that's an 18K nib, black or rhodium coated. Or I can buy a older-style 14K nib (no converter) from Anderson Pens for $50. Is it worth the cost saving, if I don't mind my matte black pen having a gold coloured nib? The 14K nibs are only available in F or B - I'd probably buy the F if I head down this direction, but am wondering: is there a significant difference between the 14K and 18K fine in terms of smoothness, wetness, line width, performance that might favour one over the other? If you've written with both, do you have a preference for one or the other - and if so, why? I know the 14K nibs were designed for the US / European (?) market - and that they've now been discontinued. Beyond that I'm completely in the dark. Any help / advice / information that might help me make a decision would be very much appreciated.

NOTE: this will not be a full-blown review like most others. There are countless reviews of the Pilot VP already, so I was aiming for more of a brief review of the nib itself, because I never could find much info on it prior to this purchase. I just received my Pilot Vanishing Point from Indy-Pen-Dance. I ordered it with their .8mm "DailyItalic" customization. I've been wanting to try a VP for a while to use as a notetaker during court/conferences/church. I tried to find some review and/or writing samples of this particular grind, but didn't really turn up much. However, I decided to roll the dice because I have read nothing but great things about Linda Kennedy's work. I ordered the pen last Wednesday and received it today (Monday). After a brief inspection I inked it up with Noodler's Apache Sunset (my go-to fun color at the moment). As to the pen itself, I wasn't sure how I'd like the clip being there. That concern was quickly dismissed, however, as I love the way the pen feels in my grip. I am extremely pleased with the overall design and quality of the pen. Now to the nib. Up to this point, the only custom grinds I've had were from Pendleton Brown (his BLS); although I have tried a Pilot factory stub (SU), a few oblique Esterbrook nibs, and a Goulet 1.1 stub. From what I gather, Pendleton's BLS is supposed to sit somewhere between a cursive italic and a stub, and that's also where this DailyItalic grind is supposed to fall. Linda told me it is intended to maintain the line variation of a cursive italic while having the ease-of-operation of a stub. I must say that she hit the nail on the head. In the photo below you can see there is a respectable amount of line variation. But as you can tell from my poor penmanship, the nib might perform better in more "capable" hands. As for smoothness, I think that's where this grind excels. It just glides effortlessly across the paper, like butter margarin. Really, I was surprised at how smooth it is; it's just fantastic! Comparing it to the Pendleton's BLS, I'd say it falls slightly more towards the stub end of the spectrum. I feel that I get slightly more line variation from Pendleton nibs, but this grind from Linda is definitely smoother and more user friendly than my last grind from Pendleton. With Pendleton's BLS I still have to be somewhat mindful of my technique and writing angle, else I might snag the paper a bit. This DailyItalic grind is more forgiving. If I get off angle too bad I just get unpleasant feedback, as opposed to outright snagging. The only negative (if you can even call it that) is that the nib isn't quite as wet as I'd like, but that's my fault for not thinking of mentioning that in my order. All in all, it is a wonderful nib and I am certain I will be getting another DailyItalic-equipped pen in the future. I also want to point out that the comparison of Pendleton's BLS to Linda's DailyItalic is not meant to say that one is any better than the other. Rather, they are just variations on the theme of italic/stub hybrids; each offers something a little different than the other. I do love both, and I actually have another Pilot in Pendleton's queue at the moment. So I make this comparison of the two only because I feel it may be useful to others who are familiar with Pendleton's work. Finally, I hope this "review" is helpful to others who are interested in Linda's DailyItalic grind. http://i463.photobucket.com/albums/qq352/lpdb185/IMG_1107.jpg

I had mixed feelings about this one originally. I really liked the idea of a vanishing point and the hood feature, but I was unsure about the clip being placed where I hold the instrument. I was afraid it would feel awkward but instead it ended up allowing me to hold it with a little more control. Aesthetics: I like the look of this pen even though it seems reversed with the clip being where it is. In this case the metallic copper red with the black trim definitely drew my attention. An 8 out of 10 Build: The construction of this writing instrument seems very sleek, sound, and the hood portion built in to protect the nib from all sorts of drops or mishandlings seems to be a very innovative idea. An 8 out of 10 Balance: The weight is decent. Not too heavy and not too light for my tastes. I also like that the clip did not really add any extra weight to the barrel. An 8 out of 10 Nib: I tried a broad nib while giving this a test run. I had not yet used a broad nib but it seemed closer to a medium to me. The durability of it seems and feels sound. A 7 out of 10 Maintenance: You can use either a cartridge or a converter as your ink dispenser. Personal preference comes in to play in that regard but cleaning the nib itself seems easy enough. The nib is smaller due to the hood feature but I was able to clean it without any issues arising. A 9 out of 10 Cost: The price tag is around the $175.00 mark which I do not have any issue with. Seems like a fair price for a writing instrument that I truly enjoyed and had no true problems with. A 7 out of 10 Total: 47 out of 60

I'm the very happy owner of a VP that came with a twist-style converter, and I've been using it for some months. When I got the pen, the converter was very firmly fastened in to the end of the nib and didn't want to come out, so I left it alone and have been writing and refilling with no problems. I recently had a reason to temporary put the converter on another Pilot pen, and to my surprise, it removed easily from the VP with just a light tug. It worked great in the Pilot, and now it's time to go back... ...except I can't figure out how to do it. There's something preventing the converter from seating all the way in, so it's just lightly resting inside the barrel of the nib assembly, instead of fitting snugly around the interior as I know Pilot carts and converters do. As it stands now, it's certainly not ink-tight. Is there some secret to re-attaching these that I don't know about? I'm thinking that whatever held the converter in place with such force back when the pen was new is now preventing the re-insertion. The converter is fine, and it's back on the other pen for the time being, where it fits fine and snugly. Any tips? Of course the business end of the converter is out of sight inside the nib unit, so I can't tell what's going on in there. I suspect gremlins.

After discussions with a fellow fountain pen enthusiast about the problems with loose and spare nib units for Pilot/Namiki Vanishing Point/Capless pens a solution has been found. I was asked to assist with the design and testing of a custom made cap to fit over the end of the nib unit to protect it from damage, make them easier to transport, and keep them from rolling off tables. Many prototypes have been tested and now a final working product is available. Here are those caps in use: http://i.imgur.com/oDkM3hW.jpg They are available through my friend's Shapeways store: http://www.shapeways.com/designer/ArmillarySphere. They are 3D-printed with a Selective Laser Sintering machine and come in 2 varieties: smooth that match the diameter of the nib unit and fluted to keep the nib unit from rolling. I personally tested them on over 25 VP nib units and they fit every one made from the year 2000 to the present. Earlier nib units have more variation in diameter and fit can not be guaranteed. Check these out. I am glad to be able to help develop this useful VP accessory and I hope that others find as I useful as I do. Note that the 6 packs of caps available are printed together as one piece with small bridges of plastic connecting them together at the ends. This makes them much less expensive per unit. They will need to be cut apart and lightly sanded. The individual caps are ready to use as-is.

In case you haven't seen this yet... http://blog.gouletpens.com/2015/06/pilot-vanishing-point-stub-nib-coming.html

I am a new fountain pen user with only about two months of experience using fountain pens. I am looking to replace my Pilot Metropolitan whose nib was damaged beyond my ability to repair after it was dropped (capped, but the snap-cap was knocked loose by the impact). As I am very much enjoying fountain pen use, my indulgent side naturally saw this as an opportunity for an upgrade. The Pilot Vanishing Point seemed to fit my needs perfectly. My question to you, therefore, is, is [sic?] the Vanishing Point so much better a pen (nib, convenience, feel) than the Metropolitan that it is worth a price increase of $125 (10x the price)? I understand that the relation between price and pen is not linear, but as long as it is a noticeable improvement after writing the first few words, then I would count it as worth the price. As a side note, I am interested in the fine nib. If you have different standards for what "worth the price" means, please feel free to use them in your response. Of course, everyone's definition of noticeable is different. Thank you for your time and thought. Edit: I apologize for the typo in the title. Such is the effect of carelessness!

I own a beautiful Pilot/ Namiki "Capless" Vanishing Point pen- it's a Decimo, which is slightly slimmer and lighter than the regular VP pens, but takes the same nib- and I LOVE it. I have heard that the nibs for these pens are not well standardized. A few weeks after getting my pen, I broke the nib and had to replace it (rather a costly accident, but nevertheless). The nib size of my pen was, and is, a Fine; but I notice the new nib does not write quite as fine a 'Fine' line as the previous, original nib did. I liked the thinner line (didn't want to go to "Extra Fine", because I thought an EF nib might be too delicate- requires a light hand,) Is there a way I can have the nib adjusted? Would it cost as much, or nearly, as buying a whole new nib again? Any thoughts? thanks! - M

Hello all! I have a forest green Namiki Vanishing point pen. (the older, thinner , faceted barrel type) My push-button top has a crack and I need a new top. Anyone know where I can get one. Pen writes beautifully and would hate to have it rendered useless. Thanks, John B

Last year Brian Goulet received a question for his Q&A Blog asking how can spare nibs for the Pilot Vanishing Point be kept inked without drying out so the user can switch back and forth between nibs quickly. This got me to thinking. I found some people who used empty Pilot cartridges as caps. I tried this, it works, but the empty cartridge makes the capped nib assembly longer than I like. My Pilot cartridges have internal ribs that keep them from sealing on the nib assembly if more than 1/4 inch is cut off them. I worked out a simple hack to seal up my spare Vanishing Point nibs airtight so they can be kept inked and allowing switching nibs without having to flush and fill a new converter or cartridge. The airtight seal: I keep polymer pipettes from Goulet Pens on hand, they are so useful for transferring ink, filling eyedropper pens, and even used to fill Pilot cartridges. For this application I cut about 2 inches off the small end off of one pipette as shown here: Forming the seal to fit: The inside of the pipette is not round enough to provide a good seal with the cylindrical part of the assembly just behind the nib where it needs to seal. So I put hot water into a mug and held the large cut end in the hot water for 4 or 5 seconds to soften it. The water does not have to be boiling hot, just nice and warm. First I rubbed a bit of silicone grease on the surface behind the nib and slid the hot piece of pipette on the nib assembly and allowed it to cool in place. It can then be slipped off and should be perfectly round and a tight sliding fit on the shank behind the nib. Closing the open end: The tip of the pipette needs to be sealed closed. The polyethylene polymer melts easily. Dip the tip into hot water for a few seconds then press it closed. You can use a pair of pliers if they have fairly smooth faces. Or you can press them between two flat surfaces. Do this quickly before it cools down too much. Test for a complete seal. I suck on the open end and see if it holds a vacuum against my lips. If not, then reheat the tip and repeat. You can use a flame, but you have to be careful you don't melt it completely. Sometimes I have doubled the flattened tip when it was hot and pressed it closed again. Once the tip is sealed, it will close off the nib and feed airtight. I have let one of these sit inked up for several weeks on my desk. First I checked the nib after 24 hours: immediate ink flow. Then after a week: immediate ink flow. After 3 weeks, same thing. I believe it will sit unused for several months or longer without any start up problems. Finally: how to store these for transportation. If you will just keep these in a drawer or a simple container, the capped nib assemblies can be left as they are. But, you may want to transport them in a pen case or something else. You may need to protect the delicate nibs better than the soft poly cap. I bought my extra nibs from Goulet Pens and they come in very nice rigid airtight polycarbonate centrifuge tubes. I removed the bit of foam in the bottom of the tube and found that the poly cap, as I made them, will allow the capped nib assembly to fit inside these tubes precisely. Furthermore, the capped assembly is captured between the screw-on tube cap at one end and the tapered bottom at the other, being held with no loose play of any kind. If you want more protection a thin roll of foam can be wrapped around it to protect the capped nib assembly more securely from dropping or heavy impacts. I found virtually identical centrifuge tubes on Amazon at a very reasonable price. They can also hold 15 ml of ink too, quite leak-proof. A package of 10 sells for less than $10 from a US source: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033C9U26?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage . I have two Vanishing Point pens and five nib assemblies for them. Three nibs are sealed and kept in their centrifuge tubes in a pen case. The other two are in my pens. It is a simple procedure to take an inked nib out of its tube, slip off the cap, put it in the pen, recap the previous nib and put it in the storage tube. I have been doing this for nearly seven months with no problems. None of the stored nib assemblies have failed to write immediately, even after storage of two to three months between uses. I use the B and EF nibs fairly seldom, so they stay capped the longest. This system has worked very well for me. Warning: I was tempted to coat the inside of the cap with silicone grease to keep it sliding easily. But, it would be easy to brush the top of the nib against the inside of the cap before it is centered and seated in place. Silicone grease is very difficult to remove from surfaces, so I elected not to do this. In fact, I cleaned the opening out after forming the cap with a paper towel to prevent contamination of the nib. You want your nib and feed to be well wetted by ink, and silicone grease will prevent this. Best to play it safe.

Hello everyone, This is my first thread after having stalked the forum anonymously for quite some time. I'm buying a Pilot VP Decimo for note-taking in classes, and in the near future, at work. It will be an upgrade from a Sheaffer 100 with M nib as my second, more serious pen. (No grip problem for me) The questions are: 1. M or F nib: a line comparison from someone with Sheaffer M is appreciated, I will be writing a lot of mathematical equations on normal to poor quality paper. I'm leaning to F. 2. How glossy is the gray one: I prefer matted texture but if the glossiness is not really pronounced, it's acceptable. 3. Work condition: how well would the pen fare in a somewhat extreme environment, say, an oil rig in the middle east. 4. Ink: Parker Quink, Sheaffer Skrip, Sailor, and Waterman inks are readily available in my region. I have heard that only some inks work well with the pen. My preference: Blue, smoothness, some permanency. I have used Skrip Black to some degree of success, and I'd be pleased if the blue one works well. 5. Shop: Is j-subculture.com good? This deal looks really good: http://shop.j-subculture.com/items/detail/FEE0AEAC0BE27F1. If not, is there any recommendations? (Shipping to Asia) Thank you all in advance and sorry for any grammatical errors (I'm not a native user) Saran W.

I was browsing Engeika and while trying to figure out the reasons for varied prices, I noticed the site was emphasizing that some particular models are "Made in Japan" and others [sold over here, I assume] aren't... which then led me to notice that the one's I'd been looking at via Amazon aren't marked Pilot Japan AFAIK. While it's not really a deal breaker by any means, I was wondering where are Vanishing Points sold here in the US manufactured...? Could it be that the barrels and/or nibs and feeds are being manufactured across various places and assembled somewhere else? Also, I heard some feedback here (I think) about US market Vanishing Point nib sizes performing closer to standard/western nibs, as opposed to what's typical for Pilot (running a size smaller). I have a 78g, Metropolitan, and Prera that are all Japanese "mediums" and a pleasure to use, but now I'm not sure whether or not I should order a VP in a fine or a medium... or does that also relate to which VP-market I'm buying from? Thanks in advance for any knowledge you might have, -NBM

Hi all. Me again. Had my Capless for a couple of days now and I've got a question about its appearance. The body is a dark yellow, stainless steel trim but the nib is gold. Is this combination normal? Also, the nib doesn't mention 18k anywhere, just Pilot <M> which looks legit and the number 612. I'm sure everything's kosher because it writes like a dream, just wanted to check.

I've done some searching but couldn't quite find what I'm looking for. I recently purchased a VP with a Fine nib and it's just finer than I would like, so I'm planning on getting a Medium nib unit later in the month. Later in the year I'm hoping to get my hands on a Custom 823. Before I got my VP I was thinking about getting the 823 in a Fine but now I'm likely to go with the medium. Only thing is, from what I've read on the forums, Pilot's VP Medium writes rather similarly to a Western Medium and that there's no real happy medium. Is this the case with the 823? How does a VP Medium compare to a 823 Medium? Thanks in advance for any input

I was cleaning out my matte black VP and I saw the shiny black metal plating has gone dull around the slit. Here are some pictures, in regular light and under an LED light. (Same images also attached to post) At first when the pen was inked, I just thought it was ink, but I couldn't wash or wipe it off. Is the finish/plating corroding/wearing off? Should I get the nib replaced?

I own three VP's and love writing with them. They're just so ... practical. In my job as a consultant I do a lot of note taking/writing. Last week, after a busy day, my thumb felt a little sore: it felt almost as if a blister was beginning to form. I did not pay any attention to it and kind of wondered where this irritation (pain is too big a word) came from. On the second evening, my thumb was really hurting. Only then did I make the association with the writing I had been doing with the VP. I grabbed my pen and kind of checked out where this irritation came from. I found that it is not the clip that caused it, but the seam between the body and the nib section is the culprit. Mind you, I still love these pens, but for me they are not ideal for extended periods of intensive writing.

Evening all, I am getting two new bottles of ink (Diamine Apple Glory and the 150th Diamine Anniversary Blue Velvet) for Christmas so I only thought it right to get one new pen to put my favourite of the two in! (got the Rohrer and Klingner glass dip pen for the other ink!) There are four (relatively inexpensive) pens I am looking at to take up the next berth in my collection. The Pilot Vanishing Point in the Blue Carbonesque finish, the Lamy 2000 and a Waterman Carene in either the amber finish or the Blue Obsession colour. To give you an idea of my preferences I currently have a black Waterman Carene (love it), a MB 146 (love it), a Pelikan m800 (love it), an Edison Collier (wish it had a wider grip section) and a Waterman Expert II (don't love it, don't hate it either). All the four options are pretty much the same price in the UK and I was wondering what everyone thought would be the best option? The Lamy 2000 has been raved about ever since time began but the design seems a bit too minimalist for my taste. The VP has also been reviewed well but I'm a bit concerned about the small ink capacity in the converter, I'm a student and I (try to) take a lot of notes every day. And I love my Carene and both the blue and amber finishes are stunning but I am thinking I should branch out a bit more! And if anyone has got an recommendations for another option for £100-150 then it would be greatly appreciated! Cheers, Chris

Pilot Vanishing Point, Broad Nib I wanted a pen for quick note taking, a gold nib, and not be too flashy in the visual department. I did some research and it looked like the Pilot Vanishing Point would meet my requirements. 18kt gold nib (broad, in my case), great for taking notes, because of it's retractable nib, and it looks nice and understated. http://i.imgur.com/mAl4zyG.jpg?1 The Pilot branding is not subtle. http://i.imgur.com/zac9ZGe.jpg?1 It's cool that you can put two more pens in the box. http://i.imgur.com/Mox3wj1.jpg?1 Lift up the "floor" to reveal the literature and that metal thing you need to put over the cartridge. Not in the picture are the converter and cartridge. Appearance & Design (9/10) http://i.imgur.com/d1N60da.jpg?1 I think the Vanishing Point, overall, is a very elegant, classy, and balanced looking pen. I chose the Gun Metal Gray version with rhodium accents. I don't think it's particularly flashy (not in this colour anyway) and that suits me just fine. The gray colour looks nice and deep, like the paint on a car, and narrow nib looks quite unique. It essentially looks like a retractable ballpoint pen with the clip on the wrong end. Some people might not like the positioning of the clip, but it makes sense, since this way the nib is pointed upwards rather than downwards when clipped into a shirt pocket. I like the clip's location, because it insures that I will never accidentally rotate the pen around while I am writing, which I do. Construction & Quality (10/10) Upon first fondle it's quite evident that this is a quality item. Nothing to complain about here. Weight & Dimensions (9/10) The pen for me is pretty heavy compared to some of the other ones I own. I don't write with a heavy hand, so the added weight pressing the pen down onto the paper makes it feel like the pen is doing all the work for me! It feels pretty balanced to hold, though people who like to post might find it not back-heavy enough. I never post the cap, so I'm fine with it. Nib & Performance (8.5/10) The nib 18kt gold and rhodium plated. I chose broad, since I figured it would be the closest to the Lamy medium nibs I'm used to. This nib is super smooth. Best feeling nib I've ever used, but it's also the only gold nibbed pen I've ever used, so I can't really say how well it performs compared to other gold nibs. Not only is it smooth, it also writes well holding the pen at a very vertical angle, which is how I prefer to write. There are a few issues, however. The pen starts out wet and gradually becomes a little drier the more I write, which is annoying sometimes. Occasionally there are hard starts and skips, but they aren't frequent enough to spoil the fun. I noticed that I'm getting the wetness and hard start/skipping problem mostly on Clairefontaine and Rhodia paper, but not with my Leuchturm notebooks. I tried Diamine Majestic Blue, Iroshizuku Ku-Jaki and Tsuki-yo, and Sailor Jentle Yama-dori with the pen. I had an issue with the pen drying out in less than 12 hours with Diamine Majestic Blue, but I've had similar problems with that ink in other pens. My experience with the other inks was great. Filling System & Maintenance (7/10) It is a cartridge/converter pen. The supplied converter doesn't hold much ink, which doesn't bother me since I switch inks before the pen is empty anyways. When using cartridges you have to use a weird metal thing and place it over the cartridge before reassembling your pen. http://i.imgur.com/U71RxCb.jpg?1 When filling from a bottle, the combined feed/nib unit is pretty convenient, because it's easy to wipe excess ink off of it. There is one thing that annoys me about this pen when cleaning it, though. There sometimes is a bit of ink that get's trapped by the door where the nib comes out of. What I do is take a syringe and blast water into the tip. Cost & Value (?/10) I paid $140US for it at Goulet Pens. Since I don't have experience with other pens at this price range, I'm not quite sure how the Vanishing Point would compare to them. Conclusion (Final score 8.5/10) I love this pen. It's my go to pen for most of what I do. It's elegant, feels great, and is just so smooth to write with. Sure there are a few issues with it, like the pen starting out wet and going a bit drier as I write, and the few skips and hard starts, but that's not enough to dampen my enthusiasm for this pen. I like it for what I do, I'm glad it is now part of my collection, and it sees frequent use.

Hi, I have a Pilot Vanishing Point / Capless which I left on my work desk. Upon returning I found that the top part (basically the clip) was broken. I have been trying to find a replacement for this part, but I can't find online. Could anyone help me? Thanks Karl

Hello Forum, I recently purchased a Pilot Vanishing Point. My initial impression has been positive from buttery smooth nib to convenience of retracting tip. I have one concern over this pen. It is, I continue to experience a leak behind the nib. Even after I clean the section out, the leak reappears every time I push the nib out to write. I am wondering if this is a normal behavior or something wrong with the pen. I am using Noodlers Blue ink and using the piston converter that came with the pen. I have attached the photo of the problem so you can help diagnose it further. Thank you. Tae

Hi! I don't have any Japanese pens yet, and I'd like to change that! I like shiny, blingy things, and the Pilot/Namiki Vanishing Point in the various Raden designs http://www.gouletpens.com/PN60590_p/pn60590.htm as well as the Platinum Galaxy Maki-e have all caught my eye http://nibs.com/PlatinumMakieGalaxy.html. The third pen I'm eying up is the Platinum Izumo Urushi (in Akatame red) http://nibs.com/Platinum-President-Izumo-Dark-Red.html (While not 'blingy', there is something about this pen that really grabs my attention. A subtle intensity I guess. I would love some input from those with experience with these models (or similar) who can tell me what they like/didn't like about these particular pens, what they would change etc etc. Some extra info: - I have never tried a Vanishing Point, so I don't know if I would like the feel of it, and I'm not sure if I'd like that clip right in the middle there. Does it impede your writing at all? I'm going to be honest, I'm totally going on looks here - I tend to favour big, wet writing Italian pens and I love a smoothy smooth (or at least mostly smooth LOL) with some nice spring in the nib. - I'm going to contact john Mottishaw and seeing what my customization options are for the Galaxy and the Izumo - I'd love to do a Spencerian mod on the Galaxy if that was possible. - I read somewhere that the Urushi coating changes after you have used it for a long time. Can anyone clarify/add to that? Many thanks for all of your help !

Hi all - I just got a CL300 and the trap door is not closing when the nib is retracted. Based on the diagram posted earlier here (https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/271028-how-a-pilot-vanishing-point-works-w-diagrams/), I am assuming that the spring is broken or missing entirely - I haven't had a chance to investigate with anything other than room light and my eyes. Can anyone point me a reference on repairing the trap door, or to someone who performs such services? I can't imagine Pilot has the parts for a 50 year old pen in stock..... Thanks! -Redblur

Hi all - I just got a hold of a Pilot CL300, which is an early vanishing Point. (it also says EI 21, (that's an i), but I haven't been able to find any reference to what that might mean.) Luckily, it came with two NOS cartridges, because these use the old-style small back to back cartridges that are long since out of production. I'll be able to refill them - they actually work - but I would like to get a converter, and I'm wondering what converter might fit this pen? Can anyone help? Thanks! -Redblur