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Hello. I am hoping someone could answer a few questions about the VP & Decimo pens if able, for lack of seeing the pen in person before ordering, mainly about the nibs: 1-I am under the impression that the matte black VP in medium might be a lot wetter than the medium Decimo, something about the intended market. Is that correct? If so, how does the medium nib in the Decimo and the VP compare to, say, the Metropolitan medium? 2-If the VP & Decimo are different in actual nib size, are the special alloy (capless) and the Decimo 18k the same actual size? (That is, their mediums are the same, their fines same, etc) 3-Keeping the lower end Pilots in mind for comparison (Penmanship, Metropolitan, Prera), how do the extra fine and fine nibs on the VP and the Decimo compare with those (if you have tried them)? Is the VP xf the same as the Penmanship for example, or the fine Decimo the same as the Prera fine? Basically I am not sure whether to get a fine or a medium VP or Decimo, since I like my Prera with a fine nib, and my Metropolitan medium. For clarity, when I say VP I am referring to the matte black brass pen, when Decimo, to the aluminum with gold nib.

Hi, First time posting - I was just hoping someone could shed some light on whether they think the relatively small ink capacity of the pilot vanishing point is significant or not? I'm just about to start my first job as a junior doctor, and was considering getting this pen for work on the ward. The pen is clearly good for this situation as it's quick to use, not too showy (was going for the black version), and clips to clothing easily. However i'm sure it's not a stretch to see that taking time out to ink up a pen during the working day would both be unprofessional and would make me look a little odd. Clearly many factors affect how much ink you use, but with a fine (or potentially extra fine) do you think the ink capacity is a problem? If so does anyone have any suggestions? Maybe using cartridges instead of a converter gives more capacity? [although I need to use water resistant ink so i'd rather avoid cartridges if possible] Any help and advice would be really appreciated. I'm a long-time subscriber to SBRE Brown and Goulet so i've heard plenty about how helpful and knowledgeable people can be from the FP network. Thanks in advance!

So my EDC Pilot VP had suffered droppage previously and one morning the innards dropped out. I followed Richard Binder's instructions to remove the clip/cap HERE, but squeezed a bit too hard Further efforts were successful, but the cap is toast. I managed to reassemble the spring, trapdoor and rubber boot into the steel cylinder. Using my trusty Emco Unimat lathe, I turned a replacement nose I started with a small through hole, and once I had removed it from the lathe I was able to use a dremel with a burr to carve out the D shaped hole for the nib. I think it looks great! If others want to have a go, here is the drawing I used: (NB the figure next to each angle was the deflection of the point of drill used to pick the angle)

Hello! I'm new to the forum and have spent some time looking through the repair Q&A posts that have been pinned relating to this problem. I have had a vanishing point for about three years now, and one summer (I'm a college student) I left my pen unwashed in an apartment without heat, so I believe I had some ink clog up the nib. I have since taken the nib out and let it soak a few times in water--this has not yet seemed to work. I put it in warm water and left it soaking for a week to see if there was some super stuck pigment/dried ink, but today when I went to test it out it did not work. The tines are working just fine and seemed to have a good alignment--some residual water has continued to flow out of the nib, but I can't seem to get new ink (I use cartidges) to flow through the pen. Anyone else have any advice or any other posts that I might find helpful? Thanks, Rachel

Hi All, Any suggestions on modifying a VP stub nib to fine/extra fine. I have successfully transformed a few standard medium nibs to a very smooth fine using a 4K, 8K and 10K honing stones, but the VP stub is a bit nonstandard. Any suggestions, tips, guides, examples etc... are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, .

Hi I have 2 vanishing points in 18k Rhodium plated, one Medium and one Fine. The Fine one is a bit too thin, too dry, while the Medium is wet and on the broad side for me. Attached is comparison to a Metropolitan MR Medium which I like both as a line thickness and as wetness, crispness. Is there a way to modify the VP nibs to write like the Metropolitan, and how?

Maybe I put in one too many puns there, but nevertheless my Pilot Vanishing Point (VP) reminds me very much of this: https://www.playadelcarmen.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/whale-1.png Put a little nib in that mouth (and the nib is little) and you have a Kasuri VP! https://cdn-tp1.mozu.com/6639-8588/cms/8588/files/606a40ad-cf3e-4a3f-b5b2-49a0545ca7a2 (Image from Goulet website) Let me get started in earnest. The VP never really appealed to me, I imagined it was a terribly slim pen with a clip in an irritating position, a small ink capacity and probably just an over designed and over engineered pen. I thought it was all a bit daft really and felt the finishes were a touch dull. Then they came out with the Kasuri finish which has a vague look (and textured feel) slightly reminiscent of shark or skate skin, but in fact is meant to mimic a type of Japanese traditional fabric. The finish is very cool, robust, nicely textured and tactile with a weird luminescence effect from the light blue against the dark blue. I know that all now, but then I just liked the look of it. Still, I never took the plunge. I figured it would be too slim and too short and that clip would be so annoying. One day I went to my B&M store and they had a plain black one. At first I didn't recognise what it was. This thing was sort of fat. I wrote with it and the clip wasn't annoying. What is slightly annoying is to write with something and have all your preconceptions blown out of the water and then realise what everyone else was on about when they gushed about this pen. The nib is tiny, but very wet and has a surprising amount of softness. The capacity is not huge (internal converter - pen opens at the middle), but it's no worse than any other Pilot with a converter. The clicky mechanism is clever and works well, the grip is nice, the balance near perfect, the length and girth very satisfying. I decided in that moment to get the Kasuri, and I am glad I did. The pen is five and a half inches long and the Kasuro finish comes with silver trims which I think works very well and looks nice and cool (in both senses). It is easy to refill and is actually quite a simple design. I never really use clips to secure pens in a pocket, so they are always surplus to requirement for me but in this instance they actually aid the grip rather than obstruct it. The pen weighs 30 grams. It is easy to write with and would make a perfect every day carry pen, especially seeing how robust the finish is. I have had to eat humble pie. So, if like me, you are on the fence and wonder why so many people like this pen - get thee to a pen show or store and try it out! (Images removed to links because this website won't allow the images)

OK, cover me, I'm going in...! $20ish (£15 - ¥2160 to be precise) for a seemingly unscratched, sound nibbed (F, 14CT) Pilot Vanishing Point (Capless?). The 'knock' mechanism seems a little stiff, and when I took opened it to check out the inside, the spring came out with the nib/section assembly, but it seems fine otherwise. So, do I? Obviously, the answer is probably 'yes', otherwise I wouldn't come to you guys...! But, as someone who is primarily interested in calligraphy (as in, I write all of my work notes and to-do lists etc in italic/roundhand/summat fancy), who has almost exclusively vintage flex, modern 'flex', various italic and stub pens, with maybe only three 'regular' nibs for marking papers at work... Who can sell me on the merits of the Vanishing Point? And who doesn't like them and why? Cheers!

I have three plastic VPs that predate the popular faceted models, and I'm trying to find out if they're considered particularly collectible. I haven't seen ones like these come up for sale or trade in years, but I don't know if that's because they're rare, or because their plastic bodies and less refined internal mechanics make them less desirable. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

This is a review of a new pen I got recently, it was a complete impulse purchase but I was pleasantly surprised. First Impressions (6/10) This pen isn’t exactly a looker, but I wasn’t expecting that for $1.25. It came in a packaged envelope, and the pen was directly inside. (No box) It is made entirely of plastic (except the nib, obviously), and feels light in the hand. It did, however, come with a convertor, which helped my first impression of it. Appearance (4/10) Like I said before, the pen doesn’t look all that great (In my opinion). It is beige colored, and the cap has little golf ball-esque dimples on it. The cap and nib are steel colored, although the clip is made of plastic. The clip also has a small plastic red “gemstone” on it. The section of the pen is black, and has a subtle triangle grip. (Not as intense as a Lamy Safari, but it’s there). Design/Size/Weight (7/10) The pen is very light, being made out of plastic, and is fairly small. It is closest in size and weight to a Pilot 78g, but that is not to say that it’s design is remotely similar. Instead of the 78g’s simple elegance, the pen somehow manages to seem bland and gaudy at the same time, with a boring and flat beige section and a dimpled cap and fake gemstone bedazzled clip. The nib and section are plain black and silver, respectively, with “Domain Lion” printed on the steel nib. Nib (9/10) Looking at the past categories, I did not have high hopes for this nib. I was wrong. This is where the pen shines. The nib smoothly lays a fine line, and on a scale of 1-10 (1 being very dry, 10 being one of those nibs that is so wet can get your fingers inky just by writing a sentence with it), it is a 6-7 in terms of wetness. Unlike many of its Chinese brethren, it is not a complete nail, either. Although I did not fully push it to its limits, the nib gives a fair amount of spring to play around with. To be entirely honest, the pen I own which most accurately matches it’s writing characteristics is my 18k M Pilot Vanishing Point. Disclaimer on the nib portion of this review: On a lot of Cheap Chinese pens (I’m looking at you Hero 616), nib quality is inconsistent, so I may have just gotten really lucky with an awesome nib. Filling System (8/10) Not much to say here. It’s a simple cartridge convertor system. The pen came with a convertor. I inked it up with 1670 Emerald de Chivor, and have had no problems thus far. Cost and Value (10/10) I got this pen for $1.25 shipped, but they can be had now for $0.99 on Ebay. For a pen with a nib that feels like my vanishing point (At a dollar who cares if it retracts) it’s a complete steal, even if it is ugly. Conclusion (8/10) Yes, this is an ugly pen. But the nib is incredible, and it’s a dollar! I’ve used this pen daily for a week in prep for this review, and I have to say it’s really starting to grow on me. I never had a single issue with it, it always started up right away, and after a weekend of not being used I uncapped it and it started right back up again, even with Emerald de Chivor (which has given me trouble with those things in the past). Overall this is probably one of the best $1.25’s I’ve ever spent on a pen, and I would highly recommend it.

I just wanted to throw it out there and ask -- does anyone have a white Pilot Vanishing Point? And if so, do you find that the barrel stains easily? I like this color but I'm worried about it getting messy. Thanks!

All; I've recently started collecting a set of Pilot Vanishing Point Limited Editions and trying to figure out which ones I'm missing. Please fill in the blanks below: Limited Editions (Barrel Marked Limited Edition" and cap ring is numbered) 2003 Mandarin Yellow (LE of 1500) 2003 Red Kasuri (Carbonesque) (LE of 1500, possibly for Japan) (Not sure how to distinguish this from current production Kasuri) 2004 ? 2005 ? 2006 Ice Blue (LE of 1235) (unique w/ice blue plastic oval clamshell shaped case) 2007 Orange (LE of 2007) 2008 Purple (LE of 2008) 2009 Vivid Red (LE of 2009) 2010 Ice Green (LE of 2010) 2011 Pink (LE of 2011) 2012 Charcoal Marble 2013 Maple (50th Anniversary Edition, LE of 900) 2014 Copper (LE of 2014) 2015 Twilight (LE of 2015) 2016 Black Guilloche (LE of 2016) My Limited Editions don't have numbers till the 2007 (Orange version). I know some spare barrels and caps were manufactured and can be bought as limited editions lacking the number. Did all limited edition pens have numbers or did that start in 2007? Raden Editions: Raden (speckles of abalone flecks) (I'm told there are two variants, with earlier version having a larger area cover by the flecks) Raden Stripes (Pilot Catalog FCN-5MP-RS) Raden Water Surface (Pilot Catalog FCN-5MP-RM) Kobe Pen Shop Editions: (in addition to Pilot Japan, barrel is also marked with Bung Box and its logo) 2011 unknown to me 2012 unknown to me 2013 Orange with Silver Trim (LE of 100; not numbered) (clip marked "energia") 2014 Orange with Gold Trim (LE of 100; not numbered) (clip marked "energia") Far East Only Editions Kagimonyou (Greek Key Wave) (Urushi) Nanten (Heavenly Bamboo) (Urushi) 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games (Urushi) Clover (Urushi) Special Editions (other than the price, not sure what was "special" about these editions) 20xx Cherry Bamboo 20xx Black Bamboo Noteworthy/Early Editions 1964 First Year 197x Black Stripe 197x White Stripe 199x Last year for single piece clip and faceted barrel 20xx Stormtrooper (White body, black trim and nib) Greg

I have an old-style, faceted Namiki Vanishing Point and wanted a factory stub nib for it. I made the mistake of buying one from Amazon that is like this one from Goulet Pens. Pilot Vanishing Point Nib Unit, Black 1.0 mm Stubhttp://www.gouletpens.com/pilot-vanishing-point-nib-unit-black-stub/p/PN71133 I was able to install and use the nib unit, but the pen leaked. After some research, I realized that the CON-50 converter won't work in my old-style pen. I tried to pull the converter from the unit, but it wouldn't budge. Additional research leads me to believe that a nib unit purchased with a CON-50 converter will likely have the converter glued in place as per https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/273802-vp-and-con-50-converter-warning/ Is there any way to separate the converter from the nib unit so I can use a cartridge or the correct converter? Would hot water or a flame work? I'm not concerned about sacrificing the converter. Thank you.

As some of you may already know, there was a new stub nib released for the Pilot vanishing point sometime late last year. I did a cursory search around the web and the best price I can find is from Carmen Rivera. You can buy a vanishing point pen with the stub nib for about $60 more ($135 is the cheapest I've found @ Jet Pens). But if you've already got a few vanishing point pens, why bother with the extra expense (if it was $30~40 more, it would be a no-brainer). My question is... how does this 1.0mm stub nib compare to the Mottishaw and Binder customized stubs? I have a Binder example and I love it. It may just be superfluous to buy a Pilot branded stub nib. Thoughts?

Hello, to all good people outrhere! I am new member of the forum, and I will introduce myself in proper section, just a lill bit later. Here is my question. I decided I want to buy Pilot Capless/ Vanishing Point. I have trouble deciding between fine and medium nib. I have been browsing the web a lot lately, and I figured out that medium is more like western mediums, and fine is like usual Japaneese fine. However I do now have Pilot Metropolitan in Medium nib, and I find its width perfect. Does anyone have both Pilot Metropolitan Medium and Vanishing Point in Fine. And if anyone does, I would be grateful if they could post a writting sample comparing the two, and generally giving brief comparison between the two. I know there is Goulet Nib Nook, but in my humble experience it sometimes can be misleading. I have also found comparisons between Metropolitan Fine and Vanishing point fine, but they are of little help, since I find Metro fine too fine for my taste. And unifortunately I do not have a chance to try a pen in the store, since where I live noobody is willing to let you dip the pen All help much appreciated!

Hi guys, I am looking for a Pilot Vanishing Point as my next investment. Gonna get a B nib and send it to indy-pen-dance for a custom CI grind. I've checked across some sellers (engeika, goulet, amazon...) and the price is usually around ~$125. Could you guys recommend me some sellers that have better prices, or share some experience on your VP purchase? Thanks!

Hi, I was wondering whether anyone has taken the time to compare the Platinum #3776 CENTURY fine/xf, and Vanishing point fine/xf. Things like writing experience, paper and ink handling, etc Those are two highly recommended pens, but beyond all the gushing of members, I don't know of a compelling reason to get the century if I am reasonably satisfied with my VPs, hence my question. If this has been covered somewhere, a link would be helpful, thanks.

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

Does anyone feel that some pens aren't worth their price? I own a matte black Vanishing Point and I'm waiting for a piano black Dialog 3 in the mail, and they both are superb pens, but I don't feel that their prices match what I get. The Vanishing Point feels much too utilitarian to be over $100, and I think that the Dialog should only cost $200 max - enough to factor in the beautiful design but also not too high to be unreasonable. On the other hand, the Safari family of pens (or the majority of their swappable-nib pens, really) offers just enough to be worth the $25 threshold with practical nibs and robust bodies. Am I alone on this? What other pens do you feel aren't worth their price? I'm aware that expensive pens are less popular than their counterparts and so the QC tends to be poorer. What do you think?

Today I received my first and long awaited vanishing point :-) I suppose curiosity got the better of me and I started inspecting how the mechanism works I know that the feed makes contact with the door first and then the nib but as I was watching and pressing the clicker slowly I noticed that after the nib makes contact the tipping material presses forward and scrapes against the door (there's noticeable uncomfortable friction) is this normal? Perhaps I'm a tad sentimental but I do see rightly or wrongly my fountain pens as forever items, Faithfull companions that lend permanence to the ethereal and form to thought. I like to use the same pen for a very very long time with little repair needed, ideally I will go before the pen does. So this does concern me. How are others experiences with this pen over the long term? Especially if the nib scrape is normal or present The varies but I do generally handwrite most things and run through paper very fast especially in journals,drafting reports etc

Took a chipped matte black Pilot Vanishing Point and refinished it...

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

Vanishing point question: anybody tried/owns an extra fine 18k nib and fine special alloy nib? How do they compare in terns of small writing and scratchiness/smoothness? Some people discouraged me from getting an alloy pen as being too dry compared to the 18k, but the fine nib 18k seems a bit too wet for some uses, after initially being rather dry for a week or two. Since the alloy fine has been described as rather dry, I was wondering whether it might be better than an extra fine 18k for my purposes (smoother yet smaller writing is the goal). A wet writer defeats that purpose.

Hi everyone, I'm relatively new to the fountain pen life. I started with a Lamy Safari, and have since been using a Conklin Duragraph and Pilot Vanishing Point. I'm taking a weekend trip at the end of the month to visit Houston and I'm planning to stop by Dromgoole's and pick up a new pen and maybe some ink, paper, etc... My budget is somewhere around $300. I was looking at pens like the Sailor 1911 and Pelikan m400. Am I heading in the right direction? What are some other suggestions? Thanks!

Hi. I have several pens, mostly Japanese. I find that I keep coming back to the Vanishing Point/Capless pens that I have, and I am trying to figure out what it is that I love so much about writing with them. I THINK the word I am looking for is "springy." I know that the shape and size of the nib are significant departures from most others, so I am wondering what other nibs are most similar from an experience perspective. FWIW, I also love my Sailor Pro Gear Slims (Sapporos). I use mostly F and XF nibs, but I look for smooth, not toothy. Thank you!