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I Have Committed A Great Sin: Bought A Pilot Vanishing Point


Sallent

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Dunno what all the fuss is about. A piston filler is just a pen with a built in converter!

 

The VP is a wonderful pen. The Pilot cartridges hold a lot of ink and are more convenient at work.

 

Stop worrying about how it fills and just enjoy writing with that wonderfully smooth 18k nib!

 

David

For so long as one hundred men remain alive,we shall never under any conditions submit to the

domination of the English. It is not for glory or riches or honours that we fight, but only for liberty, which

no good man will consent to lose but with his life.

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Dunno what all the fuss is about. A piston filler is just a pen with a built in converter!

 

 

 

 

NEVER understood this problem. What's wrong with a converter if it works well for you? Especially with a pen as interesting and well designed as a Vanishing point?

 

In some cases, a converter makes my life easier as I can take the thing apart and really clean everything out well. I feel more comfortable using bulletproof or IG inks because I know I can get them completely clean before switching to a "normal" ink, I know they're easy to repair... the only benefit of a piston filler or a lever fill is not having to take the barrel apart to ink the pen up.

 

I still like pistons. Just the engineer in me finds having the filling system built in elegant or something, but where's the sin in a different solution to a problem? It's like sex. There's more than one way to do it.

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When I first got interested in fountain pens, about three years ago, I also had some bias against c/c; it seemed like such a waste of space when the pen could hold extra ink instead.

Now I have come to accept c/c as something practical; not the best in all situations, but definitely not something to shy away from. And Sallent, congrats on the purchase, I hope you'll like it :)

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It's a great pen. Originally designed in the 1960s, too, so you can use that as part of the justification as well.

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I may have to do this drunk purchasing myself one day to convince the bit of doubt I have in buying a diplomat balance or a Pelikan m200 would be worth while.

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the truth is that having the Pilot VP will probably be extremely convenient for me when it comes to meetings and writing post-it notes to my staff.

 

That's just it. I walked into a pen store one day with the intent to by an $80 Parker Sonnet, but came out with a $200 Pilot Vanishing Point. After this,

 

I experienced some of the worst buyers remorse I have ever felt. I could not even bring myself to write with it for days. With that said, after a few weeks

 

it gained my affection slowly. It's practical applications are unmatched by any other FP. Though it may not be your favorite pen, it is a staple in any

 

collection because of this. You made the right choice with the CON-20. Should have a bigger capacity and will be easier to clean. Fear not! You'll see

 

why the Vanishing Point is beloved by so many.

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Though pens with built-in filling systems have become my favorites over time, I still have no issues with C/C pens. My very first fountain pen, a Wearever, was "free" with the purchase of 12 ink cartridges. And that for 99 cents, which tells you just how old I am. Went through college using mostly Sheaffer cartridges in School Pens. Somehow survived.

 

You'll like the VP, though I personally like the Japanese style medium nibs for these pens. The new metallic finishes look pretty tempting, may have to get my third VP.

 

Will

-----------------

 

Will von Dauster

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I have to sympathize with the OP. I am not a big fan of CCs, and I have always been put off by the mechanical complexity of the VP. But then my wife bought me one.

First discovery: nothing comes close to the convenience of this pen for making notes in meetings or interviews. Never an issue with drying or slow starts. Second discovery: it's one of the best writers in my ... uh ... accumulation. One of the best two or three. Third discovery: the little screw converter doesn't hold much ink, but the Pilot F nib even though it writes deliciously wet uses almost no ink at all. The result is that I can usually go more than a week between refills.

Bottom line: the VP has become my most frequently used pen.

ron

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Well, unless you have a very juicy broad nib, most cc fillers are fine. As for the VP, it's just a great pen. You can forgive it anything. The sin of those who like it is directly absolved.

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I use a Mottishaw tuned EF in my VP. It is excellent. Fortunately, convertors are not sins, but wonderful devices that making cleaning a cinch! I give thanks to the inventor of them.

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You rotten person !

Jerry is flying in from the west coast. We are coming over. He is going to hold you down, while I burn you with a cigarette ! :lticaptd:

When I do something horrible, I hate myself int he morning. Therefore, I sleep till noon.

 

Let 'em eat cake ! Write with joy.

Auf freiem Grund mit freiem Volke stehn.
Zum Augenblicke dürft ich sagen:
Verweile doch, du bist so schön !

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I'll find out tomorrow, but the main difference is, it's not a VP, but rather a late 70s Elite.

 

So I guess extra-fine back then (particularly on steel nibs) aren't as fine as I'd expect from say modern japanese extra-fine (The little original sticker does say EF on it).

 

Did this scan of the Pilot Elite (Big Cap, Circa Late 70s to Early 80s) in EF, compared to a few other pens of similar sizes (and same inks except for a couple).

 

fpn_1398730226__fine_scan_apr28_1280.jpg

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So I guess extra-fine back then (particularly on steel nibs) aren't as fine as I'd expect from say modern japanese extra-fine (The little original sticker does say EF on it).

 

Did this scan of the Pilot Elite (Big Cap, Circa Late 70s to Early 80s) in EF, compared to a few other pens of similar sizes (and same inks except for a couple).

 

Big Pic etc

 

You know you have the slash the wrong way round at the top of the paper. Where it says g\m^2 because it makes no sense a backwards slash it should be a forward slash inferring a divide or better still g m^-2.

 

No offense meant but thought you may want to know.

Edited by top pen
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You know you have the slash the wrong way round at the top of the paper. Where it says g\m^2 because it makes no sense a backwards slash it should be a forward slash inferring a divide or better still g m^-2.

 

No offense meant but thought you may want to know.

 

lol, k, noted I've done it both ways so couldn't remember exactly. Most people just write 80g though, sans the /m^2 (should have known better anyways, was looking right at the back of the Rhodia pad)

Edited by KBeezie
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If it took a skinful of rough liquor to persuade you to buy a Vanishing Point maybe you should delay all of your important decisions until the Thai alcohol has taken effect.

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I'm also not usually a fan of CC pens unless they're cheap throw-arounds or loaners, but the VP is the one model I make an exception for. The click mechanism is just so handy and cool! I've owned three over the years, still have two, and think I might get one of the new metallic orange ones later this year.

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Thank you for your comments. I feel much better about my purchase now after reading all the posts. Can't wait to receive it now.

Ball-point pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane.

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You can't help but love a VP. Resistance is futile!

Franklin-Christoph, Italix, and Pilot pens are the best!
Iroshizuku, Diamine, and Waterman inks are my favorites!

Apica, Rhodia, and Clairefontaine make great paper!

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I have a fleet of various Pilots, and most of them use cartridges filled with a syringe. Pilot carts can be refilled many times and maintain their integrity, and I can always keep a few carts in my briefcase in case I run out of ink at work. Another great benefit with a cart or converter is that if the ink becomes concentrated through evaporation, you can always add a bit of water with a syringe to bring it back to original specs - very difficult to do with piston pens unless they have nibs that unscrew like Pelikans do.

 

Carts in a VP have the added benefit of showing the amount of ink remaining, which you lose with the Con 20 squeeze converter. I never use the metal cartridge cap for that reason.

 

Dan

"Life is like an analogy" -Anon-

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l279/T-Caster/DSC_0334_2.jpg

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