Planning On Getting A Pilot Pen (Expensive)

[discopig]

As far as modern pens go, Pilot is by far my favourite brand. I have a Resin Falcon, Metal Falcon and Vanishing Point and all three are just amazing pens.

[TheAkwardNinja]

I HAVE DECIDED!!!

I have to go with the vanishing point. Its body is too unique to miss out on, and I love how it is sleek and almost stealthy. With this conclusion, I have one more question, what is recommended, Matte or Metal body, for me, they both look great, but are their any benefits for picking one over the other?

[Drone]

I hope you have read some previous posts here on your own thread about the paint on the matte VP flaking, chipping, & scratching. I suspect the same will be true for most any painted VP.

 

Anyway, good luck with your VP. I could never get used to the clip being in the way so I got rid of mine.

[TheAkwardNinja]

How did you rid of it?

[Algester]

but to be honest if I were you I'd go for Justus or the CH 912 or Elabo/Falcon Metal

Edited June 6, 2014 by Algester

[Algester]

A word hasn't been said about the Custom Heritage 91. It is likely available only from Japan, but it is worth it. Exquisite nib with a lot of choices, classic design and reasonable price compared to C. H. 912 (which has piston filling system). I bought mine from pisuke2005, who I can recommend as an alternative to purchasing from engeika.

Yes and I also own a CH 91 lovely pen very lovely pen I would actually let the OP consider that option plus it's also not available in the US meaning bragging rights? hahahaha that or the 912

[Drone]

How did you rid of it?

 

Sold it locally to a relatively new FP user at the time who did not have an issue with the clip, and still doesn't. I took a significant loss, but I was fine with that as it was to a friend who still uses the VP happily and has even purchased some more FP's other than VP's. No regrets at all on my part

 

Don't let my issues with the clip sway you too much - it just wasn't for me. It seems the large majority of VP owners love the pen.

 

The Pilot VP's seem to hold their value pretty well, so your risk is limited should you decide to sell it in the future. But I would recommend you pick a finish/color that stands up well over time with daily use - especially if you may want to resell it for some reason. But that's a topic for others that understand the VP more than I do.

 

Regards, David

[TheAkwardNinja]

Before I end, though, how is the flexing experience with the Pilot Falcon, being at the same price of the VP

[Tasmith]

How did you rid of it?

Richard Binder will remove the clip except on the matte black version.

[Blue_Moon]

I've got a black matte VP and love it. You reallycan't go wrong with any Pilot. The next on my list is the black 823.

[Algester]

Before I end, though, how is the flexing experience with the Pilot Falcon, being at the same price of the VP

it will flex which is what I said there's also the CH912 which has a lot of nib options including a Falcon nib if you ever held a Soft nib from Pilot it will be more flexier than that heck the soft nibs are already in the semi-flex category

[Algester]

A word hasn't been said about the Custom Heritage 91. It is likely available only from Japan, but it is worth it. Exquisite nib with a lot of choices, classic design and reasonable price compared to C. H. 912 (which has piston filling system). I bought mine from pisuke2005, who I can recommend as an alternative to purchasing from engeika.

your probably referring to the CH92 as the 912 the CH91's bigger cousin is still a C/C pen but to me the CH912 is still worth it seeing that I actuall like the CH91

Edited June 10, 2014 by Algester

[Drone]

Before I end, though, how is the flexing experience with the Pilot Falcon, being at the same price of the VP

 

The soft semi-flex pilot nibs are NOT like vintage flex at all - but they will flex if pushed a bit (see videos below).

 

The other thing to consider is buying your Falcon from a Nibmeister who can attempt to adjust the nib for more flow. The Pilot nibs out of the box can keep up with some limited flex, like you would encounter when writing small Kanji. But they are typically not wet enough to keep up with Western flex writing - you may get railroading unless the nib can be adjusted for more flow.

 

Another frequent complaint with the Falcon is the feed. Like with some Platinum brand pens, the Falcon's feed is rather long and has a tendency to hit the paper when the nib is flexed. Some have no problem with this and can adapt, some hate it.

 

Remember, a Japanese fine nib is like a Western extra-fine. A Falcon with a fine nib may feel too scratchy for you, especially on the likes of cheap copier paper - an extra-fine would be even worse. (You get a "feel" for the scratchiness in the videos below.) Going up to a medium Falcon nib will help if this is a problem for you, but you will lose line variation when flexing with wider nibs. It's all about trade-offs, nib-size, paper smoothness, ink lubrication, how you hold the pen, etc..

 

Do not confuse the Resin Falcon with the much more expensive (and heavier) Metal Falcon. My preference would be the Resin Falcon. I don't trust lacquer finishes on metal pens and the Metal Falcon is too heavy IMO.

 

The Namiki Resin Falcon is a good choice for collectors if you act soon. This is because Pilot will re-brand the pen to Pilot instead of Namiki - at least for the American market.

 

You may want to consider buying your Falcon from Greg Mottishaw of www.nibs.com. Greg knows the Falcon well and can even do custom modifications to the nib for added flex.

 

Here's an example of what a Namiki Falcon with a Mottishaw added-flex EF nib can do when wielded by a capable hand:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRebkWHsHC0

 

Here's Part-2 of the Mottishaw-modified Falcon in action:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMolEvB5EqA#t=0