Vanishing point?

[Robert Ellis]

Are the Vanishing Point pens as good in practice as the idea seems? I am used to using click rollerballs and the one-handedness seems useful. However I also constantly fidget and if there is a pen in my hand that translates to constant clicking, probably not good for a fountain pen. Do they hold a lot less ink than a comparably sized pen?

[flip]

I was interested too... there are a few reviews in the reviews forum that are enlightening. Check this review out for one opinion.

Edited November 23, 2005 by flip

[RyanL27]

I'm using my carbonesque VP to write a paper right now, and I can tell you that they are great pens! They are reliable, functional, well-built and incredibly smooth writers. And yes, the mechanism is wonderfully useful. The VP isn't always the pen I want to pick up for a writing session because I sometime prefer something a little more traditional, but for day-to-day, getting-work-done writing, VP's are seriously tough to beat.

 

You've hit one downside square on. The ink capacity isn't great, but it's just enough to get me through a day of writing, and I appreciate taking time to fill empty pens at night. So, if you don't mind filling a little more often than normal, it's not too big a problem. Also, depending on your grip, some people find the clip on the VP to be completely obstructive. I find the pen to be very comfortable, so it's a good idea to handle one before buying if you can.

[KCat]

with the fine nib the ink capacity is good. That fine (more like an EF) doesn't use up much ink.

 

re: the clicking - i do it too. these are sturdy pens and not likely to suffer much just because of a little nervous habit like that. Certainly hasn't affected either of mine.

[chris burton]

I have one and I like it, although the stock colors don't excite me. It's quite convienient for a fountain pen. When I use one, it's not for an extended period of time, and so the clip placement doesn't bother me. If I wrote for an extended length of time, I think that it might.

[BinomialSpider]

Vanishing Points have a heavy click--more so than a ballpoint pen. I find I don't click them as a nervous habit because of this; instead, I compulsively unscrew the pen body and check the ink reserve. So I trade one nervous habit for another.

 

If you're doing something, like grading exams, where you constantly switch between writing and doing something else, having a click fountain pen is quite nice.

[OldGriz]

I recently bought the VP and love the pen.... it is the pen that sits beside my computer for taking quick notes when I need to... so much faster than unscrewing the top of one of my other pens...

I got the medium nib and at first thought it would be to fine... but as I wrote with more and more with some PR Avacado ink I really started to like the line it put down...

In fact I might be buying one for my wife for Christmas... she usually uses one of the ball points I made her, but I would like to get her to use a fountain pen...

She needs a pen that is easy to click and write with because she drives a school bus and sometimes needs to jot down information...

still have to see how she feels about it..

[inkyfingers]

I have a grey carbonesque one with broad nib and it's a champ. What RyanL27 said, exactly.

 

I really wish I could find one of the older black stealth VPs. I'd buy it (a NIB one) in an instant.

[Tricia]

I like mine (green w/gold and a medium nib), but because of how I hold a pen I'm not crazy about the clip placement. Fortunately it isn't a deal killer for me since I like the convenience of the VP. I've only had it a few months, but it hasn't let me down. (I have it filled with Aurora Black at the moment.)

 

The one thing to pay attention to, imo, is how to fill the converter. You take the nib and converter assembly out of the pen and fill it that way. Until I read about that (here on FPN, iirc) I could not get much ink into it. It doesn't hold all that much anyway, so getting as much ink as possible is a big help.

[KCat]

I've mentioned this in other VP threads but since I don't mind repeating myself ...

 

The clip is positioned perfectly for me and the balance is good for my hand so I can use this pen for extended periods. Something that really did surprise me. It's the only pen other than the Pelikans that I really would like to have multiples of. (yuck, please don't get me grammar police!)

[davyr]

anyone experienced in using the squeeze convertor vs. cartridges for the vp? i have the older vp which is now 10 yrs old. i only used it for a few weeks, using only cartridges, and then put it away for years. i have recently gotten interested in fp's again, and imagine my surprise when i dragged out the box and found a squeeze convertor within. haven't used it yet. is the flow greatly increased?

[OldGriz]

Does Namiki still make a squeeze convertor for that pen... and is it better than the horrible piston convertor... hopefully it holds more ink

[KCat]

yes, you can still get the squeeze converter. i have two that go in my Parallel Pens. They work okay. i dunno if they hold that much more but I do think they're probably a little easier to deal with than the piston type.

 

yet the piston type is what i have and use in my two VPs. got tired of transferring ink into carts and since I don't get out much...

[Glenn-SC]

I have a grey carbonesque one with broad nib and it's a champ.  What RyanL27 said, exactly.

 

I really wish I could find one of the older black stealth VPs.  I'd buy it (a NIB one) in an instant.

Well, I have one that was used just a couple of times!

Just checked it, looks mint ....

Edited November 24, 2005 by Glenn-SC