Pilot Vanishing Point/Decimo: yosekastatione... (Decimo is the thinner version.) Pen: Pilot Vanishing Point, Fine Ink: Pilot Blue Paper: Midori MD Grid
Ooh! First time in ages I've had to look up a word used by a content creator. 'Gracile' - gracefully slender. A beautiful word. It's always a good day to extend one's vocabulary.
Love your color choice. There's something to be said about black and gold. Very classic imho. Yeah, Pilot never fails to amaze me. Their nibs are outstanding. If I only had 2 pens, one a Pilot and one a Sailor, I would be satiated and content. As always, :)
I love Pilot pens-excellent at every price point (although I haven’t bought at the top of the line to confirm!). I’ve been thinking about a VP as a “next pen” but it’s so unlike other fountain pens that I was hesitant until you provided a demo. Christmas is coming!
In my mind I was completely against the VP, however there were a couple I liked the look of (Silver Stripes and Raden Waters Surface), so I decided to go all out and get them to try. I was pleasantly surprised about how nice they were, so not too long after I also managed to track down another that I liked the look of - the Marble Charcoal limited edition which was one of the previous annual releases. Absolutely beautiful pens that I will be using to take reading notes. Much more practical than having to uncap a pen while reading through something to write down a sentence or two. I’d happily use them for longer writing too, however I have pens I like even more and this will answer the “at any price point” thing. By far my favourite pens are my Custom Urushis. I think I have bought and often sold a lPilots lineup with a few exceptions. From memory I have had (and still have some of these) a Prera, Custom 91, LE, 743, 823, 845 and the aforementioned Urushi and VP). I’m now down to: 3x VP’s (F,M,B) 3x CU’s (FM, FM & M ) 1x 845 (F) 1x743 (EF) I also have a handful of other brand FP’s around but not many anymore. Apart from one cheap old Sheaffer that belonged to my mother and a vintage Sailor 1911 NAG Naginata fude de mannen the rest are looking for new homes. Apart from maybe another Custom Urushi in broad, or possibly a Namiki I’m pretty much done buying pens I think. The ones I have do everything I could want beautifully, and better than everything else I’ve tried (I’ve briefly owned a KOP which was pretty nice too, and I still have a couple of M1000’s that I’m selling because while they are nice, I much prefer my Pilots). Apologies for such a long comment, I just got carried away. Love Pilot pens!
I recently purchased a Pilot Vanishing Point in matte black. My first Pilot fountain pen. I was pleasantly surprised by it, it writes so smoothly- so good! I also find the clicking to be quite satisfying 😊
I didn't like mine at first - but now it's my favourite. With Pilot blue ink (M nib) it writes wonderfully smooth and wet, and has that lovely springy-ness. I went with a plain old cartridge in the end.
Last night under the influence of an entire bottle of non-alcohol beer, I ordered my first Pilot Vanishing Point-an LS version in matte black. I can’t wait for it to arrive!
@@ianphiliphodge because the FBI is still searching for me in relation to an event with which I was allegedly involved, probably due to the entire bottle of regular beer I consumed that night.
I agree with your take on the VP. I disliked it at first because, while the clip never interfered with my writing, it just "shouldn't be there" - it belongs at the other end, not between my thumb and forefinger. However, it is a superb writer and it is convenient. The clicking is habit forming though! Btw: the foggy / misty appearance from this camera (lens) adds to the vintage feel of your pens. I LOVE my itty bitty Pilot E95s. What a comfortable, pleasant writer -- very unexpected from an EF nib and its slip cap is just as satisfying as the VP's clicking can be annoying!!! .... OH, How's Fig doing???
I have two of the Decimo, same nib as VP, a med and a fine. Love both. Soft nibs, smooth and pleasurable to write with. I believe the nibs are 18k, though
I've been avoiding this pen for awhile now. I love Pilot pens and have been wanting to "upgrade" and finally get a gold nib from them, but was thinking more of the Custom 74 or E95s instead since that's more my style looks-wise. I've always thought the clip on the VP to be ugly and because I hold my pens oddly I assumed I would dislike that feature. After seeing your video though, I'm strongly contemplating buying this one. I think the convenience is what I need sometimes when I'm writing and I've changed my opinion on it's appearance since I first started collecting fountain pens. I hate black and gold, gold I just don't like and black is boring for some reason that color scheme looks so nice and classic on this pen, which is also surprising to me. Perhaps my opinion has also changed there!
So glad you found a love for the Pilot VP! It’s good but it didn’t click with me as the grip feel with the clip just didn’t resonate with me. But you can’t go wrong with a Pilot!! Thanks for sharing Alicia! Can see that you found a “new love”! Oh and it’s an 18k gold nib.
Watching this as I use the exact same pen (Fine nib, black and gold trim) to write in my diary feels so comforting. I just adore your pen thoughts videos (well, all of your videos). I purchased my VP from a local retailer because I "needed" to satisfy the desire to continue using fountain pens while taking notes during work-related conversations. I didn't want to worry about screwing off a pen top whenever I needed to take a note (often during live conversations). I also didn't want to worry about my ink drying out. Perhaps these factors weren't enough to justify this "luxurious" purchase, but I have no regrets. I also thought I'd prefer the slimmer Decimo version, but I've surprised myself by realizing I prefer this chunky body.
Wow! Foul mouthed AND foggy camera!?! Where has Adventure Denali gotten off to and who was this imposter?! Kidding. I forget that you can also be hysterical (did you know that?). Love your work. Appreciate your perspective. Hope I can be like you when I grow up.
I love your videos! I do have a question regarding the Pilot Vanishing Pen. I have one and I love it, but would like to get your opinion on how do you feel taking this beautiful pen on a trip and basically on a plane.
Your video just made me choose this black lacquer with gold accents over the matte black. Plus, the FM is not offered in any other colorway other than the black-gold one.
That pen looks to be the same exact design as the vanishing point fountain pen by Namiki that I bought in the early 1990's. Man, I paid a lot of money for that thing. I wonder where it is, LOL!!
I've had a love/hate relationship with the VP/Decimo. I've owned quite a few over the years but either sold or returned them. I prefer the size and weight of the Decimo, but the lacquer is too slippery for me because my fingers always slide down. So I ended up with a matte black VP, but I just don't use it that often because it's bigger. I will say, though, the fine nib is one of the best I've used. So smooth and the springiness is very nice.
Currently, there is a trend towards very large nibs. Magna Carta makes many pens with # 8 nibs and has just introduced a humongous size 10 nib. I saw it first hand at the SFPenshow and it is about the size of my thumbnail. Jinhao makes a very nice #8 nib for their X159 and 9019-- personally I love these nibs.. Furthermore, many custom makers are making pens that take a #8 Bock nib. The VP nib is tiny and a pleasure to write with. Yes, it is made with 18k gold, but it is proof that increased size isn't necessarily correlated with better performance.
Majohn A1 has tiny steel nib and also writes nice and smooth. My favourite Delike has #5 EF nib and writes better than Jinhao with #8 F nib. Nib quality and ink wetness matter. #10 nibs are sold purely for how "impressive" they look.
My finger position is always so close to the paper that these little nibs are perfect for me! It's good that there are still wonderful options of all nib lengths!
They're very convenient, but I hate the darned things. To me, there's just something. . .unnatural. . .about a fountain pen with a clicker like a ballpoint. Personal taste, of course. Personal taste again, but while I love pilot nibs, I really don't like the bland look of Pilot pens. It's a very different matter with the Pilot Namiki pens, but I'm just not a fan of black, or smoke, or even demonstrator pens.
How durable is the black and gold finish? Since it is brass under I suppose less prone to cracking than resin pens... But Can you carry it around without scratching and scuffing the pen exterior? I want durable and heft but am clumsy yet the black shiny look might look different scuffed up.. Does it leak on altitude changes or planes?
I own a Pilot Vanishing Point pen. I love it and I used it every day before I retired. I was told it was designed because after WWII, many Japanese soldiers lost an arm or a hand and could not uncap a regular pen. With this pen they could use it with one arm by just pressing it on the table or their chest. Is this true?
The slimmer version is Decimo. You made such a nice video. I hv two limited edition VPs or Capless now...one of my fav. Easily the 2nd best writer I have ever used and hence is a top choice!
Loved your review! You have a very calm voice, I love it. Also you have awesome handwriting. I have a white and black Pilot Vanishing Point with a Medium Nib inked with Yama Budo and it is a joy to write with, very smooth!
Ooh this is so exciting! I'm treating myself to a fountain pen for my birthday and was choosing bw a VP and Custom 823, and your videos really help get a *feeling*, more than just being technical. And as it happens I had the option of buying Pilot Elite vintage pens so I'm very thrilled you showed us what they look like 🎉
Always a pleasure to watch your videos. Your camera work is very artistic. I have sat on the fence for so long when it comes to the Pilot Vanishing Point or similar retractable fountain pens. Do Pilot make a version that is clipless?
yup!: I also am huge fan of Pilot, have loads of Pilot 78g+’s, a few pluminix’s, quite a bunch of Pilot prera’s, a couple of custom74’s which are no longer in my rotation (they’re not bad pens, they just don’t do it for me:), I’ve got my beloved Pilot custom heritage 912 and my equally lovely Pilot elabo (falcon w SEF nib) and of course my wonderful Pilot custom 823 F!; haven’t bought a vanishing point as was never sure about the clip getting in my way but am inclined to trying it shortly; thanks for this:)
Great review! I own 3 Pilot Decimo’s and just ordered my first vanishing point in the red/gold version. The vanishing point is my all time favorite fountain pen. I love the convenience! (and the beauty!)
I just ordered that pen and a black nib unit in extra fine for my matte black vanishing point. I love this pen. Its cool that you showed the trap door mechanism in action. I never really looked at it. I use a syringe to fill this pen and then i dip it in the ink to start the ink flow.
I use a syringe to fill my VP and then leave it sitting nib down for a while before I use it. Reading your comment made me realize I could have made things easier and used the pen immediately by dipping it into the ink to start the ink flow! 😅🤯
I LOVE my Pilot Vanishing Points (as well as a several good clones... Only purchased because I use a variety of colors for work notes & I don't have the budget for all of them yet... Lol) but they are definitely my workhorse pens for work. I can easily jot notes in different colors for different departments quickly & easily for easy reference later. My intention is to gradually replace any of the clones with the real deal as I go along. (on that note, why is it nearly impossible to find a green one from Pilot or the clones?! I NEED a green one! Lol) but that very first Vanishing Point was what sent me on my adventure in all thing fountain pens (& much love for my Elite 95S as well!)
Considering getting a VP in fine-medium, but I think those are only orderable directly from Japan. I think it only comes in the black and gold body, so if I ever get it, we'll be twinsies! 😄 I also love your glasses/frames! Stylish and hip!
It’s the pen I use the very most. It’s exquisitely comfortable for my hands, like magic comfortable. I have the Stripes version but want to get another. Waiting to see the special colour for next year :)
Wanted to unscrew the crap out of that pen 🤣😋.....Having been enjoying clic ball point pen lately...even if I've always hated them before...I can see how practical a vanishing point might be compaired to regular fountain pens.
I have a vanishing point and it’s a great pen :) except mine seems to dry out quicker than others :( Still they are wonderfully convenient! Question is, is the custom urushi still on your wish list?
Ive had my ups and downs with my VP, I got a medium and wished id got Fine. When i did get used to the size i dropped it and its never been quite the same since :(
Guess 14k ? Seriously ? Of Course is gold ¡ is a 200$ pen ! The most important thing to advert is that as you can notice this time the Japan nib is upside down and the fine is more like a MBroad !! Mind that as is a very important task to be said just in case you prefer F (not my case). Nice budget needed to have such a nice huge collection of luxury pens, mind with the cost of that you can donate a Pilot Varsity (a must for any starter to Pilot World) to a full 50 scholars in India (they all write with pen and consecuently got a magnificent calligraphy). Be well and safe always. Cheers.
I have 3 standard-size Vanishing Points and a Decimo. I much prefer the latter because it's slimmer and prettier; I own a red one. I don't use the converter; always a syringe-filled cartridge--because I can get a complete fill. I was a slow adopter of the VPs because I felt the clip would interfere with the way I hold the pen, but it doesn't; I quickly adapted. When I first bought my VPs Pilot didn't at first have any with gold trim, but now they have two; one black and one blue model, so I got a black one, like Alicia is using for this video. Nib units are all 18k, regardless of model, and interchangeable between models. In fact, I just at checked Goulet Pens, and you can get an entire nib unit, including the converter for $92.86. The nib units are available in F, M, & B.
I learnt recently from a well known fountain pen RU-vidr -sorry I don’t remember which -that the Pilot Blue ink you used that only comes with the 823 is the same a Pilot Namiki Blue 😊
I have been tempted to get a Pilot Fermo (the twist version of the vanishing point), but I just can't justify the $$$. I am a twsbi budget kind of guy. 😅
I'd love to get one, if only they would sell metal nib pens worldwide... last time I checked , Pilot only sells gold nibs outside of Japan, hopefully this will change :)
I was surprised that you didn't even mention the annoying placement of the clip, the most controversial part of the VP. I had to get rid of mine because I couldn't adjust to the clip hitting my fingers.
When going to the pen shows, my eyes light up always at the Pilot table. Four VPs and three Custom 823s (ef, f and B nibs) and hoping to purchase my 4th Custom (M nib) as a Christmas present...lol. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for your thoughts on the Pilot VP. I want to love it (retractable!) but I can't get past the unbalanced aesthetics of that long nock. I know! 😂 Then I found out about the Pilot Fermo, twist v. nock, no clicky-clicky sound, so it's on my Grail pen list. 😊
I had six but have sold all bar a Decimo. Lovely pens but would never, ever start first time. Cartridges or converter, made no difference. First rate nibs once started, but oh what a pain to do so.
Pilot is my favorite! I have the metropolitan and the prera! I love their fine nib the most!! Someday I may spring for the beautiful Vanishing Point! It looks like a dandy!
Love my VP. Only issue is when using the clip for it's intended purpose, the cap now comes off or is not centered properly. Not sure how to secure it better...
Thanks for your new video! It was dear and relevant to my heart! 😊I've been using Pilot Decim for a month and a half, you might want to try it out! It is somewhat lighter (aluminum body) than the Vanishing Point - but it has all its other virtues. I really like! 😊 What notebook are you using here in the video?
I bought my first Pilot this summer - a Custom Heritage 91 and I love it. It writes so beautifully and consistently. It also came with one of this converters and the ink capacity wasn’t enough (it’s a medium nib and puts down a lot of ink) so i upgraded to the con 70. I hate those agitator beads! The rattling sound drives me crazy! But I love that pen. Very intrigued by the Vanishing Point - I don’t love the look of them but am interested in the convenience for faster writing / note taking. I’ve never heard a negative thing about them too! Thanks for showing your Pilot collection!
Love my Pilot VPs I refill a pilot cartridge with a syringe. I love taking notes - from books, from documentaries, zoom lectures etc , and the VP is by far the best pen to use for that. I can also use it for much longer than my other pens without finger discomfort.
I love my Vanishing point. It's my everyday carry pen and never fails to write. Using it daily for several years. I also love my Pilot 823 but tend to keep that at home and love to use it for longer writing sessions and journaling. Only time I take it with me is if I have a Suit coat with me to tuck it in the pocket. Like your review and agree with all your points!
Great video, I totally agree. I have several vanishing points, love the click. I would enjoy of course a better ink converter but other than that they are amazing writers. I have them in F, M and B and are the best.
Sure, the Pilot vanishing point has been around since the 60's, but I think the distinction of the earliest retractable nib pens goes back to the early 1900's and the safety pen designs that came out around that time.
Weirdly, I was in Cincinnati (not where I live) for work today and stopped at a fountain pen store there and ended up purchasing my first Vanishing Point. I was just about to ink it up while watching some RU-vid videos and what do I see? Coincidences are strange.
Bought a used vanishing point from a reputable dealer. It would hard start then not write at all! So frustrating that when I got off my shift, went to get gas and fastballed that piece of junk into the trash can. Caught some attention from other customers as to what the heck is the matter with this guy?! Maybe not all fountain pen enthusiasts would agree and that's understandable but there maybe a few that can relate.
The VP was the first fountain pen I ever bought, something like nine years ago. I almost never use it anymore because it feels so corporate and antithetical to the slower-paced way of being that I want to embody, but I doubt I'll sell it because it was my first and it served me well for several years. I got my F nib made into a stub, but still don't use it at all. I also have an 823 F, Falcon, and 723 FA, and once I got the FA I basically never used the others anymore. The FA nib is just such a delight to write with that the others feel unremarkable to me now. Though I also have a few Kaweco Sports (Brass, Bronze, Olive) with different nib sizes and just purchased an Esterbrook Estie Botanical Garden (and have an EF Flex nib on the way). Wanna know something super weird? The clip on the Kaweco, as light as it is, somehow throws off the balance of the Brass and Bronze to a an obvious degree that makes me want to remove it forever (though they make the pen more pleasing to my eye). Try taking the clip off, and you might notice that the center of gravity changes such that the weight of the pen seems to fall onto the nib, which makes writing easier. With the clip on it just feels...off, and it takes more effort to write with it. So strange.
