Mar 26, 2010 0
My new Namiki / Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pen — A Review
Originally I was reluctant to post another review for a pen already reviewed 28 times on the Fountain Pen Network, but a close look at the index showed that there are only three reviews of the older edition of this pen from the 1990s before Pilot took over all the branding. I would add for your information that my personal bias for fountain pens is daily-writing style workhorse pens, in original vintage.
I’ve been wanting a Namiki / Pilot Vanishing Point Capless fountain pen since I first heard of them, but I had never pursued it very seriously, priorities being what they are. But one day during a visit to World Lux (nee Seattle Pen) I struck up a conversation with Todd Craver — an enthusiastic FP writer from way back — about this and that and what pens I have on my lists. I must have seemed excited about the VP because at one point he offered to sell me a ‘94 Vanishing Point from his personal collection at a great price. Obviously I said Yes!
This pen came in a nice Pilot box with the manual and even the original ink cartridge and cartridge cover. The box itself isn’t going to win any design awards, but it has a pleasing rubber cover and does the job just fine. In fact, I can’t criticize the packaging, you’d hardly expect a Mahogany box for a shirt-pocket People’s pen, would you?
I suspect the box is from a new VP, as the instructions are dated 12/08, fourteen years after this pen was made, so that made it especially nice that Todd threw that in. When I picked it up I was so excited to own my own Capless that I actually left the store and made it to the end of the street before I realized I’d left the pen in it’s box on the counter back at World Lux. We all had a good laugh about that.
Appearance & Design ( 9 / 10 )
My Namiki VP was made in 1994, and these pens have the colest retro-60’s look that I absolutely love. The faceted plastic body is a bit dated-looking now, but you can’t help but want to high-five the designer of this pen for that fantastic clip covering the section and the overall look of the pen.
I gave this pen a 9 here because of my personal predelection for it’s ingenoius design and just pure utility. It looks cool and people do a double-take when I hand it to them befcause after they click that big button they’re expecting a ballpoint in there.
Construction & Quality ( 7 / 10 )
This pen is just about exactly what you’d expect from an inexpensive pen in the ’90s. It’s well-made and works beautifully but the faceted barrel feels cheap and I worry about the barrel cracking around the screws holding the body together.
One small flaw in my particular pen is that there are two or three scratches on the barrl alongside the clip in parallel. I’m not concerned at all about the fact that they’re there, but rather it makes me question the longevity of this pen. Can it last thirty more years? Under normal use, most certainly, but it’s not going to look very good.
So I definitely will be avoiding dropping this pen, for it would surely mar. And accidentally stepping on this pen would almost certainly crack the barrel.
Weight & Dimensions ( 9 / 10 )
The VP is a lightweight pen and very comfortable to write with. I have large hands and the gentle taper of the barrel makes it very easy to hold. Later VPs got a wider barrel circumference, and that’s about the only thing I would wish for.
Some have complained about the clip placement on these pens interfering with the way they hold the pen but I don’t have a significant problem with it. The takeaway point here is make sure to think about holding one of these and writing a whole page before you buy one.
I scored the pen a 9 in this category because the size and design are nearly perfect for it’s intended use — a carry-around pen you can throw in any bag or clip to any pocket.
Nib & Performance ( 8.5 / 10 )
My particular VP came with a rarely-seen-in-the-wild B nib, and writes what I would call medium-wet. I feel like the nib has a bit of a sweet spot that’s minutely opposed to my natural writing angle but it’s so minor I am only mentioning it because I think it’s possible it could drive some writers crazy.
Writing is smooth and the pen easily keeps up with my most furious scribbling. This wasn’t the case initially, as you can see from the photo below, but soon enough the pen smoothed out for me after a few more pages. The pen also starts up every time I click it out of it’s little rabbit-hole, which is something I can’t honestly say about even my beloved Estie J.
I rated the pen an 8.5 in this category because it works exactly as I hoped it would — medium wet, teeny bit of tooth, and it’s a one-handed click away from gliding across any page.
Filling System & Maintenance ( 8 / 10 )
The VP comes with the ability to use cartridges or a cheap but functional standard-issue plate-press type converter that is simple to use and easy to clean.
One could certainly find fault with the small amount of ink the converter holds relative to a piston filler, but to me this is a necessary trade-off because of the one-handed design. I write quite a bit and I only have to fill up the pen every other day or less, so it holds plenty of ink for daily use. My cell phone requires a lot more maintenance than this pen.
Cost & Value ( 8.5 / 10 )
This pen cost me us$80 and I feel like I got a great deal. That is just about the lower end of the going rate for these and because I bought it from a private local seller, I was able to save tax and shipping.
I must point out thought that if I were buying a new pen today, and not a vintage one, the plastic-y barrel would probably not be acceptable at that price. In fact that’s the only reason I rated the VP an 8.5 in this category instead of a 9.
Conclusion ( 8.5 / 10 )
My only real complaint about the Namiki Vanishing Poing is the plastic barrel. Taken as a whole, this pen delivers exactly what it advertises: an extremely stylish, ingenious, one-handed retractable fountain pen that is a pleasure to write with and never seems to leak or fail me.
