Namiki/Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pen Resting in Presentation Case
I've been using fountain pens for quite some time now, almost exclusively for the last five years of my life. They write extremely well, are very smooth, and best of all are undoubtedly expressive in both their form and output. Fountain Pens are fantastic pieces of tried and tested technology that continues to be some of the best around.The Namiki/Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pen (PDF link) caught my eye a few months ago when I saw it online as I was shopping for a new writing instrument to use for note taking as well as for work. It had the looks of convenience and offered all the perks of what I desired out of my next pen. When I saw it in person, and tried it out for myself at Paradise Pen, I was sold. It was one of the best pens I've ever written with.
The pen itself is a click pen where the nib vanishes into the barrel, creating a seal for the pen entirely to prevent the nib from leaking and drying out. It works wonderfully, feels solid, and best of all impresses everyone when a small golden nib emerges.
With accents coated in a electroplated Rhodium, the accents carry a shine like that (if not more) of solid gold, in some of the darkest rooms it will still reflect whatever fraction of light that catches it. Its barrel is metal (of what type exactly I cannot say), coated in solid feeling resin. Weighing in at 1.09oz, the pen is fairly light weight, but still feels very solid in the hand and offers enough weight so that those who love heavy pens, and those who love light pens will still appreciate it. The nib is small, and a solid 18k gold making it widely expressive, anti-corrosion, and of course very smooth. I'm a left-handed writer, which makes fountain pens rather hit or miss when it comes to the balled nibs, and I can say one thing, this pen writes well--very well.* Like the Namiki Falcon or even a inexpensive Pilot Precise v5 Extra Fine, the quality of the pen is second to none.
By design, the Vanishing Point is very brilliant. If you've not noticed from the pictures, the nib exits it's housing on the clip side of the pen; meaning it's impossible for this pen to bleed in your pocket. To top this, the nib is enclosed by a small folding door that is cushioned to not damage the nib, but prevents it from drying out by providing a very tight seal. This tight ink leak preventing seals continue around the pen, even the threads on the seal have a small rubber ring providing a water tight encasing. It is simply brilliant.
Namiki/Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pen disassembled with Converter Attached. Namiki Inkwell Sold Separately.
It comes in at a nice price point too for something so fantastic, at an MSPR of $166 and a street price of $130, it's a steal. I bought this pen a few months ago, and haven't regretted it for a moment. It's one of my favourite pens by far, and one that any frequent writer on the go will enjoy.*Tested pen equipped with a medium nib.
