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Vanishing Point reviewed by
Marvin E. Gozum
Conclusion: 4 Stars / 5
5 = perfect silky skipless writing on all types of paper with a slight
italic nib
I'm writing because your website is one of the few with a review on the
Namiki, now Pilot, Vanishing Point. I am writing to let more people know
about this pen.
This is my second VP, the first being the early 1990 release of the
Namiki VP, NVP. The Pilot VP, PVP, versions are larger, heavier and no
longer sport the Namiki engraving on the pen clip.
The nibs are similarly designed but are now sized to US distributed
fountain pens. The NVP nibs had stroke sizes a size smaller, that is a
Namiki medium was more like a Parker fine, for example. This means the Pilot
VP medium is pretty much a Parker medium.
I too suffered the squeek of the Pilot VP. It felt like a coating layer
existed on the pen tip, but it seemed to be wearing with use in some spots,
so I figured I could work it out entirely by repeated heavy use on paper,
and I used it on much rougher surfaced paper until something gave. Until
then, it was scratchy and unsmooth. I use Parker Quink ink.
One unique observation, if the pen is used none stop for several hours
the ink flow suffers. I then found that if I clipped it to my pocket
briefly, it would flow smooth again. Also, the bottom of the converter does
not encounter ink as if the pen were air tight, where a vacuum kept ink from
entering the bottom of the converter chamber. I surmised if I twisted the
converter a tad into the air, the ink would flow into the bottom of the
converter. This happens. My little experiment suggests the vacuum inevitably
counteracts capillary action, and resists the exodus of ink!
After a day of use, it was silky smooth, so smooth, it is substantially
better than my original NVP. It has the smile factor, it makes me feel
really good about writing, and I write a lot as a physician.
The PVP nib is closer to a Parker 75 nib in stroke size but a touch
smoother in ink flow. Unlike a Mont Blanc Meisterstuck, the medium nib of
the 75 or PVP allows one to write 50 half 8x11 pages worth of progress notes
all day on one load of the converter. With a Mont Blanc, I would run out of
ink midday. I use a Mont Blanc on administrative workdays where I primarily
only sign my name. Alas, I agree fully with your review, a Mont Blanc was
money not well spent, luckily I got it 75% off list at a bankruptcy sale.
The PVP however, does not have the italic like stroke of a Mont Blanc nib.
The PVP sits well on one's hand, and the carbonesque pattern makes it
easy to see the pen in a table full of papers, food, and equipment. Its easy
to care for, and weighed just write for good writing control.
In a busy office where a pen may be hit on the nib is left exposed as one
walks accross a room, clicking it off allows for faster movements than the
two-handed capping process of other fountain pens. A most wonderful pen,
thus, for utilitarian use and more! This is a also a great first fountain
pen for many. The 'break-in' period must be more publicized though as I have
never had as involved a breakin period like this on other pens.
Best wishes,
Marvin E. Gozum, M.D. Philadelphia, PA
Namiki Vanishing Point reviewed by George C. McKinnis
I too am having trouble breaking in a Namiki Vanishing
Point Pen. I am left handed, like John, your principal reviewer. Like
John, my medium point VP makes a rather mouse snout in a trap squeal on
the right and up stroke which underhanded lefties need to do frequently.
When it is not making dying mouse sounds, my VP makes irritating
scratching noises as if it were a hard, sharp steel nib. Under a strong
magnifying glass the nib shows no abnormalities. John Mottishaw of
nibs.com, whom I bought the pen from, suggested that it needs to break
in. He said that all of the VPs are designed to write dry, which he said
will always make a nib scratchy on paper. He said that greater the flow,
the smoother the nib feels to the writer. He is sending me a cloth
impregnated with very fine grit which he said to write on as if it were
paper and it would hasten the break in. Despite this problem, which I
suspect that I can cure with break-in use and John's special cloth, it is
immensely convenient for business and travel. It gives one the benefits
of a real ink script with the convenience of a retractable ball point. I
do note that the nib does not want ball point type pressure. Mine writes
with very little pressure. I certainly am going to keep it, but I would
that it were a smoother writer. If it handled with the ease and
smoothness of my Parker 51, it would be a much better pen. The only
reason that I submit anyone would have for using a VP and not a
reconditioned Parker 51 is the convenience of cartridges for business and
travel and the retractable nib which is faster to deploy and put to paper
than a pen with a removable cap. I am a lawyer and judge and I use a pen
constantly in my profession. My bottom line on the VP: a very good pen
for business and travel; but, if you need a pen to write elegant and
letters and notes, or sign diplomatic accords, get a traditional
pen designed for a thicker, wetter and more varied script. I use a
Pelikan M1000 with a medium nib cut by Mottishaw into a left oblique - now
that pen can make a beautiful line, but it is no good for business and
travel. An update:
Further findings regarding the new model Namiki
Vanishing Point. After trying to accelerate the break in of the VP by use
of a grinding cloth, I managed to damage the nib. I had been using Omas
ink in a converter. The Namiki Connecticut service center replaced the nib
and sent it back the day after they received it. I then tested the new nib
by using a Namiki
cartridge. It wrote smooth as butter. I then installed the converter and
used my standard ink: Pelikan Royal Blue. After pumping in the Pelikan
ink, the VP wrote poorly: scratchy and squeaky. I then tried Omas ink in
the converter: same poor performance. I then went
back to a Namiki cartridge: smooth as butter. Wrote beautifully.
Conclusion: the VP is VERY sensitive to ink. Use Namiki ink.
Vanishing Point reviewed by John
I acquired this pen with another one of those terrific $50 off $100 coupons at Ashford.
Priced out there at $101.96, it seems perfectly designed to take advantage of this offer.
The pen arrive in a first class box. I was surprised, however, to find all of the branding
on the box and on the pen as Pilot rather than Namiki. Indeed, the documentation was for
the Pilot Capless and not the Namiki Vanishing Point. My understanding was that the
"Capless" branding was for non-US markets, but I suppose I could be mistaken.
In any event, I immediately set the pen up with Waterman Blue-Black ink and took it for a
spin. For reference purposes, the pen has a medium nib. My initial impression was not
positive. Although the line seemed reasonably wet (though not exactly silky smooth) the
pen had the bad habit of squeaking -- yes squeaking -- on a sidestroke when writing. I
should emphasize that the squeaking was not accompanied by a noticeable increase in
friction or catching of the nib on the paper, nonetheless, the squeaking was annoying in
an of itself. As I found this annoying, I tried a couple of tricks I learned from the
various pen forums. First, I tried rubbing the nib on an ink bottle in hopes that the
friction would quiet things down. I also tried rinsing the feed with a highly diluted
detergent solution in an effort to improve flow and (in my theory of the squeak) decrease
the friction between the nib and the writing surface. Finally, I tried to just be patient
in hopes the squeak would go away on its own. Well, one of these solutions must have
worked because the noise seems to have gone away.
The nib itself is sort of interesting. While devoid of any ornament other than the
branding "Pilot Capless" in simple letters on the bottom of it, the nib is gold,
long, and thin. It sort of reminded me of that of a Parker 51. After the squeaking went
away, the pen's steady state is a fairly undistinguished, moderately wet line. The quality
of the writing is similar to a Parker Insignia or a middle level Waterman in quality. The
VP is, however, superior to the mid-level Parkers in terms of start/skip reliability
however. Although various pen forums had suggested that VP pen sizes run about a size
smaller than advertised, I found the medium to write like a true medium. Indeed, the line
thickness is indistinguishable from a Pelikan M200 medium in thickness.
As a lefty, it took me awhile to get used to the placement of the clip when I gripped the
pen. I ended up settling into a routine where my thumb circled gently around the clip for
it to be reasonably comfortable. While this is not a fatal problem, it seems unlikely that
the VP will win any awards (from me at least) as the world's most comfortable pen.
Really though, none of this is the reason anyone should buy or not buy a VP. The one word
reason to buy a VP is convenience. The retractable point is the main selling feature of
this pen and it is absolutely superb. As a professor, most of my use of pens is in a
start/stop fashion. Rarely will I have to write long passages using a pen at work.
Instead, I write in short bursts -- grading exams, solving equations, annotating lecture
notes, and the like. For all of these activities, the fixed costs of opening and closing a
capped pen is a slight annoyance. The VP seems perfectly designed for this sort of
writing. Thus, despite the drawbacks listed above, I can still imagine this pen winning
the evolutionary contest among its rival pens and winning my affection as m most
consistent work user.
The pen itself is reasonably attractive. I have a blue chrome accents model. It is about
the same length (including retractor button) as a Montblanc 146 and slightly lighter than
that pen. It seems like the barrel and section are lacquer over brass and this gives the
pen good heft. The only aesthetic difficulty is that the chrome tends to quickly pick up
fingerprints from use. My wife is less impressed by the look of the pen. She wishes it
were "more streamlined" and "less blocky." She also feels that it
looks more tapered in photos than it does in person.
To sum up, the VP that I have is a solid though not spectacular writer. Still, this is
more than made up for by the remarkable convenience of the retractable technology. If you
write short notes or in bursts, I suspect you will find this pen is the first one you
reach for.
Submit your own review -- email it to
jmorgan@gmail.com
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