Pilot Vanishing Point Collection Retractable Fountain Pen, Red with Rhodium Accents, Medium Nib (60244)

I cannot think, for the life of me, why these haven't caught on more. The basic idea is simple; let's make a fountain pen, with superb quality tolerances and an 18kt gold nib, so any aficionado of real pen-and-ink writing can use it, but let's equip it with the convenience of a ballpoint via a unique nib-retraction system. When not in use, the pen sits vertically in your pocket, on its traditional pen clip (on this one its silver plated, or chromed- hard to tell which). This keeps the nip pointing upwards and discourages leaks. To use, you click the end, as you would a ballpoint, which pushes the nib through a covered rubber seal in the end of the cap, revealing the point, and ensuring you are ready-to-write. The seal retracts through pressure of the nib moving, and when retracted, the nib is held airtight. I have used and stored this pen many times for up to three weeks, and it has been ready-to-use instantly after clicking, with no drying-out. I wondered whether writing by holding the pen near its pen-clip, counter-intuitive as it is, and looking unusual, might be more difficult. Absolutely not, in practice, when - so long as you hold the pen properly, and not half-way up - the clip actually acts as an integral part of the grip. The nib is 18kt (750) gold, rhodium plated to give it a chrome appearance. It's of traditional Japanese width, so one size narrower than a 'typical' European pen such as a Waterman or Parker. A medium writes with a comparatively fine line, a broad writes with a more traditional medium one. The pen, for me, is always an instant starter and lays down a beautiful continuous line with no skipping. It isn't really a flexible nib though, but it is a well-made and beautiful one. The red, the pseudo-carbon-fibre, the yellow and the blue look beautiful in the hand. Each has a deep, lacquered, glossy appearance. The pen takes standard Pilot cartridges - with a metal cartridge cover to ensure the 'clicker' works (provided in the box). There is a converter so you can use bottled ink. Many people like to use Japanese inks, for traditionalism's sake, but I have to say that any wet-writing ink (Watermans etc) works just fine in this pen. Not all vendors include the converter, and not all nibs are gold- check the description from your preferred vendor just to be sure, if these things matter to you. Buying the converter later is quite expensive. Some people worried about the nib pushing through the seal- would this be a point of wear, and would the seal remain airtight. Reviewers who have owned these for years tend to agree that they are quite problem free. The only reported issue is often that the pen needs a wash to remove ink behind the seal, once every few months (just warm water is fine). Overall, I love this pen. It looks lovely, works perfectly, and used with bottled ink it will let your handwriting shine and it will (or should) last a lifetime - and with very little waste. Prices vary very considerably. Do check carefully before buying. Thoroughly recommended.

I use a pen a lot for work and like a nice one. Had my eye on this one for a while, debating if it was as good as the price tag suggested, and finally decided to buy one, due to most of the reviews being good. It seems well made, but I don't think it writes as well as my Sheaffer , and not any better than my papermate, both of which costed 1/4 of the price. If it were priced around the £50 mark I would say it was a good pen worth the money. At the asking price not so much. Update: I have gone back to my Shaeffer 300 series fountain pen. A fraction of the cost - better weight ( I like the pen slightly heavy) and much better nib, with better ink flow. I had high hopes for this pen and am a bit dissapointed with it, especially at the price. Writes ok if you write slowly, but ink flow cannot keep up if you write quickly or do signatures quickly.

The most amazing pen! Beautiful.

I didn't buy this from Amazon - rather, it was purchased by my lovely husband with me, from a gorgeous boutique near the Opera in Paris, as my very special birthday gift last December. I can reiterate all the good things others have said. This is a magnificent pen, incredibly comfortable, fabulously smooth to write with and even the clip whose location at the nib end is a bit unusual, is not a problem in my experience. It is also beautifully designed, pared down and simple, and it fits perfectly between my fingers. There is one major plus to this pen, relative to the many fountain pens I have owned over the years, it flies very well, and does not leak at all after traveling by plane. Also, the retractable nib means no need for a cap, and therefore no bit which can fall from your desk or get lost. I love it, and would recommend it wholeheartedly. This is a pen for life!

Schreibt wunderbar und flüssig. Die Preisunterschiede für diese Füllfeder im Netz sind erheblich, da kriege ich als Interessent das Gefühl - handelt es sich um das gleiche Produkt? Und wie sieht es mit der Vollständigkeit aus? Mein Füller kam aus den USA, die angegebene längere Lieferzeit stimmte. Und dass die Verpackung bereits beschädigt in Österreich ankam - zum Glück die Füllfeder samt Konverter und Patrone komplett - das ist halt ein Risiko... So hoffe ich, das Ding funktioniert auch weiterhin hervorragend, denn wie ich einen eventuellen Garantieanspruch über USA und den Lieferanten Crestor abwickle????

I've recently begun using fountain pens, and have two others: a Platinum Plaisir and a Parker IM Premium, both medium nibs. The Plaisir is inexpensive and writes well, the Parker is a bit finicky (but works fine with the right ink, like Diamine). The Vanishing Point feels so much better than the other two that I've lost any interest in using the others. In fact I've been going out of my way to find things to write so I can use the new pen. I'm using Diamine Eclipse Black, which seems to make the pen feel a little better, but it's fine with the Pilot ink. I can't speak to the durability of the pen, but it seems well constructed. It's not as solid as the Parker, which seems to be made entirely of metal, while the VP shell is plastic of some kind. I also haven't seen any internal leaking, but I'm using cartridges, and I make sure that the cartridge cover is firmly pushed in, which ought to help keep a good seal. I've seen no external leaking at all.

This is my first retractable fountain pen, and well worth the investment. The tank is a little small for heavy use, but perfect for signing documents , etc, during the week. Takes some getting used to, as it looks like I'm using the pen upside down. Ink flow is great, just the right amount of feedback on the page for me, but my husband finds it too slick.

This pen has multiple great qualities. I love the vanishing point-brilliant technology. The best thing about it is the way it writes-flawless. No bleeds, evenly distributed. I have 20 pens of all sorts and this one, hands down, is my favorite. Worth the splurge.

I have owned a pen exactly like this for over 15 years. Recently while in Spain my messenger bag was taken from the back of my chair. You guessed it, my pen was one of the items in the bag. I replaced this pen immediately because I use it in every setting and missed it so. People always notice and comment on the pen but few have heard of it. I have a fine collection of fountain pens but somehow I generally gravitate to the pilot. I just love this pen. This pen always writes immediately with no clogging and the flow of ink is perfection. This new pen will most probably never travel abroad.