Pilot Capless fountain pen
It was my birthday last week, and I got some money from some very kind and generous friends and family members. I wrote a while ago about my lovely Rotring Newton fountain pen, and I’m afraid that I’ve enjoyed using it so much in the intervening time that the fountain pen bug has struck. I’ve been admiring the Pilot Vanishing Point fountain pens (or Pilot Capless or Namiki Vanishing Point — they go under a confusing array of names), and since I had some gift money to treat myself with, I decided to buy one.
I looked at them a while ago, and thought that they were probably a bit expensive, but then found an online retailer, Cult Pens which stocks them at a very good price, and also keeps all the nib sizes in stock. While I still love my Rotring, there are a couple of things that make it slightly less practical for note-taking use at work. This sounds trivial, but taking the cap on and off (to stop the nib drying out) while intermittently taking notes on a talk is a little inconvenient. I’m also prone to misplacing or dropping the cap when I do so, because it isn’t terribly secure when parked on the end of the pen. The second is probably a function of nib width, but the medium nib on the Rotring lays down quite a wet line. This looks nice, and makes for a smooth stroke, but I then tend to smudge it if writing quickly.
I think that the Pilot Capless will solve both of those problems. The retractable nib is a bit of an engineering marvel and works very well. It sounds like a gimmick, but having a fountain pen you can use with the convenience of a ball point is fantastic. I got the fine nib, which lays down a very fine line of around 0.5 mm or less with the Noodler’s Legal Lapiz ink I’m using. It’s almost like a Pilot V5 fineliner, but the line is very smooth and constant. At that width, the ink dries almost instantly, and I’ve even found that I can use it on newsprint to solve a crossword without the ink spreading. The pocket clip looks like it would get in the way of your fingers, but at least with my grip, I find that it stops my fingers slipping on the barrel, and helps to keep them in a good position for writing.
It’s a really lovely experience to write with, and quite a different feel to the Rotring. I keep finding excuses to write little notes or lists with it, because it’s such a sensual thing. I think it’s going to be a great notetaker at work, and I’ll use my Rotring for more leisurely writing at home.
I would also really recommend Cult Pens to anyone buying pens in the UK. It happened that the finish I originally chose (Black Carbonesque) was out of stock, and was on back order for a number of weeks when the delivery they were expecting didn’t materialise. They consequently offered me a discount on another finish, and sent the pen Special Delivery so it would arrive the next day — great service! I’m not affiliated with them, by the way, just a happy customer, and I think that good service deserves public praise.
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"Noodler’s Legal Lapiz ink"
Now there's a name to conjure with, and thinking about it, somebody probably did conjure with it, and for several hours. It is the sort of name which attracts, makes you ask: "Should that have been Doodlers?" Is "Parker's Quink" still available?
I had a supplier who always faxed me handwritten quotes in the most beautiful Copperplate script, the kind of handwriting which would have had any teacher swooning at the sight of it, and Ebenezer Scrooge muttering in his grave "If only Bob Cratchett wrote like that"; it was definately old school, I was wont to ask for unnecessary quotes...........
I have my Step Mother's 1930s Parker, a multilayered confection of blocks of polished Perspex, a joy to hold, and with a nib as wide as the Thames at Putney, if only I could do it justice. I can manage only a few words of delightfully cursive script before it degenerates into the illegible meanderings of a drunken spider missing only a few of its legs. Being a New Man (I have been known to change nappies/diapers; and recently submitted to having my daughter wax my legs as practice for an exam the following day; this, of course necessitated a fast bicycle ride through North Finchley to test my newly aerodynamic lower limbs, and re-establish my manhood!), I have nothing against inebriated arachnids, as long as they don't attempt to drive, I merely use them as an illustration of the paucity of my calligraphic skills.
by Jonathan Briggs @ 06/04/2007 3:44 pm • Permalink •
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Glad you're enjoying the Capless. I work at Cult Pens, but I wasn't in last week. I probably wouldn't have known it was you anyway - that's one problem with knowing people by names like "bsag" - you probably didn't order under that name
We found out recently that the 'Carbonesque' is actually called "Kasuri" in Japan, and it's modelled after a style of Japanese fabric, not carbon fibre. They presumably figured that us in the west wouldn't know what Kasuri would look like.
>Now there's a name to conjure with, and thinking about it, somebody probably did conjure with it, and for several hours. It is the sort of name which attracts, makes you ask: "Should that have been Doodlers?"
Nope, definitely Noodler's - it's named after a type of fishing in the deep South - Noodling for catfish. You use your finger as bait, then attempt to grab the fish when it goes for your finger. Apparently, if you're too slow, they're strong enough to break your finger. I guess you either become good really quickly, or give up.
And "somebody" in this case would be Nathan - Noodler's is a one-man operation.
>Is "Parker's Quink" still available?
It is, but in less colours than it used to be.
Oh, and Capless names - it's 'Capless' in Japan and Europe, but the US got them rebranded as 'Vanishing Point' for some reason. Namiki is Pilot's high-end brand, and they used to brand the Capless as Namiki, but have called them Pilot pens for a while now. It's a bit like Toyota and Lexus. If the low-end Lexus got rebranded as a Toyota, I'm sure a lot of people who had them would keep referring to them as a Lexus.
And yes, the Capless was quite low-end for Namiki - some of their pens sell for £5000.
by Michael Randall @ 06/04/2007 6:02 pm • Permalink •
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If you like the Noodler's Ink it may also be worth trying J. Herbin inks, also available in a very wide range of colours. Check out the range available from the Battersea Pen Home
Regarding pens, I have found nothing to compare to a couple of vintage pens; my Father's old Parker '51 and a Sheaffer PFM (Pen For Men) V.
by Steve Hodgson @ 06/04/2007 7:51 pm • Permalink •
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Ah; tickling trout......
by Jonathan Briggs @ 06/04/2007 8:17 pm • Permalink •
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If you're using Noodler's in the UK, you probably got it from The Writing Desk. They also sell the J Herbin mentioned above, but if you get on with Noodler's, Private Reserve may be a closer match. Both inks are very saturated - very strong colours.
If you don't mind slightly weaker colours, they also do Diamine - made in Liverpool, not very saturated, but a wonderful range of colours, and very well behaved inks.
by Michael Randall @ 06/04/2007 8:43 pm • Permalink •
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Cult Pens comes up as a Google ad when I searched for an Australian retailer; the other ad is for JPens in the US, which appears to carry only the Decimo, only with medium nib, but for US$135 + 5.25 shipping (70 pounds instead of 115 at Cult Pens). Comes in "champagne pink" instead of pearl white: http://urlx.org/jpens.com/3907f
I can see why you ordered the Kasuri/Carbonesque: very elegant textured appearance and, lucky for me, now in stock
btw Happy Birthday (a week late)!
by Audrey Tam @ 06/04/2007 11:27 pm • Permalink •
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I was just at a Spencerian workshop last weekend in Berkeley -- Spencerian is an American mid-19th century variant of copperplate -- at a place that stocked both Herbin and Noodler's inks.
The advantage of Noodler's is that it's one of the few waterproof inks you can safely put in a fountain pen. And it comes in some good colors, but not as many as Herbin...
Enjoy your new pen! What a joy!
by Pica @ 07/04/2007 4:03 am • Permalink •
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Jonathan Briggs: And to add to Michael's information, I believe that the 'Legal' part refers to the fact that the ink is waterproof and fade-proof, so ideal for signing legal papers. Lapiz refers to the blue colour.
Michael Randall: Hey, small world! No, I don't order under the name 'bsag' so you wouldn't have known it was me if you were around then. Must be a great place to work -- I'd be like a kid in a sweet shop around all those wonderful pens. Thanks for all that info -- I've often wondered why there's a catfish on the packaging for Noodler's ink.
Steve Hodgson: Those J. Herbin colours are wonderful.
Michael Randall: I think I did, though it's just possible that I ordered it from the States directly. I'm not sure anyone was stocking it that I could find in the UK when I bought it. Anway, good to see that the Writing Desk stocks it now, along with the J. Herbin and the Diamine. I'd be really spoilt for choice, but I think I might commit the remaining birthday money to some nice inks.
Pica: I love the idea of lavender scented ink.
by bsag @ 07/04/2007 4:16 pm • Permalink •
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I am like a kid in a sweet shop - fortunately, there's a staff discount, so I still get some net pay at the end of the month!
If you didn't go to The Writing Desk before, they are very good - the best selection of ink in the UK, I think, and good reliable service.
by Michael Randall @ 07/04/2007 4:59 pm • Permalink •
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I've been using these pens for quite a while and I love them to death. I have one of the chrome ones, but used to (long story) have the black and blue carbonesque ones, and loved them a great deal.
my current one has a fine nib and I think that I'd really prefer a bolder nib given my lefthanded-ness. the thing about the namiki nibs, I hear and think, is that they text to be about a half size smaller than everyone else (except cross, ironically whose nibs are made by namiki). So a fine is like a fine/extrafine, and a medium is like a fine/sub-medium.
My favorite inks are the Private Reserve inks, as their colors are great..
by tychoish @ 07/04/2007 5:15 pm • Permalink •
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Between your last post about digging, and this post about pens, I'm reminded of a favorite poem by Seamus Heaney. So, thanks.
by steve @ 07/04/2007 5:33 pm • Permalink •
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My favourite pen and the clip also helps my handwriting, sort of "forcing" the grip to be central. The great thing is that it's marvelous for everyday use due to the mechanism. My daughters also compare my handwriting to the last moments of a spider experiencing a long, painful and unwelcome death - more embarrassing when I struggle with deciphering it. Bought my pen in Tokyo, where they see them, as Michael says, as a lower end item. European pens tended to be the status ones. Sailor and Namiki etc are for the discerning, but then writing in Japan is an art form and there is a reverence for the skilled calligrapher. I refuse to sign visitors books when I visit - the spider would ruin them!
by Julian @ 08/04/2007 7:46 pm • Permalink •
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This turned out to be expensive topic for me. Having looked a the capless pen a few times now, I went back and tried one again after reading this. It isn't for me.
The various reviews I read led me to the Lamy 2000 fountain pen and that clearly is for me. The combination of an order for the pen and a few of the inks mentioned here leaves me a little poorer and The Writing Desk a little richer.
by Steve Hodgson @ 09/04/2007 11:35 am • Permalink •
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Drool! Lucky you. I dream of owning one of these. Thanks for writing about it. It reinforces my desire to purchase one when money is available.
by Tina @ 10/04/2007 7:20 pm • Permalink •
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Glad you like this Vanishing Point. I've had a Carbonesque Black for about a year now, also via Cult Pens (generally the best pen/writing shop - on- or off-line - I've come across).
For some odd reason, I have found that the flow of ink is much smoother using ink cartridges rather than the refillable thing-y. I was using Noodlers ink before and found the result (left-handed me, medium nib on the pen) to be quite intrusively 'scratchy'. Much happier now. Just my 2p worth.
I was in a meeting the other day and noted that one of the experts I'd instructed had a plain blue version. When, as the meeting ended, I congratulated him on a fine choice of pens, he said that he had several, to match the linings of his suit jackets...
by Jolyon @ 10/04/2007 9:22 pm • Permalink •
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Thanks, Jolyon.
I've heard that comment about the flow being better with cartridges than the converter a few times now. I've never had any trouble with the converter myself, but I might try a cartridge next time.
A few people on The Fountain Pen Network refill the cartridges using a syringe, so they can use their preferred ink, but still in a cartridge.
@Steve: I'm in the lucky position of also having a Lamy 2000, and I love it. I actually find the nib in the Capless slightly better, but the overall 'living with' experience with the Lamy suits me better. I actually like caps most of the time, and I love minimalist design.
by Michael Randall @ 10/04/2007 10:06 pm • Permalink •
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If you like writing with pens (as opposed to a keyboard) you might be interested to know that Birmingham was once the centre of the world pen trade (along with so many other trades). Birmingham innovations in pen nib manufacture enabled mass production and much lower costs, and made writing accessible to a much greater number of people than at any point previously–much like the internet has made many people's writing accessible to a much wider audience than ever before.
I think this industry was a true force for creativity, expression and self-improvement, playing its part alongside rapidly improving educational provision.
A small insight into this industry is available at the wonderful (tiny) Pen Museum based at the Argent Centre in the Jewellery Quarter. Make sure you ask to make your own nib, and also ask to see the display room at the back!
http://www.birminghamheritage.org.uk/pentrade.htm
If it interests you at all you could pop along next time Mr Bsag displays work at the RBSA gallery
by Soapbox @ 11/04/2007 8:38 am • Permalink •
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When I was a lad I used to think I could be an artist or an architect, but now after many years as a GP my writing has deteriorated to the illegible.
I have several different signatures, each serving a different purpose, each depending upon the need, or otherwise, for expediency.
An ex-patient of mine once described my prescription signature as ' a worm that died'.
Me thinks a Capless sounds just the remedy for my indecipherable scrawl........
by whizzywig @ 14/04/2007 5:56 am • Permalink •
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Hmmm, a long one this.. but I just wanted to add to Michael's post - in Japan the pens come only with cartridges, not the refiller. Trying to control the writer?
by Julian @ 14/04/2007 3:37 pm • Permalink •
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I just came across this pen and having never used a fountain pen before I would like to ask what type of ink can I use? I tried my hand at calligraphy before with a jar of Speedball ink...would it work for this pen if I refill it using that?
by Jennifer @ 18/04/2008 4:33 am • Permalink •
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@Jennifer: You need fountain pen ink. Calligraphy ink is usually pigment-based - it has particles in it that would clog a fountain pen. Even worse, they often contain shellac so they dry nice and shiny - that would clog up the pen and never come out.
by Michael Randall @ 18/04/2008 6:48 am • Permalink •
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