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Few pens have been capable of developing the legacy that the Namiki Vanishing Point has. I recently came across a Namiki Vanishing Point over at the FPN Marketplace while browsing for something new to add to my collection. I’ve liked the design of them ever since I got to play with one that a buddy of mine had in his office (Thanks Roy!). I did some research on the pens, and discovered that my favorites were the later Namiki models of the Vanishing Point that were released before Pilot took over the branding. What sold me on this particular model was the single piece clip/end design. It was sleek and attractive, and I liked the finish on them more than the Pilots, which have a pressed on clip.

Needless to say, when luck happened to flow my way and just such a pen came up on FPN for $80, I jumped on it. It was a good deal, and the timing was perfect, since I wasn’t broke for a change. To date, this is the most expensive pen that I have bought (yeah, I know, I’m a cheapskate). I will certainly say that it is money well spent. At least in pen terms. I don’t think there’s any way to make someone who isn’t a pen person understand how more than $10 on a pen can be well spent, am I right?

So, the pen came in a couple weeks ago. It’s the 1994 model with a black faceted body. After using it for the past couple weeks, I am a little disappointed in the plastic body, as it feels a little cheap, and I noticed that the clip has bitten into the soft plastic of the body a tad. I would also be concerned with the pressure put on the plastic body threads joining the section. Overall, those are my biggest complaints. Regardless, I wasted not one moment getting it filled and trying it out, and it has remained on my desk since the day it arrived.

The Japanese fine nib has a relatively small sweet spot, but writes fairly wet when you hit it. It’s great at work for taking notes. The nib unit in this pen is not original to the pen (being made in 2005), but you’d never know to use it

without a close inspection. I like the converter with it as well. Even though it’s short, it holds a good amount of ink for the space allowed. You can still go through it fairly fast with a wet flowing pen. Changing to a different size or shape nib is as easy as replacing the assembly when you take it out to fill it, and the units can be had for around $25 on eBay. Custom jobs can also be acquired through the likes of Richard Binder.

Some people complain about the positioning of the clip, that it gets in the way while trying to hold and write with it. To be honest, I think the clip helps. It adds some meat and shape to the end of the pen when you are holding it. I have small to average sized hands mind you. But I don’t have one complaint about the clip placement and really think that it just adds to the feel.

If you are looking for a good carry-along pen, or can’t be bothered with caps (for you doctor or clipboard carrying types), then I highly recommend trying one out. I find myself jotting a lot more down since I don’t have to unscrew a cap every time I need to ink something down. Give it a chance, see what you think, and take comfort in a pen that you can always get your money back out of.

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