Pilot Capless Review
Recently I bought my first gold-nib fountain pen, Pilot Capless (Vanishing Point).
At first, I had a few concerns. One was its unconventional clip design—I worried it might feel uncomfortable in my hand. Another was Pilot’s denounced CON-20 converter, notorious for its small ink capacity.
That being said, it is a captivating pen. Retractable nib and beautiful black matte design really won me over.
Inside the box, there wasn’t much: just a cartridge protector and the pen itself.
When I started writing, I immediately noticed a difference. The nib glides over the paper much more smoothly than my previous steel-nib pen, with a fine, satisfying scratch sound. Initially, the pen felt a bit scratchy when writing at certain angles. But after adjusting my grip to rest on the little groove on the clip, that issue completely disappeared.
Keep in mind, this pen does require a specific grip, which might be a consideration before you buy it.
As for CON-40, my solution is to use a syringe to fill the gap in the converter. Maybe it’s particularly designed for those who love trying out new ink, or maybe it’s simply the worst converter design on the planet. Who knows?
On the bright side, the pen has remarkable clicking sound and elegant retractable design with which I’m very satisfied. I’ll recommend this one to anyone who wants a retractable fountain pen. But if it’s not your style, you might prefer a different pen with a larger nib at this price point.