Scored on 275 verified owner verdicts, from 1,721 comments read across 5 communities
TL;DR
A retractable, click-deploy fountain pen with a smooth gold nib that fans use daily for years and rate the best EDC writer; the included clip placement and grip divide some buyers.
77% of 275 verified owners recommend the Pilot Vanishing Point, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
1,721 comments reviewed · scored on the 275 clearest verdicts
77%
Recommend
212 owners
11%
Neutral
29 owners
12%
Don't recommend
34 owners
Last 6 months:100% recommend(6 recent verdicts)↑ trending up 24pts vs older reviews
Source
Breakdown
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
79%
180
Fountain Pen Network
67%
51
YouTubeiOrdinary owner comments (not the reviewer). They line up with what owners say on Reddit and forums — within a few points — so we count them here. When YouTube comments skew too far from other trusted sources, we leave them out.owner comments
79%
39
Independent blogsiIndependent blogs with no affiliate links or paid relationship — we checked every one.no affiliate links
80%
5
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
Affiliate blogsiThese blogs earn a commission when you buy. Across our data they rate products ~35 points more positively than actual owners — shown for transparency, never counted in the score.paid commission
100%
1
No clear verdictiGood-to-know notes — setup, tips, and things to watch for. We use them for the pros, cons, and who it's for, but they don't reflect a definitive opinion on the product, so they're never counted in the score. See the 'Good to know' section below the quotes.Setup, tips & quirks
—
13
Affiliate blogs here say 100% recommend, while the owner-based score is 77%. They earn a commission on every sale — so we show them for transparency but never let them move the score.
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. Affiliate blogs is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
Retailers' own star averages, for comparison — separate from our vetted owner-verdict score above.
Top quotes, sourced
1,721 reviewed · 213 shown
Sentiment
Community
Sort
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“I have Document Black and whilst it's incredibly well-behaved on pretty much any paper and is a pleasure to write with, it clogged my Pilot Vanishing Point pretty badly and has definitely stained a few pens.”
YouTube▲ recommend
“I cannot recommend it highly enough”
YouTube— neutral
“it’s hard to see the ink level with the CON 40”
Reddit▲ recommend
“My beloved Pilot Vanishing Point, inked with Sailor Sei-boku. Writes smoother and cleaner than anything else I’ve used, the retracting mechanism is impressively effective at preventing the nib from drying out”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“Pilot Vanishing Point with a converter that actually does what it’s supposed to & doesn’t rattle (a $176 pen should not rattle when you shake it)”
YouTube— neutral
“I like the old nosecone style better”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“Of those 2, Lamy 2000 blows the Vanishing point out of the water.
You should try to find people that have them already so you can try them before buying.
I wish I never bought my vanishing point.”
YouTube— neutral
“it has a gold-colored nib that clashes a little with the design”
YouTube▲ recommend
“I love my Pilot VP”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“my Pilot Vanishing Point also dries out in a day or so and one of the two nibs I got for it was unusable out of the box.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“I’m into Kaweco Sport and Pilot Vanishing Point fountain pens”
YouTube— neutral
“ive always hated the con 40”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“Pilot vanishing point. I thought I’d be obsessed with the pen, but the clip just ruins my grip for me and I can’t get over it. I still use it and it was my first bigger purchase, but I definitely reach for other pens to ink up before this one.”
YouTube▲ recommend
“My Pilot Vanishing Point is my favorite fountain pen”
YouTube— neutral
“The VP isn't my first choice for lengthy writing session, but I still find it suitable for them”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“I like it almost as much as my pilot vanishing point, which is sadly cracking and isn’t made any more.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“I carry a Pilot Vanishing Point (AKA Capless) every shift as my daily writer and it has not let me down in the over 5 years I have been carrying it. I syringe refill an empty cartridge and the capacity is pretty good. It’s been through rain storms, winters, violent arrests, it’s been dropped on most any surface you can think of, and still no issues.”
YouTube— neutral
“It was thicker than I expected after using a different Pilot pen with a Fine nib”
Reddit— neutral
“Pilot Vanishing Point, F (I still think this pen is kinda ugly, but boy do I love how it writes - this pen and Akkerman #09 Laan van Nieuw Oost Indigo make the perfect pair)”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“For me jinhao 10 press ef has a line width much more thicker than the pilot vanishing point ef !!!”
YouTube▲ recommend
“I love my PIlot Vanishing Point!”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“Pilot vanishing point. Worst pen I’ve ever bought. Never works when needed. Always always always dry. Infuriating because everyone says it’s such a great pen… it’s not. A pen that doesn’t write when needed is NOT a good pen. I’ve had three. All three are failures”
YouTube▲ recommend
“Its actually comfortable!!!”
Reddit— neutral
“I enjoy using them just as much as I enjoy using my mid range Platinum Procyon and Pilot Vanishing Point.”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
Redditⓘ good to know
“Even with my Pilot vanishing point, I am forced to slow down, press gently (to avoid damaging nibs, but also because I don't have to press hard!), and think about what I'm doing.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“It’s amazingly smooth, even smoother than my pilot vanishing point fine.”
Fountain Pen Networkⓘ good to know
“It is a bit scratchy, which I wasn't expecting, and that seems to be a function of it being at EF. It isn't HORRIBLY scratchy, just a bit, and writes far scratchier than my Hero 100”
Fountain Pen Networkⓘ good to know
“mine did it initially. Some old posts indicate that it goes away after just a little use, and mine did stop squeaking after perhaps one or two cartridges' worth of ink.”
Fountain Pen Networkⓘ good to know
“I have four variants of the pen: Fermo, Decimo, Regular and Faceted. The last is more ergonomic. The fermo is discreet and engages without making noise.”
Fountain Pen Networkⓘ good to know
“My Decimo F nib is much more like an XF, especially when compared to my VP F, which is broader than the Decimo(though close to a Lamy or TWSBI XF nib). Interestingly, the Decimo nib is smoother than the VP nib.”
Fountain Pen Networkⓘ good to know
“I'd heard that VP nibs weren't well standardized; both the original and the replacement were, presumably, size F, but the new nib writes broader than the broken one had, and I miss the former fineness of the fine line.”
Fountain Pen Networkⓘ good to know
“sometimes I get a little, high-pitched, squeaking from the nib. I can even feel it squeak. Not really annoying, just peculiar.”
Fountain Pen Networkⓘ good to know
“the current setting seems to be pretty satisfactory for me without sacrificing the ability to write a little larger”
Redditⓘ good to know
“Wildly surprised to see how wet and wide it runs especially since Japanese pens tend to run finer.”
Fountain Pen Networkⓘ good to know
“While I have a completely different appreciation of the admittedly temperamental Pilot Capless”
Redditⓘ good to know
“I’ve had to resort to keeping a stash of refilled cartridges with me daily”
Redditⓘ good to know
“For the longest I used my 2015 LE VP but it sees little use now a days.”
