Evaluation of Namiki Vanishing Point FP

[Old Griz]

Decided to spend a bunch of time writing with my new VP medium tip yesterday....

I love the pen, but I really think I need to get the broad nib, the medium is just a bit too fine for me....
The pen writes real well with the cartridge that came with it, unfortunately I really hate the color blue it came with... ... I wish Namiki did not use a proprietory cartridge and converter....

The pen writes real dry with the Noodlers Sequoia.... just does not seem to like that ink. Can barely see any green in the ink... looks very grey...

Swapped out to PR DC Show 2004 and it wrote real nice with a good solid line, no skipping... pen liked this ink...

Swapped out to Noodlers Red-Black... pen wrote with a nice wet line, no skipping and good color rendition....

I tested all the above inks in one of my personal Jr Gentleman with a standard medium nib and all inks flowed real well...
The Sequoia still wrote a bit dry in this nib and the color is definately not what I was looking for...

All told I am very impressed with the VP ... as long as I put the right ink in it... but am definately calling Pam tomorrow to get a broad nib.. This will be a well used pen for me...
This is definately a pen for someone with gadgetitis....

Will also order some PR Avacado or Sherwood Green... looking for a color that closely matches the green of the pen... Has anyone used either of these colors and do they flow better than the Noodlers.... did not find a Noodlers color I liked similar to them

 

[Mudder]

Pictures?

 

[ldimick]

Originally posted by Old Griz
<br />
Swapped out to PR DC Show 2004 and it wrote real nice with a good solid line, no skipping... pen liked this ink...

All told I am very impressed with the VP ... as long as I put the right ink in it...

The PR DC Show 2004 is my main ink.

You really touch upon a point that I think gets overlooked at times - the quality of ink. A good ink will make a good FP a great FP. But I am not sure any ink will save a bad FP.

How soft is the nib? I find that being left-handed I need a bit more flex in mine. It looks fairly stiff.

 

[Scott]

Hi Tom,

Funny, I found that my favorite ink, Private Reserve Tanzanite, did not do well in my Vanishing Point. For the record, it doesn't do well in my Parker Sonnet either. But it does do great in my cheap Lamy! Go figure! I have been using PR Blue Suede in it, and it looks decidedly green compared to how it flows out of my Baron.

Like I said earlier, I have the fine point in my VP, and I find it just a bit too fine. If you want to lose that medium to help offset the cost of your new broad point, drop me an E-Mail.

I use the PR Sherwood Green ink sometimes, and I think that the Avacado would probably do you better - not because I know the avacado, but the Sherwood doesn't really resemble the color of your pen. PR sells an ink mixing kit, and Avacado with some black might come closer. Let me know how close the Avacado comes if you get it!

I am getting to where I really like PR's American Blue, but I find it to be real close to Parker's Quink in color, and Quink is a real nice ink as well, and readily available.

Take care!

Scott.

 

[woodscavenger]

I saw one of those years ago before the new style came out. I am still preferential to the previous model. I think that pen more than any started my pen love. I bought one of the new style and the medium was way to fine for me as a lefty. It tore the crap out of the paper. Now I would know how to break the nib in but I was a neophite then. I took the pen back and have never had a spare $100 to replace it with. One of these days....

 

[Old Griz]

Originally posted by woodscavenger
<br />I saw one of those years ago before the new style came out. I am still preferential to the previous model. I think that pen more than any started my pen love. I bought one of the new style and the medium was way to fine for me as a lefty. It tore the crap out of the paper. Now I would know how to break the nib in but I was a neophite then. I took the pen back and have never had a spare $100 to replace it with. One of these days....

You can get the VS here for about $75 including shipping and extra gold nib assemblies are $14.00. Pam is fantastic to deal with... she even shipped my pen and then gave me the price... MMMM maybe I should send her a check to say thank you.. [][]
http://www.oscarbraunpens.com/

 

[Old Griz]

Originally posted by Scott
<br />Like I said earlier, I have the fine point in my VP, and I find it just a bit too fine. If you want to lose that medium to help offset the cost of your new broad point, drop me an E-Mail.

I use the PR Sherwood Green ink sometimes, and I think that the Avacado would probably do you better - not because I know the avacado, but the Sherwood doesn't really resemble the color of your pen. PR sells an ink mixing kit, and Avacado with some black might come closer. Let me know how close the Avacado comes if you get it!

Scott, I am having the medium reground to a stub italic when I get my broad nib... will be nice to have some variety...
I have heard on another forum that the Sherwood Green is "THE GREEN" of greens.. a nice deep color without being too bright...
I have been finding that the nib really does make a difference in how the ink color is perceived and laid down on the paper...
I have some Noodler's Red-Black that I put in the VS and one of my medium tip Barons... writing on the same piece of paper you can really see a differenc in the colors...
The VS shows no undertoning of the color and the broader Baron nib shows the darker undertones of the ink nicely... it flows real well in both pens however. Which I can't say for Noodler's Sequoia... that ink just seems to write dry, especially in the VS..

 

[Scott]

Hi Tom,

I've been thinking about the Sherwood Green, so I cleaned out my Parker Sonnet today and filled it up. After writing with it a bit, maybe the Sherwood Green will be the one you want. It is a bit darker than I remember it, and it might come close to the color of your pen.

Who is going to grind that nib for you? I've been thinking I'd like to try an italic nib, just for the heck of it. $14 for the Vanishing Point nib assemblies? I'm going to have to give them a call!

Watch for an E-Mail with a writing sample of the Sherwood Green.

Scott.

 

[Old Griz]

I have been told that there is only one person to have regrind your nibs and that is Richard Binder http://www.richardspens.com/ ... I spoke to him yesterday and he spend about 15 minutes on the phone with me giving me a great education.. because I had no idea what I really wanted...
He has a 3 month backlog, but I have been told it is worth the wait... I saw him at the DC Pen Show and he always had a crowd around his booth...
Really nice guy to talk to and very helpful...
Price to regrind my VP nib is $30...

BTW, I have been told that the Sherwood Green dries very very slowly and sometimes still smudges a week or so after writing... let me know what you find..

 

[woodscavenger]

After looking at Richard Binders site it brings up a question. Do any of our FP's by any chance (cross my fingers....) share the same threading so you could use one of his customized Pelican nibs? Does anyone own one of them and do they interchange with any of ours? Anthony, are you out there?????

 

[PenWorks]

Tom, send it to him. For 30.00 and 3 months, you won't even miss it. It will be really nice when you get it back.

I still kinda regret not buying that Pelikan with the italic nib, but the pen just was a touch to small.

I write with Sherwood Green every day, I do not notice a big diference in drying time or smudging. If you are using a broad stroke and laying down some heavy ink, then it could come into play. But using a fine or medium point no difference.

Shane, I would think they don't match, but do not own a Pelikan to try it.

 

[woodscavenger]

What??!!! All of you pens and not one Pelican. Anthony.....I can't believe it. Someone else needs to step up to the plate now....Who is it going to be?

 

[DCBluesman]

Pelikan nibs do not fit any of the fountain pens from Berea or CS USA. I have not made any PSI fountain pens.

 

[ldimick]

Do any of the other nibs fit CS USA FPs?

 

[alamocdc]

Nope, they won't fit the PSI either. I just screwed a CSUSA FP nib assembly into a PSI RB and it fit perfectly.

 

[Ryan]

Tom,

I bought some of the Sherwood Green from Anthony and I really like it as well. It is a very nice color.

Ryan

 

[driften]

Even if you fit the pelikan nib (actually is a nib, feed, and section) to one of our pens you then would have the problem of getting ink into it. Pelikan nibs are not compatable with cartridges or converters.

 

[PenWorks]

Originally posted by woodscavenger
<br />What??!!! All of you pens and not one Pelican. Anthony.....I can't believe it. Someone else needs to step up to the plate now....Who is it going to be?

Thanks alot Shane, that was just enough to push me over the edge ! [xx(] I ordered the Pelikan today with the italic nib & sent two of my gold nibs to get reground. []