Editing The Pen Addict 204/transcript (section)

== Vanishing Point Pens ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So, you know, did we talk about last week the stuff I saw in Chicago? At the pen show, the vanishing point? Is that why this next link is in the show notes here?

'''Myke Hurley:''' No, I have no idea what you're talking about.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Okay. So, you put in a link to the show notes about a Pilot Capitalist Vanishing Point original 1960s. That's up on eBay right now. I saw this pen at the Chicago pen show and I almost bought it. It was like a consideration for me to buy. Because it was there. It was in my hand. I got to look at it, see it. I don't think it's not this exact one.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So, this is the original design, right?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I don't think it's the very, it's not the very first design. Because they were, their first designs were much simpler. They didn't have this level of detail with the black stripe patterns and things like that. This is the coolest looking one. This is probably the most popular vintage one. Just because of its style. The one I saw was in pristine condition. Didn't have a box and paperwork. Like, this one has the box and everything with it. Which is kind of crazy. So, the one I saw in Chicago, I very much considered it. And when I decided not to buy it, I texted Myke Dudek. I said, hey, Myke. They have something here you might be interested in. And I shot him over a text. And they were asking $650 for it, which I thought was a fair price.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Wow.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Now, looking at this price, it's definitely a fair price. So, this one on eBay that we'll link in the show notes is $1,100.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' What do you think about this pen? Could you go $650 on this pen? I just couldn't feel like it was, no matter the cost, I felt like if I paid it, I couldn't use the pen. Like, I won't buy a pen unless I'm going to use it. I would have trouble using this pen. So, that was my hesitation. Not the money as much as the money plus the not using it. And I couldn't see myself using it very much.

'''Myke Hurley:''' If I was a big fan, you know, of the Vanishing Point, like a real big fan, like I had a bunch of them, I would go $650, I think. $650 is, like, it's expensive. But for, like, a really good vintage pen, like I can see going to that level. But $1,100? Yeah. I'm not so sure anymore. Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Tiff, have you ever used a Vanishing Point?

'''Tiff Arment:''' I did at the pen show.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Okay. What do you think about them? So, from your perspective, just for anyone who doesn't know you or isn't familiar with you or didn't get to meet you in Atlanta, you're pretty new to this whole fountain pen thing, right? You've always used pens and paper, and we're going to get into all this. But from a fountain pen perspective, you're pretty new.

'''Tiff Arment:''' Actually, not as new as you think. Cool. Yeah. So, it's not as new as you would think. But new to all the modern fountain pens and everything. Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So, what do you think about the Vanishing Point just as a pen? Like, I'm a fan. I use it. Myke, not so much. So, what is your take?

'''Tiff Arment:''' I think it's really cool, and it's definitely one that I would want in my collection because it's such a unique, cool design. And when Myke was showing them to me and we were looking at them at the pen show, I understand why Myke doesn't want it because you're left-handed and you can't hold it the way you want to, right? But I kind of fell in love with one of them. Yeah. Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' They're kind of pretty cool. They're kind of pretty cool. They are. They're beautiful. And that's what I got in Atlanta. I got my orange one in Atlanta. That made me happy to where I didn't feel like I needed the old school black stripe Vanishing Point. But I totally – I had to text Dudek about this because he is into these even deeper than I am. And I don't know. He thought about it. It was a good price, and it was interesting. But this one, $1,100 one, there's no chance.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So, whilst we're talking about Vanishing Point, so I was going to mention this later on, but I'll mention it now. Jeff sent over the ink to me that I bought in Atlanta. And he included in the package a 1990s version of the Vanishing Point.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yes. You got the green and chrome. It's faceted, right? Yep. The green faceted model. That's the best design they've ever done for a Vanishing Point, I think. It's very different. It generally looks the same as the modern ones, but it's much lighter. It's a touch thinner, and the clip is more integrated into the barrel. It's the best design. Obviously, they've been making them for over 50 years now. This is the best design that they did, and I wish they would go back to it, honestly. Do you know why I wish they would go back to it?

'''Myke Hurley:''' Because I can use it.

'''Tiff Arment:''' Yeah.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Because the clip, the way that the clip is, it has a way lower profile. Yes. And it's much, much easier to hold. And I have been using it very happily over the last couple of days.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So I'm very pleased that I can use this, but I wish they would go back to this as well. Because this is a design style that I actually just think is more comfortable. And I can't 100% understand why they decided to make the clip protrude as much as they did. But this, I threw the cartridge in it that I have in my M90, the little purple Namiki cartridges. And I'm very, very happy with it. And so I'm very pleased that Jeff sent it to me. And I believe he sent this to me, if I remember correctly, because I gave him my... Yeah, I did. I sent him my original Vanishing Point that I bought way back in the day on the show, like my first big fountain pen purchase. Oh, gotcha. Because I never used it. And he liked it. So I sent it to him. So he sent this one to me. Cool. And I really, really like this pen a lot.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I'd love for a pilot to sneak it in one year as a limited edition, just like they redid the M90 about five years ago. So I would like to see some kind of Vanishing Point anniversary with this integrated clip model back in play. That'd be cool.