On Modern Capless

There are three models of Pilot Capless currently available in the market. Or, at least, in Japan, as the distribution of Pilot pens overseas follows some strange patterns. These three models are named as Capless (or Vanishing Point in the North American market), Décimo, and Fermo.

From top to bottom, Fermo in black, Décimo in burgundy, and regular Capless (Vanishing Point) in green with golden trim.

How do they compare? Beyond the pictures, these are some hard facts:

The regular Capless model comes in both golden and silver trims (plus the newer matte black finish), as well as with steel (JPY 10000) and 18 K gold nibs (JPY 15000). As was reported previously on these Chronicles, golden trimmed nibs in steel or in gold need to be adapted to operate correctly in Décimo and Fermo pens.

The regular Capless (gold trimmed) is now in the middle, with the Fermo on the left, and the Décimo on the right.

The Fermo, as opposed to the Capless and the Décimo, is very symmetric on the mouth. This design, combined with the small portion of the nib sticking out of the pen body, does not allow for a high grip despite the high position of its center of mass.

The basic differences are clear. The Décimo is slimmer then the others –in fact, it looks much slimmer than what the bare numbers say—, and the twist-operated Fermo is the heaviest of the lot. However, the main difference lies in the position of the center of mass—roughly the same for Décimo and Capless, but much higher up for the already heavier Fermo. This feature might make the Fermo more apt for those with big hands or those who grab their pens high up.

Pilot Elite pocket pen, posting nib – Pilot Blue

Bruno Taut
Yokohama, October 21st, 2012
labels: Pilot, Capless