Opening Thoughts
As promised at the end of my Lamy 2000 review, today we talk about what I consider it’s only true competitor: the Pilot Capless. You may find models with the same look referred to as the Vanishing Point, they are in fact the same as the Capless. The Capless and the Lamy 2000 is comparable in terms of their uniquely modern designs, extreme performance, and overwhelming popularity. The Capless is what I would consider the most innovative fountain pen every produced. If you are familiar with fountain pens but don’t know about this model, I promise that it will blow your mind.
As possibly one of the oldest writing instruments still utilized today, fountain pens have already formed a specific image in many’s minds, on how it is supposed to look and operate. Traditionally, every fountain pen, even ones as unique as the Lamy 2000, has a cap. Most of them also utilize a built-in piston-fill mechanism for an ink refill. The Pilot Capless, as the name already suggests, is a completely different beast. It doesn’t have a cap nor does it utilizes built-in piston filler. While the Lamy 2000 is most unique in its material choice and design, the Capless is unique in every single aspect. Without further ado, let’s get right into the exciting details.
The Disruptive Design
The design of the Pilot Capless probably evokes the most extreme emotions of any mainstream fountain pens. For most, the unique design will be either love or hate at first sight. Looking at it, it becomes overwhelmingly clear that the Capless is no ordinary pen. I once described the Makrolon Lamy 2000 as stealthy, this black Capless of mine is even more so. The Pilot did the black pen flawlessly down to every detail, at least on the outside. Without the nib out, everything you see, the clip, the barrel, and the end cap are all black.
What about the nib, you may ask. When I said Pilot did the back flawlessly, I really meant it. Pen manufacturers usually leave the golden nibs exposed to display their natural luster. Some may go a step further, coating parts of or the entire nib with rhodium for. The pilot did something completely different here, ionizing the 18-karat nib into a luxurious black color. This ionizing treatment is something I’ve never seen before on a non-Japanese pen manufacturer. Not only does the black ionization gives a unique look to the solid gold, but it also hides minor scratches. For me, these black nibs along with the ones Sailor make are by far my favorites on any fountain pen. But if you prefer other colors for the nibs, Pilot makes everything. From rhodium-plated gold, gold, to various special alloys.
Now on to the elephant in the room: how does a fountain pen operate without a cap? Surprise surprise, this is why I think the Capless is the most innovative fountain pen, it’s a click pen. Though extremely commonly seen on more modern instruments, the Capless is the only click fountain pen I’m aware of existing. The Capless has the largest end cap I’ve seen on any pen period as if it is making a statement. Though the large end cap actually serves multiple reasons as we will discuss in further detail later.
A Feel Like No Other
Have you ever find yourself instinctively fidgeting with your pens’ clicking mechanism? I find myself doing it all the time if I had a click pen at hand. If you also find yourself enjoying, or simply uncontrollably clicking, I believe you will love the Capless. As I mentioned earlier, this pen has the largest end cap I’m aware of existing. To support the large and heavy clicking mechanism, the pen utilizes the heaviest spring I’ve felt on a click pen. The heaviness of the spring makes the clicking mechanism extra loud, satisfying, and outright therapeutic (for yourself only). So please try to control your strong urge to clicking the pen non-stop if you are in a quiet public place.
Another strange thing about the Capless you may notice is its pen clip, another reason why it’s the most innovative fountain pen. Pen clips are usually on the pen’s cap. For click pens, all most all models have the clip place on the rear end of the pen. Either way, the pen’s clip usually never gets in the way of the actual writing. Well, this is not the case for the Capless. The pen clip on the Capless is placed directly behind the pen’s nib, right at where writers hold the pen. This is the only pen clip I’ve seen the serves an ergonomic purpose. The clip has a very specific curve to it and is positioned at an angle to aid the writer to hold the pen correctly. In my personal experience, I also find it helpful in reducing fatigue during prolonged writing sessions.
Heart of the Beast
The Capless is possibly the simplest pen to take apart. A twist + a pull, your pen is now completely disassembled. The pen is really made of only two parts: the shell and the writing mechanism. The writing mechanism portion is available as a standalone product in all combinations of nib size and colors. Thus allowing the owners to make their own unique Capless fountain pen. Since we’ve already touched on the shell of the pen in detail, lets now get into the heart of the beast: the writing mechanism.
The piston-filling converter needs no introduction as it works the same way as every other piston-filler. What’s special about this pen is its versatility: since the converter can be easily separated from the unit, the pen also works with Pilot’s IC50 sized cartridge. Additionally, since each component of the writing mechanism is individually replaceable, this pen is extremely self-serviceable. This is extremely useful since the Capless comes in hundreds of different shell variants, many of which are extremely expensive and limited. If you worry about the nib or ink filler breaking in collector grade pens, there is no such need for the Capless.
So how does the Capless actually writes? Surprisingly with its ultra-modern nib design, it captures the traditional writing feel of fountain pens perfectly. Unlike the Lamy 2000, nib on the Capless isn’t hooded thus making it very flexible. The flexibility brings a lot of possibilities for creative font designs, something unique to the fountain pen genre that the Lamy 2000 lacks in. Though the Capless is available at a cheaper starting price, it comes in fault with 18-karat gold nib compared to Lamy’s 14-karat. It is harder to compare the two nibs of the two models since I have them in different nib sizes. Though the medium nib Capless is surely a smoother write than the fine nib Lamy 2000, which already has some of the best feeling nibs I’ve ever experienced.
Purchasing Options
If you wish to pick-up a Pilot Capless for yourself, the option is limitless. Amazon usually has the basic models on sale for around $100 (non-gold nibs), true bargains in my honest opinion for the most innovative fountain pen available. If you are interested in a slimmer, lighter version of the pen, there is also the Capless Decimo available in more limited color options. Pilot’s premium collector’s line, Namiki, also makes the Capless model. Though extremely pricey, the Namiki pens are breathtakingly beautiful. Expect to see my fellow Nonessentialist Kevin’s beautiful Namiki pen review in the near future. Different ink filler/nib sets are also available for purchase on Amazon priced at around $85, or half the full pen’s retail price.
Finishing Thoughts
I think I might have lied when I said the Pilot Capless is the Lamy 2000’s only true competitor. In reality, the two are both unique in their own rights, and neither of them really has a true competitor in the fountain pen market. The only arena the two compete is in the historical significance. They represent the pinnacle of German vs Japanese modern fountain pen designs and material innovation vs complete disruption of fountain pen design. You really can’t go wrong with either one of the two options.
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