I reviewed my pair of Pilot Vanish Points back in 2020 however there are a number of other variants now available in the UK. One of these is the thinner model, the Decimo, which has been around in Japan for almost as long as the original model.

I have been leant this pen by Scribbles from the United Inkdom review group. In his review he does complain about how we still call it a Capless in this country, however you will note I will not here. Side note, he jokes that the name came from Decimatus (and it is indeed 10% narrower) and hints at the origins. All I can say is keep your eagles safe when in Germany.

This will not be a full review as the mechanism is the same as on the standard Vanishing Point, instead I will try to concentrate on how it feels in comparison and on the nib. Note in the UK you can not buy a Decimo or Vanishing Point with the stub nib as standard, however a few UK stores do sell the nib section in this size.

For me the Decimo is toward the limit of how narrow a pen I can comfortably use. A quick side by side comparison showed that it is still slightly wider than a Lamy 2000 at the places where I hold them. As these sort of pens are targeted really at note taking, and indeed when mine are used they are attached to my pocket journal. Being on the more narrower side is not an issue unless your notes are going to cover many pages. If you are going to use a Decimo for an extended writing period pen then you need to make sure you are happy with thinner pens, though there are many far more narrow than this.

And now we get to the nib of the matter. Sorry couldn’t resist. This particular pen comes with a stub nib though I would only say it is only about as wide as a Western broad (and the nibs in the Pilot retractables tend to be European sized, not Japanese). It is a little unforgiving and writes far more like an italic, with the rounded off corners feeling more like they are squared, giving a crispness of line but also being unforgiving if you are off angle. This really is a nib for those who want to do calligraphy or write in a slow, neat, and methodical way.

One of the past issues with this range of pens was nib sealing with resultant ink evaporation. I did previously note that my 2019 Tropical Turquoise VP was a lot better than my 2016 ‘Storm Trooper’, however over time that one did start to get worse as ink splatter and drops affected the internal mechanism and seal. Well here we have a 10-12 month old pen that has seen roughly 50% ink evaporation in just a month. Looks like no improvement there and I may just have been lucky with my second Tropical Turquoise.

So my thoughts. Well if you fancy a Vanishing Point and find they are just a bit too wide for you then this is the perfect option. Also if you want a VP for a pen loop and find them just a little too large, again the Decimo could be a good choice. Reality is there is little difference between a Vanishing Point and a Decimo. They are the same price, same length, made of the same materials, use the same nib units and mechanism, it is just the width has been reduced by 10%.

On the nib, well it’s hard for me to say as it does not suit my style and just makes my scruffy writing look worse. It can be a fun nib, but with the slightly sharp edges this really does feel more like it is there for calligraphers not everyday writers, so bare that in mind. The nib units are presently £135 from Write Here, and while I could find 4 other UK based stores selling Vanishing Point nib units, only Hamilton Pens also have a stub nib in, and only in rhodium finish (at the good price of £107.50, though I suspect with new stock the price will match Write Here and the other stores).

Writing Sample: