A couple of months ago I saw a photo on instagram of somebody’s collection of fountain pens. One of these pens looked a bit unusual. It didn’t have a lid. But it did have a clip. I was curious, had a look around the internet, and discovered that there was such a thing as a retractable fountain pen. What kind of witchcraft was this?

Pilot Decimo

I read a few reviews, and they were pretty positive. And showed me that there were actually a couple of options - the Vanishing Point and the Decmimo. A bit more thinking, and with a birthday coming up I asked for a medium nibbed Decimo - it’s a bit thinner than the Vanishing Point and I wanted a pen I could put into a pen loop. Oh, and I asked for some of the gorgeous looking Pilot ink too.

My birthday arrived, and both of these things were mine. Just take a moment to look at how beautiful that bottle of ink is. I’ve had expensive perfumes that have been in less attractive bottles than that!

Pen and ink

I’ve had my Decimo for a little over a month now. I have it clipped on to the notebook I carry around with me all the time. And I love it. I was a little concerned about how the clip would work being at the writing end of the pen. But I’ve found it gives my writing stability. Especially when coupled with the alternative penhold that I learned of in the Improve your handwriting book. One of the reviews I read mentioned that the nib had some give and was a bit more flexible than some. This is true. And I don’t mind it at all. I’ve used my Grandad’s Parker 51 as my main pen for the past 5 years, but it finally has a rival for my affection. And I love the ink as well. A great birthday present. Thanks Richard!