Matt Black Vanishing Point refinished by Pilot - FOC

[gylo]

My Matt Black Vanishing Point never misses a beat and was used every day for around a year!

It started looking a little worse for wear and I couldn't help being disappointed about what appeared to be a fragile finish on an otherwise bulletproof pen.

Long story short, Pilot UK requested I send it to them, shortly after they reported that it had been shipped off to Japan, a week or so later its back in my hands. Total refurbished and looking better than ever!

Excellent service and a great experience!

I'm not sure if they have improved the durability of the paint or something but it seems a lot better so far!

[brewsky]

I have the gunmetal and matte black. I sent it to pilot USA, they refinished all the matte finishes. They must have a different type of finish because I have yet to have another problem with my vanishing point after that initial problem with its finish.

[LagNut]

This is good info. I came into a matte black VP when my daughter wanted my Pelikan instead for a grad gift. I haven't used it but I might now so if the finish has issues I find out sooner rather than later.

Thanks much!
Mike

[serpent]

are they actually refinishing the pen or sending you out a new improved finish body with old nib unit?

[OakIris]

Really? No "before" and "after" photos? :( Oh well, too bad for us.

Glad you are pleased with the finish restoration work Pilot did for you. Just out of curiosity, presuming this couldn't have been warranty work, what did Pilot charge to do this? (I wasn't even aware they provided this service.)

Holly

[brewsky]

Really? No "before" and "after" photos? :( Oh well, too bad for us.

Glad you are pleased with the finish restoration work Pilot did for you. Just out of curiosity, presuming this couldn't have been warranty work, what did Pilot charge to do this? (I wasn't even aware they provided this service.)

Holly
I was not charged. They had my pen for two months... I called weekly for updates with little feedback. The finish is definitely different, it is more coarse.

[gylo]

It was all done free of charge and the finish has a bit more texture, in a good way!

See attached!

[ArnieJB]

Good to know. My matte black VP is getting pretty dinged up. I went out and bought a black carbonesque one so the finish would hold up better. I may send the matte one back for the refinishing.

[C40]

Huh.. my matte black VP is looking pretty worn.. maybe I'll check with them. Two months sounds pretty long though :-(

[Wrathen]

I hope my Matte VP that is on the way is the new finish

[LagNut]

OK, I've been using the matte black VP for two months, in pockets, rolling off desks, etc. - no dings.

I'm wondering if I am just really gentler than I'd give myself credit for, or if this is just the good finish.

The pen is over two years old, so I expected chips by now. Were the early versions the problem, or was this mid production? Anyone know?

Thanks
Mike

[reprieve]

I don't know. I've had a matte black VP since it originally came out. I haven't tossed the thing around (I typically carry it in a pen case in my bag although I have clipped it to my shirt collar before and it does roll around a bit on my desk when in use) and it's not my everyday carry (although it does get inked regularly), but I haven't handled it with kid gloves. I haven't seen any wear. A couple of light scratches maybe, but no dings or gouges in the finish. No brassing. I bought the pen as soon as it hit the market so mine definitely came from one of the early batches. I've seen photos of them pretty banged up and brassed and I like the look. It reminds me of a well-loved Leica. I'm actually kind of disappointed mine hasn't shown more wear.

[GING GING]

I saw one recently that was all black and the nib was also black ion coated. It looked great. Can any one tell me what this one is called.

[LagNut]

I don't know it being called anything but matte black. This thread is about that pen.

[LagNut]

I've started to see issues with the finish now. Took a while. Most apparent is it's lost the matte and became shiny. There are also a few spots where the metal shows through. I'm now conflicted about getting it repaired. "Well-loved Leica" indeed.

The interesting thing to me is my first VP was the shiny black and it looks as good as the day I bought it. And its been under my constant beating for most of that time. I love these pens!

Mike

[GING GING]

[QUOTE=LagNut;102628]I don't know it being called anything but matte black. This thread is about that
It's so not necessary to be rude. All I did was ask a question. There are matte black VPs with white gold nibs and there are matte black VPs with black nibs. I was simply asking if they have a specific name; like maybe stealth, or something like that.

[reprieve]

There's an older, faceted matte black version that's sometimes called the Stealth. But I believe this version is just called "matte black," regardless of the nib's plating color.

[LagNut]

Ging Ging

Sorry if that seemed rude to you. I was being, in my mind, accurate. I'll keep our impedance mismatch in mind in the future.

I did searches before answering, and didn't see any other official names.

Cheers
Mike

[GING GING]

Ging Ging

Sorry if that seemed rude to you. I was being, in my mind, accurate. I'll keep our impedance mismatch in mind in the future.

I did searches before answering, and didn't see any other official names.

Cheers
Mike

Sorry your searches didn't turn up anything. I just did a few searches and found out it IS called the stealth version.

[C40]

Here's what mine looks like after about 1.5 years of regular use in rotation with 6 or so other pens:
http://i.imgur.com/axm0h0e.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/rGm79EI.jpg

I emailed Pilot USA customer service today.

[folksathome]

What did they say?