Retractable fountain pens are not exactly new in the market. The Pilot Vanishing Point has been around for a number of years and is usually a staple in a fountain pen enthusiast’s collection. However, due to its gold nib offering, the Pilot Vanishing Point may fall out of budget for some.
When Platinum announced the Curidas, it immediately caught people’s attention and there was an increase in demand and hype for this pen. Aside from the click retractable feature, it was the $80 price point that appealed to the market.
Retractable fountain pens aren’t new but they are rare.
Why we might need more retractable fountain pens in the market…
Retractable fountain pens: is it a fad? Will it become a fad now that Platinum dared to compete with the Pilot VP?
People don’t write as long as they used to
While I love writing with my fountain pens, one thing that kind of irks me sometimes is the need to cap it all the time. I don’t write for a long period of time (except with the Morning Pages) so I write a bit sporadically. Back when writing on paper was one of the primary means of communication, this might have not been something that bothered people. The risk of the ink drying up is lower because they can leave their pens uncapped for a long time since they use it all the time.
The nibs are (somehow) protected
Whenever I use my fountain pen, I have to cap and uncap all the time.
I tend to leave the cap half screwed or half capped when I know that I would be using the fountain sporadically. Luckily, I haven’t dropped a pen nib first. If I had dropped one of my pens with the cap off, my fountain pen would be screwed.
One of the advantages of click retractable fountain pens is that you can hide the nib every so often. Of course, this isn’t foolproof. If you drop the pen when the nib is exposed, your fountain pen nib will be ruined.
It can encourage others to start the hobby
People who are not knowledgeable about fountain pens might find a retractable fountain pen appealing. The click retractable design is already something that they’re familiar with – rollerballs or ballpoint pen. Retractable fountain pens might seem less intimidating to them and might be enough to influence them in getting into the hobby.
The retractable fountain pens in the market are expensive
A few well-known retractable fountain pens are the Pilot Vanishing Point, Pilot Decimo, and the Lamy Dialog 3. All of these pens range from $130 to approximately $200. For someone who is just starting in the hobby, it is difficult to justify the cost of these retractable fountain pens.
The Platinum Curidas, which is half the price of the Pilot Vanishing Point, will definitely attract more fountain pen geeks whether beginner or novice.
Why aren’t there more capless/retractable fountain pens?
It costs a lot to design and manufacture click retractable fountain pens. Platinum reportedly spent 5 years of R&D for the Curidas that they couldn’t allow authorized retailers to offer it at a discounted price.
The fountain pen community is already a niche market to begin with. Even in a niche market, not all fountain pen enthusiasts are thrilled about capless fountain pens. Some find that the retractable design is too close to a ballpoint pen or some just don’t like hiding the nibs!
Going back to cost, if there is a niche within a niche, would a pen manufacturer still bother to spend for R&D and manufacturing of this specific type of fountain pen?
The next best thing to retractable fountain pens are those pens that are quick to draw. Meaning – these fountain pens will take the least amount of time to cap and uncap.
Goulet Pens provided a nice list for us here:
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