The Pilot Capless LS is a Vanishing Point-style retractable fountain pen that was released on May 20, 2020. The pen has a push button at the top but uses a different mechanism from the traditional Vanishing Point
The retail price of the Capless LS fountain pen will be 35,000 JPY. The pen will have an 18K gold nib. It’s not yet clear if the nibs will be compatible with the Vanishing Point pens.
The Capless LS might look like a Vanishing Point, but it will has a new “knock and twist” retraction system. The fountain pen nib is knocked by pushing the button on the top of the pen, as expected, but the retraction action will be done by turning the knob right below the top button. The retraction is smooth and silent, so the action should be gentle enough not to disrupt the pen or its ink. The motion is slow and smooth as opposed having a full-speed retract action like the Vanishing Point.
As the top button is pushed down the knob at the bottom of the button turns counter-clockwise. When the knob is pushed to release the nib it turns by itself (powered by a spring) clockwise until the nib is back in its resting position.
Like the Vanishing Point, the Capless LS will have a shutter that keeps the ink from drying out and a clip that is mounted at the grip of the pen, not at the top. There is no option to buy the pen without a clip, despite many people requesting this feature on the VP.
One new feature of the Capless LS is a stylized middle ring with diagonal lines. This piece is slightly indented and quite handsome, given the pen a kind of waist as opposed to a normal center ring which bulges out.
The Capless LS is sold in gloss black, gloss navy blue, gloss purple, and a “stealth” fully matte black colorways. They will have fine and medium gold nibs with a rhodium finish. The stealth model could be more affordable than the others and will likely be the most popular of the models.
Pilot Capless LS Fountain Pen Information
| Street Price | Check Price |
| Manufacturer | Pilot |
| Pen Type | Fountain Pen | Cartridge/Converter |
| Rating | |
| Barrel Color | Gloss Black, Matte Black, Blue, Purple |
| Barrel Material | Metal |
| Body Diameter (mm) | 13.6 |
| Grip Color | Gloss Black, Matte Black, Blue, Purple |
| Grip Material | Metal |
| Country of Origin | Japan |
| MSRP | $350 |
| Still Sold | Yes |
| Release Year | 2020 |
| Similar To | |
| Refills | |
| Capped? Retractable? | Retractable - Top Button |
| Clip? | Metal |
| Length Capped / Retracted (cm) | 14.5 |
| Weight (g) | |
| Nib Material | 18K Gold |
| Nib Color | Silver |
| Nib Sizes | Fine, Medium |