Capless
In 1964, the Japanese brand Pilot launched the first fully retractable fountain pen on the market: the Pilot Capless. An absolutely new product that would revolutionize the world of handwriting, which since 1972 would also be known as “The vanishing point”, and which, more than half a century after its appearance, continues to occupy a place of privilege within the Pilot product catalog due to its sales volume and its great acceptance among fountain pen fans.
The secret of the Capless collection is none other than its enormous functionality, its cleanliness and its immediacy, as it allows the nib to be extracted from the inside of its body with the simple press of a button when the user wants to start writing and retract it again using the same procedure. once the writing session is over. A practical and effective mechanism that works like that of a traditional ballpoint pen, but that includes a small novelty consisting of the sealing of the nib, once hiden, with a small metal plate that prevents the ink from drying out when it is not in use, causing problems due to consequent jams. This particularity makes the existence of a cap totally unnecessary and explains the choice of its name.
As far as their construction and elements are concerned, Capless fountain pens are made of metal covered in a soft lacquer of different colors and have various ornamental details that, depending on the model, can have a rhodium or gold-plated finish. Its nib is made of 18K gold and its loading mechanism is by cartridges or converter.
In addition to the aforementioned aesthetic options, the Capless collection is currently divided into two series differentiated, basically, by their size: the Pilot Capless and the Pilot Capless Decimo. Although their length is practically identical, the second of them is distinguished by its smaller diameter and, consequently, its greater lightness, being a more suitable choice for users with small hands or who simply like lighter and more manageable fountain pens.
