Photo: Pilot Europe
A fountain pen that works like a ballpoint — one push, an 18k nib, and a shutter that seals it away again.
Verdict
| What it is | Pilot Capless Stripe, matte black (Pilot Europe ref. FC-2700RB-BM) — a push-button retractable fountain pen: 18k gold nib in a grooved metal barrel |
| Price | ¥52,800 incl. tax — Pilot's Japan list for the Stripe, checked Tue Nov 10, 2026; the matte black is Pilot Europe's finish, unpriced by Pilot |
| Availability | Pilot's regional ranges — Europe for this finish; the US Vanishing Point range does not list the Stripe |
| The angle | Ballpoint manners on a fountain pen — the cap deleted by engineering |
| Verdict | Ballpoint manners; a fountain pen's line. |
What it is
Start with what this pen refuses to carry: a cap. Other fountain pens ship with a lid to post, pocket or put down; the Capless keeps its 18k nib inside the barrel, behind a shutter. One push puts the nib on the page; a second retracts it, the shutter keeping the ink wet. Pilot calls it the world's only push-button retractable fountain pen — six decades on, nobody has shipped a second.
The Stripe's grip is its decoration: fine vertical grooves cut into the metal barrel. The clip sits at the writing end — the button takes the rear. The matte black is Pilot Europe's finish; nibs are fine or medium, filled by cartridge or CON-40 converter.
Why it matters
Born in 1963 — Pilot Japan's webcatalog calls it the world's first knock-type fountain pen — the Capless has outlived every attempt to make it ordinary. The mechanism is not a novelty over a normal pen; it reorganises the object. One hand, pocket to page in a click, no cap to lose: the fountain pen as an everyday tool, not a desk ritual.
Specs
| Brand | Pilot |
| Model | Capless Stripe — matte black (Capless is sold as Vanishing Point in the US) |
| Mechanism | Push-button retractable nib; internal shutter seal (per maker) |
| Nib | 18k gold — fine or medium |
| Fill | Pilot cartridge or CON-40 converter |
| Barrel | Metal, fine vertical grooves (per maker) |
| Length | 140mm (maker's figure) |
| Series since | 1963 |
What to check before buying
- The price needs its footnote. ¥52,800 is Pilot's Japan list for the Stripe model; the matte black here is Pilot Europe's variant, unpriced by Pilot (European retail: €329). Don't let a listing swap one figure for the other.
- Nib choice is narrow. Fine or medium only — no extra-fine in this finish. Small writers: take the fine.
- The clip is at the writing end. It sets how the pen rides in a pocket. Most owners stop noticing within a day; check the photos and decide if you will.
Price record
| Price | ¥52,800 incl. tax |
| Source | Pilot's official Japan price list for the Capless Stripe (effective Jul 1, 2026), checked Tue Nov 10, 2026; the matte-black finish is Pilot Europe's and unpriced by Pilot |
| Featured | Site-first, Tue Nov 10, 2026 — the Instagram post follows as part of a combined carousel |
Want one?
- In the shop: browse current stock — one-off pieces, and they turn over fast.
- Hunting one? Join the Want List — tell us the maker and the budget; pieces like this surface in our trawl most weeks.
- This one: at the source — See it at Pilot. Not our listing. See Disclosure.
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- Toyo Steel T-320 Navy — a toolbox pressed from one sheet, at ¥2,800
- Ichizawa Shinzaburo Hanpu No. 17C — a tool bag unchanged for a century, at $84
- Kiwame Tokyo Kubo Momiji — a leaf in the hollow, at $630
Spotted, not sold by us — this pen lives with Pilot and its dealers. Prices are a snapshot from when we spotted it. Disclosure
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Shop the pick
Pilot Capless Stripe — Matte Black
¥52,800 incl. tax — Pilot's Japan list for the Stripe (matte black is Pilot Europe's finish), checked Tue Nov 10, 2026
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