I normally don’t rush into product reviews. I like to spend some time with products prior to writing an article, usually a few weeks at a minimum. That’s not a firm rule-there are plenty of exceptions to be made-but the more time I spend with a product, the better idea I have on its pros and cons, and how people might use it.
The Pilot Decimo is one of those exceptions, for a few reasons.
One, I’ve been on vacation, and didn’t have an article banked for today. I like to get ahead of the game, but I’ve already let April get ahead of me a bit. And that’s perfectly ok when time off is involved.
Bought for $200 at the 2023 Atlanta Pen Show. The stock Decimo is currently priced around $160.
Two, this Decimo is fresh in my mind. It was part of my Atlanta Pen Show haul two weekends ago, and has been close at hand ever since.
And three, I know what to expect from this pen. I’m already a fan of the Pilot Vanishing Point, and you may ask “What is the difference between the Pilot Vanishing Point and the Pilot Decimo?”
Barrel diameter.
That’s it. That’s the list.
And honestly, that’s what I wanted to test. I love the Vanishing Point, but it teeters right on the edge of being too wide. It’s not, I don’t think, but what if it were slightly narrower?
That’s the Decimo in a nutshell. That slight diameter difference (10.8 mm grip/12 mm barrel vs. 12 mm grip/13.7 mm barrel on the Vanishing Point,) gives this pen a different feel. And in my week plus with this pen, I think it makes a world of difference. Pilot must think so too, as evidenced by the mere existence of this model. And in the Japanese market, it seems closer to equal footing with the Vanishing Point.
Vanishing Point, top, vs. Decimo.
That’s not the case here in the US market, or the rest of the world outside of Japan. We are stuck with a few basic Decimo colors, which aren’t refreshed every year. There’s no limited edition release, no sneaky store collaboration, no nothing. It’s the opposite in Japan, with endless choice, and constant product updates.
The Decimo nose cone is slightly smaller to accommodate the narrower barrel diameter.
My Decimo was part of a 20 pen release in Japan in 2020, with five colors launched each quarter throughout the year. You read that right-20 new Decimos in a single calendar year. Is that a bit of an outlier? Sure. But that didn’t stop the regular flow of store model and limited releases throughout the country.
In the US market? Bupkis. And not changing any time soon, despite our collective leaning on Pilot USA at the Atlanta Pen Show.
Same with the clip.
This post is more of a stump speech than a review, in that I think the Decimo should be given more love outside of Japan. It’s a great pen, which, if you already like the Vanishing Point, you may like the Decimo even more.
Do I? That’s where time and testing come in. We shall see. I certainly don’t like it less, so Pilot, why not give me a few more Decimo colors to test out to see what I really think?
Until then, I’ll keep writing with this Purple Brushed Metal 2020 Pilot Decimo, with a Matthew Chen Kodachi nib grind on its Medium 18k nib unit. And as long as I have it, I’ll keep asking for more to be available around the globe.
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