This is an edit of my previous 4 star review.

After doing a bit of research and testing other VP products, the converter is indeed supposed to leave a bit of air, and is working correctly.

I have been using this as my primary writting insturment for months and love it more every day. The quality is impecable.

The only issue I've had was some minor (I mean just a few drops) leaking when I flew on 4 different airplanes with a full converter. I would expect this from such frequent changes in pressure, and now just put it in a plastic bag with a tissue around the nib end or empty the converter before a flight.

If I was going to be sensible (which I'm not), I'd stop buying fountain pens right now, because this one is perfect for me. Writes smoothly, ready to go in an instant, looks fantastic. A bit of advice on the converter...I found that the Pilot CON-20 squeeze type converter works better for me, and is well worth the couple of extra dollars. I get a good fill with no hassle every time.

I have been using this pen for a few weeks now, and all I can say is "wow". The nib so smooth, and it never skips... it almost seems intuitive as it glides across paper. As handsome as it is, it is a performance pen!

The body is metallic and dense, and so there is a helpful amount of weight in the pen to help balance your hand as you write. And the retractable nib is a marvel in its own right. The push-button nib clicks, extends, and contracts like a cheap disposable pen would, but with the Pilot, it almost feels like your pressing the launch button on a space vehicle, as the nib comes out of its shudder with such pleasurable ease.

The matte black Pilot VP is so elegantly designed, and so functional, that it seems like more than just a pen. To me, it is a small treasure.

This was a birthday gift from my mom. It is a beautiful pen. It writes smoothly and is well balanced. The point is very fine. I would estimate that is is around a 0.4

I took off a star because the converter is not air tight so it only fills partially with well ink; and putting on the cartridges takes a bit of muscle.

I anticipate this being my go to pen for years to come because of the one-handed operation and the quality.

Take a fountain pen nib and a retractable mechanism = the ultimate quick draw reusable stylish pen. I don't know why this took me so long to finally get- oh wait now I remember. The position of the clip, but honestly after a few lines of writing, I adjust and then I don't seem to really notice the clip hump.
But seriously for quick (or long) notes on hand, this is truly ingenious. Especially if you're taking notes and you have breaks where you're not writing, this is nice because you can quickly retract the nib when needed to jot something down. The nib...I thought I'd try, this is really one of my first fine Japanese nibs, since I usually write with broad nibs, I thought for this I'll try a fine nib...and it's not bad. Very smooth and wet, it has a nice consistent flow, but I am thinking about getting a broad replacement, just because I do prefer broad nibs.But really straight out of the box, the fine is quite nice and surprisingly smooth. Glad I finally got this and especially like that it came with the ink converter. Worth every penny.