Jump to content

Nakaya Brair Gloss Type


daryllwin

Recommended Posts

Hi everyone

 

Here’s my review of my Nakaya Brair Gloss.

 

I’m just starting out with my pen collection, and decided to get a Nakaya as my grail pen.

 

I liked the look of the Brair model, but wanted to have a gloss protection layer on its surface, hence the gloss type. Can’t understand why they have to charge $150 more just for the gloss layer.

Anyways, I placed an order on their website, and they sent me an email telling me to go to their dealer in Singapore, Aesthetic Bay. When I went there, I realized they didn’t stock Brair wood pens, so I had to get back to them and requested for them to make the pen.

After a month and a half, it finally arrived.

 

First impression (9/10)

The pen came in a nice white box full of bubble wrap. Inside was the standard Nakaya wooden box. The wood used to make this box is really light, but it serves its purpose well.

http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy242/daryllwin/Nakaya/P8010007.jpg

Inside it, there was my pack of 10 free ink cartridges, the international cartridge converter, the pistion converter and of course, the pen wrapped in a nice cloth bag.

http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy242/daryllwin/Nakaya/P8010008.jpg

Unwrapping it, I finally saw my long awaited grail pen.

http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy242/daryllwin/Nakaya/P8010011.jpg

 

First look at the pen( 9/10)

The pen has a flawless gloss coating, and the outside of it is pretty much as I expected. The gold clip is nice and shiny, and the wood grail makes it look very classy IMHO. The pen seems to be made from separate pieces of wood, with the top of the pen not matching the bottom.

http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy242/daryllwin/Nakaya/P8010012.jpg

http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy242/daryllwin/Nakaya/P8010013.jpg

 

Opening the pen(7/10)

Here’s where my biggest disappointment with the pen lies. When buying the pen, I knew that the cap was not the screw on type. Instead, it is the kind that clicks on the pen. However, I find that by twisting the cap a little, the pen tends to loosen from its housing. In my opinion, Nakaya could have done a better job of securing the pen.

 

On to writing(10/10)

One good thing that came out of letting them test the pen with ink was that I received a free extra ink cartridge. I have since finished the cartridge, but it was nice none the less.

The nib was the first flexible nib that I have tried. Without exerting too much pressure on it, the nib functions like a normal fountain pen, and glides over the paper like a paintbrush. Once a little pressure is applied, the nib bends, and the line becomes about twice as thick. I struggled a bit at first, but I think my handwriting is at least decent now. When I tried using the pen with Parker Quink however, the lines tended to separate into two distinct lines. Guess I’ll have to stick to ink that flows better.

http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy242/daryllwin/Nakaya/P8010015.jpg

http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy242/daryllwin/Nakaya/P7090013.jpg

 

Overall(9/10)

Despite it having that one major flaw, I think the pen is worthy of being my grail for a very long time. Thanks Nakaya!

 

 

 

P.S. After placing my order, I decided to try out my skills at carpentry, and made a stand similar to the one they sell on their website. Comments are welcome!

http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy242/daryllwin/Nakaya/P8010016.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 14
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • daryllwin

    5

  • watch_art

    2

  • Inked

    1

  • Preetham

    1

Love the packaging. Thanks for sharing. :thumbup:

A man's real possession is his memory. In nothing else is he rich, in nothing else is he poor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i'm interested in a Nakaya Briarwood pen with gloss but i'm still undecided between the light and dark type. some photos show the dark gloss as almost pure black while others show the dark gloss at just the right darkness, with wood patterns clearly distinguishable. What i need is to see one in person.

 

Aesthetic Bay only has the Platinum Briarwood Matte, and not the glossy Nakaya Briarwood. Pity.

Please check out my blogshop for fountain pens and inks at http://inkoholicanonymous.blogspot.com/ Reviews of my pens can be found there too!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is lovely :) Not a fan of gold hardware, but this is one instance in which it seems perfect!

Tamara

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@ "I find that by twisting the cap a little, the pen tends to loosen from its housing."

 

Could you provide a little more info on your critique item, please? Maybe I'm just not understanding what you mean. This same pen was my very first Nakaya some time ago and I haven't noticed any loosening.

 

It's just a bit shorter than I prefer (I write uncapped) but I subsequently found the Neo is perfect for my hand size...glove size large.

I always get a kick out of these "no affiliation" notations when it's blatantly obvious the poster has absolutely nothing to do with the brand, company, etc. beyond being a customer. It must be a feel-good/feel-important thing. So I'll note up front that nothing I write here on this forum is influenced by any financial-gain motivation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@ "I find that by twisting the cap a little, the pen tends to loosen from its housing."

 

Could you provide a little more info on your critique item, please? Maybe I'm just not understanding what you mean. This same pen was my very first Nakaya some time ago and I haven't noticed any loosening.

 

It's just a bit shorter than I prefer (I write uncapped) but I subsequently found the Neo is perfect for my hand size...glove size large.

 

Oh. Sorry about being a little vague.

 

I was referring to the screw threads that join the grip to the wooden housing.

 

The screw doesn't have any form of locking mechanism, so when the pen Is capped, and I turn the cap ever so slightly, that screw becomes loose.

 

I hope that helps. Not really sure how to explain it. Heh

 

Oh. Regarding the size. I think I've just got small Asian hands, and since I started off my fountain pen collection with the pelican 215 and the sailor Sapporo, guess I'm just used to the size.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is lovely :) Not a fan of gold hardware, but this is one instance in which it seems perfect!

 

Thanks! I definitely agree with your sentiments actually.

 

Don't really like gold in general, but in this case, i think gold was the right choice.

Edited by daryllwin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awesome pen! I love your stand too. You did a very good job making it!

 

Regards,

777

Need a pen repaired or a nib re-ground? I'd love to help you out.

FPN%252520banner.jpg

Colossians 3:17 - And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The nib looks very much like Pilots FA nib with those big cutouts on either side.

 

Could we get a writing sample? Or just some scribbles? :thumbup:

 

Thanks!

Edited by watch_art
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the writing sample. It is quite similar looking to my 742 FA. The nib and the writing.

Does it keep up with your writing? Or do you have to go really slow?

Railroading like the "t" in "soft" very often?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi guys

 

Thanks for the compliments on the stand. I used somew leftover wood I had. Think it was supposed to be the wall skirting.

The cutting and gluing didn't take too long, maybe an hour at most. However, the varnish took a while as i tried to apply multiple layers. Somehow didn't seem to get it right tho. Not the smooth layer that I hoped to achieve.

 

Oh. About the ink flow. The pen keeps up with my writing no problem. Of course, I can draw a line faster thanthe nib can dispense ink, but normal writing is ok.

 

Thanks againfor all the compliments guys!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...