Nemosine Singularity Granite Ef

[savingbirds]

Hey everyone, I've just received a new pen today in the mail. I bought a Nemosine Singularity Graphite with an EF nib directly from xfountainpens.com (along with a 99 cent ink sample of Chesterfield Turquoise to get the $15+ reduced shipping). Aside from Amazon, I think you can only buy Nemosine pens directly from their store.

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt332/superperegrine/DSC_0014.jpg

The pen took about one week to get here, which is great considering the terrible response time of Canada Post (any fellow Canadians agree?). The pen came in an ordinary bubble envelope with a receipt and the pen in a white box.

Inside, you'll find filling instructions, along with warranty information and the pen itself.

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt332/superperegrine/DSC_0013.jpg

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt332/superperegrine/DSC_0012.jpg

The pen itself is very light but very well balanced. For $15, I can't really complain (other than their decision to get rid of the original gift box > See Osmaroid's review). What I did notice was a few loose pieces of plastic in the box. Soon, I discovered that the cap had small chunks missing from it!

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt332/superperegrine/DSC_0006.jpg

Here's where the story gets interesting. I immediately went on to the xFountainPens website, and there was a LiveChat agent already waiting for me. After telling him/her my problem and giving them my order number, within 5 minutes, they had assured me that a new cap would be shipped ASAP. Now that's what I call good service!

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt332/superperegrine/DSC_0010.jpg

I plan to use this pen for school notes, so I opted for an EF nib, but if I were to get another Singularity (probably the demonstrator), I would definitely go for the 0.6mm italic.

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt332/superperegrine/CSC_0009.jpg

The pen comes with a converter to use straight out of the box. There is, however, that annoying little plastic bead that is supposed to break surface tension of the ink. Personally, I find it useless and plan to remove it soon.

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt332/superperegrine/DSC_0005.jpg

The nib (which is you typical #5 nib) is stainless steel, and is pretty decent considering the price point. It is a fairly wet and smooth writer for an extra-fine, and the tines were perfectly aligned.

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt332/superperegrine/DSC_0004.jpg

The Singularity has absolutely no startup, flow, or weight issues. The nib even offers a bit of flex, but it's more like a lot of spring.

The clip is very loose, but still has quite a good grip to wherever you may clip it. Personally, I don't trust this clip on any pocket, so this pen will probably in a case.

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt332/superperegrine/DSC_0011.jpg

The cap is a screw-on, which makes it much less prone to problems and will not accidentally slip off when taking it out of a pocket or pouch. I don't actually find it annoying to screw the cap when taking notes, but your mileage may vary.

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt332/superperegrine/CSC_0007.jpg

Overall, this is a decent budget-level pen with a good nib. The plus side is that you can buy a spectrum of nibs for this pen (from TWSBI Vac700 to Noodler's Ahab). All in all, this will be a great pen to help introduce someone to the wonderful world of fountain pens.

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt332/superperegrine/CSC_0008.jpg

Note: I couldn't get writing samples done, as you can see, the lighting in the room is way too dim.

EDIT: Dupicate image

Edited November 8, 2012 by savingbirds

[KrazyIvan]

I enjoy mine. I bought mine from the Amazon site because they retrofit those with a German nib that is really smooth. I ended up going back and ordering the .8mm italic and have it inked now. A nice nib but it did need work to write properly. The nib slit seems to be cut off center and one tines inner surface seemed a bit sharp. I made quick work of it with some wet/dry paper and a buff stick. It writes very smooth now.

[savingbirds]

I enjoy mine. I bought mine from the Amazon site because they retrofit those with a German nib that is really smooth. I ended up going back and ordering the .8mm italic and have it inked now. A nice nib but it did need work to write properly. The nib slit seems to be cut off center and one tines inner surface seemed a bit sharp. I made quick work of it with some wet/dry paper and a buff stick. It writes very smooth now.

Yeah, I find that the nib is decent at best. I plan on getting a Vac 700 nib to replace this EF sometime soon.

[lovemy51]

your pen looks good, except for that chunk off the cap. i must ask, is the plastic that cheap? how did they miss that chunk off the cap lip?... oh i get it, it was "inspected and packaged in the USA" -so says the box. hope you get your new cap soon. i'm waiting for a brown one in the mail. lets see how it gets here...

[robofkent]

I've had two Singularities with cracked lids......the plastic is very delicate

[lovemy51]

I've had two Singularities with cracked lids......the plastic is very delicate

thx. we'll see how mine comes.

[savingbirds]

The plastic was not that cheap, but a bit more fragile than Safaris, D540s, and Bic pens. I think the problem with mine was the tiny box it was squished in. The modern-day postal system is not the most forgiving with packages.

The cap actually seems to be the most well-made part of the pen. I think that the cap weighs twice as much as the rest of the pen!

[KrazyIvan]

I did a review of the .8mm italic nib.

 

http://inktronics.posterous.com/nemosine-singularity-reloaded

[savingbirds]

I did a review of the .8mm italic nib.

 

http://inktronics.posterous.com/nemosine-singularity-reloaded

Nice review, I was thinking about getting another (the demonstrator) with the .8mm nib.

 

Do you experience any flow issues? Based off of your writing sample, I can see areas of different shades (i.e. "wider than the other" seems dark, while "This is not typical" seems a lot lighter).

[KrazyIvan]

I did a review of the .8mm italic nib.

 

http://inktronics.posterous.com/nemosine-singularity-reloaded

Nice review, I was thinking about getting another (the demonstrator) with the .8mm nib.

 

Do you experience any flow issues? Based off of your writing sample, I can see areas of different shades (i.e. "wider than the other" seems dark, while "This is not typical" seems a lot lighter).

 

When I do my reviews, I do them as they come from the box, unless there is a big issue. In this review, I pulled the original nib and replaced it with this one, so I did have to adjust a little bit since there is no notch on the feed to tell you where the nib should be placed in relation to the feed. Another issue is I have kids, I get interrupted a lot when writing my reviews so the pen would stay uncapped for a few minutes at a time or I capped it and picked it up again. You can tell this more at the beginning of some sentences. I would finish the last sentence, cap the pen, then continue. The next sentence would be darker because the pen sat for a few minutes giving the feed a chance to concentrate the ink.

[Mike 59]

Hi savingbirds, Did you notice the code on the box, it says 'Memory'.

[mhphoto]

Great review! I'd never heard of this brand. I'm out of the loop on a lot of the smaller brands. I'll definitely be adding on of these to the list.

[lovemy51]

got mine a few days back. i think it is not worth the money. the plastic does feel cheap. the nib is dry and needed a little bit of tweaking -still dries after a day of not being used. i own less expensive pens that perform way better than this Nomosine.

[Kyouju]

I ordered two of the demonstrators on behalf of a friend and received them today. After obtaining my friend's permission to try them, I fear I am not much impressed either. I admit I am perhaps being unfair in comparing them to my other italics -- which were all ground by professionals rather well-known on this forum -- but both nibs were overly sensitive to writing angles, the flow was baulky (again I admit the possibility of unfairness, given that I am comparing them to Pelikans and Viscontis), and there was a tendency to skip and start even after I had flushed and changed the ink. A pity, as they looked quite nice for the price, I thought. My friend may like them better than I do, though.

[K. Cakes]

Just thought I'd add my $.02 on the Nemosines. I have a few (along with two Fissions), all EF or .6mm italics. Everyone of them has been really fantastic out of the package. I've had no cracks, no issues with the nib whatsoever. They are a bit cheap feeling, but no more so than my 78G which is a favorite around these parts. I actually find the italics better than my broad 78G which dry out easily and are often hard starters. I think the real problem with all of the writing issues these pens have is with the super crappy converter. If you can switch that out the flow should improve.

[savingbirds]

For what you pay for, I think the Singularity is decent, but there are definitely better options at a similar price. I still think it is a good beginner pen for whoever wants to try italics, German #5 nibs, or demonstrators.

[Edwaroth]

I have 2 Nemosine's... I have found both to be fantastic for the money paid. That said, I have thrown the converters away and use them strictly as eye-droppers. Guess what, they have become superb with nice wet,just right lines. I enjoy these pens far more than some of my expensive pens! I believe the Nemosine punches way above it's price class.

Edited November 22, 2012 by Edwaroth

[Charles Skinner]

Some of you have had bad experiences with this pen. I must have just been lucky! Mine is great! I would put it up there with my Montblancs and Pelikan. C. S.

[inkstainedruth]

Some of you have had bad experiences with this pen. I must have just been lucky! Mine is great! I would put it up there with my Montblancs and Pelikan. C. S.

 

I say much the same thing every time someone (bleep) about their Noodler's Pens not being good right out of the box... (that I must have been lucky with mine, that is -- I don't have any MBs, and they honestly don't hold a candle to my Pelicans, for the most part).

As for the Nemosine Singularity, I was really close to buying one last week -- I had tried the different nibs, dip-tested, in Birmingham Pens awhile back. And after having a relatively horrible day, I needed some "retail therapy". Only I didn't really like any of the colors . Ended up buying another Noodler's Konrad instead (for 1¢ more...). I don't really like light-colored demonstrators, and most of the solid body models were sort of "juvenile" looking (for lack of a better word). The only ones that *weren't* bright colors were the Black Marble (interesting, but basically black for all intents and purposes) and the Coral -- which I just didn't care for....

But I've heard that they may be coming out with ebonite Singularities at some point. And then, depending on the colors, I may right at the head of the line....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth