I've been drooling over the raw ebonite Danitrio FPs. I can't make up my mind on which to get.

Just how big is the Mikado compared to the Densho?

Whichever way I go, I think a M flex nib is in order. Which brings another question:

is the M more like a F? or is it a true (if there is such a thing) M?

Thanks all.

Chris

You might want to consider how you will carry the pen around. The Densho is at the upper limit for what will fit into a leather pen case or pen slots in a bookbag. I doubt the Mikado will fit in any standard pen case unless you have a Wilde wrap or get something else custom made.

The medium is a true medium with excellent flex. I'd attach a pic, but alas my Densho is on its way back to winedoc for some flow related issues with Noodler's Legal Blue (my primary ink).

I hope to get it back soon though as it is my favorite pen. I'm sure you will not be disappointed with either pen, but you might want to try the Densho first. Winedoc (Kevin Cheng) is an excellent person to deal with for getting these Raw Ebonite pens.

I figure to put it in my shirt pocket. Though I might need a pocket that goes down to my belt buckle for the mikado.

I've already made contact with Winedoc re: pricing/availablilty/whatnot. I'll be getting it from him when I'm ready to order. Which is likely to be really soon.

I really like the Tamenuri too, but I can't justify the cost of the wine colored urishi finish right now.

I know winedoc has some pictures showing the sizes of the raw ebonite pens against eachother and against other commonly known pens (MB 149, Visconti, etc.). I own a ebonite Mikado and its big, not so big as to not fit into a shirt pocket, but pretty big none the less. The Mikado is probably at the size limit for a pen that could be easily carried. Again, it all depends upon how you are going to use the pen and if a large pen is going to be an issue. If not, go for the Mikado, I have nothing but good things to say about mine, enjoy, live large!!

tom.

I do not have Mikado since it looks larger than a Densho.

This is my ex-Densho black urushi with (top to bottom) :
1. Churchill
2. MB146
3. DT Bane-i
4. DT Densho black Urushi

HTH

Here is a comparason pic to the MB149:


From top: MB 149, Takumi c/c filler, Densho ED; Mikado x 2

Hope this helps.

Kev

I do own a 149, so I'm no stranger to large FPs.

Is there a difference in how much ink the 2 pens hold?

Obviously the Mikado, with it's larger dimensions, should hold somewhat more ink than the Densho, but do you really need more ink in a load?

I only have the Densho, but I can tell you that it writes an awfully long time! I'm sick of seeing the ink color long before it peters out! Now you see why I have 30 inks!

That, plus the more convenient carrying dimensions and its appeal to all but the sasquatch sized out there, makes the Densho the better pen, for me. YMMV.

I basically only write with 2 colors, Blue-Black and Florida Blue. I do have some Havana Brown I use in a copule of copper colored Esterbrooks, but that's about it. So I'm not too worried about getting tired of an ink color.

I thought I had read somewhere that the ink capacity was the same for the 2 pens. Maybe I was mistaken.

I typically fill my Densho with 3mL of ink, but it looks like it could certainly hold more. I'd guess the Mikado might hold a little bit more, but when you scale something up in size, you'd have to keep dimensional ratios consistent so as not to compromise strength. I suspect the barrel walls of the Mikado are thicker than the Densho, so there may not be as much ink capacity gain as would be expected given the size difference.

3mLs is a lot of ink. With a bottle of Noodler's being about 90mL, you'd get 30 fills with the Densho.

Get the Densho first. YOu can always go larger, but if you start with the Mikado and it is too large then you have to monkey around with selling it. The Mikado is a big pen. j

Just so you know, if you like the size of the 149 at the section, the Densho is a bit smaller. I'm looking at them both right now and I'm guessing the Densho is about a 15% narrower grip. I find them both comfy, and the Densho is a great writer with a great nib (I have the fine flex). I'm not sure if the Mikado is thicker at the section, but I'm sure Kevin could tell you. As for ink supply, the Densho really is a boatload, so I don't think you could go wrong either way in this regard.

Believe it or not, I don't grip FPs at the section. I grip them just below the threads for the cap on the pen barrel.

I'm going with a Densho, matte finish with a soft M nib from Winedoc.

Are the flex (soft) nibs very flexy or just a bit?

Think of the soft nibs as just that, soft not flexy. Yes, you can get some line variation with them but they have more of a springy feel than avintage flex.

tom.

That's really interesting Chris. I've never seen anyone hold their pen that way - I just tried it out though. The flex nib is pretty flexy, but tzm is right that its not like a flexy Waterman or anything. I think there's actually a review of one of the DaniTrios in the review section that has a picture of the line variation (though I may have seen that picture in another section). Enjoy the Densho!

Does anyone have a writing sample of the DaniTrio flex?

Here is an older sample from my medium flexy nibbed Mikado. Hope this helps!

Oo. That is quite pretty! I would love to get another DaniTrio, but I couldn't go bigger than the Hanyro, so I guess there would be no point. But it is nice to look at!

As a southpaw (no hook), I find that holding a FP at the section makes the pen a little too straight up-and-down and uncomfortable to hold. Gripping it on the barrel just below the threads gives me a comfortable angle to hold the pen and write with.

The writing sample is very nice. Too bad my chicken scratch won't look as good. :ph34r:

I wasn't expecting Waterman flexy, but I would like some decent line varation. Though I must say that I'm really getting spoiled with the flex in the 1A nib on the CS #15 I recently acquired for (what I think was) a song on ebay.

Update:

The raw ebonite Densho is here and it's beautiful.

I'm a little stumped on how the ink flow works on this pen. When I open it the 2mm recommended, it tends to dry out. I have to open it up much more than that (maybe 4 or 5mm) to get the flow to go reasonably well.

I tried soaking the feed to help it along, but it still happens.

At times, I also get the outline of what I wrote (usually on downstrokes).

It's currently filled with Waterman Florida Blue.

As I've said before, I'm a southpaw (no hook) so I guess that makes me an underwriter?

Any suggestions for a ED newbie?

For me I filled the body up to the top of the closed valve then screwed the section in and held the feed in the ink bottle for a few minutes. Then I wicked off the excess ink and began writing. I noticed that I could get a few sentences without opening hte valve at all then I had to write and mess with the exact position of the valve to get a nice flow. I have 3: D, M & G and each one has a slightly different position but then again each has a different size/ type of nib. Best suggestion is to just play around with the position and find the 'sweet spot'


K

I had a similar problem with my Densho and ended up having to return it for a nib/feed exchange. I've read accounts from a number of people who have had similar flow problems. In the majority of cases, the problem is solved by a good rinse/clean and using the pen for a couple fills. I recommend against mucking around much with the nib/feed trying to make a difference. The issue is not with the nib. I suspect that Danitrio has not perfected the feed to go with this relatively new filling system.

After the exchange mine is quite reliable. It still has the occasional flow issue with certain inks, but in your case Florida Blue shouldn't cause any problems.

The previous problems were with the feeds. They have change the feeds on these, and that should have solve the problems. Until the flow is established, please keep the tail end open more than suggested and keep it open all the time, as long as the pen is horizontal position, there is no risk of leak. After the flow is established, then can turn the tail end down a bit. Please let me know if there are still problems. Thanks.

Kevin

I'll try your suggestions.

This is such a great pen. Since it arrived last week, it's the only FP I've been carrying with me to work. I'll be sure to keep a flow of ink to that ebonite feed for now to make sure it stays good and saturated.