hi all,

i'm looking to buy a japanese pen, because i don't have one...i'm trying to collect pens from various countries.

anyways, i know it's more of a preference thing, so my question would be.

if you were buying a japanese fountain pen, which one would you buy and why?

thanks
erv

Pilot 823 with bold nib.

I'd buy the Pilot Custom 743, or the 742 with FA nib over and over. They both look the conventional cigar-shaped, but I find that the flex offered by the FA nib made my handwriting tolerable.

My pick would be a Vanishing Point (fine nib).

Sincerely,
Classics

thanks for the quick replies from both of you, my handwriting is hideous so this is appealing. any other suggestions are welcomed!

funyunz, you might want to set some criteria and go from there because there're too many choices. e.g. perhaps you want to get from a certain price range only. "Japanese pen" alone is a broad category! IMO tho the best thing about Japanese pens is that they all work well out of the box most of the time; even the reasonably priced ones like the Pilot Prera. There's an excellent review about the Prera here btw:

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...59&hl=prera

The VP is a practical and reliable writer too. OTOH if you want to get a fancy one just do a search on, maki-e, urushi, etc.

Hi erv:

Sailor Professional Gear (Sapporo included) in the size, color and nib of your choice.


Or any Sailor,
Julio

There's also Platinum, though they are less well known. I find them to be as good as the Sailors or the Pilots/Namikis.

Those three really are the most important Japanese companies - you can enjoy a whole host of different models from each, from a simple school pen to some of the most gorgeous Maki-e. There are smaller compnanes as well, such as Nakaya and Dani Trio (though it's not easy to know what that last one is - company headquarters in California, but all pens, as I understand it, made in Japan.)

I do recommend Japanese pens. As others have mentioned, they are very well made generally speaking and can hold their own against any U.S. or European pens in quality.

Erick

If I were purchasing another Japanese fountain pen (I have a Sailor and several Pilots, all low end) I would purchase either a Pilot Custom 843, Custom 742, or a Sailor 1911 or Professional Gear. I would love to have a King of Pen by Sailor, but cannot justify the expense. I cannot justify the purchase of the Pilot Customs or Sailor 1911 right now, but when i get some more pen money, I would love to have one of each.

Donnie

The correct answer is: Pilot Vanishing Point. A most unique pen. If you aspire to a diverse collection but all your pens have caps, how diverse is it really?

Now, it is not for everybody as a user pen, as the clip location does not fit some pen holding styles. But for a collection it is a must IMHO.

The two Japanese pens on my wish list are: Platinum 3776 Ribbed and a Vanishing point fermo.

The 3776 because of this review: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...amp;hl=platinum

The VP because its a VP, but with a twist mechanism.

I am planning on buying both eventually when my budget allows.

The Vanishing Point/Capless without a doubt. A unique pen in the world of FPs.

I also think you have given a very wide playing field in saying simply "Japanese pen." Japanese pens are largely very good to excellent quality. I think you can just about pick the pen that looks like your style and price range and give it a try with confidence. Maybe after you choose a pen, you might check to see if there is a review in the review forum.

You could buy a Japanese pen just to experience the quality of the nib. Or you could look for pens with features uncommon in pens from other regions, like the VP's retractability or the Custom 823's nice vac fill system. Or a vintage Myu or Murex for the integral nib/barrel design. Depends on what you're after.

Personally, I wish they'd make more of the beautiful celluloid barrels, rather than the boring black or solid colors that are prevalent.

hey guys,
thanks for all the suggestions, i did some research online and will head to the local pen shop today.

most of you recommended the VP, which i like but it seems like it's a push button ball point with a fountain nib. it is "diverse" no less.

i've never tired the custom 823, 743, 742 and sailor 1911 and pro gear, but they look similar to the montblancs

i do like the maki-e, very cultural but i'm not too thrilled about the prices.

we'll see though! pen shopping...i'm stoked!

I hope I am not too late to give advice (EURO 2008 is taking a lot of time), but why don't you look at the Nakaya pens? If you prefer to order in the US, you can have a look at the offerings on www.nibs.com. The kuro-tamenuri and aka-tamenuri finishes are truly special. Ruud

If you want to dip your toe into the world of Japanese pens the Pilot 78G is cheap and cheerful.

For a more substantive pen I would also recommend the Pilot Vanishing Point (also called the Capless). I love mine.

I love the way my VP writes and operates. I used to love those same qualities in my 823, before it fell apart on me. Yes, it was helped to do so by my blunder, but due to their customer service, I won't be buying any more Pilot/Namiki's. My wish list currently includes a Platinum and a Sailor (see below).

You should also look into Danitrio. The Densho is a fine pen. Also, Kevin AKA winedoc, is about the best there is with customer service.
No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.

Erv, I'm assuming that you're in the U.S. Just be aware that you won't be able to find a lot of these pens in stores in the U.S. The offerings here are limited to the Vanishing Point (not the Decimo or Fermo variants) and some of the basic Pilot, Sailor and Platinum models. You won't find the Custom 823, for example.

Pens not available from U.S. dealers can be found online, in places like the Ujuku website, eBay, and sometimes here in the FPN Classifieds forum.

As to the Danitrio Densho and other raw ebonite models, they are not being manufactured any more, because the only Danitrio employee who made them got very ill. You'd have to look in the Classified forum, most likely, and they don't come up very often.

My first japanese will be a Sailor Professional Gear in Rhodium Trim F nib because they are not too expensive have a nib renowned VERY smooth and looks classy (I actually prefer the look of the PG to those of the 1911 which looks like a Montblanc)

My second will probably be a Pilot 743 or 742 with an FA nib because their nib is semi-flexible and are of good quality but they are more difficult to find in north america

I own many Japanese fountain pens and love them all but the one I currently have on order is the Danitrio Fuji, maki-e pen. I have been waiting for this pen for about 5 months now and I am very excited to see it in person. I know it's going to be a thrill to own such a beautiful piece of artistry and yes, I will use it!

I just bought the first FP for myself about 2 weeks ago; its a Namiki Yukari (grapevine).
From my limited experience, I find this pen to be very smooth when writing and the ink flow is very even. (I use the fine nib.) Handling-wise, it fits very nicely in my hand. Of course, I can't help but admire the hira-maki-e design whenever I use it.
In my opinion, its a very good FP, though I have not really try out other brands.

The Nakaya Piccolo with clip in Reddish Black. Because it is all things Japanese. Understated elegance. Attention to detail. Excellent workmanship. The presentation box is a work of art. My only other choice would be a Pilot Custom 845.

The Vanishing Point may look like it could pass for a ballpoint, but not when the nib is extended. Don't let that dissuade you. Did you know that it has the unique feature of interchangeable nib assemblies? That's beyond just a simple nib replacement, as the nib assembly exchange can be done with no fear of ink spillage. And not only do you have some pretty good OEM nib choices, you can also get customized ones produced by nib master Richard Binder. It's a fabulous pen that holds its resale value fairly well, so if for any reason it just doesn't go with your personality, you can unload it and recover a good percentage of your initial purchase price. Good luck.