I'm contemplating whether to purchase a Nakaya Black Urushi portable size writer model, but the concern is the thickness of the grip. Although the description of each pen lists the dimension unfortunately the website excludes the measurement for the grip. Would it be possible for someone to please measure the body and grip's thickness as like many users struggle with larger, thicker pens. On a similar subject I noticed that Nakaya used to produce a portable sized writer model with a clip on cap / barrel, except it appears slightly thinner and smaller than the current product. Has anyone who owns this pen noticed or experienced this ?

Any help would be appreciated.

The dimensions of all their pens, and of a few competitors for comparison is at their website:
http://www.nakaya.org/esize.html

Hope this helps...

Yes, I've already seen this webpage describing the pen's dimensions. As with most descriptions and reviews they lack the detail of including the grip's measurement which is fundimental when selecting a fountain pen.

I suggest you email Nakaya or Nibs.com with your inquiry. They should be able to provide you with precise measurements of the pens in question.

It is likely you will be buying the pen from one of the above - they are there to help, so just ask.

Measuring off the screen, and scaling using the numbers on the site:

Grip size is 11 mm at the narrow point (about the same as the middle of the grip section of my Namiki Falcon, and 2mm smaller than the MB149).

Thank You Troglokev !

The information is very much appreciated. Eleven millimetres is quite wide for a pen grip, and could be the deciding factor on whether to purchase the fountain pen. Hopefully this little piece of data can help other users as well.

I've been following the topic with interest, as I'm also very interested in a Nakaya but worry about the grip being too thick. Is there somewhere one can hold a Nakaya, outside purchasing one or attending a pen show? I was hoping I might find one in NYC last weekend, but to no avail.

I'm considering buying one too and have studied the dimensions on John Mottishaw's website, nibs.com. According to Mottishaw, the diameter of the section is .375", which is a bit less than what I usually use, but sees to be the norm for all the Nakaya pens listed.

What pen do you usually use, Rufus? I'm having a hard time "feeling" it.

My favourites are the Bexley America the Beautiful and the Bexley Americana...and I am not an American!

I lust after the Nakaya, myself, though. One day...

The Nakaya pens that match the cap and body diameters, such as the Long Size, Portable, Piccolo, and Decapod pens, have a significant change of diameter from the threaded section to the main body. This is necessary for the cap and body to make a smooth flush joint.

The Nakaya Celluloid is a more conventional design, and has a larger cap that fits over the pen body, allowing for the diameter of the thread section to more closely match the main body.

I have two Nakaya pens, the Portable Cigar and the Celluloid. My Portable Cigar has a body diameter, at the joint, of 15.3mm, then abruptly steps down to 12.7mm, and finally tapers gradually to the smallest diameter of 10.5mm near the nib. Because of this abrupt change of diameter, I find the Portable Cigar more difficult to use, especially for longer letters.