A Few Thoughts On My New Nakaya

[mchristi]

On Wednesday this past week (three days ago), I received my new Nakaya. This is my first pen from Nakaya. Since receiving the pen, I've barely written with any of my others. I really like this pen.

http://photo.restenergy.net/img/s3/v43/p243231594-3.jpg

It looks amazing. I choose the aka-tamenuri long cigar. The urushi is beautiful! The color is lovely and the finish has qualities photographs often do not show. I wasn't entirely surprised by that, but it was even more gorgeous looking than I expected. There is a depth and luxuriousness that many photos do not capture well, my own here included. The lacquer feels wonderful in the hand as well: smooth and highly polished, yet more tactile than many plastics/resins. It's a little hard to describe, but it just does not feel like other pens.

 

Wanting a Nakaya was easy and choosing the color wasn't too difficult, but I still obsessed about choosing the right pen. I was wondering about the size of the pen. I'd spent a good deal of time with a small ruler measuring my other pens and making comparisons. I post most of my pens, and certainly wasn't going to post this pen for the sake of not marking its surface. I concluded that the long pen was the right choice for me, given the size of other pens I like and the pens I sometimes think might be a bit too short, especially when I don't post while writing with them. I think I was right. The length of the Nakaya is very pleasant, a good length without posting. I also wondered about the girth of the pen, as it is at least a few millimeters wider than any of the pens I own to date. Would it be too wide to feel comfortable? But I haven't found it to be a problem. Indeed, it is quite pleasant.

 

Of course, pens aren't just cases or things we hold in our hands. They are writing instruments. A pen can look gorgeous and write terribly or a pen can be terribly ugly but write well. It's the writing that finally counts. And so, to the nib we go.

 

http://photo.restenergy.net/img/s3/v45/p423943240-3.jpg

In a nut shell, I think this is a wonderful nib. I very much like the way it writes. The pen has a fine nib. It is by far the finest nib I own, and I like that. I'm not a big fan of wider nibs. My Pelikan medium nib is about the widest nib I care to use (apart from the occasional dabbling in using an italic nib), and I sometimes think it is too broad. I've been looking for finer nibs that write well, and I think I've found it here. The narrowness of the nib is very suitable for my handwriting and will be useful.

 

I also opted for the two-tone nib. I was concerned that it might clash with the simplicity of the design and finish, but it looks very nice. I think it finishes off the look of the pen quite nicely.

 

The writing is also quite smooth, one of the best writers in my fleet. John Mottishaw at Classic Fountain Pens (nib.com) did a great job of tuning the nib. I usually choose to write on Rhodia and Clairefontaine papers, and it writes great on them. Turning to more textured G. Lalo Vergé de France paper, I found it also smoothly and pleasantly on this paper. It even writes acceptably on the cheap and not always fountain-pen-friendly paper that comes out of the copy machine and printers at the office (despite the feathering and less smooth surface). I would say that the nib has a bit of "tooth" on at least some papers, especially when writing a bit faster, but it still definitely writes smoothly.

 

I like the ink flow of the pen very well, too. I had it adjusted to a bit wetter than medium (or "medium-plus" as it was listed on my invoice). Such a fine nib could easily be too dry. But this nib puts down a nice line of ink which shows wetness but dries fairly quickly. I've only test a small handful of inks in the pen so far, but I've noted that a lighter color or two is quite usable. I find that some lighter colored inks are too light in dryer pens (such as my Lamy Safaris). But the one's I've tried write beautifully in this pen with good color and reasonable contrast. There are some pens I wouldn't use Fuyu-Syogun in because they don't lay down enough ink to have a line with sufficient contrast and color to be easily readable. That doesn't appear to be a problem with this pen. Inks also seem to have nice shading with this nib, as well.

 

So far, after a few days use, I'm very satisfied with this pen. I'm happy I took the plunge to buy my first Nakaya. It's a beautiful pen that writes wonderfully. Count me amongst happy Nakaya owners.

Edited May 20, 2012 by mchristi

[Chi Town]

There ya go! Ya finally took the plunge and look how it paid off! I have a Nakaya Decopod Cigar Aka - Tamanuri. It too is one of the best writers in my stable. I have my next Nakaya picked out already, as soon as I get caught up on some bills. Soon, you will be picking out your next Nakaya as well, Ha, ha, Ha. Enjoy that pen in the mean time.

[ethernautrix]

Lovely pen. I'm glad you're enjoying your Nakaya.

 

The tactility of them calls out to be used often. I do use my non-Nakaya pens, of course, but I usually reach for one of the Nakayas.

[geoduc]

That's a beauty, congratulations!

[humblescribbler]

Congrats and welcome to Nakaya. Actually I think you did catch some of the lustrous qualities in your photos. My portable writer ake tamenuri has that same luminescence. Nice pix. Enjoy!

[Hex]

I can really relate to your experiences so far. I measured, agonized, read, asked questions, read some more, asked more questions, before finally settling on the exact same model though with a different nib.

Mine is being made as I type this and I am envious of yours. He's a beauty.

[Lady Spencerian]

Wonderful! You love the pen, you love the color, you are happy with the nib. Doesn't get any better than that: save, perhaps, the excitement of planning your first custom order...

[aardvark]

Very beautiful pen. How do you like the pen pouch as opposed to the kimono?

 

I too, have a Nakaya in aka-tanenuri. I love the subtle changes of color. My other pens get used during the day, but the Piccolo is the first pen I reach for when I get home

 

I just have to decide on what my next Nakaya will be .... desk pen or Neo Standard in kuro-tamenuri or Dorsal Version 1 ....... The nib is the easy part .... stub. I have too many Music nibs already, if that is possible :ltcapd:

 

//mark

[ravantra]

Sweet! Congrats. Beautiful pen.

 

I am looking for my next Nakaya, it's going to be hard deciding.

[hpk90]

What a great looking pen...

[goldiesdad]

Wow ... What a great looking pen ... Love the nib on that baby ...

 

Congrats

[sadiemagic]

Beautiful! May you enjoy many years of writing with it.

 

I know what you mean about the tactile properties of the urushi. I find myself turning my Blue Dragon over and over in my hands when I'm pausing, and I've developed the odd habit of holding the cap in my left hand as I write.

 

Not surprising that your other pens were getting very little use.

 

Congratulations!

[TDL]

 

I know what you mean about the tactile properties of the urushi. I find myself turning my Blue Dragon over and over in my hands when I'm pausing, and I've developed the odd habit of holding the cap in my left hand as I write.

 

 

The same with my Blue Dragon. I end up polishing it and looking at it when not actively writing with it.

[mchristi]

Thanks, everyone. I'm still very much enjoying my pen.

 

Aardvark asked about the pen pouch and the kimono. I like both of them, but think they belong to different tasks. I use the kimono when I store the pen in my desk drawer. It provides easy access and keeps it nicely protected. But I use the pouch when I take the pen away from home (to the office, a meeting, etc.). I don't have a pen case that's long enough to fit this pen. The pouch string closure strikes me as a bit more secure than wrapping the cord/ribbon around the kimono. Plus, when I don't have the pen pillow with me, I can use the pouch as a place to rest the pen without worrying that it will roll away. And it just looks nice.

 

 

Mark

[inkydoc]

Lovely photos of a lovely pen!

I have yet to get a Nakaya, however, every time I read a review where the reviewer cannot put it down, I get a little bit closer.

Recently spent my hobby budget on a new camera, so the Nakaya will have to wait a little longer...

[daoud62]

Beautiful pen. I feel the same about my Dorsal Fin. I have a Blue Dragon waiting for me in NY, a Broad nib ground to a stub by John Mottishaw. Enjoy it!!!!!

[TDL]

Thanks, everyone. I'm still very much enjoying my pen.

 

Aardvark asked about the pen pouch and the kimono. I like both of them, but think they belong to different tasks. I use the kimono when I store the pen in my desk drawer. It provides easy access and keeps it nicely protected. But I use the pouch when I take the pen away from home (to the office, a meeting, etc.). I don't have a pen case that's long enough to fit this pen. The pouch string closure strikes me as a bit more secure than wrapping the cord/ribbon around the kimono. Plus, when I don't have the pen pillow with me, I can use the pouch as a place to rest the pen without worrying that it will roll away. And it just looks nice.

 

 

Mark

 

I concur. When travelling, i.e. almost every week, I use a Pelikan pen case to hold a Nakaya Long Picollo and a Blue Dragon. Both fit well into teh case as they have similar lengths and girths to the Pelikan M800 series.

[PeppWaves03]

I also recently bought a Nakaya Portable Cigar but I, unfortunately, went with the "normal minus" on the flow scale nibs.com has when you order. I found the pen to be too dry and the nib too "toothy." I have since returned the pen back to Classic Pens and hopefully they can adjust to more of what I was expecting. The Nakaya is a beautiful pen and hopefully when I get it back I can rave about the writing experience as well.

[JustinJ]

I also recently bought a Nakaya Portable Cigar but I, unfortunately, went with the "normal minus" on the flow scale nibs.com has when you order. I found the pen to be too dry and the nib too "toothy." I have since returned the pen back to Classic Pens and hopefully they can adjust to more of what I was expecting. The Nakaya is a beautiful pen and hopefully when I get it back I can rave about the writing experience as well.

 

This is what I like about Classic Fountain Pen. You can return the pen to be adjusted without any hassles. I heard of some vendors charging again to readjust nib or ink flow. If a shop is not going to go the extra mile with a customer service, I'm not spending my money with them.

 

I have sent a pen back to CFP because I wanted a two toned nib instead of the mono tone nib. It was no problem for them to do. Everyone of my Nakaya pens came from them. If I was going to buy another brand of pen that they carried, I would purchase it through them, even if it cost a little more. The extra price paid for having the pen setup right is very cheap over a lifetime.

[jimhughes]

I bought a second Nakaya off FPN Market Place and decided I didn't want a Medium Nib. Spoke with Jonella at Classic who was most helpful. $32 USD later I had a SUF nib and the pen back in my hands in 10 days or so. $12.00 shipping,and they adjusted the nib to perfectly match my writing style, requested on my first Nakaya buy directly from them. The fact

that the 2nd Nakaya was 8 mos old from them purchased by FPNer #1, was not a problem in the nib swap for a bargain basement $20. fee. That's customer service. Jim