First Impressions:
My new Mina is a co-creation, really - Ernest Shin of Hakumin Urushi Kobo did the urushi work, and Brian Gray of The Edison Pen Company created the ebonite body and supplied the nib unit. It arrived in an Edison Pen box - nothing super fancy, but I have a nice cigar box for storage, so this doesn't matter to me. There's something about the Mina's shape that really appeals to me; it is narrower at the middle (near the section) than it is at the top of the cap and the bottom of the barrel. It looks very nice. The shiro tamenuri is beautiful, and reminds me of glaze on my favorite clay pots and bowls (the bowl in the pictures is one of my own - sadly, my technique with clay is nowhere near as good as Ernest's is with urushi!).
Appearance and Design:
This pen is beautiful! The Mina shape was co-designed by Brian Gray and Ernest Shin. The base material for the pen is ebonite; it uses a smaller #5 nib, which does not have the Edison logo on it (as the #6 nibs do). According to Brian, this pen is for people with medium-sized or smaller hands. It cannot be posted, which is a deal-breaker for some people, but has never bothered me. The urushi finish is very glossy; I think the final finish on this pen is hana-nuri, and not roiro-migaki, but I could be wrong. There is a beautiful translucence to the top layer that allows the undercoats (painted white) to show through - this is very evident on the section:
Construction and Quality:
This pen feels well-constructed and solid, but I would not want to drop it. Of course, I would not want to drop any pen, so I guess I'm just paranoid. In the picture above, you can see the nib collar above the section. I have read reviews where people were not happy with this aspect of the pen, but I have been looking at a lot (and I mean A LOT) of pictures of the Mina, so I knew it was there, and it does not bother me.
Weight and Dimensions:
This pen is a great size for me. I think the urushi adds a bit to the weight, but this pen is still light and easy for me to use for long writing sessions. I like the shape of the section a lot! As I mentioned before, you definitely cannot post this pen, so it is a definite no-go for some.
Nib & Performance:
The Mina's 18K fine nib is wonderful! It writes with what I consider a typical Western/European fine line. I prefer my pens to have some feedback, and it just happens that Brian Gray's normal nib tuning setup gives a touch of feedback. If you prefer your nib smoother / or with more feedback, you can just let Brian (or Ernest) know, and Brian can adjust it to your preference. The pen's flow is set as a 7 on a scale of 10, and it is just how I like it. The Mina's nib comes in a screw-in assembly, meaning that it's super easy to change out nibs (18K gold or steel). I think Brian's #5 nibs are JoWo.
Filling System & Maintenance:
This is one of the other deal-breakers for some people: this is a cartridge-converter pen. Brian also makes Minas as bulb-fillers, so that is an option to explore if C/Cs don't float your boat. This Mina comes with a Schmidt converter, which seems longer than some of the proprietary converters I have used, but I don't have them here in front of me so that might just be a trick of memory. It can use international standard cartridges if you prefer. Because it has no metal threads or parts which might be harmed by rogue ink, it can easily be converted into an eyedropper-filled pen.
Cost and Value:
This pen cost me $525 - that is on the lower end of the urushi-pen price spectrum (As of when I type this, at least - Nakaya desk pens run around $400 and all of their other offerings start around $550, while Danitrio urushi pens start a little higher). The interesting thing to me is that it's pretty easy to break down the pricing of the Hakumin pens by comparing it to the equivalent pen by Edison. If you were to get a regular Mina with a steel nib, it would be $200. If you put a gold nib on it, it would be $300, so adding urushi to this cost me $225 - a fantastic deal, considering the effort put into it. I am looking forward to getting another pen from Ernest in the future! For all of those who don't necessarily like the urushi treatment, check out the regular or extended Mina at Brian's site - he has about a million materials you might like
I can guarantee there are flighters, urushi, and/or Sheaffer Vac-fillers in the mix!!!
