8 replies to this topic

[tigergirldsm]

I've never held a working fountain pen, and am ordering my first one.  

 

I've decided on a Nemosine Singularity from Goldspot because they have all the colors and are approximately the same price as xFountainPens.

 

I've read a lot about the pens being a bit dry, possibly due to nib, converter or ink issues, so, knowing absolutely nothing about ink, except it has lots of pretty colors, does anyone have a suggestion for a good black-ish ink?

 

Also, would a Monteverde converter fit the Singularity?  (Just in case I don't like the one it comes with, and I am NOT ready to experiment with eye-dropper conversion.)

 

I'm going to ask for a Lamy CP1 or Pur for Christmas, but I can't wait to try a pen!  ...or maybe a couple Monteverde Artistas.  

 

 

[UDog]

I own two Singularity pens. They are F and XF and flow fairly well, especially the XF. They take international converters so if Monteverde is an international, then it should be fine.

[Scootz]

I had some issues with one of the stub nibs for the Singularity, but not the F or M.

Diamine inks are generally well behaved, reasonably free flowing, and come in a multitude of colors; Twilight - a personal favorite - Eclipse, Green-Black, and Graphite are all nice dark colors, while Quartz and Onyx are ok blacks. (xFountainPens sells rebranded Diamine on their site, under the Chesterfield label.)

Have fun!

[kidde]

I just re-inked my Singularity EF Demonstrator. Originally I had flow issues, but after a complete disassembly and scrubbing the feed with a toothbrush and soapy water it worked as it should. Be aware of cracks forming, tightening the cap too much exacerbates the cracking problem. Its original converter works well for me. My nib surprised me. I bought it as an EF expecting F or larger. There is no doubt mine is EF, I have a Penmanship EF and the lines are almost identical. For the record, My Singularity has been a decent pen. Figure in the $10 price and it becomes a good deal, at least in my mind. I have used quite a few inks, but I really like how it writes with Pilot black (having the 350ml bottle doesn't hurt). I hope all goes well for you with your new pen.

Paul

[KBeezie]

The Singularity should come with a converter, however the monteverde one with the threading might not fit depending on how tight the back of the section is.

The Nemosine Singularity Demonstrator I had until recently was good with the Goulet 1.5 Stub nib on it, but with the original 0.8 calligraphy nib it was very dry and unpolished and a pain to write with. But very juicy and even flow with a Goulet 1.5 (same feed and all).



You can even use it as an eyedropper if you so wish just need a little silicone grease for the threading.



They're not bad, but I don't care for the Nemosine nibs (as they're a hit or miss, where as all three of my goulet nibs [ie: another $15] were a hit). Price wise, if you don't need to do nib swapping/etc, the Pilot Metropolitan is a better deal in my opinion.

By the way these were the stress cracks that were in the pen right out of the box brand new.



Larger view : http://static.karlbl...cracks_2560.jpg

Supposedly they're not as noticeable on the colored models.

There's also the Fission if you want a metal body instead, but by the time you spend that I'd go the route of the metropolitan.

Edited by KBeezie, 02 October 2014 - 05:15.

[yogalarva]

I am going to echo KBeezie - I did not like the nib that came with my Singularity, but having a Goulet 1.5 mm stub has made it heavenly.  :-)  If you find that you don't like the nib it comes with, I highly recommend slapping a Goulet one of any size and it will probably remedy the situation (no affiliation, just a happy customer).  

 

As for black-ish in suggestions?  I have Noodler's Heart of Darkness which is a very black ink, but can show some shading if you dilute it a bit (I've gone as much as 2:1 water/ink to make a lovely grey).  Platinum Carbon Black is also nice and well lubricated, but a bit pricey and requires some more maintenance. 

[prf5]

My Singularity came with 6 small international no-name cartridges. However, this ink works much better in the Singularity than Aurora blue. I asked xfountainpens about the brand name and the answer was, "Nemosine." Does anyone know about this ink: Is it a rebranded something else; does anyone sell it? Thanks.

[tigergirldsm]

So far I'm loving my Singularities!  I got an EF and an F.  The included black cartridges write beautifully in both pens, but the Diamine Eclipse I've used in the F is just TOO dry.  I have to take the entire pen apart and wash it every time I want to use it - 2 or 3 times a day sometimes, so I just switched to the cartridges.

 

I suppose I'll have to find another ink, though, because Nemosine doesn't sell the cartridges and won't identify the manufacturer.  I've heard suspicions that xfountainpens "International Standard" unbranded cartridges may be the same, but I haven't tried them.

 

I seriously overtightened the cap on one of the pens and a bit of the edge of the cap broke off, but that's what acrylic does.  The other pen is fine, but I haven't mistreated it yet.

 

I did drop my F nip point-down in an asphalt parking lot one day, and it went from impossible to write with to just irritating with the Diamine ink.  Consistency doesn't seem to be one of Nemosine's strong suits.

[Bookman]

Singularity nibs are pretty good learning tools.  They're only $6 to replace.  Newbies and even more seasoned FP-owners who've been afraid to adjust tines or to engage in more serious nib-smoothing than can be achieved via figure-eights on a paper grocery bag should order one of these pens.  Go ahead and order a Goulet #6 at the same time and just get that over with.  Meanwhile, if the nib that comes with the pen doesn't do what you hoped it would, go on the interwebs, watch some videos (The Pen Habit, for instance, has a 3-part series beginning with this one), jump into the deep end and get started on that nib.  Off you go.