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Nakaya Portable Cigar String-Rolled Shiro-Tamenuri


richtl

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It's been a long time since I've published a review, perhaps because I waited at least 2 years to purchase this pen. Let's face it, $850 is a bit to spend on a writing utensil.

Was it worth it? Yeah, it makes me want to sit and write stuff.

fpn_1456593914__nakaya-pen.jpg

Pen: Nakaya Portable Cigar String-rolled Shiro-tamenuri, soft-medium nib
Date Reviewed: Feb 27, 2016

LOVE
* The balance and feel (uncapped, I wouldn't cap this pen)
* The rather flexible nib & responsive inkflow
* The sheer handmade beauty of the construction and finish.

COULD BE BETTER
* Feed can be a bit finicky, I had to ship the pen back to Nibs.com to have them readjust due to skipping. It seems much better now, but we'll have to watch and see.
* Very expensive.

OVERALL
It's difficult to write about this pen. I admired it for several years before purchasing from Nibs.com in December. I prefer a bit of flex when I write and I know Japanese nibs run fine, so I selected the soft medium nib. A perfect choice; it can write very fine or with broad strokes. And the Diamine Terracotta ink shows the nib off perfectly!

Using this pen is a creative and spiritual experience. Ink flows as my thoughts flow, both heavy and light--it makes me want to sit and write.

fpn_1456593894__nakaya-kimono.jpg

The packaging is pure Japan. An elegant wood box with a felt liner and the famed pen "kimono." The shiro-tamenuri finish is chocolate brown, which is fitting, since I'm a chocolatier. It's also glossy and smooth to the point of near frictionlessness. Nonetheless, the pen is light, well-balanced, and easy in the hand. The string rolling is finer than I expected, but sets off the subtle color variations that shine through the lacquer. The nib looks beautiful on the pen.
fpn_1456593905__nakaya-nib.jpg

The handpainted "Goldfish" converter is hidden, but I love knowing it's there!fpn_1456593873__nakaya-converter.jpg

When I first received the pen, it wrote beautifully, but once a day the ink would quit flowing. This seems to be an issue with the feed. I returned it to Nibs.com for free re-adjustment, and the nib now writes even more responsively than before. The problem seems to be fixed, but I'll have to wait and see.
fpn_1456593924__nakaya-writing.jpg

No question that it's an amazing writer, though.

fpn_1456593942__nakaya-writingsample.jpg

I'm a left-handed underwriter, by the way. With light to moderate pressure, the Diamine ink dries quickly, so I don't worry about smudging.

 

I suppose this isn't really an in-depth review. There are plenty of sources to learn about how Nakaya's are handmade by a small team of Japanese craftsmen, about how the urushi lacquer is applied to achieve the silken glossy finish, and about the history of the company. This is about writing, though. I write a lot. I can empty my eyedropper-converted Kaweco in just about a week. And I write with some pretty decent pens. My current collection includes a Visconti Opera, Namiki-Pilot Fermo, and a few others. The Nakaya makes me want to write more.~Rich

Edited by richtl
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Great review thank you. Its always great to see another left hander underwriter using a Nakaya. I have the mini decapod and i love it.

 

 

It's a small world......but I'd hate to paint it. -Stephen Wright

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Beautiful pen! Congratulations!

 

I thought Nakaya was no longer producing pens in Shiro-tamenuri. How did you get so lucky?

 

Happy writing!

 

David

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A very lovely pen. I have a shiro piccolo and decapod that are a joy to write with, earthy and glowing. I did see that there's a string rolled piccolo and a shiro piccolo writer on the nibs.com availability chart. I imagine they were back-ordered and have just emerged from production.

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I thought Nakaya was no longer producing pens in Shiro-tamenuri. How did you get so lucky?

 

I scored the last one from Nibs.com :-)

 

Rich

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The pen is beautiful.

But i don't think anybody would dare to write anything else for such a pen after spending a fortune.

FP Collection :-

Diplomat Aero, Pilot 845, Visconti Homo Sapiens, Pilot Silvern, Pelikan M1000, MB Solitaire Le Grand Blue Hour, Pelikan M805 Demonstrator, MB Solitaire Geometry, Lamy 2000, Lamy Lx Marron, 

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The pen is beautiful.

But i don't think anybody would dare to write anything else for such a pen after spending a fortune.

Believe me, I'd dare to post if I wasn't completely happy with it! I'm still cautiously watching the feed, but no problems so far.

 

Rich

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I'm a left-handed underwriter as well. I got the last shiro-tamenuri Decapod from nibs.com, with a stubbed nib. Writes beautifully with Platinum blue-black ink.

Rationalizing pen and ink purchases since 1967.

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Congrats on a beautiful pen, I bought a Nakaya Decapod Twist from CFP last year with a .5 Mottishaw stub last year and find it my best writing and most attractive pen by far. I'm jealous of the fish on your converter, it looks cooler than the other fish I've seen on Nakaya converters. If I knew the fish looked like that I would have bought one last week when I finalized my Omas order from CFP. I hope you enjoy both of them for many years.

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Do you have any experience with the Visconti Dreamtouch nib? If so, how does the soft nib from Nakaya compare in terms of, well, softness?

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