Nakaya Long Cigar

[Uncial]

 

In Japan's oldest prose narrative the tale is told of a poor old childless woodcutter who spies an unusually luminous bamboo stalk one day. Cutting it open he finds a small baby girl inside about the size of his thumb. He takes her home and cares for her with his wife tending to her every need also. Each day as he goes out to cut wood and bamboo, every cut he makes reveals a small nugget of gold. Before long the poor old woodcutter is a very wealthy man, but as the tiny baby grows into a full sized beautiful adult he tries to hide her from the world. Over time though, people passing through catch a glimpse of this rare beauty and her fame spreads to the point that the woodcutter and his wife can no longer keep this beautiful woman hidden from the world outside....and so the tale begins.

 

 

Nakaya surely needs no introduction here. It is often considered to be the gold among a sea of worthless bamboo - at least, that is the impression I had. Rarely are Nakaya's sold on the second hand market. You see a lot of Montegrappa's, Omas', Montblanc's and all those other 'high end' pens for sale in what seems like a steady flow. Nakaya's - not so much. I took this as an indicator that people who bought them tended to hold on to them; a good sign perhaps. I mulled over it for a long time before committing to buy. In fact, I mulled over it for so long that the double dorsal fin version I was looking at went out of production only to appear in production again about a month or so before I got my pen. Grrrr.

 

Let's get down to specifics. All dimensions for this pen including prices and other specifics can be found on Nakaya's website or on nibs.com, so I won't repeat them all here. This is the Long Cigar (large version) with a soft fine nib (the call is flexible). It is in the Heki-Tanemuri finish; a kind of slightly opaque chestnut brown with a lime green underlay. The size is beautiful, the girth is perfect, the urushi lacquer is a work of art. It is a beautiful thing to look at with the seam of the cap meeting in the middle of the pen. There was a concern expressed a little while ago (perhaps a year ago) that the lime green of the HT finish was a little more faded and dull than when it first appeared. I can assure you that this is not the case here. The lime green is vivid and pleasing and works surprisingly well with the brown. The urushi over ebonite makes the pen warm to the touch and has a pleasant silky feeling. I thought the pen would be very light, but it isn't, and the balance isn't perfect either. I think this is down to the metal insert at the feed and grip which houses the converter. The converter is a standard type; nothing special at all. The pen does post securely, although many will tell you that this will damage the finish over time. I'd like to see evidence of this because I thought that once urushi cured it was an incredibly robust finish. The finish will wear over time though, loosing much of it's sheen and revealing some more of the green underneath, so perhaps posting may create a distinct green ring. When posted the pen is ridiculously long, but owing to the lightness of the cap, doesn't pose any concerns about balance.

 

I love the look of this pen. The urushi in this colour has a natural appearance that just sums up that Japanese aesthetic regarding nature. It matches my expectation of Japanese craftsmanship of finding intense beauty in small things; although this isn't exactly a small pen! It has a simplicity and depth at the same time, which to me is very appealing. The threads are satisfyingly stable and secure and like the step they are not sharp or irritating. It's not a perfect finish and does have blemishes and slightly more opaque spots and bits where there seem to be more green. I like that aspect of it, but if you are the sort of person that likes a pristine and uniform design and finish to your pen, this will likely do strange things to your sanity. Did you hear the massive 'but' coming?

 

But.......

 

Many reviews will tell you that the nib is smooth. Many will tell you the flexible nib is a semi-flex and there are even youtube videos that demonstrate this. Many will tell you that Nakaya's run finer that Western nibs. I'm afraid I am about to dispute all of that.

 

Initially my purchase was of a fine flexible nib. The term 'flexible' seems to be used in the most creative sense. Frankly I cannot get this nib to show any significant (or otherwise) expression at all. I've seen the youtube video and I honestly don't know how they get the nib to do that. I knew the nib wasn't a flexible nib and I read enough to know it might get close to a semi-flex, but in reality, my experience (with two nibs as I will explain later) was that it had no expressiveness at all - at least, not to the human eye. The nib has a sensation of a little bounce and does feel pleasant in this regard when writing. It doesn't feel like it's a firm nib and certainly not a nail. But as far as flexibility and expressiveness go; there is nothing, nothing at all. Nakaya nibs can be tailored to fit your needs. I have a tendency to prefer gushers because I write with a very light hand. The request went in for a fine nib (in the hope of an extra fine) with a very heavy flow. When I got the pen I was shocked to find that I didn't have an extra-fine (as was my expectation) but I received what appeared to be a very, very fine needlepoint. I instantly hated it the moment it touched paper. Out of a collection of just under a hundred pens (many of them truly junk) the Nakaya nib soared effortlessly to the top of the most unpleasant. It made a lot of noise on the paper. Even on Clairfontaine and Rhodia, the nib caught, staggered and juddered over the page. It felt unusually scratchy and I thought there must be something wrong with this because I literally could not write with it, yet this was a specially tailored nib. I persisted. And persisted. Eventually I had to admit defeat; I just didn't like it. Thankfully, Nakaya offer a nib exchange. Off it went again to be swapped out for a medium nib. I managed to do this with only a few days left before the opportunity ran out. The pen came back with medium flexible nib fitted, tailored to be extra smooth and with a heavy flow. It must be noted the pen is not a gusher and it disappointed me in this department. But the real disappointment was in discovering that the even the medium nib has this hugely unpleasant feedback. The size up eliminated some of the scratchiness, staggering and juddering on the page but it is still very noisy on the page and it isn't particularly easy to write with it with a light hand. It still wants to grip the paper in a very peculiar way to the extent that it can have quite a negative effect on your handwriting. The medium nib also turned out to be a medium - as in a western medium. The step up from the fine nib to the medium seemed to my eye to be huge! It still has no flexibility or expressiveness to speak of and in all honesty, what I thought would turn out to be one of my best nibs has turned out to easily be one of the worst.

 

It's a slightly painful lesson. I have a pen with a medium nib that I can use a little easier than when it had a fine nib, but it's hard to shake the enormous sense of disappointment about it. I used to question people who said, it is all about the nib. Now I completely understand. The mis-match between its beauty and its nib is simply too great for me to be able to bridge. My advice; if you are thinking of buying a Nakaya do everything in your power to test drive at least two before you buy. My geographical location meant I couldn't do that and I paid for it.

[thygreyt]

I came in expecting to be wowed and amazed... and i am, but not in the way i thought i'd be.

 

Thank you for the review!

[visvamitra]

Stunning pen. The finish is gorgeous. It's a pitty this nib wasn't, clearly, made for you. I used to have possibility to try one Nakaya for more than a month and didn't enjoy the nib. On the other hand while using other Nakayas during fp afficionados meeting I find them pleasant in use. I've heard about someone who exchanged Nakaya nib for Platinum and was happy although I do understand that after paying that much one would expect pure delight and not trouble after trouble.

Edited February 13, 2017 by visvamitra

[jar]

So what did the seller say when you got back in touch with them?

[Uncial]

Jar, the seller did the nib swap for me. I did very much appreciate this because it was amazingly close to the cut off point and I had been using the pen as much as I could. Maybe it isn't clear from my review but I did get a fine nib and I did replace it with a medium nib - neither nib fitted was a different size than what was claimed (in other words, I don't think there was any error involved on the part of Nakaya). After the medium nib was also not to me a pleasant nib I was told that this level of feedback was quite normal for Nakaya nibs of this type. I could of course get another new nib, but I would have to pay for it and I couldn't really see the point in me doing this.

 

When I had the fine nib in the pen and it was getting close to the line on swapping, I did consider what other brand of nib might fit. I don't feel quite so strongly in my dislike of the medium nib but I can't help but note that it isn't the first pen I want to grab when I sit down to write. Time will tell and I haven;t ruled out sending the nib out for further smoothing, although I don't know if this is a real possibility.

 

Edited to add:

I already owned the Platinum 3776 Chatres and I bought this well in advance of the Nakaya order as I read a few people saying there were similarities to the type of nib and it might give an idea of what to expect. My 3776 is very wet and nicely smooth - not buttery, but nothing significant in terms of feedback. The Nakaya nib is an entirely different beast and is not comparable at all.

Edited February 13, 2017 by Uncial

[jar]

Jar, the seller did the nib swap for me. I did very much appreciate this because it was amazingly close to the cut off point and I had been using the pen as much as I could. Maybe it isn't clear from my review but I did get a fine nib and I did replace it with a medium nib - neither nib fitted was a different size than what was claimed (in other words, I don't think there was any error involved on the part of Nakaya). After the medium nib was also not to me a pleasant nib I was told that this level of feedback was quite normal for Nakaya nibs of this type. I could of course get another new nib, but I would have to pay for it and I couldn't really see the point in me doing this.

 

When I had the fine nib in the pen and it was getting close to the line on swapping, I did consider what other brand of nib might fit. I don't feel quite so strongly in my dislike of the medium nib but I can't help but note that it isn't the first pen I want to grab when I sit down to write. Time will tell and I haven;t ruled out sending the nib out for further smoothing, although I don't know if this is a real possibility.

Was this purchased directly from Nakaya? Have you contacted Nakaya itself?

[whichwatch]

I enjoyed your review and pictures, although the nib issues are very surprising to me. I currently own 7 Nakayas and have owned but sold three or four others along the way, and each has been a delight. I have only used nibs broader than yours, and I believe virtually all of the pens originally were purchased from nibs.com so had John Mottishaw's excellent touch at checking the nib prior to its being sold.

 

I can't explain the issues you have had, and it is a shame you have not been satisfied and whatever help you received did not solve the problem. Jar's suggestion of contacting Nakaya directly (if not already done) seems appropriate. Or perhaps there might be a nibmeister wherever you live that could help?

 

I can assure you that there is nothing typical or endemic about Nakaya in the issues you describe, and I hope you are able to have the pen put into a condition where you will enjoy it more. Good luck!

[Mishka5050]

Thank you for your honest review. It's situations like these that put me off buying one online. Don't get me wrong, I want a Nakaya, but I will get one when I go to Japan

 

Good luck to you @Uncial, I hope it will get sorted for you...

[oldrifleman]

I have 4 Nakayas at this time, all are Mediums or wider and all were set up by John Mottishaw. Three are perfectly smooth, the forth does have some feedback, but that was expected as I had John put some flex into the nib. All are reasonably wet and have never had any issue from the first letter. I am sorry that your nib was not set up correctly for you! I would either sell it or have a nibsmith work it to increase the flow and maybe smooth it a bit. Again I am sorry the mechanics did not match the aesthetics of the pen, life is too short to use an unfriendly pen!

[zaddick]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Nakaya and I have never no been best of friends. I think someone can sort the nib for you though. You can always even have the nib taken from your Platinum 3776 Century and put into the Nakaya. If you like everything else about the pen don't give up on it.

[ethernautrix]

Great and surprising review! Wow. Probably a pen pro can fix the ink flow problem and modify the nib. I would feel some... indignation at having to go through the trouble, but more I would want to use the pen. The beautiful pen.

 

My first Nakaya -- I think I ordered an UEF nib. It was horrible. I don't know if it would have been great for people accustomed to using UEF nibs (I thought I was one of them, but I was wrong; I was more of an EF/F "expert"), so I exchanged the nib for... I don't remember. Maybe F. Maybe EF. The nib and I still didn't click.

 

Not until I tried someone else's Piccolo with a firm M did I realize, OH! I need a firm M nib! So I paid either $25 or $50 to John M. at the LA Pen Show almost two years after buying the pen and not using it, and that changed everything.

 

Funnily enough, only one of my eight Nakayas has an M nib; one has an EF; one has a kindv EF/F stub (obv. modified), and the others are all lovely Fs.

 

Perhaps your Nakaya path will resemble mine. I hope your resolution is quicker than mine. Even though my favorite nib now is the Pilot PO (posting), Nakaya remains my favorite pen overall. Thinking about getting one of the nibs filed to an imitation PO.

 

Good luck!

[Namo]

Great review, thanks! I've been close to pull the triger on a Nakaya, but my hand doesn't agree with the ergonomic of the pens, and I am not a fan of urushi laquer, as far as tactil sens is involved. I am surprised about what you say about the nib. I always assumed there were similar to Platinium's, and Platinium's nibs seem to be considered to be in the "feedback" category and not in the "buttery smooth" one... Mine (a B ) certainly does have feedback, and gives me the very pleasant impression to write with a pencil. Good luck with your pen! It'sd beautiful!

Edited February 14, 2017 by Namo

[Uncial]

I like the Platinum nib, it has a certain feedback but not in any way unpleasant. The Nakaya nib is like writing on sandpaper. It's as if it wants to stick to the paper.

Anyway, Jar and I were conversing backstage and there might yet be another way. Fingers crossed.

[oldrifleman]

Good luck

[cattar]

I will start with a story.

Many years ago, a friend asked for my chili recipe, people loved it, and she wanted to win a local competition. That recipe is one I'd shared, so I wrote it out for her.
But, her chili didn't taste like mine, she didn't win, and she said that I hadn't given her the real recipe. So I asked her, did you follow the recipe exactly as written. She said yes. I told her the chili would taste like mine if she had.
Recipes that elevate food from good to memorable often have a bit of bother -- the order ingredients are put together or put on the heat or…
The bother of that chili recipe -- toasting the cumin in a dry pan to bring out a deeper complexity of flavor. She hadn't done that. And she has yet to do that.

And so it is with so many things in life, including fountain pens and writing -- expectations, experience and bother.

From your post, your expectations of the nib were beyond what it would do unless you got an aftermarket custom grind.
From your post, it seemed you initially got either
--Elastic Fine, with the cutouts so the nib writes like metal brush with a bit of bounce (the nib pulls away from the feed if you write with pressure), or
--Soft Fine, a nib with tipping that averages .3mm and has a bit of spring.
Neither of these nibs are intended to be flexible in the Western sense of writing.

This first nib had good flow, though drier than you preferred. And the nib was springy, though not the flexy you imagined.
And it was noisy, caught, staggered, juddered, felt unusually scratchy. But, even so, the nib didn't tear the page. So it sounds like either
--more feedback than you'd like, and these nibs were designed with more feedback. Also, finer nibs, nibs with less rounded tipping and softer nibs give more feedback.
--not as a light hand as you think. Many people say they have a light hand and then experience difficulty with a finer nib, a nib with less rounded tipping or a softer nib.
--turning the wrist. Many people say they don't roll their hand or wrist as they write, and then experience difficulty with a finer nib, a nib with less rounded tipping or a softer nib.
--the tines were out of alignment.

You didn't decide to send back the pen to switch nibs til nearly the end of the exchange period.

From your post, the second nib was either
--Elastic Medium, with cutouts so the nib writes like metal brush with a bit of bounce, or
--Soft Medium, a nib with tipping that averages .4mm and has a bit of spring.
Neither of these nibs are intended to be flexible in the Western sense of writing.

And you're having a similar experience with the second nib, though it's wider nib you expected.
This second nib has good flow, though not the gusher you prefer. And the nib is bouncy, though not the flexy you wanted.
And still it has unpleasant feedback, though not as much, and it's still noisy. But, as before, the nib doesn't tear the page. So it sounds like either
--more feedback than you'd like.
--not as light a hand as you think.
--turning the wrist as you write.
--the tines are out of alignment.

For this pen and nib, consider
--for wetter flow, use a wetter lubed ink, or get the pen adjusted even wetter.
--for less feedback, lighten your hand even more, don't rotate your hand, and try a nib that isn't soft.
--if the tines are out of alignment, adjust or get the pen adjusted.
--if you're still unhappy, contact Nakaya. As Jar asked, did you buy the pen direct?

Some nibs test how light your hand really is. I get no feedback from Platinum or Nakaya nibs, but most people do. Some people like feedback, others don't.
This may not be a pen that suits you. Your preferences and habits drive what suits you. Many comparably priced European pens don't suit me, they don't give the writing experience I prefer.
It can be worthwhile to buy from nibs.com so the pen gets tuned to your preferences. If the pen doesn't suit you, it can be exchanged or refunded within 30 days unless it's a special order, like the elastic nib.
Nibs.com also has a nib tipping chart so size isn't a surprise.
Consider reviews with a grain of salt. How experienced are you with a variety of pens and nibs. How experienced is the reviewer? What do they say about pens you know?

 

eta. numbers, words.

Edited February 13, 2017 by cattar

[Uncial]

This may not be a pen that suits you.

 

I think this hits the nail on the head. I'm not out to 'dis' Nakaya but I did want to give an honest review from my perspective for people who may have the same desires concerning a type of nib and who were considering a Nakaya purchase without the ability to try first. I hoped for a smooth nib, with a small bit of expression (I knew semi-flex was probably hoping for an awful lot more than what I would get) and nicely wet. Both the fine and medium nibs were aligned alright. Just to give you an idea of the kind of feedback, and by way of comparison (as such things are often hard to quantify): if I dragged the fine nib horizontally across the page under its own weight it would stick to the page, judder and actually jump off the page giving a skipping effect. For the way that I write this was a major problem. I've had a few Sailor pens pass through my hands and I'm not a fan (although I have held on to the 1911) as I find them a bit dry and scratchy.

Anyway, I've realised to my horror that smoothness and wetness are not the normal characteristics of Nakaya nibs. I can live without flex; I've plenty of pens that do that to a far greater degree. For someone who enjoys dry nibs with a large serving of feedback I can see that this would be on another level of joy - for me, not so much. I let the pen's weight do the writing and get very bored very quickly with pens that require a bit of pressure. Why get a 'flexible' nib you may ask; well, I thought it would be a bit of fun whenever I felt like activating it. For now, I have a line to investigate and see what comes of it. Hopefully, the nib can be smoothed further.

Edited February 13, 2017 by Uncial

[cattar]

Some pen, ink, paper combos don't work. Try different ink and paper.
If you must use a particular ink and paper, then that limits your pens.

Nakaya is known to be dry unless tuned differently.
Smoothing won't take out all the feedback inherent in that nib.

Some people prefer Platinum to Sailor, and you liked the nib on your 3776. You might consider a the same nib and ink for your Nakaya.

Edited February 13, 2017 by cattar

[Uncial]

I wanted to add a note to update this. I have been in contact with Nakaya and the third party seller and both have confirmed that a slightly dry nib with a high degree of feedback does indeed tend to be the dominant characteristic of Nakaya nibs. The third party seller did, very kindly, send a rapid response with further information and offered to exchange the nib (although I would have to pay for this myself, which is fair enough seeing the time has run out) for a firm nib which may, or may not solve the issue a little. Having already pumped a not insignificant amount of money into the pen I don't feel like taking that risk. There seems very little point to me in paying for yet another nib that I ay end up not liking also.

 

So, I decided to bite the bullet. Out came the finest mesh I could find, various grades of lapping film and a brown paper bag. With trembling hands and a thumping heart rate I tentatively smoothed the nib. It's not perfect, but at least now I have a somewhat less grippy nib with a hint of smoothness to it. I can now write with the pen, which is a huge relief because I had visions of this thing languishing unused in my pen drawer. Thank you to all for your help and advice and especially to Jar - much appreciated. The thread though may still serve as a good point of information for those considering Nakaya and who might have the same nib preferences as I do.

[tartuffo]

"Out came the finest mesh I could find, various grades of lapping film and a brown paper bag. With trembling hands and a thumping heart rate I tentatively smoothed the nib."

 

Not sure what you are doing with a brown paper bag but I have used micromesh 12000 on my two Nakaya nibs and followed John Mottishaw's instructions on his nibs.com website on how to make a nib wetter .

 

The result was two very wet very smooth Nakaya nibs without the slightest trace of feedback.

Edited February 28, 2017 by tartuffo

[tartuffo]

As Fred would say please excuse the ~ dreaded double post

Edited February 28, 2017 by tartuffo