Nakaya Vs Platinum Nibs

[xopher]

What's the difference between Nakaya and Platinum nibs? I was under the impression they're made from the same stock, however, the Nakaya nib is hand finished.

 

Reason why I'm asking? I've been searching for my "Grail nib" in recent weeks. The nib must F/EF, smooth all around for jotting and flex. After inking my Nakaya for the first time in a year, I realized it was already in my possession! That being said, I have no intention to use it as an everyday carry.

 

If you know of any pens or nib which fit these requirements, please let me know!

 

BTW, I also own a Platinum 3776 with SF nib. In my opinion, this nib has excessive feed back when there's variation in the writing angle. Did I get a lemon or are they all like this?

[fly_us]

Just use your Nakaya for EDC. It could take a lot of beaten. I carry them in the pant pocket with the included kimono without any issue for few years already.

[mongrelnomad]

Don't make a judgement based on nib alone (unless you want one of the Nakaya nibs unavailable from Platinum), make it based upon the pen you want. They are the same nibs, with the same writing characteristics. The pens, however, are very different.

[Masque]

Don't make a judgement based on nib alone (unless you want one of the Nakaya nibs unavailable from Platinum), make it based upon the pen you want. They are the same nibs, with the same writing characteristics. The pens, however, are very different.

 

A fair point, however most of the Nakayas here in the States have been tuned by Mottishaw & Co., and thus may on average offer a smoother experience.

 

It's a good idea to find someone local to do the same to all your writing instruments, really. Basic smoothing and tuning can be done fairly quickly; I'd be happy to do this (as a courtesy) for anyone in the Portland/Salem areas at our local meetups.

Edited October 10, 2017 by Masque

[dapprman]

 

A fair point, however most of the Nakayas here in the States have been tuned by Mottishaw & Co., and thus may on average offer a smoother experience.

 

Or poorer - still not sure why people ask John to tune an already hand tuned nib without trying it first.

[Masque]

Or poorer - still not sure why people ask John to tune an already hand tuned nib without trying it first.

 

Because it works the opposite way as you say. It happens upon purchase unless you specify that you do not wish for that service to be performed.

[dapprman]

 

Because it works the opposite way as you say. It happens upon purchase unless you specify that you do not wish for that service to be performed.

\00/ - I'm glad when I decided I could not wait for a direct order (as the prices were about to rise) I was (and still am) in the UK. I've no problem with pens being adjusted by nibmeisters once they've been tried, but before ... - especially if the nib is hand tuned and tested before leaving the factory.

[Bluey]

I don't see the point at all of nibs being adjusted by nibmeisters, and I'm unlikely to ever use one. You buy the pen for the nib because you like the nib style(how that brand shape their nibs to create the feedback and smoothness that you like) that that brand creates.

 

Nibmeisters should be used for when the nib is well and truly kerknackered. Perhaps it's an old pen that has sentimental value and you really want it to write again, or you accidentally dropped the pen and it landed on it's nib.

 

 

Buying a new pen and then letting a nibmeister adjust it is like buying a Ralph Lauren suit, but then sending it to Calvin Klein to adjust it for you.

Edited October 11, 2017 by Bluey

[Masque]

Buying a new pen and then letting a nibmeister adjust it is like buying a Ralph Lauren suit, but then sending it to Calvin Klein to adjust it for you.

 

 

Your analogy is buying a Montblanc and then sending it to Pelikan. This is not analogous.

 

In your example, it's like buying a suit off the rack and then taking it to a local tailor to have it fitted to your measurements.

 

Suits off the rack look good for most people, and for a lucky few they're a perfect fit, but a tailored suit, well, that's a look that you don't want to give up once you've had it.

 

I tune my own nibs, and I have never found one off the rack that didn't improve for the attention I paid and the time I took. MB, TWSBI, Visconti, Waterman, Wahl, Pelikan — all have been good out of the box (and to be fair, the MBs were actually great) but all were better for my writing after.

 

Those tuned by Masuyama and Mottishaw have been closer to perfect than I've ever found, and I would expect that if such tunings were done in person, watching my writing and working with live feedback that they would exceed my results, but in no case would I ever take an "out of the box" nib for regular use without spending a few minutes with the tuning box.

 

Similarly, I've never found a nib that was reportedly scratchy, uneven, hard starting, or other similar complaints that I couldn't improve with work. And yet I see reviews of pens that complain about how unfortunate it is that a given pen exhibited such characteristics, as they hurt the pen's usefulness.

 

If I ran a pen-selling establishment, I would do as Mottishaw does and inspect every nib before it goes out. It's just not worth the risk of someone receiving their grail and having it suck.

Edited October 13, 2017 by Masque

[Bluey]

 

 

Your analogy is buying a Montblanc and then sending it to Pelikan. This is not analogous.

 

In your example, it's like buying a suit off the rack and then taking it to a local tailor to have it fitted to your measurements.

 

Suits off the rack look good for most people, and for a lucky few they're a perfect fit, but a tailored suit, well, that's a look that you don't want to give up once you've had it.

 

I tune my own nibs, and I have never found one off the rack that didn't improve for the attention I paid and the time I took. MB, TWSBI, Visconti, Waterman, Wahl, Pelikan — all have been good out of the box (and to be fair, the MBs were actually great) but all were better for my writing after.

 

Those tuned by Masuyama and Mottishaw have been closer to perfect than I've ever found, and I would expect that if such tunings were done in person, watching my writing and working with live feedback that they would exceed my results, but in no case would I ever take an "out of the box" nib for regular use without spending a few minutes with the tuning box.

 

Similarly, I've never found a nib that was reportedly scratchy, uneven, hard starting, or other similar complaints that I couldn't improve with work. And yet I see reviews of pens that complain about how unfortunate it is that a given pen exhibited such characteristics, as they hurt the pen's usefulness.

 

If I ran a pen-selling establishment, I would do as Mottishaw does and inspect every nib before it goes out. It's just not worth the risk of someone receiving their grail and having it suck.

But if you get it turned 5 more times it will be even more perfect, right? And 10 times? Maybe heaven on Earth.

 

MB, TWSBI, Visconti, Waterman, Wahl, Pelikan

 

Or maybe just buy a brand that doesn't suck so that it always needs tuning.

[Masque]

But if you get it turned 5 more times it will be even more perfect, right? And 10 times? Maybe heaven on Earth.

 

 

This is an example of multiple logical fallacies.

 

It should be heaven on Earth before tuning, but if it isn't, a single tuning does it nicely. That's the point.

 

Or maybe just buy a brand that doesn't suck so that it always needs tuning.

 

 

Just like buying an off-the-rack suit from a brand that doesn't suck will always ensure the same fit as a tailored suit, to use your example.

 

I'm sorry you feel the need to look down on the choices of others in order to feel good about your own. I avoided listing some brands there specifically so that you wouldn't feel attacked personally, but I can assure you that the complete list of nibs I've tuned include brands that you yourself write with. And I did not call out the fact that you have started topics on this very site about your efforts to tune nibs you've purchased.

 

I care about your sense of well-being. I'm sure most people here do. And I hope you can continue to develop it without feeling the need to step on others'.

Edited October 16, 2017 by Masque

[dapprman]

On the tailor analogy, for Nakaya it would be like getting a tailor made suit from one specific tailor in Saville Row as they alone do a certain pattern and material, then taking it to another post completion, without trying it on, to get the lining redone as the second tailor has built up a great reputation for that area. For an off the shelf suit (here Platinum) it would make a difference, for for a tailor made to measure it could actually make things worse. Anyhow that's an analogy, we can move on

 

If I ran a pen-selling establishment, I would do as Mottishaw does and inspect every nib before it goes out. It's just not worth the risk of someone receiving their grail and having it suck.

I do wonder if the original posted actually meant this rather than tune nibs - which is different and what you'd hope for (a number of retailers in the UK also do the same) - if so then my previous concerns and those of some one else (Bluey ?) will probably be moot.

[minddance]

By reading this thread, I still cannot gather any fact about how Nakaya and Platinum nibs write OOTB.

 

I am not interested in nibmeisters under this topic because I know they can make any pen write the way I specify.

 

I own a Platinum 3776med and it writes like a liquid pencil. It scratches despite perfectly aligned tines. With different papers and inks, it writes differently, naturally, and ranges from a B to, shall we say, a 3B pencil. Still a pencil tactile feedback. And dry, unless primed feed. I have had it for more than a year, so it is not a dishwashing-liquid-flush-factory-oil-residue issue. I have also ultrasonically cleaned it countless times.

 

At a few times the price of a 3776, how exactly does Nakaya write? Do they use that frugal 3776 feed too? And that difficult-to-clean converter?

 

Kindly advise. Thanks.

Edited October 31, 2017 by minddance

[jar]

By reading this thread, I still cannot gather any fact about how Nakaya and Platinum nibs write OOTB.

 

I am not interested in nibmeisters under this topic because I know they can make any pen write the way I specify.

 

I own a Platinum 3776med and it writes like a liquid pencil. It scratches despite perfectly aligned tines. With different papers and inks, it writes differently, naturally, and ranges from a B to, shall we say, a 3B pencil. Still a pencil tactile feedback. And dry, unless primed feed. I have had it for more than a year, so it is not a dishwashing-liquid-flush-factory-oil-residue issue. I have also ultrasonically cleaned it countless times.

 

At a few times the price of a 3776, how exactly does Nakaya write? Do they use that frugal 3776 feed too? And that difficult-to-clean converter?

 

Kindly advise. Thanks.

LOL

 

Nakaya & Platinum use the same converter.

 

None of my Platinum/Nakaya converters are hard to clean.

 

Nakaya fountain pens are all adjusted by someone who knows how to tune a nib.

 

Of my many, many Platinum and Nakaya fountain pens none write like a liquid pencil and I even own several genuine Liquid Lead Pencils as well.

 

All my Platinum/Nakaya "M" nibs write just like "M" nibs.

 

All Platinum/Nakaya nibs are equal but some are more equal than others.

[dapprman]

By reading this thread, I still cannot gather any fact about how Nakaya and Platinum nibs write OOTB.

Platinum pen nibs are like those for any large manufacturer, many are fine, but some need fettling, and there's the possibility of improvement.

Nakaya have 2(?) old, highly experienced 'nibmeisters' who test, adjust to requested requirements, fully write in the nibs with the result that they should be as close to perfection as it is possible to get with a Platinum 3776 nib. The only ones that people have said on here have been bad or they've had problems with when they've first gone to use them have all been fiddled with by supposed nibmeisters before the new owner had even tried them (there's 3 or 4 threads).

Edited November 1, 2017 by dapprman

[Algester]

At least 80% who owned Nakayas on this forum have brought from classicpens which may have been tuned by john to begin with so really almost no one here knows how a straight Nakaya tuned nib feels like but there are other people who have purchased pens straight from Nakaya so maybe they can attest to how the nibs feel like OTB

[Kevan]

This has some interesting points of view in the replies. For my part, in my experience, Japanese nibs that I own have all been great out of the box....moreso than European nibs. I own no Sailors, but that's true of my Platinums and Pilots.

 

The two pens that I bought from nibmeisters, though, wrote fantastically​ when I received them. Perfect. So I think there's a reason to do it for a lot of folks.

[oldrifleman]

I bought two pens straight from Nakaya. One is a Twist Decapod and the other a Wrapped Cigar, both with Medium Elastic nibs. Both write perfectly out of the box, as did the pens I have received from John at Nibs.com. None are the ultra smooth zero feedback that some desire. There is feedback, which I appreciate, in each. I enjoy a springy nib which is why I love my Elastic nibs. Note that they do not produce a line variation that one often gets from a Flex nib, but are so nice to write with.

[Ambien]

At a few times the price of a 3776, how exactly does Nakaya write? Do they use that frugal 3776 feed too? And that difficult-to-clean converter?

 

Kindly advise. Thanks.

 

I'm a bit confused as they share the same nib characteristics since they all come from the same factory (right?) regardless of their labels? I find Platinum nibs to be dry writers which may or may not be a disappointment for others.

 

Nakaya is known for their unique design and novelty materials vs resin which is found in many other FPs. The downside being most people can afford 2-5 avg pens but rarely do I find tons of people who own 3-5 Nakaya FP for EDC.

[jar]

 

I'm a bit confused as they share the same nib characteristics since they all come from the same factory (right?) regardless of their labels? I find Platinum nibs to be dry writers which may or may not be a disappointment for others.

 

Nakaya is known for their unique design and novelty materials vs resin which is found in many other FPs. The downside being most people can afford 2-5 avg pens but rarely do I find tons of people who own 3-5 Nakaya FP for EDC.

Nakaya nibs begin life as a different stamp #3776 Century nib but then every single one is tested and adjusted by one of two true artists.

 

Nakaya pens are also adjusted to suite the new owners preferences for how wet the pen should be as well as things like the writing angle of the new owner and their writing styles.

 

A great similar example are my Eboyas. The nibs are basic Bock nibs without even special stamping or engravings but they are then touched by yet another master and are among the smoothest and most pleasant nibs I own.

 

Eboya Natsume:

http://www.fototime.com/9577C5FAD961C00/medium800.jpg

Eboya Yatate:

http://www.fototime.com/64A1AFFA5DAF58B/medium800.jpg

Some EDC Nakayas:

http://www.fototime.com/405D64928CED22C/medium800.jpg