Namisu Nova Stonewashed Titanium

[taike]

It took me about 2 minutes after watching chrisrap52's YouTube review of this pen for me to decide to pull the trigger. It pushes all the right buttons: stonewashed titanium, nakaya-like styling, an actual Ti nib and the thing was on sale. A father's day gift to myself.

 

http://i.imgur.com/wxCTQLjh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/YfsCukah.jpg

 

The Nova is superbly made. The stonewashed finish captures the solid confidence of a well-crafted tool. The cap threading is strong but not sharp and the cap comes off with hardly more than half a turn. The finish is flawless.

 

Since you can't currently order the pen with a Ti nib alone, I went with the an M steel nib with the pen and added an EF Ti nib on top. To be honest, I haven't even tried the steel nib. The Bock nib unit screws out easily so swapping for the Ti nib was the first order of business. I'd never had the pleasure before.

 

http://i.imgur.com/vyLMpbAh.jpg

 

The pen doesn't disappoint. The Ti EF nib is wet and just a bit springy. To my mind, just the thing for an ink that promises sheen like Diamine Majestic Blue. I'm leery of going too far and springing the nib, so I don't push for much line variation. Reverse writing is very OK.

 

I haven't felt the need to adjust or smooth the nib at all. It feels like it's gotten slightly less toothy with use, but it could be that I'm just getting used to how it writes.

 

It's interesting that the nib takes a stain almost immediately so it gets even darker than fresh out of the box. It comes clean with a wipe with a damp cloth. Same for ink on the section.

 

http://i.imgur.com/R6wGKAnh.jpg?1

 

At 35g uncapped, it's substantial but that hasn't proven an issue. It's very comfortable in the hand. I don't post the pen.

 

Hats off to Namisu for coming up with this design. I'm not sure I'd feel the same about the polished or sandblasted Ti versions of the Nova, and I sort of remember seeing their first model on Kickstarter and not really feeling much. But this one is right up my alley.

 

More photos and thoughts here.

Edited June 15, 2017 by taike

[visvamitra]

Thank you for the review. This pen is tempting me strongly

[Caeruleum]

That looks interesting. Thank you for the insight.

Do you know whether the nib is size #6?

[Jamerelbe]

That looks interesting. Thank you for the insight.

Do you know whether the nib is size #6?

The Namisu Nova takes Bock #6 screw-in nib units. I *believe* you can swap JoWo (or other) #6 nibs into the Bock nib assembly, but haven't tried it myself!

[taike]

The Namisu Nova takes Bock #6 screw-in nib units. I *believe* you can swap JoWo (or other) #6 nibs into the Bock nib assembly, but haven't tried it myself!

 

I gave a tug on the steel M nib assembly to try and pull out the nib and feed but met enough resistance to give me pause. I have similar assemblies from Schmidt that come apart fine (TWSBI Micarta for example) so I assume it's possible. The Bock #6 nib looks very similar to other No. 6 nibs I have so chances are good they'd be interchangeable. Interestingly, at this point I'm not so inclined. I like this pen as it is.

[Ferrum]

Although "traditional-looking" pens are very much my taste, I'm very pleased with the Namisu pens I have.

 

These are the Orion in copper, with the"standard" Broad steel nib, and a titanium Nova with the titanium nib in Medium.

 

Both handle and write very well, and the Nova nib gives a reasonable amount of flex without undue pressure. Although no lightweight, it handles well. I also like the length and girth of the pen. The finish is immaculate.

 

As I live in the UK, I bought them direct from Namisu

[ethernautrix]

I like the visual aesthetic of this pen --and the ones Figboot showed in a recent video review. I wonder if I would like how the metal feels, especially for long writing sessions. Definitely a good-looking pen.

 

The one in Figboot's video showed a model with a cute little cap--the engraved lines hide the cap and section seams; I liked that very much, too.

[effandpee]

I really like my ebonite version, which has the same nib combo as the OP. The machining is very good and the material of the pen is compulsively tactile. Lightweight, too, which is my preference.

 

I've heard reports about the titanium nibs becoming easily misaligned - even in transit - but no problem with that for me so far. It has a bit of tooth, and it's definitely fine, but lays down a smooth consistent and slightly wet line.

[taike]

I like the visual aesthetic of this pen --and the ones Figboot showed in a recent video review. I wonder if I would like how the metal feels, especially for long writing sessions. Definitely a good-looking pen.

 

The one in Figboot's video showed a model with a cute little cap--the engraved lines hide the cap and section seams; I liked that very much, too.

 

The metal feels very good in the hand. Perhaps even a little better than I initially expected. It's hard to say whether the stonewashed finish makes the pen slightly grippier, but I really like the finish so I'm willing to conceded myself the point.

 

I've found the pen comfortable and well suited to longer writing sessions. Really no issue at all. It continues to be one of my favorites.

 

I would note that the Orion model that Figboot reviewed is pretty different from the Nova model so you might want to think about that. The big difference is the section. The Orion has the threads at the very end where the Nova is more of a traditional design.

[ethernautrix]

The Nova does appeal cos of its similarity to my favorite pen model ever, Nakaya Piccolo Cigar. But both Namisu models have features that appeal to me. Thanks for sharing!