Namisu Ixion On Kickstarter

[jjlax10]

Opted for the titanium Ixon, since I only have Ti nibs and not ones made of Ti itself. I plan to pair it with a Ti nib for an all-Ti pen

 

 

As for a brass pen, I'm still waiting for my brass Loclen Electa to show up - it's already 3 months overdue

 

 

 

Shahrin

Did you ever receive yours? Mine has yet to arrive.

[Jamerelbe]

Did you ever receive yours? Mine has yet to arrive.

 

My Electa (a black-coated aluminium one) arrived a couple of weeks ago. According to the last update (5 days ago in the Comments section), all the brass and copper pens have now been shipped, but there are still some chrome and brass to come. Definitely worth the wait, though!

[SpecTP]

My Electa choices were chrome and blackened so I'm going to be one of the later deliveries (hopefully by the end of Sept)

[bbs]

Yes, I think at this rate I'll get my Namisu Ixion before the Loclen Electa! But it sounds as though they're worth the wait.

[shahrincamille]

I received my brass Electa on the 26th September 2017. The envelope was postmarked on the 12th, so 2 weeks is just about right for regular mail delivery from Italy to Malaysia.

 

But yeah...it's well worth the wait

 

Anyone here still waiting for the Electa?

 

 

 

Regarding the Ixion, delivery is now pushed back to November due to the overwhelming demand, I suppose.

 

 

Shahrin

[GranTorino25]

Oh the original campaign they said that demand over 2000 backers would delay production, and they ended up with near 3000, so I can understand them pushing it back to November! As long as it doesn't then go longer and longer, I can live with that

[Theroc]

I don't get the point of the faceted cap with a round body, love the Nova because it resemble a Nakaya Piccolo, this one should be doric inspired with a faceted barrel asa well

 

Have to agree.

The facets on cap and body have to align perfectly of course. Maybe Namisu decided they didn't want that headache.

[ManofKent]

Still waiting on my brass one. I'm a big Namisu fan (have the Nova in Titanium and Brass, and the Orion in Copper, Titanium and Aluminium). They're such beautifully balanced pens in the hand, and the no. 6 nib allows for plenty of possibilities.

[justvrod]

I joined there campaign as pre-order (missed opportunity as early backer). First time buying Namisu pen! can't wait to get my hands on them !

oh and Sales support mentioned it should be out in around November!

[jjlax10]

My copper Loclen Electa came, now to wait on Namisu.

[sdbruder]

Just backed a Blue Ixion, now waiting..

With that Ive backed Namisu and Ensso. Do we get a badge or something?

 

--

#Backer-of-multiple-Kickstarter-pen-projects

Edited October 24, 2017 by sdbruder

[woleizihan]

Shipping is again extended to mid Jan 2018. Sad news.

[CupTea]

Shipping is again extended to mid Jan 2018. Sad news.

 

Thanks for the update. That is really disappointing, as I am sure many were looking forward to receiving these pens in time for Christmas (including myself). So it went from end of October to end of November - and now January? This clearly shows a total lack of project management, those nibs should have been ordered months ago. This was the last time I backed a Namisu project.

[woleizihan]

Thanks for the update. That is really disappointing, as I am sure many were looking forward to receiving these pens in time for Christmas (including myself). So it went from end of October to end of November - and now January? This clearly shows a total lack of project management, those nibs should have been ordered months ago. This was the last time I backed a Namisu project.

I highly suspect it's only because of the nibs.

 

First, it's just 4000 stock Bock nibs not even some customer work with Namisu logo on them. I have a hard time image that as the biggest nib producer in the world, Bock doesn't have at least some inventory laying aside and ready to ship as well as lacking the ability to produce 4000 stock nibs within a short time.

 

Second, if it's only the nibs, Namisu could well provide a nibless option for backers and refund the nib price. They could even get away without any refund but provide a coupon for a free nib unit when they are back in stock. It will be a much less disappointing solution than simply extending the shipping date by a month and a half. At least to me or someone with a spare Bock nib. Also, if they give a nib coupon to be redeemed later, they will increase the traffic of their website, which is a good thing in most aspects. However, they chose to simply extend the shipping date, to me, this says that nib is not the only problem and they are simply looking for an excuse.

 

Third, they are selling pens on Massdrop as well as on their website with a much closer shipping date.

 

All of these combined. I don't quite believe what they said.

Edited November 29, 2017 by woleizihan

[crahptacular]

I agree; the updates sound like excuses and none of their claims hold together. Even if you believed 100% of what Namisu communicated to their backers, they are still handling the situation poorly; but it seems much more likely that they are simply being dishonest, trying to throw Bock under the bus to cover up for their own mistakes. Some details I found strange:

 

In their update at the end of October (the first delay), they specifically claimed that with their "professional fulfillment partner" there would be a two-week turnaround between receiving the nibs from Bock and shipping out the pens. In their latest update, they are scheduling a five-week turnaround despite working through the holiday season.

 

Next, they were set to receive the shipment of nibs mid-November. At the end of November, they are now claiming to be surprised at a further delay. Are we to understand that for the last two weeks they have been unaware that their nibs had not arrived? Or did it take two weeks to carefully write the update? There's no reason they should have left their customers in the dark if they knew far in advance that there would be further delays and complications.

 

They also claimed that shipments from Bock had previously taken 6-8 weeks, and that this time has taken double that. In reality, by the time their new projected date rolls around, it will have been 20 weeks. Unless they were late in ordering the nibs to begin with, those numbers don't add up.

 

Finally (this one is more guesswork), previous Namisu pens (Nova and Orion) use stock #6 Bock nibs with no custom engraving/scrollwork/etc, and unless they are using a different nib size for the Ixion, there is ample evidence that they have an inventory of Bock nibs. Their other models of pens are in stock on their website, and they are currently running two deals on Massdrop, available with both Steel and Titanium nib options (these are the same Titanium nibs that they singled out as a cause of extra delay). I think it's reasonable that a bulk order of extra nibs for the KS project would stress the supply chain, but you would expect a company that consistently uses the same supplier to have at least a reliable channel of communication to sort these things out.

 

I know that Kickstarter campaigns have an inherent risk as far as fulfillment goes (I just received a KS item last month that had been promised in 2013), but as Namisu is a fairly experienced company by now, I expected better. It seems they are simply taking advantage of the Kickstarter platform to mistreat their backers without repercussion; I doubt a customer using their actual website would receive such poor customer service.

 

Sorry for the very negative post, but every time I tried to objectively read their updates, more inconsistencies and contradictions jumped out at me. In fairness, I should mention that I've purchased Namisu pens before (not the KS versions, but their production models from their online store) and have been happy with the quality, and I do believe that they will eventually deliver another quality product. I just dislike the way the KS campaign is being handled.

[Jamerelbe]

Let me say two things here:

 

(1) The Namisu folks' claim that they've been let down by Bock is (in my view) entirely plausible: I once tried to order some Bock nibs from a 'downstream' supplier (Bock don't sell to individuals direct), and they told me that they were out of stock and didn't know when they would have fresh stock because, reading between the lines, Bock don't really value their smaller customers and ship products when they feel like it rather than when requested. Bock themselves may have legitimate reasons for being delayed in shipping, they just don't seem to bother to tell their customers why, or when they can expect their shipment. If that's their 'modus operandi' with other customers, it's entirely possible Namisu have been screwed over in a similar fashion with minimal communication to explain why.

 

(2) That doesn't really justify Namisu's own lack of communication. I was on board their first Kickstarter campaign, and it was marred by similar delays and a similar disregard for their backers. I don't get it: they could reduce the angst and frustration by a huge margin if they just kept providing updates in a timely manner, but they don't do it. It's a common failing (in my limited experience) among Kickstarter creators, but that doesn't make it right. And, yes, that also contributes to a feeling that we're not getting the whole story and/or not being told the truth. They'll get their pens out to their backers - they've always done so in the past, and I have no reason to think they'll fall over this time - but it creates a terrible impression, and (it seems to me) could be so easily avoided with a few strokes of the keyboard now and then.

[woleizihan]

Quoted from the update:

 

"as for the past 3 years that we have been working with our supplier, the delivery time on nibs has been 6-8 weeks, which has more than doubled this time round"

 

Bock seems to consistently deliver the nibs on time in the past three years so I'm not entirely convinced that Bock doesn't value their smaller customers. Or Namisu is not considered a small customer or they are telling lies. In short, the argument that Namisu falls to obtain Bock nibs on time because Bock doesn't value their business relation makes little sense to me. And I don't think Namisu has been "screwed over".

 

On the other hand, it's also possible that Bock has some problem producing nibs, which results in a delay. However, also according to the update, Namisu was told the nibs would be delivered in December and this doesn't justify the extension to the third week of Jan if Namisu has already completed all the other parts. Namisu claimed to have more than 50 packing stafff, who should be able to complete all the packing in a few days. If every one of them packs 80 pens a day, it can be done in only one day. And if one staff packs only 1 pen per hour, which makes the packing cost rediculous, it will take less than 10 days. Is it going to take that long if as claimed by Namisu, they have to work during Christmas and New year? Or they are not even trying to ship the pen out as soon as possible.

 

So that's why I said the nib cannot be the ONLY problem and Namisu is definitely taking that as an excuse to cover up their other problems. Yes, it is Kickstarter, and we should expect delay. But the thing I'm not happy about is a creator who's not even transparent on their problems when they have to extend the shipping date, who knows the problem much earlier and still chose to have no update and only extended the shipping date at the very last moment and who blamed their suppliers for many of their own problems.

 

The problem is definitely not just lack of communication and it is not just a feeling. They are lying and being not responsible and is taking advantage of Kickstarters refund policies. If this is sold on their website, I bet many people have already got the refund through PayPal.

Edited November 29, 2017 by woleizihan

[Jamerelbe]

@woleizihan, I'm not disagreeing with you - I doubt very much that the nib delay is the only problem. Simply pointing out that in personal correspondence with another company that relies on Bock for part of their business, communication gaps and unexpected stock shortages were identified as an issue. The claim that Bock has unexpectedly let them down is, in my view, plausible - but like you I suspect it's not the whole story! Still, unless they "come clean" on what other factors are slowing them down, we'll never know - and if they ultimately deliver a good product, most of their backers will eventually forgive and forget. Like I did the first and second times around...

[Cyber6]

Guys, unless you are in bed with either Namisu or Bock, you are technically just speculating.

 

For me... I am very dissapointed, but since is out my control, I only need to sit tight and wait.

 

Good thing I have enough pens and inks to keep me entertained.

 

 

Cheers!!

 

 

 

C.

[Jamerelbe]

Guys, unless you are in bed with either Namisu or Bock, you are technically just speculating.

 

For me... I am very dissapointed, but since is out my control, I only need to sit tight and wait.

 

Good thing I have enough pens and inks to keep me entertained.

 

 

Cheers!!

 

 

 

C.

 

But speculating is what we do best!

 

Likewise, I *think* my current stock of pens and inks can tide me over for another month or so...