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Choosing A Special Occasion Pen - Nakaya Or Namiki?


requiescat

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Hello,

 

I'm trying to decide between two pens to celebrate a special occasion:

 

- Nakaya Dorsal Fin Version 2 Aka-Tamenuri

 

or

 

- Namiki Yukari maki-e Shooting Star

 

I already own a Nakaya (Naka-ai in Aka-Tamenuri) so I know I like them, and I adore the aka-tamenuri color. My current one is a Soft Fine and I've had a stubbed BB, which I really like; I'd probably go with the latter option for a Dorsal Fin.

 

I have never owned a Namiki. The one maki-e pen I own is screen-printed (a Platinum Kanazawa maple leaves). I don't know anything about their nibs.

 

I'm torn because the Nakaya is so elegant but the Namiki is beautiful in a completely different way. It's like apples to oranges. The Namiki is also more expensive but that's a relatively small factor. And there's a wait for the Nakaya but I'm okay with that.

 

Alternately, I can forego a fountain pen entirely and treat myself to an iPad Pro for doing digital art, which is also an option, and which I would also get a great deal of enjoyment out of.

 

Help?

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Of those two pens the Namiki shooting star would definately be my choice. But I'm purely speaking aesthetics; it's about 20 times more than I've ever paid for a pen, so I'm not exactly speaking as an expert.

 

Is the IPad Pro the best choice for digital art? In the past I usually heard that Wacom was the way to go, but I know that a lot more tablet makers have been incorporating more advanced pens lately, so I don't know. Anyway, I know Wacom used to (and I believe still do) have stand alone tablets that ALSO function as drawing tablets for a normal desktop computer, which seems to offer the greatest versatility?

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If money is truely not an issue, then buy the Nakaya and the iPod pro. You will have the pen for the rest of your life to mark the occasion and will have participated in the creating of a work of art that you can use for life. Add some fine paper and a notebook, or three. You will also have a nice computer accessory that you may find quite useful for a few years, for while apple products are nice, they have by design a limited life span. iPads have relatively long lifespan for a computer accessory, but one day they will not be supported as Apple will want you to buy another one.

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FYI, if you search ‘Namiki’ in the FPN classifieds I believe there is a nicely discounted version of the one you are looking for, although it is listed under a different design name. You can then have your pen and iPad Pro.

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Like you, I'm a fan of Nakaya. I bought one as we were departing Japan after living for two years on the western edge of Tokyo, and as I review my pen log, my Nakaya gets the most use. I think I could build a collection on these pieces of art.

 

I don't have experience with Namiki as that class of pen is out of my reach. However, I do have a two year old iPad Pro (the original) and the Apple Pencil to go with it. Both are fine pieces of engineering that allow the mind to create beautiful pieces of digital art. However, my artist daughters are drawn to Wacom products (and long for a Cintiq) and perform most of their artwork with those devices. Laptops have been upgraded, software has been modernized, but their Wacom products still perform amazingly well after several years. They've both tried the iPad Pro and pencil, and they go back to their laptops and Wacom tablets. I imagine part of the problem is the feel is like drawing on glass. The Wacom Intuos products have numerous nibs to change friction, contact, and feel of writing. In fact, we bought new nibs for them for Christmas this past year.

 

With your budget, you can buy a nice Cintiq and get what you are looking for. I'm not an artist, and I would go for another Nakaya in a heartbeat.

 

Buzz

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Of those two pens the Namiki shooting star would definately be my choice. But I'm purely speaking aesthetics; it's about 20 times more than I've ever paid for a pen, so I'm not exactly speaking as an expert.

 

Is the IPad Pro the best choice for digital art? In the past I usually heard that Wacom was the way to go, but I know that a lot more tablet makers have been incorporating more advanced pens lately, so I don't know. Anyway, I know Wacom used to (and I believe still do) have stand alone tablets that ALSO function as drawing tablets for a normal desktop computer, which seems to offer the greatest versatility?

 

It's hard! They're both gorgeous.

 

iPad Pro is probably not the *best* choice for digital art, although it would also allow me to watch anime on it? I do have a Wacom tablet that I use with my laptop and desktop, but not one of the standalone Cintiq tablets. Hrm.

 

If money is truely not an issue, then buy the Nakaya and the iPod pro. You will have the pen for the rest of your life to mark the occasion and will have participated in the creating of a work of art that you can use for life. Add some fine paper and a notebook, or three. You will also have a nice computer accessory that you may find quite useful for a few years, for while apple products are nice, they have by design a limited life span. iPads have relatively long lifespan for a computer accessory, but one day they will not be supported as Apple will want you to buy another one.

 

That's a good point. I love my Macbook Air but I have had Apple products go belly-up on me before. On the other hand, we have a rather older iPad and my daughter has been getting a lot of mileage out of it for sketching and watching anime and listening to music.

 

I...may have committed five Seven Seas Writer A5 journals already...

 

FYI, if you search ‘Namiki’ in the FPN classifieds I believe there is a nicely discounted version of the one you are looking for, although it is listed under a different design name. You can then have your pen and iPad Pro.

 

Thank you for the tip! That one's a EDIT: Milk Way END EDIT rather than Shooting Stars, and I think they're a little different in design but I'll have to double-check. I'll have to think about it.

 

Like you, I'm a fan of Nakaya. I bought one as we were departing Japan after living for two years on the western edge of Tokyo, and as I review my pen log, my Nakaya gets the most use. I think I could build a collection on these pieces of art.

 

I don't have experience with Namiki as that class of pen is out of my reach. However, I do have a two year old iPad Pro (the original) and the Apple Pencil to go with it. Both are fine pieces of engineering that allow the mind to create beautiful pieces of digital art. However, my artist daughters are drawn to Wacom products (and long for a Cintiq) and perform most of their artwork with those devices. Laptops have been upgraded, software has been modernized, but their Wacom products still perform amazingly well after several years. They've both tried the iPad Pro and pencil, and they go back to their laptops and Wacom tablets. I imagine part of the problem is the feel is like drawing on glass. The Wacom Intuos products have numerous nibs to change friction, contact, and feel of writing. In fact, we bought new nibs for them for Christmas this past year.

 

With your budget, you can buy a nice Cintiq and get what you are looking for. I'm not an artist, and I would go for another Nakaya in a heartbeat.

 

Buzz

 

I use my Naka-ai regularly and love it to pieces. Thanks for the note about iPad Pro vs. Wacom, though. I do have a Wacom tablet for use with my laptop and desktop but not a Cintiq, so I'll have to consider that.

 

Thank you everyone for your insights!

Edited by requiescat
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Both are absolutely gorgeous. The Namiki is more unique I would think, given the price point. A price point that depending on the pen is a minimum of 10 times more than I have ever spent on a pen. The Nakaya at 10x and 16x for the Namiki. Ultimately the money you spend is yours as is the enjoyment of lack thereof you will get out of whichever one. No experience with the tablets in question.

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

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Tough decision indeed.

 

Personally I would go for the Namiki Shooting Star because I like maki-e but also because it would be more different from the pens you already own than the Nakaya Dorsal Fin 2. But, you would also have to ask yourself if you are ok with stock Namiki nibs or add even more $$ to get it ground to a stub.

 

Also the Milky Way has more gold dust (for the Milky Way) while the Shooting Star has more circles (for the stars).

 

As for the iPad Pro, maybe wait until September when all the new models come out?

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Good points, thanks all!

 

...and now I am looking at an S.T. Dupont. Oh well, I don't have to decide straight off! And I should wait until September in any case, because I'd forgotten about the iPad refreshes. :)

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An iPad Pro works very well for digital art if you’re the sort who works out and about a lot. If you speak fluent Photoshop and are unwilling to learn new software, maybe not so much. If you’re a dedicated Clip Studio Paint user, it doesn’t matter it is available for both. I actually went iPad mostly because it’s amazing for photography. Not the built in camera, just having a big enough screen in your lap to review photos on the spot makes a huge difference. I haven’t used any of the Cintique stuff because they don’t meet my needs. Too heavy, not enough battery. But it’s a real mileage varies sort of deal.

 

The main rumor about the Pro refresh is that it will add Face ID. I think when the kinks are worked out Face ID will be good stuff, but there’s definitely some edge cases where it’s not a happy thing. And if your main goal is a drawing tablet that goes anywhere, the most recent iPad refresh may be good enough, for a lot less money.

 

As far as the pens... do you have and like any Pilot pens? From what many posters have said, Namiki nibs strongly resemble Pilot nibs, same as Nakaya resemble Platinum. So if you don’t like Pilot nibs, I’d definitely say the Nakaya. If you like both nib styles um... hard decision time!

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Good points, thanks all!

 

...and now I am looking at an S.T. Dupont. Oh well, I don't have to decide straight off! And I should wait until September in any case, because I'd forgotten about the iPad refreshes. :)

Very hard to go wrong with ST Dupont either.

 

My Website

 

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Very hard to go wrong with ST Dupont either.

I've been looking at your posts about them for a while, jar! :)

 

As for nibs...I have and like two Pilot Vanishing Points, and I have and like both a Platinum and a Nakaya, so...XD It's kind of nice to be spoilt for choice?

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As for the iPad Pro, maybe wait until September when all the new models come out?

 

The current new iPad (2018/6th gen IINM) also support Pencil, although the drawing speed is lower than the new iPad Pro. Could be an alternative to spend the leftover budget after buying pen. :)

It's priced from $329 in the USA.

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In case it matters, the Namiki is smaller than the Nakaya. I prefer larger sized pens but like the Namiki more than my Nakaya anyways.

 

Which Dupont are you looking at? I recently discovered the brand and it quickly became my favorite.

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both are equally stunning, but if i have to choose one for a daily use, i'd go with the Namiki Shooting Star :puddle:

-rudy-

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The current new iPad (2018/6th gen IINM) also support Pencil, although the drawing speed is lower than the new iPad Pro. Could be an alternative to spend the leftover budget after buying pen. :)

It's priced from $329 in the USA.

Same drawing speed as the old pro, which I did a LOT of drawing on. And the old pro scanned a lot of fountain pen sketches. And theres a lot of artists who dont find the scan speed increase on the 2017 pro to be worth it.

 

Its absolutely worth testing for yourself to see if you care. The pretty new fountain pen will stay pretty. But the iPad you may not need or want the latest and greatest.

 

And well the fountain pen will be useful for drawing until it breaks. The iPad will go obsolete.

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In case it matters, the Namiki is smaller than the Nakaya. I prefer larger sized pens but like the Namiki more than my Nakaya anyways.

 

Which Dupont are you looking at? I recently discovered the brand and it quickly became my favorite.

I prefer smaller pens because I have smaller hands; my biggest pen is probably the Conway Stewart Churchill.

 

I was looking at the Dupont Phoenix (the red-and-gold one). It's gorgeous and I'm close to having enough saved for it, and phoenixes have personal significance to me. My one concern is that it's probably a large, heavy pen, even unposted, and I usually prefer lighter pens. And yet it's so pretty, and I hear such great things about Duponts...

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I prefer smaller pens because I have smaller hands; my biggest pen is probably the Conway Stewart Churchill.

 

I was looking at the Dupont Phoenix (the red-and-gold one). It's gorgeous and I'm close to having enough saved for it, and phoenixes have personal significance to me. My one concern is that it's probably a large, heavy pen, even unposted, and I usually prefer lighter pens. And yet it's so pretty, and I hear such great things about Duponts...

 

FWIW, Chatterley luxuries has a black and gold Phoenix at a DEEP discount right now. The pen itself isn't very thick (10.5 mm section IIRC, same as the Line D) but it's a bit on the longer side and since it is all metal it should be around 34g unposted IIRC.

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I prefer smaller pens because I have smaller hands; my biggest pen is probably the Conway Stewart Churchill.

 

I was looking at the Dupont Phoenix (the red-and-gold one). It's gorgeous and I'm close to having enough saved for it, and phoenixes have personal significance to me. My one concern is that it's probably a large, heavy pen, even unposted, and I usually prefer lighter pens. And yet it's so pretty, and I hear such great things about Duponts...

Definitely try to find a photo size comparison of the Phoenix. I think I recently saw the pen at a department store and it was huge, even compared to other large pens (but it's also possible I'm remembering a different Dupont pen).

The Duponts I own are metal, so they'll be heavier than other similarly sized pens. Their pen lineup doesn't include the super oversized models of other manufacturers (e.g., M1000) and it seems like they have more mid-sized pens so you should be able to find something you enjoy.

 

Oh, one more thing. Be careful of counterfeits; I recently bought a Dupont from eBay that ended up being fake. I thought counterfeit pens were largely limited to MB but I was wrong.

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FWIW, Chatterley luxuries has a black and gold Phoenix at a DEEP discount right now. The pen itself isn't very thick (10.5 mm section IIRC, same as the Line D) but it's a bit on the longer side and since it is all metal it should be around 34g unposted IIRC.

 

THANK YOU for mentioning this--I didn't even know the black-and-gold existed, and as it so happens, for nefarious writerly reasons, black-and-gold is even better for my purposes than the red-and-gold. (I have black phoenixes in my space opera novels, so it seems appropriate!)

 

*gulp* I have just committed my first ST Dupont pen! They're apparently out of town and will ship on Wednesday when they return, but that's fine. I'm not in a hurry.

 

Meanwhile, I will continue to save so someday I can also commit the Namiki Milky Way. :)

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