If you could provide the pros and cons of your preferred pens compared to the others in the list, please do share and thanks a lot!
By
Platinum Izumo, do you mean only the Izumo-tamenuri (urushi over ebonite) variants, or a wider scope including the Izumo-tagayasan, Yakumo, Byakudan and the
bamboo-woven models?
Between my fiancée and I, we have two Platinum Izumo-tamenuri and a
Sailor kaga maki-e kinsai (which has the same form factor as the King of Pens), each of which cost us well under the US$1100 mark when we bought them. Personally, large nibs do nothing special for me by virtue of size alone, and the 18K gold President nibs on the Izumo are adequate. I like the shape and feel of the Izumo more so than that of her Sailor KOP, and it's a good and comfortable writer to hold and use, and there is intrinsic beauty in the 'plain' urushi, but as much we both like the pens, I don't find the Izumo more rewarding to use than other pens at the US$500 (ex tax) price point.
My favourite Japanese pen (that I own) in the US$500–$1,100 range is the
Pilot 'Hannya Shingyo'. That is only has a #10 18K gold nib has never, in any way, asserted itself as a negative in my user experience because I personally favour precise delivery over 'fire-hosing' of ink. The heft, balance, and physical sensation of the embossed
sutra text against my hand makes writing with the pen almost an exercise of "meditation in motion" for me.
Having some thirty-odd Sailor pens of various models in our household, I found one of my favourite form factor (in their midst) is that of the
koshu-inden (and
kabazaiku) pens. If I was visiting Japan and have the opportunity to throw US$1,100 on fountain pens and paraphernalia (while not paying Japanese domestic consumption tax or Australian GST), personally my first preference would probably be to get the bamboo-woven Platinum Izumo "Yokoajiro"
torafudake (PBA-120000G#10). That's just me, though, and I don't believe in the existence of a single "grail pen" for me; I simply believe it has the most potential to be one of my favourite pens to look at, hold, and write with.
Oh, and personally I never found the ink capacity of a basic Sailor (14-0500-* and 14-0506-*), Pilot (CON-40 and CON-50) or Platinum (CONVERTER-500 and CONVERTER-700) converter to be unduly constraining, especially when it comes to using pens that cost US$500 or more each, when they certainly aren't the pens I quickly pull from the display box (without so much as checking the remaining ink level, and refilling if necessary) to just start writing fifteen or more A4 pages of an essay in one sitting.
I have all of the above except the Custom Urushi and 845. The reason I don't have them is because they are urushi on plastic (with plastic sections) and that doesnt appeal to me at all.
Huh? The
product page for the Custom Urushi on Pilot Corporation's web site states,
That says the pen barrel is made of urushi lacquer over
ebonite.
Edited by A Smug Dill, 08 June 2019 - 09:58.
Let's give each other
due respect, and approach discussion rigorously. We're all peers and equals here as fellow hobbyists, with common interests in the acquisition and use of fountain pens, but not necessarily any shared values, and no obligation to offer each other moral support for one's narrative or position.
Don't think 'cos I understand, I care
Don't think 'cos I'm talking, we're friends
'6 Underground' by Sneaker Pimps