Namisu Sale

[bbs]

Namisu has 25% or 20% off several of its pens, including the Ebonite Studio Nova, which is one of my absolute favourite pens for its sleek lines and comfort. There are also coloured aluminium Orions for £30:

 

https://www.namisu.com/collections/sale

 

 

I know several people had bad experiences with the Ixion Kickstarter project, but the Orion I ordered late on Thursday has just been delivered. Seems in perfect condition. Ill post pictures later.

Edited January 18, 2020 by bbs

[MuddyWaters]

I've been looking at getting a nice metal pen that is bigger than my black Faber Castell E-motion, though the latter is probably impossible to beat in terms of construction and how the material feels in the hand. I was looking at Ensso pens and did not know of Namisu's existence. Their models are quite affordable and I would probably consider the Nova vs Horizon.

[Jamerelbe]

Namisu make really nice pens, which (when they're on special) are pretty well-priced. The two problems I've had with them are their poor communication during (and after) Kickstarter campaigns, and their issues with delivering quality nibs. You can't just buy a shipment of standard Bock nibs, screw them into your pens, and ship them off without careful inspection - too many of them need tuning and adjustment! Ensso seem to have learned this - their latest (current) Kickstarter campaign, they've employed someone to inspect every *single* nib (or so they claim) before packing up and shipping.

 

All that said, I've never purchased direct from the Namisu website - but the anectodal reports I've come across all seem to suggest it's a very different story. Maybe they *do* check the nibs before they send them out, when they're not trying to rush hundreds out the door at once?

[MuddyWaters]

I just watched a review mentioning the nib has baby's bottom. I will steer clear and look at other pens!

[bbs]

Well the pen I’ve just inked writes beautifully smoothly, as have all four of my other pens from Namisu!

[JosephKing]

The EF Bock #6 I received on my Orion was the best Bock nib of the 4 I have. Take this single anecdote with a grain of salt, but it is "possible" to receive a good nib from them.

 

Edit: I'll compare the Orion to the e-motion when I have a chance

Edited January 18, 2020 by JosephKing

[MuddyWaters]

The EF Bock #6 I received on my Orion was the best Bock nib of the 4 I have. Take this single anecdote with a grain of salt, but it is "possible" to receive a good nib from them.

 

Edit: I'll compare the Orion to the e-motion when I have a chance

I figure the fines have a lesser chance of being ground with baby's bottoms.

 

Is the metal at all slippery?

[Theroc]

If you avoid every pen that has anecdotal evidence of baby-bottoming and other tuning issues you are going to run out of options fast, and you'll miss out on a lot of great pens.

Nib tuning is something every fountain pen user should invest in. It's a minimal investment.

[Holon]

I have four Namisu pens, all nibs were good and the pens are well made. No complaints from me, especially considering the price (I bought all four during sales)

[bbs]

Is the metal at all slippery?

I don’t find it so - and with the Orion you’ve also got the grooves, which help the grip.

[Jamerelbe]

Of my 3 Namisu pens, all bought by Kickstarter, one had a bad nib (which the company replaced for free), one had a nib that needed a little tweaking (by me), and one was great, straight out of the box. All are comfortable to hold and pleasurable to write with. I wouldn't discourage anyone from buying their pens, especially from their website - I think it was the rush of getting their pens out the door, plus inexperience with nib QC processes, that brought them unstuck in the past.

[MuddyWaters]

Which nib sizes were good vs bad for you? And what pens did you get?

 

The horizon and nova look very very similar. I maybe like the look of the nova slightly more. I just hope that the aluminum is not slippery. Otherwise looks like a solid pen. Undecided on nib size really.

 

I've been looking at other metal pens and the price of diplomat for example is just too high for what I am willing to pay, though I am sure they are built extremely well.

Edited January 19, 2020 by MuddyWaters

[Honeybadgers]

I've been looking at getting a nice metal pen that is bigger than my black Faber Castell E-motion, though the latter is probably impossible to beat in terms of construction and how the material feels in the hand. I was looking at Ensso pens and did not know of Namisu's existence. Their models are quite affordable and I would probably consider the Nova vs Horizon.

 

Tactile turn's gist is roughly the same price and comes with a clip, and for a less expensive option, a karas kustoms starliner XL, or even less, the penbbs 380.

 

These would be tempting if they had clips.

Edited January 19, 2020 by Honeybadgers

[bbs]

If you went for the ebonite version you wouldn’t get a metal section! The shape of the Nova with the conical finials looks so sleek, I think. It’s a light pen that’s warm to the touch.

 

From other pens I’ve got (the Ensso Piuma) I think the stonewashed titanium finish would also not be slippery. I’ve never had a problem with a slippery metal section though so I may not be the best person to advise you on that.

 

I’ve got one more Namisu than I remembered: a Nova Studio ebonite with an M titanium nib (my favourite, you might have guessed) plus a spare EF steel nib, a Nova Studio brushed Titanium with EF titanium nib, Nova Studio in black aluminium with a medium titanium nib, red aluminium Nova with EF steel nib, Ixion in blue aluminium with M steel nib and now the Orion in red aluminium with an F nib. Bock nibs are my favourite stock nib, the titanium in particular, but I find the fine gives a bit of give without being scratchy. The EF isn’t scratchy either but I just think the F suits these pens.

[Jamerelbe]

Which nib sizes were good vs bad for you? And what pens did you get?

 

The horizon and nova look very very similar. I maybe like the look of the nova slightly more. I just hope that the aluminum is not slippery. Otherwise looks like a solid pen. Undecided on nib size really.

 

I've been looking at other metal pens and the price of diplomat for example is just too high for what I am willing to pay, though I am sure they are built extremely well.

My first Namisu pen came with a B nib that wasn't very wet. The Ixion came with an EF nib whose tines were too badly misaligned to be repaired by me - they sent me a replacement which was wonderful.

 

I've had good results buying #6 Bock units in most sizes, but especially like their EF (lays down a very fine line without being dry, and has just a bit of spring), and the 1.1mm stub which is less rounded (and therefore writes crisper lines) than a comparable JoWo.

 

The Nova in aluminium (grey anodised) is my favourite Namisu pen to date - I don't find the barrel slippery at all, but YMMV...

Edited January 19, 2020 by Jamerelbe

[SpecTP]

None of my Kickstarter Namisu pens had nib issues.. I bought extra nibs in any case.

[Jamerelbe]

None of my Kickstarter Namisu pens had nib issues.. I bought extra nibs in any case.

 

It was a bit of a lottery for one or two of their Kickstarters - the majority probably got nibs that were perfectly good, but a larger-than-desirable minority got duds. The important thing to say is that despite the aggravation that caused, they made things right for those who were affected (at least, they did for me!).

 

I've noticed in recent times that a few smaller companies who rely on Bock nibs (notably Ensso and Karas Kustoms) now have in-house nib-inspectors, who make sure they're not shipping duds. That *may* be a negative reflection on Bock's internal QC, who knows - but it's certainly a big plus for those companies. I don't think you *should* assume that every nib will be perfectly tuned as it leaves the manufacturer - and the very act of screwing the nib assembly into the pen can cause the nibs to misalign, if you're not sufficiently gentle....

[SpecTP]

 

It was a bit of a lottery for one or two of their Kickstarters - the majority probably got nibs that were perfectly good, but a larger-than-desirable minority got duds. The important thing to say is that despite the aggravation that caused, they made things right for those who were affected (at least, they did for me!).

 

I've noticed in recent times that a few smaller companies who rely on Bock nibs (notably Ensso and Karas Kustoms) now have in-house nib-inspectors, who make sure they're not shipping duds. That *may* be a negative reflection on Bock's internal QC, who knows - but it's certainly a big plus for those companies. I don't think you *should* assume that every nib will be perfectly tuned as it leaves the manufacturer - and the very act of screwing the nib assembly into the pen can cause the nibs to misalign, if you're not sufficiently gentle....

 

The issue that I did encounter was with the Ixion project and the titanium version had really poor finish and had metal threads sticking inside the barrel and cap. Namisu rectified the issue and sent me a new one pretty quick.

 

In regards to the nib, I have ordered extra nibs and have been able to get spare bock and jowo nibs easily from these kickstarter sources. It allows me to play around with different nib and grinds.

[dapprman]

I have a Brass Namisu Nova I bought direct and the nib in that was never checked by them - fortunately I was able to bring the tines back in line - there was a noticeable vertical gap it was that bad. I get the impression Namisu design the pens then get the parts made at which point they just assemble them and ship out. If a direct buy has an obvious issue then the push to get Kickstarter items out before people demand refunds is no excuse.

Edited January 19, 2020 by dapprman

[JosephKing]

Edit: I'll compare the Orion to the e-motion when I have a chance

This may be too little, too late, but I hate breaking promises, so here's the comparison (and a little more)

 

 

1. Diplomat Aero

2. Faber Castell e-motion

3. Pilot VP

4. Namisu Orion

5. Karas Kustoms Ink, V2

6. PenBBS 350

7. Michael's Fatboy Silencer II (edit: NOT Stealth *blush*)

8. Tuff Writer Precision Press

Edited February 3, 2020 by JosephKing