Namiki Falcon

[chemgeek]

Namiki Falcon

 

First Impressions--I was unaware of this pen until Richard Binder posted a description on this forum and his web site. I really like my Sailor 1911M pens, so I thought I would also like another flexible Japanese nib pen. Comes in a box with one cartridge and a converter.

 

Appearance and Finish--Comes in any color, as long as it's black. I prefer rich colors, but the Falcon looks good in its shiny black finish. Several thin gold rings adorn each end of the cap and the ends of the nib section. There is a thicker gold ring at the bottom of the cap reminiscent of my Sailor 1911M. The top and bottom of the pen are squared-off. The clip is a sturdy squarish gold-plated affair. Like the Sailor 1911M, simple lines but sharp-looking.

 

Design/Size/Weight--This is a lightweight pen, 19 g (0.68 oz) fully loaded, just a shade lighter than a Sailor 1911M. It is 4 7/8" unposted, 6" posted, and 5 5/8" capped, again almost identical dimensions to the Sailor 1911M. Like the Sailor, it may feel as though the cap is not securely posted if you like to write that way. The cap requires almost 2 1/2 turns to remove, which seems a little excessive. The grip tapers toward the nib without a ridge at the bottom, but the grip seems firm without it.

 

Nib design and performance--As is my wont for Japanese pens, I selected a medium nib. The nib is unadorned 14K gold, and has an unusual beaked form. The exposed feed is solid, and has no fins. The nib is exceptionally springy, and lays down a slightly thicker, wetter, and expressive line than a 1911M, probably 0.5-0.6 mm. American Blue comes out very dark from this nib compared to a Pelikan M200 fine. The nib has just a little tactile feedback and drag, but is very smooth. Absolutely reliable starting, will work with a lighter or heavier touch, and has a huge sweet spot so it is not too fussy about writing angle.

 

Filling System--Uses either a cartridge or converter. The converter is very short and squat, but actually holds quite a bit of ink due to its girth. The opening at the bottom of the converter, where it attaches to the nib section, is a gaping maw. Therefore, the converter feed should not be one susceptible to poor flow. Filling the pen with the nib submerged just beyond the breather hold seemed to be problematic. The pen has to be fully immersed up to the section to get good suction and avoid air ingestion. (By contrast, my Sailor 1911M does not have to be drowned this way to be filled.)

 

Cost/Value--Available for $125 from Richard Binder. Comes with a converter. Another great flexible gold nib Japanese pen for just over $100.

 

Overall Opinion/Conclusion--The Falcon will probably join my rotation of heavily used pens. If you like the Sailor 1911M, you will like the Falcon as well, as they share much the same ergonomics. The Falcon nib is unlike any other I own, but if you like the Sailor 1911M, or just like soft, responsive, springy nibs, then the Falcon is for you. Enthusiastically recommended.

Edited January 19, 2007 by chemgeek

[BillTheEditor]

Thanks for the great review! I had intended to do one, but the latest book projects plus getting a weekly magazine out have had me "somewhat" overloaded for the last month. You've saved me the effort. I might finish the draft I've started and add it here later.

 

I am using Noodler's Black in my Namiki Fine, and loving it! Others have said that the (unmodified) Falcon nib isn't suited for Spencerian writing, but I might respectfully disagree. As long as you don't go crazy and bend the nib permanently, you can get some nice variation. Not Zanerian by any means, but enough to make your writing quite distinct from the usual monoline cursive. May try Zhivago next, to see what happens with color shading when I flex that nib into swells and hairlines.

 

Oh, yeah -- you can do some pretty nice pen-and-ink drawings with the Falcon nib, too. If you're so inclined.

Edited January 17, 2007 by BillTheEditor

[rose742]

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Namiki Falcon</span>

 

<b>First Impressions</b>--I was unaware of this pen until Richard Binder posted a description on this forum and his web site. I really like my Sailor 1911M pens, so I thought I would also like another flexible Japanese nib pen. Comes in a box with one cartridge and a converter.

 

<b>Appearance and Finish</b>--Comes in any color, as long as it's black. I prefer rich colors, but the Falcon looks good in its shiny black finish. Several thin gold rings adorn each end of the cap and the ends of the nib section. There is a thicker gold ring at the bottom of the cap reminiscent of my Sailor 1911M. The top and bottom of the pen are squared-off. The clip is a sturdy squarish gold-plated affair. Like the Sailor 1911M, simple lines but sharp-looking.

 

<b>Design/Size/Weight</b>--This is a lightweight pen, 19 g (0.68 oz) fully loaded, just a shade lighter than a Sailor 1911M. It is 4 7/8" unposted, 6" posted, and 5 5/8" capped, again almost identical dimensions to the Sailor 1911M. Like the Sailor, it may feel as though the cap is not securely posted if you like to write that way. The cap requires almost 2 1/2 turns to remove, which seems a little excessive. The grip tapers toward the nib without a ridge at the bottom, but the grip seems firm without it.

 

<b>Nib design and performance</b>--As is my wont for Japanese pens, I selected a medium nib. The nib is unadorned 14K gold, and has an unusual beaked form. The exposed feed is solid, and has no fins. The nib is exceptionally springy, and lays down a slightly thicker, wetter, and expressive line than a 1911M, probably 0.5-0.6 mm. American Blue comes out very dark from this nib compared to a Pelikan M200 fine. The nib has just a little tactile feedback and drag, but is very smooth. Absolutely reliable starting, will work with a lighter or heavier touch, and has a huge sweet spot so it is not too fussy about writing angle.

 

<b>Filling System</b>--Uses either a cartridge or converter. The converter is very short and squat, but actually holds quite a bit of ink due to its girth. The opening at the bottom of the converter, where it attaches to the nib section, is a gaping maw. Therefore, the converter feed should not be one susceptible to poor flow. Filling the pen with the nib submerged just beyond the breather hold seemed to be problematic. The pen has to be fully immersed up to the section to get good suction and avoid air ingestion. (By contrast, my Sailor 1911M does not have to be drowned this way to be filled.)

 

<b>Cost/Value</b>--Available for $125 from <a href="http://www.richardspens.com" target="_blank">Richard Binder</a>. Comes with a converter. Another great flexible gold nib Japanese pen for just over $100.

 

<b>Overall Opinion/Conclusion</b>--The Falcon will probably join my rotation of heavily used pens. If you like the Sailor 1911M, you will like the Falcon as well, as they share much the same ergonomics. The Falcon nib is unlike any other I own, but if you like the Sailor 1911M, or just like soft, responsive, springy nibs, then the Falcon is for you. Enthusiastically recommended.

I obtained a Falcon in the new metal finish, had the nib adjusted by Binder and found it not to be a reliable starter on all paper surfaces (unlike my Montblanc 149's which never skip). In addition the two Namiki custom 823's that I had both suffered from starvation (i.e., they would stop writing after a while) despite Binders attempt to rectify the problem. They would start again after shaking to force ink into the feed. Edited April 16, 2010 by rose742

[rose742]

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Namiki Falcon</span>

 

<b>First Impressions</b>--I was unaware of this pen until Richard Binder posted a description on this forum and his web site. I really like my Sailor 1911M pens, so I thought I would also like another flexible Japanese nib pen. Comes in a box with one cartridge and a converter.

 

<b>Appearance and Finish</b>--Comes in any color, as long as it's black. I prefer rich colors, but the Falcon looks good in its shiny black finish. Several thin gold rings adorn each end of the cap and the ends of the nib section. There is a thicker gold ring at the bottom of the cap reminiscent of my Sailor 1911M. The top and bottom of the pen are squared-off. The clip is a sturdy squarish gold-plated affair. Like the Sailor 1911M, simple lines but sharp-looking.

 

<b>Design/Size/Weight</b>--This is a lightweight pen, 19 g (0.68 oz) fully loaded, just a shade lighter than a Sailor 1911M. It is 4 7/8" unposted, 6" posted, and 5 5/8" capped, again almost identical dimensions to the Sailor 1911M. Like the Sailor, it may feel as though the cap is not securely posted if you like to write that way. The cap requires almost 2 1/2 turns to remove, which seems a little excessive. The grip tapers toward the nib without a ridge at the bottom, but the grip seems firm without it.

 

<b>Nib design and performance</b>--As is my wont for Japanese pens, I selected a medium nib. The nib is unadorned 14K gold, and has an unusual beaked form. The exposed feed is solid, and has no fins. The nib is exceptionally springy, and lays down a slightly thicker, wetter, and expressive line than a 1911M, probably 0.5-0.6 mm. American Blue comes out very dark from this nib compared to a Pelikan M200 fine. The nib has just a little tactile feedback and drag, but is very smooth. Absolutely reliable starting, will work with a lighter or heavier touch, and has a huge sweet spot so it is not too fussy about writing angle.

 

<b>Filling System</b>--Uses either a cartridge or converter. The converter is very short and squat, but actually holds quite a bit of ink due to its girth. The opening at the bottom of the converter, where it attaches to the nib section, is a gaping maw. Therefore, the converter feed should not be one susceptible to poor flow. Filling the pen with the nib submerged just beyond the breather hold seemed to be problematic. The pen has to be fully immersed up to the section to get good suction and avoid air ingestion. (By contrast, my Sailor 1911M does not have to be drowned this way to be filled.)

 

<b>Cost/Value</b>--Available for $125 from <a href="http://www.richardspens.com" target="_blank">Richard Binder</a>. Comes with a converter. Another great flexible gold nib Japanese pen for just over $100.

 

<b>Overall Opinion/Conclusion</b>--The Falcon will probably join my rotation of heavily used pens. If you like the Sailor 1911M, you will like the Falcon as well, as they share much the same ergonomics. The Falcon nib is unlike any other I own, but if you like the Sailor 1911M, or just like soft, responsive, springy nibs, then the Falcon is for you. Enthusiastically recommended.

[Ed Ronax]

Great review, thanks.

[bluemagister]

I love that clean, sharp form! Nice!

[HotKgon]

Nice clear review which now makes the decision of which pen to buy even harder!

[CJ_ung]

Great review, helped me out a lot!! I'm looking to get one soon, but I had a few questions...

 

With the pen being a medium nib, can you still get a lot of line variation of out it?

 

If I am taking notes (university) on just plain looseleaf notebook paper, would you recommend the medium? Or should I drop down to a fine?

 

Thank you!

[discopig]

Great review. The Falcon is one of my favourite modern pens. I ended up buying a Pilot Metal Falcon after loving the resin model so much.

[JordanLH]

Thanks for the review! I have the SE, and I sometimes wonder if I should have grabbed a normal fine or medium instead. Your review tempts me to buy a medium