Diary Of A Nakaya Purchase

[murfie]

For those members tempted to order a pen from Nakaya I thought it may be enlightening to share my particular experience in doing so.

• 22nd June 2010 - I placed my order using the order form on Nakaya's web site. I ordered a clipless Piccolo Cigar with the standard black urushi finish. The order form was very comprehensive and included many questions relating to how one used and held a pen, involving mode (posted/unposted), angle, pressure, nib alignment, nib expectations, etc.
• 23rd June 2010 - I received an email acknowledgement of my order, an estimate of delivery "from the end to the beginning of August, 2010", and a request for immediate payment to confirm my order. I responded by making an immediate PayPal payment.
• 25th June 2010 - I received an email confirming receipt of payment and a request for indication of the color of the complimentary ink cartridge that I neglected to state on my initial order. I replied by email stating that I was not intending to use a cartridge in the pen and that I did not require the cartridge.
• 28th June 2010 - Email received confirming my request for no complimentary ink cartridge. 28th June 2010 - Second email received restating my request for no cartridge but asking for permission to install an ink cartridge in order to test the writing performance of the pen. As well as permission, I was asked which color ink I used. I replied to this email giving permission and advising that I use more than a dozen different colors and hadn't decided what color was going to be put in the pen.
• 19th July 2010 - I sent an email to Nakaya enquiring if the the pen was still scheduled for delivery in August and if they advise me when the pen has shipped.
• 19th July 2010 - Nakaya replied that "we are proceeding to ship your pen during August" but "I'll ask our shipping staff about the status of your pen again and I'll let you know the present status later". It also stated "We are sure to contact you when the pen is ready to ship."
• 23rd July 2010 - Nakaya emailed advice that the pen was shipped earlier that day and provided the EMS tracking number.
• 27th July 2010 - Pen delivered to me in Australia.

This was the most expensive pen that I have ever purchased. And for someone who is unemployed the purchase price represented a small fortune. My wife opened the parcel the next day to look at the pen, then packed it all up again. It took me five days to do the same. I opened it, admired the craftsmanship, then repacked it, without inking or even dipping it. It was just too intimidating to contemplate. It has since remained in the cupboard and it likely to stay that way. The whole exercise started with great excitement and ended as a massive fizzle. I learnt something about myself that I had not anticipated ....

[DAYoung]

What is the 'something' you learned, Murfie?

[murfie]

What is the 'something' you learned, Murfie?

That it is better to have the dream than to realise the dream ...

[DAYoung]

What is the 'something' you learned, Murfie?

That it is better to have the dream than to realise the dream ...

 

Ah. I suppose it depends on the dream.

 

 

 

[InkyWinky]

Murfie,

 

I am as willing as the next man to wax philosophic and ponder deeper meaning in events in life both grand and trivial. I take your story at face value and find it disappointing, surprising and a puzzle. I don't want to tear a wound or dissect your heart but I would ask your indulgence for a little more detail, particularly since you pried open this can of worms.

 

Is it that the dream itself was more powerful than the reality of the pen? Were the expectations too high or simply not clear. Was it that you expected more than a mere pen -- while beautiful and expensive it is still an instrument and tool -- or was the pen itself less than you desired? Did you expect that a pen would change your life, or was it that when you saw it in the flesh that the fact that it was indeed a mere pen that cost a small fortune (and that weighs even more heavily for a man unemployed) that you realized the folly of the enterprise?

 

I am not trying to put words in your mouth or thoughts in your heart but I am curious as to the essence of your experience.

 

If you'd rather not share, I respect that as well. It sounds like this was a sobering event.

[Bo Bo Olson]

The dream is half complete.

What ink, on what paper, makes the nib dance?

 

Do you have shading inks?

Do you have now a grand paper, for the grand use. Of course a good middling paper is needed. One must find what paper matches what ink.

 

Your dream, is yet to complete.

 

That was why they wanted to know; what ink.

Like a Purdey shotgun was before twist in chokes, designed to shoot a certain game bird at a certain distance , with a certain load; perfectly. It was not designed to do a perfect job with a different load, at a different distance or on a different bird.

 

You just kept telling them, you just wanted to shoot the gun, not telling them you used wet or dry or shading or glow in the dark ink.

 

They could not give you perfection, only cylinder bore.

 

They tried to match the nib to that certain ink.....in that you did not do your job when ordering, you must complete the job. All they really wanted to know was your main inks, wet or dry, super saturated or shading. You did not understand the question, and they did not understand how to make the question more understandable.

 

Perhaps you can cheat, and ask them for what ink on what paper was your pen's nib was made for.

 

Of course, you could take a bell glass, a fine wood stand, with either 12 layers of shellac or certain polish used on top quality shotguns and spend some year on it, and then fill the bell glass with nitrogen; like some man who has a Vintage car he will never drive.

 

There are subtleties of the black you have, that you perhaps don't see.

Take a look at Japanese art, often it is very minimum. A rock garden is only little stones raked in a pattern....but what pattern, do you know the classical patterns so one can relate to what the raker says today.

Look too see, what you are to expected to see, re-read the various descriptions.

I had so many black pens I was tired of black, now I have two very classy black and gold pens, with those two, I don't tire.

 

Perhaps you should go back to the pinned Techniques of Maki-e...

Art is light, and shadow...did you place the pen in a stand where it could be played on with light; with out sticking it for too long in the sun?

Subtleties are often subtle.

Edited August 1, 2010 by Bo Bo Olson

[murfie]

Is it that the dream itself was more powerful than the reality of the pen? Were the expectations too high or simply not clear. Was it that you expected more than a mere pen -- while beautiful and expensive it is still an instrument and tool -- or was the pen itself less than you desired? Did you expect that a pen would change your life, or was it that when you saw it in the flesh that the fact that it was indeed a mere pen that cost a small fortune (and that weighs even more heavily for a man unemployed) that you realized the folly of the enterprise?

 

Is it that the dream itself was more powerful than the reality of the pen? True

Were the expectations too high or simply not clear? True

Was it that you expected more than a mere pen -- while beautiful and expensive it is still an instrument and tool? No

was the pen itself less than you desired? No

Did you expect that a pen would change your life? No

was it that when you saw it in the flesh that the fact that it was indeed a mere pen that cost a small fortune (and that weighs even more heavily for a man unemployed) that you realized the folly of the enterprise? True

Edited August 1, 2010 by murfie

[hari317]

Murfie, why don't you simply sell the pen, I am sure you will find many buyers for it on FPN itself. This has happened to me once or twice, some pens are simply underwhelming (even though objects of beauty, you know you will not use this pen) in person.

 

Best,

hari

[mandarintje]

I agree that the pursuit of dreams is the most exciting thing of all....

could it be that you don't want this pursuit to be concluded by having it in your hands and using it?

 

I'm just thinking that from your new perspective of having realised this dream, you'll simply create another to strive for. All is not lost! because you'll forever find new goals. Keep up with yourself !!!

[bbs]

Murfie, don't be too hard on yourself! Enjoy the other things in your life, then come back to the pen and surprise yourself by finding enjoyment in that too.

 

Best wishes ....

[IWantThat]

I think you should take the pen out and write with it! I almost always feel a little disappointed when I receive a new pen, not because it isn't a fantastic pen, but because the thrill of acquisition is there when a pen is ordered. The reality of the pen ends that sense of anticipation. I received a new Omas this week that I just couldn't wait to get my hands on, and when it did arrive, it sat for 2 days before I inked it up. The ink I chose was less than perfect, so I immediately put it away again. Then yesterday I inked it up with a beautiful turquoise ink and couldn't stop writing. I was opening books, scanning poetry on the internet, anything to keep me writing with that pen

 

Take your new Nakaya out, ink it up, revel in the beautiful simplicity of it...and write something

[mano I]

Use the pen and you may find, "Sometimes a Cigar is just a Cigar."

 

S. Freud

[Felix1]

I'm not sure I understand what the point of the post is. If 'buyer's remorse,' sell it. An unlinked Nakaya won't depreciate much, if any.

 

Otherwise, ink it up and enjoy it. A factory Nakaya is one of the finest pens available without additional custom tuning.

[jimhughes]

Murfie:

I have the habit of buying a pen, rcving it and then letting it set unboxed and unused for months, sometimes years. Yes honestly an Dr. I purchase of summer 2008 a Parker Duofold Jr. is setting under this desk unopened. Why do I do this? I'm not really sure I have any rational reason. I just do it. I always find when I break down and open the box and ink the pen I'm overwhelmed with the joy I anticipated in purchasing it. It's a sort of delayed gratification thing. Crazy, probably. Weird, no doubt. But that's what I do. Open it, ink it and use it regularly. I've been wanting a Piccolo for some time, but just nickle and dime my savings down to nothing or get hit with a large car repair bill like last month. So no Piccolo for me, yet. I think you'll find a great deal of pleasure picking it up and using it. I always do. Best wishes, Jim

[tzmcneill]

Murfie:

 

Life is short. Remember that great quote from Dorothy Parker, "Take care of the luxuries, the necessities will take care of themselves." Enjoy your pen, even better, put it to good use. Use it to write something worth reading. You can look at unemployment as a failure or as an opportunity to spend some time working on something. Many people re-train for a new career, some work on themselves. You have the gift of time view it as a friend not an enemy.

 

tom.

[murfie]

I'm not sure I understand what the point of the post is.

 

Well I did have a point, but the response this topic has generated, indicates that my point was totally obscured by the content. Let me explain ...

 

Over the past year I have read the comments of many other members relating to their purchase of a Nakaya. The predominating take was that the process was quite involved and took many weeks for the pen to arrive. I 'diarised' my personal experience to show how it was possible to order one and receive it barely four weeks later. The exercise left me with an opinion of Nakaya's service which did involve some measure of disappointment but in no way did I want to make any specific criticisms because I think the disappointment was caused by misplaced expectation. So in trying to be impartial, I just noted the dates and the events that took place, leaving the reader to make their own interpretation. The comment at the end was just an unintended afterthought to windup the process from order to receipt. What I noted was the facts and a simple statement that I had learnt something from the exercise. I did ... and it shows that you are never too old to learn, especially when it comes to your own psyche. But I wasn't about to slash my wrists or shoot everyone in the neighbourhood. It's was only a pen ... (great epitaph for a deceased FPNer's tombstone!) And yes, I can walk away from it and resell it. That was why I had no intention to dip or ink it. Once I did that, then the pen was no longer new, but just mint condition. As it is, I can advertise it as "new".

 

I had a prior personal discussion with fellow FPN'er Dayoung about buying a Nakaya and at one stage I remember telling him that it didn't feel right to spend that much on a single pen. Later on, after having a very successful sale of several other pens in my collection, I had raised sufficient funds to purchase one and the thought at the time was that I was just exchanging the 10 pens that I had sold for a single pen, albeit one that you may treasure more than the sum of the 10. That suddenly justified purchase and I proceeded.

 

During the actual wait for the pen to arrive, I got around to challenging my own logic and eventually I reverted to the position I had discussed with Dayoung. What didn't help was that my participation in the pre-production run of 300 TWSBI Diamonds overlapped the Nakaya process. I waited much longer for the TWSBI but the excitement of its long awaited receipt was enhanced by the quality and performance of the instrument. There was so much written about the TWSBI during the wait and this raised the excitement bar. And going on other posts, I was not the only one that got really carried away with the expectation for that pen. And for the final out come to exceed expectation was something really special. The poor Nakaya was on a loser to nothing after that event.

 

I have also learnt that when you make a post, make your point clearer. I certainly mucked this one up and I hope the above clarifies the situation.

 

Caio

[DAYoung]

Lay yourself down on that couch, Murfie...

 

http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/judell09/files/2009/10/Sigmund-Freud-photo1.jpg

 

[AltecGreen]

 

 

Over the past year I have read the comments of many other members relating to their purchase of a Nakaya. The predominating take was that the process was quite involved and took many weeks for the pen to arrive. I 'diarised' my personal experience to show how it was possible to order one and receive it barely four weeks later.

 

 

The specific pen you ordered is a fairly standard item so four weeks doesn't sound unreasonable nor unexpected. The many weeks parts comes when you order something a bit more intricate or custom. The time it takes for a pen to arrive depends on what type of work and how it fits into each artisan's schedule. My custom maki-e pen took about 5 months and another member here ordered a pen in February and that pen is arriving next week. If you want a longer wait, order a full maki-e pen. If you put enough maki-e on the pen, it might take over a year to arrive. :roflmho:

 

I get the sense that the Nakaya pen just didn't meet your expectations and you have strong feelings about paying that amount for a pen. I also get the sense, that what you expected from the Nakaya experience is the involvement with the creation of the pen. An experience you felt with the TWSBI. In your case, the process with Nakaya felt like any other purchase although more expensive than you would have liked. So I can understand the disappointment. Nakaya can offer that experience but you won't get that experience if you order a standard product. When I ordered my custom maki-e pen, I contacted Nakaya and gave them a theme. We refined the idea for the pen and then the artist produced the sample artwork. After the artwork and the techniques settled, the pen was put into production and I waited 5 months for the pen. I think this was the experience you expected.

 

Don't give up on Nakaya because of this. If you want a standard pen, go buy the pen when Nakaya is holding a clinic. You can choose the pen and have Mr. Yoshida work on tuning the nib right in front of you. Or take your pen to Nakaya and have them tune it in Tokyo.

[watch_art]

 

I had a prior personal discussion with fellow FPN'er Dayoung about buying a Nakaya and at one stage I remember telling him that it didn't feel right to spend that much on a single pen. Later on, after having a very successful sale of several other pens in my collection, I had raised sufficient funds to purchase one and the thought at the time was that I was just exchanging the 10 pens that I had sold for a single pen, albeit one that you may treasure more than the sum of the 10. That suddenly justified purchase and I proceeded.

 

 

 

I just sold a bunch of my pens (and am about to sell some more once I j bar/sac and nib them) to be able to afford an Edison Herald Grande. I'm gonna use that sucker till it dies. But it is a heck of a lot cheaper than a Nakaya, I reckon.

[Chris Chalmers]

'Grasshopper'................you have learned many lessons in this process - Congratulations!

The first is that Nakaya is now easier to communicate with than they were in 2002 when they hit the International Pen World with a bang, courtesy of Russ Stuttler! At that time there were no english translaters in their team - but it worked and was so exciting!

Second, you have found that the Japanese art form is "Simple"........more simple - more to like/love. Use is the top priority, not decoration.........but they are also Masters of decoration - of that we are all sure.

Third lesson is that sometimes anticipation is better than participation.......... we all expect more than we will get in life - you didn't have the complexity of the ordering process - but then you chose a sublime plain black pen that is just what it is - perfection in plain black!

 

If you decide to sell your pen, then you will learn another lesson, and that is that not all of us are the same - some of us are addicted to plain pens........some of us are addicted to that anticipation of the arrival of the pen............and some also have that little death when they open a package - but hopefully not very often!

 

Good luck with your writing - and your life...........and of course your pens! I have three Nakaya pens that I love, and one that is very 'ho-hum' but is just one of the general run of ordinary pens, not Urushi, Maki-e or otherwise amazing pens. Understatement may not be your thing, so now dream of a pen that will keep Nakaya busy for a year!!! You don't have to order it, just dream! :clap1: