Newton Pen With Clear Urushi

January 14, 2013

This is my first Newton pen and I got it during a MO for his pen that would come with free coating of clear urushi. I did spend some time to decide the color and the shape. I wanted it to have a shape between bulging and curve. And it comes out as similar to a Danitrio Mae West, which is a pleasant surprise. The rest of ordering was easier: a steel nib, a clip, cartridge/converter filling system, etc.

From ordering (25 Aug) to receiving the pen (12 Dec), it took slightly over 3 months.

Material, Design & Build:

It is a nassau green ebonite from American art plastics, and Shawn coated several layers of clear urushi. It has a little rubbery smell. I remember I did not notice any odor with my other four Nakayas. So I believe it's the ebonite gives off that smell. When it comes to build I only have a little complain. The cap screws on and off easily, just that the threads of the nib section was very tight and I had difficulty to unscrew it for ink fillings. After applying a bit of 100% silicone grease around the threads, it is smoother now. I asked for that the pen would not post, and it is very well balanced unposted that doesn't have a lightweight feel to it. The weight is just nice, very comfortable for long periods of time writing without fatigue.

Appearance:

Although according to Newton pen, it's a medium size, but it's surprisingly large and when capped and uncapped, it's about the same length as a Pelikan M1000 and MB 149. This is another pleasant surprise as I like bigger pen. At first I was worry about the discolored clip after seeing Shawn's final photos, but he is very nice and provided a new fresh clip with the pen in case I don't like the "rusty" look of the old clip. After seeing the real thing, now I agree with Shawn that the "rusty" clip works very well with the visible brush strokes on the pen.

M1000, Newton pen (medium size), MB 149.

Filling system:

Converter/Cartridge. I am liking this filing system much more now for its convenience and easy to clean. I fill cartridge and converter with a syringe so it actually hold a decent amount of ink.

Nib and performance:

It is a steel fine nib. I requested a wetter ink flow at 8 over 10 scale that writes very smooth with just a touch of feedback. The nib doesn't disappoint, it starts very easily, I haven't experienced any problems and it is wet being a F nib. The nib is like nail, easy to control and as I don't like flex so there is nothing to complain about.

Price/Value:

As it was a Mass order came with free coating of clear urushi, I paid $175 for this pen, which is a great price for a big size pen like this. I'd say it is a fantastic value for the money and the nib performance is flawless.

Conclusion:

I am very happy that I took the opportunity to buy this pen. I recommend Newton Pen wholeheartedly, plus Shawn (watch_art) is a pleasant guy to deal with.

This is my first proper review, so bear with me as I am still learning

Some writing samples.

Edited for spelling and grammar.

Edited January 15, 2013 by yotiao

January 14, 2013

Fantastic first review. This pen is lovely, but I can't believe that's called a medium, it's enormous! I wonder how big the large would be?

And what ink did you use for your writing sample? I like it quite a bit.

January 14, 2013

Fantastic first review. This pen is lovely, but I can't believe that's called a medium, it's enormous! I wonder how big the large would be?

And what ink did you use for your writing sample? I like it quite a bit.

Thank you, you are very kind. The ink I used was MB Toffee Brown, good shading and good flow. I like the color very much.

Below is a photo from Newton Pens (I hope Shawn won't mind I posted his photo without his permission), oversizes compared to a MB 149:

http://newtonpens.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/014.jpg