Namiki Urushi Royal - Writing With A Work Of Art!

[thiagojp]

Hello everybody!! Hope you don´t mind, but today I want to brag a bit about my new fountain pen.

First, a little story:
I live in Brazil, wich is kind of a wilderness in terms of fountain pens. They are very hard to find, and expensive. So I do most of my buying online, and abroad when I have the chance. Last month I went to NY, and took the chance to go to Fountain Pen Hospital ( awesome place, by the way, almost had a nerdgasm! ) And was attended by a really nice guy, I think his name was Jimmy Hutchinson. He almost made me broke.

SO,after browsing around the store and drooling quite a lot, I was ready to get to business. I was thinking of buying a Pelikan M1000, but they had only one, in green ( don´t really like it ) and in medium, and it was on display, so didn´t really drive me nuts. So I thought :" Why not a Nakaya?? " And Jimmy showed it to me. It had a really lovely color, but as I picked it up it felt too light, too insubstancial. The nib was the same as in the platinum president, which also struck me as a bit cheap ( Why not make a nib especially for it?? It´s their most expensive pen, isn´t it?) and I didn´t like the threads, in metal and right in the middle of the grip section. I wasn´t very impressed, and didn´t even get to do a writing sample ( please, Nakaya fans, don´t throw tomatoes on me! ).

So Jimmy, damn him, said something like: " Well, these are nice, but I have something here that´s light years ahead. Take a look." And showed me the Namiki Urushi Royal in red.

I had already seen it in the glass, and thought it looked kinda nice, but waaaaaay overpriced. But as I picked it in my hands I heard me saying "Wooooow..." It was a bit of a shock, really!! IT had Weight, Substance, SOUL!! Impressive, the texture, the weight, the feeling... I don´t know if you believe in that, but japanese people believe that, when an artist makes something truly amazing, he leaves a bit of his soul in it. And I kid you not, I could feel it vibrate with the soul of the maker. Truly a transcendental experience. And I could tell this nib was made exclusevely for this pen, they match so well together!! And the threads are on the section, hardly noticeable.

Then, he made me do a writing sample.

Damn him.

It was simply the lovelyest, brightest, smoothest ride ever!! Butter smooth, a bit of line variation, really soft nib, and the gougeousest (is that a word?) shading I have ever seen!!!! I got hooked!!!

Needless to say, I got it. I left the store considerably poorer, but with a silly grin on my face.

 

So, on to the review!

 

Boxing:

Really atractive, high end. Comes in a wooden box contained inside a cardboard box.

Inside the wood box, on a red velvet lining, rests The Pen and a bottle of namiki ink. Really classy.

 

Construction and quality: 5/5

 

 

Amazing, solid, really shiny, impressive. Doesn´t seem to be made by human hands, the urushi looks so regular. But you can immediately feel something, can´t quite explain. If you ever have the chance, take one in your hand, you´ll know what I´m talking about. Also, the clip is inserted as if by magic, it is not cut and threaded like every other fountain pen, it seems to have simply sprout from there!!

 

Filling mechanism: 5/5

 

 

Only thing I felt not to be perfect, but actually it´s the con-50, holds a nice amount of ink, and any other filling mechanism would require tampering with the elegant lines of the pen, so I think it really is the best choice here

 

Nib:5/5

 

 

Beautiful, perfect proportions with the pen, and has the same air of understated elegance as the pen. It says " Namiki, 18k-750 <M>. It doesn´t need to brag about it´s beauty, but you can feel it.

 

Performance:5/5

 

 

Delicious, buttersmooth, cushioned ride. SImply the BEST pen I ever wrote with. Plus that glorious shading!! Just my favourite amount of wetness, and has a little bit of line variation, but it´s not flexible, just soft.

 

Conclusion: 20/20

 

This has become my favourite pen, the one I would salvage from a fire, a sinking ship or a divorce.

Not only it´s unsurpassed in understated beauty, quality, durability, it´s also the best mean of putting ink into paper.

It´s quite expensive, but worth every penny. Remember, it´s not a pen you are buying, but a work of art.

 

 

Well, that´s about it.

 

Hope you enjoy it!! Cheers!!

[SujiCorp12345]

Nice pen! Just out of curiosity though- isn't that the CON-70, not the CON-50?

[manolo]

One of my grails, maybe "the Grail". Congratulations.

[shuuemura]

Congratulations on your new Yukari Royale! It's perhaps my all-time favourite pen. And a lovely review as well.

[ethernautrix]

FPH had Nakayas?

 

Anyway, I'm happy for you for acquiring such a beautiful pen that you love. Write with it in good health!

[Hewson]

The converter is actually a CON-70 and it's beautiful

[Exlaminis]

Saving the pen from a divorce, huh? Well, after spending so much money on a pen, a less understanding spouse might just threaten to do so.

 

Absolutely agree with you that Nakaya nibs seem too much like Platinum nibs for their price, but if it writes well... What can I say? I haven't put my paws on one yet.

 

On the other hand, that's a fantastic pen you have there and as others have mentioned, the converter is a CON-70.

[daintydimsum]

Yes, I really enjoy the weight of this line of pens. I have its predecessor (the one created for the 80th anniversary) in black and because it's brass, it has quite a reassuring weight. I do also, paradoxically, enjoy the lightweight Nakayas beautiful in different ways.

 

I hope you enjoy the pen for many years to come!

Edited November 7, 2014 by daintydimsum

[hari317]

Nice review, thanks! It is a joy to actually see and hold a pen in a wonderful pen shop before buying it.

 

You must have tried the Platinum Izumo, that model has metallic threads and same nib as the president.

 

Best

Hari

[arran]

Fantastic pen .Congrats

Namiki nibs are one of the best on this globe

Urushi in red is always timeless and a beauty forever!

[kimmo]

Congratulations for the new pen! It's breathtaking!

[Toll]

Thanks for sharing a wonderful story and congratulations on a beautiful pen!

[soniknitr]

Hello everybody!! Hope you don´t mind, but today I want to brag a bit about my new fountain pen.

First, a little story...

 

Thank you for sharing the 'namiki urushi royal' story through an exquisite set of pics & lovely handwriting (congratulations too!). Really love the looks of the pen.

Just wondering whether it's a pilot size#10 or size#15 nib ?

Edited November 9, 2014 by soniknitr

[elderberry]

Love this pen and especially your review! I can truly feel your enthusiasm. Enjoy your beautiful pen in good health!

[ex-bugonaut]

If I had a hand as beautiful as yours, I'd feel perfectly justified "going over the top" a bit with this pen. It's a lifetime investment in writing excellence and as you say, a work of art. Enjoy!

[Brian]

Congratulations! That is a special pen. Enjoy the quality and workmanship.

[shuuemura]

 

Thank you for sharing the 'namiki urushi royal' story through an exquisite set of pics & lovely handwriting (congratulations too!). Really love the looks of the pen.

Just wondering whether it's a pilot size#10 or size#15 nib ?

 

It is neither. It's a Namiki #20 nib! (about the same size as the Pilot #15 nib but the shape and breather hole are different. And the nib is more flexible/springy as well.)

[soniknitr]

 

It is neither. It's a Namiki #20 nib! (about the same size as the Pilot #15 nib but the shape and breather hole are different. And the nib is more flexible/springy as well.)

Thank you shuuemura, I got it.

[bone215]

Very nice pen. Very nice review.

Best of luck.

 

Regards,

[Daisy25]

What a great review! And the pen is just gorgeous. Perhaps that's the grail . . .