Namiki Emperor Vermilion Review

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks for the review. But for me, the pen has several factors working against it. First of all, it's GINORMOUS! I had trouble with the weight and size of a M800 when I tried one, so I know an M1000 is too big a pen for my hand. And you say it's *bigger*?

Secondly, I'm betting that the price is Not Cheap . As in "so far out of my budget it might as well be on Pluto...."

Finally (and most importantly for me), while a very elegant looking pen, the urushi is a complete deal-breaker. I am *highly* allergic to poison ivy, which is basically urushi in plant form. So all the beautiful maki-e pens I've seen photos of are "yeah, nice -- but for me they're 'look, but don't touch' pens...." I cannot run the risk. When archaeologists get reactions from 1500 year old lacquer boxes, you can NOT tell me that the urushi is sufficiently cured in order for me to not have a reaction. And that reaction is fast-acting and of long duration -- the last time I had poison ivy, it took six weeks and three runs of steroids to rid of it (after having it cover my arms, face, stomach and tops of my legs in a matter of a few hours) -- because for me it goes systemic....

Enjoy your pen, it's gorgeous. But I'll enjoy it from a safe distance....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

edited for typos

Edited August 28, 2016 by inkstainedruth

[Ebonite And Ivory]

Thanks for the review. But for me, the pen has several factors working against it. First of all, it's GINORMOUS! I had trouble with the weight and size of a M800 when I tried one, so I know an M1000 is too big a pen for my hand. And you say it's *bigger*?

Secondly, I'm betting that the price is Not Cheap . As in "so far out of my budget it might as well be on Pluto...."

Finally (and most importantly for me), while a very elegant looking pen, the urushi is a complete deal-breaker. I am *highly* allergic to poison ivy, which is basically urushi in plant form. So all the beautiful maki-e pens I've seen photos of are "yeah, nice -- but for me they're 'look, but don't touch' pens...." I cannot run the risk. When archaeologists get reactions from 1500 year old lacquer boxes, you can NOT tell me that the urushi is sufficiently cured in order for me to not have a reaction. And that reaction is fast-acting and of long duration -- the last time I had poison ivy, it took six weeks and three runs of steroids to rid of it (after having it cover my arms, face, stomach and tops of my legs in a matter of a few hours) -- because for me it goes systemic....

Enjoy your pen, it's gorgeous. But I'll enjoy it from a safe distance....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

edited for typos

Wow. I never heard of such a thing, a reaction to a pen. I am happy you are aware of these limitations. Perhaps write with one someday with gloves on if interested. Best regards for your health...

[Ebonite And Ivory]

Gl

 

"The Quick Brown Fox" as told by Quentin Tarantino!

 

Great review... thanks!

Glad you caught that...

[Ebonite And Ivory]

Great review, thanks.

 

 

 

I have handled one of these on a few occasions - a cardiologist colleague has one, and I agree, it is large. For me it's more of a desk pen.

 

Perhaps you should look at it's smaller sibling, a vermilion Yukari Royale.

 

That's what I did and I like mine very much

I must agree. Though possible, and more power to ya' if one does EDC with this pen (or even take it out of the house), this is a desk pen and great for writing letters. It is not great for signing checks but of course works. It does not exactly fit in your pocket and may look like a clown pen to people behind the counter at your local gas station when you pull it out to sign the credit card receipt. But for everyone who has one in their home or office, who knows about and appreciates huge, soft gold nibs and urushi, or anyone with pens like the Jolly Green Giant, this pen is still incredible write with and behold. Admittedly, small hands may cramp up after 5 page letters plus in length. But I am getting more accustomed to it since I posted the review and actually can write even longer it seems with no difficulty. The yukari suggestion is an excellent one for those who want to take the pen out of the house or who cannot imagine writing with Zeus' lightning bolt. (Not that I believe in Zeus...)

[Shmurzik]

For the section, holding it under running tap water does a clean job & is quite effective.

If you have time, you can navigate to the filling system here, these parts are really easy to clean.

A really lovely pen with a simple mechanism.

My cleaning routine is like this:

1. Flush the barrel twice.

2. Clean the nib and feed under running water for 5-6 seconds.

3. Fill the barrel up and screw in the section like you do after ink filling, but with nib facing down. This step helps in cleaning up the section from the inside. Repeat 3 times.

 

Usually takes 3-4 minutes.

 

If you are capable enough (and confident) to disassemble, you can take the nib and feed out and do a more proper cleaning.

Thanks guys, helpful and appreciated.

[Ebonite And Ivory]

I don't have experience with eyedroppers so I was surprised to see an end cap on this pen. What purpose does a blind cap serve with an eyedropper? I always thought an eyedropper was just a barrel that connected to a feed.

Please find attached the photo of what is inside the barrel. This is the "plug" that, when closed, seals the ED from continuously feeding ink into the nib. When untwisted about 1.5 turns the ink rushes in for writing. The system works flawlessly and somehow doesn't over or under feed the nib. In the review already there is a photo of the inside of the section to show how the ink makes its way through the slit toward the feed. This is the other end, looking into the barrel. Hope this helps. Thanks!

[inkstainedruth]

Wow. I never heard of such a thing, a reaction to a pen. I am happy you are aware of these limitations. Perhaps write with one someday with gloves on if interested. Best regards for your health...

 

Actually, I'm not the only one on here with that problem. A while back, someone posted about getting a rash on his/her chin from tapping or rubbing the end of a maki-e pen against it. Knowing how allergic I am in general, the post made me really wary. So, while some of those pens are absolutely exquisite, for me it has to be "look but don't touch."

Wearing gloves while writing doesn't sound like much fun -- especially since at the moment it's in the mid-80° F here....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Slider20]

That's a crazy pen..... and I want one, awesome review, thanks for sharing.

[rebcabin]

If you have big, slow hands, as I do, these Emperors might be the final, real Grail. First time I touched one, I was sunk. I'm doomed.