Nakaya or Stylo Art

[blind.aesthete]

Hello there!

 

I am new to this forum but now new to fountain pens although I have remained within the more affordable range of pens thus far. I am now looking to splurge on a Japanese fountain pen for a graduation present and was hoping someone with expertise could help me.

 

I have narrowed down my aesthetic preference to the Nakaya and Stylo Art. I understand that there are obvious differences between the two but if budget is not a concern, which would folks recommend I favor? In terms of writing pleasure, durability, and quality? I also wonder if I should be taking pen maintenance/repair into consideration.

 

Thanks for your thoughts! 

[whichwatch]

I love both brands.  I own perhaps 90 or 100 Nakayas and several Stylo Art pens.

 

Nakaya produces a far greater number of pens and though a relatively small operation, it  is owned by Platinum.  Stylo Art is much more of a very small family operation.

 

The aesthetic differences including materials (many Stylo Art are made of wood) and finishes are quite pronounced, but I think the factors you mentioned (writing pleasure, durability, and quality) are high for both brands.

 

Other than aesthetics and materials, I think there are two significant differences that you might wish to consider:

 

1.  If you are in the US, Stylo Art attends a few pen shows each year.  You can meet and talk with Kazuno san and the charming woman who I believe is his wife, or maybe his daughter.  They are lovely and personable people and I found her especially vivacious.  And of course you can see their pens in person and speak with the people who designed and participated in making them.  Chatting with them and choosing just the right pen from their table was a highly enjoyable experience each time I had the opportunity, and I look forward to having a chance to do that again.  The experience makes the pen that much more enjoyable.

 

2.  Since this is a "toe in the water for you" I think factor number 2 might be something you should consider very strongly.  Demand for Nakayas is very strong, and as a result resale value and ease of resale are quite high.  Stylo Art is not as well know or as large a brand and reselling one if you decide you made a mistake would very likely not be as easy as it would be with Nakaya.

 

Good luck with your decision.  I can assure you that you won't go wrong with either pen as far as the factors you listed.  I've tried to list a couple of additional considerations and hope these will prove helpful to you.

 

Addendum:    I just got this terrible feeling that I may be mixing people up between Stylo Art and Eboya.  I know the pens quite well, but I just got this terrible feeling that I may have the owners confused in my "no-longer-so-great" memory, as it has certainly been a while since there have been pen shows.  My comments about the pens hold.  If I have confused which company the people I remember are associated with, I hope someone will correct me.

[zaddick]

two main questions for you to answer:

 

1. Do you want wood or urushi coated ebonite?

2. Do you want Pilot nibs or Platinum?

 

Stylo Art focuses more on the wood of the pens. They have a few shapes and lots of nice wood choices. As I recall they mostly use Pilot nibs in the #10 and #15 size. They do have pens with urushi, raden, and maki-e work from artists they work with, but this is not the core of the business. It's a one man show and the fit an finish are great.

 

Nakaya is a much more prolific maker and they may still offer a briarwood model, but that is really just a rebadged Platinum pen. They are all about urushi and also do a much wider array of decorative arts on their pens like string and cracked surfaces. You get probably a wider array of nib modifications and tipping widths available. As noted, resale is also a lot better due to brand recognition. 

 

 

[MHBru]

i've never used or even seen a Stylo Art pen but own a Nakaya with a second one on the way.  It is a seriously impressive pen.  Beautiful to the eye and beautiful to write with.

[MHBru]

6 hours ago, whichwatch said:

I own perhaps 90 or 100 Nakayas

@whichwatch  wow... just wow... that's impressive

[jchch1950]

I have a few Nakaya pens and  I am very happy with them.