A Namiki Falcon Review

[Dreamworld]

Last Week, I acquired the Namiki Falcon, a pen which had piqued my interest for some time. Now, I must admit I have never before written with a Japanese fountain pen nor a flexy fountain pen. Most of my thoughts are based entirely off the pens which I already own in comparison to the Falcon.

 

 

Appearance & Design 8/10

 

I find this to be the most aesthetically pleasing of all the pens in my possession thus the high score, however, no matter how beautiful the body, there's more to a pen than that. Let's talk converters for a moment; the con-50 is terrible, nothing redeeming to it whatsoever. The feed, I prefer that thought of ebonite, but this does the job mostly fine so no complaints there. To me, being able to disassemble a pen completely for cleaning is essential. Not only only does it allow for a thorough satisfying job, but also adds a certain zen element to the whole affair. There is however, no clear way of disassembling the pen and once you manage, you regret it because it sounds like the pen got hurt (it was not actually harmed).

 

Construction and Quality 8/10

 

This pen by no means feels unstable or fragile, however there are a few things which could be improved. For starters, the threads for the cap to screw on to have a slightly visible seam on mine which takes away some of the special something, once again the nib is difficult to get out, and a slight bit less turning to remove the cap would be nice.

 

Weight and Dimensions 10/10

 

This pen, for me, is the perfect weight and size so there you have it.

 

Nib & Performance 9/10

 

While I have never written with a flexible fountain pen before, I have written with a needlepoint truly flexible calligraphy nib before which is perhaps why I don't find the nib to require much extra force. Allow me to elaborate, I write with next to no pressure usually, however, since I am already used to the movement required to increase the line width, my muscles just push down as needed without much thought going into it. Anyhow, I have never written with a Japanese fine before, however it is a bit slimmer than my Lamy Studio's extra fine gold nib. The nib is exceedingly smooth with just a bit of tactical feedback and lots of auditory feed back.

 

Filling System and Maintenance 4/10

 

I'm tempted to give it a lower score than that, but I feel to merit such a score it would have to actually not write. So far I have only used the con-50 for filling the pen but my god is it miserable! You see, not only is the ink capacity barely enough for me to get through two days of casual note taking, but that miserable little piece of plastic is more reluctant to let go of Kon-Peki than Tom Waits of his childhood. I find that every half-hour, I'm unscrewing the body and flicking the converter so that it'll let go of the ink which gets caught at the top of the converter. Then, when I' running low on ink, it decides that it wants nothing more to do with this ink and that it shall cover the cap nib and section, to the best of its ability, with ink.

 

Then comes the fun adventure I had of trying to get the pen clean. I sould mention I was cleaning Kon-Peki out to try Yama-Guri instead. I followed the standard procedure of immersing the nib in cold water and flushing until the water runs clear. Then I take the converter out only to find that the entire lower half of the thing is still covered in ink some how. It must just be a coincidence I said to myself, said I. I filled the then vacant converter cavity with water just in case and, lo and behold, that too was still full of ink. Pushing out the nib I found that it was also covered in ink still. After having finally gotten the pen completely clean, I decided to clean my Visconti for the zen experience the Falcon had failed to provide.

 

Cost and Value 8/10

 

This pen while not too expensive when compared to others, would only get the perfect score if the converter and seams were fixed. Otherwise it is a fantastic pen.

 

Conclusion 47 out of 60

 

I love this pen for the writing experience but cannot curse the con-50 enough. I believe that so long as you have a solution to the filling mechanism, it would be a fine addition to anyones collection.

 

 

I plan to add some photos of the ridiculous converter in question doing its thing.

Edited November 21, 2011 by Dreamworld

[ChuckClark]

I absolutely love my Falcon. I count it as one of the top ten pens I own ( out of 200 )

 

It writes smooth and wet...just as i want it.

 

I use a cartridge and refill the cartridge with the ink of choice using a syringe.

 

For the price I have encouraged many new users to start with the Falcon.

 

But you get spoiled very quick.

 

I just wish they would make some of those beautiful colors with gold rather

than silver. I am a snob and never buy a silver trimmed pen.

Edited November 21, 2011 by ChuckClark

[watch_art]

It's actually really easy to push the feed and nib out. And just as easy to push it back in. It sort of clicks like when you push a Lamy Studio cap back on the pen.

 

Start watching at 2:10 to see how to push the nib and feed out.

 

[sessyargc]

Cleaning the converter might do it good.

Use room temperature water with a drop or two of liquid dish soap. Swirl the converter in the water, get the soapy water in the converter several times, then rinse well with running water.

but that miserable little piece of plastic is more reluctant to let go of Kon-Peki than Tom Waits of his childhood. I find that every half-hour, I'm unscrewing the body and flicking the converter so that it'll let go of the ink which gets caught at the top of the converter.

[beak]

Thanks for the review.

 

I have heard that the C50 is not a well-respected converter. Many prefer the (even smaller?) C20, assuming that the pen will not accept the large C70 - I believe only the metal Falcons are big enough for that.

[sph33r]

Regarding the seam you mention, I found that the Pilots and Sailors I own have the same seam on their threads as well. Must be a Japanese thing?

 

Thanks for the review, I've been thinking about purchasing one of these for a while.

Edited November 21, 2011 by sph33r

[Dreamworld]

"It's actually really easy to push the feed and nib out. And just as easy to push it back in. It sort of clicks like when you push a Lamy Studio cap back on the pen. Start watching at 2:10 to see how to push the nib and feed out."

 

Coincidentally, that's the exact video I watched in order to figure out how to get it out. I did get it out, it just sounded like it was breaking. Thank you, though, for the help.

 

"Cleaning the converter might do it good.

Use room temperature water with a drop or two of liquid dish soap. Swirl the converter in the water, get the soapy water in the converter several times, then rinse well with running water."

 

I think I'll try that tomorrow once it has run out of Yama-Guri.

 

"I use a cartridge and refill the cartridge with the ink of choice using a syringe."

 

That's what I have been doing for my Lamy Studio. If I am in the mood for ordinary blue, perhaps I'll empty it that way, otherwise I'll probably just rinse it out without ever writing with that blue ink.

 

"Regarding the seam you mention, I found that the Pilots and Sailors I own have the same seam on their threads as well. Must be a Japanese thing?"

 

I'm not sure whether I find that comforting or disappointing. Anyhow, provided you don't mind solving the ink storage issue one way or another, I think this would be a fabulous addition to one's writing group of pens. I certainly feel no remorse in having bought this pen (and I paid MSRP). It is a pleasure to behold and to write with. If you already know what the nib sizing for Pilots is like it should be all the easier, as I was just guessing that a fine nib would be what I wanted. Should you decide to buy one, I would be delighted to hear of your thoughts on the Falcon.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for reading this first review of mine, I plan to continue by reviewing my Studio, 2000 and Rembrandt in future. Also thank you for all the useful commentary.

[ra9una]

I absolutely love my Falcon. I count it as one of the top ten pens I own ( out of 200 )

 

It writes smooth and wet...just as i want it.

 

I use a cartridge and refill the cartridge with the ink of choice using a syringe.

 

For the price I have encouraged many new users to start with the Falcon.

 

But you get spoiled very quick.

 

I just wish they would make some of those beautiful colors with gold rather

than silver. I am a snob and never buy a silver trimmed pen.

 

Funny, I like pens with silver trims.

By the way, what is the lowest price I could find a falcon at?

[Dreamworld]

Funny, I like pens with silver trims.

By the way, what is the lowest price I could find a falcon at?

 

Depends, do you want to buy from an outlet in Canada, an authorized dealer of some kind, or risk the terrors of Ebay? How far are you willing to ship? I'm sure if you looked really hard and didn't mind used you could get away with like $50, but most places will probably not go too far below $120. At least thats been my experience. I ended up paying $140 for the pen. It's funny because if I look, I can find Montblanc 149's with all their papers for $250 which is substantially less than the $800~~ish MSRP, but the Falcon is hard to find below $100.

 

Hope that helped.

[gibsona9]

I agree with you, the Namiki Falcon is a wonderfully-made pen! Its fine "hairline" is super-thin for a fountain pen, and the thin/thick contrast is wonderful for doing Copperplate-style writing.

 

Here's a little project I did at lunch break the other day at work... Namiki Falcon SF nib, Waterman black ink, old-fashioned "bond" typing paper:

 

 

Brian

[sph33r]

Funny, I like pens with silver trims.

By the way, what is the lowest price I could find a falcon at?

 

For a new one, your best bet right now is the Levenger 25% off sale. That puts a resin Falcon in your hands for $108 before shipping.

[alistairville]

My new Namiki (broad tip) is such a wonder compared with my old Parker pen (it's so enjoyable it just makes you want to use it)- and using Noodler's Ink seems to be a substantial improvement over my current Parker's Quink, but I'm still not able to get more than a few pages from the piston-filling system currently installed. It's quite possible that I'll never be satisfied with this system. Maybe I will get a longer result from the cartridges - haven't tried yet. Anyway - just wanted to add how amenable this pen is to gentle pressure, and what an almost pleasing look my just terrible cursive has with this pen (for those who actually have good writing I imagine this is a wonder!) - but - compared with a dipping pen - it is not nearly as flexible - even though many will sell it to you as a flexible pen easily capable of Spencerian, etc. Perhaps there is some trick to it - (but actually - is any fountain pen as flexible as the nib you'd use in a dipping pen?)- but when I write with dipping ink - my Spencerian is fun - while with this pen -with Spencerian - is just totally not happening. This is a wonderful +++ pen for 1925 plus cursive styles. For earlier styles, you'll still need a dipping pen.

 

Finally, I'd just like to say what a joy this pen is to me every day. I use it for daily stuff where others would use a ball point - and it is just fab. In terms of creating beautiful items - keep working with your dipping pens - this won't quite get you there.

[Lamyrada]

I just received my Namiki Falcon and find the same thing. Must be the technique, but it is not flexible as i have read in many comments from users and reviews. And i cannot do the variable width lines i was hoping i could do with it. I even find it to be a little scratchy. Help anyone?

Edited June 11, 2014 by Lamyrada

[Ambien]

I just received my namicki dfalcon and find the same thing. Most be technique, but it is not flexible as i have read in many comments from users and reviews. And i cannot do the variable width lines i was hoping i could do with it. I even find it to be a little scratchy. Help anyone?

 

I think it depends on where and who you purchased your pen. If you find it slightly scratchy have you tried contacting the Customer Service? IIRC, the Falcon is considered to be semi-flexible. Atm, vintage pens have the advantage over modern pens in terms of flexibility unless you order a custom grind.

[Lamyrada]

I have not contacted the seller (through Amazon) because I think it is nice as is for writing normal way. I detest returning things even though Amazon does the process well. My question really is: Did I have too high an expectation? -- Next would be... #2 Can I improve this situation in any way? Thanks in advance!

[Lyander0012]

The Falcon is a semi-flex nib at best, and while it is indeed flexible rather that just springy, it's nowhere near the standards set by vintage fountain pens, or even modern dip nibs, for that matter. With a super fine grind and a bit of reshaping the nib, you'll be able to get a lot more line variation, but that's about it. You'll still need quite a bit of pressure to make it display as much variation as full-flex pens.

 

Flex writing aside, though, the Falcon is an excellent nib for daily writing, provided you skip the super fine grind; tipping material that fine will snag on even the best of paper if used "normally".

 

By the way, there's this neat trick where, if you reverse the nib and use the pen at a really low angle, you can use the flat surface on the nib to lay down an extremely broad line. It's all good fun, haha. Here's a vid demoing the capabilities of a (modified) Namiki Falcon. It's what brought the pen to my attention in the first place:

 

Enjoy the pen. It may not be the greatest writer ever, but it's a fine pen nonetheless, one worthy of anyone's daily rotation. Haha, I'm adding one to my stable as soon as funds allow

 

 

Cheers!

Kevin

[Sheri Chander]

I agree with you, the Namiki Falcon is a wonderfully-made pen! Its fine "hairline" is super-thin for a fountain pen, and the thin/thick contrast is wonderful for doing Copperplate-style writing.

 

Here's a little project I did at lunch break the other day at work... Namiki Falcon SF nib, Waterman black ink, old-fashioned "bond" typing paper:

 

 

Brian

Beautiful Handwriting. I am waiting for my flex pen and would try to do something of the same sort. It might take me years though

[Lamyrada]

But the nib shown on that video is not at all what my Facon has. It does not open at all and is not flat at the tip. It must have been modified.

 

NOTE: the video says modified, that is why it writes as well!

Edited June 12, 2014 by Lamyrada

[Lyander0012]

But the nib shown on that video is not at all what my Facon has. It does not open at all and is not flat at the tip. It must have been modified.

 

Hmm.... Could you be in possession of an FA nib? That's quite different from the Namiki Falcon, you see. It's like a regular nib, except there are round holes cut out on the sides of the body. The flat top is standard across all Falcons and Metal Falcons, you see.

 

Hmm, curious.

 

 

Kevin

[Lamyrada]

Hmm.... Could you be in possession of an FA nib? That's quite different from the Namiki Falcon, you see. It's like a regular nib, except there are round holes cut out on the sides of the body. The flat top is standard across all Falcons and Metal Falcons, you see.

 

Hmm, curious.

 

 

Kevin

I will definitely take a good closeup today and attach it. I am vry disappointed with the pen.