A Review Of The Nemosine Singularity Demonstrator Fountain Pen

[arandur]

First Impressions (9)

I love demonstrator pens, and the prospect of an inexpensive but nice-looking demonstrator that also performed well was an almost-irresistable draw. When it arrive in the mail, I opened the simple but nice cardboard box, marked with the location of manufacture and assembly for the nib, body, and unit, as a whole. Sliding the pen from its place of rest, I was drawn to it by the clean and crisp lines. Eagerly, did I reach for some ink.

 

http://www.xfountainpens.com/v/vspfiles/photos/NEM-SIN-DE-2.jpg

 

Appearance (9)

Faintly, the look of this pen with the clip style and branded cap accent band remind me of a certain demonstrator by a well-known pen company, though I cannot place just which exact company or model, right now. (Later edit: Perhaps, it looks a bit like the Monteverde Artista Demonstrator, at least, so far, as the cap and some of the body are concerned.) The Singularity appears to have a great deal of threading, as the threads (for the cap) on the section and those for the body are separated by only an accent band. The large nib looks impressive and helps to offset the not-so-quality-looking grip section. While I may mention it again, later, I am impressed by the look of the Nemosine-branded nibs. Heavily engraved, they carry designs that would seem to be at odds with the look of the pen’s body, yet actually complement it. (The nib features sweeping lines and curls in the etched design.) In the case of the Singularity, simple, classy lines are all it needs to achieve greatness in its looks.

 

Design/Size/Weight (8)

The one potential design flaw that I spot, immediately, is really just a potential flaw for some people, and I am not one of them. All of the Nemosine nibs are relatively long, and, with how these nibs sit in the section, it may be the case for some that prolonged writing with the grip at such a distance/position becomes uncomfortable, especially for those with small hands. Having the cap screw onto the section, rather than the barrel, was an interesting choice. So far, this has not posed a problem, except, once, when I had the cap screwed on tighter than the barrel (it was after changing the ink). Attempting to unscrew the cap, I, instead, unscrewed the barrel. Where I could see problems, potentially, arising is in the case of an eyedropper conversion (which users on The Fountain Pen Network forum did prove possible).

The grip seems short, because a fifth of the section is threading. However, this does not pose a problem, as the threads have a low enough profile, so that they are comfortable to hold in one’s grip.

Since the only metal on this pen is the nib and accents, it is very light. While perhaps not as light, as a Pilot Penmanship, it is very comfortable to hold. The size in girth is wide enough to be comfortable for a great variety of hand sizes, and the length, unposted, is neither too long or too short for my large hands. As I muse on what more to say, it comes to my mind that this may be one of the most comfortable pens I have ever held.

The two things that I believe could have improved the design of this pen are having the cap screw onto the barrel, rather than the section, and adding just a touch more weight to the pen’s body. While it is not a deal-breaker, I think it would be cool, if Nemosine added their “N” logo to the clip.

 

Nib (9)

There is so much to say about the nibs. Available Nemosine nibs include extra-fine, fine, medium, 0.6 stub, and 0.8 stub widths. These are all European sizes, and all of them are very smooth and very consistent. The feed allows for a slightly more wet writing experience, but they are as quality, from my experience, as any Lamy Safari nib. Spare nibs are also approximately half of the price of a spare Safari nib, allowing one to try other nib sizes at a lower cost. Unlike Lamy and the typical Pilot nibs, Nemosine nibs and feeds are friction fit without any settings. On one hand, this allows for adjusting how wet/dry the writing experience is, but it may also pose challenges, for the beginner, in changing their nibs. Even though I do not prefer to use them, I am surprised that Nemosine does not make a broad nib. They also do not carry larger stubs, which is unfortunate; however, it is impressive that they do have so many choices.

 

Filling System (9)

The Nemosine Singularity is a standard cartridge converter, taking both long and short, standard international cartridges with room for a second short cartridge, if one is used. The pen comes with a converter that is of good quality and construction. According to members of The Fountain Pen Network forums, the Singularity can also be converted to an eyedropper filling system. The one negative is that, because of how long the nib is, a greater depth of ink is needed, in order to fill the pen by placing the nib end in ink and using the converter.

 

http://www.xfountainpens.com/v/vspfiles/photos/NEM-SIN-DE-3.jpg

 

Cost and Value (9)

For the same price, as this Nemosine Singularity, you could buy some Jinhao pens, some Bülow pens, the Pilot Metropolitan, or multiple, less expensive writing instruments. However, none of the above, except perhaps the Pilot Metropolitan (an excellent pen), could be so widely appealing, as the Singularity. With its many nibs that are readily available (unlike the Pilot Metropolitan), customization options are broad, and the price for one of these fountain pens (15 USD) is a solid sell, so long as the looks appeal to you.

 

Conclusion (9)

In closing, speaking to the demonstrator version of this pen, I have yet to find any other demonstrators at or below this price point that have the same look of quality or the same versatility of nib sizes.

The brand name of Nemosine has a ways to go, in order to become well-known in the fountain pen world, but their Singularity Demonstrator does an excellent job of promotion.

 

The nibs in the pictures do not look like the nibs that came with my pen.

Photo credit to xFountainPens.com.

Edited February 3, 2013 by arandur

[arandur]

Here are my own pictures, which more accurately show the nib:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/morvaltur/Fountain%20Pens/NemoSing1_zpseb701451.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/morvaltur/Fountain%20Pens/NemoSing2_zps1c21be59.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/morvaltur/Fountain%20Pens/NemoSing3_zps61799e36.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/morvaltur/Fountain%20Pens/NemoSing4_zps773ae8e7.jpg

[nm4]

I own this pen and agree wholeheartedly with your review. One thing: if I'm not mistaken the 0.6mm italic nib has no tipping. This makes it very smooth but somewhat prone to wear. I've found the absence of tipping makes italic nibs very smooth. This italic is smoother than almost all of the custom grinds I've had done by forum nibmeisters - I suspect bc the nibs they ground for me had tipping.

 

Cheers,

NM

[arandur]

I own this pen and agree wholeheartedly with your review. One thing: if I'm not mistaken the 0.6mm italic nib has no tipping. This makes it very smooth but somewhat prone to wear. I've found the absence of tipping makes italic nibs very smooth. This italic is smoother than almost all of the custom grinds I've had done by forum nibmeisters - I suspect bc the nibs they ground for me had tipping.

 

Cheers,

NM

The 0.6 is actually the one nib of all of them that I have not yet tried. It is laying on my desk, waiting for me to change it, today. I am very curious to try it, now.

[bemyhorcrux]

I love this pen - I have one with the 0.8 nib, but it seems about as wide as a Lamy 1.1. Could be mislabelled. The feed holds a huge amount of ink - I didn't get any sucked up in the converter the first time I filled it, due to how long the nib is, and I wrote for far longer than I expected regardless! The next time, I just filled the converter directly. It's the first pen I recommend for anyone I'm trying to get hooked on FPs if they don't like the looks of the Safari! Try your 0.6, you'll probably love it!

[arandur]

I love this pen - I have one with the 0.8 nib, but it seems about as wide as a Lamy 1.1. Could be mislabelled. The feed holds a huge amount of ink - I didn't get any sucked up in the converter the first time I filled it, due to how long the nib is, and I wrote for far longer than I expected regardless! The next time, I just filled the converter directly. It's the first pen I recommend for anyone I'm trying to get hooked on FPs if they don't like the looks of the Safari! Try your 0.6, you'll probably love it!

I will for sure try the 0.6 today! The medium seems to be narrower than a Lamy or Parker medium. Filling the converter directly has been my solution, too.

[nm4]

The .6 is a fantastic nib. The line width makes it usable on a daily basis despite my small to medium sized writing...and it's smooth and wet. Every time I use it I hate myself for spending 3x the pen's price to get italic regrounds of round nibs that aren't even as smooth!

 

Cheers,

NM

[basterma]

But why is the grip black? Part of the fun is seeing the ink work its way down the pen.

[arandur]

But why is the grip black? Part of the fun is seeing the ink work its way down the pen.

Good question. If it were clear, that would be awesome. If the feed were clear (like a Monteverde Artista Crystal), that would be even more awesome.

[Harlequin]

I was under the impression that you COULD order bigger stubs, but you have to do so separately. You cannot get them as a choice when ordering the pen itself. I could be wrong about that, but I'm sure if it is the case that xfountainpens.com would have them as well. If anyone has both the 0.6 and 0.8 stubs, as well as just traditional "ball" fine and medium nibs (not necessarily on a Singularity), I hope they'd post some a sample with all four line widths.

[arandur]

I was under the impression that you COULD order bigger stubs, but you have to do so separately. You cannot get them as a choice when ordering the pen itself. I could be wrong about that, but I'm sure if it is the case that xfountainpens.com would have them as well. If anyone has both the 0.6 and 0.8 stubs, as well as just traditional "ball" fine and medium nibs (not necessarily on a Singularity), I hope they'd post some a sample with all four line widths.

I am sure that either some of the Knox or Bülow nibs on xfountainpens.com fit this pen, I am just uncertain as to which. The nib does not look like it fits an Ahab-sized feed (the Knox K35 series of nibs are interchangeable with the Ahab flex nib); however, I might be mistaken.

 

I will get you the line comparison this week! I am in the process of moving my desk and fountain pens from one location to another, but that will be my first writing project, as soon as possible.

[notVirtuThe3rd]

Cool pen! Thanks for the sharing.

[Harlequin]

I am sure that either some of the Knox or Bülow nibs on xfountainpens.com fit this pen, I am just uncertain as to which. The nib does not look like it fits an Ahab-sized feed (the Knox K35 series of nibs are interchangeable with the Ahab flex nib); however, I might be mistaken.

 

I will get you the line comparison this week! I am in the process of moving my desk and fountain pens from one location to another, but that will be my first writing project, as soon as possible.

Thanks! I'll try to find where I saw the info about ordering the larger sized CI nibs for the Singularity as well. I'm looking forward to seeing those line comparison samples!

[arandur]

I am still working on the nib size comparison chart; however, I found something interesting, today, when I swapped to the 0.6 stub. Mine appears to have a right-slant to it, almost like an oblique. Looking at the bottom of the nib, the right-hand tine is shorter than the left-hand tine. It is possible that the slit was incorrectly cut and is not down the precise middle of the nib.

[Harlequin]

I guess it's definitely a possibility, but since the Nemosine nibs are (I'm sure) machine cut, not made by hand, I would bet it's more likely someone just installed the wrong nib. But there's no way of knowing how it happened really. Does it give you any problems b/c of that?

[arandur]

This was a nib that I purchased separately from my Singularity, and considering that Nemosine nibs are only available in extra-fine, fine, medium, 0.6, and 0.8, I think that I got a "faulty," mis-cut nib. It writes perfectly fine, though the pen does need to be held half-way between a normal grip and the grip for an oblique nib in order to hit a writing sweet spot

[Harlequin]

Maybe I was thinking of the Knox nibs fitting the Singularity, like you mentioned. They have wider stubs, a 1.1 and a 1.8 or something in that range.

Edited February 14, 2013 by Harlequin

[arandur]

Don't Knox nibs also fit the Singularity? They have wider stubs, a 1.1 and a 1.8 or something in that range.

I am not sure about this. If they do, it must be the Knox K35 nibs, rather than the Knox K26 nibs. I know that the Knox K26 nibs fit the Noodler's Nib Creaper Piston-fill Flex (and Standard) fountain pens, and I can confirm that the nib from my Nib Creaper is not compatible with a Nemosine Singularity. The Knox K35 nibs are interchangable with Noodler's Ahab and Konrad nibs...can anyone confirm that the Ahab or Konrad or K35 nibs fit in their Nemosine Singularity?

[arandur]

I confirmed with the people at xFountainPens.com. The Knox K35 nibs do fit the Nemosine Singularity.

Additionally, I was told that all Nemosine 0.6 stubs are cut, as the one I described-slightly oblique with the nib slit off-center. That was very interesting!

Edited February 15, 2013 by arandur

[Harlequin]

That is pretty interesting info, actually. Little bit of custom "nibiness" (yes, I just made that a word) where it would never have been expected!