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An Intuitive Conversation With The Graf Von Faber-Castell Intuition
sannidh posted a topic in Fountain Pen Reviews
After a long & strong fight with the penavarice-devil , I finally gave in and bought a GvFC Intuition. I went with the 'terra' - the red-orang-ish barrel. I have also replicated the content with some additional pictures in my blog as the images are reduced to a small thumbnail after a short-while. Below is a link to the same: Graf von Faber-Castell Intuition Review Here goes a review of the same: The Intuition With a covetous eye on this pen, since the time I had got my FCD Ambition and then an orange coloured Ondoro fountain pen, it indeed required lady luck's blessings, to get this one at a steeply discounted price. I must say, that there was already a strange sense of loss of colours, after I had given both of my orange coloured fountain pens away - Ondoro (mint & boxed) and later the Pelikan m205. And this was an appropriate treatment for my colour blindnesshttp://lh5.ggpht.com/-a-Tba4pAIVk/VPfDFXW0uAI/AAAAAAAAEBE/0lhEVc5hixI/wlEmoticon-rainbow2.png?imgmax=800. Coming to the Faber-Castell Design(FCD) and the rather luxurious Graf von Faber-Castell(GvFC) line of pens, I must say that they have been able to splendidly highlight the art of convergence of design and utility. The Intuition pen comes in six lines of resin-based designs and two(earlier three) lines of wood-based designs. The wooden designs are called Intuition Platino Wood which is an enhanced intuition design altogether, be it the fluted wooden barrel or the platinum plated cap or an extra-large and more exquisitely designed bi-colour nib. And, it naturally places them in a more premium segment http://lh3.ggpht.com/-xbUGfrYQ50k/VPfDGkDN4aI/AAAAAAAAEBM/SJueZw-VO6s/wlEmoticon-surprisedsmile2.png?imgmax=800. All these design lines come with a fountain pen (with 6 to 7 different nib widths), a roller ball, a propelling pencil (0.7mm) and a ballpoint pen. Presentation (6/6) It’s a chamois-coloured gift box with top and bottom wooden linings, which secures itself by a magnetic catch within the two folds. There is the pen resting in a cardboard box within a chamois-coloured linen bag, which carries the Graf Von Faber-Castell name and their coat-of-arms logo. I someway like the linen, bag because of its differentiated appeal, though not from an utilitarian perspective. There is also a warranty leaflet-cum-manual, which states a lifetime guarantee against manufacturing defects and assures services, in case any need for repair arises. Then, it also illustrates refilling the entire range of GvFC pens and other stationery. http://s25.postimg.org/pcc1oi7n3/Gv_FC_001.jpg Design (6/6) The Intuition range comes in six variants (terra - orange, ivory – off-white/fluted, black - black/fluted/metal cap) with six different nib sizes – EF, F, M, B, OM and OB. Only one of these variants comes with a platinum plated metal cap with a shiny black barrel. Coming back to the pen, once you take it out, it surely looks like a compact enchanting piece of art. A high gloss sheen of the of the barrel and the cap reflects back quite a bit of light. Complementing this sheen, are the dazzling platinum plated trims of the pen. http://s25.postimg.org/u4qwx28mn/Gv_FC_009.jpg On pulling the cap off, you would initially notice the singularity of the barrel, a section sans joints. It’s made out of a single piece of resin, in this case reflecting the colour of earth or ‘terra’, gleaming with an orange smile. At the top end of the barrel, is a twist-metallic crown, which disengages the bi-tone nib section and converter system, from the rest of the body. I just love this element of design! The knob is embossed with the coat-of-arms logo, on the finial. Usually the coat-of-arms logo is used in GvFC pens and FCD pens(Ambition, Ondoro, e-motion) carry the jostling knights logo. Traditionally coat-of-arms is said to represent full-achievement in a heraldic tradition. GvFC has quite a bit of design superiority over the other FCD pens. Towards the nib end, the singular barrel narrows down to a slightly concave section to form a comfortable grip. Despite the glossy and smooth finish, the pen has a subtle but non-slippy grip section. The cap is engraved with GRAF VON FABER – CASTELL, encircling the metallic finial insert which again bears another coat-of-arms logo with its platinum sheen. The cap band says GRAF VON FABER – CASTELL on one side and on the other end it's HANDMADE IN GERMANY. ‘Handmade’ because there are over a hundred steps in the entire manufacturing process of this pen, a majority of which are carried out by hand. The clip on the cap carries the gleam of platinum with a highly efficient and visible spring loaded system. http://s25.postimg.org/xcqcczokv/1_Gv_FC.jpg Filling System (6/6) Once the crown of the barrel is rotated anti-clockwise to disengage the nib & filling system, you would notice a rather classical CC filler system. The nib has a screw fit, and inserts into a metallic sleeve like most of the Faber-Castell fountain pens which I have seen. The nib sleeve has threads which synchronize with threads on the inner barrel, both ending up with an octagonal cross section. The converter has a metallic premium band which friction-fits into the nib section though it does not fit a FCD Ambition section. However, the Ambition converter fits in the Intuition nib section. The converter has a reasonably high capacity of 0.8 – 0.9 mL, and the ink does last for quite a while! I usually have a bias towards piston fillers, but I do appreciate the Faber-Castell converter capacity. http://s25.postimg.org/xgk5t8u27/2_Gv_FC.jpg The nib section carries a six-digit number which denotes the date of manufacture, which I did confirm with the Faber-Castell team. Mine says 011210, which would mean it was manufactured way back on 01-December-2010.http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4LhAicXcVUM/VPfDJ9JciiI/AAAAAAAAEBk/kRvZ6XhRsSM/wlEmoticon-peace%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800 Nib (5/6) – All that matters The 18k bi-tone nib comes in four main widths – EF, F, M & B and two special widths – OM (left) & OB (left). The tail end specifies the nib size and composition (75% Au , 18 ct) of the alloy used. A white rhodium decor occupies the outer tines converging with the iridium tip, while the inner part circumscribing the breather hole gleams golden with engraved stripes. There is a dazzling white coat-of-arms logo resting just above the tail-end. This one is a fine nib and writes quite smoothly with a 'minutely minute' hint of feedback when I use relatively drier inks. It lays down a wet albeit fine line, which will be covered in the last section of this review. With a rather curved shoulder, the nib does portray an apparently smaller size even if it’s quite similar to the size of the relatively flat Ambition nib. [minus 1] http://s25.postimg.org/yhkeidb1r/Gv_FC_008_wb.jpg Below is a comparison to the FCD Ambition (non-premium) sections. You can check the differences between the two converters, the Intuition has got some metallic embellishment. They do use a similar feed. http://s25.postimg.org/fnylldctr/3_Gv_FC2.jpg Physics of it (4/6) – relatively speaking With a cylindrical body of 1.2 cm diameter, it does give a comfortable feel without adding too much weight. The capped length of 12.5 cm is quite similar to a Pelikan m400. In short, it is quite a compact pen when compared to an MB146 or even a thinner Ambition, for that matter. And a compact pen, can have its advantages along with some disadvantages. The weight of this pen has a significant contribution from the resin cap. http://s25.postimg.org/93vtf0ysv/Gv_FC_017.jpg Uncapped Length ~ 12 cm Posted Length ~ 15 cm Nib Leverage ~ 2 cm Overall Weight ~ 29.4 g Uncapped, it’s quite similar to the m400 but slightly shorter than the Ambition. The loss of weight and length is somehwat balanced by the wider grip section, if not completely. http://s25.postimg.org/g9nkhh7vz/Gv_FC_018.jpg Alternatively, you can post it and it’s similar to a posted m400 with a slightly top-heavy configuration. However, I feel comfortable to use it both posted and unposted, although I never have shared the same feeling with Ambition. http://s25.postimg.org/hant6lovj/Gv_FC_019.jpg Economic Value(5/6) Although pen retails around USD 600, it is available at a street price of around USD 430. With end of season clearance sale, I was able to get the pen at a good discounted price (around 50%). Overall (5.3/6)I feel loved by the design and exquisite appeal of this pen on an overall scale, whenever I write with it. No skipping or hard starts right from the beginning, it was quite smooth out of the box. With a stiff nib, it delivers a wet (not broad) line, with the fine nib. The line width closely resembles a Japanese FM nib. For a pelikan 4001 brilliant green ink, it takes around 12-13 seconds to dry up. You may not notice any line variation with horizontal and vertical strokes for this one. http://s25.postimg.org/bp1e2jo6n/Gv_FC_020.jpg It was fun reviewing the intuition. Hope you enjoyed reading it. Thank you for your time. Awaiting your feedback on the intuition... Best, Sonik- 41 replies
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Hello, I have just bought a restored 1950s MB 146G with M nib from a seller in Germany. It is in lovely condition and writes nicely. However I think I would prefer a F or EF nib. The pen is apparently all original. Would it be a shame to change the original nib? Would it affect the value of the pen much? Would the nib still look just as nice after modification? (I would use someone like Mike it Work) Alternately I have looked online for a F or EF 1950s nib to swap it out but see none advertised. Are they rare? How much would I expect to pay if I can find one? Thank you, Paul Julian New Zealand
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An Elemental Review Of Graf Von Faber-Castell Elemento (L.e)
sannidh posted a topic in Fountain Pen Reviews
I am happy to share a review of the Graf von Faber Castell Elemento Fountain pen, which is incidentally my first limited edition fountain pen. I have also replicated the content with some additional pictures in my blog, since the images are/will be reduced to a smaller thumbnail after a short-while by the image hosting service. Below is a link to the same: Review of Graf von Faber-Castell Elemento ELEMENTO L.E To be honest, the Elemento seems so alluring, ever since I have got an Intuition. Its yearning could only multiply with time. A sale was good enough to trigger my purchase as I could not wait long to catch hold of the pen. Incidentally, this is my first numbered (limited edition) fountain pen, delightfully so with a wooden barrel. Elemento, incidentally was designed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of my favourite fountain pen company - Graf von Faber-Castell. It also marked the release of a few other similarly sized wooden models of intuition. The Elemento range comprises of individually numbered propelling pencils (250 pieces), ball point pens (1500 pieces), roller-ball pens (1000 pieces) apart from these fountain pens (2500 pieces). PRESENTATION (6/6) One of the best parts of the presentation is a big hand-crafted wooden case in wenge colour, housing the entire collection. There is also a similar box which holds only the fountain pen. I was not able to get this case due to certain shipping constraints. However to my absolute delight, the Faber-Castell company sent me a spare wooden box, which usually is meant for the Intuition Wooden/Platino editions. Many thanks to Nicole, who handles marketing at Faber-Castell for APAC/MEA region. http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zOTP8rjHasI/VTYaH8RXWqI/AAAAAAAAEVA/a1NJpMExdLY/wlEmoticon-star2.png?imgmax=800 http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/elemento/elem%20000_zpsev8dffig.jpg The pen comes in a small cardboard box, which has an L.E number attached to one of the smaller faces of the cuboid. Along with the pen, there is a brochure which narrates a bit of Faber-Castell’s ‘since 1761’ history, along with alluring pictures of the Perfect Pencil, before it delves further into the elements of the Elemento range. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/elemento/1-design_zpsh7eqpsw1.jpg DESIGN (6/6) This is probably where firms like GvFC revolutionize the past, present and future of design. A dazzle of platinum deeply resonates with the subtlety of discernible olive wood grains in the barrel. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/elemento/elem%20005_zpsa2quef3g.jpg The barrel is made of cross-grained olive wood (Stimholz in German), where wood is cut into discs, perpendicular to the height of a tree. This renders both strength and elegance to the wood. You can notice some heavy varnishing on the barrel, so that any chance of staining is well-eliminated. The wood is said to be fitted onto the barrel in six individual elements, for the sole purpose of transforming it into a fountain pen. A contour of colours ranging from honey gold to reddish brown, garnish the barrel while the black lines running across the length of barrel give it a distinct elegance. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/elemento/elem%20014g_zps5gwwfcom.jpg On puling off the cap, you will instantly notice a singularity of the barrel, running sans any joints. A super-sized two-tone nib is divulged with a golden-silvery sheen glistening with the platinum coated trims. Towards the nib end, the singular barrel narrows down to a slightly concave section, to form a comfortable grip. The cap is friction fit and closes onto the barrel, with an audible click. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/elemento/elem%20006_zpskpo9sl7j.jpg At the other end of the barrel is a glittering crown, which can be twisted to disengage the nib and filling system. You can find the GvFC coat-of-arms logo embossed on its finial, earlier used to represent complete achievement in heraldic tradition. And, why not! http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/elemento/elem%20012_zpskypyedqi.jpg Once you reach the end cap, you will notice a disc of olive wood adorning the finial and rendering a finality to the wooden barrel.The cap is engraved with GRAF VON FABER – CASTELL, encircling the wooden finial insert. Below at the cap band, it says GRAF VON FABER – CASTELL on one side and HANDMADE IN GERMANY on the other. ‘Handmade’ because there are over a hundred steps in the entire manufacturing process of this pen, a majority of which are carried out by hand. The clip shines in consonance, with a highly efficient yet visible spring loaded system. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/elemento/1-cap_zpsuxqy60xs.jpg As a Limited Edition (L.E), a number, i.e XXXX/2500 here, is etched at the end of the barrel section, which attaches to the nib & filling system insert. And while writing, you can always observe a subtle reflection of the L.E number, rhyming in cadence with your script, on the visible metallic end of the insert. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/elemento/elem%20016_zpsiyeoyetn.jpg FILLING SYSTEM (6/6) Once the crown on the barrel is rotated anti-clockwise to disengage the nib & filling system, you would notice a rather classical CC filler system. The nib has a screw fit, and inserts into a metallic sleeve like most of the Faber-Castell fountain pens which I have seen till date. The nib sleeve has threads which synchronize with the inner threads on the metal insert of the barrel, both ending up with octagonal cross sections. The converter has a metallic band which friction-fits into the nib section although it does not fit a FCD Ambitionsection. With a reasonably high converter capacity of 0.8 – 0.9 mL, the ink does last for quite a while! My usual bias towards piston fillers has always been negated by the relatively higher capacities of Faber-Castell converters. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/elemento/1-fill_zpsxd5umrg9.jpg NIB (6/6) – ALL THAT MATTERS The giant two-tone nib with an usual iridium tip is run by hand, and it comes in four main sizes – EF, F, M & B along three special widths – BB (extra-broad), OM (L) & OB (L). The tail end of the nib specifies the size and below it rests the composition (18 ct, 75% Au) of the gold-alloy used. A golden decor runs along the shoulders of the nib and it converges across the outer tines onto the iridium tip, while the rhodium silvery finish diverges from thebreathless slit (There is no breather hole on this nib!) across the inside of the tines and over to the tail. A cross hatched border segregates the rhodium and gold decors. Then, there is a dazzling white coat-of-arms logo resting above the tail-end. This one is a fine nib and writes superbly butter smooth with no hint of feedback. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/elemento/elem%20018_zpsrciomce6.jpg PHYSICS OF IT (6/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING With a cylindrical wooden body, it does give a superb feel with a comfortable weight, without posting. The overall capped length of around 13 cm is more than a typical Pelikan m2xx/4xx. The total weight of Elemento has a significant contribution from the cap but is quite well-balanced otherwise. You would not love to use the pen posted, though. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/elemento/elem%20019_zpsges68cnn.jpg Uncapped Length ~ 12.5 cm Posted Length ~ 16.9 cm Nib Leverage ~ 2.3 cm Overall Weight ~ 40-45 g While it’s not posted, Elemento compares well with a Pelikan m800, which I feel has a slightly flatter and bigger nib. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/elemento/elem%20020_zpsjnbvvqsd.jpg ECONOMIC VALUE(5/6) Although the Elemento retails at more than USD 1200, it is available at lower street prices. With end of season clearance sale, I was able to get the pen at a good discounted price. I would not undervalue the rating by much, because in the end the Elemento is a kind of masterpiece in itself. OVERALL (5.8/6) I adore the distinctly granular olive wood design and the remarkably superlative appeal of Elemento, given the contoured gradient of reddish brown to honey gold colour. This pen is blessed with a butter smooth fine nib which delivers a relatively wide but wet line. The line width closely resembles with a Pelikan Fine nib. For a Waterman Florida Blue ink, it takes around 14-15 seconds to dry. I could not find any line variation with horizontal and vertical strokes for this one. Below is a written review of the same: http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/elemento/elem%20021_zpsjj6biuoe.jpg It was fun reviewing the Elemento. I hope you enjoyed it. Best, Sonik -
PRELUDE What would be the one Sailor pen within my budget, which I could keep even if I would let go of all the other Sailors? Having not quite a smooth experience with a few Sailor nibs, I decided upon the exciting & costlier option of a Nagahara tuned speciality nib, instead of taking another pen with the stock 14k or 21k nib. Below is a link to the review on my blog: Sailor Pro Gear with Naginata Togi Nib Review My last Sailor was a Pro Gear Sigma Slim which is reviewed here. However, for these speciality nibs, you can have a long waiting period of not less than 5-6 months. I asked my Japanese dealer Raul (Engeika) to arrange for one as quickly as possible. Two things came out of it: he gave me a superb deal on the pen itself (not supposed to discuss the price) and told me to wait while he can add another to their current speciality shipment order to Sailor company. Within a month and a half, my pen was sent from Japan, customs paid off and it finally arrived at my address. Immediately I opened the package with immense excitement and flushed the pen/converter with plain water before plugging in one of the complementary black cartridges. The pen of course wrote like a dream ! PRESENTATION The pen comes in a blue gift box, packed with two black cartridges, a converter and papers. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IJLbc6UJJkw/VjC6ICRRjuI/AAAAAAAAFkk/-tTf1NCytuE/s1600/DSC_6467.jpg http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KhlUq_EsaK0/VjC6IxCrruI/AAAAAAAAFko/HpXbyAFs0iU/s1600/DSC_6475.jpg DESIGN - THE TAPERED CIGAR (5/6) The Pro Gears with Speciality Nibs come in two standard designs - Gold and Silver Accents. I opted for the Gold Accented Pro Gear with the Naginata Togi nib, one out of the 19 or 20 Sailor speciality nib variants. The name Naginata is an anecdotal allusion the shape of the nib which resembles a Naginata Long Sword originally used by the Samurai Class in Feudal Japan. The body is light and sturdy. It is made up of PMMA resin or Polymethyl Methacrylate which was developed by a group of scientists way back in 1928, which is easier to mould with heat. However PMMA is initially transparent when synthesised from petroleum, later dyes are added to impart various colours. Besides, it’s resistant to normal scratches with a hardness of around 4 in Mohs scale. So, technically you would probably need some iron or steel to make a good scratch on it. A keychain might work just fine in case you plan to test! The lustre of the pen is chiefly manifested by the gold plated accents, though the resin does have an alluring gleam itself. The rings at either ends along with the clip and concentric cap bands deliver the golden convergence to the black beauty. I do feel that the pen has an understated look. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zc7Yy1mBlXY/VjC6J1qAShI/AAAAAAAAFkw/vkRa9JOJQc8/s1600/DSC_6479.jpg The cap is light and unscrews with two complete turns, revealing the dazzling nib gleaming in gold. A loop of glitter does mark the start of its grip section. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2mk93yt3Bz0/VjC6Vu3ToeI/AAAAAAAAFlg/kB8dLjDUQlk/s1600/DSC_6481.jpg The cap band carries an imprint of SAILOR JAPAN FOUNDED 1911 and has a thin loop just above it for the pure aesthetics part. The finial carries a distinct raised anchor logo, painted in gold. The tension-fit clip elegantly rests on the cap, carrying their classical design. I like the classical clip compared to the newer Pro Gear 2 clips. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kFm2ZgEegHU/VjC6hrhKBrI/AAAAAAAAFmI/S01J9Zcxwok/s1600/collage.jpg FILLING SYSTEM (4/6) As a CC filler, the supplied convertor is limited by a volume of 0.6 mL. As of now, I am using ink cartridges which have around 1 mL of capacity. It does give an advantage to frequent ink-swappers or cartridge users. But the nib sprays ink like a water jet and it does not last long. The barrel unscrews from the grip section with four turns and reveals an usual metallic thread section on the grip and a threaded resin barrel. The nib and the front part of the grip have to be completely immersed inside ink to have proper converter suction. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f2QrrNv7IRM/VjC6VHg8TuI/AAAAAAAAFlc/acQXZAwsjQ4/s1600/DSC_6513.jpg NIB - ALL THAT MATTERS (6/6) The Naginata Togi nib section is also friction-fit like others and it comes in a 21k monotone - silver & gold (and stunning!) finish across three speciality widths - NMF, NM & NB. Sailor does make absolute stunners here. The silver accented one sports a rhodium coated nib. The tail end specifies carries the brand imprint of Sailor with the traditional elongated S and and the nib-composition (21 K, 87.5% Au) rests above it. 1911 and the Anchor logo are embossed near the circular breather hole. The scrollwork runs in between the body and the shoulders which well enhances the decor. And the tines elongate themselves to form the famous Naginata sword. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vRMg-Re7rkc/VjC6QfEd6nI/AAAAAAAAFlA/yogJgtMPTb8/s1600/DSC_6524.jpg These nibs are tuned by Yukio Nagahara personally and you can also observe that some gold plating has come of the tip. All I can say is the pen is phenomenally well tuned with a wet flow. The tip has been designed with a semicircular cross section, to write two relatively varying withs - thinner verticals & thicker horizontals. And the overall thickness can vary with the holding angles from 0.4 mm to 0.6 mm. You can see the nib size NMF (Naginata Medium Fine) imprinted on one of the faceted shoulders. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iXjWknVDYjE/VjC6Sw17geI/AAAAAAAAFlI/0Y4dlr8VUfw/s1600/DSC_6527.jpg A tight black plastic feed with closely spaced fins allows to maintain balance against air-pressure with a good buffer capacity of ink and even with the cap open for quite a while, it does not take any effort to lay a nice wet line. The feeder hole provides the ink suction for the converter. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_tBoUyHXuMM/VjC6U2HQLsI/AAAAAAAAFlU/FYjjYiVDCf8/s1600/DSC_6531.jpg The nib lays a smooth and wet line writing super smooth across multiple angles and widths, once it touches the paper. PHYSICS OF IT (6/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING The cap needs to be posted else it seems to lack both length and weight. The grip section is about 1.2 cm thick and is quite comfortable for extended writing. I like posting the Pro Gear like some of my pelikans. The pen feels very comfortable and posts securely. Capped Length ~ 12.9 cmUncapped Length ~ 11.6 cmPosted Length ~ 15.1 cmNib Leverage ~ 2.3 cmOverall Weight ~ 22 gCapped, uncapped and posted comparisons with a MB146 run below for your reference. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c8hhK6aaq6Y/VjC6YoHNugI/AAAAAAAAFlo/1htoKllrehs/s1600/DSC_6533.jpg http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s37TZai7qrk/VjC6Z-RnGgI/AAAAAAAAFlw/4Ob2e3BtP8U/s1600/DSC_6537.jpghttp://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5h77PSDOfH8/VjC6a6z2ACI/AAAAAAAAFl4/wOv8ip7ORlw/s1600/DSC_6541.jpg ECONOMIC VALUE (6/6) The Pro Gear with Naginata Togi speciality nib retails round US$ 298 and it is available at much lower prices if you source it directly from Japan. The only problem with these speciality nibs is the lead time of six months or so. I was lucky to have this pen in 45 days. I feel that it’s a value for money pen with an added advantage of having a nib tuned by the Nagahara lineage. OVERALL (5.4/6) This stunning 21k nib is quite smooth at a normal 45 degree angle with a really wet flow. The horizontals run border than the vertical lines. The nib lays lines with widths in the range of 0.4 - 0.6 mm according to Sailor. At high angles the nib is smooth lays thinner lines and quite smoothly so. At really low angles the ink flows like water from a fire hose with the smoothest of experiences. On cheaper papers, I found some feedback at higher angles, which is quite acceptable and common across my other smooth nibs. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ps8J8ytNMZo/VjC6ekFLt_I/AAAAAAAAFmA/EvEV7p4HV5U/s1600/DSC_6547.jpg The NMF nib and is not as rigid as the H-M nibs. It has a bit of spring and a relatively softer touch. Being a wet writer out of the box, the Sailor NMF nib puts a line which takes around 35 seconds to dry Sailor Black ink on Tomoe River Paper. What I really like about the nib is the balance it is capable of drawing between wetness and smoothness. May be I will take up some class on Kanji sometime later to use the pen well upto its potential. Obviously it’s a fun nib to use and I have no qualms using it as my daily writer these days. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nXd9FfvzP2E/VjC6jW3aj7I/AAAAAAAAFmQ/tXbJXOS2YM0/s1600/DSC_6543.jpg REFERENCES Sailor Pro Gear Sigma Slim Review Sailor History PMMA Resin Thank you for going through the review. You can find some more pen and paraphernalia reviews here.