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Does anyone have one? Ive been kicking around the idea of picking up a Nakaya for years but in ebonite/urushi. That seems more fitting to the Japanese art of pen making. I would absolutely love to pick up that titanium Piccolo as well but the price completely mystifies me. They are going for roughly $1k without options! Hundreds more than a urushi Naka-ai! There are a few titanium pens in my collection that are in the Japanese style but those have been no more than $200. I understand you get a great gold nib with the Nakaya and a clip but am I missing something here? I dont believe Nakaya does any special finishing to the pen. It looks to be left in a machined finish. Im just trying to understand what I would be paying so much for in the titanium pen. I also get Im paying for the name as well but my impression is that the titanium pen doesnt follow any traditional Japanese Pen making skills that most people are willing to pay extra for. Im completely mystified here. Couple snaps of the Nakaya followed by my Namisu. Please help me understand!

Less than a year ago, after buying several Pelikans and a few other brands of pens, I discovered Nakaya. I blame ethernautrix (who doesn’t?) Initially I bought a neo-standard in heki-tamenuri. But, believe it or not, I didn’t like the pen! I know! It’s blasphemy. But, it’s the truth. I didn’t like it. Besides, I had fallen in love with another Nakaya. Browsing the Nakaya availability chart, I found a pen I hadn’t seen when I first started researching Nakayas. At first sight, I knew I had to have this pen. I had found Enjoying the Moon Cat. Classic Pens decided to name the pen using Japanese syntax, a decision I deeply appreciate since I teach Hebrew. There’s something special about preserving the syntax of a foreign language idiom instead of conforming the language to suit English. Thus, instead of “The Cat Enjoying the Moon” the pen is called “Enjoying the Moon Cat.” I returned the neo-standard and applied the credit to Moon Cat. My husband agreed to pay for half and I paid the other and Moon Cat would be my Christmas present. So, even though Moon Cat arrived in early October, I didn’t open the box. I put the pen of greatest desire in the closet, sight unseen, and waited until Christmas. When Christmas morning 2012 arrived, I was as excited as the kids. I finally got to open Moon Cat, and she was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. I gingerly filled her with Diamine Dragon Red and started writing in my journal, “It’s Christmas morning and I am writing with Moon Cat!” http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2809/8912991415_b5996af6d3.jpg The next day, tragedy struck. Being a photographer, I wanted to take pictures of Moon Cat to post on Facebook and pen forums. I had taken several pictures in the dining room where the light was best. I was almost finished. I placed the pen on my grandmother’s china cabinet to take one final picture, and Moon Cat dropped onto the tile floor. I knew immediately she was broken. In tears, I picked her up and examined her. The pen was intact, but a large chunk had broken from the cap. I was devastated. The pen still wrote, thankfully, but the beautiful aesthetic of the smooth Japanese pen was gone. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8220/8311885235_f858b94b7a.jpg http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8362/8311882843_01189c9509.jpg I contacted Classic Pens immediately, though I had no idea if they could help. Jonella (bless her to the moon and back) contacted Nakaya and sent them my pictures. They asked me to send the pen to them. I waited at least a month before I heard anything back. Nakaya contacted Classic Pens with two options. (1) I could purchase a new cap ($490) or (2) they could use a special string technique to repair the pen ($90). You can guess which option I chose. As it turns out, the accident turned Moon Cat into an even more beautiful pen, as the pictures below demonstrate. A month and a half later, Moon Cat returned to me. And this is the pen I’m reviewing. 1. Appearance and Design. Enjoying the Moon Cat is an extraordinarily beautiful pen. The pen is ebonite with heki-tamenuri Urushi. But it has a special design. On the body of the pen is a black cat seated next to a mouse. These are created using the Yakoh-Maki-e raised technique, so you can actually feel the figures on the surface of the pen. The cat and mouse are looking up at a reddish-gold moon which is made using the Tame-sukashi technique. Over time, the moon will glow brighter and brighter. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8091/8601270532_dd0a4e947d.jpg Uncapped, the grip sports little Yakoh-Maki-e kitty paw prints, a feature that immediately endeared the pen to me. Who doesn’t love kitty paws? http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2813/8912932597_628d9a696c.jpg In addition to these features, my Moon Cat has a special addition because of the broken cap. The Nakaya craftsmen used a special string technique to repair the cap. This addition, meant as a repair, actually made the pen even more beautiful and unique. I cannot express how impressed I am at the craftsmanship and creativity of Nakaya. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8098/8601275706_140f1e375a.jpg I consider this pen a 10 in appearance and design. It is simply stunning. 2. Construction and Quality. I think anyone who has held a Nakaya knows that these pens are well made. The ebonite is hand-turned and the Urushi technique takes months to complete. While the pen looks like it might be quite heavy, it is actually deceptively light. Writing with it creates no fatigue whatsoever. For whatever reason, my Nakaya could not withstand a fall of about three feet. After the accident, I discussed this on forums with others who own Nakayas. Without exception, everyone else said that their Nakayas had withstood drops and accidents with hardly a scratch. I don’t know why my cap broke. It may simply have been due to how it hit the floor. But I have to knock off a couple of points for this. My pen may be the exception to the rule, but when you pay $1000 for a pen only to have it break from a three-foot fall, you have to be concerned. 8. 3. Weight and Dimensions. The Nakaya Piccolo is a small pen (only 5.12 inches long, capped). It isn’t meant to be posted, so it’s even shorter when you write with it. I have small hands, so the fact that this pen is small doesn’t bother me one bit. It fits perfectly in my hand and I love its beautiful proportions. As I said earlier, the pen is deceptively light (22 grams), so people who like large and heavy pens shouldn’t consider the Nakaya Piccolo. For me it is perfect. 10. 4. Nib and Performance. I originally ordered a 14K medium nib ground to a cursive italic. It wrote beautifully that Christmas Day. But after I broke it, and while I awaited Nakaya’s response, I purchased another Nakaya (a Naka-ai in heki-tamenuri) with a nib ground between a cursive italic and a stub along with some other modifications. So, when Moon Cat arrived back at Classic Pens, I asked Mr. Mottishaw to make her a CI/stub “tweenie.” She writes purrfectly, as my sample below demonstrates (though please don’t critique my handwriting; I’m trying; I’m trying). The nib is smooth and the flow is just right. 10. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7285/8913557038_ebcdc7971b.jpg http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3752/8913560826_be099c2f32.jpg 5. Filling System and Maintenance. All Nakayas are cartridge/converter pens. I’ll admit this is my only real criticism of Nakayas. I much prefer piston fillers. The converters are well made, but they don’t hold much ink (0.9 ml). I’ve found that it’s easier to fill the converter directly rather than trying to suck ink up through the nib. I get a better fill that way. Of course, cleaning is a breeze since you can separate the converter from the nib and flush both. 9. 6. Cost and Value. Well, this is a tough one. I think everyone has different opinions on whether a pen is worth what it cost. For me, Enjoying the Moon Cat Piccolo was well worth $1000. This isn’t just a pen. It is a piece of art. And the art expresses something deeply significant to me: love of nature. I also love cats. But the beauty of the cat and mouse sitting beside one another (harmony) gazing at the moon (appreciation of nature’s beauty) simply speaks to my heart. When I brought Moon Cat to show her to my Honors students, they swooned when I told them what she cost. Does anyone use the word “swoon” anymore? Well, no matter. They swooned. And probably most people would. But Moon Cat is my most treasured pen. 10. Final Rating: 57/60 In conclusion, I think it’s important to express how wonderful Classic Pens and Nakaya were in helping me when Moon Cat broke. Jonella grieved with me. The craftsmen at Nakaya provided options for me. The pen was treated with respect and care. I can’t speak highly enough about my experience. Even if you aren’t a fan of Enjoying the Moon Cat, I recommend any Nakaya pen. They are all works of art and the nibs (especially when artfully worked by Mr. Mottishaw) are simply the best. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8531/8600175667_d4997de6f1.jpg

My Nakaya Mini Decapod in Kuro-tamenuri pen with a two-toned 14K nib customized with Kanji characters has finally made it through the agonizing 2 week trek in the postal delivery service to my house!!! Alas, I'm stuck at work at the moment but I wanted to document my excitement for posterity. It has arrived a couple months ahead of the original 6 months quoted time which is just in time for Christmas! Brilliant. I hope I don't have an accident rushing home. Cheers!

As promised, here's my review of the Nakaya titanium Piccolo Writer with a broad stub nib. My handwritten review is at the bottom, but I wanted to add some thoughts with each photo, so the text of the handwritten review is not going to completely match the review as posted - sorry about that! Here it is, in all its glory Note the pointed ends. On an urushi or maki-e Piccolo, this is a soft, conical shape. On the titanium Piccolo, it's weapons-grade The machining/lathing marks you see here are continued on the grip; they provide a very pleasant texture! This grip is not slippery at all, which had been one of my concerns with this pen as I have somewhat oily skin. The delightful stub! As I noted in my earlier post, there is some exposed gold where the ruthenium plating was ground off in the process of stubbing this nib. In use, I never notice this. A group shot. From left to right: Sheaffer Legacy I in sterling silver with gold trim, Pilot Art Silvern in sterling silver (from 1976 with earlier clip), Nakaya titanium Piccolo Writer, Parker 61 Flighter in steel. I wanted to show the difference in metals, mainly: the titanium has more of a greyish hue, and because of the lathing marks the finish is somewhat matte; I wish I had a Lamy 2000 in brushed steel to compare. Sizewise, you can see that it is short but stout; I believe the section diameter is roughly the same as an Aurora 88 large or a Montblanc 146. Same group, uncapped. The written review! All measurements and weights from the Classic Fountain Pens website (nibs.com) Some additional thoughts: would I recommend this pen? First, I would have to ask you some questions: 1) Do you like heavy pens?2) Do you like metal pens?3) Do you like Nakaya nibs? If you answered yes, then yes, this is the pen for you Expanding on my written review, this will never be my all-day writer, but for jotting notes in meetings or signing on documents, it's perfect. John Mottishaw knows how to stub a nib - it glides over the paper with the barest hint of feedback - just enough to give me a good amount of control. I hope everyone enjoyed the review! If you have any questions, fire away

My Nakaya Decapod in Heki-tamenuri and my Naka-ai in Aka-tamenuri are beautiful to look at and a delight to write with. They have just one little problem: They don’t work really well as everyday carries. I carry my pens in a shirt breast pocket, and many of my shirt pockets are shallow enough that my Nakayas stick way up out of them. This may be an imaginary problem, but it makes me concerned about their security. I’d been thinking about getting a Nakaya Piccolo for a while. I was sure it would fit securely in my shirt pockets, but I thought it might be too short to be comfortable writing. I had held one briefly at the San Francisco Pen Show in 2012, and I remembered it seeming borderline too small for my hand. But then … See, I knew I wanted to get another Naka-ai, one in unpolished Shu. So, wandering the CFP web site in the process of ordering the Naka-ai, looking at other finishes and other models, I came across photos of a Piccolo in polished Shu. It’s funny how some combinations of shape and finish seem just perfect. Well, that’s how it was with the Piccolo in Shu. I ordered one with a BB nib and had John grind it to a 0.7 mm crisp cursive italic, my preferred everyday writing nib. There are many reviews of the Nakaya Piccolo on FPN, although none of one in Shu that I found. I have nothing to add on the objective side. Subjectively, the pen is more handsome in person than in the photos, and the size works for me better than expected, both in the pocket and in the hand. But enough of that. Here are some photos: I'm lovin' it! David