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The Nakaya Naka-ai in Shu-nurippanshi (unpolished red) caught my eye on the nibs.com web site some months ago. I was really hooked when I saw Earthdawn's gorgeous photos. Others were activated by that topic too, because my good TFL friend who shall remain un-named snagged the last one in stock moments before I ordered mine. Fortunately, more were already on order, and mine arrived last week. I had salved my wound from not receiving instant gratification by ordering a Piccolo in Shu, so I am able to provide a side-by-side comparison of Naka-ai/Piccolo size and of Shu/Shu-nurippanshi. Both Pens have yellow gold BB nibs ground to 0.7 mm crisp cursive italic by John Mottishaw. Here is another photo of the Naka-ai's nib: In these photos, one can certainly see a difference in the color of the two pens. The unpolished shu looks darker. Actually, the difference is less marked than I expected, and the shu-nurippanshi has a shinier, less matte finish than I expected. I can detect no tactile difference between the two pen's finishes. I initially filled the new pen with Pelikan Brilliant Black. It had less crispness than I desired, and it was very toothy. I wrote with it for a couple days with a bit of improvement. This morning, I rinsed out the nib and converter very well and re-inked with Waterman Black. Interestingly, the line differentiation was much better, and the toothiness seems to be subsiding. I think I will continue to try different inks in this pen until I find a favorite. I'm thinking it may be Diamine Oxblood. David