A Review Of The Nemosine Singularity Demonstrator Fountain Pen

[arandur]

Indeed, so! I promise that the nib comparisons are coming.

[Harlequin]

Great! Thanks!

[arandur]

I took a couple of pictures and posted about this pseudo-issue over at my blog. The corresponding post with pictures can be found, here.

[InkNoddleDoodler]

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

 

a question-- what nemosine nib size did you write that in?

was it 0.8 mm?

thank you

[arandur]

a question-- what nemosine nib size did you write that in?

was it 0.8 mm?

thank you

 

That is indeed the 0.8 with which the writing is done. However, there is a medium nib on the pen itself in those pictures, I believe.

[arandur]

Better several weeks late than never, perhaps. I finally finished the nib comparisons. I was waiting for a Knox K35 1.1 stub to arrive, so that I could include that in the comparison, but, when it arrived, it did not fit properly into the pen. The nib and feed fit, yet the front of the nib would lift off from the feed, when they are inserted. It appears that the feed would have to be reformed in order to work well with this nib, which is something that I am hesitant to do with a plastic feed. (If anyone has any suggestions, I welcome them).

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1MU91peoRMM/UTDNiE638dI/AAAAAAAABZQ/_pNtiKZVrEo/s1600/NemoNibs1.jpg

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EbgCXhjvpUk/UTDNiHQvq5I/AAAAAAAABZM/mtONsxshWTo/s1600/NemoNibs2.jpg

[Harlequin]

Oooohh! Thanks arandur! From the images, I am digging that .06 stub. Would you say the line it puts down is closer to the regular fine or the regular medium nib?

[arandur]

Oooohh! Thanks arandur! From the images, I am digging that .06 stub. Would you say the line it puts down is closer to the regular fine or the regular medium nib?

I would certainly recommend the 0.6, despite the weird cut. It probably averages like the fine, but the variation is quite nice and usable for everyday writing with no problem.

[Gloucesterman]

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!

Wow, I love that word - nibiness!

 

Ah, she was the queen of the pen show - Her "Nibiness"!

 

Thanks for the new word.

[Harlequin]

I think I will use that somehow in a PiF I'm planning...

[arandur]

Update: I spoke with the fine folks at XFountainPens.com, who admitted that they had been mistaken in regard to the K35 nibs' compatibility with the Nemosine pen. The nib is the same size; however, the radial curvature is slightly different in the K35 nibs from the Nemosine nibs.

[Harlequin]

While it's unfortunate that they did have that online for so long, it is good that you found out. Did they refund you for your purchase of the Knox nibs, since they had incorrect info? I hope so.

[danl]

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.

 

Having just destroyed my three favorite pens I think I'll try on on the strength of your review. Thanks.

[Harlequin]

At the risk of highjacking the thread, what were your three favorite pens and how did you destroy them?

[arandur]

A bit more random feedback...it seems that I have had flooding issues that originate with the feed (it does not seem to matter which nib I am using). It will write fine for a page or two and then dump a blob of ink on the paper.

[lahlahlaw]

Update: I spoke with the fine folks at XFountainPens.com, who admitted that they had been mistaken in regard to the K35 nibs' compatibility with the Nemosine pen. The nib is the same size; however, the radial curvature is slightly different in the K35 nibs from the Nemosine nibs.

That is odd, I emailed them a few weeks ago and they confirmed the Know K35 are compatible with the nemosine singularity, so I ordered a K35 Bold nib - it works just fine in my pen. Maybe the Knox stubs are different from their tipped nibs?

Edited May 20, 2013 by lahlahlaw

[Charles Skinner]

This is a great pen ---- at any price! ---- This company may "shake up" the pen world!

 

C. S.

[Charles Skinner]

I continue to be amazed by this pen! It ranks right up there will my pens that cost way, way more! It is a real treasure! C. S.

[Charles Skinner]

This is really a great pen! One of my very best writers! C. S.

[onetwothree]

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.

 

Hello.

Nice review.

I wanted to give my opinion because I had a very different experience regarding Nemosine's Nibs. Also, maybe they stop making broad nibs but back when I first bought my Nemosine pens (about 1 year or slightly more ago) they did make broads. I have one of their boxes with their handwritten QC "Broad" for one of the pens I bought in the past.

As I was saying, my experience with Nemosine have been diametrically different from you guys. When I first bought my pen I really really REALLLY wanted for it to be a great pen as this Nemosine is probably the cheapest demonstrator that very well made. With hard acrylic (or whatever that 'plastic" they use wants to be called), nice clip, etc.

Unfortunately my first nib was bad. REALLY bad as in it would not write at all. I would have to prime the feed and I would get perhaps 2-3 words before the pen drying out. I figured it was just bad luck because of the extra fine nib I had ordered. So then I ordered 2 more pens, one with medium and one with broad (they might have stopped making them but I really do still have the box were my broad 'nibbed' pen came in), and same deal, very dry or not working at all. They were smooth alright, and the tines were perfectly aligned and everything but no ink flow. Then I ordered 2 more lose nibs (the stubs) and same deal. Eventually I managed to make one of the stubs write consistently (but very dry) and I lost interest using this pen.

I have read very good things about Nemosine since then. Perhaps they fixed their quality control issues and I simply experienced their rough start on the business, or perhaps I got REALLY REALLY REALLY unlucky, who knows.

I don't know where the bodies of my Nemosines ended up (I might have sold them or lost them when I moved last year) but if I find them again I will buy a couple new nibs to see if they work better. I really really liked that pen (besides the (bleep) nib).