Trans Nauka - Group Buy

[Cryptos]

Mine has arrived...

 

Interesting material and finish. I would appreciate if anyone has one of these AND a Lamy 2000 if they could compare the feel of the material. I haven't seen a Lamy 2K so I can only imagine that the makrolon may feel like this Nauka material.

 

The design of the pen is obviously modelled on the Sheaffer Balance, and that's no bad thing. It's a big pen - longer than my orange Ranga and just short of the Franklin Christoph model 66 (which is considered to be a desk pen). It is a light pen in the hand, even filled with ink.

 

There are a couple of points that are less favourable, in my opinion.

 

The cap is very large and there is a 9 mm gap between the tip of the nib and the inner limit of the cap before a further 14 mm of "finial". I think the overall aesthetic could be improved by reducing or reshaping the blind end of the cap a little.

 

The other thing is that the section screws into the barrel 8 mm below the cap lip! While this is a mildly interesting design choice it does have a couple of minor drawbacks: one, as the cap threads on tightly it is possible to accidentally unscrew the barrel from the section instead of removing the cap: and two, it limits the ink capacity to the barrel below these threads. While it takes around 3 mls of ink anyway, it could have taken a bit more if these threads had been hidden higher up under the cap lip. I guess this will matter more or less depending on how one uses the pen (long writing versus multiple ink changes!).

 

Mine is fitted with a 1.1 mm stub Jowo #6 nib, and it writes a little more crisply than might be expected from a stub, but that is good for me!

 

Overall... I like it quite a lot.

 

ps. mine is clipless - which is what I asked for - but I am considering getting some sort of wrap ring (like moderator Bobje - HERE -) to use as a roll stop.

[MediaVita]

Mine has arrived...

 

Interesting material and finish. I would appreciate if anyone has one of these AND a Lamy 2000 if they could compare the feel of the material. I haven't seen a Lamy 2K so I can only imagine that the makrolon may feel like this Nauka material.

 

The design of the pen is obviously modelled on the Sheaffer Balance, and that's no bad thing. It's a big pen - longer than my orange Ranga and just short of the Franklin Christoph model 66 (which is considered to be a desk pen). It is a light pen in the hand, even filled with ink.

 

There are a couple of points that are less favourable, in my opinion.

 

The cap is very large and there is a 9 mm gap between the tip of the nib and the inner limit of the cap before a further 14 mm of "finial". I think the overall aesthetic could be improved by reducing or reshaping the blind end of the cap a little.

 

The other thing is that the section screws into the barrel 8 mm below the cap lip! While this is a mildly interesting design choice it does have a couple of minor drawbacks: one, as the cap threads on tightly it is possible to accidentally unscrew the barrel from the section instead of removing the cap: and two, it limits the ink capacity to the barrel below these threads. While it takes around 3 mls of ink anyway, it could have taken a bit more if these threads had been hidden higher up under the cap lip. I guess this will matter more or less depending on how one uses the pen (long writing versus multiple ink changes!).

 

Mine is fitted with a 1.1 mm stub Jowo #6 nib, and it writes a little more crisply than might be expected from a stub, but that is good for me!

 

Overall... I like it quite a lot.

 

ps. mine is clipless - which is what I asked for - but I am considering getting some sort of wrap ring (like moderator Bobje - HERE -) to use as a roll stop.

WE WANT PICS!

[Cryptos]

If you've seen any of my efforts with a camera you wouldn't have asked that!

[mhguda]

Mine has arrived...

 

Interesting material and finish. I would appreciate if anyone has one of these AND a Lamy 2000 if they could compare the feel of the material. I haven't seen a Lamy 2K so I can only imagine that the makrolon may feel like this Nauka material.

 

The design of the pen is obviously modelled on the Sheaffer Balance, and that's no bad thing. It's a big pen - longer than my orange Ranga and just short of the Franklin Christoph model 66 (which is considered to be a desk pen). It is a light pen in the hand, even filled with ink.

 

There are a couple of points that are less favourable, in my opinion.

 

The cap is very large and there is a 9 mm gap between the tip of the nib and the inner limit of the cap before a further 14 mm of "finial". I think the overall aesthetic could be improved by reducing or reshaping the blind end of the cap a little.

 

The other thing is that the section screws into the barrel 8 mm below the cap lip! While this is a mildly interesting design choice it does have a couple of minor drawbacks: one, as the cap threads on tightly it is possible to accidentally unscrew the barrel from the section instead of removing the cap: and two, it limits the ink capacity to the barrel below these threads. While it takes around 3 mls of ink anyway, it could have taken a bit more if these threads had been hidden higher up under the cap lip. I guess this will matter more or less depending on how one uses the pen (long writing versus multiple ink changes!).

 

Mine is fitted with a 1.1 mm stub Jowo #6 nib, and it writes a little more crisply than might be expected from a stub, but that is good for me!

 

Overall... I like it quite a lot.

 

ps. mine is clipless - which is what I asked for - but I am considering getting some sort of wrap ring (like moderator Bobje - HERE -) to use as a roll stop.

Congratulations on getting this as one of the earlier ones. That must make you feel extra special...

I'm glad you like the pen, even with the little negative issues... but, while I haven't received mine, I do have three of the ebonite Naukas, and I can say I mostly disagree with your criticisms. - in fact some of them are positives for me! especially the barrel connection below the cap lip, which means I can fill the pen without first having to unscrew the cap, and risk having the section roll off the desk while I'm eyedroppering in ink. I will admit that it increases the risk of inky fingers when the barrel is emptying, because of the issue of blurping. But with the non-transparent ones this also gives you a warning you're running out of ink. I haven't yet accidentally unscrewed the barrel while wanting to take the cap off, although that may still happen...

I'm also glad the cap is so long - it leaves space for an even longer nib than the stock nib. In fact, visually, I think I would like an even shorter barrel in relation to the cap. I do think the ink capacity is sufficiently large.

[AllisonS]

Still waiting for mine but as they said, those with engraving take longer. Now, the Canada Post lockout will hinder its arrival even more!

[Cryptos]

Congratulations on getting this as one of the earlier ones. That must make you feel extra special...

I'm glad you like the pen, even with the little negative issues... but, while I haven't received mine, I do have three of the ebonite Naukas, and I can say I mostly disagree with your criticisms. - in fact some of them are positives for me! especially the barrel connection below the cap lip, which means I can fill the pen without first having to unscrew the cap, and risk having the section roll off the desk while I'm eyedroppering in ink. I will admit that it increases the risk of inky fingers when the barrel is emptying, because of the issue of blurping. But with the non-transparent ones this also gives you a warning you're running out of ink. I haven't yet accidentally unscrewed the barrel while wanting to take the cap off, although that may still happen...

I'm also glad the cap is so long - it leaves space for an even longer nib than the stock nib. In fact, visually, I think I would like an even shorter barrel in relation to the cap. I do think the ink capacity is sufficiently large.

 

That's okay. I didn't say there were negative aspects, just things I would have designed a little differently based on my personal tastes. I do actually like the pen!

 

I should note also that I have very large hands, and can only just barely use this pen un-posted. This is why the cap length becomes more of an issue to me than to others.

 

As said though, it's a nice pen and one that I am enjoying. Got it filled with Oster Deep Sea right now.

[mriganksinha]

I paid on the 30/5/16 , Engraving takes time so i am eagerly waiting.

[IrishEyes]

I'm still waiting on mine. I don't even know if it's been shipped, yet. I'll be glad when it arrives, though. I got the ASA Galactic that zwack ordered for me from the website awhile back. This one will make a pair of two gorgeous translucent pens once it gets here.

[ak2k5]

Got it today..haven't filled it up.. waiting for my pelikan turquoise to be delivered..will probably be tomorrow

[edebill]

I paid on the 30/5/16 , Engraving takes time so i am eagerly waiting.

 

I ordered on 5/31, no engraving, mine shipped on 7/4. I figure we can work out a rough timeline of order date -> ship date.

 

Of course, living in the US, mine's getting international shipping, so tracking stopped almost immediately and I know from experience that it'll be at least 2 weeks and maybe as many as 4 to reach me.

 

Oddly enough, checking the mail to see if I get a surprise each day is one of my favorite parts of the Indian pen buying experience

[strictlyobiter]

Mine was engraved and I got a shipping notice on Saturday morning

[MediaVita]

I bought mine on 4 June and no news of shipping yet. And I need that peeeen!

[RobertJWarren]

My order logistics:

 

I ordered and paid on 5/31/16

Was notified of shipping 7/5/16

Have not received.

I am in Southern California

 

RJW

[thekraitmusic]

Waiting for my shipping notice too.

[mhguda]

My order logistics:

 

I ordered and paid on 5/31/16

Was notified of shipping 7/5/16

Have not received.

I am in Southern California

 

RJW

Shipping takes two to three weeks, in my experience. Longer if you're in an unknown country like mine. I think Asa does provide tracking information. Once it's out of the India post system, doesn't your country's mail system track it? That's how it usually works for me! Of course there may be a blank period when the package is in transit between the two systems. That usually does not take very long... a few days, I'd guess.

[edebill]

Mine arrived today! Ordered 5/31, shipped 7/4, arrived 7/11 (in Austin, TX).

 

I ordered one with stock nib (eyedropper only) and one w/ a JoWo stub.

 

The cap on the stock nib version has a small hole to relieve vacuum when unscrewing the cap. The JoWo version does not. I'm not sure if that's intentional - maybe the more aggressive JoWo feed makes it unnecessary? The barrel of the JoWo version is drilled out a little longer (with a narrower bit) to make room for the end of the converter. I'll have to wait until I eyedropper it to know which looks better.

 

I flushed both nibs with a squeeze bulb before inking, but still could not get any ink to flow on the stock (eyedropper) nib until I took it apart and scrubbed the nib and feed with dish soap. Now that I've done that the ink (Diamine Woodland Green) flows nicely, and I was able to load an entire Goulet ink sample into it with plenty of room to spare. The nib had a bit more feedback than I like on horizontal strokes, but a few seconds with micromesh fixed that. It's a fairly wet writer and really gushes if you put too much pressure on it. I'm not very familiar with this ink, so I don't know if it's especially wet or dry.

 

I'm not too sure about using the JoWo stub, so I figured I'd load it with the converter first and reserve eyedroppering for once I'm sure of what nib I want. I promptly got ink all over the cap threads. I tried unsuccessfully to wipe them off with a tissue. I'm thinking it may be best to use this as an eyedropper, or to pre-fill converters before putting them in place. I'm glad I made a point of using highly washable inks for this first go-round (Noodler's Apache Sunset). The nib is a bit dry - I may wind up working on it a little to get more ink flow.

 

All in all I'm really happy with both.

Edited July 11, 2016 by edebill

[Jobesmirage]

Oh man I ordered mine with a SNIPER and have no idea when itll come but Im super excited

[Chi Town]

Mr Mehandiratta and Mr Subramaniam, I just received my two pens today and 1 has a flaw! How do we handle this?

[thekraitmusic]

Flaw ?

[Mon34480]

The cap on the stock nib version has a small hole to relieve vacuum when unscrewing the cap. The JoWo version does not. I'm not sure if that's intentional - maybe the more aggressive JoWo feed makes it unnecessary? The barrel of the JoWo version is drilled out a little longer (with a narrower bit) to make room for the end of the converter. I'll have to wait until I eyedropper it to know which looks better.

 

 

May I kindly request the possibility for some comparison photos?

 

From what I can gather from some photos there seems to be some inconsistencies with the end of the pen. Either having the more rounded off ends like in the first photos provided for the group buy or the sharper ends in the photos provided by those who have received them early. These are hand made so they are all going to be slightly different so i guess it's to be expected?

Edited July 12, 2016 by Alteyz