Namiki Emperor Vermilion Review

[gerigo]

Sorry, I loved your review and I have no intention of raining on your parade, but the purpose of reviews for me is help make decisions. I looked at this Namiki (via the internet only of course) after rejecting a similarly finished Nakaya. The Nakaya was rejected for slightly different aesthetic and practical reasons.

 

Problem is that I like the concept of urushi lacquer - though naturally I have never seen it in the flesh. It my be a goalless quest for me I suppose.

 

Enjoy the Emperor!

 

I will say the Namiki is in a different class than Nakaya. For one, the urushi is so flawlessly applied to the Namiki, you wonder whether it's really handmade sometimes. The tolerance it is made to is a sight to behold. While my other safeties by Danitrio and Eboya will still leak on planes, this pen has absolutely no issues. The Nakayas are also beautifully made. But their urushi is not so evenly applied and many of my pens have little imperfections in them. Many attribute it to wabi-sabi.

[Barkingpig]

The finish, color, (THANKFULLY, not BLACK,) nib, that RED feed & the SIZE are ALL what I find appealing about this pen. I appreciate the subtlety of some of the Nakaya finishes, but THIS pen is simply in a class of it's own & says in it's simple way, "Look @ me, I am a PEN." It is one of those pens I will NEVER forget, besides never own, for I would be happy to "get by" with the Pilot 845, if I could afford it's Vermillion color from that nice shop, from which it is exclusively sold.

 

For a person who stumbled back, after almost 50 years, into using fountain pens just a few years ago, having only seen the small sized Sheaffers & Parkers of my youth, my first pen purchase was the Edison Collier, BECAUSE it was FIRST & FOREMOST, "not a SMALL pen." The one I chose was ALSO 'not black," but Persimmon Swirl; I have never been sorry. (And I did buy my only Aurora, the "Africa" because of it's finish, DESPITE it's less appealing to me, size; I realise there are surely nice pens that are not large & still nice. BUT how many of them come with RED feed?)

[flipper_gv]

 

I will say the Namiki is in a different class than Nakaya. For one, the urushi is so flawlessly applied to the Namiki, you wonder whether it's really handmade sometimes. The tolerance it is made to is a sight to behold. While my other safeties by Danitrio and Eboya will still leak on planes, this pen has absolutely no issues. The Nakayas are also beautifully made. But their urushi is not so evenly applied and many of my pens have little imperfections in them. Many attribute it to wabi-sabi.

 

Wabi-sabi design is usually much more evident than that. I'd say that's a poor excuse for those imperfections.

 

 

I think I was misread earlier or misunderstood or perhaps I was ambiguous (always possible lol). The WE Decoband is in no was larger than this pen. I was trying to assert the opposite. I will weigh them both and provide a comparison. I probably will not use calipers unless there is an outcry for this.

 

Read too fast. I see it now.

Edited August 24, 2016 by flipper_gv

[Ebonite And Ivory]

Sorry, I loved your review and I have no intention of raining on your parade, but the purpose of reviews for me is help make decisions. I looked at this Namiki (via the internet only of course) after rejecting a similarly finished Nakaya. The Nakaya was rejected for slightly different aesthetic and practical reasons.

 

Problem is that I like the concept of urushi lacquer - though naturally I have never seen it in the flesh. It my be a goalless quest for me I suppose.

 

Enjoy the Emperor!

I am just happy to help! Not sell ya' on the pen. Keep the quest alive. Final suggestion, get to a pen show. They will have some to show you. Keep in touch if I can help any further.

[Ebonite And Ivory]

The finish, color, (THANKFULLY, not BLACK,) nib, that RED feed & the SIZE are ALL what I find appealing about this pen. I appreciate the subtlety of some of the Nakaya finishes, but THIS pen is simply in a class of it's own & says in it's simple way, "Look @ me, I am a PEN." It is one of those pens I will NEVER forget, besides never own, for I would be happy to "get by" with the Pilot 845, if I could afford it's Vermillion color from that nice shop, from which it is exclusively sold.

 

For a person who stumbled back, after almost 50 years, into using fountain pens just a few years ago, having only seen the small sized Sheaffers & Parkers of my youth, my first pen purchase was the Edison Collier, BECAUSE it was FIRST & FOREMOST, "not a SMALL pen." The one I chose was ALSO 'not black," but Persimmon Swirl; I have never been sorry. (And I did buy my only Aurora, the "Africa" because of it's finish, DESPITE it's less appealing to me, size; I realise there are surely nice pens that are not large & still nice. BUT how many of them come with RED feed?)

If you ever get to Michigan or go to a pen show, let me know. I am happy to let you write with this pen. We all have pens we must enjoy via photo. Except for those who are truly loaded financially. And that's not us.

[Cryptos]

I am just happy to help! Not sell ya' on the pen. Keep the quest alive. Final suggestion, get to a pen show. They will have some to show you. Keep in touch if I can help any further.

 

Would love to, but it would involve a rather lengthy airflight across the world!

[mongrelnomad]

I love this pen but find that the curved end of the section makes it difficult to write with for long periods, which is a shame considering its gargantuan ink capacity...

[Ebonite And Ivory]

I love this pen but find that the curved end of the section makes it difficult to write with for long periods, which is a shame considering its gargantuan ink capacity...

Question: You have this pen and it is hard to write with for long durations? Or you think it might be? This pen is huge so the section is large sized. Theres no reason to have to hold the pen un the upward-flanged section by the nib, unless that is your preferred grip style, in which case you would have that issue with the Pelikan m1000 and many large pens that use an upward edge for grip. Just curious to learn your thoughts. Thanks!

[Diderot]

Great review, thanks.

 

 

Hmm, if nothing else this review has helped me to make a decision and further narrow down my choices of expensive pens that I may buy. That is to say the Namiki will not be on the list. The pictures of the pen in hand show it to be far too big for me, almost like holding a chunky crayon as a kid. I wouldn't mind seeing the urushi finish though.

 

Great review - gave information leading to a decision. What more can one ask?

 

I have handled one of these on a few occasions - a cardiologist colleague has one, and I agree, it is large. For me it's more of a desk pen.

 

Perhaps you should look at it's smaller sibling, a vermilion Yukari Royale.

 

That's what I did and I like mine very much

[mongrelnomad]

Question: You have this pen and it is hard to write with for long durations? Or you think it might be? This pen is huge so the section is large sized. Theres no reason to have to hold the pen un the upward-flanged section by the nib, unless that is your preferred grip style, in which case you would have that issue with the Pelikan m1000 and many large pens that use an upward edge for grip. Just curious to learn your thoughts. Thanks!

 

 

I own the pen. The diameter of the section is suitably gargantuan (far larger than the Pelikan I assume - I don't own one), and so my fingers - where I tend to grip the pen upon the lip - cannot relax...

Edited August 25, 2016 by mongrelnomad

[mmg122]

First red feed I ever saw was the WE Decoband and it really popped for me. While I don't think red feeds are appropriate often, it sure looks pretty awesome on this pen!

 

Congratulations on acquiring a really stunning pen and thanks so much for sharing it with us. Your review and photos are top notch.

 

Mary

[Ebonite And Ivory]

First red feed I ever saw was the WE Decoband and it really popped for me. While I don't think red feeds are appropriate often, it sure looks pretty awesome on this pen!

 

Congratulations on acquiring a really stunning pen and thanks so much for sharing it with us. Your review and photos are top notch.

 

Mary

Thank you Mary. Those are kind words. I hope to come to your region soon for the Detroit Pen show and see what it is all about. This is a top notch pen. Easy to review. Keep in touch Michigander.

[majorworks]

"The Quick Brown Fox" as told by Quentin Tarantino!

 

Great review... thanks!

[Mew]

Really nice pen, the best one that I have. IT has become my daily use pen at home. I barely write with anything else now. The softness of the nib makes it a pleasure to write with. I have gone through 7 fills and the nib has become way softer than it was when I had received it.

 

Edited August 26, 2016 by Mew

[sannidh]

Hearty Congratulations for getting the Vermillion #50

Enjoy writing with it to the fullest. The nib really tunes to your writing style, like Mew has mentioned.

 

Mine says "Hi"

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zDgaI9nQ92M/VpH9FEL4wWI/AAAAAAAAFr8/FYWgzXkUHw4/s1600/DSC_7558.jpg

Edited August 27, 2016 by sannidh

[Shmurzik]

Great review of a great pen, thanks!

 

Mew, Sannidh, how do you find cleaning these monsters? Any issues? Thanks.

[Mew]

Mew, Sannidh, how do you find cleaning these monsters? Any issues? Thanks.

Really easy. Quite a bit easier than C/C fillers.

With the C/C fillers, I have to fill up the convertor at least 7-8 times to make sure that there is no ink left in the pen. With this, 2-3 are okay until water starts running clear and all the ink has been washed out.

[Shmurzik]

Really easy. Quite a bit easier than C/C fillers.

With the C/C fillers, I have to fill up the convertor at least 7-8 times to make sure that there is no ink left in the pen. With this, 2-3 are okay until water starts running clear and all the ink has been washed out.

What about the nib/feed? Do you use a bulb syringe or something?

[sannidh]

What about the nib/feed? Do you use a bulb syringe or something?

For the section, holding it under running tap water does a clean job & is quite effective.

If you have time, you can navigate to the filling system here, these parts are really easy to clean.

A really lovely pen with a simple mechanism.

Edited August 27, 2016 by sannidh

[Mew]

What about the nib/feed? Do you use a bulb syringe or something?

My cleaning routine is like this:

1. Flush the barrel twice.

2. Clean the nib and feed under running water for 5-6 seconds.

3. Fill the barrel up and screw in the section like you do after ink filling, but with nib facing down. This step helps in cleaning up the section from the inside. Repeat 3 times.

 

Usually takes 3-4 minutes.

 

If you are capable enough (and confident) to disassemble, you can take the nib and feed out and do a more proper cleaning.