A Review Of Namiki Yukari Royale In Vermillion(Red) Urushi

[sannidh]

Thank you for an excellent review. Interesting that the Yukari Royale is not an eye dropper- not a bad thing in my view. What is special about the CON 70 included with the pen?

 

Thank you da vinci

Nothing, except the black color vs the standard one in chrome. (the first 2 in below pic from kmpn's lovely blog)

Edited May 29, 2017 by sannidh

[da vinci]

Thank you ^^

 

That is a very helpful reply and appreciated.

[sannidh]

Thank you ^^

 

That is a very helpful reply and appreciated.

 

Glad !!

[Sagarb]

After a long time reading your review again..feeling so well..Thank you...

[hsianloon]

That red sheen....it's definitely now on my list of red pens to have.

[sannidh]

After a long time reading your review again..feeling so well..Thank you...

 

Thanks so much, Sagar

 

That red sheen....it's definitely now on my list of red pens to have.

 

[tabata]

This is some review! Thank you!

 

I've been thinking of getting the exact same pen for a while, and your review comes just in time to add impetus to the growing impulse. Sadly, I know of no good deal on the Yukari Royale

[sannidh]

This is some review! Thank you!

 

I've been thinking of getting the exact same pen for a while, and your review comes just in time to add impetus to the growing impulse. Sadly, I know of no good deal on the Yukari Royale

 

Thank you and sorry for this delayed reply. hope the impetus is still there

If sourcing the pen from Japan is an option, you might give the offline stores (itoya etc) a try! at least try to get the quotes from those stores.

You can ask the authorized US namiki online retailers like nibs.com, Goulet pens, chatterley for best prices for the same.

 

Best wishes!

[tabata]

 

Thank you and sorry for this delayed reply. hope the impetus is still there

If sourcing the pen from Japan is an option, you might give the offline stores (itoya etc) a try! at least try to get the quotes from those stores.

You can ask the authorized US namiki online retailers like nibs.com, Goulet pens, chatterley for best prices for the same.

 

Best wishes!

 

Dear sannidh, the impetus turned into an astonishing red marvel I'm enormously happy with my Yukari Royale... despite paying more than 30% on taxes O_o (do the sad math). Although it is difficult to add much to your and the rest of great reviews on FPN, I'll try to come up with some complimentary impressions in the near future.

 

Warm regards

[sannidh]

 

Dear sannidh, the impetus turned into an astonishing red marvel I'm enormously happy with my Yukari Royale... despite paying more than 30% on taxes O_o (do the sad math). Although it is difficult to add much to your and the rest of great reviews on FPN, I'll try to come up with some complimentary impressions in the near future.

 

Warm regards

 

glad to hear! hearty congratulations

IMHO each of the user reviews bring different aspects for a pen (which one user possibly can never bring) and it's a privilege we enjoy at fpn.

looking forward to your review

[mongrelnomad]

Sorry to revive a thread, but what a wonderful review. After years of putting it off (I already owned an Emperor, and the Yukari Royale seemed too similar) I picked one up recently from Itoya in Tokyo.

 

It immediately just felt right - everything you say about the quality, construction, weight and nib is right on the money, and it instantly challenged my Hakases for the position of favourite pen, for a fraction of the cost.

 

I have recently been on two 'writing exiles', trying to make headway on my next book, and took to both just the Namiki (Nagasawa 65) and a Conid (Nagasawa 27) for backup. It has been refilled dozens of times, and has never missed a beat or failed to bring me great pleasure.

 

I only wish I had bought one sooner.

 

Enjoy yours in good health.

Edited November 28, 2017 by mongrelnomad

[GutSchrift]

Sorry to revive a thread, but what a wonderful review. After years of putting it off (I already owned an Emperor, and the Yukari Royale seemed too similar) I picked one up recently from Itoya in Tokyo.

 

It immediately just felt right - everything you say about the quality, construction, weight and nib is right on the money, and it instantly challenged my Hakases for the position of favourite pen, for a fraction of the cost.

 

I have recently been on two 'writing exiles', trying to make headway on my next book, and took to both just the Namiki (Nagasawa 65) and a Conid (Nagasawa 27) for backup. It has been refilled dozens of times, and has never missed a beat or failed to bring me great pleasure.

 

I only wish I had bought one sooner.

 

Enjoy yours in good health.

 

It has become a grail pen for me. I've mostly collected Pelikans but then bought a Namiki on a whim at last year's pen show here in Philadelphia. That purchase triggered my interest in Namiki. Now I'm convinced that I want this pen to add to the collection.

[sannidh]

Sorry to revive a thread, but what a wonderful review. After years of putting it off (I already owned an Emperor, and the Yukari Royale seemed too similar) I picked one up recently from Itoya in Tokyo.

 

It immediately just felt right - everything you say about the quality, construction, weight and nib is right on the money, and it instantly challenged my Hakases for the position of favourite pen, for a fraction of the cost.

 

I have recently been on two 'writing exiles', trying to make headway on my next book, and took to both just the Namiki (Nagasawa 65) and a Conid (Nagasawa 27) for backup. It has been refilled dozens of times, and has never missed a beat or failed to bring me great pleasure.

 

I only wish I had bought one sooner.

 

Enjoy yours in good health.

 

I am happy that you found your love with the Yukari Royale pen, such balance with elegance is so difficult to find with others. For reasons very similar to yours, I too had put off the Yukari for sometime but couldn't resist it any further

 

Enjoy writing to the fullest and may it give immense spirit & inspiration to/for your next book.

 

my very best wishes

[ScottieDarin]

I just don't get it. I am really into Japanese fountain pens but I do not see where the price comes from. You get red Urushi pens from 400 onwards. So you pay for the golden cap ring and the red feed. Its still a fabulous pen and I would love to have one but I dont get it.

Personally I think you should compare a USD 400 red Urushi pen and a Namiki Yukari to see the difference.

There are very distinct differences in the urushi quality and colour.

Many people would argue that among major pen manufacturers, only Namiki still possesses the true art of producing urushi pens.

I'm inclined to agree with that assertion myself, having handled 2 Pilot 845 and Pilot Custom 30 in red urushi myself.

[sannidh]

Personally I think you should compare a USD 400 red Urushi pen and a Namiki Yukari to see the difference.

There are very distinct differences in the urushi quality and colour.

Many people would argue that among major pen manufacturers, only Namiki still possesses the true art of producing urushi pens.

I'm inclined to agree with that assertion myself, having handled 2 Pilot 845 and Pilot Custom 30 in red urushi myself.

 

Thanks for pointing this out! even the big red pilot custom #30 seems like a feeble competitor, although beautiful

[ygv]

Great review, great pen!

[sannidh]

Great review, great pen!

 

Thanks

[TheseAreMyPens]

What a fascinating review and history lesson. The thoughtful points on relative merits and craftsmanship of Sailor and Nakaya are valuable likewise. And I too am in thrall to the peerless quality of Namiki, owning one black urushi no. 50 and two Yukari maki-e and raden (no 10 nibs). So far. I am sure this is just the beginning . . . I would like a vermillion Yukari Royale in my collection of beautiful writing instruments. I am a writer, so these pens are lovingly used daily.

thank you for review.

[TheseAreMyPens]

On 5/17/2017 at 8:22 AM, Exlaminis said:

A lovely review to read, and thank you for sharing it with us, sannidh! I find it interesting that the Emperor and the Yukari Royale you have are different reds, but they're both nice. My Yukari Royale has a lacquered black feed, but this feature probably only comes paired with the two-tone nib on the maki-e models. I was pretty surprised to see it, since I had heard the Yukari Royale did not have a lacquered feed.

 

Perhaps one day I will have a maki-e Emperor as well. Possibly a flat top model. There's an allure about that nib...

 

 

I think this confusion with where the price and the product come together is applicable to nearly any pen in the $1000 category, or even as you say, from the $400 category.

There's a point where a lot of the price starts elevating the product into perceived 'luxury' status and the advantages of more expensive pens start becoming slimmer compared to the already competent pens of half the price.

 

Having tried multiple brands of maki-e and urushi pens, and also $1000 pens from other brands, I feel that I can more easily accept the price of Namiki at where it is.

You certainly can get red urushi pens at various price points and one of the cheapest options would be Nakaya. Nakaya is more experimental with their urushi than Namiki is, with far more options in terms of colour, with choices of kuro-, aka-, midori-, ao-tamenuri and more. That's the advantage of Nakaya over the more conservative nature of Namiki's designs, but where Nakaya falls short of Namiki is in the quality of their lacquering and in their precision. I have seen defects in Nakaya's lacquer, which some would say is just 'wabi-sabi,' but I haven't come across that from Namiki, where many have commented that the lacquering is flawless.

 

In construction, the Namiki is different to Nakaya, which might as well be a lacquered 3776 or something similar (I know that this doesn't apply to all models in the lineup, such as the Dorsal Fin, Decapod or even the Long Cigar). The Yukari Royale is not based on the Pilot pens, unlike what happens with Sailor's maki-e (which uses the 1911 or the King of Pen), and the combination of urushi on the brass body feels more solid when compared to urushi on resin. It has a pleasant balance and solid feel, with a unique nib and feed. Nakaya's nibs are Platinum nibs with a different stamp. In comparing the Nakaya to Namiki, I would say that Nakaya feels like a very well put together handmade pen, but the Namiki feels like a precise machined pen. The seams where the pieces come together can be a bit deceptive, in a way not unlike how the Lamy 2000's piston is hidden. In addition, whilst I like the look of Nakaya's roll stoppers, I would not buy one of their pens with a clip or a roll stopper, simply because of how they seem to be unable to insert the clip/roll stopper without cutting off the finial on the cap. It leaves a visible seam which detracts, in my opinion, from the otherwise unbroken look of the pen. I've also tried the Sailor pens and was completely unimpressed. That said, the nib options Sailor offers are unique and fascinating, so I would love to get one.

 

That is why I feel the Namiki is worth it, since it isn't just a lacquered version of a pre-existing pen. I rank the value of lacquered pens over those purely of resin, celluloid or metal, even of those in the same price bracket, because it feels that the lacquered pens have greater artisanal value. Between lacquered pens, it becomes a matter of the quality of the lacquer application and the character of the pen itself. You could lacquer a Montblanc 149, but it would not change that it is a 149.

Thank you for this. Wise and well-informed. I agree with you - Namiki quality is so very fine.