Gravitas/Kyuseido collaboration? Pump Piston filler pen (bought today at the SF pen show)

[markiv]

22 hours ago, Paul-in-SF said:

I promised a review, but I find I have covered most of the information already. After a few weeks of leaving the pen idle for a week or two and then writing with it again, it has written perfectly every time. I find the slightly soft nib a pleasure to write with. In fact I like everything about the pen, and can't think of anything I would change. Caveat: I haven't tried to clean it out yet, but it shouldn't be difficult -- the section unscrews, which should make cleaning it a doddle. I also don't know anything about the companies' policy on warranty and repair. The pen looks and feels like it would last forever, but the filling mechanism might be considered complex and therefore might have more opportunity to break down. So far I would rate the pen 5 stars out of 5. 

 

That's not much of a review, so I invite anyone who has read the thread and still has questions to ask them here, and I will try to answer them. 

Nice review.

FYI -  I vaguely recall from an IG reel that it voids the warranty if you take off the section. 

[Paul-in-SF]

1 hour ago, markiv said:

I vaguely recall from an IG reel

Thanks, and sorry, but what's an IG reel? I'd like to check it out to make sure. 

 

Checking further, I found this on the Kyuseido webside:

 

"While we don’t recommend it, you can also remove the nib section to fully access the pen barrel to thoroughly clean a staining ink or pigmented/shimmer inks if needed."

 

The context was about how easy it is to clean the pen just using the filler in plain water. 

[kazoolaw]

Instagram

[Paul-in-SF]

4 hours ago, kazoolaw said:

Instagram

Oh, sure, thanks.

[Muchacho]

So are the nibs made in-house or is it again another boring jowo or bock nib ?

[Paul-in-SF]

I can't find anywhere that says who makes the nibs, on either company's website (Gravitas seems to take the pen off their products page when they are out of stock -- a couple of days ago they had two custom versions of the pen, now I can't find it there). They don't talk about the nibs, the main story is the filling system, the secondary story is the materials. 

 

They have a lot of nib options, not only different grinds but also stacked nibs. The nib I have does not seem to me to be a stock nib, it feels different and it has some softness to it. It is not a special grind, I believe it is a Medium.

 

I found one page on Kyuseido's website that talks about all the nibs on all their pens, it's worth a read. There is one line that indicates that they do not make all their nibs, although it leaves open that they might make some. "All nib grinds requested are created by one of our nib experts, and therefore each will have some slight variation depending on the original condition of the tipping and the brand." There is another line in their description of flex nibs: "Flex is added option to certain gold nibs. By default, we use 14k Pilot size 10 gold nibs for this customization."

 

My conclusion from these indicators is that they source their nibs from different makers, at least some of whom are Japanese pen companies, then they customize them as needed, including at a minimum plating and embossing. My nib is rhodium-plated and has only Kyuseido identification on it. 

[HobbitLife]

I could be wrong, but I think that the talk about other brands is regarding their nib work that they do on pens sent in for customization, or from their limited and occasional stock of other fountain pen brands. The Kakari has an in-house nib of some sort. I don't know if they produce it fully in-house, but I don't think it is from another brand just with a Kyuseido stamp. Don't quote me on that though! Just though I heard something to that effect from one of CY's IG videos.

[Karmachanic]

13 hours ago, Muchacho said:

So are the nibs made in-house or is it again another boring jowo or bock nib ?

 

From the web site: Each Kyuseido Kakari is fitted with a 14k gold nib and an ebonite feed, both designed for Kyuseido

[Paul-in-SF]

5 hours ago, HobbitLife said:

The Kakari has an in-house nib of some sort. I don't know if they produce it fully in-house, but I don't think it is from another brand just with a Kyuseido stamp. Don't quote me on that though! Just though I heard something to that effect from one of CY's IG videos.

 

That squares with what I think I remember Ben saying during the demo at the pen show. 

 

4 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

From the web site: Each Kyuseido Kakari is fitted with a 14k gold nib and an ebonite feed, both designed for Kyuseido

 

And that may be a more accurate version of what Ben said. So presumably custom made for them, but not by them. Thanks.

[Calabria]

I’ve had the pen for about a month. Ordered from Kyuseido when it was available. I’m a bit of a nib fetishist and have been doing some comparing. My guess is that it’s produced by Bock to specifications, then ground by Cy and his employees. The dimensions and the look of the plating all look very similar to Bock.

 

I don’t buy pens with standard JoWo nibs anymore, because they are just too boring. My Kakari nib is anything but boring - it has a beautiful shape and a custom Naginata grind with a bit of elasticity. 
I’m reminded of the OMAS nibs produced by Bock, but this one has a much more interesting grind. 

This pen makes all my other pens - including Montblanc - look kind of cheap. 

[jayKellner]

What an interesting pen! Thank you for sharing !

[sannidh]

On 8/28/2023 at 4:08 AM, Paul-in-SF said:

The filling system has a plunger with a shutoff valve on the end. When you draw the plunger back the metal part behind the shutoff valve engages with the piston, which you unscrew and push down, and then draw back. When the ink chamber is full, you screw the piston back down, disengage the plunger and push it back to where it operates as a shutoff valve. An additional feature is that the metal part behind the shutoff valve that engages with the piston is in the form of three little arms, which can agitate the ink when desired, for example to break up shimmer or pigment clumps. To get a complete fill, according to Ben, you point the nib upward and carefully push out all the air, then turn the pen over, put it back in the ink, and draw back again. Full capacity is over 4 mls. 

 

Dimensions: length of the pen capped is 142.5 mm; length of the pen uncapped is 134 mm; thickness of barrel at widest point is 14 mm; section is tapered with a flare at the end, 12 mm at its thickest point, 11 mm at the narrowest. It does not seem to post securely, but it is an excellent size (for me) to write unposted, and posting would probably back-weight it unacceptably.

 

Weight: Capped, the pen weighs 47.29 gm; uncapped it weighs 31.10 gm. 

It is, I think, a handsome pen, and it has a nice heft when capped, and is not too heavy when uncapped. Photos attached. 

 

 

Thank you @Paul-in-SF for reviewing the Kakari . Beautiful pen - looks like a combination of Nakaya's shape with Conid's structure, albeit with a different mechanism and I love that combination.

1. How do you like the nib in terms of spring & flow ? My Conid KS with the 14k nib has a somewhat architect grind and it's something I like. Though it has way lesser give unlike the MB 149 or Pelikan 1000 despite being 14k. The well-tuned #6 Ti nib & 3776 Medium on my minimalistica are different animals though.

2.  Is the filling mechanism intuitive enough to use, if it was not a demonstrator?

[Paul-in-SF]

5 hours ago, sannidh said:

1. How do you like the nib in terms of spring & flow ? My Conid KS with the 14k nib has a somewhat architect grind and it's something I like. Though it has way lesser give unlike the MB 149 or Pelikan 1000 despite being 14k. The well-tuned #6 Ti nib & 3776 Medium on my minimalistica are different animals though.

 

Not much spring, the flow (with Papier Plume Spearmint from the Sno-cone series, or something like that) is very wet with a regular Fine nib, so much that it almost writes like a Medium. I would describe the feel as very slightly crisp as distinct from completely smooth. In short, I like writing with it quite a lot, the wetness facilitates shading -- not something I normally seek out, but it makes a nice change from my usual sorts of nibs. 

 

5 hours ago, sannidh said:

2.  Is the filling mechanism intuitive enough to use, if it was not a demonstrator?

 

That is really hard to answer. I'm still on my first fill (it holds a huge amount of ink) but I would say the demonstrator body helps me be sure when the plunger is engaged or not engaged. I could probably learn to do it by feel, but it would have been more trial and error than was necessary as it is. It is also very rewarding to see all that ink flooding in there when I fill it. 

[sannidh]

On 1/20/2024 at 11:39 AM, Paul-in-SF said:

 

Not much spring, the flow (with Papier Plume Spearmint from the Sno-cone series, or something like that) is very wet with a regular Fine nib, so much that it almost writes like a Medium. I would describe the feel as very slightly crisp as distinct from completely smooth. In short, I like writing with it quite a lot, the wetness facilitates shading -- not something I normally seek out, but it makes a nice change from my usual sorts of nibs. 

 

 

That is really hard to answer. I'm still on my first fill (it holds a huge amount of ink) but I would say the demonstrator body helps me be sure when the plunger is engaged or not engaged. I could probably learn to do it by feel, but it would have been more trial and error than was necessary as it is. It is also very rewarding to see all that ink flooding in there when I fill it. 

Thank you for sharing your experience. Which in your opinion, would be the closest nib from another company, similar to the Kyuseido nib ? 

I agree on the filling part. The Conids I have are demos. Sometimes, I try to fill the pen without looking at the barrel, and it kind of works.

[Paul-in-SF]

8 hours ago, sannidh said:

Which in your opinion, would be the closest nib from another company, similar to the Kyuseido nib ? 

I'm sorry, I do not feel qualified to give any kind of answer to this. I am just not that analytical about nibs. 

[sannidh]

On 1/21/2024 at 10:09 PM, Paul-in-SF said:

I'm sorry, I do not feel qualified to give any kind of answer to this. I am just not that analytical about nibs. 

Thank you for your consideration

[Paul-in-SF]

An added note to my mini-review: I finally got to the end of the first fill, and have cleaned out the pen. This was the easiest pen to clean I can remember, even easier than a cartridge/converter, because I don't have to use any other equipment like a bulb syringe to blow water through the feed. I did my usual routine of rinsing off the nib and visible feed first, then I loaded and expelled about 5 or maybe 6 loads of plain water, and it was sparkling clean. Then I propped it gently nib-down on a tissue in a cup to wick out the remaining water, which also worked very well. Cleaning pens is a necessary chore, but this was almost fun. 

 

 

[Lemon328i]

The section is Jowo thread compatible. While I love how wet the 14k nib & feed wrote,  I prefer a Schon Monoc, a bit more, so  that is what I installed in my Kakari. 

 

I totally agree with Paul In SF that this pen feels like it will last forever.

[Surlyprof]

I just saw that Ben is doing what looks like his last run of the Kakari in skittle.  Only 50 pens.

[mke]

On 10/17/2023 at 7:52 PM, Paul-in-SF said:

they source their nibs from different makers, at least some of whom are Japanese pen companies

Now that would be extremely surprising - if you talk about Pilot, Platinum or Sailor. To be honest, I cannot believe it.

Normally, the penturner/makers in Japan are a very closed circle which you cannot enter.

I am still stunned that Montegrappa had a collaboration with Sailor.

 

IMO, look somewhere else for the maker of the nibs.

 

How about Hongdian in China? Hongdian is an OEM company and certainly capable of that.

But there is also the Taiwanese company Dayacom which apparently makes the (steel?) nibs for Jowo and Bock.