
A Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Fountain-Pen Renaissance - nlolks
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-08-30/how-nakaya-pens-anticipated-the-writing-tool-renaissance
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nabla9
Nakaya pens are prime example of Veblen good - luxury goods for which the
quantity demanded increases as the price increases.

The old desire of building your identity around what you own instead of what
you do is not going anywhere. Good for them picking up the extra money people
have.

Of course Nakaya pens are good writing pens, but the quality of pen as a tool
levels around $50-$70 price mark. Extra is just collecting expensive shit. I
have Japanese fountain pen that costs $60 and any more expensive pen I have
tested is no better, just different. Good nib and mechanism is not rocket
science. [https://www.twsbi.com](https://www.twsbi.com)

~~~
winter_blue
> The old desire of building your identity around what you own instead of what
> you do is not going anywhere. Good for them picking up the extra money
> people have.

That's really spot on. We could have an incredibly fulfilling life while
living frugally. Writing books, making art, creating new software, doing
research, etc. Creating and understanding yourself better can be healing.
Physical possessions like this pen is just so vain, shallow, and meaningless.
Some of the happiest peoples' lives are built around shared experiences.

~~~
cthalupa
>making art

>this pen is just so vain, shallow, and meaningless.

I hope you can see the contradiction here. These pens are the result of skills
honed over time by people who are masters of their craft. These aren't mass
produced items, and they will tailor basically every aspect of the pen to the
customer.

You're paying for the artistry, quality, and customization. These things are
more expensive when not mass produced.

Would I buy one? Not unless I just had a bunch of money that I had nothing
else to do with. But for someone who talks about making art being a fulfilling
venture, it doesn't make sense to scorn something that many people consider
art.

~~~
Retric
I find such things horribly wasteful even if I had unlimited disposable
income. Run out of reasonable purchases and you can always just donate the
rest.

Remember, it's not expensive because that's what it costs to make it's
expensive because that's what it takes to sell them.

~~~
mcguire
You could say the same thing about most other art and decorative object, if
you don't find them attractive. I would tend to value Warhols and Pollocks in
terms of their kindling ability, myself.

~~~
Retric
I mostly agree, stuff is very low on my list of interesting things. But, a
painting could be shown to thousands a pen is a rather more personal
indulgence.

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dizzystar
Oh my, this brings back memories that still impact me today. Growing up,
finding that perfect pen was sort of a hobby and artform. I suppose part of it
was growing up in the 90s, trying to do Pen & Ink drawing, calligraphy, and
writing all day. The current analog is searching for the perfect keyboard.
While wasteful on first blush, it truly is the most utilitarian decision you
can make when measured for optimizing tools.

There really is something horrible about cheap pens, and nothing is worse than
a pen that looks expensive yet writes cheaply... for those who don't know what
I'm talking about, when lines matter, little things like skipping, shaking,
and uneven lines become massive aggravations, no matter how minute they seem
to a casual observer.

With all that said, I'm not so into writing implements that I'd want to drop
hundreds or thousands of dollars on a pen. I'd need a lot more convincing to
believe that extra money is worth it.

I still like the article.

~~~
arkitaip
"The current analog is searching for the perfect keyboard."

Sounds like we have been on a similar journey (typing this on a Corsair K95).
I still enjoy finding a really good pen, but they rarely cost more than 10-20
usd and I mostly use them for sketching UI. If only there was a keyboard
equivalent to The Pilot G2 0.7.

~~~
HakureiSec
Oh my, another G2 fan.

I used to write with Cello Maxriters but at some point they became too thin
and uncomfortable for me. Then I discovered G2 0.7 – and for the next 8 years
(2 in high school and 6 in the uni) I refused to write with anything but them.
When I couldn't find refills I just bought new pens (plural). Eventually, they
started to miss from the local shops but at the same time, I started to write
less with a pen and more with a keyboard.

I still have packs of red, black and even green refills in a box somewhere in
my house.

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KC8ZKF
I enjoy a good fountain pen.

If you are interested in an inexpensive practical fountain pen, you should
look into the Lamy Safari. It is easy to maintain, writes smoothly, and feels
good in the hand. It is my every day pen.

Quick drying "document" inks are also good for everyday use. They don't fade
or smear.

~~~
CaliforniaKarl
Question for the Lamy and TWSBI users: Does it work as an "in-your-pocket"
pen? In other words, can I use it on the go, or is it meant to be kept at a
desk?

~~~
ijonas
I’ve got both and they’re both excellent workhorses. I use Lamy mostly with
Twsbi as alternatives for different inks.

Paper is a bigger issue with fountain pens. Avoid Moleskine, choose Rhodia.

~~~
mrob
The importance of paper quality depends on which ink you're using. I like
Noodler's Black, because it writes well even on cheap paper. It starts
reliably and it doesn't feather (spread horizontally) or bleed through the
paper easily. I've tried many other inks, trading samples with other fountain
pen users, and I never found anything else so trouble-free.

~~~
cli
I have a Mont Blanc fountain pen, which I want to use as my main pen but
cannot due to the ink spreading and bleeding through cheap notebook paper.
Thank you for the ink suggestion.

~~~
mrob
I should point out that I use a Lamy Safari, which has moderate ink flow. If
your Mont Blanc is an exceptionally wet writer, and you don't want to get the
nib adjusted, you might want to try Noodler's X Feather, which is a version of
Noodler's Black with even lower feathering (at the cost of longer drying
time). But I suspect the drying time could be annoying, because Noodler's
Black is already somewhat slow drying.

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tachion
What other quality pen could one recommend if I would like to get one and not
spend a fortune on ones like these? By no means they look and feel probably
great, but I'm simply not in their target market. However, from my young years
I remember owning few Parker pens, few Pelikan and one or two Waterman. I
remember enjoying ones with a 'buttery smooth' writing feeling most (don't
really know how to describe it other way) and hating scraping pointy ones. I
don't care about gold finish at all, but solid wood or not-cheap plastic would
be great.

~~~
lytfyre
I'd suggest trying out the Pilot Metropolitan, in a Medium nib.

It's not an _Amazing_ pen, but it's got a nice solid brass body, the quality
control is very consistent), it's a nice consistent writer, and they sell on
Amazon for ~$12.

It's my usual recommendation for a "gateway" pen.

~~~
bonaldi
If you don't think it's amazing I'd really appreciate your recommendations for
my "next level" pen, because I got the Metropolitan and _love_ it. I've bought
three already; it's also one of the first I've found flows beautifully even
though I'm left-handed. (I prefer the fine nib, that said)

~~~
lytfyre
Its harder to recommend a second step pen, as it depends more on personal
taste. There's two facets to what you get as you step up the price ranges -
fancier nibs, and fancier bodies.

Fancier bodies is almost entirely a style thing - if you want a certain look,
you can pay for it.

Nibs is a trickier thing. The "solid gold nib" thing isn't just marketing,
there's actual advantages to it - mostly an opportunity to make the nib
"softer" as it bends and flexes slightly as you write. This is very much a
taste thing as well, but a much more difficult one to judge online! Different
brands will generally have house "feels" \- Lamy is a popular entry brand, and
tends to make all their nibs super stiff, with almost no flex. Pilot or
Sailors stlye tends to run softer. It's also worth mentioning that Japanese
brands almost all run one size "finer", so if you're looking for a nib from a
European company like Lamy or Pelican that's around the size of the pilot
fine, order an extra fine.

All that said, possibly my favorite nib is the pilot vanishing point, which is
~$120. I don't think there's much in the < $100 range that's significantly
better than the metropolitan. I'm also a big fan of Sailor and Visconti's
fancier nibs, but that's up a considerable price band.

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dmourati
I have a Nakaya. I bought it to celebrate a promotion at work. It is far and
away my most expensive fountain pen. I have pens ranging from $1 to $750. I
use the Nakaya daily and enjoy it.

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huntie
I used to write with a fountain pen a lot, they're really nice to write with.
Most of my writing now is math though, and I've found that fountain pens
aren't the best for that. I really like the Sakura Pigma Micron pens though. I
think that they're made for artists, but I've found them really nice as a
general pen. I specifically get the 05.

~~~
AhtiK
Which angle can you still use to reliably write with an 05 Sakura Pigma
Micron? I had one and had to hold it almost upright, otherwise started to skip
and scratch.

Copic Multiliner SP range didn't have this issue. Maybe I just had a
defective/dried up Micron.

~~~
huntie
I've never had issues with writing. I've doodled with one occasionally, and
have run into issues then. Checking it now, it seems fine at a 45d angle. It
does require more pressure at smaller angles, but my normal writing pressure
feels fine. I normally write at a 70d angle for reference.

I didn't know Copic made pens. I've heard really good things about their
markers so I'll have to try one out.

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vikiomega9
I'm surprised there's no mention of Hero fountain pens. They were cheap and
really good workhorses. I used them for a long until switching to gel ink pens
when I started college.

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vr46
Pilot Capless: The greatest fountain pen ever

~~~
bulkan
Sailor 1911 standard: greatest fountain pen ever.

~~~
mcguire
Parker Vacuumatic: greatest fountain pen ever.

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Clubber
I have a Montblonc fountain pen that was my father's and made in West Germany
:). It's neat to write with, but extremely messy (I'm a lefty). I wrote a few
sentences with it about 20 years ago and haven't used it since.

Honestly, I'd like to try a feather and inkwell just to see how people wrote
way back when, but haven't ever gotten around to it.

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Moru
I believe kids in Germany are still learning to write with fountain-pens.

~~~
seszett
In France as well, though less often than in the past.

Most pupils stop using them later on once they are allowed to use roller pens,
though.

~~~
pluma
German here. The second we were allowed to use ballpoint pens, I stopped using
fountain pens. The same goes for writing in cursive. As a result my cursive
looks like a fourth-grader's.

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taeric
I bought a pack of fountain pens last year. Plastic, so cheap feel in many
ways. Though, it has been a long time since I used a pen that wasn't plastic.
The few gimmick wooden ones actually feel more cheap.

A "plus" for these, they are easily refillable and use the same ink as the
"parallel" pens that are fun for calligraphy.

link:
[https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058NN9FC](https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058NN9FC)

~~~
lisper
> I bought a pack

There's your problem right there. You can get very high quality fountain pens
for a LOT less than the $5k that a Nakaya pen costs. But they aren't sold in
packs.

~~~
taeric
Apologies for not making it clear, the pens I have are quite nice to write
with. I recommend them quite heavily for anyone that does not care for
standard pens you get most anywhere else.

Are there easy to get high quality pens elsewise? Probably. But these really
are good entry level pens that give me delight to use.

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parineum
I expect there are a lot of craftsmen anticipating the [anachronism]
renaissance at this very moment. Most of them will be wrong and I guess we'll
write about the ones who guessed right.

I don't see how this company is an example of anything but survival bias.
Hindsight makes them geniuses.

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killjoywashere
In other news, it's been shown that in a world rising income inequality,
selling bespoke goods to the rich is still a viable way to make a profit.
Helps to include a lot of words explaining the provenance of the bits and
pieces.

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grzm
Article title: "How a Japanese Pen Maker Anticipated the Writing-Tool
Renaissance"

Edit: Thanks for updating!

~~~
sctb
Thanks! We updated it from “Fountain Pens”, which is just on the spare side.

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Animats
That's an ad. Don't know how they got it into Bloomberg, but that's an ad.

~~~
im3w1l
Pg has a good explanation
[http://paulgraham.com/submarine.html](http://paulgraham.com/submarine.html)

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lisper
> “You can feel something when you hold a Nakaya that’s different from all
> other pens”

Yes, it's the money draining out of your pocket.

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gjvc
Veblen goods. Nothing new here.

~~~
jwilk
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veblen_good](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veblen_good)

 _Veblen goods are types of luxury goods for which the quantity demanded
increases as the price increases, an apparent contradiction of the law of
demand._

