The Pen Decumulation No. 1 - Namisu Horizon

My collection is pretty stable by now, even if a bit bigger than I'm fully comfortable with so, if I confine myself to thoughts on pens I still own, I'm going to rattle through this in no time. The list of pens I used to own is much, much longer, so I hope there will be more mileage in examining my former acquisitions and recalling as best I can why I parted with them. Let's start with a recent sale, this Namisu Horizon.

 

Anthony over at UK Fountain Pens posted a review of this pen a few months ago and, as I pointed out in a comment at the time, £36 was an absolutely cracking price for a Bock Number 6 holder, so I couldn't resist checking it out. It is indeed absolutely great value, but in the end there are only so many Bock holders that you need (one, in fact, will do just fine) so I sold it in favour of my existing ebonite Namisu Studio.

It's an aluminium pen with a steel section, so the balancing point is quite far forward - something which is very important for me. It's extremely well machined - so well, in fact, that it ideally would have an O-ring on the section to prevent it unscrewing by itself.  And the fine steel nib on mine was perfectly adequate, even if not very fine, as the writing sample below shows. The pen comes with a Schmidt converter and is excellently presented in an understated cardboard box (the pen does rattle around a bit inside it though), which suits the minimalist look of the pen down to a T. It really is a bargain.  

Two things ultimately decided it for me, though. First, I'm not averse to metal sections, particularly if they help the balance of a pen, but, even though the finish isn't completely smooth, I still found it a bit slippery. Second, there was something about texture of the finish, particularly on the section that gave me a little bit of that fingernails-on-chalkboard heebie-jeebies. So not for me - but definitely a great option if you're looking for a platform for exploring the world of no. 6 nibs.

Stats

• Length (capped) - 142mm
• Length (uncapped) - 130mm
• Length (posted) - N/A (it doesn't post)
• Section diameter - 12mm
• Balancing point - 63mm (48%)
• Weight (capped/posted) - 46g
• Weight (uncapped) - 37g