@penfount The Onoto Keats’ Pen: Ode to a Nightingale. It’s beautiful. I’d add the 18ct gold nib, plunger filler and maybe a custom nib grind. Difficult to justify spending this much on a pen…
@penfount I don't like this "grail pen", "starter pen", and "next level pen". It's just salesperson talk. But I can tell what pen I will never buy: the Aurora Asterope and the Zerollo. And I will never buy the because of price and the fact that they have very fragile mechanisms and that gives me a great chance of ending buying a very expensive non functioning ornament.
@Suspect_Similar i don’t think grail pen is really a salesperson thing, as you can see from the responses here, what people name as their grail pen is quite varied and very personal.
I agree about “next-level”, this is meaningless and is geared toward people who just want to spend money.
“Starter” is a helpful category if only because for new pen users, a reliable, no fuss pen won’t discourage them from using FPs altogether.
@penfount Nakaya Dorsal Fin 2. It looks cool and is super functional as well. Unfortunately they haven’t resumed making this model since the earthquake.
I suppose I might never get it, because I don’t think I can justify spending that much on one pen. But if ever I become independently wealthy I’ll get it (:
My original grail Nakaya was the palmet chinkin but since then I've seen a maki-e wisteria one that may have supplanted that. Too bad they're incredibly hard to find anywhere. I'm hoping I might find one when I'm in Japan but not too optimistic.
I also saw amazing Taccias at the SF Pen Show. So that's second on my list. How to pick one? IDK. I saw a Palisades model that really caught my eye, but there was also a cigar shaped one with urushi and raden.
@penfount I'm more or less "done" buying new fountain pens for a while, but my grail was/is the striped Pilot Myu.
I spent a day in Tokyo last year (on a stopover) and scoured second hand pen stores but couldn't find one -- the process soured me quite a bit, as I'm used to fountain pens being a "nerd" hobby and not a "luxury" hobby. Several of the used pen stores in Japan really leaned into the luxury aspect, and the clerks eyed me [not very luxe looking] like I just walked into a Chanel wearing socks and sandals. Felt gross. I stopped my search for the grail pen since.
I did end up at Kakimori which I guess is kinda "medium end"? Much better vibes, bought some neat ballpoint pens.
@mvu that sucks that you had that experience. Here in Taiwan there are shops that cater to the high end gift giving market as well as shops catering to the hobbyist market. They all mutually recommend each other when someone would be better served by another shop, it’s nice.
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