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Thread: Stylo Art Karuizawa: Aka-tamenuri Shirane with Pilot 15 PO nib

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    Default Stylo Art Karuizawa: Aka-tamenuri Shirane with Pilot 15 PO nib

    This is a repost? I posted this ~2 days ago but it never appeared so here it is again with some edits.

    Hello! Long time lurker here, I finally decided to post this review for a lot of reasons stated below. Note that I am not sponsored nor in any way affiliated with Stylo Art. Also please excuse my photography skills: I have none, but still wanted to share the beauty of this pen with the community.

    Background:

    I’ve been interested in Stylo-Art for awhile now. They provide custom made bodies by Mr Motoshi Kazuno with pilot nibs, including the specialty ones (FA, PO, WA mainly). The nibs/feed are provided by Pilot, then Mr. Kazuno tunes then after making a matching barrel/cap. The wooden FPs are beautiful, but I wanted a tamenuri finish since I love the way the pen evolves through use. Note that in the pictures of the stylo-art website are not truly indicative of the pen. As you can see below, the pictures I have taken and the ones Ms. Kazuno provided are very different from the ones on their website. This is apparently due to lighting differences from what I understand. Until you see this pen in person, it is very hard to know what the pen truly looks like.

    There are pictures on the internet/threads about Stylo-Art offering sailor nibs/grips but this isn't the case anymore. As I understand it, after Mr. Nagahara’s passing it is not possible to get Sailor nibs in quantities that are meaningful and Stylo Art has discontinued this lineup (though who knows if you visit them in person they might have some legacy nibs/pens?)

    I had to wait several months since the finish was not in stock, and after checking back several times Shuko Kazuno notified me that they received some. This was in late July. EMS stopped shipping to the US back in April 2020. Fedex JP continued shipping to the US, so I asked Shuko Kazuno if it was possible for them to send the pen through Fedex. This presented several challenges, and Stylo Art ultimately signed a contract with Fedex and managed to send my pen. I am grateful for the amount of work and time Mr. and Mrs. Kazuno put in, since I did not want to involve a 3rd party forwarding service like Global Rakuten… ultimately increasing the chances my pen would be damaged or lost in transit. I generally don’t write reviews since there are a plethora of pen reviewers and most pens have been covered, but I thought the best way to repay Stylo Art and Mr/Mrs Kazuno for their customer service was a review of their pen since they are not as well known in the US as Nakaya or Danitrio. Furthermore, their pens have not been covered in detail like some of the other makers within the pen forums… especially this model and finish.

    Now some photos… and then my thoughts.

    What Ms. Kazuno provided me:
    DSCF2400.jpegDSCF2401.jpgDSCF2402.jpg

    Pictures I took (yes I am wearing gloves to minimize fingerprints and such, but lint still managed to get onto the pen):
    20200825_141116.jpg20200825_120941.jpg20200825_120643.jpg

    Picture with flash to show the urushi inside the cap:
    20200825_142822.jpg


    1. Presentation
      Here, Stylo-Art provided a wooden box, and a type of pen kimono. Simple, unadorned just like the pen. Compared to some of the other offerings (Nakaya and Namiki) this falls a bit short but is still perfectly acceptable. I knew what I was getting and wasn't awed by any means. What I can say is that case was not indicative of the quality of the work inside.
    2. Urushi/Aesthetic
      Aka Tamenuri, this finish will captivate you, and I find myself staring at it getting lost while writing. For the technique itself, I am sure most of you here are familiar with the concept of "time evolving urushi." If you are not, here is an example of what the pen might look like in 2 years.https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk1vLiSn...ed=honsh&hl=en There are other better sources that can explain how this is done … I believe Michal (Tamenuri Studio) has several videos, the nakaya reviews, on this forum which explain the technique.

      I cannot talk too much about the urushi technique/skill since I do not practice the craft like some of the members here. However, I still wish to discuss some of the other aspects I liked and noticed about this pen. First, there is urushi inside the cap, that covers, approximately, the inside of the cap till where the screw threads lie. This makes the pen postable without scratching/damaging the inside of the cap/body of the pen. Namiki deals with this by putting some sort of felt/spongy like material in the cap but I feel this is a much more elegant solution. Furthermore, the grip is lacquered, most stylo-art pen’s grips seem to be the black plastic but this is not the case here. There is also urushi on the threads which for me is a big bonus since I get a homogeneous texture from the grip to the body.

      Props to the urushi artist (Mr. Osamu Negishi) and Stylo-Art for making a functional piece of art. I have handled both Namiki and Nakaya pens (owned/tried out at stores), and this pen seems to be on par with those “big name” urushi pens.

      Don't ask me why I sniffed the pen. I did. Usually ebonite smells awful, especially while turning/fresh out of the box, but the inside/pen smells woody and pleasant. Another surprise.
    3. Comfort/Pen Design

      Some statics compared to other pens that might be similar, this info was pulled from stylo-art’s website using google translate as well as goulet pens and nakaya



      Stylo-Art Shirane 15 Nakaya Portable Cigar Namiki Yukari Royale (black)
      Weight (grams) 24 20 47
      Length (mm) ~140 150 149
      Max Diameter (mm) 16 15 15 (body)


      The pen shape is like that of a cigar, while slimming down at the tail end of the barrel to enable the cap to be posted. I don’t think I would ever post this pen (even with the urushi covering inside the cap) since the balance without posting is good and doesn’t require the additional torque. The pen is quite light (ebonite vs brass of Namiki) and is comparable to the Nakaya portable cigar.

      The pen is smaller, length-wise than the other two, while being about the same in girth. Overall this barrel shape was comfortable.....though I do have bigger hands (usually wear a large men’s glove, US size). I have not had any issues while writing for extended periods of time.

      Of course, there is that ever present warm and smooth urushi texture/feeling that you get on these types of pens which is a big bonus (and one of the reasons why I get urushi pens)
    4. Nib

      This is a Pilot 15 PO nib tuned by Mr. Kazuno. I inked the pen with a Sailor x Nakayabashi Konpeki (blue) and writing felt amazing after getting used to the nib. I can say that this is the least feedbacky or most smooth EF nib I have ever had, though minimal pressure is needed, even more than you normally would (with a Sailor EF or a Jowo) to get nib to write without scratchiness. As for the PO nib, I can only describe it as being precise. There is no line variation from what I can tell, and even while writing on cheap US office paper there is minimal feathering though there was a bit more feedback/scratchiness than compared to tomoe river or clairefontaine. Wow. This nib is not for anybody, but if you enjoy the Sailor EF or the Platnium EF I would recommend this nib to you. I am not sure what Mr. Kazuno did and how much of a impact he had in the nib since I have not used a regular Pilot PO, but the flow and everything else was perfect out of the box.

      There is a writing sample below, please pardon my handwriting.
      20200825_140834.jpg



    Overall a fantastic pen, and the current go-to in my collection. I highly recommend Stylo-Art, and am planning to get a Pilot FA nib from them sometime in the future.

    Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think below.

    NK
    Last edited by sworist; September 3rd, 2020 at 01:15 PM.

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    Default Re: Stylo Art Karuizawa: Aka-tamenuri Shirane with Pilot 15 PO nib

    Very nice. Stylo doesn't get as much coverage as some of the other names but certainly stands proudly among them.

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    Default Re: Stylo Art Karuizawa: Aka-tamenuri Shirane with Pilot 15 PO nib

    Beautiful pen and wonderfully detailed review. Nice work!

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    Default Re: Stylo Art Karuizawa: Aka-tamenuri Shirane with Pilot 15 PO nib

    Thanks @Cj2020! More to come in the following weeks.

    @Jar, I heard about Stylo Art through a post about the LA pen show ... and not a thread about urushi pens so yes they have some work to do to reach the audience here in the US (not sure about JP).

    Anyways I forgot to mention I first inquired about this pen back in April (or March?) and was told it would be in stock in 2-3 months... Ended up arriving in late July. Just a timeframe for someone that might be interested in purchasing something similar.

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    Default Re: Stylo Art Karuizawa: Aka-tamenuri Shirane with Pilot 15 PO nib

    Incredible! Mr. Kazono is extremely talented and great to talk to. I believe in his early days, he use to handmake elaborate wooden furniture and later moved to applying his skills to making extraordinary pens. He’s a very humble fellow!

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    Default Re: Stylo Art Karuizawa: Aka-tamenuri Shirane with Pilot 15 PO nib

    Excellent review. I very much enjoyed reading it.

    I had the privilege of meeting Mr. and Mrs. Kazuno at several pen shows. They are delightful people to speak with, and have excellent command of English. They mentioned that both at one time had been affiliated with universities in the US, although I don't recall whether as students, employees, or other capacity. I seem to remember he was with a university in Washington State and she with one in Kentucky. Perhaps Eastern Washington U or Washington State and she with Western Kentucky U? Or Eastern Kentucky U? Sorry I can't remember. But I certainly remember how lovely and artistic their pens were. I walked away with this Saiun-Nuri that exhibits lovely colors of green and gold with sparkly abalone bits, although my picture doesn't seem to pick up the fine gold layer on the green.


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    Default Re: Stylo Art Karuizawa: Aka-tamenuri Shirane with Pilot 15 PO nib

    @Whichwatch that is a beautiful pen. Sparkly. I could have gotten something similar but I wanted something more demure and usable in a office environment without it being stolen.... though aka-tame is certainly flashy in its own right. Perhaps for the FA one day

    As for their command of English it is very good, and I look forward to the day I can meet them in pen shows.... whenever they return.

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    Default Re: Stylo Art Karuizawa: Aka-tamenuri Shirane with Pilot 15 PO nib

    Nice review, and a very attractive pen. A couple of things though - could you reveal the price? An important factor in the decision process. Also, would it be possible for you to post a photo of you with the pen in hand (as if you were writing with it)?

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    Default Re: Stylo Art Karuizawa: Aka-tamenuri Shirane with Pilot 15 PO nib

    Price. As far as I know, the price for the pen is $860 USD + shipping. I talked a bit about shipping in my article, but Stylo-Art charged me the EMS price.... I do not know how much they charge currently. You can also send it through proxy, something like global rakuten shipping price I think is around 30-40 bucks. Nakaya is much better (I think 200+ cheaper for a portable cigar) value for price, especially if you do not care for pilot nibs (or something like the FA, PO, WA).

    You can also pick it up at a pen show, where it will be $860 without any extra charges.

    Here is a picture of me writing. If you need anything else let me know!
    20200829_180034.jpg
    Last edited by sworist; August 29th, 2020 at 04:18 PM.

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