More often that not, my desk is my pocket. But everyday desk items doesn't have the same ring.
I too have a Titanium Nova, stonewashed finish with EF titanium nib. A great soft modern nib. But a heavy pen that will never be an EDC. Works well as a desk pen. My last Namisu was an Ixion with a Bock B nib. Nice writer, well made, as Namisu is known for & a great price, was a closeout sale. This pen looks interesting but will not be added to my collection. I have been avoiding heavy pens with metal sections. Don't work for long writing sessions. I too prefer Wing Sung EF over PenBBS EF. But the PenBBS F is much better than Wing Sung F. Haven't had enough time with their M, the PenBBS medium is smooth & wet. My current fave nib is a 1.5mm Bock. Amazing smooth soft nib, rare for a modern stub. With a shading ink looks fabulous.
Namisu is a small design group based north of Edinburgh in the UK. They are perhaps best known for launching pens on Kickstarter.
My first Namisu was a Nova in stonewashed titanium. One of my early fountain pens, it remains one of my favorites. I splurged and added a titanium nib which has never left the pen.
So I was naturally interested when, this past February, I got an email from Namisu announcing the Kickstarter for their latest release, the Naos. The facets on the barrel immediately jumped out at me.
Image: Namisu
What's in a Name?
Naos comes from the Ancient Greek ναός (naós, “inner part of the temple”). Great name.
The pen checked interesting boxes:
At £38 (US$47.75) including shipping, the Naos looked a bargain. I jumped in.
The Naos attracted just over 800 backers and £53K in funding.
Not a huge project.
Titanium and Bronze
In addition to aluminum, the Naos is also available in bronze and titanium versions - along with rollerball variations.
Namisu also offers EF and M titanium nibs as an option.
Somewhat bizarrely, the standard pen doesn't come with a clip but one was available as an £8 accessory.
The standard pen was also sans converter, but included a single small blue ink cartridge.
Choices, Choices
It's always tough to decide which nib size to pick for a pen but I've been leaning toward finer nibs lately. I love the Bock steel F nib in my Moonman M800 so I decided to try an EF in this pen.
As for the color, the Pelikan M1005 Stresemann I treated myself to earlier in the year is such a subtle beauty, I just had to go for black.
Hurry Up and Wait
It's Kickstarter after all. The project provided a clear schedule.
In the end, Namisu hit every deadline - and in the the middle of the COVID19 pandemic. Well done!
The Pen
This is Big Pen
Uncapped the Naos is nearly as long as a Pelikan M1005. It's as heavy as a Fine Writing International Golden Amour.
The pen measures as advertised.
A Split Personality?
I look at the Naos as a pen in two parts.
The Cap
Simple and heavy, it does its job and complements the look of the pen. This is where Namisu saved money.
The cap doesn't post but it does come off in well under a single turn. Since both the section and cap are steel, capping and uncapping the pen is a distinctly metal-on-metal experience.
With the cap on, the pen feels almost tactical, like a tool to break glass in case of emergency. Uncapped, it's balanced and comfortable in the hand.
The Barrel and Section
Here is the art in this pen. The design works harmoniously. The section is comfortable, the barrel diameter just right and the finish is perfect. The branding is subtle and the stainless cap at the end of the barrel is exactly right.
No. 6 Bock Nib
The Bock nib was one of the main reasons I decided to back the Naos. I have enough Jowo, Moonman and generic no. 6 nibs but not too many Bock nibs. And as I said, my experience with the Bock nib in the Moonman M800 has been excellent.
I had a bit of a shoot-out between EF nibs in my PenBBS 491 review. The EF PenBBS nib is nice but I still like the Wing Sung 699 EF nib better. This pen offered the chance to expand that comparison.
The Bock nib is the new champ. It's the smoothest of the bunch and writes a consistent line. It's not wet, but that's not what I'm looking for when writing with an EF nib. I want to be able to write smaller and not worry about drying times.
Conclusions
All in all, I'm happy with this pen. It may not earn a permanent spot in my rotation but I'm glad to have it in my collection. I love it as a nib holder for my growing collection of Bock nibs.
Pros
Cons