Namisu | Ixion

Once upon a time, I opted to take part in a Kickstarter campaign to fund a most attractive looking fountain pen that was going to be made here in my home country of Scotland.

The company is Namisu and the pen was the Ixion.

Fourteen project updates and seven months later, this arrived.

Reader, I was super excited!

The box contained two convertors, a little set of instructions and two slender nylon pen cases marked 'NAMISU'

Just peeking out like a new-born baby's head were the tips of the Ixion caps - black with chrome and blue with gold.  I squeezed them out of their cozy beds and marvelled at the heavy coolness in my hands.

When you've only really worked with Jinhaos and LAMYs, this is a step up.  A big step up.  An acrophobia-inducing step up.

I couldn't wait to fill them.  Literally.  I dipped them.  I dipped the black Ixion in Beaufort's gorgeous 'Blue Black' (getting to be a firm favourite of mine) and dipped the blue one in Beaufort's 'Zodiac Blue'.

Ermagosh.

Lovely line variation, no rail-roading.  I am resolved to improve my penwomanship!

Behold! The black beauty!

...and the blue beauty!

I can't tell them apart.  As you can see by the squeezed in 'extra'.

Lovely line variation

I am a tiny bit in luff, can you tell? 

Me, being as arty AF

How I  can see ANYTHING through this

magnifying glass is a miracle.  It's MANKY.

But look at the Bock nibs!

These pens have been a long time coming and it's been disappointing having the release date pushed back, but, now that they are here, they are gorgeous.  Easy on the hand, divine to look at,  responsive nibs (easily changed too - Bock!)

Would I take part in another pen kickstarter? I don't know.  Probably not.  At least this was a company in Scotland.  Would I have been so sanguine about my cash and no pen if this was, say, an American company? Nopity-nope.  I'm hoping that Namisu have learned a lot from this particular learning curve and that future projects will go more smoothly.

Overall effect - I adore them and am madly glad that I have got two!