Showing posts with label mercado. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mercado. Show all posts

29 February 2024

Japanese Lamy

Mitsubishi Pencil Co (::1::, ::2::) has just announced the acquisition of Lamy, the German pen company based in Heidelberg.

The announcement of the acquisition.

Surprising as this might be, there are very good reasons behind this movement:

The first of them is strongly related to the very low birth rate and population decrease in Japan. One of the obvious side effects of those is the shrinkage of the domestic market, and in this case that of stationery products.

Buying Lamy, Mitsubishi Pencil Co. gains access to new markets and to an extensive distribution network.

Lamy Safari Kanji, from 2022. Now, more Japanese than ever.

A second argument deals with the lack of high end products in the Mitsubishi Pencil catalog. And with this action, the Japanese company aims at gaining some presence in a more lucrative sector of the stationery market.

The price paid to the Lamy family has not been disclosed.


Lotus Saral Titanium – Pilot Black (Thai)

Bruno Taut
February 29th, 2024
etiquetas: Lamy , Mitsubishi Pencil, mercado

28 February 2024

Kanreki

The Japanese word “kanreki” refers to the celebration of the 60th birthday. For the occasion, the birthday guy wears a red outfit composed by a cap and a vest –the “chanchanko”— typically used by babies to represent the rebirth and the beginning of a new life.

In the world of fountain pens, though, “kanreki” primarily refers to the Sailor Kanreki, In the Winter of 2007-08, Sailor marketed a Professional Gear pen in several hues of red to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Kawaguchi Akihiro, the Pen Doctor. Mr. Kawaguchi, in fact, participated in the design of this pen.

And years later, in 2023, the rival company Pilot celebrated another kanreki—that of the Capless model, originally released in 1963.

Again, a red pen –only one tone of red— with black trim and black nib. This time, though, it was a limited edition of 2023 numbered units.

It is quite obvious the cultural appeal of the term kanreki, and despite its very local nature —or maybe because of it!— both Sailor and Pilot have used it for their products. Should we wait for a Platinum Kanreki as well?

Kanreki.

Anyway, now in 2024 we have two pens from two different brands with the same model name. Confusing? Maybe, but you should never underestimate the inabilities of Japanese companies to name their products.


Pilot pocket Sterling Silver – Pilot Black

Bruno Taut
February 2024
Etiquetas: Pilot, Sailor, Capless, mercado

19 November 2023

Timber! Timber! TIPS 2023

The 2023 Tokyo International Pen Show (TIPS) took place during the first weekend of November 3rd to 5th, and it´s time to reflect on it and on the new trends in the market. Needless to say, what I might write is just my perception and I am sure I am missing many other movements.


First, the pen show in itself. 3 days, 180 tables, five shifts to attend it, most of them sold out. The figures clearly speak of a big success. It might not be what you expect from a pen show, but this East Asian style pen show does work, and, best of all, attracts younger generations of stationery aficionados.


And that because, as I have repeatedly said, TIPS is not a pen show but a stationery fair where many vendors simply display their latest products. More on this later.

The shift system –you pay to enter the show during a limited period of just four hours, morning or afternoon- is one of the unfortunate aftereffects of the pandemic years. What initially was a good idea to limit the number of people at the lounge at once and thus limiting the risk of infection is now an excuse to increase the total number of visitors and the revenue associated to selling tickets. The downside of it is easy to understand—this fair is not a meeting point for aficionados but just a market place where you better rush to see it all and to execute your purchases.

On this occasion, 2023, the large number of vendors –180- pushed the organizers to use two lounges on two different floors in the building. Moving between them could be very easy, but the organizers decided to make it difficult and unpleasant despite giving you a paper bracelet as soon as you entered the fair. It looked like they did not trust their own controlling mechanisms. But do not ask difficult questions...

So, what was on offer at TIPS 2023? More of the same things we saw on previous years: very few second hand and vintage pens, many more new pens, inks, paper, assorted paraphernalia...

Assortted paraphernalia...

However, I could see some new trends:

1. Timber, timber, timber! It seems wood lathes are on sale and the number of people making wooden pens –fountain pens, ball pens, mechanical pencils-- was surprising. But, is the market big enough for so many operations?

Timber! Timber!

2. Emerging markets. TIPS is a success in previous years and so it seems like a good stage where to present new companies and new products. In previous years we saw some European and American traders. This year, we also saw dealers from India, PR China and Turkey.

An Indian trader--Endless.

3. Urushi might be from East Asia, but now it is everywhere. And by urushi I also mean urushi-based decorative techniques. At TIPS 2023 we could see some interesting examples of urushi and raden decorated pens made in India and in Turkey.

Urushi-nuri and raden from Turkey.

Conclusions:

– The TIPS model –a stationery fair- works and is here to stay, Its ability to attract younger aficionados is a powerful argument to support this event in the years to come. Pens might not be the argument to attract them, but it does not matter as long as they come.

– New trends come and go. Wooden pens and urushi-decorated pens might be fashionable now, but everything can change overnight.

– Look out for products and companies coming from emerging markets as they will pose a very serious competition to well established companies.

Would I come again? Not sure. I always end up disappointed, but it is a good place to find out what is going on in the world of stationery.


Moonman A2 - Diamine Bilberry

Bruno Taut
November 8th, 2023
etiquetas: mercado, evento, Tokyo, maki-e

15 September 2023

Oversized Jinhao

The speed at which Chinese pen companies are releasing their new models is no longer a surprise. An obvious side effect of this practice is the practical impossibility to keep track of all the novelties in the market. But now and then a model strikes out and makes some waves.

The Jinhao Dadao 9019. Engravings on the clip ("JINHAO") and on the cap ring ("JINHAO - DADAO No. 9019").

Lately, Jinhao has released an oversized pen with a size 8 nib—the Jinhao Dadao 9019. In essence, this is a torpedo-shape pen, with very clean lines, made of plastic. Its overal shape and proportions ressemble those of some pens made by the Ban-ei group of artisans (and a number of small operations making jumbo pens). The actual dimensions of this pen are as follow:

Length closed: 142.4 mm
Length open: 130.3 mm
Length posted: 171.0 mm
Diameter: 19.1 mm (cap), 16.3 mm (barrel)
Weight: 31,5 g (dry)
Ink deposit: 2.2 ml

The barrel diameter, 16.3 mm, is slightly smaller than that of a 6-bu jumbo pen. However, the proportions seem basically preserved, rendering a very familiar pen... albeit with some interesting additions.

First and foremost, this pen is a cartridge-converter, and accepts short (0.7 ml) and long (1.45 ml) international cartridges, and standard converters. But the pen comes with its own converter that takes benefit of the oversized barrel—a girthier, larger converter holding 2.2 ml of ink.

An oversized converter that holds 2.2 ml of ink.

Not a new idea —Sailor used this same strategy in the 1960s for its model Magna L-, but is seldom seen in the industry.

A second detail, very common in Japanese pens, is the o-ring on the thread coupling the barrel and the section. This rubber gasket secures the connection between those two parts, and some users might feel tempted to eyedropper this pen, but first they should seal the tail hole on the barrel.

On the negative side, the pen lacks an inner cap, and this absence might cause premature drying of the nib, although it does not seem the case during the days I have been using this pen.

The size 8 nib made of steel: "JINHAO / F / X159". And a plastic feed.

The nib, a size 8 made of steel, had the options of EF, F and M nib points. Out of the box, my unit was dry and a bit rough, Some adjustment was done and now it writes smoothly and with an adequate flow. The conclusion is that this nib is correct, but it is not fully finished when leaving the factory.

All in all, the Jinhao Dadao 9019 is a very interesting pen, in particular when the price –about EUR 13, or even less— is taken into account.

On the other hand, the problems we see on it, however, are those common to many (PR) Chinese pens—lack of nib points, mediocre quality control, and limited distribution channels.


PS: At the time of publishing this Chronicle I took the pen from the pouch where I had carried it around for some days. Actually, I had not open the pen for over a week. And much to my surprise, the cap was filled with ink, and the converter was almost empty, and this, given the high capacity of the ink deposit, can be a very dirty issue. None of the other three pens in the pouch had this problem. So, we might need to handle this pen with care. Caution is adviced.


Jinhao Dadao 9019 – Platinum Black

Bruno Taut
September 2nd, 2023
etiquetas: Jinhao, China, mercado

28 July 2023

Japanese Workhorses in 2023

We have just seen that the Pilot's model Custom 74 has been in the market for over 30 years. But what about the direct competitors in the Japanese market?

The three contenders. From back to front, Platinum 3776 Century, Pilot Custom 74, and Sailor Standard Profit.

Platinum had released the 3776 model in 1978, but this model has gone through a number of modifications over the years, as we had seen in previous texts. The latest iteration, so far, is the 3776 Century initially released in 2012. At the time, the Century's price was JPY 10000, and it had eight nib options, although the model with the music nib was more expensive at JPY 15000. All of them were made of 14 K gold.

Platinum 3776 Century Bourgogne, M nib. This color variation does not convey any overprice. JPY 10000 in 2012, JPY 20000 in 2023.

Sailor had marketed the Profit model in 1983 based on the 70th anniversary pen of 1981. In 2003-04, the current version saw the market—two cap rings, new nib decoration, etc. By 2012, our reference year, the Standard Profit cost JPY 12000 and offered seven nib options. Should you want a 21 K gold nib in the same size, the price was JPY 15000.

Sailor Standard Profit, F nib. JPY 12000 in 2012, JPY 13000 in 2023.

In that same year of 2012, Pilot's Custom 74 with the size 5 nib in 14 K gold had a total of eleven nib options: nine of them for JPY 10000, and two, music (MS) and coarse (C), for JPY 12000.

Pilot Custom 74 with SM -soft medium- nib. JPY 10000 in 2012; JPY 12000 in 2023.

How are these pens in 2023?

The Pilot Custom 74 costs now JPY 2000 more: JPY 12000 for most of the nib points, and JPY 14000 for MS and C nibs.

Platinum has increased the prices a lot more: JPY 20000 for the basic version, and JPY 28000 for the Century with music nib.

Finally, Sailor also increased the prices to JPY 13000, plus an additional hike to JPY 15000 for the zoom and music nibs. (The 21 K option became JPY 22000, and JPY 25000, respectively).

In all three brands, the number of nib options remains untouched, although Pilot did release an new variation—the S, signature—that is not shown in the catalog.

So, after 10 years, these old pens are still the workhorses of their companies, but the changes in their prices have altered their relative positions with respect to each other.

Pilot is now the cheaper option while having the highest number of nib options.

Platinum's Century is now in a higher price range. This pen is now on par with the Pilot Custom 742 (size 10 nib), but the Pilot offers many more nib points in that pen—16.

Platinum 3776 Century with music nib. It went from JPY 15000 to JPY 28000.

Sailor's price hike was, proportionally, lower than those by Platinum and Pilot, but still high enough to become more expensive than the Pilot Custom 74. However, Sailor's problem might be different—the immense number of variations in the form of “shop-original pens” creates a complex scenario where the basic Standard Profit became buried if not invisible.

So, the conclusion is that, in this context, the Pilot Custom 74 becomes even more desirable than 10 years ago.

(All prices quoted without taxes. In Japan, VAT is 10%).


Moonman T2 – Pilot Black (Thai version)

Bruno Taut
July 28th 2023
etiquetas: Pilot, Platinum, Sailor, mercado

08 July 2023

Mannenhitsu-no Yamada

Nothing lasts forever...

万年筆の山田. Mannenhitsu-no Yamada.

Mannenhitsu-no Yamada, the operation run by Mr. Kubota in the city of Matsumoto (Nagano, Japan) closed its doors this past May. Therefore the production of pens came to an end.



Mr. Kubota, born in 1939, took over the business in the 1980. Initially he used maki-e techniques to decorate his pens, but that proved too time consuming and not many customers were willing to pay for them and make ends meet. As a consequence, he changed his approach and began to use Damascene techniques that were popular in Japan in the Edo period. Kubota's pens started showing those metallic inserts together with some mother-of-pearl designs and some other materials –wood, tortoiseshell,...

Lately, his pens were simpler—plain ebonite, bamboo,... But he still took orders from customers.



The nibs were more often than not, Sailor. However, he used Pilot cartridges and converters on some of his pens.

Well, no more. Mr. Kubota, now 84, has decided to retire and his pens will become more appreciated. After all, that is how the market works.

Mr. Kubota.


My thanks to Mr. Kubota and to Poplicola-san.


Pilot #10 Tsugaru nuri - Diamine Imperial Purple.

Bruno Taut
San Fermín 2023
etiquetas: Mannenhitsu-no Yamada, mercado, Japón

16 June 2023

The 23rd Pen Trade in Tokyo

This past Sunday –June 11th–, the 23rd edition of the Pen Trade event took place in Tokyo. As I had said in the past, this is the actual pen show in Tokyo, at least in the Western sense of the concept.


The drawback of this event, though, lies in its size—17 tables and around 100 visitors. But why is it so small when the metropolitan area of Tokyo hosts about 36 million people, there is an active pen community, and a rich pen manufacturing tradition?

Relaxed atmosphere.

But at the same time, are there real incentives to make it grow? Probably not, and I venture some hypothesis to explain that:

– In Tokyo there are pen and stationery events almost every single month, and people might not feel the need to cater the craving for pen action at this particular moment in the year.

– The Tokyo International Pen Show (TIPS) does attract more people than this Pen Trade event due to its eclectic nature—everything goes in there, new pens, old pens, paper, ink, paraphernalia,...

– Younger generations seem more focused on ink than on pens.

So, in summary, the potential market for a big pen-focused pen show in Tokyo is fragmented.

Some interesting pens on this table.

But in any event, and despite its size, there were some interesting pens and attractive people with whom to share information. And because of that, the date of the Pen Trade is the big day for those who love pens in Tokyo.


Parker 51 – Sailor Tomikei Blue

Bruno Taut
June 12th, 2023
etiquetas: Tokyo, mercado

31 May 2023

Decade

One of the most interesting pens released in 2022 was the Platinum Decade, made to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the model 3776 Century. And it is interesting because it somehow departs from the very trite trick of rehashing a well known model by simply changing the color.

The Platinum Decade in the box.

For this pen Platinum changed two elements with the result of a more attractive pen:

The first is the overall shape and style—gathered ma-non-tanto. Like the first edition 3776 of 1978, but not too much, The gathered style, let us remember, remains in the Platinum catalog to this day after a numerous adaptation to the successive changes in the model.

A collection of 3776 models, plus the Platinum Glamour.

Platinum Decade (bottom) and 1978 Platinum 3776 (top).

The result, the Decade pen, recalls the old model while also being new.

The second detail that makes this pen different is the nib. As can be seen on the picture, Platinum took the effort of designing a new geometry for the nib instead of simply implementing the old Century unit.

The two nibs, side by side. The Platinum Decade on the left, a regular 3776 Century on the right.

This is a lot more that what platinum has been doing in the last years—endless variations of the 3776 Century changing colors and textures, all of them with the same nib.

So Platinum now deserves some recognition.


Parker 51, burgundy – Sailor Tomikei Blue

Bruno Taut
May 31st, 2023
etiquetas: Platinum, plumín, mercado

27 April 2023

New Izumo (II)

As we saw yesterday, Platinum has announced a new Izumo series of pens with a relatively new nib—a #3776 made of 18 K gold.

It could be argued that Platinum had paid attention to a typical complain—the President nib looks small on the Izumo pen. But how do President and #3776 nibs compare? Is the #3776 unit going to correct that perception?


The fact is that the #3776 is just slightly bigger than the President, as the following table shows:


. President .
18 K Au
.#3776.
. 14 K Au .
Total length (mm) 25.5 29.1
Exposed length (mm) 20.9 21.8
Width (mm) 8.1 8.6
Weight (g) 0.6 0.7

And a similar effect can be seen when comparing a #3776 Century and a President pen side by side. These two pens are very similar in dimensions.

President (top) and #3776 Century (bottom).

Izumo Akatamenuri (top) and President (bottom).

On the Izumo, the problem is the actual girth of the pen, significantly larger than that of the regular President:

Izumo
.Akatamenuri.
.President. #3776
.Century.
Length closed (mm) 155 143 140
Length open (mm) 134 122 120
Max. diameter (cap) (mm) 17.5 16.0 15.3
Barrel Diameter (mm) 15.7 13.4 13.3

So, will the #3776 nib correct the perception of a small nib attached to a big pen? Only marginally, I'm afraid.

The actual problem of Platinum is the lack of a big nib, a nib comparable to the Sailor super big (King of Pen) or to the Pilot size 30 (Custom Urushi). And that is a serious handicap if you wanted to design and produce a big pen.


Pilot Custom 74, Yamada Seisakusho – Diamine Teal

Bruno Taut
Yokohama, April 26th, 2023
etiquetas: plumín, mercado, Platinum

26 April 2023

New Izumo (I)

Platinum has just announced a new release of the well-known Izumo series of pens.

The name of this new variations is Iro Urushi, colored lacquer, and is composed by two models –Aitetsu Iro, a bluish green pen; and Budô Nezu, brown with greyish tones.

Platinum Izumo Iro Urushi Aitetsu Iro.

Budô Nezu Izumo. Note the silver trim on both pens.

But what might be more relevant to this new pens is the implementation of a different nib with an additional nib point. Traditionally, Izumo pens sport President nibs of 18 K gold with points F, M and B. The exception are the models made of weaved bamboo –the Yokoajiro and the Gozame with catalog references PBA–120000Y, and PBA-120000G, whose nibs are of the #3776 type.

The new nib. Or not so new. And for the first time, there will be Izumo pens with BB points.

And these #3776 nibs, rhodiated and made of 18 K Au, will also be used on the new Iro Urushi Izumo pens with the options of F, M, B and BB points.

Two questions remain open: will these #3776 nibs be implemented on the existing spindle-shape Izumo pens? How much will these Iro Urushi pens cost?

Parker 51 burgundy – Tomikei Blue (Sailor)

Bruno Taut
Yokohama, April 26th, 2023
etiquetas: plumín, maki-e, mercado, Platinum

26 February 2023

Ink Color or Ink Properties?

Now we know that the Pilot Tsuwairo inks –or at least the blue one-- do work in the water resistance department. And I will assume that the claims of being lightfast are also true, although I have not tested that.

So all is good and well, but do we really need all that? Is there a demand for inks with those properties?

Before the bath.

Some water resistance might indeed be useful. Back in 2015, the Peaceable Writer wanted her inks to “have decent water resistance, so that my pages survive an inevitable coffee ring or spill” (::1::). Do we need much more than that? And my point now is that the old fashioned Pilot Blue and Blue-black inks do show an acceptable resistance to water at a much lower price.

The bath.

Something similar can be said about lightfast capabilities. The usual action is to close the notebook or to file the document after writing. Then, how much more resistance to light do we need?

And more importantly, how much are we willing to pay?

And back to the first question—is there really a demand for inks like these by Pilot—or by Platinum, Sailor, etc?

After the bath.

I confess my lack of understanding of the ink market. The inflation in colors, brands, and also in prices defies any rational analysis, but the inkunuma creature –the dweller in that colorful swamp of inks—seems driven mosre by the ink color than by the actual characteristics of the ink.

And that is why I do not understand these new inks by Pilot.


Parker 51 — Sailor Yama-dori

Bruno Taut
February 24th, 2023
etiquetas: Pilot, tinta, mercado