A Pen with a Story

Once upon a time, Lamy was a German brand... and Japanese tourists in Germany would buy Lamy pens to bring them back home as souvenir (omiyage, おみやげ) for coworkers, friends, and family members.

That was the case of the following pen.

A boxed Lamy 37.

And this pen's story is told through the contents of the box: what looks like a wrapping paper, and a hand-written text in Japanese.

The wrapping paper. Note the faint writing around the circular FVS logo on the upper right area of the paper.

The hand-written text.

The wrapping paper likely belongs to the shop “Julius Vaternahm” in Frankfurt (am Main) in Germany. A quick research online tells us that the publishing company Julius Vaternahm had also been very successful through the business of station bookshops.

There is also a faint annotation in Japanese made with a pencil on the paper. It reads something like “Uehara-sama”, 植原様.

The handwritten text inside the box is a lot more informative. It says that (the pen) had been a gift of the Governor of Osaka Satô after his trip to Germany between February 3rd and 13th 1962.

So here we have a Lamy pen that found its way from Frankfurt to Japan in the luggage of a prominent Japanese politician in 1962 to be given away to friends or political supporters. And that Mr. Uehara on the wrapping paper was possibly one of them.

It would be interesting to know how many pens the Governor --and his entourage-- had purchased during his time in Germany, and whether all of them were Lamy or some other brands were also included.

The Lamy 37 is surprisingly absent from the usual sources of information (*), and nothing very specific can be said about it. It certainly shows some similarities with the very popular 27, but the 37 does not match any of the numerous documented variations. A very comprehensive document on the Lamy 27 was published in the Fountain Pen Network in 2017 (thanks, Christof!).

The Lamy 37.

The Lamy 37 is a piston filler with a semi-hooded nib, made of 58.5% gold. The feed is clear and transluscent.

Gold nib, clear feed.

The cap is made of steel, and has the brand name engraved on the clip and on the cap lip. There is no logo on the cap jewel, which seems to be a feature on 1962 models and beyond.

The body is made of plastic and includes four ink windows. The brand name, in a rounder font, is imprinted on the barrel. The model name and the nib point are declared on the piston knob.

The rounder font of the "LAMY" imprint on the barrel.

These are the dimensions of the Lamy 37:

Length closed: 133 mm
Length open: 123 mm
Length posted: 146 mm
Diameter: 11.8 mm
Weight: 15.9 g (dry)
Ink deposit: 1.4 ml

And about 60 years later, Lamy became Japanese.


(*) The video on this link is the only source of information specifically on the Lamy 37 I have found online so far. Note it refers to a newer version of the model which includes a logo on the cap jewel.


My thanks to Poplicola-san.

Parker 75 – Diamine Bilberry

Bruno Taut
March 25th, 2025
labels: Lamy, Alemania, Japón

Davidoff After 10 Years

In 2015, a “techincal partnership” between luxury brand Davidoff and Sailor gave rise to the Very Zino line of pens which were, in actual terms, made by the Japanese company.

The two resulting models, the unnamed regular and the Mini, were generated around the big and the medium sizes of Sailor nibs, following the company's naming. In fact, the pens are little else than variations on the Profit and ProGear units included in its catalog, but priced at a much higher point.

	. 2015 .		. 2025 .
	. Sailor .	. Davidoff .	. Sailor .	. Davidoff .
Medium / Mini .	. 10000 (14 K) . 15000 (21 K)	. 28000 (18 K) .	. 18000 (14 K) (*) . 28000 (21 K)	. 33000 (18 K) (**) .
Big	20000 (21 K)	30000 (18 K)	32000 (21 K)	35000 (18 K) (**)

Prices of Davidoff and equivalent Sailor pens in 2015 and 2025 in JPY before taxes. For Sailor models the cheaper possible price among the different variants was chosen.
(*) In 2025, the transparent version of the Sailor Profit Light/Standard has a price of JPY 17000.
(**) The 2025 prices of the Davidoff pens are those of the later catalog. Discounts up to 50% can be found in Tokyo.

For some reason, the Davidoff pens did not do well, and by 2018 the brand was nowhere to be seen in the pen scene in Japan. Well, not exactly true—leftover Davidoff pens can be seen heavily discounted at some retailers.

On the picture, a Davidoff Very Zino Resin in black with a silver trim and a rhodiated nib.

Davidoff Very Zino Resin.

This pen, as well as its smaller sibling the Very Zino Resin Mini, came with two possible trims –gold and silver, with matching nibs—, and in two different colors—black and red (burgundy). The nib points, on both models, were EF, F, M, and B.

The Very Zino on its catalog.

Davidoff's nibs are geometrically identical –therefore, interchangeable— to those in the Sailor pens. The only difference, besides the obvious detail of the engraving, lies on the purity of the gold—21 K and 14 K for Sailor, 18 K for Davidoff, although in some distant past, Sailor also used 18 K gold for their big nibs.

From top to bottom, Sailor Black Luster, Davidoff Very Zino Resin, and Sailor ProGear.

The Very Zino pens use standard cartridges and converters, and for that purpose the Sailor feeds and sections had to be modified to accommodate a different cartridge nipple.

Sailor on the left, Davidoff on the right. In between, their corresponding feeds.

Davidoff's pens share the fundamental dimensions with the Sailor counterparts. The differences are limited to the finials, and caps, sections and barrels are interchangeable among them. The only limitation is associated to the extra length of the standard converter in the Davidoff—it does not fit in the Sailor barrels.

These are the dimensions of the Davidoff Very Zino Resin (regular) pen together with those of the Sailor Profit (in the Black Luster version) and of the ProGear:

	Davidoff .Very Zino.	Sailor .Black Luster.	Sailor . ProGear .
Length closed (mm)	133	141	128
Length open (mm)	120	123	116
Length posted (mm)	149	154	148
Diameter (mm)	16.7	16.0	15.9
Weight (dry, g)	38.6	28.4	24.5
Ink deposit (ml)	. 0.7/1.45/0.8 (*) .	1.2/0.7 (**)	. 1.2/0.7 (**) .

Dimensions of the standard size Davidoff Very Zino together with those of the 21 Series of the Sailor (Profit) Black Luster and Pro Gear.
(*) Volumes of the short standard cartridge, long standard cartrige, and the Davidoff standard converter.
(**) Volumes of the Sailor cartridge and Sailor converter.

The Davidoff pen in standard size shares the section with the Profit Black Luster (and other FL models, of course). In the case of the Mini, there is no equivalent in the Sailor catalog. This detail adds some value to the Davidoffs as they are either unique or higher in the their position compared to Sailor models.

But, as previously mentioned, three years after their release in Japan, Davidoff was gone. I dare to say that the pricing was wrong and the goal of positioning those pens as a more luxurious product with respect to the equivalent Sailor models did not really work. After all, Davidoff might very well be a luxury brand, but it is a nobody in the world of fountain pens.

JD Fake Custom Urushi – Taccia Kuro

Bruno Taut
February 25th, 2025
etiquetas: Sailor, Davidoff, mercado

Ohashido No More

Some weeks ago, blogger Fudefan released the news—Mr. Uehara had stopped the production of Ôhashidô pens in December of 2024.

Ôhashidô's lathe in 2023.

These news have surprised most of us. Not much information we really know and we can only speculate.

We do know, though, that Mr. Uehara had been struggling to source nibs for several years. Let us remember that he was using Sailor nibs, and Sailor went as far as engraving them in origin —that is in Kure— with the Ôhashidô imprint. But at some point, that relationship strained leaving Mr. Uehara in a difficult situation—fewer nibs meant fewer pens and lower sales. Making ends meet, therefore, became harder.

Some Ôhashidô pens on display at Maruzen's Pen Fair, March 2022.

Was that all the problem? Probably not, but it surely contributed to the demise of the brand.

Long ago I described Ôhashidô as a preindustrial operation, a one-man company without any system in the production. Chaotic as it might sound, that was also part of the appeal.

Some Ôhashidô products.

But Ôhashidô is no more, and we can only turn our eyes to all those old pens –even if there were recently made— to enjoy the charms of Uehara's works.

Well, we can also look for leftover pens in the hands of some retailers...

Ôhashidô's booth at Mitsukoshi's Fountain Pens of the World fair in 2017.

Ôhashidô, you will be missed. Uehara-san, please come back soon.

Asvine V126 – Waterman Florida Blue

Bruno Taut
February 17th, 2025
etiquetas: Ôhashidô, mercado

Even More Chinese Capless

By now we know how Chinese pen makers, when trying to capitalize the success of capless pens, have taken the route of copying well-known models: Lanbitou copied Platinum, Jinhao and Moonman copied Pilot. But, is there room for creating new and different models?

It seems so, actually.

The following pen is a Dianshi, and it is a capless pen, an inexpensive capless pen.

Dianshi DS-784

The Dianshi DS-784's price is about 4 to 5 USD. It is made entirely of plastic and, most likely, it can only be inked with proprietary cartridges. It carries no markings save a fairly big sticker by the clip, and on the box.

These are its dimensions:

Length closed: 14.1 mm
Length open: 13.9 mm
Diameter: 10.5 mm
Weight: 14.0 g (with an empty cartridge)

Externally, the pen looks very symmetrical (save for the obvious clip). However, the area close to the nose is molded in a quasi triangular shape to ease the grip.

The nib lid –essential on a capless pen to prevent it from drying up-- opens to the right of the nib. By means of an elastic material (see the pic). This movement makes the nib point very visible to the user as long as he was right-handed. Lefties, though, might be left in the dark, although this would depend on each particular grip.

How durable is that mechanism?

The lid, to the right. The nib, made of steel.

The clip, interestingly enough, is located on the upper side of the pen, close to the push button. This detail might please some users, but the undesirable effect is that the nib will face downwards when carrying the pen on a shirt pocket. Who would want to take this risk?

Moonman and Dianshi, side by side.

All in all, this Dianshi pen seems an interesting product as it is an attempt to create an original pen instead of being just a copy of a well-known product by other maker. It also comes with some defects, but there is hope in honest error, as C. R. MacIntosh once said.


My thanks to Mr. Shimizu.

Jinhao Dadao 9019 – Diamine Bilberry

Bruno Taut
February 4th, 2025
Etiquetas: Dianshi, capless, mercado

More Chinese Capless

Chinese pen companies have certainly felt the appeal of the capless idea. More so, dare I say, than any other country manufacturing pens.

Aside of those old capless made in China in the 1990s –Lily 910 and Wuhan-Dagong—, some of the now-active pen brands in China have recreated successful models made in Japan. First was Lanbitou with its copy of the Platinum Curidas. Then, Moonman (also named Majohn) created its personal version of the current Pilot Capless model, albeit with the addition of a clipless version. And soon afterwards came the A2 model, a revision of the faceted FCN Pilot model of the 1990s.

And some months ago was is the turn of another Chinese brand—Jinhao and its model 10.

Jinhao 10.

As was the case of the Moonman, the looks and structure of the Jinhao 10 are almost identical to those of the Pilot Capless. And the most obvious difference among the three of them is the central ring, as can be seen on the picture.

From top to bottom, Pilot Capless, Jinhao 10 and Moonman A1.

In the case of the black-matte finish, the variation I got my hands on, the Jinhao is closer in color and texture to the original Japanese than the Moonman, darker and shinier.

These are the dimensions of the three pens:

	.Pilot Capless.	.Jinhao 10.	.Moonman A1.
Length closed (mm)	141	142	142
Length open (mm)	137	138	139
Max diameter (mm)	13.2	13.0	12.9
Weight, dry (g)	30.0	33.2	33.7
Ink deposit (ml)	0.9 (cart) 0.5 (CON-40)	0.9 (cart) 0.3 (conv)	0.9 (cart) 0.4 (conv)

The Jinhao nib is very similar to that of the Moonman. On both cases they are made of steel, and their geometries are apparently the same. However, the feeds show different markings on the sides of the ink channels. Jinhao's nib come as F and as EF, whereas Moonman's units are only EF.

From top to bottom, Pilot's 18 K gold nib (M), Jinhao's steel nib (F), and Moonman's A1 steel nib (EF).

The cartridge-to-nib coupling on the Jinhao is, at least on my unit, precarious and unsecured. The user might be inclined to ink it solely through the converter despite its very limited capacity to avoid unnecessary risks. Or he could try the Moonman converter—it fits and holds a greater volume of ink. And once you open that route, it is just about try and error.

So, all in all, it seems that the Jinhao is less capable and reliable that the Moonman, but their bottom line is the same—low cost capless pens with the looks of a Pilot.

Asvine V126 – Waterman's Florida Blue

Bruno Taut
January 30th, 2025
label: Pilot, Moonman, Jinhao, capless

Music Mini

Yet another example of a music nib.

Japanese pen makers have remained faithful to the idea of the music nib for a long time, and that despite their absence in the catalog of Western makers for many years. Pilot, Platinum, and Sailor did preserve them in the meantime, although the later of them, Sailor, did simplify it by removing one slit and transforming it into a stub nib.

Sailor did make three-tine nibs in the past. Actually, Masa Sunami and Andreas Lambrou show one such example on their book Fountain Pens of Japan: a humble Sailor Candy from 1979 with a music nib made of steel.

However, the balance model Profit (1911 in many markets) was initially marketed in 1981, and since then implements a new nib whose music version with just one slit and two tines.

The pen I am showing today was made in 1966 and its music nib preserves the traditional geometry. It is also a pocket pen, named Mini by Sailor since its creation in 1963.

Sailor Mini with a three-tine music nib.

This music nib is made of 18 K gold and is not marked with any inscription showing the nib point. It just says Sailor, the gold purity, and the JIS mark. The nib point, though, is revealed on the sticker attached to the cap, together with the original prince of the pen—JPY 3000.

The main character of the story.

These are the dimensions of this pen:

Length closed: 125 mm
Length open: 95 mm
Length posted: 145 mm
Diameter: 12.0 mm
Weight: 14.0 g (dry with empty cartridge)
Ink deposit: 1.2 ml (Sailor cartridge)

Within the Mini lineup of Sailor, this pen belongs to the more luxurious tier: gold trim, 18 K nib, 18 K gold plated cap band.

Five different Sailor Mini with the same size and shape. The three top pens are GT --gold trim-- and implement 18 K gold nibs and 18 K gold plated cap bands. The lower two pens use 14 K gold nibs.

How common were these music nibs? Hard to say, but those Sailor Mini are easy to find in flea markets and pen shows, and usually they are very inexpensive. However, the vast majority of those Sailor pens implement F and M nibs, and music and B nibs are rarities.

Writing sample with this Sailor music nib.

So, this is “yet another music nib”, but not just any music nib.

Antigua's Yatate II – Aurora Black

Bruno Taut
December 30th, 2024
label: Sailor, plumín, plumín musical

On Route

Come Fall and my time for pen shows starts. Paris, Tokyo, and finally Madrid.

From Friday 15th to Sunday 17th, the Madrid Pen Show will take place at Centro de Negocios MEEU (Calle Agustín de Foxá 40, 28036 Madrid; in the Chamartín Station Complex). In there, around 70 dealers and an enthusiastic pen community will gather around pens and inks.

And I am just starting my journey to attend the event. Say hello if you happened to be there.

Lotus Maharaja with Custom Nib Studio nib – Private Reserve Dakota Red

Bruno Taut
November 10th, 2024
etiquetas: evento, Madrid

Mr. Niikura

Today I woke up to very sad news: Mr. Niikura has passed away. He was 84 years old.

Mr. Niikura teaching at a Wagner meeting in 2010.

Yes, Mr. Pilot is no longer with us, and his generosity providing information on Pilot and on Japanese pens in general is forever gone.

I had the immense luck of sharing many pen meetings with him, and I owe him a great deal of all I know about pens. That, I think, could be said by many of whose attending those reunions, where Mr. Niikura shared his knowledge and expertise after a life working for Pilot.

You will be missed, Mr. Niikura.

Sit tibi terra levis.

Pilot Grandee Urushi – Pilot Blue

Bruno Taut
November 2nd, 2024
label: Pilot, evento

Quattro Box

Pen boxes―love them, ignore them, hate them. Boxes―thrown away or kept?

A lot can be said about them, but today I am not speaking about them in general but just about one in particular: that of the Pilot Quattro 89.

This pen, recently reviewed, implements a small size 3 nib in an unusual body, squarish in profile. This pen was certainly not an entry level model, but neither was a top luxurious unit. The price, JPY 30000, was on pair with that of the Custom 823 with a size 15 nib. So, I guess, this Quattro was for those who favored style and originality over function.

Same price--Custom 823 and Quattro 89.

And the Quattro box does reflect that. The package includes a folder with an instruction sheet specifically printed for the model, a translucent sheet with some “Engrish” ideas (“sincerity, considerate, stately, originality”), and three sheets of high quality paper together with three envelopes made of the same paper. And all of them discretely show the squarish logo of the pen model.

Note the logo on all the elements on the pic--letter paper, envelope and pen cap.

The bilingual sheet of instructions. More Engrish...

The package is certainly original and elegant without being overwhelming. However, what do those sheets of paper and envelopes add to the pen?

And, finally, how many Quattros were sold thanks to the paper and the packaging?

Lamy LX – Private Reserve Dakota Red

Bruno Taut
October 20th, 2024
etiquetas: Pilot

Edible Ink

This is the last ink I have bought:

Squid ink.

At least, it is not just edible but delicious.

Arròs negre.

However, beyond the obvious joke, the underlying question is how much ink do we need, and how much ink do we accumulate. And what we do with it!

My latest inventory showed about 5 liters of ink, and that without collecting them. Possibly, dare I say, this accumulation is the result of many years of pen collecting and of writing about pens; plus some donations from friends and readers of these pages.

A small sample of my inks.

But what can we do with so much ink? That is why I'd rather buy edible ink.

Parker 75 – Diamine Bilberry

Bruno Taut
October 17th, 2024
etiquetas: tinta

Paris 2024

But not the Olympic Games--the Paris Pen Show.

Last weekend (October 5th and 6th), the first Paris Pen Show was celebrated at the Hôtel de l'industrie. It was a two-day event, organized by Stylographie, a magazine on the matter.

The Pen Show attracted over 30 dealers and about 800 visitors, although this official figure is questioned by a number of dealers and visitors. The total available space was 270 square meters divided in two lounges.

This decision, two different spaces, caused some problems. A number of aficionados, and even some organizers, were not aware of the smaller exhibition area with just half a dozen dealers. But at the same time, the bigger lounge lacked light and became crowded hampered by the narrow circulation areas in between dealers.

Then, how was this event? One more pen show is always good news, but good wishes are not enough for it to succeed.

Paris, always attractive, is also unbelievably expensive, this creates a number of obstacles  for all the parties involved—expensive hotels, expensive meals, expensive transportation...

Attracting visitors is never easy—you must organize the event, advertise it, and then... cross your fingers. Making it a paying event –EUR 10 per day, EUR 20 for early admission on Saturday-- filters some uninterested public, but also reduces the capability to reach newer and younger aficionados, and the current demographic of the European stylophile is far from being young.

800 visitors, then, is not a bad figure, but as mentioned before, some dealers were skeptical about it. And on top of that, the volume of business was not what some expected. Not enough visitors? Expensive pens? Mismatched supply and demand? Who knows...

This Pen Show was good news, but more work needs to be done.

Jinhao Dadao 9019 – Montblanc Irish Green

Bruno Taut
October 10th, 2024
labels: evento, París