The Nova Pocket Pen is the latest Kickstarter launched fountain pen by the Kirkcaldy based design company Namisu. Originally with titanium cap, body, and section, one of the stretch goals was for the cap and body to be made from Ultem®, with this also being a clipless version. Backers started to receive their pens at the start of June and mine arrived on the third of the month.

Namisu have been around for a while with their first fountain pen coming out in 2017. The company designs the pens, launches them as projects on Kickstarter, then gets the component made for them before assembly and sending to the backers. Presumably enough additional units are procured at the same time as you can also purchase many of the existing models from their website. This is Namisu’s 17th successful project with only an iPhone dock not picking up enough backers. It could be considered a risky business model (remember Pebble watches …), but then it works for them. Downside is over time older models will disappear from their online store and also not all finishes will be available for general sale.

Capped this is a small though wide pen, almost is almost bullet like as the cap angles inwards until the domed finial. It is a clean shape, even with the short threads at the base of the barrel, though it should be remembered most versions of the Nova Pocket Pen do come with a clip. I did try a Kaweco Sport clip on this pen and while it works it does not quite look right, though any worries of scratching should be mitigated by Ultem® being reasonably resilient.

The cap removes in a single turn. It is single threaded, which means its one adornment, a small N for Namisu (the only branding on the pen), does line up with the nib ^{*see party trick later on}. Being translucent you can clearly see the nib and section through the Ultem® polymer. Additionally you can also see where the inner cap part ends and the nib should be sealed in, except this is too short and clearly visible. I would strongly suggest this was an error in the design, however in the 3.5 weeks I have now owned this pen there has been negligible ink loss.

The cap posts in just 2/3rds of a turn, fitting smoothly on the back and giving the pen a more traditional look. The shape is now much more reminiscent of a classic full sized pen and you can barely feel the seam between the cap and barrel. In fact the one piece of roughness I thought I could feel was actually the N mark which is slightly impressed. Posted the pen is a decent length in the hand and in this titanium/Ultem® combination is nicely balanced. I would need to try a fully metal pen to see if the same is the case with the ‘non-stretch goal’ design.

The section may be smooth but as it is only slightly angled in there is no need for too much finger tip pressure. Net result I do not find the material to be slippery to hold. Being long also means there are plenty of options on where to hold it. There is a slight step caused by the barrel threads but it is smooth and both this and a second step for where the cap meets the barrel feel as if they have been rounded.

The nib is a Bock #6 unit, I went with a fine steel, though titanium nibs were also available. Here we do have a party trick. The unit does not screw in to a section, but rather in to an additional sleeve, known as an aligner, which is ‘free floating’ meaning you can rotate it (by design) to line the nib up any which way you want. Originally this was to give you the choice of adjusting its position compared to the clip when the cap is posted, however here there is no clip but it does mean you can line up the nib with the Namisu branding.

The filling system is the short international cartridge and you are supplied with a Diamine Midnight one which I have been using and enjoying. The barrel is too short for any existing converter with the possible exception of the Kaweco squeeze bulb. I do not have one of these so I was unable to test and they also do not exactly have a great reputation. Despite the aligner for the nib unit you can eye dropper fill this pen and Namisu give instructions on how on their website. Basically as well as the barrel and nib unit threads you also apply silicone grease between the section and aligner.

In the hand this is a very comfortable pen and nicely balanced, but do remember this is the Ultem® version, which is lighter and will not be affected by the greater weight of the titanium cap plus the clip when posted. You can write with this pen unposted, but only for quick notes and I find I pulled the pen in to the crook of my hand which could cause cramp over a short period of time, but then the Nova Pocket Pen is designed to be posted.

As a pocket pen you may hit some limitations due to the design. The barrel is wider than you might expect though it will fit in anything wide enough to take an oversized pen, but only just with something like the Kaweco single pen pouch (cap first is tight, rear first is very tight). It is too large for a standard pen loop and so I am unable to carry this attached to my Midori Traveller Passport Journal, which is a shame. I did buy the optional leather pouch as an extra from the campaign and it works very well, though experience has taught me put the pen in cap first.

We need to talk about the material. A while back I asked if Ultem® is just the latest hyped material. A year or so back a new version of the Nova Studio was brought out in the polymer, and here it was stretch goal which does make me think Namisu have cautiously jumped on the bandwagon but potentially not seeing it as long lasting. Out of the two versions of the material they have gone with the cleaner, non-milky option, common amongst pen makers, and for me that is a good thing as the other can look like urine. Again, as with many pen makers, Namisu have gone for a semi-opaque look, which can hide a lot of manufacturing imperfections. Examining closely you can clearly see the lathing marks, however they are uniform and so close together that at a glance you would never notice. In some respects you could consider them to be patterning. The marks are that fine and that uniform. Personally I would have prefered the clear amber like finish that Gravitas have gone for with some of their models, such as the Vac filler, but that is my personal preference.

Packaging wise the pen came in a small slide our cardboard box with a foam insert. I can’t remember but I assume the cartridge was loose in the box. There is then an outer sleeve the box slides in to. The case came in a simple card sleeve.

My thoughts. Well at first I was a little uncertain. The pen is larger than I had anticipated, more like a pocket pen crossed with a sumo wrestler (ooh bitchy me), however once I started to use the Nova Pocket Pen I rapidly found myself enjoying the experience. The fact I could not attach it to my pocket journal was a bit of an issue, but I found myself dropping it in my pocket, protected by its sleeve. Now it must be remembered the majority of versions of this pen are fully titanium and so heavier. Additionally at present the Namisu website has just the bead blasted and stone washed versions available for pre-order, so not even the machined or petrol (rainbow/skittles) variants that were standard options on Kickstarter. I certainly would like to try an all titanium version and part regret not getting a second pen at the project price.

Cost wise these will be £85 when launched in the Namisu store, though they regularly do have sales (presently 20% off most of their pens). At the time of writing there is a pre-order discount of £10, though obviously not for this Ultem® clipless model.

Would I recommend the Nova Pocket Pen to others. Well I am still to try the full titanium versions, but for the Ultem® yes if you do not need a clip. Would I pay full price for it? Maybe, but then as I said before Namisu often have sales on their website. For the titanium version, anyone fancy lending me one to try 😉 .

Pros:

• Comfortable to hold and use.
• Nicely balanced.
• Good build quality.
• Comparatively wide for a pocket pen.

Neutral:

• Can change the position of the nib compared to the N on the cap (this will be of much more use if you have a clip).
• Lathe marks are visible when you look closely but are very uniform and could be considered a pattern.

Cons:

• Will not fit (or at least not securely) in a standard pen loop.

Writing Sample:

Photo Comparisons:

First with the ubiquitous Lamy Al-Star/Safari:

Now with a selection of pocket pens. From left to right – Pilot E95S (Elite), Kaweco Sport Al, Nova Pocket, Gravitas Pocket Pen, Gravitas Dinkey.