Sunday, December 13, 2020

REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN

REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN
Sometimes, it's the simplest products that create the most lasting impression. As a fan of minimal design and clean aesthetics, I tend to buy a lot of pens that follow that statement closely: (most often) metal fountain pens, with a sleek and cool, almost sterile appearance. 

The pen we're looking at today, the Eboya Houga, certainly classifies as a minimal design, but other than that it's the polar opposite of what I just described. It's constructed out of warm and characterful ebonite, handmade to order (!) in Tokyo. Due to their small-scale production, you might not have heard of Eboya before. They're quite scarcely available outside of Japan, with our new sponsor, Sakura Fountain Pen Gallery, being the only EU-based store I know that carries them.
REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN
The Eboya Houga is as simple as can be, anything but 'ornate', and the presentation isn't excessive or luxurious, either: The simple cardboard packaging isn't much to write home about, and the pen doesn't even come with a converter (Although you do receive a handmade pen sleeve and a Faber-Castell branded converter when you buy your Eboya from Sakura). The focus lies entirely with the pen itself, and the craftsmanship that goes into its simple form, which - to me - is a very Japanese thing. What you see is what you get.
REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN
The design of the Houga is so minimal, in fact, that your eye is immediately drawn to the material. Since Eboya is a daughter-company from Japanese ebonite manufacturer Nikko, it comes to no surprise that the one and only material Eboya uses for their pens, is ebonite. Nikko ebonite is widely known as some of the finest ebonite you can buy, and the simple designs of Eboya pens offer an ideal canvas to show off the fine textures and colors of the materials. This 10th-anniversary edition 'Kouffuu' is an excellent example of how stunning ebonite can be, but all the regular marbled colorways are very good-looking, too. 
REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN
Ebonite, unlike acrylics or celluloids, is a fairly two-dimensional material, in that it doesn't show intricate depth and color gradation in the material. Instead, opaque streaks of color swirl around in a deep black base, giving a very subtle hint of color. The 10th-anniversary edition 'Kouffuu', is an ebonite with subtle streaks of red and blue, as well as bright beige, mixed together in a delicate swirl. The 10th-anniversary limited editions are re-introductions of four materials from ten years ago and are extremely limited in availability (though the pens aren't individually numbered). The last two 10th anniversary pens, in the colors Bokusui and Zakuro, are still available at Sakura. But once they are gone, they're gone!
REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN
More so than with other materials, I find that ebonite really shines (pun absolutely intended) when it's polished extremely well, but it can also just as easily look dull when it's not quite done right (black ebonite pens often look a bit 'dull' compared to black acrylic, but not this one). It just so happens that Eboya really differentiates themselves from the pack, when it comes to polishing. The ebonite is shinier than any other modern ebonite pen I've come across. The excellent polishing brings out the pattern of the material and makes the black appear darker. 
REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN
REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN
L to R: Leonardo MZ Grande, Pelikan M800, Pelikan M1005, Montblanc 149, Eboya Houga, Lamy Safari, Lamy 2000
Eboya is one of the very few pen brands (that I know of) that offers all their models in three sizes (small, medium and large), giving some freedom in choosing the form factor that best suits your hand. I went for the large version, not only because it's the only size in which the 10th-anniversary pens are (were) available, but also just because I like oversized pens, sometimes it's that simple. 

It has to be noted though, that the Houga L is a SUBSTANTIAL pen, with an impressive footprint that's perhaps not always the most practical. It's long (15cm/ 5.9"closed, 13.5cm/ 5.31" uncapped), but most of all the Large Houga is very, very wide (1.8cm/ 0.71" at the widest point). I'm seeing somewhat of a trend in the pen industry (or is it just my perception?): we've arrived at the point where the - once considered massive - Montblanc 149 gets dwarfed regularly by newly released pens, and the Eboya Houga (at least in the Large size) does no different. I personally don't mind this shift towards larger pens, but I know not everyone appreciates thinks the same way about that. But then again, Eboya does offer small and medium versions for a more practically-minded alternative!
REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN
That said, the all-ebonite construction of the oversized Houga does keep the weight down at a reasonable 33g. The section is quite a bit narrower - a fairly reasonable 1.25 cm/ 0.5" diameter - compared to the wide barrel, which makes for a rather substantial step behind the threads (and it's fairly sharp). The large section and comfortable concave shape allow for your grip to mostly avoid the step, although you'll still notice it to a certain extent, regardless of how you hold the pen. 
REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN
I already alluded to the excellent craftsmanship on Eboya pens, and I really think that's one of the strong suits of the brand. It's hardly noticeable that these pens are turned by hand (although the slight variation in shape from one pen to another, gives it away). Machining is precise and clean, with tight tolerances, and top-notch polished finish. Cap and barrel walls are machined thick and sturdy, which gives a solid impression that's immediately noticeable when you pick up the pen. Threads are very smooth and precise, and uncapping is surprisingly fast (less than one full rotation).
REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN
As an interesting snippet of brand history: Eboya once - until a few years ago - made Japanese eyedroppers in-house. But these days the Houga is a plebeian cartridge/converter-filled pen. In terms of practicality, I don't really mind that. Eyedroppers (you can of course still use any Eboya as a regular eyedroppered pen) aren't always the most practical in day-to-day use. However, the fact that they don't even include a simple, generic converter from the factory is an oversight, and a corner they absolutely shouldn't have cut on a pen this price.
REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN
The plain Bock nib doesn't look out of place, but Eboya could've done more with it
Eboya uses German-made Bock nibs, which is a bit atypical given Japan's undefeated nib know-how. For a pen this large, the #6-sized nib is disproportionately small, a #8 nib would've looked more balanced on the Large version of the Houga (In fact, they're already offering the Hakobune large with #8 nibs at an upcharge!). As for the nib design itself: while the stock Bock logo engraving is simple and not too cluttered (matching the overall understated design of the pen), it would've been nice to see the  nibs personalized with the Eboya logo engraved on there instead.
REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN
I've found most Eboya's I've tried so far to be excellent writers out of the box. The 14k gold nib broad nib on this particular pen is nice and smooth and lays down a fairly true to size line with a distinct stubbish character. The nib started out a bit dry for my liking (much dryer than the other Eboyas I've used, which were all quite wet), so I adjusted it to increase the ink flow a bit. It's still not a gusher now, but the balanced ink flow has no problem keeping up with everyday writing. It's unfortunate that the company doesn't make their own ebonite feeds, which would certainly mean an uplift in writing performance - not to mention it would be the cherry on top for a company so heavily focused on ebonite products!
REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN
There's a lot to like about the Eboya Houga. It's one of the relatively few Japanese brands that still rely heavily on artisanal production, and their expertise in ebonite production and machining (through mother-company Nikko) shows in the impeccable level of finishing. That, in itself, makes them stand out from other ebonite pens. The Houga in particular has a certain elegance through the simplicity of the traditional Japanese design, and the way it puts the spotlight entirely on the beautiful material.
If one thing, I'd like to see Eboya experiment (again) with different filling systems and in-house ebonite feeds. While the gold nibs are quite good as-is, there's room for a more personalised writing experience. I don't think that's an unreasonable expectation, considering the price you'll pay for one of these pens. The Houga retails for anywhere between 450€ and 570€, depending on the size (S/M/L) you choose. For the 10th-anniversary limited edition collection, you'll have to chime in a rather hefty 725€. (the LE materials are a bit more unique, but the standard ebonites are a decent amount less expensive, and frankly just as pretty if you ask me!)

Disclaimer: I bought this pen from my own funds. Sakura Fountain Pen Gallery is a sponsor of The Pencilcase Blog, but the making of this review was in no way sponsored or influenced. This post does not contain affiliate links.
REVIEW: EBOYA HOUGA FOUNTAIN PEN

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