Big bad KOKUYO launched its Writing Products series of premium rollerballs and fine-writers in late 2023 and subsequently renamed it ‘WP’ for short. While the standard models boast a clean, minimalist design, and a fascinating triangular cone/section, I didn’t give them much attention until its 1st anniversary in 2024.
The first edition was truly limited. Made with a special metal cap with a wood grain inspired etched surface, it was matched with a cherry blossom wood body hand finished by artisans at Karimoku Furniture, the same folks who did the recycled wood-grip Jetstream 4&1 release, also in 2024. This beguiling design was produced in only 300 pieces total, with 100 sold by lottery at a stationery fair in September. Kokuyo’s press release said there were over 1,600 participants in the draw. And, the serial number would be etched in the metal receiver within the wooden body. The MSRP was 30,000 yen.
The second edition was a matte-black all metal affair, basically duplicating the design of the first but in metal. Kokuyo employed special cutting technology to replicate the natural look of carved channels in the wood model, and I have to say holding it in my hands makes me appreciate the sheer audacity of the process, and the brilliant success they achieved. This version was made in 700 pieces and sold through selected dealers in Japan. The MSRP was 20,000 yen.
Both editions included 1 rollerball refill and 1 fine-writer refill, plus a random assorted color leather sleeve. The fine-writer performs very much like a plastic nib Pentel Puraman writer. Perfect for those who like a more tactile writing experience.
I managed to source the metal WP at close to MSRP but had to pay a premium to secure the wooden WP. I kind of justified it by adding up the cost of a return air ticket to Japan, lodgings, and travelling to the fair to stand a 1 in 1,600 chance of getting to buy one. No regrets for my biggest purchase of 2024.
Securing one of the wooden WP models… is certainly a very hard and expensive thing to do, and will only become more expensive over time (there’s a ¥50,000 listing for one on YAJ fleamarket). I think you bought well. I’m hoping I might be able to pick up a metal one eventually.
So now that you have them in hand… how do they feel? Is the impression you get from KOKUYO marketing very much in line with the result?
Holding them in the hand just confirms what my eyes were telling me about the tactility and craftsmanship. The wood is warm to the touch and the carved channels come into play when I pull the cap and body apart. And, as much as I’d paid for it, I don’t think I’d worry about it getting scuffed at all. This is the beauty of wood as a material.
And the metal version has its own charms. Seeing the metal analog of carved wood in this fine matte black finish is something else. The texture is in sharper relief compared to the cherry wood.
One thing about the wood edition that doesn’t translate well in pictures: the metal cap is NOT black but a metallic grey. It only becomes obvious when you see them side by side. In this pic, I swapped the caps to show the ‘non-blackness’ of the wood edition’s cap.
As for marketing… Kokuyo is playing the safe domestic-market game. No overseas availability at all. If I wasn’t already following their X account and a couple of other collectors, I wouldn’t have known about it at all. I guess Kokuyo has seen the relative success of Sakura craft_lab and even the new version of Tombow Zoom. And perhaps their prices are informed by the steady demand for Nohara’s limited runs of precious wood pens. I do have to say: Tombow needs to up their game for Zoom or Kokuyo might eat their lunch where it comes to quality and uniqueness. The mismatch of tones in the finish of the Zoom C1 can be jarring if you are unlucky.
Good to know it’s such a good experience. I’m leaning more towards going for the wood… Even though price-wise on Mercari it’s about $100 USD cheaper on average for the all metal.
I’ve seen a few blue examples online with some shade variations from front to back. Overall looks kinda like Sand is pretty uniform… although I did spot one that has a rather dramatic shade difference, mading the front section look almost tinted light green. I’ve been trying to snag a used one in the cheap with wear, so I could modify it.
Darn you Kelvin. I saw this post and you sent me down the rabbit hole. Down and down I went. Do I really need a new writing instrument? Absolutely not, nope, no I don’t. Do I even want one? Probably a negative. But that doesn’t stop someone, does it?
Yup, I’m the guy that took the bait on buyee.jp and bought the WP-L001-L1, Cherry wood version for that ¥50,000. Heck what’s an extra hun, right? A Limited Edition of only 300, what’s not to like? And no flying to Japan and waiting in line to be 1 out of 100 of 1600 peeps. Look how much I saved!
I post a pic when I get it (hopefully).
This is my last instrument, I swear. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Say. No. More.
Well, Elliot – welcome to the inner circle!
Be sure to post yours when it arrives. I think its amazing that at least 2 / 300 will be found amongst Knockology’s denizens!
As requested by @pearsonified I have taken some caps-off pix to show the chiseled triangular cone and ergonomic grip. Feels like an evolved Safari? And you can grip down low if so desired.
I think the closest parallel is a plastic nib Pentel Pulaman fountain pen. You can control the width of a stroke or the spread of liquid ink by varying pressure on the tip.
Yes. But also factor in the high MSRP and the relative scarcity… I think either version is a beautiful addition to a collection. If I’m not wrong, some proxy services can make purchases from direct web listings. This might work out for the all-black metal edition, which may still be in stock with some retailers. FWIW, I got both of mine from Mercari listings but I also had some timely year-end discount coupons split between Buyee and FromJapan.
Time to pair up! I picked the Taiwan-made TreAsia Design ‘Fiber’ 0.7mm in black to go with the cherrywood WP. For transparency, I swapped the WP’s original cap for the black one from the metal edition.
TreAsia Design is a bit of a corporate enigma to me. It took me a while to figure out their name just from the logo, which reads as ‘TA+d’. Let’s just say, having a plus-mark makes it really tricky to search for listings online, or thru proxies.
As far as I know, the Fiber came out around 2017 and won a Taiwan design award in 2018. The design is inspired by bamboo, and mainly reflected in the long grooves that serve as a grip zone. The button is also made of real bamboo.
I’d picked up the silver version initially around 2020 and by the time I decided I’d like a black one as well, the company had… evolved. Today if you search for TA+d you might only chance upon old listings or stocks. It was @amjacobs7 who clued me in: the company is now called TaG, which is… not any better in terms of discoverability, to be honest. If you click on the store links, you will find that Fiber is still available, but the black version’s product literature says the wood is no longer bamboo but Taiwanese Acacia, and that the metal is now brass instead of aluminum. Much further down the store listings, I found the silver Fiber listed as ‘titanium’ color, and spec’d as aluminum with bamboo.
How is the writing experience with this one? Is the pencil heavy? Is the centre of gravity front-facing? The form factor seems very interesting, but is the object actually good? I have to confess that I am intrigued…
The version I have, which is aluminum and bamboo, is a a pretty balanced design, not weighted towards the front or back. Unlike the silver version I own, there is no play in the button’s tension spring. The Schmidt cartridge is what it is – the click is muted and hardly what I’d call ‘crisp’. It screws firmly into the front cone, which is then screwed into the body. The cartridge has a small flange near the end-cap which acts to reduce any sideway rattling. If you shake the pencil about, it is the button that makes most of the noise. I do not / have not figured out how to fully disassemble the button, and I don’t think I will. In the case of my loose button silver pencil, I added a small spring on top of the Schmidt to increase tension and eliminate rattling.
