Mako

"Norman, the Duke Mako green marble pen was received well. Nice smooth nib. It will be used many years to come. As with my other Duke pens, I really enjoy them all."
M. H., Mililani, HI

"Norman, I wanted to let you know the children have arrived! I've already filled and used the Mako and it's great. I love a pen with some weight. I can already feel the same with the Pinstripe...The weight on both pens is good and the action is smoooooth! I like a weighty pen so I don't have to bear down (ballpoints). These just lay in your hand and you can guide the point. Thx again."
D. H., Lexington, KY

"Hi Norman, thanks again for quick delivery of the pens. I got mine Thursday and Britta's arrived in CA on Friday. She immediately filled her 616 and started writing a letter; she loves the retro design and the burgundy ink. I'm greatly impressed with my 616 demi as well. I bought it as a "pocket pen," easy to carry and take notes with, and I've already found myself favoring it even over my trusty Pilot 78Gs—it's so light and writes so easily that sometimes it's almost like I'm not holding a pen! The Mako is a beauty; it feels and writes like a high-class European pen, but the whole family has admired the design and color. My 4-year-old son volunteered to clean it before I filled it, leaving me to take care of the 616 by myself. And the penroll is lovely, too—I had a little trouble getting it back from my 2-year-old, who immediately decided such a colorful case should be for his own treasures! I attended my first writing workshop in years today, and used the 616 the whole time; I'm delighted that using these pens has helped me rediscover my love for writing. Thanks again, and be well."
C. P., Easton, PA

The Mako is often considered to be the sleekest and most graceful of the ocean's shark species, although I don't know that I would necessarily echo the DUKE catalog's "coming towards us are friends" sentiment, as they're also know as one of the fiercest! I would agree however that DUKE's design team has managed to produce a sleek, graceful and fierce-looking pen, from the gentle curves of the cap top, to the incised hint of gills subtly etched near the clip. I showed this pen to a customer, minutes after having received it myself at a pen show, and without mentioning a name or brand, his immediate comment was that it reminded him of a shark! I'd say that DUKE succeeded with their design intentions.

The Mako pen series are modified torpedo-shaped, full-sized pens, that make use of DUKE's brilliant new resin finishes in the case of the green and brown -- or the classic sleekness of the all-black and chrome model. Interestingly, there's another difference worth noting. The green and brown model measure 5-1/4" capped and 6-1/8" posted, while the black is a slightly larger model, at 5-1/2" capped and 6-1/2" with the cap posted. The newest, the shell model, is larger still. It measures 5-3/4" capped and 6-3/4" posted!

In all cases, these are wonderfully balanced and weighted pens that are a real pleasure to write with, either posted or with the cap set aside. The cap is a 'click cap', which stays securely in place, and in addition to the '911' designation on the back, the capband (actually, a 'barrel-band') is also engraved on the front with 'DUKE' (in the non-shell versions). There is also a chrome ring near the bottom of the pen, which is cleverly indented in the center, providing a subtle but captivating visual element to the overall design.

Each of the green and brown pens is unique in appearance, making use of two of the most popular resin finishes that DUKE employs, as the green can also be found on the Earl, while the brown has long been used with the Gold Medal model.

The newest version has a beautiful black lacquer barrel-band, studded with mother-of-pearl inclusions. Set against the black lacquer of the rest of the pen, it's a stunning look.

Removing the cap displays the large spear-shaped, steel nib which I would rate as a light-medium in the line it lays down (somewhere between an American fine and medium). The nib is engraved with the DUKE 'crown' logo, 'Duke' and 'Germany'.

Unscrewing the all-metal fittings between the section and barrel reveals the large-sized piston filler for use with bottled ink. The pen comes packaged in DUKE's black-pebble gift box with warranty booklet. As with all new pens, I recommend to run a dilute solution of dishwashing soap (two or three drops to a small bowl of water) through a new pen a few times, followed by water only. Step one is effective at removing manufacturing oils that can tend to make the ink less than enthusiastic in heading from the converter/filler to the nib, and step two removes the traces of the detergent you've used...which tends to have the opposite, diuretic effect.

No matter which finish chosen, the Mako pen makes a nice friend to add to your pen collection.

IMPORTANT SERVICE NOTE: Every nib that ships from His Nibs is closely examined under high magnification and tuned or adjusted if needed. About 85% of modern nibs need some adjustment out-of-the-box from the manufacturer for an optimal writing experience. Most commonly, the tines of the nib are misaligned -- which would cause scratchiness at the minimum; the slit between the tines is partially or fully closed -- which would starve the nib of ink and at best cause skipping; or the slit between the tines is too wide -- which will either again cause skipping, or conversely, flooding. There are other factors -- such as separation of the nib from the feed -- that are inspected and repaired before any pen leaves the Palace.

The only 100% guarantee of course comes when the pen is actually filled with ink and written with for the first time, but our pre-shipping inspections and tunings have eliminated 99.99999 (my finger is getting tired) of the frustrations that a customer experiences when first using a new fountain pen. Although this can be time-consuming on occasion, it affords our customers a much more pleasant experience when receiving a fountain pen from His Nibs -- and saves us the frustration of dealing with returns!