Now here is something unique: handmade titanium fountain pens. Mr. Akitsugu Hasegawa (the "H" in H-Works) started the company in 1987 and does all the work himself in this one man operation.

These pens are hand made from titanium, that amazing metal which is known for its strength, its lightness, and its resistance to corrosion. The barrels are hand turned or grooved with amazing precision. In addition to the barrels, Mr. Hasegawa personally crafts the 18k gold nibs and tips them with top grade iridium imported from the Heraeus company which also supplies the iridium for Mont Blanc and Pelikan pens. The clips are made with either 18k gold or titanium. Mr. Hasegawa also makes the ebonite feeds.

I met Mr. Hasegawa at the Fuente event in October. As I was admiring these pens, he handed me his latest creation which he had just finished at 4:00 that morning. He explained that it takes a good 100 hours to make one pen, and each pen is made to the customer's specifications. With the current waiting list, each order takes up to a year and a half to complete. He also makes a line of titanium pens for the vendor Fullhalter. These are fat pens resembling metal cigar tubes.

Mr. Hasegawa also said that each pen has a lifetime guarantee, but he was quick to point out that this was limited to HIS lifetime!

It is possible to order these pens from outside of Japan, but the order must be made in Japanese. And the price for these beauties? As one might expect, they are not cheap. The ones I saw and handled were priced between 140,000 and 160,000 yen (roughly between 1,128.00 and 1,289.00 USD at the time of this writing).

Mr. Hasegawa can be contacted at: hworks@nn.iij4u.or.jp. Don't forget, it has to be in Japanese!

Mr. Akitsugu Hasegawa

Titanium fountain pens

Three finishes: grooved, faceted and plain

Russ Stutler