Kim & Co Jumbo Ebonite Eyedropper Handwritten Review <Pic Heavy!>

[subramaniyam]

Hi all,

This is my first handwritten review. I am absolutely chuffed with the pen. Hope you will enjoy!

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Pics of the packaging:

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Pics of the pen:

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Nib:

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[subramaniyam]

Contd from above:

Comparison with the Sheaffer No-Nonsense:

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Sorry for the visual overload, but I just can't get enough of this pen!

Regards,

Sub

[Drone]

I love the ripple ebonite material, but I can't seem to get past the large section to nib step and the odd clip. A very interesting pen though.

[mhguda]

I have one that vp31 was kind enough to give me, together with two smaller Kim & Co pens (called Small, but they really are not...).

Mine is black, and I also am terribly pleased with the pen, maybe even more than you, Subramaniyam. For example I have no issue with the nib. I did have to tune it to my satisfaction - I passed it over grit paper to impart a little stubbishness, which it has now. I love the curious clip - big and sturdy, and I like its looks. In fact pictures of a pen like it with this same clip were what first made me go looking for one of these.

I also really like the short section and the cap threads that are soft enough not to bother a person when holding the pen.

Thank you for the review! It made me seek out mine again; it had been idle for a few weeks at least. But it started right up, no encouragement needed. And I realized it's the only big pen - out of three - that actually sees very regular use. Probably because it is surprisingly light, as you point out. All in all, a winner, I totally agree.

[pbhat]

I visited Kim & co last week. they are short of stock reason being shortage of ebonite rods as well as its cost. I picked the green ripple version of Mr. Subrmanyam's pen but has not yet used it. I also picked a flat top version from Krishna Optics located a few shops away from Kim & Co in brown rippled ebonite (but of different pattern).

pbhat

[ahab]

Good photos, Subramanyan. They do justice to this strong and beautiful giant from Calicut. But I do think that the no.8 nib does little justice to this megapen. A larger two-tone nib (35 or 40mm) would be fitting given its bulk. But the seller told me that the 40 mm nibs are hard to obtain. Is this the biggest ebonite pen available in India?

[Mesu]

Is this the biggest ebonite pen available in India?

 

Guider Jumbo is the largest ebonite pen available which can be used as a regular pen. Guider Super Jumbo is much larger (thicker) but is available only in white acrylic.

 

Section thickness: Kim & Co is 13.4mm and the Guider Jumbo is 14mm.

 

Barrel thickness: Kim & Co is 16.8mm and the Guider Jumbo is 17.9mm

 

Cap diameter: Kim & Co is 18.7mm and the Guider Jumbo is 19.1mm

 

Guider Jumbo is longer than the Kim & Co Jumbo by 5 mm, if you compare with the cap and by 2 mm if you compare only the body (without the nib).

 

But the difference between both is less and comparing their measurements would be splitting hairs.

 

Guider has a jumbo long version too but that is too big to be used as a regular pen. Technically, this would be the largest ebonite pen available. Pic attached

 

Some pics in my flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/103501065@N05/sets

 

Edited to add pics and some more information..

 

Some of the current models. From Left:

Guider Jumbo Flat, Gama Supreme, Kim & Co Jumbo, Guider Jumbo round, Guider Super Jumbo in white acrylic, Custom Deccan Masterpiece in all white acrylic

 

 

Guider long ebonite pen in comparison with Guider Raja model.

 

[Pterodactylus]

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/38/9tk3.jpg

 

(Pelikan P10 - M ..... P.W. Akkerman Oranje Boven)

[hari317]

Is this the biggest ebonite pen available in India?

 

You asked an interesting question. I had to pull out some of the big Indians from my collection to check which one was the biggest.

 

Some Pics:

 

L-R:

Kim and Company Jumbo,

Guider Jumbo

Deccan White Masterpiece

Gama Kambar(after the medieval Tamil Poet)

Deccan Masterpiece

Guider Mega Pen(hitherto uncatalogued)

 

http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/IndianJumbos/IMG_9504.jpg

 

http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/IndianJumbos/IMG_9507.jpg

 

The Dimensions:

 

http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/pen_dimensions-crop.jpg

 

The Kim and co is indeed the largest pen.

 

I see from Subbu's review that the cap diameter of his pen is just 19.0mm, so this is a smaller pen than the Kim and Co Jumbos that used to available for special order earlier. So what Mr. Rafi of Kim had told me about the material shortage, seems to bear out.

 

A pen can be made as long as one wishes, the challenge is to make them fatter, which is limited by the thickest quality ebonite rod that one can find. Acrylic is easier, since it is available as sheets in a variety of thicknesses and a very fat pen can be realised, as can be seen in the case of the Deccan White Masterpiece.

 

Cheers!

Hari

Edited January 27, 2014 by hari317

[J English Smith]

I'm awaiting a brown cigar Kim & Co pen from Mesu at present - I will add on some comments here after I use the pen. Looking forward to it, as I have no eyedroppers in my collection. The beauty of the ebonite material won me over; my only Indian pens at present are Wality 52's. After looking at many varieties available, I liked the appearance and workmanship that was evident in the Kim & Co models...

[subbucal]

Very nice review subbu!

 

Very nice comparison Hari and thanks for showing the Biggies together..

 

I completely agree that thickness should be the criteria for Jumbo-ness!

 

Big ebonite rods available today & used for these pens are around 20 mm in dia...post shaping and polishing barrel lands up to 17 or 18mm and cap to 18 or 19 mm...

[subbucal]

The Gama Kambar you have shown looks very nice..

 

Would love to see a similar chart/comparison for Jumbo Celluloids

 

The Gama oriole is a big one I have seen in.recent times.

[hari317]

.

 

Subbu, what is the "sandpaper pit" you mention in passing for smoothing the nib?

 

Best

Hari

[hari317]

Would love to see a similar chart/comparison for Jumbo Celluloids

Unfortunately, most of the Indian celluloids that I have are small. None are Jumbo.

[ahab]

Thanks Hari for the photos, detailed chart and comparative data. The great thing is that they are all hand-made pens. These be the Himalayan ebonites or Indian Jumbos in the world of fountain pens. It looks like you have large upgraded nib (40 mm?) on your Kim. Suits the pen. A giant must have a head that tallies with its bodily bulk! many of the large-bodied Indian ebonites (from what I have seen) come with #8 nibs. The incongruity is indeed glaring.

[a_m]

Isn't the bulge on the section on the nib side create discomfort in writing? I find that all the kim&co FPs have a similar bulge. That may lead to the grip to be on a more higher side of the section & the FP being held in a more acute angle while writing.

[hari317]

Thanks Hari for the photos, detailed chart and comparative data. The great thing is that they are all hand-made pens. These be the Himalayan ebonites or Indian Jumbos in the world of fountain pens. It looks like you have large upgraded nib (40 mm?) on your Kim. Suits the pen. A giant must have a head that tallies with its bodily bulk! many of the large-bodied Indian ebonites (from what I have seen) come with #8 nibs. The incongruity is indeed glaring.

I agree. if you read through the linked post, I have written the story of how these Kim pens came to be made. I sent them the nibs along with a home modified Kim pen. It took 2 rounds of iterations to get the pen like I wanted but then they ran out of their thickest rod stock.

[subramaniyam]

Subbu, what is the "sandpaper pit" you mention in passing for smoothing the nib?

 

Best

Hari

Hi Hari,

 

The sandpaper pit is nothing but a piece of extremely fine grit sandpaper stuck on a piece of foam.

 

Regards,

Sub

[subramaniyam]

Isn't the bulge on the section on the nib side create discomfort in writing? I find that all the kim&co FPs have a similar bulge. That may lead to the grip to be on a more higher side of the section & the FP being held in a more acute angle while writing.

Hi a_m,

 

I havent experienced any discomfort yet. But again, it all depends on a person's grip and writing style.

 

Regards,

Sub

[hari317]

Hi Hari,

 

The sandpaper pit is nothing but a piece of extremely fine grit sandpaper stuck on a piece of foam.

 

Regards,

Sub

sounds good, what is finest grit you can find at Madras?