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Jac Zagoory Write No Evil Fountain Pen Review


fiberdrunk

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I guess I am the first ever to review a Jac Zagoory fountain pen on FPN! I had a rule never to spend more than $20 on a fountain pen, at least until I saw this Write No Evil one by Jac Zagoory. I absolutely love the design and sentiment on this pen! Now I want to get a matching Write No Evil pen stand for it. My only two complaints are the heaviness of the pen (for me), and the fact that when I unscrew the barrel to check ink level, the ink feed starts to gush with ink and drip (see more details about this below). I haven't figured out why. So I guess I can't check the ink level in between fills. It doesn't leak while I write, only when I unscrew the barrel and release the tension of the spring inside there. Otherwise, I love the pen.

 

You're probably familiar with these 3 monkeys: "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil." Well, Jac Zagoory has added a 4th monkey: "write no evil." From the Jac Zagoory website:

 

The fourth monkey’s hands are tied above his head reminding us to Write No Evil. Perfect gift for writers, accountants and anyone with a sense of humor.

 

Reach for Inspiration!

 

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See the 6?

 

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  1. Appearance & Design (1-10)10. Jac Zagoory pens are known for their fun and quirky styles. Have a look on their website at all their amazing pens and pen holders. It was the design that sucked me in! This is part of their Ripple line. It has a screw-type cap.
  2. Construction & Quality (1-10) 10. This is a solid, heavy pen. Good quality. I think this is an American company, but the nib says made in Germany.
  3. Weight & Dimensions (1-10) 5. Total Weight: 1.75 oz. Without the cap: .96 oz. Length with cap on: 5 3/4 inches. Length without cap: 5 1/4 inches. Diameter: a little less than 5/8 inch. The pen is on the bulky and heavy side and feels heavy for my own hand. It will probably tire my hand to write with it for long periods. I definitely have to leave the cap off to write with it or it'd be too heavy. Men would probably have no problems with this pen, though.
  4. Nib & Performance (1-10)10. So far as I know, there is no choice in nib sizes for these pens, and it doesn't state on the nib what size it is. The line it puts down is a broad monoline. The nib point is made of iridium. The nib writes good and smooth, without skipping. The black plastic nib feed on the underside has a 6 on it (or maybe a 9, depending on which direction you hold the pen when you look at it). It handles my homemade iron gall ink just fine, so a definite plus there! Normally iron gall ink feels dry to write with in most pens, but it does not with this pen. Flow is probably on the wet side with other inks, though I haven't tried any other inks with it yet.
  5. Filling System & Maintenance (1-10) - 10. I like this style of ink converter, and this one holds a pretty generous amount of ink. For some reason there is a spring attached to the converter that holds it in place inside the barrel. The pen also accepts international ink cartridges. This pen is also available as a rollerball, so there is a "fountain pen converter kit" to transform it into a fountain pen for only $15 (good to know in case I ever need to replace parts). The nib reminds me of the nib/ink feed that you see on the Jinhao X450 and X750... the metal nib curls slightly around a narrower black plastic feed. Though I haven't tried to slide the nib feed out yet, it looks like it comes fully apart for cleaning, just like the X450 & X750. One annoying thing I discovered is that when I unscrew the barrel to check the ink level, the nib feed suddenly gushes with ink and drips big time if I tilt the pen at that point. The ink draws back in when I screw the barrel back in place (you can hear the spring inside squeak as you do this). So there's something about that spring that seems to be holding the converter in place and keeping the tension just so, to prevent this from happening. I guess I won't be able to check the ink level in-between filling without the ink flooding out.
  6. Cost & Value (1-10) 10. This pen retails for around $80. I got it in new condition on eBay for $50 (the seller said she got it on closeout from a Hallmark store in NJ that closed). I feel I got a great bargain! This is the most I've ever spent on a fountain pen, though, and I'm not likely ever to spend this kind of money again on a pen. Just this one time I splurged because I was able to get a good deal on it.
  7. Conclusion (Final score, xx/6) - I love the pen, but I'll be keeping an eye on it for leaks until I figure out a solution. If not for the leaking when I unscrew the barrel, I'd give the pen a 9 (a 10 if it wasn't so heavy for me). I'll post updates if there are any more problems with it. If anyone else has experience with this pen, please chime in! I'll give the pen some heavy usage this week and report back.

eta:

 

15077299872_0269145b96_b.jpg

Edited by fiberdrunk

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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Nice review. I have had the pleasure of writing with a Jac Zagoory pen. Regarding the ink leakage, from looking at your photos, I surmise the spring attached to the covertor is catching on the inside of the pen body and slightly turning the end of the covertor, causing ink to come out. When you screw it back on, the sring catches again and causes the convertor to turn in the opposite direction, sucking the ink back up the convertor....just my guess anyway.

 

Good luck and have fun with your pen!

 

Aloha!

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Nice review. I have had the pleasure of writing with a Jac Zagoory pen. Regarding the ink leakage, from looking at your photos, I surmise the spring attached to the covertor is catching on the inside of the pen body and slightly turning the end of the covertor, causing ink to come out. When you screw it back on, the sring catches again and causes the convertor to turn in the opposite direction, sucking the ink back up the convertor....just my guess anyway.

 

Good luck and have fun with your pen!

 

Aloha!

 

 

Yes, that makes perfect sense! Thanks! I'll just leave it alone between fills and it should be fine.

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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Toss the spring. The reason the spring is there is for converting it to a ball point.

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Toss the spring. The reason the spring is there is for converting it to a ball point.

 

Oh, awesome! Thanks for the tip! :thumbup:

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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Nice looking pen. Thanks for sharing. I'm glad there's finally a review of this brand on FPN.

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Oh, awesome! Thanks for the tip! :thumbup:

When I got mine, it was a roller ball/fountain pen. With that spring in, I couldn't get the converter to fit in the barrel. I'm surprised you could. Oh yeah, I did save the spring and the roller ball section.

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When I got mine, it was a roller ball/fountain pen. With that spring in, I couldn't get the converter to fit in the barrel. I'm surprised you could. Oh yeah, I did save the spring and the roller ball section.

 

I removed the spring-- everything is working great now! Thanks!

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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That's a great pen you have over there , Where could i find this pen ?? any guesses ??

 

Thanks! It really is a great pen. I've been using it like crazy all week and it's worked flawlessly. The ink converter is more generous than I supposed, too. It really holds a lot of ink.

 

You can order it from the Jac Zagoory website. By the way, the pen comes in white or black. And in rollerball pen or fountain pen. Try Amazon, too.

 

I think my Write No Evil pen stand comes today. Will post photos later.

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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I guess I am the first ever to review a Jac Zagoory fountain pen on FPN! I had a rule never to spend more than $20 on a fountain pen, at least until I saw this Write No Evil one by Jac Zagoory. I absolutely love the design and sentiment on this pen! Now I want to get a matching Write No Evil pen stand for it. My only two complaints are the heaviness of the pen (for me), and the fact that when I unscrew the barrel to check ink level, the ink feed starts to gush with ink and drip (see more details about this below). I haven't figured out why. So I guess I can't check the ink level in between fills. It doesn't leak while I write, only when I unscrew the barrel and release the tension of the spring inside there. Otherwise, I love the pen.

 

You're probably familiar with these 3 monkeys: "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil." Well, Jac Zagoory has added a 4th monkey: "write no evil." From the Jac Zagoory website:

 

 

 

15053546706_b6d0448297_z.jpg

 

14890002420_26bd5cddb7_c.jpg

 

15073627911_2dba620553_c.jpg

 

15073622061_8bafc0f0d8_c.jpg

 

15076435422_5743af954c_c.jpg

 

14890244687_ef0924f52b_c.jpg

 

15073994351_ae2245516e_z.jpg

 

See the 6?

 

15054510946_be51de63f8_c.jpg

 

 

  1. Appearance & Design (1-10)10. Jac Zagoory pens are known for their fun and quirky styles. Have a look on their website at all their amazing pens and pen holders. It was the design that sucked me in! This is part of their Ripple line. It has a screw-type cap.
  2. Construction & Quality (1-10) 10. This is a solid, heavy pen. Good quality. I think this is an American company, but the nib says made in Germany.
  3. Weight & Dimensions (1-10) 5. Total Weight: 1.75 oz. Without the cap: .96 oz. Length with cap on: 5 3/4 inches. Length without cap: 5 1/4 inches. Diameter: a little less than 5/8 inch. The pen is on the bulky and heavy side and feels heavy for my own hand. It will probably tire my hand to write with it for long periods. I definitely have to leave the cap off to write with it or it'd be too heavy. Men would probably have no problems with this pen, though.
  4. Nib & Performance (1-10)10. So far as I know, there is no choice in nib sizes for these pens, and it doesn't state on the nib what size it is. The line it puts down is a broad monoline. The nib point is made of iridium. The nib writes good and smooth, without skipping. The black plastic nib feed on the underside has a 6 on it (or maybe a 9, depending on which direction you hold the pen when you look at it). It handles my homemade iron gall ink just fine, so a definite plus there! Normally iron gall ink feels dry to write with in most pens, but it does not with this pen. Flow is probably on the wet side with other inks, though I haven't tried any other inks with it yet.
  5. Filling System & Maintenance (1-10) - 10. I like this style of ink converter, and this one holds a pretty generous amount of ink. For some reason there is a spring attached to the converter that holds it in place inside the barrel. The pen also accepts international ink cartridges. This pen is also available as a rollerball, so there is a "fountain pen converter kit" to transform it into a fountain pen for only $15 (good to know in case I ever need to replace parts). The nib reminds me of the nib/ink feed that you see on the Jinhao X450 and X750... the metal nib curls slightly around a narrower black plastic feed. Though I haven't tried to slide the nib feed out yet, it looks like it comes fully apart for cleaning, just like the X450 & X750. One annoying thing I discovered is that when I unscrew the barrel to check the ink level, the nib feed suddenly gushes with ink and drips big time if I tilt the pen at that point. The ink draws back in when I screw the barrel back in place (you can hear the spring inside squeak as you do this). So there's something about that spring that seems to be holding the converter in place and keeping the tension just so, to prevent this from happening. I guess I won't be able to check the ink level in-between filling without the ink flooding out.
  6. Cost & Value (1-10) 10. This pen retails for around $80. I got it in new condition on eBay for $50 (the seller said she got it on closeout from a Hallmark store in NJ that closed). I feel I got a great bargain! This is the most I've ever spent on a fountain pen, though, and I'm not likely ever to spend this kind of money again on a pen. Just this one time I splurged because I was able to get a good deal on it.
  7. Conclusion (Final score, xx/6) - I love the pen, but I'll be keeping an eye on it for leaks until I figure out a solution. If not for the leaking when I unscrew the barrel, I'd give the pen a 9 (a 10 if it wasn't so heavy for me). I'll post updates if there are any more problems with it. If anyone else has experience with this pen, please chime in! I'll give the pen some heavy usage this week and report back.

eta:

 

15077299872_0269145b96_b.jpg

a little hard to trust a review that gives 10/10 for so many characteristics of a pen. how can an ugly generic steel nib get 10/10? Can't imagine what you would rate a beautiful gold super flexy nib then..

 

Cost is 80$ originally? man, this pen looks like its worth so much less than that (no offence meant). I think that this pen should get 5/10 MAX for this price..So many better pens at this price..

 

I shan't go any further but I do hope you enjoy your pen. :D

Fountain pens are like weapons. They just make your pocket bleed so much.

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I may have mentioned this before. Apologies.

 

YOUR INK IS DEVINE !!

 

Thank you!

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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Thanks! It really is a great pen. I've been using it like crazy all week and it's worked flawlessly. The ink converter is more generous than I supposed, too. It really holds a lot of ink.

 

You can order it from the Jac Zagoory website. By the way, the pen comes in white or black. And in rollerball pen or fountain pen. Try Amazon, too.

 

I think my Write No Evil pen stand comes today. Will post photos later.

Thanks a lot for the information , i am really keen on buying this pen it's looks good and writes well what more a person wants in a pen !!

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Here are some photos of one of the Write No Evil penholders. There is more than one kind... I got one of the smaller ones (there's a cool large one that has all 4 monkeys holding the pen... you can see the various pen holders here). The lighting in here is rather dim, so these photos aren't the best. See the link to get a better view of them.

 

14962982030_d862125f18_c.jpg

 

 

15149257002_43e44de0d8_c.jpg

 

15126643536_da039af5a4_c.jpg

Edited by fiberdrunk

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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This is hysterical. Thank you for sharing.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This is hysterical. Thank you for sharing.

 

Be sure to see the rest of the company's quirky pens, staple removers, pen holders, etc.... they're really amazing!

Edited by fiberdrunk

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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That to is a nice pen you have shown out there ..... nice pictures of the pen but the details are missing ??

 

They're at the top of the thread... or are they not showing for you? I see them there.

Find my homemade ink recipes on my Flickr page here.

 

"I don't wait for inspiration; inspiration waits for me." --Akiane Kramarik

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi fiberdrunk. You can remove that nib for cleaning if you want. I have a pen with the same nib and characteristics, so you can remove the feed and the nib like a noodler's pen. That is great.

«To the meaningless French idealisms: Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, we oppose the three German realities: Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery».

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