Dollar Store Fountain Pen - The Bazik 'mileno' - $1.29!

June 28, 2010

Bazik 'Mileno' Fountain Pen Review

I'm a bargain-hound at heart, and so I from time to time visit the dollar store, especially if I'm out to get some cheap tools, wrapping paper, and other odds and ends.

They are the 'Bazik' branded, 'Mileno' model fountain pen. And, they were a whopping $1.29 each, including three ink cartridges apiece. What a deal! But were the fountain pens usable? Because even a $1.29 bad pen is, well, a bad pen.

They came in a dark blue and a maroon, and I picked up one of each. The packaging looked decent enough, and on the back, there's some Spencerian-ish script, directions on how to use the cartridge, and decent descriptions about the fountain pen (it got cut off in the pic but it mentions a feed, a nib, and so on - so the people who made this weren't totally clueless regarding fountain pens, thankfully!).

The construction seems very decent, and even though everything is plastic except for the nib and the clip (and the clip may be chromed plastic, even), it feels solid in hand, if a bit light (to be expeced), and frankly the Dollar brand pens from India don't necessarily have anything on these pens, from a construction standpoint. The cap is a pull-top one (not screw-in), and it pops open and closed with a reassuring 'click.'

Alright, by now you're wondering how it writes. Well, the long and the short of it - it writes perfectly fine, the two I have are very smooth and almost no scratchiness, and they flow well. The line width is about a medium-fine, and the included ink is a bit grayer than my Noodler's Heart of Darkness, but it is perfectly acceptable, though it required a bit of a good pinch on the cartridge to get the juices flowing the first time around. Another neat thing is that the third cartridge was inside the pen (the packaging looks like there's only 2 carts), upside-down - i.e., already in the standard position used to store the spare as well as help keep the installed cartridge from falling out.

One surprising thing was that the nib is slightly semi-flex! You can see it in the sample above; the nib tines actually do widen. It takes a lot of pressure, but it's neat to think that a $1.29 pen does this.

Overall verdict? A dang nice backup fountain pen, and one that you could use to load up with your less frequently used inks that you just can't bring yourself to get rid of (because we can't all have several copies of our favorite pen!), yet you'd like to use once in a while. The pens write nicely, and frankly as well as even $30~50 pens I've seen. Sure it doesn't have the cachet of a brand name (though, "Bazik" has that gourmet flair yes? ha.), or precious materials, but it flows smooth and works well, and you can afford to get a few of these for rough and ready use.

Not sure where all this pen is available, but I might just go ahead and do a couple giveaways on them soon. Keep your eyes peeled =)

Final cool bit - I also got a pack of refills, 12x for - you guessed it! - $1.29 =D

Pics and more here: http://thepennywriter.blogspot.com

Edited June 28, 2010 by mcmc

June 28, 2010

so where are you at? you say you got it at a dollar store... neat looking pen, too. can't believe the line variation you get. very cool.

June 28, 2010

From the looks of your photos, it appears like it would just need a quick swipe of silicone grease to become an eyedropper.

June 28, 2010

Huh, those don't even look half bad.

Dollar is a Pakistani brand, not Indian, IIRC.

June 28, 2010

I give these away as gifts to interested individuals who comment or inquire about my fountain pens. The one I've had now for several months is starting to show some signs of leaking around the feed and I occasionally get some ink on the section. But, it does write well!

June 28, 2010

Amazon has them for $2.49. Pricey!

Regards

eric

June 28, 2010

*snicker* here is a box of 24! so you can hand them out to the kiddies!

June 28, 2010

I've found them on Ebay for about $3.00 delivered. There is also a "disposable" Bazic pen called an Eclipse, that writes as well or better than a Pilot Varsity disposable, and looks loads better. I've been sneaking them to my work-mates, in the hopes of getting them hooked.....

The Eclipse and the Mileno pens both make perfectly fine eye-droppers. I added one of the Noodler's O-rings from Jet-pens, and a touch of silicon Plumber's Grease.

June 28, 2010

so where are you at? you say you got it at a dollar store... neat looking pen, too. can't believe the line variation you get. very cool.

Hey Watch_Art - I'm in the great state of TX =) Yeah, the design is actually pretty attractive. Someone put some design work into it, definitely! Hey, if you're interested in one or two, drop me a note and I could mail you some. Otherwise, that 24 for $19.99 Amazon link is also pretty nice below...

From the looks of your photos, it appears like it would just need a quick swipe of silicone grease to become an eyedropper.

Good call! I'll have to try that! I have a Preppy eyedropper and love it.

Huh, those don't even look half bad.

Dollar is a Pakistani brand, not Indian, IIRC.

Oops, good call - my bad =)

I give these away as gifts to interested individuals who comment or inquire about my fountain pens. The one I've had now for several months is starting to show some signs of leaking around the feed and I occasionally get some ink on the section. But, it does write well!

Thanks for the heads up. Any ideas on how to seal up the feed again?

Amazon has them for $2.49. Pricey!

Regards
eric

Haha, good one =)

*snicker* here is a box of 24! so you can hand them out to the kiddies!

Thanks for the pointer! Wow, what a good deal. The funny thing is the second comment - it says that the price of $19.99 is like 6 times the price they got at the university bookstore - which was probably for a single pen, so actually their pen was more like 4x more expensive than one of these in the 24-pack, haha.

I've found them on Ebay for about $3.00 delivered. There is also a "disposable" Bazic pen called an Eclipse, that writes as well or better than a Pilot Varsity disposable, and looks loads better. I've been sneaking them to my work-mates, in the hopes of getting them hooked.....

The Eclipse and the Mileno pens both make perfectly fine eye-droppers. I added one of the Noodler's O-rings from Jet-pens, and a touch of silicon Plumber's Grease.

Cool, I'll have to look for the Eclipse, and grab one of those o-ring packs (though I wonder what the actual sizing is; could probably pick up a 100 pack cheaper at McMaster-Carr or something). But good to know it works as an eye-dropper, thanks!

It's all about nice and affordable pens. I was tempted to buy several Preppy's to fill with my lesser used inks, but now I might just buy the 24-pk from Amazon, for much cheaper.

January 24, 2011

great photos!

February 9, 2011

Oh my god! This is simply fantastic! Next time anyone I know is going to the nearest Dollar Store (I am a car-less student at a college in the middle of nowhere), I am SOOOO hitching a ride! I never knew they offered fountain pens. I love trying out the "cheapies." If they work good, great. If they don't or if they get lost broken or stolen, it's not such a big deal. I might grab a few to get my friends who are not already in to fountain pens interested in the hobby. My boyfriend was thoughtful enough to send me a pot of fountain pen ink the other day; I shall convert him to the dark side, yet [evil laughter]! I think I'll grab another hand full for myself to be my note-taking pens.

Oh and I was also thrilled to see I'm not the only one who has a soft spot for the Sheaffer Viewpoint; it was my first pen, although mine is older so the barrel and cap are made entirely of clear, cobalt blue plastic (no need for a window ). I have never been able to understand why they get such a bad rap; I am sure they aren't the world's best fountain pens, but they do just fine and, hey, they get new people interested in our addiction--I mean hobby. :ltcapd: