Zebra Stainless Steel V-301 Fountain Pen

[Spector]

hmm zebra is making fountain pens O_O

 

http://www.zebrapen.com/sites/default/files/V-301-Product.jpg

[Black Rose]

Leaving the pen laying flat for a period of time makes no difference with the ink flow issue with a newly loaded pen.

 

I've sent a message off to a Zebra rep to see what they have to say about the issue.

[kurazaybo]

Leaving the pen laying flat for a period of time makes no difference with the ink flow issue with a newly loaded pen.

 

I've sent a message off to a Zebra rep to see what they have to say about the issue.

 

 

Well I lost my first V-301 but somehow managed to keep the cap. I had the same ink flow problems with the new pen but I dipped the tip of the nib in the cartridge to let it absorb some ink, also left it flat for several days. Seems to have worked to a certain extent. It writes much better now but still does not keep the ink flowing in a good enough level to write a full page without problems.

 

Regarding the cap, the one on the second pen has the same problem with the clip.

 

I am working on a review now, please ignore the part where I say it is a *trusty* pen. It is not. I will give it yet another chance but so far it has not been a good pen and I cannot recommend it. Very disappointing.

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/5435850943_3a195341cd.jpg

[Black Rose]

Yes it is very disappointing.

 

I have a third pen that I bought, but I am going to return it to the store or exchange it for some cartridges for my other fountain pens that actually work.

 

I did a review of the V-301 last weekend and posted it on the blog linked in my signature.

I haven't publicized the review until now, as I wanted to talk with the Zebra folks beforehand.

[Halden]

Yes it is very disappointing.

 

I have a third pen that I bought, but I am going to return it to the store or exchange it for some cartridges for my other fountain pens that actually work.

 

I did a review of the V-301 last weekend and posted it on the blog linked in my signature.

I haven't publicized the review until now, as I wanted to talk with the Zebra folks beforehand.

 

I have giving up on the pen. It is unusable but my 7 year old likes it.

[kurazaybo]

Yes it is very disappointing.

 

I have a third pen that I bought, but I am going to return it to the store or exchange it for some cartridges for my other fountain pens that actually work.

 

I did a review of the V-301 last weekend and posted it on the blog linked in my signature.

I haven't publicized the review until now, as I wanted to talk with the Zebra folks beforehand.

 

I just read your review and left and totally agree with it. How do you know about the wick feed? did you disassemble one?

 

One point of your review struck me, however: here in Mexico there are several cheaper fountain pens you can get, some of them quite good as the Universal Carioca and the Maped Freewriter in particular. If you or somebody is interested I can send a couple of samples, but I guess the shipping costs may be a problem. I read about the pay it forward thread, maybe I should try there.

[Black Rose]

How do you know about the wick feed? did you disassemble one?

No, I haven't disassembled it. I don't think I could cleanly cut it to expose the feed system it uses.

 

I had noticed something on the first pen but didn't examine it more closely at the time as I was expecting it to work like my other FPs, so I made sure I looked closer at it with the second pen.

 

The centre of the post that the cartridge attaches to is white with a fresh new pen, as seen below in the very fuzzy photo:

 

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a154/bgclarke/Writing/P2080164C.jpg

 

After you ink the pen up, that turns black, so it seems to be soaking up ink - that's why I referred to it as a wick.

 

Whatever it is made out of, it's quite hard but absorbent.

 

When I used a set of hobby tweezers to see if it was soft or not, I actually pushed it in a bit.

 

I did take the trim ring off that surrounds the nib, but there's not a lot to see except that the steel nib almost completely surrounds the feed post...I haven't found a way to get the nib off though.

[kurazaybo]

I managed to take apart the section, nib and feed. It does have a wick feed and very innefective plastic "gills" (sorry, I am not sure of the correct name). When I took my pen apart it was evident that only the thin wick was soaked in ink while the gills were totally dry. It's no surprise since the plastic gills have no apparent conection to the wick!!! The wick follows a closed tunnel through the gills!!!

 

I guess I will take apart my R-301 Rollerball to see if there is any explanation as to why it performs flawlessly with the same wick feed but the fountain pen does not, hope I can put it together because I really like it.

Edited February 12, 2011 by kurazaybo

[Black Rose]

Thanks for confirming that it is using a wick feed, albeit poorly designed.

 

Don't take your rollerball apart since it's working fine, as is my H-301 highlighter that uses a similar design.

Edited February 12, 2011 by Black Rose

[empyrean]

Thanks for confirming that it is using a wick feed, albeit poorly designed.

 

Don't take your rollerball apart since it's working fine, as is my H-301 highlighter that uses a similar design.

 

I have a Shaeffer fountain pen, purchased in the early 1970s. It's one of those clear plastic designs(only mine is see-through red in color). Has a fine nib. It still works today and has a wonderful flow of ink. Since I am used to a chunkier pen these days, that is my only complaint. Question is, why is it that newer, less expensive pens made today cannot be made similar to the quality of my little Shaeffer pen? It probably cost me about $2.95 in the 70s.

[tournesol]

Have also given up on the Zebra V-301 and returned all three of them to staples for a refund.

[Black Rose]

I get the feeling that Zebra is going to be getting a lot of these back.

 

Only one of the two that I opened actually works, and I returned the third one (unopened) last weekend.

 

I'd send the one on my desk back that has been inked for a week and still will not flow, but it costs more to mail it to them than it's worth.

 

Didn't get much from Zebra when I contacted them, other than "did you install the cartridge correctly?"

When I replied that I had and than many others are having issues with the pen, nothing but silence.

[Halden]

Here are my full thoughts on it: http://writingandscribbling.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/zebra-v-301/

[Black Rose]

Here's a picture of the feed:

 

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a154/bgclarke/Writing/P2160166C.jpg

[Merrib]

They are still hard to find in my area of South Georgia.

[Black Rose]

They are still hard to find in my area of South Georgia.

They are not being released in the US until late spring.

 

Honestly, they are not worth the trouble at this point.

[kurazaybo]

The infamous wick feed:

 

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/5454403418_d1dac7c67f.jpg

 

I really liked the blue ink by the way.

[orangezorki]

Does anyone else think that this whole debacle is truly pathetic? I've been watching this thread closely and love the idea that any pen company would introduce an affordable FP with a new design. However, what we have is a pen with a feed that has never been used in a working FP. Surely testing must figure somewhere in a company's design process...

 

David

[kurazaybo]

I just published my first review and it is about this pen, Here is the link

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/185653-zebra-v-301/page__p__1873426__fromsearch__1#entry1873426

 

@orangezorki I am not sure what to say. This pen does not work and that is pretty much a fact. I am wondering where Zebra's testing department was during the development of this pen because something clearly went horribly wrong. I can only wonder at Sheaffer's legendary 40%+ testing time during the making of every pen.I too admire the daringness of Zebra for introducing a totally new fountain pen design, but it is utterly flawed. I am so dissapointed that I am thinking of asking zebra for a refound, not for the money itself but because of the insult and injury in the company's trust this pen represents.

[Black Rose]

I've been using Zebra products since they released the M-301 mechanical pencil many many years ago.

 

Why do the H-301 and R-301 work great and the V-301 fails miserably when they all use a similar design?

 

I have a hard time believing this pen was properly tested before it was released for sale.