Jump to content

ASDA Budget Pen


richardandtracy

Recommended Posts

This review is of an ASDA budget fountain pen available in the ASDA supermarket chain in the UK. The pen is a no-name pen - literally - there is no writing of any sort anywhere on the pen. The pen comes in a tin with a single ISO cartridge. The tin is a smaller version of the tin shown in garyc's review of another ASDA budget pen (see https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=50481 ). The pen appears somewhat unusual in that half of it seems to be missing. The cap needs to be posted to make a full size pen. This is a nice, space saving feature, but does look odd when capped and is unusable when not posted. Due to its short length, it will only take a single short international cartridge, with no room for a spare. There is no room for a convertor. The cap clicks onto the section when capping, and is gripped by a rubber sleeve when posted - making posting quite secure.

 

The pen size is:-

111mm (4.3") capped.

99mm (3.85") uncapped.

155mm (6.1") posted.

11.5mm (0.46") barrel diameter.

43mm (1.7") section length.

9mm (0.36") section diameter.

 

Weight 24g

 

Construction

Mostly injection moulded polystyrene, but with some metal and rubber parts.

 

Price 5/5

The pen costs 99 pence (approx US$ 2). Quite how it's possible to make & sell a fountain pen for this, I have no idea. The pen is not sensibly production engineered, as there are far too many parts (16 at the very least), making the price an absolute miracle. Generally, the more parts, the higher the cost - if I remember correctly a Parker 51 has 17 parts, so 16 parts in a budget pen shows a certain lack of production engineering.

 

Looks 3/5

The pen, when capped, is intriguing. It has a rather fancy black & silver look, but the whole gestalt is a bitty one, almost as if separate people have designed each component with no though of the complete pen. The point I have most complaint with is the cap mouth ring. It is larger in diameter than either the barrel or the rest of the cap, and looks like a real afterthought.

 

Durability 3/5

Feels moderately rugged, and should last a school child until it's lost. The clip is metal, though not all the silver coloured bits are. The thread between the section and the barrel screws inside the section, and has an external diameter of only 8mm. This is the middle of the pen when posted, so it feels vulnerable to breakage if you try to bend the pen. Otherwise the curved plastic end to the cap and the metal barrel end plate are sturdy against drops when the pen is capped.

 

Writing 3/5

The nib is dull, dull, dull. However the pen is well balanced when posted, a nice weight and will smooth off into quite a good writer. The nib is a firm medium. It's neither dry nor wet - just right on photocopier paper. The section is quite long, and may be gripped either high or low without running out of room for your fingers. The weight is slightly on the heavy side to my mind, but is still in the range that is OK for all day use - however it's just so boring to use that I'd never use it for a lot of writing. If stored in a shirt pocket for a while before being used, the pen can dry out and it takes a while for the nib to get wet again. Storage on its side is best.

 

Value for money 5/5

A fountain pen for this price deserves 5/5 if it can make any mark on the paper!

 

Overall 3/5

For the price, it's a great pen. On any other scale, I'd say you get what you pay for. It is, without question, better than the extreme budget Woolworths 'Worth It' pen I reviewed ( https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=48892 ). However, there is no 'Ahh' factor when using it, or in owning it. You may want one for leaving next to the phone, but I really can't see this as an every day use pen for someone who does a lot of writing.

If you want a small handbag/pocket pen, this is OK.

 

 

Regards

 

Richard.

post-7927-1219908493_thumb.jpg

post-7927-1219908500_thumb.jpg

post-7927-1219910418_thumb.jpg

Edited by richardandtracy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 9
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • richardandtracy

    3

  • Beechwood

    2

  • Maja

    1

  • donwinn

    1

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

This is what I love about FPN....We get reviews of pens that cost several hundred dollars and some that cost (the equivalent of) several hundred pennies ...and both types are equally fun to read :)

 

Thanks for taking the time to write about the ASDA budget pen, Richard, and for taking some pics so we can all see what this 99-pence-wonder looks like! It's an intriguing pen, to be sure, and (as you said) the fact that it writes (dully, but decently) is a wonder...

I'm glad that there are a few such budget pens available for so little money in the UK; I wish the same could be said for Canada....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have one of these pens too, agree 100% with the comments made.

 

Hard to beleive that a useable pen can retail for £1.00, be perfectly servicable and still have a unique design feature.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The closest we can come in the US is a low-end Stypen for around $3-$4 plus shipping, or a Platinum Preppy or Pilot Petit for $3-$5 plus shipping. I wish pens like the ASDA Budget Pen were available here. They would make great gifts to give to children.

 

Donnie

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The closest we can come in the US is a low-end Stypen for around $3-$4 plus shipping, or a Platinum Preppy or Pilot Petit for $3-$5 plus shipping. I wish pens like the ASDA Budget Pen were available here. They would make great gifts to give to children.

 

Donnie

 

 

Point taken, particularly as Walmart owns Asda!

 

If anyone would like one of these pens let me know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the review Richard

 

Well worth the effort to look at cheaper pens

 

I too am astounded how a pen can be sold at this price & it seems like this one is well below what it should be sold for ... I mean 3.5 of these for the price of a Lamy nib is ridiculous ... if only it had a better nib ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...I too am astounded how a pen can be sold at this price & it seems like this one is well below what it should be sold for ... I mean 3.5 of these for the price of a Lamy nib is ridiculous ... if only it had a better nib ...

It's difficult to accept, but it is an amazing price. Given the usage of fp's in the UK, I cannot believe it's being sold as a loss leader either. Fp's just don't attract customers...

The nib is OK. Just dull. It gives some feedback, but it's heavily damped. It's not rough, and not brilliantly smooth either. Oh I dunno. The feel of the pen isn't exciting. There's no spark. I wish I could quantify it, but I can't.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...

Donnie,

 

I would, indeed, like one! PM me! Thanks!

 

Michael

 

 

The closest we can come in the US is a low-end Stypen for around $3-$4 plus shipping, or a Platinum Preppy or Pilot Petit for $3-$5 plus shipping. I wish pens like the ASDA Budget Pen were available here. They would make great gifts to give to children.

 

Donnie

 

 

Point taken, particularly as Walmart owns Asda!

 

If anyone would like one of these pens let me know.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Does anyone know how I can get my hands on a BOX of these fountain pens? Preferably before Christmas!!! ASDA no longer stock them and are refusing to tell me who their suppliers were!

 

Thanks everyone!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33501
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26627
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...