THINK Tigre

[jandrese]

This is a review of a THINK fountain pen in the Tigre pattern. The pen came boxed in a small, clever, and colorful box that I’m told customers like very much. The relatively large steel nib is stamped iridium point Germany (IPG) and, as is standard for THINK, is only available in medium. THINK pens are made for Krone in Asia, probably in Taiwan, and the nibs are sourced from Schmidt in Germany. It has been discussed in these pages that the source of THINK pens is somewhat obscure. Some have also mentioned that they never buy IPG nibs or pens made by no-name factories in Asia. This attitude is somewhat puzzling to me. Fountain pens are a prime example of an international product. Once an American company, Parker is made in the UK. Bexley pens are turned in the USA but the nibs come from Germany. Some, or all, Pelikan and Aurora pens are now made somewhere in Asia. Pens are a simple extension of the global economy. Heck, even the plastic starts out as oil in Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Norway, or wherever. Ultimately, everything is stardust so IMHO the Earthly source does not matter much.

 

 

Anyway, back to the pen. All THINK pens are roughly the same size, which is on the large size of medium. The pen sits nicely in the hand and is well balanced posted, or not. The black and orange stripe pattern is attractive, so much so that I’m told it is not available anymore. Evidently, this pattern sold like hot cakes. The filling mechanism is, of course, cartridge/converter and comes fitted with a crappy plastic plunger type converter. I loathe this type of converter but the pen body is large enough to accommodate a longer twist-type piston converter, but not one as large as a Visconti. The clip is simple and tight and the only decoration is the cap band that is etched simply THINK.

 

 

The monotone nib is no star but it works right out of the box. Do I like my flexible Krone right oblique broad nib better, ummm yeah, but interesting nibs cost more dollars! This steel nib is stiff but writes smoothly and ink flow is good. Like many German nibs it writes somewhat dry but a little tweaking would make this a nice, wet writer, which would increase the smoothness to buttery.

 

 

THINK pens are stylish and functional. The packaging is unique but minimal. The medium IPG nib is smooth but stiff. The filling mechanism is boring. Sure, corners have been cut to make these pens. They are, however, affordable and would be a great starter pen although they are good enough for pen nerds to use too. Like Monteverde, THINK makes reasonably priced, cool looking pens for the masses. This can only be good for the future of fountain pens.

 

 

[ArPharazon]

Great review. I love the looks of this pen . . . as I do of many of their designs. Too bad this pattern is now tough to get.

 

Think pens make perfect eyedrop filler conversions. Simply remove the converter, add a bit of silicone grease to the threads, and fill'er up. It goes from a painfully small ink supply to a ridiculously large. I've done two this way (Northern Lights and Mojito), and haven't had a single problem.

[Maja]

Some have also mentioned that they never buy IPG nibs or pens made by no-name factories in Asia. This attitude is somewhat puzzling to me. Fountain pens are a prime example of an international product. Once an American company, Parker is made in the UK. Bexley pens are turned in the USA but the nibs come from Germany. Some, or all, Pelikan and Aurora pens are now made somewhere in Asia. Pens are a simple extension of the global economy. Heck, even the plastic starts out as oil in Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Norway, or wherever. Ultimately, everything is stardust so IMHO the Earthly source does not matter much.

YEAH!!

:clap1: :clap1:

 

Thank you for the review and photos, jandrese. I have several THINK pens and I love the patterns on the pens (I *love* sections that match the cap and barrel) as well as the overall size and weight. I don't see too too many used ones being sold on eBay because I can always find a few Buy-It-Now auctions, but rarely (perhaps that's overstating it) a used THINK pen. Guess their owners (like me) love the pens and don't want to let them go

Edited September 6, 2008 by Maja

[sternaAuparadis]

(you wrote): Think pens make perfect eyedrop filler conversions. Simply remove the converter, add a bit of silicone grease to the threads, and fill'er up. It goes from a painfully small ink supply to a ridiculously large. I've done two this way (Northern Lights and Mojito), and haven't had a single problem.

 

WOW! are you serious? What a good idea! I like the feel of the pen and the nib but the converter system is hell, leaving my fingers stained all the time. And because the reservoir is ridiculously small, it needs to be filled constantly. Today, i will try silicone tape for pipe's treads (not sure how it is called). Thanks for the tip.

[Randal6393]

(you wrote): Think pens make perfect eyedrop filler conversions. Simply remove the converter, add a bit of silicone grease to the threads, and fill'er up. It goes from a painfully small ink supply to a ridiculously large. I've done two this way (Northern Lights and Mojito), and haven't had a single problem.

 

WOW! are you serious? What a good idea! I like the feel of the pen and the nib but the converter system is hell, leaving my fingers stained all the time. And because the reservoir is ridiculously small, it needs to be filled constantly. Today, i will try silicone tape for pipe's treads (not sure how it is called). Thanks for the tip.

 

Be sure and let us know how that works out. Most of us use the silicone grease, easy fix and quick to do. If pipe tape works out well, it might be as easy to use. From installing shower heads, I know two things about pipe tape:

 

1. Will unravel and needs to be taped every time a shower head is changed. Great until need to unthread, ie, refill pen with ink.

 

2. To do a good job, put on in the direction opposite to what the threads go. If it goes the same direction as the threads, will just bunch up. But if done correctly, the action of the threads push it in the direction it needs to go.

 

Enjoy,

[Possum Hill]

(you wrote): Think pens make perfect eyedrop filler conversions. Simply remove the converter, add a bit of silicone grease to the threads, and fill'er up. It goes from a painfully small ink supply to a ridiculously large. I've done two this way (Northern Lights and Mojito), and haven't had a single problem.

 

WOW! are you serious? What a good idea! I like the feel of the pen and the nib but the converter system is hell, leaving my fingers stained all the time. And because the reservoir is ridiculously small, it needs to be filled constantly. Today, i will try silicone tape for pipe's treads (not sure how it is called). Thanks for the tip.

Tape might not be a good choice; it might put too much pressure on the barrel and cause a crack. Silicone grease (also from the plumbing supplies department) would probably be a better option.

[sternaAuparadis]

(you wrote): Think pens make perfect eyedrop filler conversions. Simply remove the converter, add a bit of silicone grease to the threads, and fill'er up. It goes from a painfully small ink supply to a ridiculously large. I've done two this way (Northern Lights and Mojito), and haven't had a single problem.

 

WOW! are you serious? What a good idea! I like the feel of the pen and the nib but the converter system is hell, leaving my fingers stained all the time. And because the reservoir is ridiculously small, it needs to be filled constantly. Today, i will try silicone tape for pipe's treads (not sure how it is called). Thanks for the tip.

 

Be sure and let us know how that works out. Most of us use the silicone grease, easy fix and quick to do. If pipe tape works out well, it might be as easy to use. From installing shower heads, I know two things about pipe tape:

 

1. Will unravel and needs to be taped every time a shower head is changed. Great until need to unthread, ie, refill pen with ink.

 

2. To do a good job, put on in the direction opposite to what the threads go. If it goes the same direction as the threads, will just bunch up. But if done correctly, the action of the threads push it in the direction it needs to go.

 

Enjoy,

This morning I put the plumber teflon tape (which I did not need to buy), not too much (a couple of tours to avoid cracking like Possum Hill below suggested). It works very well, no leak, just a very smooth feel. It is like having a new pen. Now I can enjoy my Tiger Think. I'll try the silicon grease. Any brand? What should I look for exactly? I don't know much about this. I'm afraid to make a mistake that can ruin the plastic. Thanks anyway.

[jonro]

Nice looking pen. Does the nib unscrew? Can it be replaced with a standard Bock nib? What is the length of the Think Tigre?

[lovemy51]

i bought a gatsby model (pic from the peartree): http://www.peartreepens.com/Think-Gatsby-Fountain-Pen-Roadster-p/kt1090%20fp%20rdt.htm

 

http://www.peartreepens.com/v/vspfiles/photos/KT1090%20FP%20RDT-2.jpg

 

the nib is quite smooth, but it starved after a page or so of writing. just a few minutes ago i finished flossing the feed channel and that's all it took. now it's working extremely well!

 

if one can find one of these pens for less than $80, than it is a decent purchase (i got mine for $60, shhhhh, can't say where).

 

honestly, i was gonna return it in the morning, but decided to work on it first, cause' i think the resin is just beautiful, plus i love the minimal trim work and flat top (i've become fascinated with these now) and if i could get it to write well it's worth keeping. now that i've done just that, it's a keeper!!

Edited October 19, 2009 by lovemy51

[Brian]

Nice pen with a most interesting pattern. Let us know if you find it inspirational as you work through your writing chores.

 

 

 

 

[jjlax10]

Has anyone had problems with ink flowing to the nib? Flushing the pen out did not solve the problem.

[bettibriedad]

On 5/7/2010 at 4:24 PM, jjlax10 said:

Has anyone had problems with ink flowing to the nib? Flushing the pen out did not solve the problem.

Did you ever improve the ink flow on your THINK PEN? I have eyedroppered mine but still having ink flow issues...running wet for 1/2 page then drying out completely with the poor flow to the nib. I've tried a nice Nemosine nib and a different feed as well. I channeled the original feed slightly with an exact knife. I've tried loosening the nib unit by a quarter turn to encourage better flow. Tried different inks, nib adjustments, tine flossing with brass sheet, etc. No joy. Very frustrating because it's such a beautiful pen. Wondering if reverting back to a cartridge would change anything. Thanks for sharing your experience and any success in getting this beautiful pen to perform better.