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A Quick Rant On The Zebra V-301 Fountain Pen.

PenFiz

By PenFiz
in USA - North America

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Zookie Vintage

Zookie

Posted
Posted

It took me a while to figure out my pen. The problem was a long felt wick more than anything. Once that was fixed, no more problem. As to the hooded nib, there are a lot of NOS packages out there. Is there any way to tell the difference without opening that package? Has it changed from the old packaging?

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FOUR X FOUR Collectors Item

FOUR X FOUR

Posted
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I've also heard, this is an awful pen. I actually saw one a few days ago at Walgreens. It was about 5 dollars. I'm a glutton for punishment. I'm gonna buy one this evening. If it doesn't work after an hour, I'll return it

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Sailor Kenshin Museum Piece

Sailor Kenshin

Posted
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I've also heard, this is an awful pen. I actually saw one a few days ago at Walgreens. It was about 5 dollars. I'm a glutton for punishment. I'm gonna buy one this evening. If it doesn't work after an hour, I'll return it

 

Unless they changed the unique feed, it won't. The best way to get one of these writing is to dip in ink, write, dip, repeat, until the Zebra ink starts flowing.

My latest ebook.   And not just for Halloween!
 

My other pen is a Montblanc.

 

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dkirchge Mint

dkirchge

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The new nib design is interesting for sure. Thanks for the photos, pararis!

-- Doug K.

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scully012 Mint

scully012

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The one I have didn't work, as ink just didn't flow through the feed. This was fixed by taking the pen apart, pulling out the fiber feed, and cutting it in half lengthwise (so it was half as thick). After reinstalling just half the feed, the pen has been very reliable with a variety of inks.

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FOUR X FOUR Collectors Item

FOUR X FOUR

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Thanx, sailor. I completely forgot to pick one up. If I don't forget, I'll get one tomorrow

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Mikeal Near Mint

Mikeal

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My favorite part of the one I bought some years ago was the packaging asserting that fountain pens completely personalized to your writing, and no two people should share or use the same fountain pen.

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Zookie Vintage

Zookie

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I cut a bit off of the feed, and then used a syringe to "prime" it. Haven't had a problem since.

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  • 10 months later...
RRE Near Mint

RRE

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Posted

Bought mine a few years ago. These are not the partial hooded nibs. The package came with "bonus" carts. It didn't really write. Fast forward a few years. I saw it as a puzzle. Here are my feelings : pilot metropolitan squeeze converter helps saturate the wick during filling. Plus dipping it in ink too. It is no Safari but it improves our pen troubleshooting skills.

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KellyMcJ Vintage

KellyMcJ

Posted
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I have one of these *bleep* things. It never worked, at least not for long, and I saw this thread and (after it's been sitting in my drawer for weeks) I thought "you know, it would be funny if I pulled that pen out and it worked". So I pulled it out and...it worked. Started right up instantly. Like it'd been perfect all along.

 

I guess it takes weeks to saturate that weird brush feed?

 

Still can't figure out why Zebra puts their good name on these things, but it's a solidly built nice looking pen (other than the feed) and the fact that it doesn't work half the time.

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RRE Near Mint

RRE

Posted
Posted

I have one of these *bleep* things. It never worked, at least not for long, and I saw this thread and (after it's been sitting in my drawer for weeks) I thought "you know, it would be funny if I pulled that pen out and it worked". So I pulled it out and...it worked. Started right up instantly. Like it'd been perfect all along.

 

I guess it takes weeks to saturate that weird brush feed?

 

Still can't figure out why Zebra puts their good name on these things, but it's a solidly built nice looking pen (other than the feed) and the fact that it doesn't work half the time.

Glad you got it working. They do take a long time to saturate the wick. Plus the converter and the ink aren't very good. The pilot squeeze converter fits quite well as a replacement. Regards, Ron

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Misfit Museum Piece

Misfit

Posted
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I have this pen. When I put the cartridge in, I turned the capped pen nib down to let the ink work down to saturate the feed. It wrote for me and has ever since. I leave it in whichever purse I carry, and don't use it that often. But it works when I do.

 

That said, there are bound to be pens that at this price point that have issues.

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