Fosfor Vajeer

[gudasrinivas]

I heard about Manoj Deshmukh from pen reviews by Prithwijit Chaki and Vaibhav Mehandiratta. The pen designs intrigued me but I kept delaying the purchase due to my own procrastination. The Vajeer design always fascinated me. While the choice of many people has been the Fosfor Islander, I always felt that the Vajeer was an equally good model.

 

The name Vajeer is probably derived by the term Vazir which means minister and in India in chess the Vazir is always the queen. The minister or the queen are usually the background influencers to the king and play an important part in running a kingdom. The same could be said for the Vajeer pen which looks understated but actually packs quite a punch.

 

After reading a few pen reviews and seeing that fellow FPNers were importing pen blanks and getting their own pen colours, I decided to import a few Conway Stewart acrylic blanks from the Turners Workshop (http://www2.theturnersworkshop.co.uk/) and sent a set of the Lapis Blue blanks over to Manoj. The expectation was set by Manoj that there would be a 24-28 week waiting time and I was prepared to wait.

 

As the date of making the pen came nearer, I reached out to Manoj and he wanted me to choose the clip, and nib. What I found unique working with Manoj is the amount of flexibility he offers you in designing the pen. It is very rare to find someone who is willing to accommodate so many requests. After a few mail exchanges the pen jewelllery, nib and grip designs were finalised and the pen arrived within a week.

 

The pen arrived in a strong plastic box which is well suited to withstand the pressures of a postal journey and not damage the valuable contents. The box has a sticker with the Fosfor name and Logo and there is no other branding anywhere else on the pen.

 

Pen Design

The design is plain and simple. The edges of the barrel and cap are chamfered and leave no sharp edges. It is a fairly fat pen but does not seem that way once you hold it and start writing. The cap cannot be posted. The grip section can be customized based on your preference and I chose a slightly long grip section given that I have fat fingers and prefer a slightly longer grip. I was also insistent that the cap, section and barrel are of the same material and Manoj had accommodated this request as well.

 

Size and Balance

The length of the pen when capped is a tad lesser than 15 cms and this makes it a fairly large pen. Despite the length the pen is well balanced and writes very well even though you cannot post the cap.

 

Nib and Filling mechanism

My choice of nibs is Medium but this time I choose a Schmidt Broad nib for the Vajeer. The nib is very smooth and is a wet writer. I have not had any issues with the ink flow and the pen has not burped even once.

The Vajeer comes with a 3 in 1 filling system which accommodates a standard Schmidt converter, standard international ink cartridge or could be used as an eye dropper. This 3 in 1 option provides flexibility if you want to change inks or use the pen for a longer period of time.

 

Build Quality

One look at the pen and it is not very difficult to see how much time has been spent in perfecting the pen. The smooth cap, barrel, the almost invisible line separating the cap finial from the rest of the cap and the attention to the minutest of details speak volumes for the build quality.

 

Price and value

With the level of customization and build quality that is offered on Fosfor Pens, it would not be correct to have a discussion on price but focus more on the value. Once you start using a Fosfor Pen, you would forget about what you paid for the pen and focus more on the satisfaction you get from using the pen.

 

Conclusion

After using the Vajeer, Fosfor Pens has entered into my list of must have pens. Manoj is a pen maker par excellence and I sincerely hope he gets the recognition that he truly deserves.

 

Attached are a few photographs of the pen.

 

[mhguda]

Congratulations on a very fine Fosfor pen. The material you chose for it is also very beautiful.

As an owner of three Fosfor Islanders (one custom, and one the very first model Manoj sold) I am somewhat partial to that model, but I am now definitely open to considering one of these, as well. (I also have a syringe filler, a somewhat different design, that I like a lot...)

So thank you for your review...

[gudasrinivas]

Congratulations on a very fine Fosfor pen. The material you chose for it is also very beautiful.

As an owner of three Fosfor Islanders (one custom, and one the very first model Manoj sold) I am somewhat partial to that model, but I am now definitely open to considering one of these, as well. (I also have a syringe filler, a somewhat different design, that I like a lot...)

So thank you for your review...

Thanks mhguda for your comments. I feel the Vajeer is a model that is as fine as the Islander but has not got its due recognition.

[gillum51]

that's a fine looking pen! I've had my eye on he Vajeer for some time now and will hopefully go ahead and order one soon. I'm glad to hear that the maker is flexible and easy to deal with.

[gudasrinivas]

that's a fine looking pen! I've had my eye on he Vajeer for some time now and will hopefully go ahead and order one soon. I'm glad to hear that the maker is flexible and easy to deal with.

 

Thanks for reading the review and giving your feedback.

[Abi_30]

beautiful pen!

[ak2k5]

have a vajeer in burgundy resin...its a great pen.the section could have been a bit concave though

[gregamckinney]

A good looking pen in a gorgeous material.

Congratulations.

Best Regards, greg

[gudasrinivas]

beautiful pen!

Thank you.

[gudasrinivas]

A good looking pen in a gorgeous material.

Congratulations.

Best Regards, greg

Thank you.

[gudasrinivas]

have a vajeer in burgundy resin...its a great pen.the section could have been a bit concave though

Agree with you. This has entered the list of my favourite pens.

[tusharksingla]

sir u chose a very understated design.. considering the pictures of more elaborately designed fosfor pens on the web..

what was the waiting period before u received the pen..?

[gudasrinivas]

sir u chose a very understated design.. considering the pictures of more elaborately designed fosfor pens on the web..

what was the waiting period before u received the pen..?

I had to wait 7 months before the pen was delivered. But it was worth the wait.

[BRBA]

Congratulations and thank you for such a detailed review along with the photos. The pen looks beautiful, creating a desire to get one. One quickie: is the photo capturing the true colour of the lapis blue or is it a bit dark in the picture?

[gudasrinivas]

Congratulations and thank you for such a detailed review along with the photos. The pen looks beautiful, creating a desire to get one. One quickie: is the photo capturing the true colour of the lapis blue or is it a bit dark in the picture?

Hi BRBA thanks very much for your feedback. The true colour of the Lapis Blue is what you see in the picture.

[mehandiratta]

Nice Pen

[gudasrinivas]

Nice Pen

Thanks Vaibhav.