Quick Review Of Penton F17 Safari Clone

[bob_hayden]

Oh, no, not another Safari clone!-) This one's main claim to fame is that the shape of the section is quite rounded off compared to the original or the other clones I have tried, which makes it by far the most comfortable for me to hold. The pen is plastic, with two ink windows, two flat sides on the barrel, and a clip like the original. There are no markings whatever on it except "F" on the nib. The black O-ring trim band around the waist is a loose friction fit that usually stays on but should really be securely anchored. Comes in red, white, black and clear (demonstrator). $1.89 shipped. Here is the eBay title for the pen I bought.

 

HOT SALE F17 Transparent Classic Writing Fountain Pen Screw Fine Nib 0.5mm Gifts

 

This takes large bore cartridges which means that it might work with Parker, Lamy, or Hero 359 cartridges. In it I put an old Levenger Cardinal Red cartridge that was more than half dried out. Maybe this was a bad choice for testing, but my pen was red, and I already had way too many pens inked with Parker Red. These discontinued "magnum" cartridges fit a Parker on one end and standard international on the other. It's been in the pen for four days with no sign of leaks.

 

The pen writes a fairly smooth, wet, XF line. After four days it was very hard to start. Part of this may be due to the ink, but I don't think the cap is fully air tight.

 

I would go with the very similar Hero or Yiren clones if you like/tolerate the sharp edges on the sections and don't mind large bore cartridges (limited ink color choices), or with the Jinhao clone if you prefer international cartridges. If you do not like sharp-edged sections, this may be the only game in town if you want a cheap Safari clone.

Edited November 27, 2017 by bob_hayden