Your Favourite Eye Dropper?

[MuddyWaters]

second answer on Indian ED pens

lower budget around 23$

Asa Genius

the nib is not bad

This is a nice pen. Is that an extra fine nib?

[Arkanabar]

The Noodler's Charlie eyedropper is very similar to the one we call the "Nikita", because Nathan tucked them into the 4.5 oz bottles of Noodler's Nikita (and Borealis Black, by the way; I got two with mine). This review of the Nikita has pictures. The Charlie doesn't have the blind cap/finial on the end of the barrel, but otherwise appears almost identical. Whaddaya know, we have a review of the Charlie as well.

I have three obligate eyedroppers -- a Nikita, a Muft from FPR, and an Airmail. Of them, the Nikita has seen the most use. And it hasn't seen much since the time I brought it in to the office from my rather chilly car, and tried to use it immediately -- burp city. When Lent comes around this year, I may try the Airmail instead; its feed looks like it has a lot more capacity.

[SoulSamurai]

 

I think what he means is that it will take longer for the pen to stop burping, because using at least half the capacity will take longer than with a 2ml pen.

 

 

I assume you mean to "start" burping, not to stop? Even then that doesn't make sense to me: to my knowledge a pen will burp when there's enough air for the change in volume of that air when heated to overwhelm the buffering capacity of the feed. This would depend on the volume of air and buffering capacity of the feed; having a larger ink capacity should just mean that the required volume of air is a lower percentage of the overall capacity. So in a 4ml eyedropper, it might start to burp when there's 3ml of air; in a 6ml eyedropper with the same feed it should logically still burp when there's 3ml of air, only now that's a half of the capacity instead of three quarters?

 

Just to be clear I'm not talking from experience or anything, just theory based on my understanding of the reasons for burping.

[GastroNerd]

 

My favorite ED is my Edison Collier fitted with an F.P.R. #6 "ultra-flex" nib. I wouldn't call it "affordable." But it's my favorite.

 

 

That Edison is beautiful.

[GastroNerd]

 

My favorite ED is my Edison Collier fitted with an F.P.R. #6 "ultra-flex" nib. I wouldn't call it "affordable." But it's my favorite.

 

Wow, that Edison is beautiful.

[Maccabeus]

One more vote for Indian eyedroppers! Here are a Ranga 3C and an ASA Genius that I love dearly. Both are eminently affordable and absolutely reliable. The fine "Ambitious" nib on the ASA worked perfectly well, as did the stock F nib on my Ranga, but I just like the way my writing looks better with a .6 or .8mm stub italic.

FWIW, there is currently a FPN Ranga group buy in this thread if you wanted to pull the trigger on one. I can't claim to speak for anyone else, but my 3C is the most comfortable pen I've ever written with, especially for long writing sessions.

[sidthecat]

I'm enthralled with the little Hicks ringtop that I've owned for about a week: a rare all-Hicks pen and a very sweet and flexy writer.

[pajaro]

Old hard rubber pen. I call it the Burp-O-Matic.

[deepak23]

The Noodler's Charlie eyedropper is very similar to the one we call the "Nikita", because Nathan tucked them into the 4.5 oz bottles of Noodler's Nikita (and Borealis Black, by the way; I got two with mine). This review of the Nikita has pictures. The Charlie doesn't have the blind cap/finial on the end of the barrel, but otherwise appears almost identical. Whaddaya know, we have a review of the Charlie as well.

 

I have three obligate eyedroppers -- a Nikita, a Muft from FPR, and an Airmail. Of them, the Nikita has seen the most use. And it hasn't seen much since the time I brought it in to the office from my rather chilly car, and tried to use it immediately -- burp city. When Lent comes around this year, I may try the Airmail instead; its feed looks like it has a lot more capacity.

The Airmails are fantastic pens let down by a poor nib. If you have access to Kanwrite or Ambitious nibs, these can transform the pen into great EDCs. A Sheaffer NN nib can also be fitted in.

[Honeybadgers]

moonman wancai mini. It's always inked and never dries out

[pankaj]

 

 

Had there been a real advantage to the Eyedropper it would have stayed around in the west. A mess to mess to load.

India's climate and or the 'high cost' of rubber sac's, kept India as the only place in the world where eye droppers were regularly in use for many, many decades.

 

And they 'burp' which is why Waterman improved the first fountain pens so they'd not burp.

Bo Bo , I'm totally with you. Indian climate might be suiting ED pens, the much talked about ebonites of Ranga, ASA, Guider and others ( not mentioned in merit order ) . But then again, they have got an endearing effect only on a few ostensibly from pen forums and commonly not seen with fountain pen users.

 

Asked for an Ebonite pen, shops barely show any familiarity; distribution cost or lack of popularity might be coming in the way for the manufacturers' to reach out a larger market net work . I can't just meander into a pen lane and pick up a hard rubber, no chance. OTH I can easily run into dozens of Sheaffers ,Parkers, Watermans. Comparative price point also works against the Ebonite pens.

 

I think the FPN coupled with a greater degree of skewed love for these ebonite pens from overseas has jacked up the price of these pens in recent times.

 

Its messy it burps, it smells, its crude and elementary. Still I think one can play with one or two if only if the manufacturers out here make it more reachable and comparable.

[A Smug Dill]

Had there been a real advantage to the Eyedropper it would have stayed around in the west. A mess to mess to load.

Even I, as someone who is quite upfront and fortright about not favouring eye-droppers, can see at least a — read one – real advantage, that being having access to an ink reservoir of a larger capacity than piston-fillers (or cartridge/converter-fill pens) of the same form factor would allow.

 

Every design or model is some sort of a compromise for the user and/or consumer. My personal preference is to understand what someone wants, and then 'throw it in their faces' bluntly what each option available to them represents in terms of compromise, and let them choose. They can still whinge about the mess afterwards, but if they think larger ink reservoir capacity is more important than the ease of cleaning and avoidance of instances of burping, then that's a conscious choice and an acknowledged advantage of their part.

 

I'm an analyst at the very core. I want to tell people what they're missing out on and what they're sacrificing, if they consciously choose one option over another. I'm not the designer of perfect solutions, not the least because I don't believe consumers are going to open their wallets in an unconstrained manner if they're offered solutions that tick all the boxes for them functionally and qualitatively, and the only 'compromise' is their out-of-pocket expense.

 

Whereas I see many others here who don't want to understand what others want and how they prioritise, so as to let them experience the consequences of their hierarchy of needs and wants.

 

Back on topic, my 'favourite' and only eye-droppers are Platinum Preppy pens. Cheap as chips, after they've 'donated' the EF nibs I cannot otherwise get for my custom-engraved Plaisir pens. I wouldn't worry the least about them being wrecked, although of course I wouldn't want the eye-droppered Preppy pens to leak and dispense ink in either my pocket or my pen cup. 'Eye-dropper' is almost synonymous with 'cheap' and 'disposable' to me, with the trade-off of having a large ink capacity and not looking like a premium writing instrument (so as not to draw attention when I choose to use one).

[hari317]

'

 

Had there been a real advantage to the Eyedropper it would have stayed around in the west.

 

Not necessary that a good design stays around. After all they discontinued the perfectly good 51.

[A Smug Dill]

Not necessary that a good design stays around. After all they discontinued the perfectly good 51.

Sincere question, because I don't like Parker as a brand and don't favour Chinese pens in any way, so I don't do research or keep track about those: has any of the Chinese fountain pen manufacturers 'copied' much of the essence of what is good/characteristic about the Parker 51 and produced an alternative, precisely because they think it's a good and/or marketable design, irrespective of whether Parker as a company chose to abandon it?

Edited March 5, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[hari317]

.

. I can't just meander into a pen lane and pick up a hard rubber, no chance. .

Hi Pankaj, nice to hear from you. Actually it depends on which pen market pen lane you walk into... What you say is perhaps true of the Nagindas Master lane in Mumbai. But I discovered my first ebonites by doing just that, chance upon them in a pen shop in a pen lane. The lane was RP road in Secunderabad and I saw there a pen shop called the Deccan pen stores. and they had a nice variety of pens which I learned were made of ebonite. Later I discovered plenty of inexpensive ebonite fps being sold on another pen lane called the Narayana Mudali Street in Madras, I documented my finds at the Krishna pen mart here:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/70913-madras-pen-shops/

Edited March 5, 2019 by hari317

[hari317]

Sincere question, because I don't like Parker as a brand and don't favour Chinese pens in any way, so I don't do research or keep track about those: has any of the Chinese fountain pen manufacturers 'copied' much of the essence of what is good/characteristic about the Parker 51 and produced an alternative, precisely because they think it's a good and/or marketable design, irrespective of whether Parker as a company chose to abandon it?

but China is not the west. Bo bo was talking about the west. Eyedroppers are also from the west which abandoned them but they continue to be made in the east.

[rwilsonedn]

Has anyone mentioned the Pilot Tank? It is (or was) very like the 78G, but designed to be an eyedropper-filler. Excellent nib, absolutely bullet-proof, no burping problem if you know how to use an ED pen, and very inexpensive. For a little more money, there is the French Recife Crystal ED-filler. I find it a faultless, beautiful pen with a very nice nib. I believe Peyton Street Pens currently has one in box for $60.

Also, let me add my vote to taking another look at Indian ED pens. There is a wide range, from intentionally inexpensive to luxury, and a range of nibs, from hit'n'miss to the very good Ambitious and Kanwrite nibs mentioned above, to, if you really prefer, pens with sections machined to take Pelikan nib units. In my view, by the way, the problems with ED pens are not a matter of archaic design or of climate, but of proper use. With a few simple procedures, most of my ED pens will write dry without burping. But you have to use them correctly--they are more sensitive to process and handling than, say, cartridge fillers.

ron

[sansenri]

This is a nice pen. Is that an extra fine nib?

sorry for late reply Muddy

no, I'm not usually fond of very fine nibs, unless the quality of the nib is very high (Sailor, Montblanc, Omas, Delta, few others)

I tend to like wet nibs too, so I'm usually just happy with M and B.

The nib in the Genius is an M and is probably a Schmidt nib. Writes well.

The pen has some flow issues, it's rather dry, but that's probably an issue with mine, I've tinkered with the feed and the nib and it's slightly improved but still not at its best. Possibly needs some more playing around...

It's a really nice pen though, sort of pocket size, very comfortable.

[sansenri]

One more vote for Indian eyedroppers! Here are a Ranga 3C and an ASA Genius that I love dearly. Both are eminently affordable and absolutely reliable. The fine "Ambitious" nib on the ASA worked perfectly well, as did the stock F nib on my Ranga, but I just like the way my writing looks better with a .6 or .8mm stub italic.

FWIW, there is currently a FPN Ranga group buy in this thread if you wanted to pull the trigger on one. I can't claim to speak for anyone else, but my 3C is the most comfortable pen I've ever written with, especially for long writing sessions.

+1

I have quite a few Ranga 3 and 3C, it's a great shape and size, just right for me.

(in fact I could not resist the latest group buy and got another 3 flat top!)

The Genius is also a very nice pen, performance on my specimen is unfortunately not on par with my Rangas.

[sansenri]

Bo Bo , I'm totally with you. Indian climate might be suiting ED pens, the much talked about ebonites of Ranga, ASA, Guider and others ( not mentioned in merit order ) . But then again, they have got an endearing effect only on a few ostensibly from pen forums and commonly not seen with fountain pen users.

 

Asked for an Ebonite pen, shops barely show any familiarity; distribution cost or lack of popularity might be coming in the way for the manufacturers' to reach out a larger market net work . I can't just meander into a pen lane and pick up a hard rubber, no chance. OTH I can easily run into dozens of Sheaffers ,Parkers, Watermans. Comparative price point also works against the Ebonite pens.

 

I think the FPN coupled with a greater degree of skewed love for these ebonite pens from overseas has jacked up the price of these pens in recent times.

 

Its messy it burps, it smells, its crude and elementary. Still I think one can play with one or two if only if the manufacturers out here make it more reachable and comparable.

 

Sometimes you need more care to enjoy life.

I still make espresso coffee with ground coffee and a Moka aluminium machine that goes on the cooker (classic Bialetti).

It takes longer than a (for example) Nespresso capsule, and its fussy, you need to fill it with water, put the filter in place, fill it with ground coffee and be careful not to overcharge it, very lightly smooth out the coffee in the filter but don't press it, screw the top cover on, put it on the cooker and wait those 3-4 minutes it takes to boil and steam the coffee through the filter.

But I find it's a "zen" moment.

And when you're finished you also need to wash it and put it to dry.

 

It has some analogy to using a fountain pen (filling, washing, etc.).

With good quality freshly ground coffee it's another world of flavour though.

 

ED pens have similar fascination. And I am still convinced that ebonite feed does something different to ink flow...

Edited March 6, 2019 by sansenri