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Gama Eyas Vs Asa Nauka


MuddyWaters

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I have basically alternated between buying Indian ebonite pens and other pens recently. The issue for me with the Ebonite pens has been finding the right fit. For now, the Gama Supreme was too big and burps too much, and Ranga 5 too big but perfectly well built. The ASA Genius is next in line.

 

I also have a Model 3 from before but the fit in the hand is not perfect for me.

 

Then there is always the question of nibs, but I think that if I find the right ebonite pen, I could always order a second with a better nib unit or customized for a high-end nib unit.

 

Up to now though Sanseri you have been very helpful, given that you have many of these ebonite pens! It is also really nice to support these Indian pen makers who provide great pens at good prices.

Edited by MuddyWaters
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You can ask Mr. Kanden from Ranga to customize the size of most of his models at a minor additional cost and no degradationin quality. He made me a 4C in matte black ebonite with virtually the same shape as my MB149; it's awesome.

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."

Oscar Wilde

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Thanks Muddy

I think you are right about supporting the Indian makers, not just because they make nice pens at reasonable prices, but also because in a way they protect ancient traditional techniques and skills. The longer we help to protect those, the later we'll be forced to buy all plastic all alike pens...

You just mentioned a point about Ranga pens that has been in puzzling me for a while.

If you have noticed model 3 is their mid sized pen. Model 4 is a larger pen, but the section is the same size as model 3!

Model 5 has a larger section(already too big for me), and the pen itself is huge (I actually have one, but cannot use it really, it's too big for me).

Wouldn't it be nice if they had a pen in their range slightly larger than model 3? say a Model 3 1/2?

Or a Model 4 with a larger section, without the step section to barrel?

 

Lloyd, show us a picture of the Ranga custom 149! now I'm really curious!

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Sansenri, your remark about the Ranga model 5 being too big for you actually makes me wonder - did you actually try it out?

I bought one, after an FPN friend convinced me to because she thought I might like it, and she was right! yes it is a big pen, but still, even when I use it right after writing with my Advocate or one of the many Click bamboos and similar slender pens, I do find the Varuna Gajendra - my largest pen - perfectly comfortable to write with... and while my hands are not small, I do not think they are particularly large either, even for a woman's hands. The other large Ranga I have, the Majestic, is also a comfortable pen, although I like the feel of the 5 better and thus use it more often.

a fountain pen is physics in action... Proud member of the SuperPinks

fpn_1425200643__fpn_1425160066__super_pi

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Sansenri, your remark about the Ranga model 5 being too big for you actually makes me wonder - did you actually try it out?

I bought one, after an FPN friend convinced me to because she thought I might like it, and she was right! yes it is a big pen, but still, even when I use it right after writing with my Advocate or one of the many Click bamboos and similar slender pens, I do find the Varuna Gajendra - my largest pen - perfectly comfortable to write with... and while my hands are not small, I do not think they are particularly large either, even for a woman's hands. The other large Ranga I have, the Majestic, is also a comfortable pen, although I like the feel of the 5 better and thus use it more often.

yess!

 

here is mine next to an Edison Collier

 

perhaps it's not just the section, but the whole pen that's too big, probably a pen with the same section and a barrel of same size as the section (a sort of larger model 3) would work better for me, as it is the 5 feels too large in my hand

fpn_1568323101__ranga_5_020_-_3_mottled_

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I'll try to get a photo up either later tonight or tomorrow.

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."

Oscar Wilde

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fpn_1568356303__20190912_225501.jpgfpn_1568356290__20190912_225438.jpgfpn_1568356259__20190912_225415.jpg

Edited by Lloyd

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."

Oscar Wilde

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Sans, I agree the 5 is big, both in the section diameter and the overall length of the pen.

I have found it is not preventing me to find the pen comfortable to use - to the contrary, I actually find it very comfortable. But of course, all this is very much a question of personal experience. I am just very glad that in the many years I've been using fountain pens, I've found I can enjoy fat pens, slender pens (almost to the diameter of a pencil), small (pocket size) pens, and large pens, switching from one to the other without difficulty. So far, the only pen I have that is really too small for me to use is the (novelty item!) baby Guider I got as a present some years ago, when I bought a number of normal-sized Guider Onyxes. That pen is about 5cm long and there is no way I can hold it in my hand and write with it, even posted... Other than that, from Kaweco Lilliput to Varuna Gajendra (Ranga model 5) I use and enjoy them all.

a fountain pen is physics in action... Proud member of the SuperPinks

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:)

yes, that happens to me too, I come from much slender pens that were popular in the 70s, but have grown to like larger pens, so I don't necessarily have a strict favorite size, depending on the pen (the ergonomic shapes make much more of a difference) I like to use both large and small, and adapt to the one I'm using.

I do use the Model 5 at times... but it's probably on the verge of too big for me and tires my hand (might also be a matter of hand size...).

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fpn_1568356303__20190912_225501.jpgfpn_1568356290__20190912_225438.jpgfpn_1568356259__20190912_225415.jpg

 

Very nice, Lloyd, the all black look is very neat!

It looks rather close to a model 4.

I was expecting a more radical customization though, as it is, it would not work well for me (although I do have model 4s...) because I really do prefer section and barrel to be flush, with no steps.

 

PS, nice pen pouch, too!

Edited by sansenri
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I was expecting a more radical customization though, as it is, it would not work well for me (although I do have model 4s...) because I really do prefer section and barrel to be flush, with no steps.

 

As long as the section is wide and long, I like both approaches: flush cap with recessed section and flush section with wider cap. Why not ask Mr. Kandan to try to make a Ranga in the size and shape you desire? I chose a general pattern I liked but asked for it to have a wider section (~12mm) and shorter body (<6" when capped). For me, it's extremely comfortable and flawlessly made.

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."

Oscar Wilde

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I've been thinking about it more than once, it would be nice to have a pen somewhat similar in shape to a flat top model 3, or rounded 3C, or even with a section similar to the 8B, with a straight body and no step downs, but a little bit wider.

I've also been thinking to a have a specific nib I have lying around fitted in it....

Fact is model 3 suits me quite well, so it's not an urgent need...

If I make up my mind I'll ask Mr. Kandan's opinion of feasibility.

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I have a Ranga model 3 and honestly I think the shape is a little odd in the hand. The section is narrow while the back is kind of blocky. The shape could be refined a little.

 

The model 5 is well built but like sanseri I find it slightly uncomfortable due to large size.

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I don't exactly know the reason but I have totally fallen in love with my Gama Eyas with their fine nib. Initially I was not using it for continuous long writing sessions but once I rectified the misaligned nib and heat set the feed it has become my go-to pen. Whenever I have to choose between my ASA Maya and Gama Eyas, I drool over my Eyas and take it right away.

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The Eyas is a nice pen, infact!

I like mine too, I don't find the threads bother me (as reported by Muddy).

I actually have two...

In one I am keeping the original Indian nib, which needed some micromesh treatment but is now writing quite well, I used the other for some nib experimenting and swappend in different nibs. The one that is in there at the moment and seems to have found an ideal matching is an old Omas 18k nib I had lying around.

The nib is F and rather dry, so it needs a pen that has a good flow (as with most Omas piston filler pens) and an ebonite feed (as in most Omas pens).

The nib in the Eyas seems to receive a good amount of ink and despite being dry it now seems to work with less effort.

The pen is a nice shape and largish size (without exceeding), very linear, as I prefer them to be, very comfortably light and well balanced.

(I really need to take a better picture very soon...)

fpn_1569164454__img_1813-3_gama_eyas_wit

Edited by sansenri
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Wow, sanseri, very nice! For the record, the sharp threads are on the Gama Supreme, and maybe because it is so big, it forces me to hold it on the sharp threads. The other issue with that pen is that it burps like crazy. How is the Eyas in that regard?

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I hope you don't mind my butting in, but if your Gama is burping like crazy, it makes me think you've an air leak somewhere... and with EDs that location can't be too difficult to pinpoint. You could try turning the whole nib and feed assembly a little, maybe push it slightly further into the section? in the past, that's helped me with burping eyedroppers. Sometimes it also works if you push only the nib slightly further inward, but if the nib is a little flexible, you may lose some of that flexibility. Good luck! And yes, I too have an Eyas and love it... it now houses one of Honeybadger's superflexible Jinhao nibs. Much fun to write with!

a fountain pen is physics in action... Proud member of the SuperPinks

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