"Sharad Dandekar"

[Taurean]

Any idea where one from the USA can get one of these? I really like its look but I haven't much luck to find it from US seller.

 

Hi pkoko, you might want to keep your eye on the classifieds section. It is offered for sale occasionally by some of the Indian members.

 

Hi Hari;

Thanks for sharing your impressions of this pen from India. Does the pen offer choice of nib widths?

 

Hello Mr Gupta. As far as I am aware, there is only one nib width available for this pen.

It's not marked, but writes like a Fine/Medium.

[pbhat]

After continuous use of this pen for a month I found that it writes almost fine but a bit on the dry side though it has never skipped. The experience of dryness is more with Pelikan Brilliant black (which is inherently dry) which forced me to change the ink to Sailor Jentle Blue Black. Even in this an amount of dryness is felt unlike the same ink in say my Sheaffer Targa. Have you all got similar experience with this pen? For discussion

pbhat

[rwilsonedn]

Given how this topic keeps resurfacing, and how the pen has such a positive review from one of the pen experts I most respect, I was just thinking that if someone wanted to buy up a few of these in India and offer them here in the classifieds, I'll be they would find a willing group of customers.

ron

[Taurean]

After continuous use of this pen for a month I found that it writes almost fine but a bit on the dry side though it has never skipped. The experience of dryness is more with Pelikan Brilliant black (which is inherently dry) which forced me to change the ink to Sailor Jentle Blue Black. Even in this an amount of dryness is felt unlike the same ink in say my Sheaffer Targa. Have you all got similar experience with this pen? For discussion

pbhat

 

My SD is a reasonably wet writer, I would say 6/10, which works well for me.

Perhaps the nib is set too deeply into the feed?

The nib/feed assembly is easily removable. You can fiddle with it to change the flow.

[hariharan]

Dear Hari,

 

Thank you for the wonderful review. I'm new to the fountain pens and my boss, who is an ardent user of fountain pens recommended Camlin SD. I have been using it for a week. It has softened even within a week and it feels great.

 

However, i face one problem. I'm using Parker quink ink with it and every morning the pen is dry. I have to screw the piston, allowing the ink to flush the feeder and withdraw the piston. The pen is beautiful again. I dont know whether it is due to my holding style or pen construction or the ink combination i use.

I request your feedback.

 

Hariharan,

Chennai

[hari317]

However, i face one problem. I'm using Parker quink ink with it and every morning the pen is dry. I have to screw the piston, allowing the ink to flush the feeder and withdraw the piston. The pen is beautiful again. I dont know whether it is due to my holding style or pen construction or the ink combination i use.

I request your feedback.

 

Thank you for the kind comments regarding the review.

 

There can be a few problems that cause this behaviour. maybe the cap is not sealing the nib properly, leading to a dryout. Or maybe the feed is blocked with some manufacturing residue requiring you to force ink into the feed by twisting the converter. or maybe the gap is excessive between the nib and feed which breaks the initial capillary action, once you have primed the feed the ink flow is maintained, but it will break if the pen is stored upright. Do you store your pen upright?

 

I suggest you to change the ink to camel/bril royal blue for a while. Before changing inks, rinse the section carefully under running water, this will clean the feed if there is any dirt there.

 

If it still is not solved, take the pen back to the dealer for them to have a look.

 

Best

Hari

[hariharan]

Thank you very much for your detailed reply. I had the doubt of gap between nib and feed as while writing i have a feeling that the nib is bending slightly. Because in a couple of occasions, the pen was dry even when i was writing. This indicates that the effect could be something dynamic; i.e this could not be due to the cap.

 

I generally store the pen upright. So, i shall try keeping it in slant position and check whether dryness is checked. I shall also try camlin ink as the pen is tuned for that. However, am afraid of cleaning it as i have not opened a fountain pen for the past 15 years.

 

Thank you for the kind comments regarding the review.

 

There can be a few problems that cause this behaviour. maybe the cap is not sealing the nib properly, leading to a dryout. Or maybe the feed is blocked with some manufacturing residue requiring you to force ink into the feed by twisting the converter. or maybe the gap is excessive between the nib and feed which breaks the initial capillary action, once you have primed the feed the ink flow is maintained, but it will break if the pen is stored upright. Do you store your pen upright?

 

I suggest you to change the ink to camel/bril royal blue for a while. Before changing inks, rinse the section carefully under running water, this will clean the feed if there is any dirt there.

 

If it still is not solved, take the pen back to the dealer for them to have a look.

 

Best

Hari

[hari317]

Thank you very much for your detailed reply. I had the doubt of gap between nib and feed as while writing i have a feeling that the nib is bending slightly. Because in a couple of occasions, the pen was dry even when i was writing. This indicates that the effect could be something dynamic; i.e this could not be due to the cap.

 

I generally store the pen upright. So, i shall try keeping it in slant position and check whether dryness is checked. I shall also try camlin ink as the pen is tuned for that. However, am afraid of cleaning it as i have not opened a fountain pen for the past 15 years.

 

Wow! the nib should not bend as you write, it is a relatively stiff steel nib on this pen. One thing to remember with a FP is to lighten up the pressure. Write with a light hand, do not put pressure at all. The nib should simply glide on the paper.

 

Try storing the pen horizontal instead of slant.

[brahmam]

Best bet Hariharan would be to request your boss to help you in tuning the fountain pen. He is fairly good in adjusting nibs and feed and am sure would ensure that the flow becomes smooth. You could perhaps give it to him an evening after work and receive a perfectly tuned Camlin SD the following day!

 

BTW, do let us all know about the fine piece of FP tuning your boss did for you.

 

 

Cheers!

"Chennai Living" Brahmam

[jjlax10]

This looks a lot like a certain controversial release from a company in Massachusetts.

[Silent Speaker]

This looks a lot like a certain controversial release from a company in Massachusetts.

Ha.

 

That's what I thought when I first saw this pen; they have used similar mould from Chelpark though (and they do appear to source their pen bodies from the same place).

 

-=-=-=-=-=-

It's an attractive pen (at a most agreeable price), but I'm not so fond of the signature being so... there, so overtly placed on the cap like that.

 

Still, nice pen.

[lovemy51]

look at that! and all this time i thought the Noodlers Ahab design was unique... same clip, same body. i bet it smells the same.

 

belated thanx, Hari for the review!

[hari317]

I do not have the Ahab. The SD was released sometime in Feb 2009 and I wrote this review soon after. The Ahab has come much later, I believe.

 

The Ahab's section, clip and clip jewel seems to be very similar to the SD. The SD has a snap off cap.

 

@lovemy51: In my opinion, the material used for the SD is excellent, it is hard and odor free.

 

Regarding odor, what I gathered from my discussions with Wality was that their pens made from recycled HDPE pellets give out this orderodor. They could make pens from virgin plastic pellets at a cost premium and they will be 100% odor free, I do have a few pens from them made from the better material.

 

Best

Hari

Edited February 11, 2012 by hari317

[brahmam]

I do have to agree that while Camlin SD behaves very well with Waterman inks, it does get a bit cranky when I use Pelikan inks....

Brahmam

[hari317]

I do have to agree that while Camlin SD behaves very well with Waterman inks, it does get a bit cranky when I use Pelikan inks....

Brahmam

Pelikan inks are drier, maybe that's the reason.

[lovemy51]

hari, i understand it's not identical. it just bit me how close the body shape and clip are to the Ahab's. when all this time "I" thought the Ahab was a new design - e.g. the clip being design after the shape of the whales back... it's just funny!

[hari317]

hari, i understand it's not identical. it just bit me how close the body shape and clip are to the Ahab's. when all this time "I" thought the Ahab was a new design - e.g. the clip being design after the shape of the whales back... it's just funny!

 

:roflmho:

[brahmam]

Camlin SD behaves the worst with Pelikan Green and Brown; Ok with Pelikan Red; Exuberant with Pelikan Black. Haven't tried Pelikan Blue. But trust me, Waterman Purple shows such a fine balance and behaves well with SD. In fact, the ink flow of Waterman purple in my Camlin SD seems to be even better balanced than in my Waterman Charleston. But in all cases, the line drawn by SD seems to be thin and wet - you could actually see light reflecting from the letters for a couple of seconds before it starts drying. But for the fraction of the amount we pay for Camlin SD, I still think it carries a lot of dignity and gets noticed. Even after not using the pen for several days, it starts to write without much fuss. The airtight cap when pulled creates some kind of suction that brings ink to the nib, ready to write everytime we uncap. But time has to tell as to how good this function is. Even more expensive snap-on caps from Sheaffers seem to wobble with time.

 

Cheers!

Brahmam

 

 

I do have to agree that while Camlin SD behaves very well with Waterman inks, it does get a bit cranky when I use Pelikan inks....

Brahmam

Pelikan inks are drier, maybe that's the reason.

Edited February 11, 2012 by brahmam

[pbhat]

Eventhough it is an excellent pen well made with good quality material, same cannot be said about the converter supplied with the pen. After about 9 months of use the piston has become fairly tight, this inspite of regular rinsing with water after every ink change. The pen was never kept unused with ink on for more then 4 days. For some reason it again loosened a bit once I changed it Camel Permanent black ink. The snap shut mechanism of the cap still works as it is new though.

pbhat

[hari317]

Hi Pbhat, the piston of the converter is applied with lubricant at the factory. The grease slowly washes away with ink and rinsing. You can unscrew the metal ring on the converter to access the seal which you can then lubricate. 100% silicone grease in the form of High Vacuum grease should be available at your lab.

 

Best

Hari

Edited February 15, 2012 by hari317