Ranga Eye Dropper

[Doug C]

I have always been tempted by the Indian ebonite pens I see for sale on FPN but never made the leap. Not due to the expense since almost all of them are under $100, but more due to the fact that I wondered if I would ever even use it.

 

A little over a week ago, I took the bait and bought one of the latest offerings on FPN from the Ranga pen company.

 

 

 

DESIGN/APPEARANCE 5/5

 

If you like big pens this one is for you. In fact, it is the largest pen I own. Even though it can post, I can't imagine doing so since the unposted pen is longer than a number of my posted pens.

 

The pen body is very simple and clipless,not unlike a number of current Japanese pens.

 

They offer several different versions of ebonite, but I chose the most outragous color, and I was blown away by the incredible colors. It is a crazy mix of purple/blue, pink and a cream color. The photos don't come close to showing how unique this pen is.

 

 

QUALITY 3/5

 

When I first got the pen, there was a loud squealing sound when you removed the cap, suggesting that the threads might not be as finely finished as some. A little Vaseoline did the trick and it is now turning smoothly.

 

The actual finish of the ebonite is very good, and on a par with most of my other non-urushi coated ebonite pens.

 

FILLING SYSTEM 3/5

 

This is a personal preference that I don't tend to buy many eye droppers. You either like the philosophy or you don't. They hold an incredible amount of ink, but are hard to clean and it is tough to change inks.

 

I loaded this up with 4 full eyedroppers (!) and there still seemed to be room for more.

 

The seal around the threads was adequately coated with silicone, and it was ready to write.

 

NIB 4/5

 

My rating here is based on normal expectations from the standard steel iridium nib.

 

It was a little hard to start so I primed it by sinking the nib to get it wet and then started writing. It is a true fine nib, close to most Bock type nibs. It is very smooth, and flows perfectly, not too dry or wet.

 

After about 10 lines, it dried up. This is something I have encountered with eyedroppers before, especially when they have an ebonite feed (and this does have a hand cut feed). I let the feed sit in the ink for about 10 minutes to saturate it. I have now been writing for two days, have not had a single skip or dry spot. A little prep goes a long way with these pens.

Regarding the nib itself; it is no thing of beauty, but it gets the job done nicely.

 

CONCLUSIONS

4/5

 

This is a great value for a large, imposing pen. It writes well, will catch everyone's eye, and even comes nicely packaged (see the photo for the red velvet case).

 

Ranga Pens was very thorough in their communications, and the shipping was faster than a number of US companies.

 

One last thing; I have a buddy that asked for some changes to the pen itself, and they agreed to it. We'll see how this turns out, but it does show that this company is customer focused.

 

A very good value.

 

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh130/DougDorann/Ranga1.jpg

 

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh130/DougDorann/Ranga2.jpg

[alexander_k]

Many thanks for the review. I'm also interested in these pens. One question though: isn't Vaseline supposed to be harmful to ebonite?

[Doug C]

Many thanks for the review. I'm also interested in these pens. One question though: isn't Vaseline supposed to be harmful to ebonite?

 

 

I have no clue, but just to be safe, I will wipe it off and re-apply with silicone. Thanks for the tip.

Edited March 1, 2011 by Doug C

[Raiden]

Thank you for an excellent review!

[Doug C]

Many thanks for the review. I'm also interested in these pens. One question though: isn't Vaseline supposed to be harmful to ebonite?

 

 

Alexander,

 

I just noticed that it is starting to squeak again so this is acamdemic. I will take off the Vaseoline and apply some silicone.

 

 

 

Doug.

Edited March 2, 2011 by Doug C

[akrishna59]

my, i have never seen such a colourful pen, it will certainly turn heads. this company is noted for its multitude of colours in their pens.

 

these pens (as with all pens) will become much better with time as far as the writing experience goes.

 

i think that you have made a wise choice. cheers.

 

rgds.

 

krishna.

[Raiche58]

I also recently received one of these pens, and completely agree with the review. It writes beautifully, and is quite eye catching! I'm trying to resist buying more of them in the new colors recently shown in the FPN marketplace.

[rwilsonedn]

Please update this review as the pen gets closer to empty, if you would be so kind. (Given the capacity of this monster, that may take a while.) The reason I ask is that some eyedropper and piston-filled pens use very simple feeds that are unable to handle the excess ink flow when the pen is under half-full and the heat from your hand expands the air in the barrel. As a result, they write much wetter as they get empty, and eventually simply empty drops of ink onto the paper. So you need to keep the pen mostly filled, or simply be careful when you begin writing after picking up the cold pen. Other pens seem to handle this quite well, and do not show increased ink flow or blotting. I am very curious as to how successfully Ranga has addressed this issue. I hope they have done well, because I love those colors!

ron

[Doug C]

Please update this review as the pen gets closer to empty, if you would be so kind. (Given the capacity of this monster, that may take a while.) The reason I ask is that some eyedropper and piston-filled pens use very simple feeds that are unable to handle the excess ink flow when the pen is under half-full and the heat from your hand expands the air in the barrel. As a result, they write much wetter as they get empty, and eventually simply empty drops of ink onto the paper. So you need to keep the pen mostly filled, or simply be careful when you begin writing after picking up the cold pen. Other pens seem to handle this quite well, and do not show increased ink flow or blotting. I am very curious as to how successfully Ranga has addressed this issue. I hope they have done well, because I love those colors!

ron

 

 

Ron,

 

I have noticed this tendancy. It does smooth out after a little bit of writing, but it does appear.

 

Doug.

[rwilsonedn]

Please update this review as the pen gets closer to empty, if you would be so kind. (Given the capacity of this monster, that may take a while.) The reason I ask is that some eyedropper and piston-filled pens use very simple feeds that are unable to handle the excess ink flow when the pen is under half-full and the heat from your hand expands the air in the barrel. As a result, they write much wetter as they get empty, and eventually simply empty drops of ink onto the paper. So you need to keep the pen mostly filled, or simply be careful when you begin writing after picking up the cold pen. Other pens seem to handle this quite well, and do not show increased ink flow or blotting. I am very curious as to how successfully Ranga has addressed this issue. I hope they have done well, because I love those colors!

ron

 

 

Ron,

 

I have noticed this tendancy. It does smooth out after a little bit of writing, but it does appear.

 

Doug.

Doug:

Thanks for the follow-up. These sure are attractive pens!

ron

[greencobra]

Interesting pen, enjoyed reading about it. But, I hate that color. I saw they do a nice black and red ebonite, though. Do you think that nib is a little small for that hugh pen?

[Doug C]

Interesting pen, enjoyed reading about it. But, I hate that color. I saw they do a nice black and red ebonite, though. Do you think that nib is a little small for that hugh pen?

 

To each his own (regarding the color).

 

If you can think of this as a giant vintage pen, then the nib seems to fit. It has a vintage feel to it so I don't think it is too small. Certainly not too big, but it works well for this pen.

[Sagar_C]

I have bought quite a few pens from Mr. M. P. Kandan (Ranga company). All I can say is his pens are worth the price. And if bought with bakul™ finish, they have vintage look to them. I guess he is lately also offering medium nibs along with fine ones and also making non-eyedropper models. I am waiting before he also manages to add metal trims to his pens. Hope to buy more soon. By the way, the best part of dealing with him is that he is kind enough to make pens on request: I have one such pen: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/182478-a-custom-made-pens-review/page__p__1838361__fromsearch__1#entry1838361