Marvy "Le Fountain Pen" Review

[yoyology]

Today I stopped in at an office supply store downtown and picked up this interesting item for $2.15 including tax. They had three in this red-orange color, and one in blue.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/yoyology/Pens/FullView.jpg

 

It wrote pretty well, though it was a slow starter in the store. I went ahead and bought the one of the three that wrote best, because I was really curious about it. The nib is stamped, like an older Pilot Varsity nib, but is round in cross-section. (Sorry about the quality. I love my Canon digital, but it's (Potty Mouth) for macro photography.)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/yoyology/Pens/Nib1.jpg

 

Here's where it gets interesting. I noticed right away that the nib section was loose, so I pulled it out, and lo and behold, the back of the feed is fibrous, like a felt-tip pen.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/yoyology/Pens/Nibalone.jpg

 

Sure enough, a look down the barrel shows a plastic-encased fiber ink reservoir, just like in a Flair felt-tip.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/yoyology/Pens/Barrel.jpg

 

Here's a view of all the parts, cap, nib section, barrel, blind cap, and the reservoir. It seems really dry, so I'm not sure how long it will last, though it starts and stays much better since I pressed the reservoir down on the feed when I reassembled it.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/yoyology/Pens/Explodedview.jpg

 

Here's a writing sample. Colors are difficult to discern from these samples, but the pen itself is a slightly orangeish red, and the ink is basically red. At least, so I'm told. I'm red-green colorblind, and therefore a terrible judge of these things.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/yoyology/Pens/MarvySample.jpg

 

Overall, I'd say this is worth picking up as a curiousity, and is the only red-ink disposable fountain pen I've seen in a brick-and-mortar store. I don't know if there's any way to refill it. Would it be possible to soak the reservoir in bottled ink to recharge?

[meanwhile]

I like the colour a lot. I wonder how well it would write if you tried the "brown paper bag trick". (Search FPN for a how-to.)

[WillAdams]

Nifty!

 

Wish it were more like their felt tip ``Le Pen'' which I used to use in high school, esp. the clip --- wonder what the ink formulation is like --- the felt tip was terribly acidic and made a mess of a bunch of my old note books.

 

William

[yoyology]

It's definitely a new one on me. A felt-feed fountain?!?

 

I plan to try the paper bag trick as soon as I get home.

[sonia_simone]

Really interesting pen! Thanks for taking the time to tell us about it!

[lisa]

It's definitely a new one on me.  A felt-feed fountain?!?

 

I plan to try the paper bag trick as soon as I get home.

By the time you're done you've run out of ink!

[Maja]

Thanks for the review! I'd never heard of this brand until now....

[Hélène]

a fountain pen version of a Le Pen (my favourite fibre tip) I need to try it if I can find it.