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Hi, I was pretty happy with my new Pelikan M805 Stresemann (my second M800 - I couldn't resist the grey stripes!!). But very unfortunately it has developed some nasty stains, apparently *within* the walls of the barrel. I've attached a photo that shows the problem. This is a *completely full* pen. If they were regular ink stains, then I don't think that they would be visible with a filled barrel. This is only the 3rd time I've ever filled the pen. And the only ink I've ever used is Aurora Black!!! Weirdly the ink seems to creep up in the celluloid material..? You can see that especially at the base of the barrel, where it meets the black section. Frustrating... I got the pen for a good price from Cult Pens, and did email them about this, but have never gotten any response. Would much appreciate your advice! Has anyone ever witnessed anything similar?

Pelikans and this model in particular have been reviewed at length, so I'll keep it short and hopefully useful. Preamble: Anyone who knew me at school would scoff: Twenty something fountain pens? You?? But no one understands your handwriting, not even yourself! True, but I decided to retrain myself, so after much effort it is now legible, if not particularly pretty; but more importantly it helps me organize my very dispersed thoughts. I tried mostly utilitarian pens, with seven Lamy Vistas, four Mujis and a Pilot Metropolitan, and eventually realized it's a lot more about the inks than the pens for me; still there were a few designs I drooled over, particularly Pelikans which are way above what I would be willing to pay for a pen, no matter how beautiful or well made: m1005, the mythical dunkelblau m405, m406 and m805, the clear and aquamarine m205 demonstrators, but I'd never been able to see them in person, save for a Marine Blue m605 which I didn't care for. So I kept away from Pelikan, and ended up with a Sailor Professional gear, an Ambition in pearwood, two Lamy Studios (one in Imperial Blue to scratch the dunkelblau itch), besides the other pens I already had, Le Man 100, m600. Enter serendipity? Used m205 blue demo for about $60 on that well known online bazaar, I can't remember if thanks to a coupon. Too good to be true? I took the plunge, sent it to a friend who resends stuff to me... It took six months to get to me, but it was well worth the wait: It's beautiful, even better than I though. And it was in almost perfect condition, save for some barely visible ink trapped in the inner cap. Design: 5/5. In its clear blue and silver trim pen this is now my most beautiful pen, dislodging a Faber Castell Ambition in pearwood, which looks awesome. Even the inner workings of the piston look great, in a futuristic way. It's a timeless design few brands are able to achieve. To me Pelikan Souverains and classics are the closest thing to perfect pens, although I must confess I dislike most of their special editions, marbled finishes and gold trims, which means the vast majority. It's so good looking I think I might be done with looking for a solid blue with rhodium trim model, and even the new clear (2018) m205. Ergonomics: 5/5. It's a small pen but with a decently wide section, works fine with my large (L size gloves) hands. I don't post but that works too. It's light and well balanced. I wouldn't mind a slightly bigger pen, at a reasonable price. Construction: 5/5. Looks good, feels good, works good. I disassembled the cap and in the process a tiny speck fell off, which might have been my fault or the previous owner's, but the inner cap and ring still work well to provide a good seal. Someone less clumsy shouldn't have a problem, and I'm leaving caps well enough alone from now on. Nib: 5/5. Smooth fine nib, writes thinner than the fine 18k on my old style m600. It makes Rohrer & Klingner look good, and that ink in turn makes all pens write a little more smoothly. Take into account I write on HP LJ 32 lbs, Clairefontaine, Rhodia, Fabriano and Tomoe River. Filling system: 5/5. Easy to fill, holds a lot of ink, doesn't evaporate so inks don't change colour, what more could you want. Reliability: 5/5. This is a seldom seen parameter, but one I care for a lot. Zero starting or skipping problems, smooth nib. My m600 has been my most reliable pen, by far, and I expect the same from this m205, since they are basically the same design. Maintenance: 5/5. These are very low maintenance pens, although I wouldn't use them with inks that produce gunk. If you swap inks a lot like I do, the nib and feed units are not as easy to clean as others which disassemble easily, but after much rinsing it can be done. Price: 6/5? Hit the jackpot, particularly for a brand in which any pen above the m200 range is way too expensive for me. Even at msrp it's a pen you could use for a long time without any problems. Conclusion: 5/5. This is sort of my accidental holly grail, if I'd seen this in person I would have got it a long time ago. I can't stop looking at it and it makes me want to write more, which is my ultimate test. My other pens would get ratings ranging from 2/5 to 4/5, even my m600 which has a slightly smoother nib can't compete on looks.

Hi, everyone! We just wrote a review of the Aurora Minerali series demonstrators - tried to provide some advice as to why we like them so much (all their nibs are made in-house!). These are definitely some of our favorite demonstrators out there! Let us know what you think or if there's another demonstrator you like more! https://www.truphaeinc.com/blogs/truphae-news-and-stories/aurora-88-limited-edition-minerali-fountain-pens

RANGA DEMONSTRATOR BAMBOO - Regular size The review is simultaneously posted at my blog here : Link Ranga Handmade Pens is a brainchild of M.S. Pandurangan who himself is a master pen turner and all pens and pencils are made by him only. His son M.P. Kandan is doing great deeds by taking care of the business part of Ranga Handmade Pens. I must add that both him and his father are very humble and polite. I have organised few group buys on Fountain Pen Network for Ranga Pens and every-time the dealing with him have been very professional. He has never lapsed on the dates as far as his commitment and deliverables are concerned. But yes thats what my experience has been till date and I hope he continues do to the same. Ranga Pens make use of ebonite and acrylic for pens and in-fact they are the first and one amongst two pen makers in India to offer Premium Ebonite. They have a dedicated eBay store where they sell not just Ranga Pens but also pens from other manufacturers from India like Wality, Oliver, Fellowship etc. which are all machine turned. The pens from Ranga are also stocked by Teri of Peyton Street Pens in USA with also some exclusive models. The group buys on FPN have helped in acquiring lot of Ranga Pens. They have more than 10 models in their line-up : Model 4C Bamboo Model 3 Model 4CS Model 5 Model 6 Model 8 Model 2c Model 2d Zeal And I have already reviews one of the model which is Model 4C but this review is about one of the unique model in their line-up which is Bamboo. Ranga Bamboo – Doing Rain Dance Ranga Bamboo – Braving the Rain Design : 05/05 The pen design resembles the natural bamboo with forged joints acting as nodes and parts between the two nodes acting as inter-nodes. The pen in review is the clip-less demonstrator in brushed version with polished finials. Natural Bamboo Ranga Bamboo – In Demonstrator version Ranga Bamboo – Asymmetrical inter-nodes provides it Natural character All in all there are 5 nodes with smaller inter-nodes at cap and to me that provides it natural character. The finials, both top and bottom, are polished and are in conical dome shape. Ranga Bamboo – Polished Conical Dome Shaped Finials Once thing to be noticed is that the cap finial is smaller in length as compared to the barrel finial and the reason for that is to provide balance to the pen when writing so that it does not become top heavy. Ranga Bamboo – Different Length of finials with Barrel one being longer The inter-nodes in the cap are smaller than what is on the barrels in length. The cap also has breather hole and this version is clip-less so it looks like one bamboo rod albeit in a different material. Ranga Bamboo – Clip-less with breather hole Ranga Bamboo Cap – Inner nib look and feel when pen is capped The cap closes to form a node and it actually flushes with barrel as can be seen from picture above. There is minute drop between section and barrel as the cap flares at bottom where it meets the barrel. The grip section is polished and not in matte finish. There is no branding anywhere on this pen. Below are the images of the pen showing pen capped and uncapped. Ranga Bamboo – Capped Ranga Bamboo – Uncapped It is superbly crafted pen with a very unique bamboo style pen like no other. And I believe the pen is worth the price it commands. The pen is also available in different ebonite and acrylic materials which must be around 30 plus in nos. So one has lot of options to get the pen in his particular colour and finish liking. Kudos to Ranga for the superb design. Built & Construction : 04/05 The pen has matte finish which is executed very well and transition from matte finish to polished finials is sublime though they are not perfect but its close. Ranga Bamboo – Matte Finish barrel to Polished Finials Earlier I thought that the finials could be made symmetrical in length but part of the reason to do that was to keep the pen balanced while writing without increasing the length of cap. But then I thought otherwise, this asymmetry is what gives it natural character. The cap opens in 4 turns and threads are very well crafted and are not at all sharp. The grip section as mentioned is also very well polished. Also I must add that the polished end of the finials are highly polished and very neat without any lathe marks visible. Ranga Bamboo – Polished Section with neat threads I applied silicon grease on the nib unit which you can see from the image above as I eyedropper-ed the pen. The finish, the grooves, the material quality are all top notch. However one thing i want to mention is the the material thickness decreases at the cap lip and must be handled very well as there is no band to protect any kind of crack. This is a handmade pen completely and is a “WOW” product at this price point. Balance & Size : 4.5/05 The cap posts but only just and that too not very securely. I think it is not required as it makes the absurdly large and uncomfortable also the pen itself is very long at 135 mm when uncapped. The pen is very well balanced with just a little more weight in front end of a nib unit. Ranga Bamboo – Writing with Cap Unposted Ranga Bamboo – Writing with Cap Posted The pen is light in weight with no metal parts used anywhere on the pen. Images below show the weight of pen with cap and without cap : Ranga Bamboo – Weight of Pen (inked) with Cap Ranga Bamboo – Weight of Pen (inked) without Cap Few specification of the pen are as follows: Length of pen (closed) – 145 mmLength of pen (open and unposted) – 135 mm (including nib)Length of Grip Section – 34 mmMaximum Dia of Cap – 15 mmMaximum Dia of Barrel – 15 mmMinimum Dia of Barrel Section – 12.5 mmMaximum Dia of Grip Section – 11 mmMinimum Dia of Grip Section – 10 mmWeight of Pen with Cap – 24 gms (inked)Weight of Pen without Cap – 18.75 gms (inked) Below pictures show the comparison of pen with other pens: Pen Comparison – Capped (Top View) : Pilot 78G vs Lamy Safari vs Ranga Bamboo Pen Comparison – Uncapped and Posted (Top View) : Pilot 78G vs Lamy Safari vs Ranga Bamboo Pen Comparison – Capped (Lateral View) : Pilot 78G vs Lamy Safari vs Ranga Bamboo Pen Comparison – Uncapped & Posted (Lateral View) : Pilot 78G vs Lamy Safari vs Ranga Bamboo One thing of worthy mention here is that the grip section long and comfortable and makes this pen as gem of a writer for long writing sessions. Nib : 05/05 The pen comes with variety of #6 size nib options like JoWo EF, F, M , B, 1.1, & 1.5 and Schmidt F, M, & B for CC mechanism which is a threaded screw in one and also can be used as an eyedropper too and other nib options are Ambitious and Bock (conklin imprinted) but these are only for eye dropper version of pens. The nib that I took was the dual tone Bold point JoWo nib which is screw in nib unit with plastic high finned nib and it performed flawless out of the box with welcome feedback. It is a juicy firm nib and writes wet. Ranga Bamboo – JoWo Nib – Bold Point Ranga Bamboo – Nib with Rain droplets I sometimes wonder why I need gold nib when this nib performs so well. Ink Filling Mechanism: 05/05 The ink is filled via converter and cartridge can be also used. But real fun lies in using this pen as a eyedropper and seeing the ink sloshing inside. Ranga Bamboo – Used as eyedropper Ink capacity around 4ml if used as an eyedropper. The converter that comes with pen is Schmidt K5 and has capacity of 0.6 ml. One thing to be noted is that before you use it as an eye dropper do apply silicone grease on threads of barrel and also on nib unit threads. Below is the handwritten sample and review of the pen : Ranga Bamboo – Handwritten Review – Page 01 Ranga Bamboo – Handwritten Review – Page 02 Ranga Bamboo – Handwritten Review – Page 03 Ranga Bamboo – Handwritten Review – Page 04 Conclusion : 23.5/25 I pen is available in group buy at FPN for US$85 which is a steal considering it is handmade pen and it is a unique design. The pen is more of an artefact from India and is recommended to users who want something more from a pen. What I Like: Unique Design Handmade Quality Finish Good Balance and Size Good Ink Capacity Nib Options Material OptionsWhat I don’t Like: Cap Material is thin at Lip Little expensive HOW TO BUYThe pen can be bought via occasional group buys organised at group buy and at the moment when I am writing this review the Group Buy is Active. LINK Pen can also be bought from following places : E-Bay : LINKAmazon : LINKPeyton Street Pens : LINKE-Mail : mpkandan@yahoo.co.in For more reviews you can check my blog here : LINK

We are happy to announce a new Demonstrator pen from Pelikan, the Pelikan Classic M205 Special Edition Demonstrator piston filler. It will be available in May 2018 and has a recommended retail price in Germany of € 125.- for the F, M and B nibs. EF nibs are still more expensive in Germany and cost € 138.-. We offer this lovely looking Demonstrator for € 100.- including the German VAT or € 84,04 without the VAT for exports to the outside of the European Union. EF nibs are € 92,77 without the VAT. Here is the link to our offer: https://www.fritz-schimpf.de/Neuheiten/Pelikan-Classic-M205-Special-Edition-Demonstrator-Kolbenfuellhalter.html Regards Fritz Schimpf

Hi everyone, I wanted to have a separate topic on this because I couldn't find enough information on other topics and they're quite old now. I have been searching for a m1005 demo for quite a while now but as many of you might have found out the unused ones in market have almost tripled in value since that pens release (6 years ago?) and the used ones usually ask for the new price when it was released (600$ range) and they are usually sold in less than an hour. I have a visconti opera black demo and an aurora 88 black demo and I really enjoyed using those, though I dropped and cracked the barrel of aurora some time ago. I fixed it with some cyanoacrylate glue (supeglue) to attach two parts of barrel. But now it sometimes leaks ink to the space between inner and outer chamber and its a whole lot of mess to clean it out. So I rarely use that pen now and I figured out aurora nibs are not that good for my taste. As a replacement to that pen, now I'm contemplating to buy a 805 demo probably with engravings because it looks cool . I tried to read some reviews about the pen but only could find a not so thorough review at pelikans perch (what a lovely site for pelikan aficiandos ) and as that pen was released almost three years ago I find the love it found in community a little underwhelming compared to more recent offerings from pelikan. I would like to hear from everyone that either owns the pen, seen the pen, or even has some opinion on it from stuff they saw online that I couldn't find. Positive criticism of the pen is much appreciated but I'm actually more interested in what made the 1005 edition such a big hit and this one not so much. Thanks in advance, and I'll return the favor to the community by writing a nice review on the vermillion custom urushi I recently got, which I think isn't getting the love it deserves right now

So I just received a Pilot Petit from Japan and I think it's a wonderful little inexpensive pen. it writes much finer than the Varsity that I tend to use on the go (because I once lost a good pen...). Even though it is short, it fits well in my hand and I think is a great pen to live with a checkbook, wallet, or small purse. No, it doesn't write like my Sailor, but if I lose it I won't be tearing myself up.

Hello All, Hope you're having a good week. There are rare pens and then there are super rare pens, this one is firmly the latter. We're delighted to be offering this stunning factory demonstrator Montblanc Meisterstuck 149 Fountain Pen. The pen has never been inked and is presented in outstanding condition (a couple of tiny hairlines on the barrel, but that's like being picky about a brush stroke on a Monet - your black 149 will probably have these, you just can’t see them). This pen has a fantastic history, with it being owned from new by the MD of a major pen retailer - it was used to show customers how the 149 was constructed, especially the nib section with its pink bubblegum sealant. It's difficult to convey how rare these pens are, with virtually all examples that appear being pens that have been cobbled together with incorrect non-Montblanc parts and then they simply have a Montblanc nib fitted to them. To make this example even rarer, all elements are clear, including the piston cone and top of the cap. On the few examples that are around, these elements are usually black resin like the standard pen. We love the fact that you can see all the details that you never normally do, such as the way that the cap rings are constructed and the snowcap logo insert. Because the pen was supplied directly to the original owner, the specification varies in terms of components that would have been standard around that time (it was supplied around 30 years ago). The most wonderful option that they chose was to fit the medium 14C Tri-Tone nib. It's legendary status amongst Montblanc fans means that it seems only fitting that they chose this. The feed is split ebonite and as you can see from the photos it has black piston threads. The clip features Germany only markings. A demonstrator pen isn't for everyone, but there is something outstanding when it comes to a demonstrator 149, especially with this provenance. There is something that simply can't be captured in any photo or description, but if you want a pen that sets you apart from virtually every other collector, fan, enthusiast on the planet then this is the one. We can't decide whether we'd ink it up, but wow would it look beautiful if it was inked with something bright! We could write for hours about this pen, it just sucks you in when you look at it and admire all the details that you never usually get to see. The important details are as follows... -14C Tri-Tone Medium Nib - Montblanc Piston Filling System - Germany markings present - Split Ebonite Feed - Exceptionally Rare We're delighted to work with customers and collectors all around the world, so this pen can be couriered to wherever you are on the globe. If you'd like further information, then please contact me directly on roy@izods.ink or simply send me a message on here. The price is GBP 4,500.00.

This pen has been reviewed before, but I just wanted to give anyone considering one or needing an extra fine nib another viewpoint to check out! First Impressions (5/5) The pen arrived from Jetpens in a small baggie. It is a fairly attractive pen, I got the clear demonstrator version, and came with a standard Black pilot ink cartridge. The plastic of the pen feels less brittle, and much thicker, than something like a Platinum Preppy or a Pilot Petit1. Appearance (4/5) The pen is long and thin, looking almost like a desk pen. There is a significant amount of space in the back of the barrel of the pen past the where the cartridge ends, making the pen even longer. The cap of the pen is tiny, just slightly longer than the nib, and has two small fins on it to keep the pen from rolling. The nib is simple, and steel colored, with “PILOT SUPER QUALITY JAPAN <EF>” stamped onto it. The style is very understated and utilitarian, and in a way beautiful for that. One slight problem with the Clear Cap is that ink can stick to the top of it and be visible through it. Design/Size/Weight (4/5) The pen is very light, but it’s length and ergonomic grip make it comfortable in the hand, and well balanced. The cap can post, but it is so tiny, short, and light, that you wouldn’t notice either way. The barrel of the pen is airtight, so it can be converted to an eyedropper if desired with some Silicon grease and an optional O-Ring. Nib (4.5/5) The nib is unsurprisingly, extraordinarily fine. The extra fine nib from pilot is perfect for note-taking, cheap paper, and math. The nib is not quite as smooth as some of the larger nib sizes from pilot, but for an extra fine nib I was pleasantly surprised at the smoothness and ease with which it wrote. In terms of flow, the nib is on the dry side, but it isn't something you notice when you are writing with it, if that makes any sense. I had to go back and think about it, because although being dry the nib never skips and is still exceptionally smooth for the width. One major plus of this nib is that it can be swapped into a Prera or Metropolitan if you want an Extra Fine nib in one of those pens. Filling System (5/5) Not much to say here, it’s a simple Cartridge/Converter system. The pen comes with one cartridge, and can be fitted with a Con-40 or Con-50 if you so please. The ink lasts much longer than it does in most pens because of the extreme fineness of the nib. Cost and Value (5/5) This is a great pen at a great price, and can be found in most places for $6-$8. Many people buy the pen just for the nib, to then be fitted into a Prera or Metropolitan, and it would be a steal if pilot offered just the nib for that price! Instead, you get an entire pen around it, and one that provides a very pleasant writing experience. Conclusion (28/30) I would strongly recommend this pen to anyone who needs a very fine nib on a budget. It has a great nib, perfect for swapping if you have a nice body like the Prera’s, but if you don’t the body that comes the with the Penmanship is still durable and good-looking.

Hello, it's my first time to post a review here in FPN. I appear new here but I've been around (as a read-only guy) for a long time, I think I have opened an account a while ago but I wasn't able to dig it out, perhaps I forgot to verify it. Anyway, I finally picked up my mind to write a pen review in English rather than my mother-language in my blog, by doing so, I can contribute it here at the same time. Forgive me if you ever find me writing in a weird way, it's probably because of my poor English. Here is an idea of my background, while many people in my place(Hong Kong) know me as a large-format photo printing specialist at Trail Studio. I'm also an experienced product designer with engineering & manufacturing knowledge, so I can apply my knowledge when talking about fountain pens. It seems to me that fountain pen is a matter of hit-or-miss. Problem is that, tolerance exists in every manufacturing process, it is not noticeable for most products, but is critical for fountain pen nibs, which require high precision as they rely on capillary-action to get the ink flowing. Unfortunately pen manufacturers aren't doing rocket-science, and some problems may have been caused by the handling of retailers as well. Whatever brand of fountain pen may have a good chance to go wrong, it's better to try the particular pen before you buy it, or to buy from nib-meisters who will test and adjust the pen. Or, at least read some reviews before making your purchase. So, here is my contribution to the great community of fountain pens. Here we go, Sailor is one of the well reputed "big-3" Japanese fountain pen manufacturers, the other 2 being Pilot and Platinum (where is the Driver? Just kidding ). I didn't care about the Japanese pens in the early days of my pen journey as they look plain and boring, until I acquired some Pilot fountain pens and realized how precise the nibs were and how great the writing experience was. The Japanese Fountain Pen manufacturers should be well respected because they are the very few contemporary ones who still manufacture their own nibs - the soul of fountain pens. They are able to offer a wide variety of nib options, giving unique characteristics to their pens. To be fair, some of my Japanese pens have issues just like their western counterparts, the gold-nib pen which gave me the most trouble ever, is another popular Japanese Pen, the #3776, I’ve made intensive adjustments to get it work well. Indeed I had worked on about 1/3 of my "branded" fountain pens to get them write well. Some people consider the Sailor 1911 (as well as whatever black/gold cigar pens) as Mont Blanc knock-off, but to me the 1911 is just another cigar-shaped pens with basic(or classic) constructions. Many online sources suggested that the archetype of black/gold cigar-shape pens is the Sheaffer Balance, first introduced at around 1929 which pre-dated the MB Masterpiece line. I don't consider the 1911 as MB knockoff, but I can't control what people think. I use my pens in business environments, to avoid confusions or misunderstandings, I'm forced to avoid the black-body 1911. I've been eyeing this demonstrator model for a long while, but a golden-converter was unavailable at the time, the chrome one was a poor match to the gold-trim (same case as the Platinum 3776 Nice), so I didn't pull the trigger until I realized a golden converter is actually available. Pen Body This is a 1911S demonstrator, S stands for "standard-size". The Japanese pen was aimed for their own market, so it is a ok for we Eastern people to use it unposted. However, for Western people with larger hands, the “S” should in real-life stands for "short" or "small", and the cap probably has to be posted before use. For a pen of such a small size, the metal piece in the section make this pen heavier than what it appears to be, and make it well balanced either with the cap posted or unposted. Some heft in a small body can mean quality to some people, including me. I like big pens, but for the 1911 demonstrators, I prefer this 1911S over the 1911L because I love the proportion of the smaller barrel to the inner workings(i.e. the piston converter) - there is not much empty space inside the pen, it's transparent but not hollow, and reminds me this pen is small but practical. In contrast, the internal space of the barrel of the 1911L demo looks a bit wasted to my own taste, it also reminds me the Sailor converter is of low ink capacity and doesn't utilize the advantage of the larger pen body. Anyway, if you’ve big hands, it's better to get the 1911L. Here comes my biggest criticism – the cap doesn’t post well. It is friction-fit, but the area of contact between the barrel and the cap is extraordinarily narrow, you'll need to press hard to produce sufficient friction and you know you'll scratch the pen very soon. More to the problem, resting your hand not exactly on that narrow ring-of-contact will create a leverage and wobble the cap slightly, that's annoying and is enough to break the friction all in a sudden, the cap may then fall out easily as the tapered barrel can't encase it. I suspect this problem is unique only to the demonstrator model with large single metal cap-ring, as the cap opening is made larger to avoid the metal ring from scratching the plastic (or "precious resin") of the barrel, it looks great but doesn't work well. Now comes my second complaint about this pen. Many of us get used to flush the section before use, or when changing ink (the maintenance procedure is written in the user manual as well). Unbelievably, doing so is not good for this pen! Water will run through 2 little trenches at both sides of the feed collar (the black plastic part) and trapped inside the clear section if you flush it the usual way. I had to disassemble the pen and wait for 1 or 2 days to have the water evaporate. If ink goes inside this space it will be difficult to flush it out, and it may stain or corrode the metal, that will be ugly. If it happens, perhaps try using syringe to inject water through the trenches, I hope I won't have a chance to try it for myself. I guess the best way to clean the pen is to keep the converter attached and soak the water up through the nib (don't submerge the section under water), or to flush it with the nib ALWAYS facing upwards. The pen clip wobbles sideways a bit, not ideal but no big deal. I like the shape of this old-clip far more than that of the "Sigma" or "Mk.ll" version. To me, the clip of the Sigma version looks like a skateboard, and the anchor-shape thing on it is too big and looks "cartoonish". Sorry to say that the new clip design effectively stealth those new Sailor pens from my radar. For a demonstrator pen, it's always a good idea to display the nib with the use of a clear-enough inner cap. The inner cap of this pen is not spring-loaded like the Platinum#3776, but it's quite elastic and is able to create an air-tight seal, I didn't experience hard-start or ink drying-out even when the pen is left inked for 2+ weeks. The plastic column inside the top of the cap looks like a cap jewel, a nice touch. Another great feature with demonstrator pen is that, you are able to immediately know how much ink is left and what ink you're using without unscrewing the barrel. Converter and ink capacity As mentioned, the ink capacity is low, I didn't actually measure it, by observation the cavity is short and narrow, and ink level drops fast even that I'm not a heavy pen user and the nib is relatively dry. The converter can be dissembled easily by twisting the metal collar, pay attention not to twist it when you operate the piston, otherwise it may lead to ink leakage, I bet you don't like to demonstrate this with a demonstrator pen. It's good to put silicon grease inside of this collar and around the piston knob as a safety measure. Nib & Feed The nib art is appealing, it is marked as H-F (hard fine) and writes relatively dry, with some feedback on certain papers. It writes finer than my other japanese fine-nibs. The feedbacky feel is consistent across different writing angle and directions, and since the first day I inked it, this means the nib is well-ground. I've inked it with several J.herbin inks, which all worked well so I didn't try other inks, I'm afraid there'll be flow issues if thicker/more viscous inks are to be used. It's easily one of the hardest nibs I've ever used, you won't get much line variation unless you press it real hard, but the relatively tapered tip allow the nib to get some barely noticeable "initial spring", I mean, the slit opens very slightly when it touches the paper and then stopped there, not enough to produce noticeable line variation, but sufficient to pour down a bit more ink to produce nice shading. I'm very happy with the performance of this nib. It seems that Sailor's (fine) nib is well-known for a distinctive feedbacky feel, it somehow feels like writing with a very sharp 2H pencil. It's not my scientific analysis but just theory, the feedback is not produced with any secret recipe, but simply because these factors happen altogether: 1) the tipping material is smaller and it writes finer than the other Japanese "F", it's probably EF by Pilot's standard. It's just not easily noticeable especially as the "initial springiness" widen the line to the other Japanese "F" standard before firmly stops there. 2) it's on the dry side so it receives less lubrication from ink 3) it's really nail-hard (the "initial springiness" I mentioned isn't noticeable at all) so there's no damping when the nib glides across the paper. Besides viewing under a loupe, one easy way to distinguish between a good feedbacky nib and a faulty scratchy nib, is to draw a horizontal straight line, then draw again in backward direction, and repeat with lines of other angles. If the nib is significantly scratchier on some lines/directions, chance for a mis-aligned slit or a deformed tip is high. Conclusion This is a great c/c demonstrator pen, and for people with big hands, it is especially excel as an EDC pen: small thus handy, with a little bit of heft but not heavy, most importantly it writes really well. It is eye-catching with its crystal clear body and gold trims, and people can easily tell it's a fountain pen - a good tool for fountain pen addicts to reveal their identity! With this pen, you always know how much ink is left so there’s no worry about running out of ink in a sudden - a good feature for an EDC pen as refilling it on-the-go is usually not an option. Unfortunately the cap doesn't post well, and can be a problem for EDC pens in situations like jotting quick notes without a desk, it's still ok if you pay attention, just don't lend the pen to the others with the cap posted.

I have a thing about clear/transparent pens. They don't necessary have to be a demonstrator, but any clear parts attract me. My favorites so far are Omas 630, Franklin Christoph P66 with Italian Ice and Stipula Etruria Blue. What is your favorite clear/transparent pen(s)?

Hello everyone, I would love to see photos of rare demonstrators (both vintage and modern) in the same topic. Since it's been 3 years (already!) since Kenshiro shared his brilliant collection (https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/276249-demonstrator-festival-2014/), I think it's worth it getting the demonstrator people together again. I'm gonna start with this old, probably first generation (metal parts, W. Germany etc.) Lamy Safari Demonstrator (old Safari converter included): This second one is not that rare, but since I could't find pictures of it before buying it, here it goes. It's a modern Wahl Eversharp Skyline Demonstrator. I don't know if it was released under a different name. Notice that this model has a clear cap (different from the currently produced demos with metal caps): I'm looking forward to seeing yours! Regards, Osny

Could not resist posting yet another Pilot Custom 92 Review. Have also replicated the content with some more pictures in the blog. Happy reading ! Below is a link to the same: The Pilot Custom Heritage 92 Review I am not sure whether you too will get a Custom Heritage 92 (CH92) after falling intensely in love with a Custom 74 model. Many reviews do reveal this graduation of Pilot Love. Although my love for pilot pens can be absolutely blamed on genes. Initially, the CH92 were released as clear demonstrators around October 2010, sporting a #5 rhodiated nib. Since it was 92 years after the company’s inception (i.e. 1918), it does carry the first two digits of the model number as ‘92’ and the third digit which is by default ‘1’ usually refers price at launch of a pilot pen (i.e 1 X JPY 10,000). However, there is a minor deviation here, the price at launch was JPY 15,000, since the Custom 74 was already priced at JPY 10,000. The coloured versions were released two years later in 2012. The CH92 (for the Asian market) comes packaged in a standard pilot gift box (Z-CR-GN) which may not be able to draw any attention, but the pen definitely does. I just fell in love with the ocean blue colour. The simplistic yet elegant design sustains the traditional functionalities in a modern garb. Definitely with the times, the ‘asa-gao’ ocean blue transparent body says everything about itself. Asagao refers to a bluish flower which is more commonly known as Japanese Morning Glory. It also comes in Sunset Orange (Yu-yake), Smoke (Kirisame) colours. The box carries a user manual for a Type S fountain pen. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/CH92/DSC_4192_zpshvuhydlm.jpg DESIGN - THE COLOURED DEMONSTRATORS (6/6) The CH92 comes in four standard designs of transparency - Blue, Orange, Smoke and Clear resin, all in silver trims. The resin material feels strong though not substantial like the Custom 823. Initially I went for the Asa-Gao Blue with medium nib which wrote beautifully, and I could not resist getting another. The second one was another Asa-Gao then a Yu-Yake Sunset Orange. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/CH92/DSC_4194_zpsgmpj76zo.jpg The demonstrators given their lightness, are capable of refracting even a tiny bit of light, while a silver shimmer running across the centre band along with the clip creates a photogenic contrast. The smoky finials at the cap along with the piston knob conclude its design. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/CH92/DSC_4198_zpsawr21ulg.jpg The cap is light and unscrews with little more than a turn, revealing the dazzling nib. The grip section is moulded from the same smoky transparent resin as the finial (cap) and knob, with a metal ring segregating, the grip from the barrel. The transparency does reveal the inside works of its piston mechanism. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/CH92/DSC_4204_zpsdlqifgfi.jpg The cap does mention a few things etched across a lower centre band, including the model name CUSTOM HERITAGE 92 and PILOT JAPAN. I somehow miss the stars in the other custom series pens. An apparently segregate band above (although its part of the centre band only), renders some differential aesthetics to the overall design. The clip is tension-fit and has the shape of the double-edged Japanese sword Tsurugi. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/CH92/DSC_4205_zpsykihcewz.jpg The subtle gradient created by the transparent body, along with the smoky black grip, finial (cap) and piston-knob sections converge the rhodium sheen to render a well-orchestrated symphony of colours. No component individually would seem as stupendous as the complete pen. FILLING SYSTEM (6/6) A small but remarkably efficient piston knob unscrews from the metal ring to a quick end stop. And it does go the distance when the knob is screwed back on by filling the barrel upto a volume of 1.2 - 1.3 mL. The outer connector of the piston mechanism consists of a metal unit fastened to a inner plastic unit, and it can be disengaged with a TWSBI wrench (7mm) as shown here by Hari. This helps add weight to pen and ensures that a metal wrench meets metal and thereby does not cause undue damage. Cleaning the pen is a similar ritual accompanied by some shake. If there is some remnant ink left at the end of grip section, it’s an easy clean. You can repeatedly fill and flush the pen with the grip section dipped inside a bowl of water, or you can just remove the friction fit nib-unit and clean the insides with a soft damp cloth. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/CH92/DSC_4274_zpspispve6n.jpg NIB - ALL THAT MATTERS (6/6) The nib is friction-fit and comes in a standard 14k rhodiated design across four stock widths - F, FM, M & B. The nib has the standard pilot design. The tail end of the nib specifies the month and year of manufacture. An elongated hexagonal imprint separates the design from the outer shoulders and tines with an arabesque decor running inside its circumference, encompassing the circular breather hole in between. The branding and nib specifications of PILOT, 14k-585 (58.5% Au Alloy) along with the nib size and width, which are imprinted below the breather hole. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/CH92/DSC_4246_zpsoalcdrmy.jpg A standard bluish grey plastic feed with moderately spaced fins and a decently sized feeder hole delivers the amazing ink suction. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/CH92/DSC_4248_zpshqqi5gbn.jpg PHYSICS OF IT (5/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING With a translucent resin body in form of a truncated cigar, it does give a comfortable feel of posted length. The cap weighs 8 grams. It’s a comfortable grip section with around 1 cm diameter. Un-posted, its gives a lacking feeling of both length and weight. Uncapped Length ~ 12 cm Posted Length ~ 15 cm Nib Leverage ~ 1.9 cm Overall Weight ~ 20 g Uncapped and posted comparisons with a few similar pens like the Custom 74 and the Pelikan m605 go below for your reference. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/CH92/DSC_4259_zpsdf5h1ico.jpg http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/CH92/DSC_4266_zpscwwl0o4u.jpg ECONOMIC VALUE(6/6) The CH92 retails at around USD 220, and as usual it’s available at lower street prices towards a band of USD 130-140. I had bought the first pen at a cost of USD 130, and the subsequent ones at lower prices (with varied customs). Since pilot has stopped production of these coloured versions for some time now (as per two Japanese retailers), online retailers are selling off their leftover stock quite cheaply, getting as low as USD 110, to clear off old stock. May be Pilot is coming up with a new piston filler, who knows! OVERALL (5.8/6) This 14k nib has a smooth and wet flow. The nib is sturdy and does not have any line variation. It may lack the bit of softness and spring of a Custom 74 nib, but that’s purely my experience. There is absence of any significant variation among the horizontal and vertical strokes. These wet lines take almost 15 secs to dry a Visconti Blue Ink on MD paper. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/CH92/DSC_4286_zpsa9plh21w.jpg Here are the adorable articles on Pilot CH92 which I refer: Hari & Losepus Thank you for going through the review. Hope you enjoyed it. Best, Sonik

I saw this YouTube video about the Pilot Kakuno with demonstrator/clear/transparent body. Is anyone else really excited for this pen? I like Pilot steel nibs. I like demonstrator pens. And, I like the comfort of the Kakuno pen body. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkNjCHH7K7Q

My favourite of the demonstrators. Below is the link to my blog post: Pelikan Souverän M605 Marine Blue So, here goes my review of the m605. The M4XX/6XX are usually considered to be next steps to an M2XX. As with the model numbers, there is a general increase in nib size & specs, in addition to overall dimensions, when you move from M4XX to M1XXX. Brass piston fittings in 8XX/1XXX series, render additional weight to these pens. The designs of the striped 400/600/800/1000 are pretty linearly recurring over the entire writing range except for several special editions. 405/605/805/1005s refer to the similar pens with silver accents, plated with noble metals (like Palladium or Rhodium), unless it’s a special or demonstrator model. The other model numbers refer to special/limited editions like the one reviewed here which is the m605 Marine Blue Special Edition. Another such alluring model is Souverän M 625 with sterling silver fittings (Ag 92.5%). DESIGN - THE MARINE TRANSPARENCY (6/6) Light and dark can play very differently with this pen. The m605 marine has a darker hue of blue which is as elegant as the deep blue ocean and it’s capable of refracting even a tiny shimmer of light with the palladium coated silver loops dazzling in utter consonance. Absence of light makes it adorn an almost blackish blue hue. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EbGwVJGZXLA/Vd2hwV8nyBI/AAAAAAAAFN0/mkuC89g9HMw/s1600/DSC_5582.jpg The blue is remarkably darker than the blue shade of a Pilot Custom Heritage 92. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0tVz2wn40wI/Vd2hukVg4dI/AAAAAAAAFNs/QqDdHt8JJxI/s1600/DSC_5590.jpg The entire pen gleams with a revealing blue and silver with ambient light and these effects do proliferate with sunlight. The radiance is matched throughout the pen starting with a silver gleam from the famed finial and the pelican beak (clip) through the concentric bands in the cap before finally converging with the piston rings. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DrS42sX2yDc/Vd2hs3IgvXI/AAAAAAAAFNk/iecshy1EKOE/s1600/DSC_5588.jpg The cap feels light and unscrews with a single turn, revealing a dazzling rhodium plated nib. The grip reveals another knot of glitter, towards the nib end. The transparency does reveal the inside works of its piston mechanism. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e1PvVXxR0ck/Vd2h5_AmgfI/AAAAAAAAFOM/dUefKi-PrYg/s1600/DSC_5600.jpg Two concentric palladium plated bands with a dazzling silver crown embossed with the pelikan logo, adorn the cap with a signature pelican beak-shaped clip. The thicker one carries the usual brand imprint of PELIKAN SOUVERÄN GERMANY. The logo on the finial is the one embraced by Pelikan post 2003, that of a mother pelican and its chick, gleaming in brushed palladium. You can see the distinct outlines of the cap insert here. The bands have an intrinsic association with the design rather than just differentiating the aesthetics element. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xN1Kc33fuI4/Vd2iBapyplI/AAAAAAAAFOk/6VIsqP5pdqM/s1600/cap.jpg FILLING SYSTEM (6/6) A piston filler with a sturdy knob is embellished with two concentric silver loops. Apart from their enchanting looks, like any other pelikan, it's an easy and hassle-free mechanism. The piston end unscrews with three to four rotations and ink is sucked in, with quite a gush, once the piston is screwed back on. And of course, you can observe the entire thing in action. A plastic spindle connector in the m4XX/6XX limits overall weight. M6XX fills upto 1.75 mL of ink. However, given the wet flow of the flock, it does not last for a long time. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zUjch5SlNPs/Vd2h7Rtsa2I/AAAAAAAAFOU/uoRgn3z9SkI/s1600/DSC_5603.jpg One thing to note here is that these piston mechanisms for M4XX/M6XX are not supposed to be dismantled as they are friction fit under heat. In case of problems other than lubricating the piston seal, it’s better to send the pen to Pelikan Germany/Country Authorized Service Center. Pelikan does have an excellent customer service. NIB - ALL THAT MATTERS (6/6) The nib comes in a rhodiated 14k design across four stock widths - EF, F, M & B. It has the standard pelikan scrollwork with the usual convenience of a screw-fit section. Like all its cousins, the nib is exquisite and efficient. With a standard m6xx feed, the nib-section is an ensemble of efficiency as well as art. And this monotone rhodiated finish does converge with the palladium coated trims in terms of both glitter and glimmer. The tail end specifies the nib-width and composition (14 C, 58.5% Au) of the gold-alloy used. Three arabesques diverge along the shoulders of the nib with two of them converging near the circular breather hole. The third curve runs across the tines towards the shoulders ending with the tail end of the nib. There is of-course the dazzling mother-baby pelikan logo, resting above the tail. This one in the picture is a Fine nib and writes smooth and wet out of the box. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2VTl4bu_hs0/Vd2h5MrKedI/AAAAAAAAFOE/2WVWKksH5mw/s1600/DSC_5643.jpg A standard black plastic feed (earlier ones had ebonite feeds) ensures a good ink buffer for the promised wetness and prevents hard starts. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xDXXzk82WrA/Vd2h8WPlGYI/AAAAAAAAFOc/ARajTx329A4/s1600/DSC_5654.jpg PHYSICS OF IT (6/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING For me, this pen is quite comfortable to write continuously, while posted.. The overall capped length is around 13.3 cm. The total weight of m605 has a third of contribution from the cap and it feels light without posting the cap. The pen does get some heft from the ink inside the barrel. Uncapped Length ~ 12.4 cmPosted Length ~ 15.4 cmNib Leverage ~ 2.3 cmOverall Weight ~ 18 g (without ink)Capped, uncapped and posted comparisons with its cousins - m400 and a m805 go below for your reference. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Szlbwi8JT7U/VatxFBpMP8I/AAAAAAAAE6A/WI3MKqTWTYQ/s1600/DSC_4556.jpghttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MKRvVUnJtLo/VatxdhNisxI/AAAAAAAAE6Q/yAypHzfnwZc/s1600/DSC_4574.jpghttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YpU6_6F8m_M/Vatxb2Ic7tI/AAAAAAAAE6I/jH4ohE7Ic7s/s1600/DSC_4568.jpg ECONOMIC VALUE (4/6) The m605 Marine retails at around USD 595, it does sound like a rather crazy spend. I have found it frequently auctioned on the bay with the final price dropping to 60% of RRP or even less. You can get a Pilot Custom Heritage 92 for USD 130 or less, although it will lack the finesse of a pelikan. I do consider the pen as a dependable workhorse. OVERALL (5.6/6) These 14k nibs are extremely smooth and have a very wet flow. The nibs are stiff & I absolutely love these nibs since I find myself quite ill equipped for flexible nibs. With a slight bit of spring and softness in them, there is absence of any noticeable line variation. Being extremely wet writers out of the box, the Fine nib puts a line which takes around 20 seconds to dry GvFC Moss Green ink on MD Paper. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nSAMdt3eHqQ/Vd2iCdiHHTI/AAAAAAAAFOs/2w7h7D_vrUA/s1600/DSC_5660.jpg REFERENCES Pelikan M4XX Nib Adjustment Pelikan M625 Patent Piston mechanisms Ink Capacities Pilot Custom Heritage 92 Thank you for going through the review. You can find some more pen and paraphernalia reviews here.

I've just realised I have quite a few coloured demonstrators and actually, I prefer them to totally clear demos. (I know some people say we shouldn't even call them 'demonstrators'... but heck, they're see-through, you can still see the ink sloshing away or pistons going up and down, so they're demos as far as I'm concerned.) So I thought it would be interesting to start making a list of what's available. These pens are all relatively recent manufacture - the transparent Pelikano came out in 2000, the first of the m200s I think in 1997 - though not all are still available new. Pelikan m200 comes in a range of transparent finishes; amber/cognac, green and yellow highlighter pens, amethyst, blue, grey, red, 'anthracite', regular green, light blue, aquamarine. I only have the blue, so far.Other transparent Pelikans include the 450 Pelikano which is a nice inexpensive pen, and various other Souveraens including a green 400, and 600 versions in blue, marine blue, aubergine, red.Platinum 3776 has a number of versions - the Bourgogne in deep red and Chartres Blue, but also the more recent Nice Lilas in gentle pinkish-purple. (It also has some gorgeous translucent or not-quite-completely-transparent pens like the Nice Pur.) There's a 'lantern' version currently available from Japan which appears to be translucent amber with black ends, and which someone else always seems to win on ebay, and the red Shungyo which Goulet pens is showing for pre-order.I haven't ordered one but the ASA Pens Tangerine Nauka also fits the bill. I just didn't particularly fancy the colour but now... there's still time!Kaweco Ice Sports come in various colours and are an inexpensive way to collect coloured demos.Waterman Kultur has loads of translucent coloured variants. I have blues, reds, a neon yellow, green.. Lovely pens, still available in France as a school pen.Pilot Custom 823 in amber. Pilot Custom Heritage 92 comes in orange and blue and Custom 74 in violet (this one I find very tempting!)Nemosine Singularity I believe comes in pink, 'onyx' (smoky) and blue, another inexpensive pen.Monteverde Artista in blue, red and green.Quite a few Edison pens come in partly translucent acrylic but I'm not sure I'd call them demos, since the translucency (eg on a couple of the Goulet-exclusive Nouveau Premiere iIRC) is part of a swirl design. Custom pens, of course, you name it....Franklin Christoph does a lot in this line, though it's not a manufacturer that I know well (I don't think they're distributed in Europe?) - model 02 comes in amber and 'smoke' for instance.I hope that's a nice little list to be going on with, and that other FPNers can come up with additions to the list. By the way, when was the earliest translucent demo? - I mean all-translucent, not (for instance) a bulbfiller with a translucent barrel, or a visulated barrel pen like the Vacumatic. I'd love to know the history and I wonder if we could speculate about why these pens have become popular. Who else loves coloured demos?

Hello! I've come across these pens being sold online here where I live. The seller doesn't know a lot about fountain pens so isn't able to tell me these pens' model or year of production. Does anybody know which Platinum are these? (Photos from the seller.)

With the latest Twsbi Eco making news, I decided to give my old 580 another shot just to make sure whether I should go for another. Find one is good enough for me (personal opinion). Here is also a link to my blog: TWSBI Diamond 580 Review Here goes my review of the 580: My sole motivation behind getting a TWSBI was to disassemble the pen and have all the fun, which I missed. And I got a clear demonstrator, packaged with a nice-looking wrench. THE TWSBI STORY TWSBI (called Twiz-Bee) refers to San Wen Tong, i.e when TWS is spelled backwards and it means ‘Hall of Three Cultures’ according to their website. BI at the end refers to writing instruments. Ta Shin Precision manufactured everything from toy lego parts to high-end writing instruments for several luxury brands (both American & Japanese) for well over 40 years. So that’s plastic, metal & precision, precisely what’s required to make and sell a nice writing instrument, under your own brand name. Which luxury brands? They don’t reveal those due to privacy agreements. I have reasonable doubt from various reviews that one of them is Levenger. And TWSBI Nibs are said to be sourced from JoWo (earlier it was Bock & Schimdt), Germany (same as for Faber-Castell Design Pens). THE FPN CONNECTION An FPN member by the name of speedy started a post with a prototype development for an inexpensive piston filling fountain pen somewhere around late October, 2009. He clarified that he was a pen-maker and shared pictures of TWSBI 530 prototypes in this post. It showed a metallic piston system. And it became a popular brand within a short period of time. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aXanzzgVZpc/Vb2tFd_RXXI/AAAAAAAAFAc/VMOIxx7069c/s1600/Prototype.jpg PRESENTATION That’s probably one of the great aspects of marketing. Inside a brown cardboard box, you will find the pen residing within a clear plastic case. You will instantly fall in love with the presentation part of it. For the lack of a better word, I call it The Apple packaging. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2v-U9j8mEdg/Vb2r5a2wXVI/AAAAAAAAE_Q/PCrDoboa4xw/s1600/DSC_4802.jpg There is an instruction sheet on disassembly of the pen, highlighting the pen parts. Below the white pen-holding shelf, you will find the 7mm TWSBI wrench and a vial of silicone grease in two slots. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1wEqgLBfRVA/Vb2tSxNRwAI/AAAAAAAAFA0/8dvHgT0DmhA/s1600/box.jpg DESIGN - THE GEOMETRICAL TRANSPARENCY (4/6) The build looks sturdy without adding much weight. Plastic economizes both cost and weight of fittings. This pen endorses practical utility rather than art with which you will probably associate a Pelikan or a Visconti. I do find an element of industrial look with the pen. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-COLWtQyBr-o/Vb2rvkWHSqI/AAAAAAAAE_I/_C5pGu7HVTk/s1600/DSC_4833.jpg Most of it is visible engineering, while use of plastic is quite evident in its piston-system. The barrel and cap are made of thick polycarbonate, with a protective heat treated layer for increased resistance to scratches, along with the crystal transparence. The overall fitment is still an area of improvement. One of my experiences is with the piston knob, which does not tighten itself well, as the piston head is pulled back in. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vVlXAJhf34U/Vb2r7Unlx0I/AAAAAAAAE_Y/A6R6VKiUpMQ/s1600/DSC_4829.jpg The cap feels substantial and unscrews with a single turn, revealing a rather dagger-like nib. There is a metallic insert for the nib unit, supplying necessary chrome accents for the aesthetics. The piston knob has a rather broad ring making the mark for disassembly. Multiple polygonal planes orchestrate light effectively within, dazzling both the pen and the ink inside the barrel. The decagonal geometry also prevents an open pen from rolling away. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5lnoYSQczHQ/Vb2sO5WHmuI/AAAAAAAAE_w/coWF8V-uyck/s1600/DSC_4837.jpg The cap has a wide chrome band carrying a laser engraved TWSBI on one side of it and DIAMOND 580 TAIWAN on the other, in three separate lines. Two concentric circles run on this band in the form of imprints. The finial carries a vibrant red & silver TWSBI logo of three pillars within a dome of transparent acrylic. The clip is spring-loaded within a visible system having a chrome tassie and it has a geometrical pyramid-like cut. The cap is heavy and has a smooth circular cross section which can roll the entire pen easily with its weight, until the clip restricts it. You can also observe the relatively greyish inner cap, which prevents the nib from drying out. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hvFDb1IoLBQ/Vb2tS3yDViI/AAAAAAAAFA4/O1cIkYuxahU/s1600/cap.jpg FILLING SYSTEM (5/6) As a piston filler, it does have a good ink capacity around 1.8~2mL. The knob unscrews with three complete turns and manages to draw ink quite efficiently from the bottle. The feeder hole is rather a channel to enable efficient ink suction. One of the improvements could be with the piston knob, which should increasingly tighten itself, as the piston head is pulled back in. Mine stays loosely fastened (after I applied some silicone grease on the piston head) and is directly proportional to the friction at the piston head. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zyu-R2d4OIY/Vb2tEOw3cII/AAAAAAAAFAY/b53TOE9_aQc/s1600/Filler.jpg DISASSEMBLY For this phase, rather than learning from the manual, you can have a look at a 580 disassembly video. I like the one with gouletpens or srebrown. Make sure you thoroughly flush the pen with water before disassembling it. 1. Rotating the piston end-cap counter-clockwise, the piston seal is lowered to a hinged stop inside the barrel. 2. Fit the wrench just below the piston-end-cap, which can unscrewed in a clockwise direction from the piston-knob. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NUkTmOyn-1U/Vb2sxi3fPxI/AAAAAAAAFAI/7YzC3qXppfM/s1600/DSC_4903.jpg 3. The piston mechanism has five different parts as you can see in the picture, though it’s not necessary to remove the rubber piston seal (or head) from the piston rod (spindle). The fittings of the mechanism can be made from higher grade material. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I1IdSoPmNms/Vb2sps-rsbI/AAAAAAAAFAA/LSsSEwOPHFE/s1600/DSC_4913%2Bcopy.jpg 4. The nib unit can be easily removed by first unscrewing the grip section from the barrel. 5. Since, nib is friction fit, you may remove the nib and feed from the unit, in case there is some heavy cleaning required (in case of a bad flow, sometimes the feed is coated with grease which restricts ink-flow). 6. Make sure you apply an adequate amount of silicone grease to the sides of the rubber piston seal (you may ignore the bottom surface) before reassembly. NIB - ALL THAT MATTERS (4/6) The nib/feed unit can be taken out or apart for cleaning purposes. The nib is stainless steel and has a rather small dagger-like design. It comes with four stock widths - EF, F, M, B and two special widths of Stub 1.1 & Stub 1.5. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pUw5Vdlnev4/Vb2sIzRr7-I/AAAAAAAAE_k/h6rOBMIZtfQ/s1600/DSC_4877.jpg The tail end specifies carries the nib width while the name TWSBI along with the logo rest above the tail. There are some curves adorning the inside symmetry of the tines. To be honest it’s kind of a plain design with limited nib leverage. A black plastic feed with a feed channel for ink suction and the thin fins on the other side ensures a good buffer capacity and prevents hard-starts. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vdkLuAmZ2NI/Vb2sJai3UzI/AAAAAAAAE_o/fZXFoCmyeW8/s1600/DSC_4893.jpg Earlier, TWSBI used to source its nibs from Schmidt and then Bock, which is incidentally the nib-supplier for Faber-Castell too. But it’s the alloys and then post-processing that can make a lot of difference even in steel-nibs. PHYSICS OF IT (6/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING The pen filled with ink, does have a good balance in terms of both weight and length. The pen is not meant to be posted. The grip is quite comfortable with a section around 1 cm thick. Uncapped Length ~ 13 cm Capped Length ~ 14 cm Nib Leverage ~ 2 cm Overall Weight ~ 28 g (Cap Weight ~ 14 g) Capped and uncapped and posted with a pelikan m805 runs below for your reference. A capped 580 looks similar to a m805. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NlHUezEy6vA/Vb2soSwhyvI/AAAAAAAAE_4/yewH-68smxg/s1600/DSC_4929.jpg Uncapped it obviously lacks the nib of a m805, although the lengths are well-matched. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zIo52iiZJXE/Vb2tCnSS2lI/AAAAAAAAFAQ/0xh7oZmbYUU/s1600/DSC_4937.jpg ECONOMIC VALUE (4/6) It retails at around Rs 5,500 ($ 86) here and I got it from a local store at around $ 70. The problem with ordering it from TWSBI’s website directly is that apart from heavy shipping charges, there are unseen duties to be paid for. Given the fact that you could get one of the usual butter-smooth and more responsive steel-nibbed Faber-Castell pens at a similar or even lesser price, it’s rather a decision of piston vs converter. I hope that the retail prices will get evened out with demand. OVERALL (4.6/6) This nib is wet with a hint of feedback which is expected of fine nibs. I purposely used a less wet ink, since the pen runs smooth with wet inks. There is some line variation which is evident with thicker vertical lines. A complete absence of any perceptible softness in this nib, kills the responsiveness part. The fine nib lays a line which runs between Japanese Fines and European Fines. Being a wet writer out of the box, the Fine nib puts a line which takes around 16-17 seconds to dry on MD Paper with Pelikan 4001 ink. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CwXFByod9IE/Vb2tIszp84I/AAAAAAAAFAo/K60KSx721a8/s1600/DSC_4943.jpg INNER CAP - INK RESIDUE In case you find any ink trapped between the inner cap and the cap, a wooden pencil fitted with attached eraser, can help clean it. I have experienced this kind of leakage during air-travel. 1. Take the wooden pencil (Standard #2) and insert the eraser-end into the cap. 2. Bend the cap in one direction, while putting pressure on the eraser in the opposite direction. 3. Slowly use the friction created by the eraser to pull out the inner cap. 4. Wash the ink out (Plain water is fine). 5. Re-insert the inner cap, and screw the pen back in, and it should friction-fit back into its original position. REFERENCES FPN TWSBI Bock Clientele Ink Residue Disassembly - gouletpens, srebrown Thank you for going through the review. You can find some more pen and paraphernalia reviews here.

Somehow my 1911 has pulled ink inside of the section while sitting in my pen case, and is quite obvious as it's a demonstrator. So far I have had no luck getting the ink out. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated http://i.imgur.com/UAXIY29.jpg

I have read that the Pilot 823 Demonstrator FA had a limited production and the Tokyo Pen Shop Quill places the pen as unavailable without a specific date of new inventory. Community, do you any news on its availability today?

First post because I actually have something interesting to share. I've always liked the Jinhao 599 demonstrators. I admit they're not durable and they have that entirely useless hole for checking the ink level/color, but they write decently and they're cheap, which is exactly what a student needs. Today I received 2 of them from eBay ($2 each, listing no longer available) and immediately noticed that the feed was transparent (I forgot to take a picture, sorry). This has never happened to me before; I have owned several previously and the feed was always black. When filled with ink, the feed is both visually appealing, and it clearly tells you what color your ink is (when it's just in the converter, it can be very hard to tell the difference between, say, blue-black, black, and brown). I think it's awesome! Here are some pictures with Waterman's Absolute Brown and Inspired Blue (please excuse the bad quality, the colors are more vibrant IRL). As you can see, the cap piece is still black, hiding the nib itself. Anyone else got one of these? Has Jinhao updated their design? P.S. I also think the thread spacing on the provided converted has been increased.

OK, so I receive my cache of my recent order, and my usual retailer had an offer so good that I simply cannot refuse. Long story shory, I had now in my procession 9 pieces of Jinhao 922, including all 6 variant of the demonstrator, and the Ivory and Gunmetal Grey. I had just been off work, and heading home to check them off. So while at it, what kind of info, test, etc etc .. what would you guys like to know about this particular model. Fire it off and I'll try my best.

ignore this one, somehow my browser keep doing this to me, double posting ... ah...... OK, so I receive my cache of my recent order, and my usual retailer had an offer so good that I simply cannot refuse. Long story shory, I had now in my procession 9 pieces of Jinhao 922, including all 6 variant of the demonstrator, and the Ivory and Gunmetal Grey. I had just been off work, and heading home to check them off. So while at it, what kind of info, test, etc etc .. what would you guys like to know about this particular model. Fire it off and I'll try my best.

I thought I would start a little thread on the Airmail 69t. This is a pen from India, and is my first foray into that particular area of manufacture. I have had it for a day or so, and filled it with Robert Oster Crimson ink after unpacking and cleaning it. This is an eyedropper, and mine is a demonstrator with a clear body. So far I am very pleased with the performance of this pen. It has a nice heft, and does post (this is important for me, as I tend to lose caps). My purpose for this pen was as a cheap note taking pen for class. I can say that it fills the bill admirably on the price point, but it does not have the feel of a cheap pen. For a hair over sixteen dollars, I ordered this from Fountain Pen Revolution, and I love the semi-wet line that it puts down. For notes I use a fine point, and I have had a lot of trouble finding one that was not scratchy or had a lot of feedback. I prefer a smooth nib with minimal feedback. This little pen has done wonders in that department. I am attaching a couple of photos. Please forgive the penmanship. I have been writing quite a bit today, and my arthritis has started acting up. I write with my weak hand as well, since arthritis has made my thumb pretty much useless on my strong hand. I hope this helps folks looking for a reasonably priced daily user.

Paying it Forward: Gently used Pilot Plumix with a medium italic nib, a demonstrator pen with a black and clear body. It accepts cartridges or a converter. The pen is in great condition with no known defects. I simply don't prefer it. This is the pen: Here is a review (not written by me): https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/156523-pilot-plumix/ Rules: USA onlyI am paying the shipping costPIF will run until April 5thWinner will be chosen by random number generationWinner will be notified on this thread, and also notified via PMShould the winner fail to respond within 3 days, I will choose a second winnerHow to Enter: Post one (or more) things you are grateful for in your life. This both inspired by Goulet Pens and also to see who read the whole post.