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Hi all. I developed something of an excited passion for Japanese Pocket pens last year. A sometimes dizzy-headed buyer, I bought this: https://imgur.com/fpngallery/5bTXrSz It's a cute little pocket pen; so very nice, but who or what is 'Pioneer'?

Hello! Choosing Keeping will be launching a new range of Platinum fountain pens on the 6th February 6pm - 8pm. I thought this would be of interest for many Fountain Pen Network members and fountain pen collectors. A presentation of a new unseen range of Platinum fountain pens alongside 10 rare antique fountain pens from the Platinum archive that are being hand delivered from Japan for one evening only. This event will also be an opportunity to see a large selection from the Platinum collection in one place at one time including the limited edition Platinum 100th Anniversary silver fountain pen. Choosing Keeping will be making a limited edition Platinum x Choosing Keeping tote bag and notebook. With every sale of the new Platinum pen Choosing Keeping will be giving away a tote bag, notebook and Platinum blue-black ink cartridges made with water from Mount Fuji. See you there!

I'm a college student that got hooked or you could say got hit by the curiosity with fountain pens. The last several years I've been studying and since money was tight was satisfied with writing with the pens I already obtained. I already have a thread going on over in the nibs and tines section regarding my hunt for a flexy pen, but also am thinking about a different next pen as well. I should say I haven't decided which pen I will get first and there will be a significant amount of time in-between purchases. I will list the pens I already own as a jumping off point into a discussion of sorts I'm seeking surrounding my hunt for that "next" pen. Pens I own: Lamy 2000 - Fine Lamy Safari - Medium and 1.1 Stub Twsbi Eco - Broad and 1.1 Stub Pilot Metro - Medium, Fine, and 1.0 Stub Faber Castell Loom - Medium Jinhao x450 - Medium Goulet Churchmans Prescriptor - 1.1 Stub Conklin Crescent Filler Demo - 1.1 Stub My last pen purchase was the Lamy 2000 back in 2017. Actually the bulk of my pen purchases occurred at the start of my addiction to pens lol. Anyways the Lamy 2000 was my first big purchase and it really solidified how great it feels to write with a pen that truly speaks to you. I've learned as I grow in the hobby and learn more about pens that one pen isn't necessarily better than another pen; they just provide different experiences. I write with each one of my pens more so than others but nonetheless I reach for each one of my pens when I want to experience that unique experience that only that specific pen can offer. I'll admit my Lamy 2000 gets the most use, it's my favorite among all my pens. Time has passed and I'm starting to get that affinity again and looking at what else I can expose myself too. Here are some possibilities that I'm looking towards for my next possible pen in no particular order. Platinum 3776 Pelikan M200 / M400 Pilot Vanishing Point / Custom 823 / Custom 74 / Custom 912 Edison Collier Franklin Christoph Model 19, 20, 02, Parker 51 Waterman Caréne Diplomat Aero Sailor 1911 / Sailor Pro Gear I'll also admit price is a factor in that the ones I'm leaning towards seem to be easier to find deals, the Platinum's, Pilots, and Sailors especially. I think you can tell I'm honing in on sub $300 in terms of price. I'm leaning towards one of the pens listed with a gold nib, because I enjoyed the gold nib on my lamy 2000 and would like to experience other pens with gold nibs. At some point I probably will own all those pens listed, but for time being I'm leaning towards: Sailor 1911 or Pro Gear Platinum 3776 Pilot Vanishing Point / Custom 823 / Custom 74 / Custom 912 Pelkian m400 Waterman Caréne. Feel free to suggest other pens that you think I should definitely consider. So the discussion I'm hoping to generate is whats that gold nib pen that you think someone who hasn't experienced should definitely take a look at?

So I was planning to buy a nakaya medium nib, then I saw this review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQSfX91oAC4 by Mr. Brown. As you can see in the video the regular medium seems very dry and hard as a nail. Then I saw the soft medium, it seems like it is the nib I really want. A little bit flexible and pretty wet. But still I can't be so sure just from watching a video. So I'd like to ask anyone that has experienced it firsthand how the soft medium feel compared to the regular medium nakaya nib (is the medium really that dry? because I'm a little bit shocked at how dry and hard it is). My favorite kind of spring is the m200 fine steel nib. It is springy but not to springy. I don't like a nib that is too springy like the soft fine 14K platinum nib. Please share your experience on the nakaya soft medium and medium nib! It'd be much better if there is a comparison of those nakaya nibs to pelikan m200 fine nib and platinum soft fine nib. Thanks in advance! Edited: seems like I provided a wrong link to an anime video, I've corrected the youtube link

Hello everyone. In the past I had made a publication that was to make a decision to get my first vintage flexible fountain pen and finally I could own one of these beauties.It is a moore safety pen in black hard rubber with a very good ink capacity since this is a long but slender pen.The pen feels quite comfortable and light in my hand is a pretty beautiful pen that always impresses people when they see a retractable nib of my moore.The 14k gold nib is small but has a good flexibility as the seller told me on his website that he lists it as a nib superflex. The 14k nib is an extra fine point when used without any pressure and not a single stroke has failed me and we add that to be an extra fine nib it is quite smooth. When I write cursive with the flexibility of this nib it is quite satisfactory and does not tire me and they offer me a beautiful line variation without the need to put a lot of pressure. I also want to comment on you that the nib is something dry but without being annoying (I mean feeling scratchy or skipping strokes) and even in rhodia paper using flex it dries almost instantly without fear of accidentally stains on your sheet or In hands, it may be that the somewhat dry sensation is due to the pilot blue-black ink that I use since it has some time that the lid broke and I stuck it with adhesive tape and this may be somewhat thicker by evaporation.And what is most impressive about this great fountain pen is that it has never shown railroading when I use it in flexible mode :notworthy1:and I don't have to be dipping it in the inkwell at all times as with my dip pens. Although we cannot deny that the dip thought of what I have managed to see in the hands of a calligraphy expert they can create an extremely beautiful calligraphy. Although I personally have bad luck in finding a good combination of dip nib and ink XD and it is somewhat complicated to get ink at a good price in my country. Unfortunately I don't think I have time to improve my handwriting for an approximate six months since I find myself doing my professional practices at the university to be a lawyer. I attach my results with dip pen:FP FLEX NIB AND DIP FLEX NIBS IT IS VERY ENJOYABLEI became addicted to flex nibs!

Did anyone ever heard of a chinese fountain pen company with the name of Jin Ma . I have seen a gold nib fountain pen from that company " Jin Ma 518 and it looks very similar to some pen's from another chinese pen company '' Rainbow '' . It's actually any relations between those two fountain pen companies Jin Ma and Rainbow ?

I looking to buy a new pen and I'm tied between the TWSBI Vac 700r and the Pilot Custom 74. I know there quite a lot of differences between the two, but here's why I like them: I love the gold nib and smooth writing of the Custom 74, but I really want to try out a vacuum filler and a larger ink capacity is of great convenience to me, plus I like demonstrators. The Vac 700 sells for around 7,700 rupees whereas the Custom 74 sells for about 8000 rupees. Which one should I go for?

In the last few months I have been using mostly pens with either Jowo or Bock steel nibs. I tend to prefer M or B nibs, although I do also stretch to F and stubs. Although F nibs are not my first choice except for fine notes, both Jowo and Bock F nibs are still enjoyable for me, as they are sufficiently smooth. I have a few Jowo 1.1 stubs, and although they are not bad either, I usually do have a preference for stubs with tipping. All in all both these brands make enjoyably smooth steel nibs in the F to stub range, which I do like using, and have several different pens which mount these. After a period of rotation over a few months of several different pens with Jowo/Bock steel nibs, last week I picked up a Bexley with a 14k gold nib, size M. The Bexley is an Equipose in a rather unusual green colour (called Colorado Green). Besides the unusual colour, the Bexley Equipose is quite a classic looking pen (with converter system). The design is classic cap over barrel, with no step-down barrel to section (which I find so annoying due to the way I hold my pens high up). The threads are smooth and the size of the pen is big enough to be very comfortable uncapped (I almost never post). After a long period of use of steel nibs, what does however strike me immediately on putting this pen/nib back to paper is the different way it writes. Ever so soft! It's not a matter of being smooth, it's not a matter of flex either (I don't usually look for flex when writing, although I can recognize flex/semiflex nibs), it's just much more relaxed and natural in a way. I don't feel as though I have to push, while I do somewhat with steel nibs, in comparison. This nib is no doubt lovely (14k M) and I had forgotten how much more enjoyable it is writing with it, compared to a group of various Jowo/Bock steel nibs (including some mounted on more recent Bexleys I own). The difference is subtle, but it's there absolutely! I'm not starting the steel vs gold topic again, I know, I do have a few gold nibs that are not so different from the a/m group of steel nibs in the way they behave... It's probably just that this is a heck of a lovely nib!

Hey Everyone, I recently purchased a Platinum 3776 Century Soft Fine, my second (the other is a medium), and it is writing a little drier than I prefer. Does anyone know a way to increase the ink flow ever so slightly? All my tricks that I use for steel nibs have not worked in the least bit (which I am not surprised by but I figured I would try). Thank you for any insights! Anthony R. Cappello

Hi Guys. I have been into fountain pens for a while now, but I hadn't bought any expensive pens until now. My collection mainly consisted of TWSBIs which I have been very happy with. I worked really hard this year for my 2nd-year exams, and I worked pretty hard over the summer in an internship so I decided I would reward myself with my first "expensive pen". I decided on the Pelikan M805 Stresemann for a couple of reasons. 1 - It looks brilliant. I really like the look of the grey stripes down the barrel. I haven't seen a pen that I like the look of so much. 2 - I had heard that Pelikan nibs are some of the best nibs around and write brilliantly out of the box. However, I opened up my new pen this morning and sadly I have never been so disappointed with a purchase. As I was opening the pen it was somewhat clear that I had been sent a pen that was previously a return. For example, the little plastic bag that the pen comes in was all screwed up. (I bought this pen from cultpens in the UK by the way). Now I'm wondering if someone else had a bad experience of this pen, sent it back, and now I've ended up with it. On the barrel, it appears that one of the grey stripes is missing. There appears to be a dark gap where it is missing. I have tried to get a picture of this but it is quite difficult to pick it up on camera! This is something that wouldn't bother me in the slightest on a much cheaper pen, but at £300 I'm not impressed by this. I decided to forget all this as the writing experience is the most important thing. So I inked up the pen with some Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku and began to write with it. The writing experience is extremely disappointing! It's almost as if I am writing with a different pen to that of the reviewers online. The nib is very dry, and not smooth at all. Also, it feels very stiff which I was surprised by as a lot of people say the Pelikan nibs have some spring to them. I grabbed my TWSBI Eco to compare the writing experience, and the eco is the clear winner. Smoother and wetter, at less than a tenth of the cost. A lot of people say that the Pelikan nibs are quite broad. For example, the medium M805 nib in the pen habits review looked more like a broad or even a double broad. So I decided I would go with a fine nib as opposed to the medium nib I usually go for. So I'm wondering, would you guys recommend returning the pen and swapping it for the same pen with a medium nib? Or do you think I would be better getting a refund and buying a different pen altogether? If you think there is a better alternative pen out there I would appreciate any recommendations - I'm looking for a pen with a really wet and smooth nib for the best writing experience possible. Around £300 or less.

Hi everyone! I've been meaning to post a question here, for some time. First a back story... I've been buying vintage pens for some time, and some sellers had statements "pen completely repaired" or "refurbished"... cleaned and polished, taken apart and put back together. Some are "as is" i.e. no work has been done, at least not by the seller. The nibs are sometimes polished and look excellent, sometimes I can see tipping material is low, sometimes tines are misaligned, sometimes everything looks perfect. The question is - after I use the pen for week or two... or month, the nib changes the color. It goes from shiny gold (if polished) to some form of dark rainbow kind of - reminds me of spring steel which is heat treated... it get's kind of blueish in some areas. Some nibs have it from vent hole to the tip, some everywhere around, some across... So - what causes this? Was the nib heat treated and gold changes the surface color in contact with ink or water? It is annoying really, I pay the price for perfectly looking pen and nib, and then I get this change. It seems that it does not affect the nib performance (though I'd challenge this observation in case that nib was heat treated, because who knows how it was performing before) ... perhaps sellers should be upfront with what was done to the nib - if they know. Any thoughts? And - would polishing pull this thin out? Maybe it was the polishing that causes this... Thank you!

Hello, I'm afraid I'm coming at this from a rather newcomer's perspective, as I only have one fountain pen to my name, but I'm really in need of help and this seems like a lovely, friendly, knowledgeable community from which to seek it! I'm afraid it's a rather long story, but I don't want to do it the injustice of not starting at the beginning. I've always only liked writing with fountain pens, and used the same £10 Parker (Jotter) all the way through school. It seemed almost timely when it came to a sticky end just a few days after I finished my final exams. My Grandma took me to get a very lovely new pen to start medical school with. I have unusually small hands, and found that the small diameter barrel of the Jotter was rarely replicated in better pens. It sounds bizarre, I know, but I really don't like how the bulkier ones feel, and I can't control them properly. After much deliberating and traipsing between shops, I fell in love with a Yard-o-led Viceroy Pocket Barley pen. The nib was just unlike anything else I tried out - I think I really like the softness of the white gold. And it even had the lovely small barrel! It just so happened that I really use it a huge amount. I'm studying in Cambridge, which is stuck in a bygone era, and I hand in 3-4 handwritten essays a week, as well as transcribing numerous lectures and supervisions. And I just loved it so much! It was so beautiful to write with, and such a generous gift. I loved writing with it for work and pleasure, and loved thinking of my Grandma and the continuity of only using one pen. Everyone knows me for always carrying it around in a little blue carry case. Unfortunately, just shy of a year, the pen started playing up. Eventually, it wouldn't ever write ink for very long, even when I cleaned it out in all the ordinary ways. I took it to the shop I got it from who agreed that something wasn't right, and we sent it back. Yard-o-led returned it some weeks later, and it seemed back to normal. A few months later, it happened again. I sent it back. And then it happened again. This time, I was eager to get in touch with them, but they're very hard to contact. I was frustrated that this unusual and generous expenditure was not working as it should, and I didn't know if I was doing something wrong. Eventually, when I got through (by writing longhand and sending it to the repairs address), it turned out that the main brothers are profoundly deaf, so cannot use a phone. Oops. Sobered by this, I was receptive. They said that something was, indeed, wrong and they'd replaced the nib and feeder. Yet again, it worked like a dream for the first few months. I only ever use yard-o-led cartridges that I buy off the filofax website, and I use the pen every day. I don’t press hard when I write, and I never let anyone else use it. Over the last few weeks it’s began to play up on occasion. Sometimes it just needed to be left alone for a few minutes, nib down. Sometimes, washing it through with the converter until it ran clear and then putting in a new cartridge did the trick. It’s got increasingly common, and eventually stopped in the middle of some writing. I washed it through 5 times, with increasingly warm water. Each time the same thing happened: it ran inky and I kept going until it’s clear. Then it flows across the page nicely with a very dilute, watery mark, and as soon as the water runs out it stops again. I’ve tried several different cartridges, and left it over night, but all to no avail. Completely at a loss, and frustrated and disappointed, I e-mailed Yard-o-led yet again. I said that, with a heavy heart, unless they had other suggestions, a refund would perhaps be the best option if they were prepared to offer it. My £10 Parker was infinitely more reliable, albeit so much less a work of craftsmanship and lovely to write with.They were eminently lovely: "I am the manager of Yard O Led and I am so sorry you are still experiencing problems with your pen. I can asure you we are just as frustrated as you with the quality issues we have been experiencing not just with your pen. I can assure you it is not something you are doing wrong. I have in the past returned nibs to the manufacturer to see if they can solve this kind of problem and unfortunately I have got nowhere." This seems to suggest that I'm not the only case they've had. Has anyone else come across this problem with Yard-o-led? Anyway, John offered me a replacement nib unit, but later that day the director got in touch and offered me a full refund. I've spoken to my grandma and she feels that it would be entirely appropriate to get the refund and go out to buy another pen from a different, more reliable brand. But I just wanted to do some research first, which brought me here amongst other places. So here are my questions: Do you think it is worth refunding and going to another brand? Are other pens likely to be more reliable, or is this normal for a fountain pen? Should I stick it out and try a replacement nib one more time? (As an extra complication, they have none in stock so I'd have to wait some time). Could you possibly suggest pens that have a small barrel and gold or white gold (soft) nib, for somewhere in the region of £260? It would be useful to see alternatives. I've had real trouble finding anything of this sort somewhere where I could try it out, except some vintage pens. I really do want to be able to go and try out a pen. Which brings me on to: Any particular recommendations of FP shops in London? (Ideally SW or central). There do seem to be several, but with my elderly Grandma I'd really rather only make one trip, and I don't know where exactly is best. I'm not quite sure enough what I'm looking for. And with Vintage pens: I've heard so much that you mustn't let others write with your FP. I can't find anywhere clearly explained - how is this overcome with vintage pens? Are they any less pliable to write with, rather than collect? Sorry about the Essay. Best Wishes Abi

Hey there, I am using a Lamy Safari Medium and a Pilot Metropolitan Fine as my daily pens in my high school and am looking for a next level pen for myself that I particularly want to be in Gold nib (I have talked about why I need a gold nib in my introduction topic https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/326436-help-for-next-level-fountain-pen-in-gold-nib/?do=findComment&comment=3904231). Now I want the pen to have a huge ink capacity as I want to start writing with Fountain Pens in my mid term and final examinations as well. Right Now I am considering Lamy 2000 for $185 (INR.12000) and Pelikan M600 for $295 (INR.19000) as these are some of the few piston filled options that I have which I can buy from my local pen store in New Delhi. Others are used Vintage pens like Sheaffer Imperial V Triumph Lifetime for $178 (INR.11550).

Hey there, this is my first post on The Fountain Pen Network and I'm a 16 year old high school student from New Delhi, India. I'm a beginner in the Fountain Pen world and I only own a Dark Lilac Lamy Safari (Medium Nib) and a Pilot Metropolitan (Fine Nib). I use Sheaffer Skrip Blue for my Lamy and Pilot Black Ink for my Metropolitan to write on my school notebooks with bad quality paper. Now considering that we in India, have a low supply of foreign fountain pen brands and what's available to me either online on Amazon India or in a local pen shop williampenn.net costs a great deal than what folks in the US pay, for instance my question is, which gold nib fountain pen would be a good option for me under or in the ballpark of $200-$250 (about INR.5000 to INR. 15000). I definately want it to be a gold nib as i want to feel the experience of writing with one getting some feedback with it maybe. Also, I feel that my Lamy Medium nib is a tad bit too thick for me and my Fine Metropolitan nib is way too thin for my liking. I feel that a European Fine or a Japanese Medium would do (As I am considering to buy a Lamy 2000 or a Platinum 3776). One last thing is that we don't get a lot of inks here in India, but I have managed to find Edelstein, Waterman, Private Reserve and Diamine Inks either online or in William Penn and I want a good Bright blue (I am considering Diamine Oxford Blue for INR. 800/$13) so which color would be a good option for an everyday blue? P.S, if anyone could find me cheaper priced gold nib pens like the Lamy 2000 with cheap international shipping online, or somewhere in Delhi, I would be very thankful. Thank You for your time!

Hey there, this is my first post on The Fountain Pen Network and I'm a 16 year old high school student from New Delhi, India. I'm a beginner in the Fountain Pen world and I only own a Dark Lilac Lamy Safari (Medium Nib) and a Pilot Metropolitan (Fine Nib). I use Sheaffer Skrip Blue for my Lamy and Pilot Black Ink for my Metropolitan to write on my school notebooks with bad quality paper. Now considering that we in India, have a low supply of foreign fountain pen brands and what's available to me either online on Amazon India or in a local pen shop williampenn.net costs a great deal than what folks in the US pay, for instance my question is, which gold nib fountain pen would be a good option for me under or in the ballpark of $200-$250 (about INR.5000 to INR. 15000). I definately want it to be a gold nib as i want to feel the experience of writing with one getting some feedback with it maybe. Also, I feel that my Lamy Medium nib is a tad bit too thick for me and my Fine Metropolitan nib is way too thin for my liking. I feel that a European Fine or a Japanese Medium would do (As I am considering to buy a Lamy 2000 or a Platinum 3776). One last thing is that we don't get a lot of inks here in India, but I have managed to find Edelstein, Waterman, Private Reserve and Diamine Inks either online or in William Penn and I want a good Bright blue (I am considering Diamine Oxford Blue for INR. 800/$13) so which color would be a good option for an everyday blue? P.S, if anyone could find me cheaper priced gold nib pens like the Lamy 2000 with cheap international shipping online, or somewhere in Delhi, I would be very thankful. Thank You for your time!

I've been recently looking at jumping from relatively cheaper (but still good) pens (like the Lamy Safari and Pilot Metropolitan) all the way to a gold nib pen, specifically the Pilot e95S. But should I get a gold nib pen? Is it a big difference and/or experience from a steel nib? Also, is there a difference between a 14k gold or an 18k gold nib?

Prologue Long before the likes of Romilo and Scriptorium reintroduced and popularized the concept of hand-crafted gold nibs customized to individual tastes & needs, there has been a set of small dedicated Indian handmade pen-makers who have been diligently doing the same out of there small workshops located mostly around South India. Today I want to share pictures of a trio of such pens from my collection. All these pens are vintage, were bought by me as used pens and are made by artisans who are no longer with us or else are too old to be active themselves although the institutions they have set up are still active and still manufacture handmade pens mostly using steel nibs sourced from nib manufacturers. http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/IMGP2306_zpsgzqvekso.jpg From Left to Right – Ratnamson, Guider and Ratnam http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/IMGP2308_zpscwd4rmqe.jpg From Left to Right – Ratnamson, Guider and Ratnam Guider The most interesting pen out of these three is a vintage celluloid pen with a handmade conical gold nib. It is hard to put an exact date of manufacture for this pen but according to Mr Laxman Rao the current proprietor of Guider pen works this particular writing instrument is at least fifty years old. Such specimens are very rare to come across and even he doesn’t have access to any. http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/IMGP2295_zpsry9fc6gl.jpg http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/IMGP2296_zps81jyeqvk.jpg http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/IMGP2302_zpsjhz6u0dp.jpg http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/IMGP2310_zps628aw4rf.jpg Ratnam The next pen in the collection is another conical nib but this time manufactured by Ratnam Pen works of Rajahmundry. I do not know the exact model number but the trims on this pen are in exceptionally good shape. This is a huge nib and side by side, it dwarfs the #8 nibs I have from Jowo or Bock. http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/IMGP2298_zpsjp10sw3e.jpg http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/IMGP2297_zpstjhsrilo.jpg http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/IMGP2303_zpsctiz06fc.jpg http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/IMGP2312_zpsqykmci1r.jpg Ratnamson The third pen in the trio is a Ratnamson 302 with a handmade gold nib made circa 2007. I believe it is still possible to get such pens commissioned albeit being manufactured by the next generation. The interesting thing about this pen is that it has a bold nib which is quite unusual for Indian pens and is an extremely smooth writer. http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/IMGP2299_zpsa6az8khh.jpg http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/IMGP2300_zpsuv7gbpco.jpg http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/IMGP2301_zpsst4ji1ht.jpg http://i1097.photobucket.com/albums/g346/prithwijitchakiPrithwijit/Fountain%20Pen%20Reviews/IMGP2311_zpsefppydp7.jpg One thing that is common to all the three pens (apart from 14K nibs) is that each of them come with custom hand cut ebonite feeds. Epilogue Shortly after taking these pictures I came to the realization that my personal enjoyment of fountain pens did not come from being a collector and certainly not from being a collector of vintage pens. At the same time I was acutely aware that this set that I had built up was historical in significance and wanted it to be maintained properly even if I was not the right person to do so. I started making a few discrete inquiries amidst our small fountain pen community and I am happy to let everyone know that fellow FPNer Sudhir (@Sudhir-ThePenPerson) is the new custodian of these pens. Sudhir is a passionate collector and a consummate gentleman. I am sure that the pens will be taken care of very well in his safe hands. Hope you guys liked reading about this part of Indian Fountain pen heritage and the pictures were enjoyable. Regards, Prithwijit

Got their newsletter announcing the availability of 14k gold nibs for the AL-Sport, Brass-Sport, AC-Sport and Lilliput pens. I would love to fit one such nib to my AL-Sport but wonder how they feel like. Anyone's got the chance to test them?

Review of the Hero 711 A gold nibbed offering from the brand behind all the Parker Clones you know and love… or hate. The Shanghai Hero Pen Company is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting fountain pen brands in the world. They do not make the highest quality pens, and they are almost never recommended as a “first” pen for beginners. They make gold nibbed offerings which are compared only to steel nibbed cousins. Hero pens are either loved or hated, and their discussion always brings some who believe they are a great value for the cost and some who believe they are foolish, low quality knockoffs who shouldn’t even be considered. I believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Their low-end pens are just that, low-end, and are interesting for nib-grinding experiments, cheap giveaways, and that’s about it. Hero’s high-end, gold nibbed offerings, however, warrant some consideration on their own merits as real, useful, enjoyable pens. The Hero 711 is one of these gold-nibbed Hero’s, and despite some fixable flaws I think it is a very interesting, compelling, and ultimately worthwhile pen. Due to the recent discussions about reviews and some of the flaws with them, along with my own thoughts on the nature of this pen, I will not be providing number scores with this review, because I believe that using quantitative observations for such a pen would introduce even more subjectivism. I will only be providing my own qualitative observations, with the hope that you will be able to draw your own conclusions from them. Initial Observations/First ImpressionsThe Hero 711 arrived, shockingly, in a box. I say shockingly because every other Hero I’d ever ordered had arrived in an envelope, so I wasn’t expecting much in terms of packaging. Inside the box, to my great surprise, was another box! Although it probably matters very little to most of you, the Hero 711 did indeed come with its own Green 70’s-style case, branded with the Hero logo. Once I opened that second box I got to finally see the pen. Small. That’s the first word that came to my mind. The pen is rather small. I uncapped the pen to find an even smaller nib, smaller than I would expect even for a small pen. It isn’t pocket pen small, in fact it’s nearly the exact length of a Noodler’s Konrad, but it is much thinner. Also, the Konrad comes with a big, mighty #6 nib, the minuscule thing on the 711 just adds to feeling that the Hero is a shrunk down version of a pen that was always intended to be slightly larger. An initial view of the capped Hero 711 Build Quality/Feel in the HandDespite being small the pen is not light. The barrel is painted, not made of black plastic, and the entire pen is made of metal. This made the pen feel of higher quality than any other Hero I’ve tried before I even had a chance to put nib to paper. Despite the problems I will get to in a later section, despite the frustrations the pen gave me, the one thing I never once had a problem with was the build quality. It really is a very nicely made pen. The cap is shiny, polished steel. It itself weighs more than an entire Hero 616 yet it doesn’t feel overweight. The clip is springy, durable, and just entirely excellent. The cap closes onto the pen with a satisfying click, and the only cap I know that’s more satisfying to put on is the Pilot Prera’s. (Side note: I LOVE the cap on the Pilot Prera. I could literally sit there clicking the cap on and off for hours on end.) The Hero 711 with its cap. The metal threads of the section screw nicely into the metal threads of the barrel, and the pen feels very sturdy. My one complaint with the pen body is that the section is rather slippery, and gathers fingerprints easily. Pen manufacturers, if you’re reading this, which you almost certainly aren’t, please stop making pens with chrome sections. Chrome sections are just the worst. Everything else on the pen’s body, however, is excellent, and the 711 has the unique distinction of being the most well-made Chinese pen I’ve ever held. A profile view of the 711. Nib/Writing PerformanceThis is where things get a little dicey for the Hero. The 711 comes with a 10k solid gold nib, albeit a tiny one. I was very excited to see just what the folks in Shanghai could do with gold, as I had in the past enjoyed the steel nibs on their cheaper offerings. For the first few lines, just after being dipped in ink, the Hero was brilliant. Smooth, dark, medium line, an overall enjoyable writing experience. Then the problems began. Within a few lines the Hero’s nib showed its true nature, that of a horrible, horrible hard starter. Nearly every word would have half of its first letter missing, and although it was smooth after that, it was an immense irritation. The problem was temporarily solved by flooding the feed, and that fix lasted for a couple lines at best, but it just isn’t practical to have to flood the feed every twenty seconds when you write. (I have a feeling I wouldn’t have been a pen lover in the era of only dip pens). So, the 711 was banished to the pits of my desk drawer. Several months, tens of pen acquisitions, and the purchase of a loupe and some micromesh later, I remembered the little gold-nibbed Chinese wonder sitting in my desk drawer. I diagnosed the pen with a case of “Baby’s bottom”, and sorted it out with micromesh rather quickly. Now, the pen is a wonderful, smooth writer, and I have not had any issues with skipping or hard starting, nor have I had to flood the feed. Despite being made of gold, the nib is a nail, and there is no line variation whatsoever. The nib on this pen almost made it unusable, but with a little adjustment it can be an enjoyable writing experience. A close up of the nib of the Hero 711. Filling System/MaintenanceThis is always my least favorite part of a review for these types of pens. It’s a cartridge converter pen. It comes with a converter, which works. The pen can be flushed with the converter or a bulb filler, which also works. Not much else to say here. Moving on… CostFor the excellent build quality of their high-end pen, a 10k nib, and a nicely made box/carrying case, the folks at Hero charge an immense, wait for it… $16. That’s it. $16. For a new, gold nibbed pen, this is an immense bargain. Yes, there are vintage 45’s for cheaper if you shop around, and yes, the pen didn’t technically work at first, but it is a bargain regardless. If you don’t mind using micromesh a little bit (and that’s even if my pen wasn’t an unfortunate mistake that doesn’t represent the norm), the pen is a good, gold nib on a well-built pen for under $20! The Hero 711 posted. Would I recommend the pen?Only if you have small hands. Despite the build quality, despite the (now) excellent gold nib, the pen will likely not get much use from me. I have rather large hands, as I mentioned before, and the Hero is uncomfortable for me to use for long periods of time. I have lent the pen to people with smaller hands, however, who found the pen very comfortable. So, if you have small hands and a bit of micromesh, then yes, I would absolutely recommend this pen. There is excellent build quality and once tuned the nib really is enjoyable. It has been low-maintenance, the converter it comes with works well, and it is durable enough to take around town and cheap enough to not be an immense tragedy if lost. This pen did have some problems, but ultimately I think it was more than worth the price I paid for it. The higher end Hero’s really can be nice pens at bargain prices, and we shouldn’t let the low quality of their cheaper cousins delegitimatize them.

Below latest harverst from our studio Ivorish Fountain Pen Combination of compressed bone&ivory dust and Alternate Alabaster Resin. Ruthenium/Rhodium Plated Jowo #6 18k Solid Gold nib. 975k Silver bands and Special Edition Kilk Cap Finial. Convertor and cartridge compitable. By using silicon grease you may fill with eyedropper. Dimensions: Length:142mm Capped, 130mm uncapped Dia:13mm barrel threads, 15mm thickest point of barrel, 16.2mm Cap Retroscript Instrument Indian Ebonite with 24k gold plated brass rings, 24k gold plated steel clip. Jowo #6 Twotone Nib unit. Converter and cartridge compitable. Sealing with grease possible to use with eyedropper. Dimensions: Length: 142mm Capped, 130mm uncapped Dia: 13mm barrel threads, 13,75mm thickest point of barrel, 15,6mm Cap Smokey Horn Semi-translucent AA-Resin with smokey oak horn sample. Filling with a screwed in international converter. Jowo #6 Gold Plated Nib Unit and 24 Gold plated bands and clip. Please note that cap is not postable. This Pen can be filled with eyedropper by sealing the section threads with clear silicon grease. Compitable with 3mm international cartridges both long and short ones. Dimensions: Length: 145mm Capped, 135mm uncapped Dia: 13mm barrel threads, 15.5mm thickest barrel, 16.5mm cap

Hello! I am new here, (and kinda new to the whole Fountain Pen world) and I want your help identifying this pen. It costed me about US $10, it's totally functional, it came with a convertor (i think is vacuum convertor) Thank you!

I just received a Lamy 14kt bicolour nib in size EF, but it is so wet it writes like a broad nib! I knew it would be wetter than my old EF steel nail, but this is crazy and I'd like to thin the line out as much as possible. The writing sample below is upon Moleskine paper (I guess the dots are around 5mm); blue ink is the gold EF, black is my old steel EF. I know the latter writes finer than most EF nibs as I adjusted it that way, so I'm not comparing directly, but all the same surely a gold EF isn't meant to be that fat?! What do you think? http://i62.tinypic.com/167m2dt_th.jpg I've adjusted my steel nibs before, but given that this one is gold and expensive I just wanted some advice first on how best to dry it up a bit. The tines are close together with barely no gap at all, and the nib is straight as I look at it side-on. Should I work on pushing the tines further together or pushing the nib down over the feed more, or both, or what? I didn't mind playing around with my least favourite steel EF nib, but don't want to sod up this beautiful gold one!

This morning I saw the Kaweco Sport Brass version, I think it may be as close as I can get to a perfect pen (I like small, heavy FPs) So now that I've ordered one (I couldn't resist...) I want to know what nib options I have for it. I have used Kaweco pens before, the nibs are good workhorses but I want something to match the brass and I'm hoping a gold nib will do nicely. I have never sought out a replacement nib for a Kaweco before, and a quick search on these forums didn't reveal too many options for them other than Kaweco's own gold nib or heavily modifying (i.e. filing) an existing nib. Are there no other stock options? Is it also true that Kaweco Brass Sports will accept a #5 nib? (I believe my liliput is a #5) So do I have any options regarding replacement nibs for my Kaweco? (Gold nib preferred but a good steel option would be nice to have as well)

I've seen something this morning that puts me in a campaigning mood. One butcher by the name of Womble1962 is apparently stripping gold nibs from fountain pens, (and doubtless anything else he/ she can get at) and selling the remains " for parts or repair" I think that this heathen, heid banging philistine, who sells the purist dross, should be bombarded with messages. See: http://www.ebay.fr/sch/m.html?item=351349542960&ul_ref=http%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%253A80%252Frover%252F0%252Fe11010.m2368.l3160%252F7%253Feuid%253D71a9939dc1a243c59475241194a55afa%2526loc%253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.fr%25252Fitm%25252F351349542960%25253F_trksid%25253Dp11010.c100136.m2769%252526_trkparms%25253Daid%2525253D555012%25252526algo%2525253DPW.MBE%25252526ao%2525253D1%25252526asc%2525253D20140212115136%25252526meid%2525253Da76ed1d692014051a70e0f36a9aa1b2b%25252526pid%2525253D100136%25252526rk%2525253D1%25252526rkt%2525253D12%25252526sd%2525253D301561760653%25252F%25253FssPageName%25253DADME%25253AB%25253AWNA%25253AFR%25253A3160%2526srcrot%253De11010.m2368.l3160&_ssn=womble1962&rt=nc What about a "save Mabie Todd" thread that would willingly accept other maker's fans? I think I'll start a thread right now and send this heathen a link.

Last summer, I bought a box of used artist's supplies at a flea market. I bought it primarily for the paint brushes and water colors, but the lot included a very flexible gold nib in a mother-of-pearl holder. It looked like the nib had had something heavy dropped on it, as the curvature was flattened near the point and the tines were slightly crossed. The tines were crossed too much for a gentle tweak to put right. I puzzled over that nib for most of a year until I read a discussion about burnishing dents out of gold nibs, here in the Nibs and Tines forum. I had been thinking about pounding the dents out of this nib and then you folks came to the nib's rescue. I rounded off the point of a large dental pick and polished it mirror smooth. Then, I held the nib against a piece of leather and began to burnish the edges of the dents. After a couple of hours' work with the burnishing tool and a loupe, the dents nearly disappeared and the tines uncrossed themselves. The nib is a writer, once more. If I hold it in the light just right, I can still see a little wavy reflection, but this is where I will quit. If I go for perfection, I will likely regret it. Thanks for the idea. It worked a treat!