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Does anyone know where one can order Visconti pens in India and who carries them? Trying to import them personally seems like a massive gamble.

Introduction:The inception of this pen began with my curiosity of Titanium Nibs and I was able to put together this "customized" pen from my purchases made over a brief visit to the United States. Having read many reviews and opinions about Titanium Nibs online,being a different writing experience from Gold and Steels nibs, I started looking for an An American Vendor for titanium nibs. While doing my research I came to know that they are available in #8 size too. So as everyone knows, "Bigger IS better", I asked around for a #8 Bock Titanium Nib.Thanks to Shawn Newton who pointed me to Karas Kustoms and I was able to order one from them quickly. [bock #6 Gold, Bock #8 Titanium] Next step was to decide on the pen material. Being an Orange Fanatic I always wanted to have an Orange Ebonite Pen. I found some on the ExoticBlanks.com website and ordered 2 rods.They were pretty expensive and there is some uncertainty as to the Country of origin of these Blanks *cough* India *cough*. This pen was made from a single 10 inch rod. Having obtained the nib and blanks, I had to decide on a pen model and the pen manufacturer. The nib being a #8,the pen had to be an oversized pen and the first Indian oversize pen that comes to (my) mind was the A.S.A Galactic. Which I had owned for a while but sold off as it was too big for my grip and was too back heavy.Being a Happy multiple repeat customer of A.S.A Pens in Chennai,India I started looking at other A.S.A Models and found the Popsicle to be of much "manageable" proportions. After a brief chat with Mr. Subramaniam,the owner of A.S.A Pens I was told that the Popsicle could be customized. So to maximize the usage of my "expensive" Orange Ebonite blanks I asked an A.S.A Popsicle to be made but with Flat Ends which I have christened "FlatSicle". I have been using the Flatsicle for almost a month now and here is my review. [Montblanc 149, A.S.A Flatsicle, A.S.A Nauka] Construction:The material feels,and smells, like most of the Indian Ebonite I have handled. Smooth,hard and warm to the touch but ofcourse I have not been able to source Indian Ebonite in Orange Color.The ends have flat polished surfaces.The Clip is pretty basic and can be customised on demand.I went for a chrome clip.The cap has a very minimal step down,of about 1mm,to the barrel which tapers by about 3 mm towards the end of the barrel.The cap takes 3 turns to uncap.The #8 Nib looks well proportionate to the pen body. The section has a very prominent lip towards the nib and tapers up towards the Cap threads and barrel.The step up from section to barrel is about 1mm and not noticable, allowing you to grip the pen higher up,even over the step up.The uncapped pen has the highest diameter at the exact middle of the pen which lends to an almost middle centre of gravity.The section unscrews from the barrel in 10 turns.This is kept so high because this pen can be used an an Eye Dropper (with some Silicone grease) where it holds a massive 5ml of Ink! The pen also takes standard converters for about 1ml of ink. I enjoy the "ritual" of filling ink so I prefer C/C pens over the huge capacity E.D mode.The Pen can be used posted but becomes unwieldy and comical. Some Dimentions of the Pen:Capped Length: 170mmUncapped Length: 128mmPosted Length: 175mmMax Cap Diameter: 17mmMax Barrel Diameter: 16mmMin Barrel Diameter: 13mmSection Diameter: 11-14mm [A.S.A Flatsicle, TWSBI Vac700, A.S.A Nauka, Pelikan Twist, Lamy Al-Star, Parker Duofold Centennial, Caran d'Ache 849, Pilot Metropolitan] Writing Experience:Having used the #8 Titanium nib for almost a month I can see what the fuss is about. It is definitely a very different and unique experience from a Gold or Steel nib. The first thought I got was how similar the "feedback" was to a Mike Masuyama Needle point I got to try at a Pen Show,almost "like a Pencil". This "feedback" I feel to be very dependent on the type of paper used. Another quality of Titanium nibs has been its "soft" nature and to experience just this I got mine in an Extra Fine grade which is a departure from my preference of Medium to Broad Nibs. During regular writing,the nib is soft enough to impart some line variation to almost resemble a Western Medium. Keeping in mind the tendency of titanium nibs to spring, the nib can be pushed to give a Broad Line. I would recommend spending a lot of time getting to know the Point of Spring Back of your nib before attempting any serious "flex". But the general users should be more than satisfied with the "casual" line variation due to the soft nature of the nib. The ebonite feed of the Nib Unit has kept up perfectly with the my extensive Flexy Loopy Loop tests in C/C Mode,I think it would be the same,if not better in E.D Mode. Balance in my hands is right inbetween my finger grip and the web of my hand where the pen rests letter me grip the section at the perfect distance from the lip so that the large nib is right on the paper. In Comparisson to my Montblanc 149,to get the perfect balance,I need to grip the pen over the Cap threads and that can get uncomfortable over time.If I hold the pen at the most comfortable area of the section,the pen gets angeled to a steep degree and making the pen back heavy. So I find the Flatsicle more comfortable than the 149!Compared to the Visconti Casanova, I find the Visconti Very back heavy and honestly I bought it only because I got it for a steal!If only I could compare the Flatsicle with a Popsicle. The Little Things:This Pen is a Monster! Be prepared to get a lot of queries about it and attract a lot of attention.The Orange Ebonite can appear different hues under different Lights and is difficult to Photograph.Nib creep on the Titanium Nib looks very nice (for those who ar'nt O.C.D about it)No,I have not sprung the tines during my Loopy Loop tests.The softness of the Nib allows it to go from an Extra Fine to a Broad line width comfortably.The pen will be a tight fit when clipped in to shallow shirt pockets and tend to "stick out".No issues in Jeans Pockets or Clipped onto the middle of the shirt (between buttons). Conclusion:What started as a curious experiment turned out to be one of my most Enjoyable Pen. Obtaining a #8 Titanium Nib in the U.S seems to be a bit difficult so I would like to thank Shawn Newton for pointing me in the right direction.Thanks to Mr. Subramaniam of A.S.A Pens for letting me "customize" one of his most popular models and doing a good job on working with the Bock #8 Nib. Nibs of this size ar'nt common in India and I'm happy mine was in good hands. As I progress through my Fountain Pen journey I find myself gravitating towards specific models,which have mostly been slim pens or pens with tapered sections and having sold off most of my oversize pens, the A.S.A Flatsicle was a very pleasant surprise as I found it very comfortable for use considering its dimensions. Its pens like these that make you stick around in a hobby.

Hello pen folks, I am from Calcutta, India. I have been using fountain pens for 17 years only. Most of them have been cheap Indian pens and only in the last two - three years have I forayed into the world of Western pens, which in return have pretty much broken the bank for me, So nowadays, I am practicing the art of holding back and have been waiting for the delivery of two custom pens from two different pen-makers. I have been a frequent visitor of this forum and finally ended up making an account last week. Hopefully, it would be a pleasurable experience here. A sneak peek into part of my small (?) collection.

Dear FPN'ers, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. We are happy to introduce "Emperor"as a new model of Ranga Pens. RANGA EMPEROR MODEL: Ranga Emperor is a Handmade pen and is available in various ebonite rod colors. The pen has a dual-band around the cap and has black ebonite finials at the bottom and top. the pen is available in two versions: Round End Flat End It is approx 145 mm in length and the barrel dia of the pen is 14 mm and dia of the cap is 16 mm. The pen is available only in chrome finish clip along with chrome trims. NIBS: Only Bock Nibs along with the Schmidt Converter is available for this Group Buy #6 Steel Nib – Gold Monotone Finish: EF, F, M, B, 1.1, 1.5 #6 Steel Nib – Chrome Monotone Finish: EF, F, M, B, 1.1, 1.5 #6 Steel Nib – Dual Tone Finish: EF, F, M, B #6 Gold 18K Nib – F, B (@ extra US$ 185) Without Nib But Pen threaded to take Bock Nib (@ less US$ 14) MATERIAL & COLORS: For this Group Buy, Regular series and Special Series Ebonite are available in both Polished and Brushed Finish. Regular Ebonite: RE Series (Polished or Matte Finish) R1- Brown Ripple R2 – Green Ripple R3 – Olive Ripple R4 – Solid Black R5 – Mottled Brown R6 – Mottled Green R7 – Mottled Olive Brown Special Ebonite: SE Series (Has Black Specks) (Polished or Matte Finish) S1 – Solid Forest Green S2 – Forest Green – Black Ripple S3 – Forest Green – Honey Ripple S4 – Forest green – Khaki Ripple S5 – Forest Green – Mustard Yellow Ripple S6 – Forest Green – Teal Blue Ripple S7 – Teal Blue – Black Ripple S9 – Mustard Yellow – Black Ripple S10 – Khaki – Black Ripple S12 – Rose Red – Black Ripple S13 – Rose Red – Mauve Ripple S15 – Rose Red – Forest Green Ripple S17 – Rose Red – Mustard Yellow Ripple S18 – Brick Red – Khaki Ripple S20 – Teal Blue – Orange Ripple S23 – Solid Olive Green 1 Ranga Emperor – Flat End – All Colors 2.Ranga Emperor – Round End – All Colors Some more images of the pen are as below: 3 Ranga Emperor – Regular Colors – Close up 3 Ranga Emperor – Flat End – Special Ebonite Colors – Close up PRICE, PAYMENT & DELIVERY: The Special Introduction Price of the pen is US $ 64 including Registered shipping for FPN'ers . It's regular Price is 78$. We have limited nos. of these pen in stock and the pen is shipped immediately after payment within 1 week. Payment to be done via Paypal only for international customers and for domestic via bank transfer Paypal ID is : mpkandan@gmail.com Please contact mpkandan@yahoo.co.in for any queries Regards, Kandan.M.P Ranga Pen Company

Hello Everyone, Today I am going to review another creation from Mr. Subramanium of ASA pens, named ASA 'Azzadi' . This pen have been reviewed before, but never formally launched by ASA pens in their website, which in my opinion is a big mistake. This is one of the best models created by ASA along with their Nauka model. You can say the beauty of the product compelled me to do a full review and urge Mr. Subramanium from the FPN board to launch this pen and give the world a chance to use this product. now, kindly read the following line carefully: It is comparatively easy to attain and perform at a certain level in any sphere of life, but even minute improvements after that common platform require huge amount of extra efforts. This is true for sports, academics, politics, management, business and obviously pen making. We'll refer back to this line throughout the course of the review. As these pens can be fitted with #6 standard JoWo or Schimdt or Bock nib units, the selling point becomes the design, appearence and materials. We would focus on these parts more than the nibs. 1. Appearance and design: Its a medium sized pen. The pen is a homage to CS Churchill model. It was designed by a few Indian fountain pen enthusiasts, lead by FPN member Prithwijit (@Prithwijit). He successfully created a pen design which gave the feel of a CS pen, but at fraction of the price of original one. I have one piece made of stock blue- dark blue swirl acrylic offered by ASA and another pen made from CS blank. Both looks beautiful and elegant. Its a duofold like design with almost cylindrical appearance. The cap has straight lines with a black coloured ebonite finial. This finial has five concentric circular grooves inspired from the finial of Churchill pens. At the other end there are two metal rings to protect the cap lip. the clip is a simple ball end clip without a clip ring. The golden trims are vintage brass made trims that in my opinion compliments the design better. The body gently tapers both towards the section above and towards the bottom below. At the bottom of the body there is a black ebonite lower finial separated by another golden ring. There is a step down from the body towards section, followed by cap threads on the acrylic material. The section proper is made of black ebonite and starts after the threads, tapers slightly towards nib, and then flares up 5 mm below the margin, creating a nice notch to grip the pen. Both the top and bottom surface of the pen are well polished flat end. Overall the design is rich, attractive and very easy to use. Though this design is inspired, it has its own flair and originality as well. 2. Construction and Quality: The most important part. Here my above statement comes into play. You get what you pay for. I am not going to describe the CS blank in much detail as its a known material in fountain pen community and any user who have commissioned pens with that material can vouch for the quality. The stock acrylic material offered by ASA comes in four colours till now. Blue-dark blue, Red-black, Orange-black and white-black. the dark portion creates swirling patterns on the body. The material has opalescent glow when direct light reflects off it. Its fascinating to look at the depth of the material while turning the pen in hand. I have the blue-dark blue swirl acrylic and its slightly transparent. The polish and finish is very good on both pens. I had expected good finish on CS material as its a common norm and ASA did superb job in turning a very well finished custom product keeping up with their reputation. But, the finish on stock acrylic pen is superb as well, going as far as the material allowed. I have two beautiful pens as far as finish and making is concerned. The construction is good. The pen feels sturdy and well built. I have been using the pens for 2 months now and there is no problem yet. The trims are also made of quality material. The cap secures on the body with slightly more than two turns. The section is secured tightly with body by ten turns. If we consider the clip as 12 o' clock, the ASA Azzadi branding is there on the top of the body at 9 o' clock position. Now the negative points. The cap threads are a bit tight at the end in both the pens, so it might be due to the tools used to create such threads. I would request Mr. Subramanium to look into this. It might not be a big issue, but some people might be influenced by this while comparing this pen with pricey machine made pens. The branding is not to my choice as its almost imperceptible and looks like some impurities or defect. Though these appear simple issues, as I have stated above, minute improvements like these can take up substantial efforts, but once corrected, these improvements can go a long way in establishing any brand. I would also ask him to look into the threading of Schimdt nib units in the section as in one of my pen, the schimdt unit got stuck. JoWo unit in the other pen was easy to remove and replace. The cap rings and lower end rings in both the pens are well fitted. 3. Dimensions: Its a medium sized light weight pen. Length capped- 142 mm Length uncapped- 131 mm Section length (including cap threading)- 30 mm Cap length- 68 mm Top finial- 8 mm Bottom finial- 12 mm Thickest part of body- 13 mm Diameter of notch in section- 10 mm Weight- Medium weight Posting- Not possible or practical 4. Nib & Performance: The pen can be fitted with any standard #6 nib units like JoWo or Schimdt. The nibs perform according to their reputation. \ Its a very well balanced pen, suitable for long writing sessions. 5. Filling System & Maintenance: ​Its a cartridge converter pen accepting standard Schimdt converters. I would suggest not to use it as Eye dropper as the lower finial can leak in unfortunate cases. Though ASA states that the lower finial is sealed well, still there is no need in my opinion to push this pen to be an ED. There was no leak or burping while using the pen with converters in my 2 months of usage. 6. Cost & Value : This is an awesome pen at the price it is being offered, around 60$. Its beautiful, engaging, sturdily built, and can be used as an EDC pen. There have been some issues raised by a few Indian FPN members regarding missing of deadlines by ASA pens in supplying custom orders and stock pen orders. I am sure Mr. Subramanium will look into this and sort out any malfunctioning in his supply line. Timeliness is a big issue in any business and even in this case, minute improvements might need drastic forward steps for ASA. But yet again, satisfied customers are the basic support of any seller, and he should do everything in his power to make them happy. My Comparison: Kaigelu and Conklin duragraph are other two pens with similar designs that I have used. In my opinion, ASA Azzadi is better than Kaigelu considering the superior customization options and superior nib choices. But when it comes to Duragraph, ASA Azzadi needs to improve its finish even further to compete. The Duragraph material is really amazing and one of its kind. The Conklin nib is also great if you've not received a lemon. I would suggest Mr. Subramanium to try to improve his product further, even if those improvements take much efforts. Whatsapp no of Mr Subramanium (as this pen is not listed on their website)- - +91 91 7660 7660 Their website- ASA My Suggestions to ASA pens: 1. List this pen in main website 2. Look at the threading process for cap 3. Try constantly to improve finish, which he will gladly accept. Thank you.

My first post here, and Im asking for help. Kinda shameful, but cant help it. Apparently Tokyo quill shop, the one that sells Pilot Custom 823 with FA nibs doesnt ship to India because japan post has received instructions from Indian customs that fountain pens imports are prohibited. Im hoping that this isnt true, but I could use some help from you guys.

Hi All I have ordered a Pilot Metal Falcon from JAPAN through ebay.com. It cost me $187+$16=$203(around RS 13700) It is being delivered through EMS speed post. This is my first import, I have no clue about what will be the custom duty for the pen. I was not aware of the Gift clause, so I did not marked this item as gift. Moreover I had to ship this item to my friend's address as Japan EMS is not available in my pin code. Could any one help regarding custom duty for this pen.How the custom duty will be calculated after GST, and the payment procedure. I am worried by reading some post's from different source in internet. They said, I have to visit custom office for clearance. Are there be any complication, as I have shipped it in my friend's address?

Hi Everyone, I'm Arun from Bangalore, India. As to why I am here, its kind of a funny story. I was introduced to fountain pens back when I was in school almost more than a decade ago. At that time, although I loved the experience of using a fountain pen, I was kind of frustrated with the ink spilling here and there (mainly due to running around), and the low quality paper which caused bleeding. I reduced using fountain pens just so I could avoid all this hassle. Last week, all of a sudden I woke up one morning, felt like writing something using a fountain pen and when I realized I didn't have any, I decided to buy one immediately, placed an order for a Parker Vector CT and since that day I have been watching several videos and reading several articles about fountain pens in this forum, about inks, which pen to get next and things like that. Today I placed an order for a Kaweco Perkeo and I'm quite sure I'll be collecting a lot more fountain pens in the future and once again enjoy the experience of using a fountain pen. Cheers!

Ebonite. We keep using that word. I do not think it means what we think it means. We love pens made with ebonite, but ebonite was originally a brand name for hard rubber. Now it’s the name of a company that makes bowling balls, mostly from polyester, polyurethane, or reactive resin. Bowling balls haven’t been made from hard rubber since the 1970s. But the blue, orange, and green hard rubber of the Ranga Model 8 is so evocative of time and place that it reminds me of going to the Fireside Lanes in Wichita, Kansas, with my Cub Scout den in the late 1960s, lacing on soft leather shoes with red, ivory, and green panels and a great big number on the heel, and picking out a swirly Brunswick bowling ball. Beyond the fact that the Ranga Model 8 writes smoothly and well, and that it displays charming hand craftsmanship, for me, the defining characteristic of this pen is the material. If I stick my nose close to the pen and sniff hard enough, I can smell burnt rubber, like the tires on my older brother’s 1970 Plymouth Barracuda. (On a curmudgeonly note, why are the tires on performance cars now so low-profile and skinny? They look like the wheels on Conestoga wagons. Why is that fashionable? But I digress.) One other thing about hard rubber pens -- as FPN contributor Sandburger so eloquently put it, they are gloriously inconsistent. Like ceramics, like wooden boats, like anything made by human hands, they are imperfect and completely unlike each other, and that is what makes them spectacular. Writing Performance This pen uses an eyedropper filling system, a black hard rubber feed (now that I think about it, writing ‘hard rubber’ is kind of tedious, so I’m just going to stick with ‘ebonite’), and a Bock broad nib. The imprint says ‘Conklin.’ I assume that means Bock manufactured a whole lot of nibs that didn’t get used by some iteration of the Conklin company and Ranga picked them up for clearance sale prices. The nib on this pen is so broad and so well lubricated that I might as well be writing with a really slick bowling ball, and I mean that in a positive way. I bought the nib partly to learn more about Bock and partly to have enough tipping material to be ground into an italic, and succeeded on both counts. The Model 8 also taught me something about ebonite feeds and eyedroppers. Initially, this pen’s nib and feed were seated in the section in such a way that the nib was a little ‘spongy,’ pushing back from the feed under pressure. That really screwed up the ink flow. But after pulling the feed, playing with it, adjusting its position with the nib, re-inserting it, and heat-setting it, this German Bock nib now slides across paper like white-soled shoes on waxed maple, baby. The eyedropper version is not a pen for beginners. They’re better off with the Model 8 versions equipped with Jowo or Schmidt nib units. I inked this pen with Rohrer & Klingner Königsblau, thinking that a somewhat dry ink might help counteract the wetness of an eyedropper, and I was right. Design The Model 8 is not a large pen. It’s about the size of a Pilot Metropolitan, in the Goldilocks category of not too large and not too small. Posted or unposted, it’s well-balanced in the hand. The aesthetics of the feed are a little chubby. In profile, the feed is all chin, like, I don’t know, John Goodman in ‘The Big Lebowski.’ It’s so chubby that I keep expecting it to drag on the paper, like one of those sweepers with brooms on Canadian curling teams. It doesn’t – drag on the paper, that is -- but the feed certainly makes its presence visible. Maybe the ebonite feed should go on a diet, or maybe, like John Goodman, it just doesn’t care. This pen came without a clip, because I usually carry pens in a case, not in a pocket, and I like the way roll-stoppers personalize a pen. In this case, an inexpensive silver-plated dolphin protects this swirly, ocean-like pen from the depths of gravity. Or maybe the pen’s true habitat is a bowling alley in Miami. Size comparison with the Pilot Metropolitan and the Airmail Wality 69eb. One centimeter longer than the Pilot Metropolitan, but barrel is about the same diameter. Service Experience I bought the Ranga Model 8 in a group buy organized by FPN contributor Vaibhav Mehandiratta, as well as MP Kandan of the Ranga company in Chennai, and I consider group buys to be the most special of limited editions. The pens are not numbered, and group buys are not technically limited or even special editions. But they’re made to order in a specific edition created only for Fountain Pen Network members. Basically, that means a hundred or two hundred obsessive-compulsive pen people, each of whom probably know each others’ tastes and preferences, and all of whom really like the same pen. Everybody can converse with each other and with the people who make the pens, talk about the product, improving both the pen and the experience. This is amazing! Imagine creating a group buy for a Plymouth Barracuda in 1970! Ranga shipped the pen within a few weeks, and it arrived with some of the most unusual packaging. The box was sewn inside a white fabric sleeve, the shipping information written directly on the fabric, and the fabric seams were sealed with wax. It felt like being on the receiving end of a package shipped 150 years ago. My assumption is that this tamper-proof packaging discourages overzealous postal employees from opening it up and obliterating the shipping information. It also reminds me that it’s been 20 years since I received brown paper packages tied up with string. A guy at the post office told me that packages just don’t come that way any more, except sometimes from Europe. Probably Austria. A bowling alley near Salzburg. Or maybe Chennai.

Hello fellow FPN members I have slowly been building up my collection of Indian pens: ASA, Camlin, FPR. Like many other FPN members I am full of praise for them. For Christmas 2016 I persuaded my daughter to buy me an ASA Sniper. When it arrived there was a problem - the screw thread snapped off the nib section. I returned the pen to Mr Subramaniam at UNIK Services. He apologised and promised to resolve the matter quickly. But this correspondence has been going on for almost nine months. I appreciate that these are not mass produced pens, so I've already said that I'm open to discussing an alternative model as a substitute but still no action from UNIK. Should I accept that the money was wasted and just give up on the matter as a hopeless case? Your recommendations? What advice would fellow members offer please? JG

Hi All Today I am going to share my experience with my new(new to me ) Parker 51 Vacumatic . I have bought it from Pen Hospital Kolkata. This was my first visit to pen hospital. The seller is nice and well behaved person. First I have dealt with Sheaffer snorkel, but I have changed my mine after testing the Vac. It cost me Rs 5000(Around $78). This is single jewel pen with a blue diamond in the cap. And the cap is 14 Kt gold plated. And the ring near section is golden(generally we found silver color). The section of the pen is black and engraved with "PARKER 51 MADE IN USA". Nib is fine-medium . It is made of gold and dated 1947. Nib is very smooth in fact this is the smoothest nib I have ever used(I own Waterman Carene, Pelikan M200, Pilot Metal Elabo). May be I should thanks previous owner of this pen . Seller said everything is original(including vac pump ) . It gives me a mixed feeling. Although the pump is working fine as of now, it may need to be serviced after some time. But seller promise me to provide free repair(within 5 Years of purchase).. Thanks

Hello everyone! I'm Praneeth, from Chennai, India. I'm a freelance photographer and marketer. I've been an avid lurker on the fountain pen network for quite a while, however I wish to be an active participant in this wonderful community henceforth. My love for fountain pens surfaced during my time in primary school. More specifically, during the shift from using a pencil to handling a pen. My first fountain pen was an eye dropper manufactured by Camlin. It's been nearly two decades since, but I can never forget, my first pen was a scratchy mess. Being what it was - An inexpensive eyedropper, it was prone to abruptly leaking and blotting. Refilling it meant that my hands would remain blue for the rest of the day and if I was lucky, I wouldn't have any ink stains on my uniform. Underwhelmed by the experience, I switched to gel / rollerball pens for a while, for the sake of convenience. Thankfully, soon after my insipid experience, a fountain pen with a cartridge converter system caught my fancy during a routine visit to the stationery shop to replenish supplies. I still remember with great fondness, this pen was buttery smooth, the nib would just glide on paper with excellent feedback. Younger me found it most convinient to refill - just replace the cartridges and most importantly, the pen wouldn't blot / drip ink even when shook ardently - an integral quality for a pen used by a young student, I felt. With no second thoughts, I made the plunge and there was no looking back. Only a fountain pen would feel right in my hands, and hence I've never actively used any other kind of pen ever since. Initially lured by the comfort and utility of fountain pens, as the years passed, I began to appreciate them as individual creations. Over the years, I've come across numerable fountain pens, mostly inexpensive, mass produced ones however, I've been privileged to use some finer pens from more exotic brands during more recent times. As much as I hate to admit, I'm no longer in possession of my pens from my early years - lost a few of them, some had been destroyed beyond repair by my childhood self. A little more than a decade ago, I began collecting pens and these I guard with dear life. They have a lot of sentimental values to me, each with its own story. My current collection includes a Reynolds fountain pen (Unable to find the name), a couple of Parkers (Indian manufactured ones) a Jinhao 159, a few Schneiders and my most recent acquisition - The Pelikan M1000. I will share more pictures when time permits. I own a few bottles of ink, some inks worth mentioning - Diamine Syrah, Diamine Jade Green, J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor & Pelikan Edelstein Aventurine. Hope to hold onto this and only add more as the years pass. I apologise for the rather long introductory post, I just felt the urge to put it out there. Looking forward to network with other members and share experiences on Fountain Pen Network. Thank you for approving me! Regards, Praneeth

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!

Dear FPN'ers We are happy to share that we (Ranga Handmade Pens) have been Covered in India's Leading English Daily Times of India's Video News. Kindly watch this video http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/news/meet-the-family-that-keeps-ink-pens-relevant/videoshow/59216083.cms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyHb9P7betM Regards, Kandan.M.P Ranga Pen Company

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!

Hello Everyone. Recently there are a few exciting new developments in Indian fountain pen scenario. Lotus pens is an Indian company who mainly offered quality hand painted fountain and roller ball pens and also customized painting jobs on pens. There USP is their stress on quality of the products and paints. Recently they decided to venture into the fountain pen scenario and launched Lotus Excel line of fountain pens. I received a prototype of their Lotus Sublime fountain pen. Its a short review of the product. 1.Appearance & Design- Lotus Sublime is a large pen. Its body is shaped like a torpedo and the cap has a cylindrical type appearance. The cap sports a large finial on top and a solid metal ring at the other end margin. The clip is a standard springy tear drop shaped clip and has a clip ring which separates the finial and the body of the cap. Uncapped the body of the pen has more symmetrical and pleasing shape. The section starts with a notch, followed by cap threads and then gently tapers towards the nib end. Just at the nib end of the section, there is a small flaring. I have seen these flaring in some pens with threaded nib units, and presumably these impart extra strength to the margin as changing the nib units put pressure on the margin . Overall the look is simple, elegant and reflects the utilitarian yet attractive nature of the product. I have only one concern about the pretty large cap. The pen is difficult to fit in small pockets, so I had to carry it in a large pen pouch, where I was able to barely fit the length of the pen. So, my suggestion to the makers is to provide a compatible pen sleeve with every sublime so that carrying the pen becomes easier just after unpacking it. Recently I bought a limited edition acrylic pen from constellation 88 named 'Sulpher' which they shipped inside their two pen accommodating 'Orion' pen pouch. So that's a nice gesture and makers of Sublime pen can follow the example. 2. Construction & Quality : Lotus Excel brand stresses on the quality of the products they sell. The Sublime is made of Nicco ebonite. Its a dark brown pen with subtle black patterns and lines and look attractive. I must admit the finish is superb. Although my pen was a prototype and not the finished product, I don't have any complaint regarding finish. The polish was great, the pen felt solid and strong. The ring at the end of cap, the flaring at the nib end of section- these all impart subtle touches of quality. The threads on section were smooth and didn't bother while gripping the pen. I took out the nib unit effortlessly as the inner threads are very smooth as well. Its a cartridge converter pen accommodating standard schimdt converters. The nib unit in my prototype appeared to be a dual tone JoWo unit. The clip is springy and functions great. Lotus claims the trims are high quality, gold plated and they will resist easy rusting and wear. I had this pen for a few days only before I had to return the prototype, so I can not comment on the durability of trims. But keeping in mind the overall quality of the rest of the pen and care taken in small things like threads, the trims must fulfill their pledge for quality product. 3. Weight & Dimensions : Its a large pen. The following are the measurements. Length capped- 165 mm Uncapped length- 143 mm section length- 30 mm Maximum barrel diametre- 13.5 mm Section diametre on top flaring- 10 mm Cap length- 80 mm Weight- Capped about 28 gram, without cap- 15 grams. Now, the cap finial itself is 12 mm thick, and cap protrudes 22 mm above the nib end. But considering the shape and size of body, I do think that the large cap was required simply to maintain symmetry and balance as well as aesthetics. Its a lightweight pen compared to its size as its made of ebonite. I have written a few pages in the short span it was with me and its comfortable to hold and use. Posting not possible and not required as well considering the design and size. 4. Nib & Performance: My pen was a prototype and had a what appeared to be a JoWo medium nib unit. They say it was not tuned and their final product will have better nib options. So I refrain from commenting on the nib of this pen. Their website lists this pen with JoWo nib units. I don't know whether they can provide Schimdt or Bock nib units apert from listed JoWo units with their pens on customer request. But considering their generous care in details, that might be a possibility. 5. Filling System & Maintenance : The pen is standard cartridge converter pen and functions well. No leak or burping in the few days of my usage. 6. Cost & Value : The pen is listed at $95, which makes it a higher range pen for consumers. So, the question is whether this ebonite pen can offer sufficient quality at the intended price point. As far as the prototype pen is concerned, the quality was very good and small detailing made this pen a candidate for a durable EDC pen that will serve its buyer for a long time. Value and price is individual perception in the fountain pen world, and the decision to buy any particular pen rests with the buyer alone. But in my opinion, the pen is very good product with all expected qualities in a single product. My suggestion- 1. remember the pen sleeve. 2. Makers can think of providing a 'Gold' nib option. Link to Lotus website here Disclaimer: I received a prototype pen from Lotus pens for reviewing purpose. but had to return it after a few days for some production issue. This review is done with the belief that the final product is similar to the prototype. I would definitely like to do a full review of their finished product in future. Buyers are advised to clear any confusion regarding the product before buying. Thank you.

Hello, I've been looking for a good FP to help with my gesture sketches for a while now. I tend to hold back with pencil/charcoal as a medium mostly because I know I can erase/redraw easily with them. I figured an FP will help increase the surity of my lines and reduce the hesitancy that is visible with the lines. I ordered a couple of FPs from a manufacturer/brand called Khyati from Rajkot (Gujrat, India). They market the pens as sketching pens and as made from "ebony" (which I'm guessing is ebonite). The pens are priced at ₹80 (approximately 1.3 USD) per pen, I bought two of them that were sold as a pack on Ebay India. The pen comes with a generic iridium point golden coloured nib and lays down a thin line. So far, I've been using the pen as a dip pen, there have been no issues with the drying up or stoppages. I'm not sure if the nib is a medium or a fine, it lays a relatively dry line, which is how I like it for gesture sketches and quick sketches. I can definitively say that these pens are remarkable at their price point! They are eyedropper pens, which makes them brilliant perfect for long sketching sessions without having to worry about ink problems. The pen is relatively light wihtout posting and fits well, it is about twice the thickness of the Sheaffer Fashion and thinker than the Ranga Bamboo. They screw mechanism seems fairly well made and the cap has a breather hole too, I will field test it in a couple of weeks for leaks and other problems with carrying them around. Here is a quick rendition of the Fellowship based on pre-LOTR movie sketches, I'd say it is a steal at this price point, I will test the pen further out in a few weeks. Edit: Added pen weight and thickness.

Dear FPN'ers, We are very happy to share you that we (Ranga Pens) have been featured in India's No 1 Daily English Newspaper Times of India on 14th June-17. Dedicating this to FPN and FPN'ers. Thanks all for your perennial support . Elink of the newspaper: http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31807&articlexml=Meet-the-family-that-keeps-ink-pens-relevant-14062017008030 http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z437/mpkandan/TOI/DSC06877_zpsaegiah5i.jpg Regards, Kandan.M.P Ranga Pen Company

Hello FPN Members, I am a student who is currently looking for a budget fountain pen under Rs. 250. What would be the best choice? I am located in Delhi and I have looked through all online stores but alas, every budget pen is either unavailable or over priced. Can anyone tell me where to find one? Thanks

Hello FPN Members Trying to get hold of TWSBI DIAMOND 580 at the prices comparable to international market.... can any one guide... what is your opinion about using these pens.... Looking forward to hear from Indian friends especially

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.

I am certain that this has been discussed here, but I am new here, so I will appreciate if someone can tell me or even guide to an earlier discussion - Is Noodler's ink available in India (except through import)? If not, what is the typical landed price for a 3 oz bottle? Thanks Sanjay

Hi guys, I need help again with something I am planning to buy. The sparse mentions of Daytone "Dark Grey" online describe it as a blue-black but with no image to add context. The closest I have found that show the ink are this and this. Is there some green in it? But then the listing for Glare ink (supposedly the exact same ink) doesn't show any green and is almost indistinguishable with "Blue-Black". I have attached the swab sample from the Amazon.in listing of Daytone below but anyone who has relied on the Noodler's and Private Reserve manufacturer-supplied swabs would know to ask for confirmation/a second opinion first.

I just registered today. I found out about FPNetwork while browsing about vintage pencil brand Ritesharp. I was fan of doing things little different, I pick up my grandfather old pen few years back and after washing and servicing ,I started using it, In my school days I use fountain pen then jump to ball and get pens but satisfaction what I got after writing with ink pen it was real nostalgic and fell love with fountain pens, Now I do not touch gel / ball pen. I am bargain hound and search for old fountain pens and pencils and add in my collection, I am looking forward to exchange information from this FPN platform

Hi All I was wondering if anyone here knows a place from where I could pick up a wax seal stamp or get one made to order? I am looking for a simple stamp with an initial. I live in Mumbai, India, so a shop in Mumbai would be preferable. An alternative would be a seller in India who is willing to take orders on the web or by e-mail/phone. I know I can get this off the internet on ebay or from other sellers who ship internationally to India. I did buy one from a seller based in China who shipped the item, but it never arrived. The issue has been resolved amicably with the seller accepting that the item was lost in transit. I am loath to try the same thing again, hence this query. I would really appreciate any help in this regard. Thanks in advance. Sudhir