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As you all know Dr. Sreekumar is a nibmeister extraordinaire from Kerala, India. I saw some of his works here in FPN and was introduced to him by an Indian FPNer. I had bought a bunch of pens from him earlier. S-K generally sells Kim pens with tuned nibs, but occasionally turns some beauties. I had already reviewed one of them- the vaib pen (https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/293684-sreekumars-vaib-pen/) This is another one of his creations, which he calls the EVO . The Evo pen is a minimalistic design in Black ebonite. It is a ED pen, fitted with a Bock/Conklin B nib. The design is almost Lamyesque. DESIGN: The pen is a minimal cylinder design. It has a tapered section, which is small for the size of this pen. It has a screw-on cap which opens in 4-5 turns. The threads have a tight tolerance and they are not sharp at all. The pen can be posted, but not recommended. It is a decent size pen and has perfect balance. NIB AND FEED: The pen is fitted with an ebonite feed and a Bock/Conklin B nib. The Kim feeds are modelled on Sheaffer NNS feeds, so the burping problem is almost nil. The nib is one of the smoothest I have ever used and is a pleasure to write with. The B nib writes a wet line, giving a fat medium/ thin broad width. WRITING SAMPLE: COMPARABLE PENS One of the designs that is most similar to the Evo is another great pen from ASA, I can. The I can is a larger pen with a hourglass section which is the most comfortable for me. The I can is also similarly priced to the Evo. One another pen of the same size is the Fosfor Bombay. CONCLUSION If one wants a no-fuss pen which can get the job done, consider the Evo. It has been reasonably priced and finishing is good. And you get a nib tuned by a nibmesiter.

So today, a little package from India arrived on my doormat; slightly unexpectedly, but only because it was nearly two weeks earlier than anticipated! The packaging was very secure, with a thick outer envelope, double layers of bubble wrap, a plush velvet pen sleeve and finally cellophane over the pen itself; I'm pleased to say it survived the trip from India to the UK entirely unscathed, and as a bonus fit neatly through the letterbox! Mr. Subramanian of ASA Pens was very communicative and helpful, with emails on receipt of the order, processing, and on dispatch. No faults at all with the postage and dispatch! First impressions: this is a Big Pen. Capital B Big. As in, if you thought the Noodler's Neponset was large, this is bigger. Despite this, the pen is pleasantly lightweight for the size and, when filled, balances at nearly the exact midpoint of the length making for a comfortable writer without undue fatigue. Construction: the pen is made of clear acrylic resin throughout. ASA Pens' website states that the pen is entirely hand-turned with no CNC involved, and I have no reason to doubt them; the contouring is smooth throughout and the pen sits very nicely in the hand. The section, cap jewel and end of the barrel are crystal clear, and the barrel and cap are sanded with micromesh to give a pleasantly textured, misty, fogged finish that feels surprisingly warm to the touch for some reason! This is, of course, where the pen gets its name; the nebulous fogged finish gradating into the crystal acrylic like the a galaxy into the vastness of space. The threads are solid throughout, with the section taking over 11 full turns to unscrew from the barrel! Not coming loose any time soon The cap smoothly and firmly screws on in a little over 2/3 of a full rotation. The nib and feed are friction fit, and took a little tinkering to rearrange for optimum writing, but are easily removable for cleaning etc. The trim is chrome throughout, with a very stiff clip: not that this is a pen one would be likely to carry around in a pocket! Stamped (lasered? engraved? heat-embossed?) on the side of the barrel is "ASA Stellar Galactic / India 2015" - this branding is next to invisible when the pen is empty, but shows up once the barrel is filled with ink. Weight: - Capped: 31.0g empty - Uncapped: 20.5g empty - Cap: 11.0g Dimensions: - Length capped: 15.3cm - Length uncapped: 14.0cm - Length posted: don't even bother - Barrel diameter: 16mm at the widest point - Section diameter: 13.5mm in the middle of the taper Nib and feed: my pen came with a standard unbranded IPG nib, with a fairly fine point. There is an option to upgrade to a JoWo nib at checkout for a small extra cost, but I didn't feel this was necessary and indeed the standard nib is smooth with a little more springiness than my other steel-nibbed pens. I believe the feed is ebonite (?), and it easily keeps up with even the fastest of my writing without flinging ink everywhere! On the subject of ink, I measured the volume of the barrel to 1mm below the section threads as 4.1ml, over double the ink capacity of any of my other pens! You could write for days on end with just one fill of this pen. Writing: the pen is a pleasant writer, especially for those with larger hands (like myself!). It's nicely balanced and easily long enough to use comfortably without posting, and frankly the length gets a little absurd if you were to try! The nib is smooth enough to be unnoticeable during writing, and is fairly forgiving of changes in angle. Thoughts and opinions: for a handmade pen that cost me a hair over £20 (Rs ₹ 1,050), including free shipping halfway across the world, I'd say the ASA Galactic is exceptional value for money. If you like demonstrators, big pens, or just fancy something a little unusual, then this could be a worthy addition to your collection. It's great fun to be able to see the huge ink reservoir sloshing around, and the clear section gives a good insight into the capillary action that feeds the nib! However, for people who prefer a smaller or lighter writing instrument, this isn't the one for you I'm afraid. Picture time! http://i.imgur.com/V8pMb70.jpg?2 Showing the texturning of the barrel and cap, with a little glimpse of the logo. http://i.imgur.com/y4G9146.jpg?1 Another view of the unfilled pen showing the engraving. http://i.imgur.com/9Oro9cM.jpg?1 Nib on show! Note the clear section. http://i.imgur.com/2JyPFFZ.jpg?1 All filled up woth Röhrer & Klingner Alt GoldGrün http://i.imgur.com/29X1TeE.jpg?1 Look at how that crystal acrylic blends into the fogged barrel! http://i.imgur.com/7r4Q0ZB.jpg?1 And all filled up. There's a little breather hole in the cap in case you didn't notice earlier. http://i.imgur.com/vXETcPr.jpg?1 A capped size comparison with (left to right) the Noodler's Neponset, Jinhao 159, TWSBI Vac 700, LAMY Safari, Platinum Century, Noodler's Ahab, Pelikan M600 and Kaweco Sport http://i.imgur.com/FDeOXET.jpg?1 And the same, but posted! See what I mean about the length getting a bit ridiculous? http://i.imgur.com/mTclr7c.jpg?2 Finally, a little writing sample. I hope this little review has been of interest; ask away of you've got any more questions about this lovely pen! Cheers all, Alex

More like, Red-black derived from Camel. I have used fountain pens all my life, but never once did I change my Ink. Have always been using Camel's Royal Blue and it is my favourite. Recently, I started wondering what it would be to use a different ink. But I was stunned to see the prices of the inks. I love Camel, and thought that I should get their Scarlet Red. But that red was a bit too bold for me (plus it reminded me of errors (as it is a colour my teachers used to correct.)). I wanted something like Oxblood or Havana brown that could be used for writing, and not just editing. Thanks to recipe by @madzaxmax (https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/241111-ink-mixing-experiment/) and using *almost* same proportions, I got this. This was my first attempt at mixing inks. And sorry for my handwriting!

I recently bought my first Ebonite-bodied pen. It is not the first Indian-made fountain pen that I have bought, but it is the first one that I have bought that was not at the low end of the price scale. The pen is the ASA Gama Revolution (link to vendor's page; as I understand, "ASA" is the name of the vendor and "Gama" is the name of a line of fountain pens made by said vendor). I had to wait a few weeks, during which time I assume that the pen was being made, but once it was dispatched by air mail, it arrived in about a week. It came with plenty of packaging: from left to right: outer envelope, bubble wrap, plastic envelope, velvet pouch, cellophane envelope, and inside this last, the pen itself. Ordinarily, I would not have much use for a velvet pouch for a single pen, but as I have heard that Ebonite pens are bleached by exposure to light over a long period, I expect that I shall be using this one to hold the pen when it is out of use. It is a large pen. In fact, I would call it a very large pen, though I know that there are larger ones. This should be evident from the two photographs that follow, in which I have placed it between a Platinum Century 3776 and a Lamy Vista. The dimensions, as given on the vendor's Web site, are as follows: Length, capped: 148 mm Length, posted: 170 mm Average barrel diameter: 14.5 mm Average section diameter: 12 mm Average cap diameter: 16 mm I got the pen with a medium nib. The nib, according to the vendor, is made by JoWo. It is plated in two colors. To my eye, this is rather unfortunate. The photographs on the vendor's site show the pen with a uniformly chrome-colored nib, which seems to me to harmonize much better with the black body and the chrome-colored clip. The nib, as I understand, may be unscrewed from the body for easy replacement, though I have not yet removed it myself. An interesting thing about the feed is that you can actually see right through the vents to the underside of the nib. I have tried, with only partial success, to show this in the photo below. The pen is advertised as having a "3-in-1 filling system." This means that it can be used with cartridges, with a convertor, or with the barrel filled in eyedropper fashion. This option seems to add quite a bit to the price, as fountain pens of similar materials and design are offered by ASA at significantly lower prices. Having heard of the phenomenon of "burping" to which eyedropper-filled pens are prone, I chose to pay a higher price to have the option of using a convertor. The convertor (on the left in the photo below), said to be made by Schmidt, is slightly larger than a standard convertor (on the right), though I don't know if its capacity is any greater. So, how is the pen to use? I will start with the feel of it. Ebonite looks and feels on casual inspection like plastic (or perhaps I should say, like other plastics), but on closer attention seems somehow less hard to the touch than plastic, even though it is assuredly a rigid and unyielding material. To me it feels somehow more hand-friendly than most other materials. So that's one attraction. The cap is not made for quick removal: it requires two and a half turns to remove and to replace. So this pen is not well suited for jotting down short notes. The pen is fairly lightweight, weighing 24 grams with the cap on and the convertor installed and filled, 16.5 grams without the cap. The pen is not unwieldy with the cap posted. I myself tend to prefer to post, and tend to prefer a weight over 20 grams, but I find myself inclined to use this pen unposted. The grip section is wider than those of most pens. I have never yet felt a grip section to be too wide, though I have had many pens whose grip sections were too narrow for my comfort. But for me this pen is right at the limit. I can hold it comfortably enough, but at times I find myself wishing that it were just a bit narrower. Those with smaller hands (mine are of medium size as adult male hands go) will almost certainly find this pen too thick for comfortable use. I find the nib to be reasonably smooth—nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to complain about. Likewise, though not particularly springy, it yields enough to make for comfort in writing. In sum, good but not outstanding. As far as starting ability goes, I have found the pen, so far, to be fairly compliant. If I have used it previously in the day, I can count on it to start laying down ink either immediately or within a few millimeters of the first stroke of the point. If it has been unused overnight, then a stroke or two is required to get it to start. I have never yet had to shake it or tap it to get it to start, though I have not yet left it unused for days at a time. I have left the topic of the appearance of the pen for the end. The plain, nearly featureless design and polished finish are among the distinctive features of the pen. If you don't find these to be attractions, then this pen can be of no interest to you. Gama makes other Ebonite pens with a matte finish. That finish was not an option with this model, but that was fine with me. It is my impression that Ebonite never has that "spanking new" appearance that most new pens have. At least, this pen never had it, and no amount of rubbing with a soft cloth seems able to give it such an appearance. Ebonite just doesn't get that shiny: it seems to look a bit "used" by nature. This, to my mind, agrees with its peculiar feel, so that the pen can seem on very first acquaintance as if you have already had it and used it for a long time. I don't know if it is universal among Ebonite to have tiny flaws in the finish, but this pen has them. That is a feature that pushes the pen from hominess toward shabbiness. What is more, the pen lacks symmetry. This is plainly visible in the clip, which is of a shape that recalls those of Pelikan pens, but its thick part extends further to the left than to the right. What is more, the cap does not align perfectly with the body. Both asymmetries can be seen in the photograph below. In summary: The pen has a distinctive design and material and is agreeable to write with. But in consideration of the flaws in its appearance and construction, I am not convinced that it is a particularly good value,

Introduction and History. When it comes to handmade pens, there is always a "human vibe" attached to them that i cherish. There is so much history behind each pen you purchase. History; Because anything handmade requires art, requires skills and an eye for detail to be consistent in each product that is put out in the market. And those qualities do not come overnight. It requires years of experience. The companies that manufacture hand-crafted items are usually small-scale and the people who are involved in running such companies have to go through many ups and downs contantly to keep the company functioning. The struggle to survive in a world of speed and mass production is ever lasting for these small scale manufacturers. So, when you buy a pen or any hand-made product for that matter, not only do you support these small companies, but also, you give an ode to the skills and craftsmanship (which are usually passed down through generations in a family) of the makers of such products. The Gama "Forever" pen is one such product. Here is the description of the Gama brand I took from the ASApens website.http://asapens.in/eshop/fountain-pen/gama-ebonite-pens "Gama is the inhouse brand of Gem & Co, pen specialists since 1920's. Gem & Co is part and parcel of pen manufacturing heritage of Chennai, India. Started by Mr. M.C. Cunnan and Mr.Venkatrangam, the present owner Mr.Pratap Kumar is the 3rd generation in the family business house. Five decades, back they were sole importers of pen spares from Great Britain. Independent India saw the birth of brand Gama, Over years Gem & Co has remained true to their core business, i.e. Pen Specialists." Pen Review. I purchased the pen about a week ago from http://asapens.in/eshop and recieved it this morning. I usually buy my fountain pens from them. And no, they do not give me any commission or additional service to say that. It's just that the customer service of Mr. Subaramaniam (The owner of the e-shop) is impeccable. Usually the whole process of purchase is smooth, but if there is any problem, you can be sure that he will take care of it. Now, if you are still here and reading, and not bored to a yawn, let's start the pen review! The Gama "Forever" Fountain Pen. The review is divided into following sections. 1.) The packaging / presentation 2.) The material and finish. 3.) The Nib and the Section. 4.) The Filling Mechanism. 5.) Measurements and size comparision. 6.) Writing Sample 7.) CONCLUSION Note: This is a full ebonite bodied, medium sized hand-made fountain pen with a classic square design profile. I chose the "Shiny Black" finish, but it comes in 3 other finishes at the time of this review.(As listed on the ASApens site.) 1. Green-Black mottled. 2.Light brown-black mottled 3.Dark Blue-Black Rippled. The packaging / presentation: Apart from the usual Mail packing, the pen comes in a branded velvety pen pouch which i liked. It is a relatively thin pouch but the pen was in a plastic sleeve which was bubble wrapped and the whole pouch itself was bubble wrapped too. As for the usual daily carry or storage, i think the pouch can provide a decent amount of protection from scratches from normal rubbing against other items in a bag or a drawer. However, it may not stand against sharp or pointy objects. Overall i like this minimalistic yet elegant presentation. The material and finish. As i said, the whole pen is made of hard rubber/ebonite (except the metal fittings of course. Says captain obvious) and hand-made. The ebonite on this pen really feels and appears decent in quality and is quite thick. The polish however, I think could have been a little better. It is "shiny" no doubt, and maybe i am being nit picky, but a little more bling could not hurt anyone. I really like ebonite as a pen material because it is a semi-natural material unlike acrylic or "precious resin" (which is still plastic). It feels smooth and warm to touch. It is something you really have to touch to know how exactly it feels like. It is smooth yet offers a very nice grip. It kind of "absorbs" oil/sweat off of the fingers during long writing sessions. As for the finish, I will start with the cap of the pen because it has all the accents and fittings really. The barrel is all ebonite. I will come to that later. As for the cap the finishing is quite nice overall. However, as you will observe, the finial, clip ring and the actual cap body are not flush. Although the difference is really visible only on close observation, it is still there. On the other hand, the two metal bands on the lower part of the cap are nicely set in and even. Which I really like. Gives a classic and vintage aura to the pen. The finial can be unscrewed and clip can be removed easily for those who might like that kind of configuration. The Barrel in this particular finish is turned from a single piece of black ebonite. However, the other finishes of the same model have "dual-tone" setting. Which means, they have the finial and the end cap made of black ebonite, and the cap and pen body are of whichever available finish that you choose. The Brand logo is embossed in the barrel as you can see. If you were to observe closely, you will find that the logo is not eactly centred. On uncapping the pen (which takes quite some number of turns to be honest!) you find a very symmetrical design which is pleasing to the eye. The N.o. 10 sized nib balances the bulky pen body quite nicely. The Nib and the Section. The nib on this pen came as a pleasant surprise. I did expect it to be smooth, but for a fine nib it is really very smooth and the flow is excellent. Wet and generous. Just perfect. Though some may prefer a bit drier flow, personally i love the wet flow. I can say they chose their nib well. It is an IPG nib. And, unlike what many people say, they are really not that bad. In my experience, i found IPG nibs to be good writers more often than not. Design-wise, one can find minimal scroll design on the nib. There is a circle in the centre which is devoid of any design or markings, which i think should have contained the nib grade. The section The section is elegantly tapered and decently big. It provides a nice and comfortable grip. Although, those with smaller hands may find it too big for long writing sessions. The threads are not sharp. However, the there is a slight step where the threads ends on the section. So, people with higher grip might find it a little in the way during long periods of writing. But it is not a deal breaker. The Filling Mechanism. The pen is an eyedropper filler. Personally, i really like this method of filling as it is very very easy to clean, there are no mechanical parts that if damaged, may render the pen unusable and in need of immediate service because the pen body itself acts as the reservoir of ink. And also, it has a very significant amount of ink capacity (2.5 to 2.7 ml as measured by me.) As for the common eyedropper problems that people talk about, like burping and leakage, those issues are not that frequent even when the ink is low in the barrel and i feel it is just over hyped. Measurements and size comparision. (approx.) 1.) Capped length: 140mm 2.) Uncapped: 130-132 mm 3.) Posted : 170 mm (thats huge!) 4.) Section diameter: 14 mm tapers to 12mm 5.) Barrel diameter at the widest: 15mm Here is the size comparision: The Jinhao X450 (left) Gama Forever (middle) Sheaffer 100 (right). Uncapped comparision. Uncapped it is quite bigger than the other two. Writing Sample: I inked the pen up with Parker Quink Black. Here is how it writes. CONCLUSION: I like this pen a lot. The "flaws" that i pointed out are really small and by no means a deal breaker. This is a solidly built pen made by a company over 80 years old, from ebonite, which is a material whose History stretches over more than 100 years of pen maufacturing period the world over. With the craftsmanship and experience of the pen makers of Gama, a nib that provides a writing experience worthy of this rich fountain pen culture, a simple hassel-free filling mechanism. This pen is a great buy if you like that vintage and classic look. The pen has such simple design features that there is virtually nothing that can go wrong. No complicated filling mechanism, easy to clean, easy to maintain. I think the simplicity of this pen is its strongest point. It is a classic, timeless, understated design with a powerful prescence. When you take this pen out of your pocket, it says "I am not an attention grabber, but my persona does it for me anyway. I am like The Beatles or Kishore Kumar, my era never really ends."

ASA Pens from India seem to have launched a new product, the ASA Swan! Its a smart pocket sized white acrylic pen with a 3-in-1 filler system sporting a Schmidt M Nib available in two variants, a Flat ended option and a rounded one. Seems to be based on their ASA Genius line. Available currently at a limited period introductory price of $31 for International Customers and ₹ 950/- for Indian Customers, quite a good price for a 3-in-1 system pen with a German nib, IMHO. Check out the ASA Swan at http://asapens.in/eshop/asa-swan-3-in-1-filling-fully-handmade-acylic-fountain-pen-india Eagerly awaiting mine! Will post a few pics once i receive mine.

Before I start this review, let me say that I am unable to post pictures, but my Raja looks just the same as the one that ASA sells, so you aren't missing anything super different. Also, I'm no professional reviewer, just a hobbyist. There are relatively few reviews on this pen aside from Hari's excellent posts, so I'm hoping to help someone that is interested in Indian pens, particularly Gamas, decide whether or not to take the plunge (or, given the price, the dip). I have, for full transparency, posted a thread on this pen after a few days of use in the India forum, but I've used this pen extensively since then, so my perspective should be different. I hope you enjoy the review, and I welcome constructive criticism First Impressions I bought this pen from ASA Pens, which is based in Chennai, India. I didn't have any need to e-mail Mr. Subramaniam or anyone else, so I can't comment on that aspect of the customer service, but the buying process was painless and the pen showed up on my doorstep three weeks or so after I ordered it. Considering the shipping was free (and the pen was competitively priced to boot) and it had to literally make its way to the other side of the world- I'm in the U.S.- I consider that pretty good. If I recall correctly, the pen was packaged in a mylar bag (I might be wrong on that) with a LOT of bubble wrap. This thing could probably have been kicked across the room by a professional football kicker with no ill effects, though I wouldn't try it. The pen comes in a velvet pouch with the Gama logo in white ink. Along with my pen, I got a spare Indian single-tone nib and a disposable plastic pipette- nice additions, though I haven't used them. The pen seemed really large to me on first feel- I was used to a Safari- but it seemed well made and very nice. Feel in Hand This pen is large. The section is about 12 mm, the barrel is 13, the cap 14 (all according to the ASA site). It's 14.8cm long (ASA). However, due to the ebonite construction, it is very light and well balanced. The common saying that ebonite feels weightless holds true with this pen. It all but disappears in the hand. While the pen is very light, it is noticeably heavier when you fill it with ink- I'll explain why in a bit. Nib and Feed(s) This pen comes with a two-tone steel Indian made fine nib, which is the rough equivalent of a Western extra-fine in line width. Quality seems to be notoriously inconsistent with these, so keep that in mind when I comment about mine. Mine wrote smoothly enough, provided you were in the very narrow sweet spot. When you got out of that sweet spot, it got pretty scratchy pretty quick. I took a few moments with a fingernail buffer (bought for this purpose, not shared with anyone- that probably wouldn't go over well) and smoothed it out. Now it writes like a dream and the sweet spot issues are alleviated. The steel the nib is made of is very thin, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. In normal writing, it adds a little bit of pleasant springiness to cushion your hand, and it gets interesting when you put some pressure on it. This thing flexes better than the Ahab I tried from a buddy. Mind you, it's NOT a flex nib. It's not marketed as one, nor is it marketed as a semi-flex, so flex at your own risk. BUT... this thing goes from extra fine to a solid medium, maybe even a broad (I usually stick to fines so I have no broad experience) and can resume its extra fine state well enough. I have bent the nib enough that it contacted the inside of the cap, but it was easily fixable and I was pushing the nib farther than I had pushed it before or since. It isn't going to even keep up with your vintage semi-flexes, but there's definitely enough flexibility to add some nice expression to your writing with a little care. I replaced the stock feed with a Sheaffer No Nonsense feed from a Viewpoint. There was nothing wrong with the stock feed- it kept up well and flowed great- I just wanted something to keep my papers clean when the pen got low- the Viewpoint feed can buffer the ink that would have otherwise been burped onto the page quite well. Comfort The pen is superbly balanced and light. With a smooth nib, I've written for long stretches with no issues. If you like larger sections, you won't have an issue. Posting makes the pen back heavy, too long and scratches the barrel. Quality When you think about the quality, keep the price in mind. This isn't a Pelikan. It isn't a Montblanc. It's got nothing on Nakaya. But for a $25 pen, it's really quite impressive. The machining is well done and consistent. The threads, while single start on both the section and for the cap, are well machined, mesh smoothly (with a dab of silicone grease) and are tight. The finish is nicely done. The polished ends and section are nice and shiny. There is one small polished streak where there isn't supposed to be from where the clip ball rubbed during installation and one of the trim rings is a bit wonky. There was a bit of plating wear on the ball of the clip. Other than that, no issues whatsoever. Miscellaneous The ink capacity on this thing is HUGE. I measured about 4 mL last time I checked. I write a LOT and this thing lasts me two and a half weeks consistently between fillings- I do write it dry, however. Don't put an ink that you don't love in this pen. It'll be there a while. That's why there's a noticeable difference in weight between this pen empty and full- there's a ton of ink in there. This pen takes #6 nibs, should you choose to swap the stock one with another from a different maker. The clip is nice and stiff but not too bad- it can still be used easily. I hope you all liked the review. Sorry for the long windedness of it all... hopefully I made up for the lack of pictures Thanks for reading. TL;DR- Great pen for the price. Some quirks and issues, but worth a shot.

I've been a repeat customer of the Fountain Pen Revolution website for maybe a year now, and have purchased a number of their pens and nibs in that time. One of my frustrations with their earlier offerings was the #5 "Fine Stub" nib - I bought two or three pens with this nib on board, and always found it scratchy. When the new #5.5 nibs came out - a significant improvement in almost every way - my question of Kevin (the proprietor of FPR) was when he would be adding a stub nib to the line-up. I didn't get an answer at first - but in the past few weeks they've been listed as on their way, and last week (or was it the week before? - on March 26 2015), they were finally available for $7ea plus postage. I took advantage of the offer - which now seems to have disappeared from their website! - to buy a Serwex 1362 demonstrator with the new stub nib for $9. $2 extra, and you get a pen thrown in? I ordered two! The new pens arrived yesterday. I swapped the nib from one straight into a FPR Indus (burgundy coloured), inked it up with Diamine Red Dragon... and filled the other demonstrator with Noodler's Baystate Blue (it only cost me $2 - so why not?)... Appearance: Here's a picture of one of the nibs - with apologies for the lack of focus: http://i.imgur.com/CRFD5qR.jpg The first thing I noticed about these nibs was the tipping - unlike my JoWo nibs (which cost at least twice as much), these nibs are tipped with iridium. They're also, as the picture below demonstrates, somewhat smaller. The nibs shown, moving clockwise from top left: Goulet 1.1mm stub (JoWo #6), in a Jinhao 159 - inked with Pelikan 4001 Black Lamy 1.1 mm stub, in a Lamy Safari Neon Coral - inked with Diamine Hope Pink. FPR 1.0 mm stub, in a FPR Indus - inked with Diamine Red Dragon TWSBI 1.5mm stub (JoWo #5), in a TWSBI 540, inked with De Atramentis Sherlock Holmes. http://i.imgur.com/j8is7tF.jpg And here's an initial writing sample - beginning with a TWSBI M nib for comparison: http://i.imgur.com/5f9xvap.jpg Writing Experience I really enjoyed writing with these nibs. They definitely lay down a thinner down-stroke than the TWSBI 1.5mm and the Goulet 1.1mm - and marginally less than the Lamy 1.1mm. More significantly, the writing experience was much, MUCH smoother. The nibs glided over the page, and were more forgiving than their untipped counterparts. They also allowed me to write smaller - closer to my normal writing style. http://i.imgur.com/5f9xvap.jpg There was a trade-off for this improvement: not only are the downstrokes (thick lines) thinner than for my other stubs, but the side-strokes (thin lines) are just a little thicker - at least, that's the way it looks with my writing - so that the 'italic' look (line variation) is diminished. For mine, that's a very acceptable trade-off - especially given the smoothness of the writing experience - but it may not be everyone's cup of tea. Close-Up In the following two photos, I'm comparing just one FPR stub nib (left), to the TWSBI 1.5 mm nib (top), the Goulet 1.1mm (bottom) - while the nib to the right is a FPR Broad. The latter has a visibly rounder tip - gives little or no line variation when writing. http://i.imgur.com/QUSD6Yg.jpg http://i.imgur.com/ERF39t9.jpg Summing Up For the price, these stub nibs are an absolute steal - and a great pleasure to use. I'd be more than happy to recommend them. Though they're billed as a #5.5 nib (to differentiate them from the earlier #5 offerings), they'll fit onto pretty well any 5mm-diameter feed (i.e. #5 nib pens) - including (so I'm told) the TWSBI Diamond 580. The Serwex pens I ordered them on had gold-coloured furniture, so were installed with two-tone nibs to match - but you can also buy them as straight stainless steel. Standard Disclaimer: though I have previously received free review pens from FPR (the new Indus pen, in blue and Demonstrator), I purchased these nibs (and pens) with my own money - and have not been solicited or compensated in any way for this review.

A few weeks ago on "Fountain Pen Pals India" whatsapp group (which I am a part of), fellow FPN'er Sulagno (@inkstruck) enquired about the possibility of getting a pen made to a certain flush rounded ends design. What followed were a bunch of design ideas from (fellow FPNers in the group) Sulagno (@inkstruck), Vaibhav (@mehandiratta), Pradeep (@pdg84) and Mr. Subramaniam of ASA pens. Vaibhav transferred the design ideas into a CAD illustration and thus the ASA Porus design was born. Mr. Subramaniam of ASA (NAYY) was very happy with the outcome and immediately set out to build a few initial models of the pen. In less than a week the pens were built and delivered. The ASA Porus is a large acrylic pen which comes in 2 flavours. 1. Flush design - where cap and barrel are flush. 2. Step design - there is a step down where the cap and barrel meet. With this model, ASA pen has exceeded all the high expectations that were set by the group. The pen is now on sale at on the ASA pen site here: ASA Porus (NAYY) I chose the flush design and that is what I will be reviewing today. Flush cap and barrel - no clip: 40 mm Ambitious gold plated nib: Beautiful white acrylic cap and barrel. Close up of the "M" grade 40 mm Ambitious nib. The feed, the nib is not too deeply set, this is to my liking. Inside of the barrel, thick barrel walls. The nib and feed properly set: Porus with Lamy Safari: And finally, a writing sample. Ink used is Bril Royal Blue. Paper: 100 GSM JK Cedar. The section is large but is very comfortable to hold. The acrylic material is beautiful, white and feels soft to touch. The 40mm nib does it job of being a nice wet writer. It is a big pen, but the feel is brilliant. Very well balanced. This is the most beautiful fountain pen in my small but quickly expanding collection. Kudos to Mr. Subramaniam of ASA pens of contributing to the design and being kind enough to actually see it to fruition. This I think is a first in the Indian fountain pen industry scene where a group of fountain pen enthusiasts designed a pen and ASA (a FP company) delivered all in a span of 2 weeks

Hi everyone, This is my first post to fpn. I found this in some old stuff from my mother's school days. Have any of you seen this before? I think the cap has Clove written on it and the nib has a Gothic c and beneath that platinum written on it. It's pretty roughed up.

A few weeks ago ASA's Mr. Subramaniam [NAYY] sent me and few other FPN members a picture of a pen that was made of acrylic. Upon seeing those pictures, a land grab style blood bath ensued with fellow fountain pen lovers trying to get their ink stained fingers on as many pens as possible. I came away with 4 pieces which I want to share with you today. I got these a few days ago and so I am still in the process of reviewing them, I will be updating this review in the coming weeks. Every fountain pen user has that one pen that he/she wants, that one pen which is their 'grail'. An acrylic of this type was on my list but I had given up any hopes of acquiring it given their prices. Finally ASA has come up with these beautiful models which were affordable. The pens are a joy to hold. I haven't inked them up yet as I've been busy admiring their looks. Watching them glisten in sunlight. The acrylic is of the highest quality and has very beautiful swirls!!! I wanted to bust out the callipers and come with detailed measurements and other nerdy details... but heck!!! look at these pictures, this is by far the most beautiful fountain pen I've ever laid my eyes on. The pen fits snuggly in my large hands, is very nicely balanced. The nib is Ambitious 35mm chrome. There were couple other colors I couldn't get my hands on - yellow and red. These were grabbed by other FPN members.

Hello everybody, I am pretty new to this site and don't post very often so please forgive me if this is a topic that has come up a time or two. I recently discovered Fountain Pen Revolution's website and with it the world of Indian ebonite pens. To say they intrigue me would be an understatement. I have been wanting an Ebonite pen forever and the prices really seem right on these. I was wondering if you had any particular recommendations, or warnings on picking a first pen. So far I have been looking at the Triveni by FPR, the Guider, and the Gama pens. The mottled ebonite really appeals to me. I have never owned an eyedropper, but have read that they like to burp out ink when not all the way full and I was wondering if this is a common problem? I would appreciate any feedback, thank you! -tleek

One of the newest models of fountain pens released by ASAPens is the Asa Genius 2015 Fountain pen. ASAPens generally makes ebonite ED fountain pens at reasonable prices which is of great value to pen connoiseurs in India and abroad. This Asa Genius is a mini variant of the Asa I can pen already reviewed by mehandiratta (https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/284421-asa-i-can-beyond-bang-for-a-buck/?p=3266558) DESIGN The ASA Genius pen is an Indian ED pen. The design is very minimalistic and no embellishments are added. The base model comes with a generic IPG nib. But, one can add a JoWo #6 Friction fit Nib in F, M and B variants. You can also convert it into a 3-1 pen by buying threaded Jowo unit with a converter attached. All this can be done by ASAPens. The pen has a fairly big grip section and is very comfortable to use. One of the problems of the Asa I can pen is the inability to put it into a shirt pocket. The relatively short barrel of the Genius alleviates that. One can also see the Pelikanesque clip on the cap. NIB AND SECTION The pen is fitted with a JoWo #6 F nib. This is a steel nib which is smooth with a hint of feedback. The pen comes with an ebonite feed which is traditional in Indian ED pens which suits the theme of the pen. The relatively long section should prevent burping of ink. The pen is availbale in 5 finishes- Shiny Black, Matte Black, Light and Dark Brown Mottled and Green mottled. The pen wrote immediately after filling it with ink. No adjustments were needed. CONCLUSION If one is in the market for affordable ebonite EDs, this is your best bet. ASAPens have done an excellent job in crafting an EDC pen which can be put in your shirt pocket. Also, the option to convert it into a 3-1 pen is also very good. They have priced it very reasonably. My only gripe is if it had an ink window, it would have been very nice but that is just nitpicking. Since this is my 1st review, comments are welcome

Unique Pens recently came out with new fountain pen which is a quite subtle design. I quickly grabbed the pen as soon as Mr. Subramanian of ASA Pens shared the image of the same with me. Below is my review of the pen which i have been using for past 2 weeks. Click Piston Filler Design & Built: I purely bought this pen for its looks and after my first demonstrator which was Galactic, i wanted to explore the territory of demonstrator pens. This pen is a small sized sleek piston filler pen. It comes in 5 translucent colors, Clear, Blue, Red, Green, & Brown. Out of all those Clear looks the best because it shows you the actual color of the ink sloshing inside the pen. It also comes in solid colors by the name of Tulip. The pen is made of ABS plastic which is quite okay. it is an elegantly designed little pen which will be suitable for people with small and regular size hands. The pen is prone to smudges if you have oily hands. Click Majestic - Uncapped The cap has metal gold plated crown shaped cap which is quite firmly placed on top of cap. Top of Cap There is center band with 2 grooves also running around again in golden color. There is also inner lining of plastic inside the cap, probably to keep ink from drying out. Click Majestic - Cap with Gold plated clip The pen opens in 2-3 turns and top of grip section also has gold plated metal ring which ads to the beauty of pen. The only let down i see the gold paint over the engraving done at the barrel which doesn't appeal to me. Barrel and Piston Filling Mechanism Also in above image you might see one more gold plated band which separates the barrel section from the piston filling mechanism. I must tell you that i love the piston filling mechanism better than eyedropper. This pen can be easily cleaned as it can be easily dismantled into individual parts. The build quality of pen is just okay as the ABS plastic used looks flimsy even though it might take lot of falls and has certain bit of flexibility also. It gives you a feel that if you try to manhandle the pen it will come apart. So i did not messed around with the pen. Uncapped Pen Close up of cap opening and Nib Would request you to please go further on webpage CLICK MAJESTIC for detailed review including handwritten review and samples.

Moderators- if this post is in the wrong forum, please move it to the correct one. Thank you! After using my Gama Raja for a little over a day, I've formed some tentative opinions of it. With the somewhat scarce information on this pen here on FPN, I'm hoping that my thoughts will help someone that's undecided about it. First off, I'll comment about the seller and experience I had with them. I ordered from ASA Pens, and being new to the Indian pen game I didn't know what to expect with my order (again, not too terribly much information that I could find). I couldn't be happier. The order took just under three weeks from ordering to receipt, including having Mr. Subramaniam test the pen before dispatch. It was very well packaged. I don't think that the pen would have been harmed if someone jumped on it (but I'm not willing to try ). I'm in the U.S. by the way. Upon opening the package and taking the pen out of its velvet slip and excessive (not that I'm complaining) bubble wrap, my impressions were very good. The pen is large (prior to this, the largest pen I owned was a Jinhao X-750), deep matte black, the trim is nice and shiny and golden, the pen has simple, clean, elegant looks that remind me of the Parker Duofold and other 30s-40s American pen designs. It's a very nice looking pen to my eye. Pros- -The fit and finish of this pen is superb, especially for the price. The threads, though single start, are well cut and mesh smoothly, the finish is even and well done, the polished ends are also well done, the trim is well set, the nib is set as it should be for a #6/35mm nib, and the Gama logo is nicely engraved. -The feel in hand (I have a medium mens' glove size according to Mechanix) is very good. The section is large to be sure, but it's comfortably cut with a nice, abrupt flare to keep your fingers off the nib. The pen itself, while long, is very well balanced and actually very light. It honestly doesn't feel any heavier in hand than a featherweight Lamy Safari. The ebonite feels good in the hand; it really is a warm feeling material. It doesn't feel like a plastic or metal or wood... it's unique. While the pen can be posted, the cap doesn't post very deeply, leaves marks on the barrel, makes the pen very long, and throws off the balance of the pen. -The writing, when the feed is saturated sufficiently and you're in the sweet spot, is superb. As I stated before, I had the pen tested before shipping and it paid off. After a little alignment (I was probably the cause of the issue to be honest) the pen (with the stock nib and feed) is wet, starts well with zero pressure (and I mean ZERO pressure), is very smooth with a TINY touch of feedback and the stock IPG duotone EF/Indian fine (I've seen it called both) writes a good, firm extra fine (compared to a Lamy fine). -The ink capacity is HUGE. As someone that's used to C/C pens, I was blown away by the ink capacity. I haven't measured it, but I wouldn't doubt an estimate of 3-3.5ml. As you may be able to tell, I quite like this pen already Cons- -The stock, unmodified nib on my pen (one example) has a fairly small sweet spot. When you're in the sweet spot, it's as smooth as I've felt as of yet, about on par if maybe a little under a JoWo (which costs, by itself, more than half of the asking price of this pen), but the moment you get out of the sweet spot there's a fairly significant amount of feedback. -If the pen is agitated and warm, say in a gesticulating hand or in a shirt pocket, a little ink seems to want to burp into the cap and get on the nib. It isn't a big deal, but it is slightly annoying. This issue could probably be fixed with a new feed. -When the pen was in my shirt pocket for a while, the feed dried up somewhat. It took a bit of tapping on the page to get it started again. -It smells like tires, which doesn't bother me and will dissipate, but the smell may offend some people. -There's some minor scratching on the very shiny clip and one of the cap bands is a teensy tiny bit wonky (I'm picking at nits at this point) Overall, this pen is an amazing pen, especially for what you pay for it. I'm in love already, and I'm hooked on Indian eyedroppers now. ETA- Sorry for the long post! I tried to make everything as detailed as possible to make up for the lack of pictures.

"Dark am I, yet lovely, daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon." Song of Solomon(1:5) Black like the last night of the "Nightfall" of Issac Asimov and dark like coal tar with a clip flowing like milky way from the infinite darkness of the infinite space, this is an extremely gorgeous and attractive pen. This pen reminds me of the black coat of a lawyer, which means nothing but business. This classic Cigar shaped design with a continuous flow from barrel to section, the uniformity of the design and the monotone steel coloured nib and the steel clip, speaks of nothing but business. It is a pen with Executive looks. It is a design full of gravity and wisdom. The more I think about it the more I find that it is a very well thought of design for a hand-made pen. What we find is not mere art, not mere uniformity of and seductiveness of curves. Rather we discover efficiency. The Revolution is a regular size pen. The cap comes out is exactly 2 and a half turns. The clip is quite tight but due to its unique curved design it gets in a shirt pocket effortlessly but firmly and comes out equally easily.Word Gama is engraved with a cursive italic font at around middle of the barrel. Usually one would not even notice it. When one does, it just adds to the beauty of the pen. Where the cap comes out in just few turns, the section takes a lot many turns to come out. This has been done apparently to avoid any leak when the pen is being used as an eyedropper. The pen is almost as heavy as Pilot MR. However, in case of ebonite, the weight is more uniformly distributed. Therefore the centre of gravity lies at almost middle. Ebonite pens usually feel better than pens of other materials. Same goes with this pen. What I also notices is that the construction is sturdy. The walls of the section and barrel are really thick.The nib is large. Only a tad smaller in size than the section. Moreover, there is no step from section to barrel. The uniformity of the transition and the size of the nib makes it possible to hold the pen from almost any place. The section is thick enough to be held comfortably and not too thick to hold. The pen feels substantial but not humongous.The pen posts firmly and securely. Not using the pen even up to 24 hours I didn't notice any drying. I chose a fine nib. I like fine nib more than medium or broad nibs. This nib is good. It is a JoWo nib. It looks classy and is outright beautiful. It does not skip even while writing fast. It does not fail. It doesn't dry easily. On scale of nightmare;scratchy;correctable;smooth;super smooth; and ooolalalaaaa!!!, I would call it smooth. The nib is smooth and fine. But less smooth than say a Schmidt fine and a Lamy fine or a Pilot medium. What you feel is not feedback. It feels as if the pen has some affinity with paper. However, going by reports of some of my fellow FPN members the report of M nib is excellent. You may preferably go for medium if you want a nib that writes super smooth. However, even if you go for fine I won't say that you got a bad deal. I have been using this pen for three weeks now and I have had no issues with it. In fact the pen is being used ever since I bought it. While writing you would surely enjoy it. That is the best part. The pen feels like 'The Pen'. Good balance and good grip. Posted or unposted the pen feels just right and looks seriously beautiful. Good pen for long duration of writing. The pen offers little flex. My fellow member Anup Ji had to once use pliers on the nib!! Yes! It's that hard. Thankfully that also means that you can't damage the nib by normal wear and tear. Which is a good thing. Being a triple filler, the pen offers a lots of variation in filling. The pen takes standard converter, standard international converter and comes loaded with a Schmidt K-5 converter. The pen can also be used as an Eye Dropper. I have used this pen with all these options and they all work as they should be. At present the pen is being used as an Eyedropper.Because of advanced threaded nib, I never faced problem of burping or leakage in this pen. Which is a very good thing. For around Rs. 2000/- I got a very attractive ,prim and proper , executive looking pen which is very strong, sturdy and durable. I also got a three in one filling system and a nice Jowo nib. I got a pen that can be used as an Eye Dropper and will not face burping issues. I got a schmidt converter. I think the deal is really a great value for money. Here comes the score board. Looks:- 4.5/5 Build:- 5/5 Engineering:-4.5/5 Nib and Writing:- 3.5/5 Balance:- 5/5 Value for Money:- 4.5/5 Conclusion:- This is a really nice pen. I purchased it from ASApens.in(NAYY). The customer service was excellent. I got this pen with my son's name engraved. I am very sure that he will use it. The pen has the potential of lasting for a very long time. I am a happy and satisfied user.

Our member amk posted a few very interesting topics, a travelogue as it were, on her Indian pen trips. As they provide valuable insights and information, this topic aims to collect the entire set of travelogues for easy reference. The links to these topics follow below. Enjoy! Indian Pen Odyssey 1: Backpacker On A Mission! Indian Pen Odyssey 2: Lookalikes Indian Pen Odyssey 3: Cheapie Shoot-Out Indian Pen Odyssey 4: Varanasi Indian Pen Odyssey 5: Sumgai In Vidisha! Indian Pen Odyssey 6: Indore And Bhopal Indian Pen Odyssey 7: Mumbai - Fountain Pen Central Indian Pen Odyssey 8: Aurangabad - stop The Rickshaw... Indian Pen Odyssey 9: Calcutta, Coincidences And Converts Indian Pen Odyssey 10: Delhi, Disappointments And Delights Thank you kindly, amk, for providing us with these delightful stories! Warm regards, Wim

HI FOLLOWING IS MY REVIEW OF ASA SPEAR.... THE NIB IS A VERY SMOOTH WRITER , INK FLOW IS WET. TOP OF THE CAP CAN HAVE LOGO ALSO.

Spear is an Ebonite fountain pen by a Chennai(India) based company ASApens. I purchased it from their website.Like my two previous purchases of the same brand I am quite pleased with it. This is a review and not an eulogy, but all things said and done I really liked the pen. What I am going to do here is to review the pen and also compare it with Athlete side by side.Please pardon for the poor photographs. It is a German twin of Athlete, better educated, better trained and better skilled with almost the same height and personality. Hand crafted with Ebonite, the pen, like Athlete is a pleasure to hold with almost perfect balance, practical average sized section and nice length. The cap of both the pens flush in the Barrel and it is difficult to see the line where the cap and the barrel touch. The clip of both the pens is supported by top cap screwing in. The finger stopper is present on section in both pens. In looks they differ in two things. First the ASA engraving on the barrel is far more pronounced in Spear. Truly speaking it is visible but not aesthetically as pleasing as was in case of Athlete.Secondly in spear the pen takes a larger number of turns to come out. Which is something that I don't like. But it is a minor issue with an otherwise wonderful pen. You will pay 25$ for an Athlete and 35$ for the Spear. For this difference of 10$ you will get a qualitatively different nib and feed system. Athlete has simple IPG marked, Iridium tipped monotone steel nib. This nib was apparently made in Taiwan or somewhere near I guess.It has a fairly simple ebonite feed and an eyedropper filling system. A few FPN members had issues with the nib. Though most of them reported that the issues were easily resolved. Personally, I loved the nib and it has been my favorite for the sheer simplicity, efficiency and elegance. But, the Spear offers 10 breather hole German Jowo nib and a Jowo feed and Three in one filling system. The nib looks more like a space gadget with 10 holes than a spear. The nib attracts the attention of bloody everyone around. No one has seen such a thing. It looks sci fi. I don't know why Jowo thought it proper to use 10 holes and not our old favorite one hole but I am glad that they thought something like it. Man, it looks cool!!! Holding a fountain pen sometimes, in this age of Rollers and ballpoints looks antediluvian, having a pen with 10 breather holes always help. I have used this pen with the converter and as an Eyedropper. So the filling system pretty much works. Now, I will discuss the most important part. The writing experience. The Jowo nib is shorter to Athlete #6 nib. So you will have to hold the pen a little higher depending upon the hand stance you use. The nib is sturdy and has been very securely fit. It can not be removed with normal force. I hate using abnormal force. So I have not yet been able to disassemble the pen.The tines, like all Jowos have been so properly placed that the chances of their alignment getting disturbed are pretty low. Athlete has always proved to be a wonderful writer for me though the nib needed a little tweaking every now and then. Spear has its own advantages. It is smoother. Typical Jowo smoothness. The nib is M but with Pilot blue I use, it wrote more of a Lamy F and less thicker than Schmidt M. However what I found was, surprisingly, that the Athlete is a lot wetter than Spear. Thus if you try to draw a very fast straight line you will find no skipping in Athlete but in Spear you may find some skipping. Having said that, I conclude that the nib is superb. I loved writing with the pen given its great balance and superb smoothness. Would you prefer Spear or Athlete, the choice is yours to make. Personally, I liked the spear a lot, I mean for say 1200/-INR I got a lot. I have paid more and have been lesser satisfied. But, for me, its a personal opinion, the pen does not threaten to push the Athlete in oblivion. Perhaps someday I will fit a Bock/ Jowo Friction fit with my Athlete and it will become my dream pen. But till that day comes, Athlete is,for me, as precious as the Spear. Edited to add some better pics.

Hello dear FPNers!, Today I received my much awaited Oliver F27 Fountain Pen in the post from our trustworthy Mr. Subramaniam of ASApens.in. I had requested the Blue acrylic variant of the pen because i love the colour. It was not listed on the site but dear Mr. subramaniam arranged it for me and shipped it. Now, although our fellow FPN member, Mr Mohit has excellently reviewed the pen; I am reviewing it because mine is a different colour and I just felt like sharing.Okay, so when i opened the package, i just stared at the pen in awe...for a while! And here's why... The acrylic on this pen is Just so "fluid" and with all that shimmer, i just felt like i am holding a frozen part of the sky in my hand! Hence the title. And yes that's geeky CONSTRUCTION is bold and sturdy but on the lighter side which makes writing a pleasure for long durations. And trust me, you would want to keep on writing with this pen! Look at all that acrylic (However, the pictures don't do justice to the beauty of the pen as usual.) The Cap is solid and clicks satisfactorily and securely in place.The Clip has just the right amount of tension to fit properly in a pocket. The finial. The Section has just enough girth for me to hold comfortably. P.S. The black line on the cap in this image is an editing mistake and is not present on the pen itself. The NIB is just.... I like broader nibs and the Schmidt nib unit on this pen is just perfect! It is so smooth and wet! That's Chelpark turquoise on the nib bdw in case you were wondering The pen comes with an option to add a Schmidt converter with your purchase on ASApens.in but i did not buy it because it was a little steep for me. And a standard international converter fitted just well in my pen. The writing sample. (My instagram edit.) Conclusion. I give it a 10/10! Yes, it is that good for the price! The acrylic is surreal, the writing; Superb. It is well balanced in hand, well constructed, the filling system is well, standard but also convenient. I cannot ask for more of the pen. If you are considering buying it, the only deal breaker for some might me the nib width as it is only available in Medium size. But other than that, its a steal! As per Mr. subramaniam, the pen company is going to cease producing the pen and it will not be restocked again. So grab one if you want to!

There are some dresses you would like to wear to a party, others to a friends marriage, but will you wear those dresses in your apartment. I guess not! In your home, you would perhaps seek something comfortable, something that you could wear for a longer time and still feel at ease. It may perhaps not look too savvy but it should be comfortable, easily washable, and quite durable to withstand routine wear and tear. This pen serves the same function in your pen collection as your jockeys and T-shirts in your wardrobe. It doesn't look awesome. It has its manufacturing and design cons. It's an eyedropper which may start to burp if you let the ink levels fall too low. But, and its a capital BUT, this pen is so comfortable to write with that you could use it for hours and hours without fatigue. It is, for me, one of those rare fountain pens which can be used for daily writing purposes. Mind it, it is that sort of pen which you would always want to keep inked. A pen, which you would like to keep in your pen stand and use it once you are tired of showing off your Pelikans and Montblancs. A pen which is so competitively priced that it can be used for experimenting, changing nibs, fiddling with the slit, if you are into that sort of thing, though I think you would never need to do so. Part 1: The Built & Looks :- This pens boasts of a clear demonstrator barrel. A silver-colored clip is attached to the cap marble, cap marble can be screwed in the cap and in this way supports the clip. Cap also uses a cap ring at the bottom. Cap is built of plastic. As the photographs show, there are some serious aesthetic issues with the quality and built of the cap and the clip. The color of the cap is not too fancy and the nib which says 'DOCTOR' is also not exactly eye catching. But, hey , we don't expect a lot from an under 3 dollar pen. I got the pen with the smell of the plastic. The barrel is clear, so when I put some red or other attractive colored ink in it, it looks nice. But when you see it without ink, you would find that the barrel is not as 'clear' as you would expect. However, the pen appears strong and sturdy. It won't crack upon falling. It is built to withstand normal use and accidents. Thus considering it's price, I am inclined to give it 2.5/5 for its built and looks. Part 2: The Balance:- The pen is light weight. Its a large pen and for normal male hands and large female hands it should provide good grip width. I have large hands and I personally found balance and the grip amazingly good. I was amazed because I have often paid a lot and found this balance lacking. It is a fairly large size pen and fitted perfectly in my large hands. The pen was a pleasure to write with, whether the cap was posted or unposted. I felt as if I could fill page after page with this pen. Very good weight , balance and ergonomics. For the price I paid, I should give it 5 out of 5 in this respect. Part 3: The nib and the feed:-The nib and the feed are the soul of the pen. Imagine a pen where every thing is par excellence but having no nib or feed. The pen uses a Doctor brand gold-plated iridium tipped nib. The feed material is apparently ebonite. Its a typical non finned, two channelled old style feed. The pen is, as already said, an eyedropper. The well laid channels on the feed ensure plenty of ink supply and the carefully designed nib gives a very smooth fine writing experience. Since, the pen is an eyedropper, its ink capacity is somewhere like 2-3 ml. I am not sure about that, but one thing that I am sure of is that the capacity is at least 4 times a standard international cartridge. When ink reaches 1/3rd mark, the chances of burping increase. Though the design of the nib and the feed is simple, but it is efficient and job oriented. They have been designed to write for long hours. The barrel acts as a large reservoir, the feed ensures consistent supply and the nib smoothly puts the ink on the paper with a style. For its price, I would give the nib and the feed a 4 out of 5. Part 4: The writing:- This pen delivers where it is most important to do so. Where writing is concerned, the pen hits a home run. It writes a fine line. Nib is very smooth and the there is no skipping, rail-roading, difficult starts etc. Rather, I found the writing is pleasurable and non tiring. Nib is stiff but one can definitely see some line variations. The nib is a joy to write with. It kind of made my hand writing look good. Its a note taking pen, one can carry to his college. I felt as it I could write faster with this pen, than with many other fountain pens in my collection. Writing experience was akin to that of a good ball pen minus the pressure. Loved it. Since the balance and the weight are optimal, the pen delivers a superb writing experience. For its price, the writing experience deserve a 9 out of 10. I have allotted 10 marks to the writing because I consider it at least twice as important. That's what pens are made for, aren't they? I got it from ASApens with a combo set. They have another pen on their site with the same name. I am not very sure if its the same pen.This pen looks different from that one. Though the nib and the feed of the pen I got and the pen they have on their site looks same. I was informed that the pen I got was even cheaper. However since the nib and the feed are the same, most of what I have said about the writing experience of this pen should hold good for that. pen too. I think that pen is basically this pen - quality issues Conclusion. A reliable pen made for daily use. One of those under 3 $ pens you would want in your collection. A smooth and fine writer and comfortable grip and balance. (Score 20.5 / 25).Great value for money. I recommend it..

Hello fellow FPN members! This is a documentation as well as "questionnaire" post on one of the pens in my collection. The Mebsons Arfa. I have not heard of this fountain pen brand and also my internet search did not yield any credible results as well. I have two of mebsons pens of which i am sure about one that it is an ebonite pen, but the other, that is the one i am talking about right now; i am confused whether if it is an ebonite or a plastic pen. I purchased both the pens from an old shop back in vadodara, Gujarat, India. Here are the pictures of the Mebsons Arfa, i will post the pictures of the other one in a follow-up post. I will be really pleased if i could get some help in identifiying the company as well as the pen itself.

Ganesha also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon, The God bearing the Elephant head is the most loved and worshiped amongst the Hindu gods. Its a fact that a small prayer to Ganesha before beginning of any activity, ensures success and glory. The symbol "Omkar" and Swastik are very auspicious to Hindus and often represent Ganesha. Presenting, the Jinhao "OM", (model-303), an exclusive fountain pen made by special order with Jinhao for Indian Market is a Speacil Edition. Here are some pictures, hope you enjoy them

First I would like to thank Hari for sharing details about his bespoke Sandalwood Fosfor. His post was the push I need to go ahead and take the plunge. I have been an avid follower of Manoj's work from the beginning and now this pen is a thumping confirmation for me that Fosfor pens have arrived! I received it today and here are a few pictures made in receding light; cannot wait to ink it up.... http://i.imgur.com/Mlbybvx.jpg?1http://i.imgur.com/16rVQ42.jpg?1http://i.imgur.com/AfxEasS.jpg?1http://i.imgur.com/1aZ9gJE.jpg?1http://i.imgur.com/52lF4qN.jpg?1

Well we have an interesting review today. It is a review of a pen brand unheard of by me at least. But before beginning, i would like to mention that I Have Uploaded a VIDEO REVIEW for the same pen, on YouTube. And as it is usually, Videos are always better! So CLICK for the video review HERE. http://youtu.be/jp8LG1BUhd0 P.S: It is also more detailed. Okay so that out of the way. Lets start with the review here. K-Nine is a new Indian company which, it claims, specializes in manufacturing of high precision writing instruments. Their product range includes Ball points, Roller Balls, Fountain pens and Mechanical pencils. And i must say, i am very impressed by the brand! The quality of the fountain pen i got is really really great! So, lets get started The pen comes in a beautiful tin box with a shimmering gold colour! Upon opening. It contains the usual stuff. 1 Year warranty, filling instructions and product range. The pen itself rests firmly in a velvety plastic holder. The box itself, screams quality quality quality! The pen is made up fully of steel and the gold accents are REAL GOLD PLATED. The overall construction of the pen is superb as well. Although it is relatively slim, the pen feels solid in hand and has a decent amount of weight to it. The section has Gold Plating on it as well! And what i really like about the design is that the grip area is roughened to just the right amount and it doe not impinge in your fingers while providing excellent grip! The nib performs nicely. Not exactly butter smooth but far from scratchy. The Filling mechanism is just a "standard international long" type, which is practical and easy to use and holds decent amount of ink. CONCLUSION: Well, this company, K-Nine has really impressed me! The built quality the packaging, everything is up to the mark and value for money! So i say that if you can lend your hands on one of these! Just buy it! You will not be disappointed!!!