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  1. Dear All After the successful group buy of RANGA BAMBOO MODEL & RANGA MODEL 4C & Model 3 & Model 5 This is a group buy effort for the Ranga ZEAL which will be available only till 18th March 2016 (i.e. Friday) Kindly register at the earliest. Minimum requirement is 10 nos. Details of the pen in Four options are as below: Ranga ZEAL (Eyedropper Version) The dimension is 5.75 inches length. the dia is 16 mm Finish - Polished or Matte (Bakul)Option - Flat end or Round endNib Option :Wality Gold Color - Fine NibDual Tone - Medium NibAmbitious 35 mm Fine Nib at extra US $ 1Ambitious 40 mm Gold Tone Nib at extra US $ 3Bock (With Conklin imprinted) M or B at extra US $ 8.Clip Option Finish : Gold Color or Chrome Silver ColorDefault settings: Wality Gold Colored Fine Nib with Gold Color ClipShipping: Included and is through Registered Post. Takes 2 - 4 weeks for delivery. Price includes shippingPayment: Via Paypal to paypal account mpkandan@gmail.com Colour Available : Regular Ebonite (as per 2 images below)​Brown - Black RippleReddish Brown - Black RippleBrown Mottled Black Matte / Black BakulYellow - Black RippleBlue - Black RippleParrot Bright Green - Black Ripple/MottledSolid BlackOlive - Black RippleGreen - Black RippleGreen - Orange Ripple with black specksBlue - Orange Ripple with black specksGreen - Pale Yellow Ripple with black specksRed - Yellow Ripple with black specksBlue - Yellow Ripple with black specksBurgundy/Pink - Black ripple and black specks Ranga ZEAL (Cartridge/Converter Version with German Nib Units) Finish - Polished or Matte (Bakul)Option - Flat end or Round endNib Option : JoWo Nibs ​​/ Schmidt NibsJoWo Nibs options : #6 SizeGold Color Mono tone F, M or B nibChrome (Silver) Mono Tone F, M, B NibSchmidt Nib options: #6 SizeGold Color monotone F, M, or BChrome (Silver) Finish Monotone F,M & B.Converter : Schmidt K5 ConverterDefault settings: Schmidt Gold Colored monotone F nibShipping: Included and is through Registered Post. Takes 2 - 4 weeks for delivery.Includes worldwide shippingPayment: Via Paypal to paypal account mpkandan@gmail.com Colour Available : Premium Ebonite (as per image below)​Solid Blue Blue/Green/Orange Swirls Solid Orange Blue/Pink Swirls Solid Pink Blue/White Swirls Solid Green Yellow/Green Swirls Red/Black Swirls Yellow/Black Swirls. Please note that the Group Buy (Discounted) International prices are as below: Eyedropper Normal ebonite - 31 USD (Regular Price is US $ 40) Eyedropper Premium Ebonite - 43 USD (Regular Price is US $ 55) German nib Normal ebonite - 61 USD (Regular Price is US $ 78) German nib Premium ebonite - 73 USD (Regular Price is US $ 93) All these pens are all handmade. And payments will be made only via paypal for international customers. In case of any query or pen related issue kindly PM me or MP Kandan FOR SHIPPING WITHIN INDIA, PLEASE PM ME
  2. mehandiratta

    Ink Review - Krishna Bronze Leaf

    KRISHNA BRONZE LEAF The review is simultaneously posted at my blog here : LINK In Indian Fountain Pen industry or Circles, Dr. Sreekumar is quite known for his hand-turned fountain pens and almost 20 types of nib tuning. However recently he has shelved in to making fountain pen inks under the brand name of KRISHNA. I am really happy to see someone in India has taken initiative to standup and make good quality and non standard color Inks. These inks are sold for Rs. 100 (1.5 USD) each for 30 ml ink bottle plus shipping. The inks that are being produced are currently limited to 28 nos. : GOLD RUSH MEADOW GREEN BLUE MAGIC AFTER DARK SAPPHIRE BLUE LAKE BLUE BRONZE LEAF ORANGE CRUSH AUTUMN SINDHOOR GLORY VINE DARK ROSE NJAVAL WILD CHERRY PURPLE PEACOCK YELLOW VALLEY MELLOW BLUE VIVID VIOLET ORCHARD LILY DARK CHOCOLATE COOL BREEZE SILENT NIGHT SKY FORGET ME NOT SKY BLUE GHAT GREEN PUMPKIN GIRL PINK Krishna Inks – Color Chart 1 Krishna Inks – Color Chart 2 I would like to thank Dr. Sreekumar for sending me the samples and also for the effort that he has put in. I will be reviewing all one by one. This review is about BRONZE LEAF ink from KRISHNA. And this is absolutely one of the top in my favourite ink category of Krishna Inks. Krishna Ink – Bottle Krishna Ink comes in amber coloured plastic bottles in 30 ml quantity and I have been told that the procurement for better quality plastic bottles or probably glass bottles is already under way. And I believe thats the right direction to move forward. INK SPLASH Krishna Bronze Leaf – Ink Splash on JK Cedar 100 gsm There is no sheen on the ink even if there is any ink pooling DROP ON PAPER NAPKIN Krishna Bronze Leaf – Ink Drop on Paper Towel COLOR MATCH Krishna Bronze Leaf – Color Range WRITING SAMPLES Krishna Ink Bronze Leaf – Writing Sample on JK Cedar 100 gsm Krishna Ink Bronze Leaf – Writing Sample on JK Cedar 100 gsm – Angled View There is a good amount of shading with this ink which I absolutely love about this ink. INK SWABS Krishna Bronze Leaf – Ink Swab on JK Cedar WATERPROOF TEST Krishna Bronze Leaf – Waterproof Test Please ignore the certain black shades of lower part of drip test as there was certain ink spill. Kindly refer upper drip part. As you can see from images from above, ink is not at all waterproof. INK DRYING TIMES Krishna Bronze Leaf – Ink Drying Times BLOW UP WRITING SAMPLES Krishna Bronze Leaf – Blow up Writing Sample on JK Cedar 100 gsm CONCLUSION: I absolutely love this ink. And actually this is the only brown coloured ink produced in India. And I recommend all buyers to use this ink. Following are the summation of ink properties: Feathering : NoSheen : NoShading : YesLubrication : GoodFlow : GoodWater Resistance : BadDrying Times : HighNib Creep : NoClogging : No Ink can be bought from : LINK (Ebay India Store)
  3. In Indian Fountain Pen industry or Circles, Dr. Sreekumar is quite known for his hand-turned fountain pens and almost 20 types of nib tuning. However recently he has shelved in to making fountain pen inks under the brand name of KRISHNA. I am really happy to see someone in India has taken initiative to standup and make good quality and non standard color Inks. These inks are sold for Rs. 100 (1.5 USD) each for 30 ml ink bottle plus shipping. The inks that are being produced are currently limited to 28 nos. : GOLD RUSH MEADOW GREEN BLUE MAGIC AFTER DARK SAPPHIRE BLUE LAKE BLUE BRONZE LEAF ORANGE CRUSH AUTUMN SINDHOOR GLORY VINE DARK ROSE NJAVAL WILD CHERRY PURPLE PEACOCK YELLOW VALLEY MELLOW BLUE VIVID VIOLET ORCHARD LILY DARK CHOCOLATE COOL BREEZE SILENT NIGHT SKY FORGET ME NOT SKY BLUE GHAT GREEN PUMPKIN GIRL PINK Krishna Inks – Color Chart 1 Krishna Inks – Color Chart 2 I will be reviewing all inks one by one.And I have reviewed the Bronze Leaf Ink Here : LINK Ink can be bought from : LINK (Ebay India Store)
  4. mehandiratta

    Ink Review - Daytone Blue Black

    DAYTONE BLUE BLACK INK REVIEW is simultaneously posted at my blog. Recently I received few Ink bottles from one of my friend from Indore and they are Daytone Fountain Pen Ink. Daytone Inks are manufactured by Daylight industries and they are in to ink manufacturing since 1956. More information can be found about the company here : Daytone Webpage Apart from Inks they manufacture lot of other stationary items. But this review is about one of the fountain pen inks that they manufacture. The inks that they manufacture ( 8 Nos.) are as follows: Blue Black Emerald Green Brilliant Red Crimson Turquoise Blue Deep Black Royal Blue Bright Violet Brown (In Process) My earlier Ink reviews are listed as below: Bril Royal BlueBril Laurel RoseCamlin Scarlet RedChelpark Black Also I would like to add that I got the inks as a gift from one of my friend and fountain pen enthusiast, Ricky Bhasin. This review is about BLUE-BLACK ink from Daytone. Daytone Blue Black Daytone BlueBlack comes in 60 ml plastic bottles and are priced at Rs. 20 Each (Indian Rupees). I found out that the ink is more of dark blue rather than blue black. It certainly is bit darker than Bril Royal Blue. But I was expecting something else from BlueBlack Ink. INK SPLASH Daytone Ink Splash on JK Cedar -100 gsm – Top View There is negligible sheen in this ink even if there is some massive ink pools on paper. DROP ON PAPER NAPKIN Daytone Blue-Black – Ink Drop COLOR MATCH Daytone Blue Black – Color Range WRITING SAMPLES Daytone Blue Black – Writing sample on Tomoe River Cream Paper Daytone Blue Black – Writing sample on JK Cedar 100 gsm White Paper Daytone Blue Black – Writing sample on Bilt Matrix 70 gsm Off White Paper INK SWABS Daytone Blue Black – Ink Swabs on Tomoe River Paper (Top – 3 Swabs, Middle – 2 Swabs, Bottom – 1 Swab) Daytone Blue Black – Ink Swabs on JK Cedar 100 gsm Paper (Top – 3 Swabs, Middle – 2 Swabs, Bottom – 1 Swab) Daytone Blue Black – Ink Swabs on BILT Matrix 70 gsm Paper (Top – 3 Swabs, Middle – 2 Swabs, Bottom – 1 Swab) PEN SCRIBBLE Daytone Blue Black – Pen Scribble on JK Cedar 100 gsm Paper The ink flow is smooth and the ink looks bit faded for blue black. WATERPROOF TEST The ink was quite water resistant and it was pretty mush clear and visible even after running it under tap water for 5 min and then keeping it in water container for another 5 more minutes. I must say I am pretty impressed with this property of the ink. Daytone Blue Black – Under tap Water Daytone Blue Black – After Waterproof Test CHROMATOGRAPHY Daytone Blue Black – Chromatography INK DRYING TIMES Ink drying times were tested on the Bilt Matrix paper and pen used was Jinhao 165. Daytone Blue Black – Ink Drying Test BLOW-UP WRITING SAMPLES Daytone Blue Black – Writing sample on Tomoe River – Blown Up Daytone Blue Black – Writing sample on JK Cedar – Blown Up Daytone Blue Black – Writing sample on Bilt Matrix – Blown Up Close up Pictures show that there is no shading and also no sheen and also no feathering. CONCLUSION I don’t like this blue black ink too much but it has good water resistance. Manufacturer must take note of the fact that this ink needs to have more black character. My always goto blue black ink is Edelstien Tanzanite or Pilot Blue Black. Following are the summation of ink properties: Feathering : No Sheen : No Shading : No Lubrication : Acceptable Flow : Good Water Resistance : Good Drying Times : Medium
  5. Dear All After the successful group buy of RANGA BAMBOO MODEL & RANGA MODEL 4C & Model 3 This is a group buy effort for the Ranga Model 5 (also famous by VARUNA GAJENDRA) which will be available only till 25th December. Kindly register at the earliest. Minimum requirement is 10 nos. Details of the pen in Four options are as below: Ranga Model 5 (Eyedropper Version) The dimension is 7 inches length. the dia is 17mm or 18.75mm dia Finish - Polished or Matte (Bakul)Option - flat end or Round endNib Option :Ambitious 35 mm Fine Nib, upgrade to Ambitious 40 mm Gold Tone Nib at extra US $ 3, or Bock (With Conklin imprinted) M or B at extra US $ 8.Default settings: Ambitious Gold Color monotone F nibShipping: Included and is through Registered Post. Takes 2 - 4 weeks for delivery. Price includes shippingPayment: Via Paypal to paypal account mpkandan@gmail.com Ranga Model 5 (Cartridge/Converter Version with German Nib Units) Finish - Polished or Matte (Bakul)Nib Option : JoWo Nibs ​​/ Schmidt NibsConverter : Schmidt K5 ConverterJoWo Nibs options : Gold Color Mono tone F, M or B nibDual Tone F, M, B, 1.5 Calligraphy NibChrome Mono Tone F, M, B NibSchmidt Nib options: Gold Color monotone F, M, or BChrome (Silver) Finish Monotone F,M & B.Default settings: Schmidt Gold Colored monotone F nibShipping: Included and is through Registered Post. Takes 2 - 4 weeks for delivery.Includes worldwide shippingPayment: Via Paypal to paypal account mpkandan@gmail.com Color Available : Regular Ebonite (as per images below)​Mottled BrownMottled GreenBlack PolishedBlack MatteClear acrylic / Matte Acrylic (Matte from internal side)Brown RippleGreen RippleOlive RippleYellow Ripple (Not Available)Pink or Burgundy RippleBlue Ripple (Not Available)Olive with pink ripple and black specs Premium Colors Available : Premium Ebonite (as per image below)​Solid BlueYellow/Black SwirlsBlue/Pink SwirlsSolid Green Blue/White SwirlsRed/Black SwirlsYellow/Green SwirlsSolid PinkBlue/Green/Orange SwirlsSolid Orange Please note that the Group Buy (Discounted) International prices are as below: Eyedropper Normal ebonite - 37 USD (Regular Price is US $ 50 to US $ 60) Eyedropper Premium Ebonite - 55 USD (Regular Price is US $ 70) German nib Normal ebonite - 65 USD (Regular Price is US $ 85 to US $ 93) German nib Premium ebonite - 85 USD (Regular Price is US $ 108) These are the great offers as compared to previous group buys. I have negotiated with Mr. Kandan for more discounts. Secondly these pens are all handmade. FOR SHIPPING WITHIN INDIA, PLEASE PM ME
  6. mehandiratta

    Pen Review - Fosfor Islander

    The review is posted at my blog with more images and handwritten pen samples LINK Islander – In the Wild Well this particular pen, ISLANDER from Fosfor Pens was love at first site when I actually saw it in person at Delhi Pen Meet. I had seen lot of Islanders in the Wood online but never saw one in polycast resin. And Rishminder was the guy at pen meet who had the pen made out of polycast resin in tri colors of Indian Flag and i must complement Manoj Deshmukh of the wonderfully executed job. And trust me friends, it was love at first sight. I ordered the pen that very day and waited patiently for 3 weeks while going through the process of selecting colors, clips and bands. It was an amazing experience dealing with him and thus it lead me to ordering few more pens from him. This review is about Fosfor Islander. (Islander being named because it was first commissioned by a person who lived on an island) DESIGN & BUILT: 05/05 Where shall i start ? Actually i was speechless when I first saw the pen. It’s such a beauty. It arrived in very nice cardboard package which actually is a nice case for this big pen. The pen box is the only area where the branding is done. and you won’t find the branding anywhere else. Islander – Glamor Shot The pen is made of polycast acrylic resin which Manoj Deshmukh of Fosfor pen casts himself and thus you have the flexibility of having the pen in any color mix you want. And I actually wanted something brownish orange with white as a base and Manoj has produced a beauty. Islander – Close Up And as far as finish is concerned, I can find not even a single fault. It’s supremely well finished not even a single lathe mark. I can even go to an extent of saying that the pen is the best finished pen of India. The quality of the resin is superb though I beleive that being acrylic it is brittle. So care is needed in that regards. Its an eye-candy for sure. As far as design is concerned it’s a beautifully designed and executed pen. It’s a straight cylindrical pen with barrel tapering at bottom. The cap top and barrel bottom have soft rounded edges. Below are the few images which might help in design understanding. Islander – Capped Islander – Uncapped The cap top and barrel bottom have sublime protrusion i.e. they are raised. Clip is springy and stiff and like the fact the bottom is raised for easy clipping. The band above the clip is above has intricate design and is made of pure Silver. Islander – Cap top View Islander – Cap Side View – Intricate Silver Band Below are the few images of the pen showing comparison with other pens: Fosfor Islander vs Ranga Model 4C vs Italix Parson’s Essential vs Pilot 78G – Capped Fosfor Islander vs Ranga Model 4C vs Italix Parson’s Essential vs Pilot 78G – Uncapped I love this pen and soooo beautiful. And this has taken place in my top 5 pens with steel nibs. BALANCE: 04/05 It’s a perfectly balanced pen when writing uncapped and unposted. But for me it becomes quite large and uncomfortable when cap is posted at back. Yes the cap posts quite securely. The pen length is 149 mm when capped and 133 when uncapped. Below are the images of the pen showing comparative of writing with cap posted and unposted. Islander – Writing Unposted Islander – Writing Posted Since it's a long pen I don’t think there is no need of posting cap. NIB AND INK FILLING MECHANISM: 05/05 There were lot of nib options like JoWo, Schmidt and Ambitious and I opted for Schmidt silver monotone #6 Medium nib which is tried and tested. Islander – Nib unit angled view Islander – Nib unit top view Islander – Nib unit side view Islander – Nib unit bottom view The ink filling mechanism is via converter and cartridge mechanism. It can also be used as eyedropper. Islander – Cartridge Filling Mechanism Islander – Can be used as eyedropper showing inner side of cap above and barrel below This pen writes beautifully and writes wet and is perfect for shading inks. Below are the few images which shows the handwritten review along with test of wetness and line variation. CONCLUSION: This pen is available starting from 70 USD. And is available in different materials like wood, ebonite, acrylic resin. It is my top favorite pen. No.1 in my top favorite followed closely by Ranga Model 4C. Just to tell you all that this is completely handmade pen. Kudos to Mr. Deshmukh. Thank you.
  7. mehandiratta

    Model 4C - Ranga Pens

    Ranga Pens is amongst the one quality pen manufacturer in India. Infact they are the only manufacturer in India who have the premium colors and quality ebonite pens apart from regular ebonite and acrylic pens. They have an active Ebay store where they sell not just fountain pens but also ball pens and Roller Ball pens and also raw materials like ebonite rods and acrylic blanks. The link to ebay shop is as below: RANGAHANDMADE Also Peyton Pen Street is also authorized seller of Ranga Hand Made pens. Here is the link to the webpage: PEYTON Mr. M.P. Kandan of Ranga Pens can also be reached at Fountain Pen Network, where he is quite active. Here is the link to reach him on FPN : MPKANDAN – RANGA I have recently organized 3 group buys for three different model of thiers. Model 4C, Model 3 and Bamboo Model. And i have bought all three models through group buy. I will be reviewing all the models one by one. They have following Models in their lineup: Model 4C Bamboo Model 3 Model 4CS Model 5 Model 6 Model 8 Model 2c Model 2d Zeal And few more. I will be reviewing Model 4C in this post. Which M.S.Pandurangan (Owner/Pen Turner) has crafted these pens from end-end. I also have reviewed this pen at my blog along with other pens and inks : LINK Model 4C – In the Wild This happens to be actually my second pen from the house of Ranga Pens and first one being Bamboo Model. Which i will be reviewing next. DESIGN & BUILT: 05/05 The build quality of this pen is impeccable. Its very well polished and there is no marks at all i see on the pen. Believe me its an handmade pen and when you hold the pen in your hand you wont be able to judge whether it’s handmade or not. Such and excellent finish Mr. Kandan has given on this pen. Model 4C – beauty Shot The quality of this premium ebonite is really really good. There are hardly any imperfections that you might otherwise find in regular color ebonites. The pen is quite sturdy and being ebonite it is more durable. The pen actually comes in approximately 24 color options out of which 10 are premium ebonite colors. The pen in review is premium orange ebonite which actually is muted earthy orange color. Model 4C – Uncapped It really feel amazing in your hand. And its certainly a looker. People look at this pen and actually take it from my hands just to feel it of not write with it. Such is the charming factor of this premium color ebonite. And yes i have noticed that these premium ebonites are far superior over the regular ebonites. Model 4C is actually a regular sized pen with bit of girth. It’s a cigar shaped pen which tapers down to the bottom and has rounded top and bottom. The cap is flushed with the barrel and you would hardly notice the joint. No imperfection. Superior attention paid to the product. Model 4C – Rounded Top and Bottom Model 4C – Capped - Cap is flushed with the barrel Model 4C – Uncapped -Barrel Tapers down to bottom Cap Clip is strong and sturdy and pen can easily stick to the shirt pocket. I have one qualms which is very minor and that is gold trim which is clip will turn to chrome soon. But i have an option to replace the cap clip easily. Also i found that clip was not in alignment and was off centred when pen arrived , but again that was easily taken care off by unscrewing the cap finial and straightening the clip. Model 4C – Cap and Clip Model 4C – Cap Finial View from top Model 4C – Cap inner view The grip section of the pen gradually tapers slightly towards the top and is also made of the same material. Complete pen is made of ebonite. I am really really happy with the top notch quality and finish on the pen. Below are few images showing the comparison of the pen with other pens: Ranga Model 4C vs Jinhao 159 vs Oliver F27 vs Parker Frontier – Capped Ranga Model 4C vs Jinhao 159 vs Oliver F27 vs Parker Frontier – Uncapped and Posted Ranga Model 4C vs Jinhao 159 vs Oliver F27 vs Parker Frontier – Uncapped and Posted – Side View Overall I am extremely happy with quality, built and finish of the pen. This is probably amongst the best pens from India. Full marks to Ranga. BALANCE AND SIZE: 4/5 The pen measures 150 mm when capped and 135 mm when uncapped including the nib. The dia of the cap is 15 mm and barrel tapers down from center to the bottom to 9mm from 15 mm. The average grip section dia is 10 mm and length is 30 mm. As far as balance is concerned it is very well balanced and you would love writing with this pen uncapped for longer periods. However I beleive the posting cap makes it extremely large at 180mm (yes cap posts securely) and for me it becomes slightly uncomfortable. Model 4C – Writing Unposted Model 4C – Writing Posted I love writing with this pen uncapped and unposted for longer periods. NIB AND INK FILLING MECHANISM: 05/05 My pen came with Dual Tone JoWo 1.5 Calligraphy stub and it writes amazing. has amazing line variation and is not at all scratchy. The pen has various nib options like JoWo (EF, F, M, B & 1.5) , Schmidt (F, M, & , Bock (F, M, & B – with Conklin imprinted) and Ambitious (F-M). I am really happy with my JoWo 1.5 Stub. It writes superb. MODEL 4C – JoWo Nib Unit Top View MODEL 4C – JoWo Nib Unit Side View MODEL 4C – JoWo Nib Unit Bottom View Ink filling mechanism is via Cartridge converter and the material being ebonite can be easily used as eyedropper.I prefer the flexibility of the pen to be used as eyedropper which lot of pens don’t give. Model 4C – Converter mechanism filling Below are few images showing handwritten review and sample: Model 4C – Page 1 _ Handwritten review Model 4C – Page 2 _ Handwritten review Model 4C – Page 3 _ Handwritten review CONCLUSION: I love the size shape and finish of the Model 4C. It's a regular sized pen with girth and i Like that and premium ebonite is like cherry on top. The price seemed expensive in beginning but beleive me it was worth it. Few other reviews can be checked at my Blog here : MEHANDIRATTA
  8. Ranga Pens is amongst the one quality pen manufacturer in India. Infact they are the only manufacturer in India who have the premium colors and quality ebonite pens apart from regular ebonite and acrylic pens. They have an active Ebay store where they sell not just fountain pens but also ball pens and Roller Ball pens and also raw materials like ebonite rods and acrylic blanks. The link to ebay shop is as below: RANGAHANDMADE Also Peyton Pen Street is also authorized seller of Ranga Hand Made pens. Here is the link to the webpage: PEYTON Mr. M.P. Kandan of Ranga Pens can also be reached at Fountain Pen Network, where he is quite active. Here is the link to reach him on FPN : MPKANDAN – RANGA I have recently organized 3 group buys for three different model of thiers. Model 4C, Model 3 and Bamboo Model. And i have bought all three models through group buy. I will be reviewing all the models one by one. They have following Models in their lineup: Model 4C Bamboo Model 3 Model 4CS Model 5 Model 6 Model 8 Model 2c Model 2d ZealAnd few more. I will be reviewing Model 4C in this post. Which M.S.Pandurangan (Owner/Pen Turner) has crafted these pens from end-end. I also have reviewed this pen at my blog along with other pens and inks : LINK Model 4C – In the Wild This happens to be actually my second pen from the house of Ranga Pens and first one being Bamboo Model. Which i will be reviewing next. DESIGN & BUILT: 05/05 The build quality of this pen is impeccable. Its very well polished and there is no marks at all i see on the pen. Believe me its an handmade pen and when you hold the pen in your hand you wont be able to judge whether it’s handmade or not. Such and excellent finish Mr. Kandan has given on this pen. Model 4C – beauty Shot The quality of this premium ebonite is really really good. There are hardly any imperfections that you might otherwise find in regular color ebonites. The pen is quite sturdy and being ebonite it is more durable. The pen actually comes in approximately 24 color options out of which 10 are premium ebonite colors. The pen in review is premium orange ebonite which actually is muted earthy orange color. Model 4C – Uncapped It really feel amazing in your hand. And its certainly a looker. People look at this pen and actually take it from my hands just to feel it of not write with it. Such is the charming factor of this premium color ebonite. And yes i have noticed that these premium ebonites are far superior over the regular ebonites. Model 4C is actually a regular sized pen with bit of girth. It’s a cigar shaped pen which tapers down to the bottom and has rounded top and bottom. The cap is flushed with the barrel and you would hardly notice the joint. No imperfection. Superior attention paid to the product. Model 4C – Rounded Top and Bottom Model 4C – Capped - Cap is flushed with the barrel Model 4C – Uncapped -Barrel Tapers down to bottom Cap Clip is strong and sturdy and pen can easily stick to the shirt pocket. I have one qualms which is very minor and that is gold trim which is clip will turn to chrome soon. But i have an option to replace the cap clip easily. Also i found that clip was not in alignment and was off centred when pen arrived , but again that was easily taken care off by unscrewing the cap finial and straightening the clip. Model 4C – Cap and Clip Model 4C – Cap Finial View from top Model 4C – Cap inner view The grip section of the pen gradually tapers slightly towards the top and is also made of the same material. Complete pen is made of ebonite. I am really really happy with the top notch quality and finish on the pen. Below are few images showing the comparison of the pen with other pens: Ranga Model 4C vs Jinhao 159 vs Oliver F27 vs Parker Frontier – Capped Ranga Model 4C vs Jinhao 159 vs Oliver F27 vs Parker Frontier – Uncapped and Posted Ranga Model 4C vs Jinhao 159 vs Oliver F27 vs Parker Frontier – Uncapped and Posted – Side View Overall I am extremely happy with quality, built and finish of the pen. This is probably amongst the best pens from India. Full marks to Ranga. BALANCE AND SIZE: 4/5 The pen measures 150 mm when capped and 135 mm when uncapped including the nib. The dia of the cap is 15 mm and barrel tapers down from center to the bottom to 9mm from 15 mm. The average grip section dia is 10 mm and length is 30 mm. As far as balance is concerned it is very well balanced and you would love writing with this pen uncapped for longer periods. However I beleive the posting cap makes it extremely large at 180mm (yes cap posts securely) and for me it becomes slightly uncomfortable. Model 4C – Writing Unposted Model 4C – Writing Posted I love writing with this pen uncapped and unposted for longer periods. NIB AND INK FILLING MECHANISM: 05/05 My pen came with Dual Tone JoWo 1.5 Calligraphy stub and it writes amazing. has amazing line variation and is not at all scratchy. The pen has various nib options like JoWo (EF, F, M, B & 1.5) , Schmidt (F, M, & , Bock (F, M, & B – with Conklin imprinted) and Ambitious (F-M). I am really happy with my JoWo 1.5 Stub. It writes superb. MODEL 4C – JoWo Nib Unit Top View MODEL 4C – JoWo Nib Unit Side View MODEL 4C – JoWo Nib Unit Bottom View Ink filling mechanism is via Cartridge converter and the material being ebonite can be easily used as eyedropper.I prefer the flexibility of the pen to be used as eyedropper which lot of pens don’t give. Model 4C – Converter mechanism filling Below are few images showing handwritten review and sample: Model 4C – Page 1 _ Handwritten review Model 4C – Page 2 _ Handwritten review Model 4C – Page 3 _ Handwritten review CONCLUSION: I love the size shape and finish of the Model 4C. It's a regular sized pen with girth and i Like that and premium ebonite is like cherry on top. The price seemed expensive in beginning but beleive me it was worth it. Few other reviews can be checked at my Blog here : MEHANDIRATTA
  9. This is actually a group buy for the Ambitious nibs Below are the images of ambitious nibs Below are the images of the nibs on my pens that i have used 40 mm gold tone used with ASA Porus 35 mm chrome finish used with Wality 71 JT Below are the links to the review which shows you the writing sample also. ASA Porus Wality 71 JT And the prices are as follows: Flex #5 for 95 bucks FLEX #6 for 115 bucks Gold tone #8 medium nib for 85 bucks Chrome finish #6 fine medium nib for 65 bucks Dual tone #6 fine medium nib for 75 bucks
  10. mehandiratta

    Asa Rainbow (Ed)

    The review is about a pen which was launched on Whatsapp Group of 20 members at that time and I believe was first of its kind launch for a pen. Approximately 50 odd pens were made and beleive me on this all got sold out within half an hour. So beautiful were they to look at first site. They were RAINBOW. The Rainbow is reviewed at my blog in detail : LINK This happens to be an ED model and the updated model with C/C mechanism is soon to be launched at ASA Pens on 23rd September. My other review of ASA pens are as follows: ASA Spear ASA Galactic ASA I-Can ASA Porus ASA Patriot ASA ViraatRainbow is first multicolored acrylic pen from the house of ASA Pens. DESIGN & BUILT: 4 / 5 It’s a simple classic cigar shaped pen with rounded bottom and top. Actually nothing is much happening on the design front. it though is a small pocket sized pen. It is actually the material which is doing all the talk. ASA Rainbow – Swirled Acrylic Material The pen will to begin with eventually will come in following colors when launched. Cherry Red (in pic above) Midnight Blue (Blue and Dark Blue swirls) Black Pearl (White and Black swirls) Fiery Orange (Orange and Black swirls) The color yellow with green swirls might be added later which is being reviewed. ASA Rainbow – Cherry Red and Yellow Swirl To begin with what i really like about this pen is its size and girth. It is small pen but not that slim. Lovely part is the grip section which is the thinnest portion in whole pen. It’s so wonderful to grip and write with this pen. ASA Rainbow – Capped ASA Rainbow – Uncapped ASA Rainbow – Rounded Top and Bottom The pen has silver trims. Actually the pen has only clip as a trim and a nib. No other metal parts were used. its a minimalistic design pen. The clip is sturdy and stiff and not springy at all. fits shirt pockets easily. The pen cap has no breather hole unlike many other Made in India pens. The cap finial is threaded and can be taken out easily also. ASA Rainbow – Cap View ASA Rainbow – Cap inner View ASA Rainbow – Clip Built is amazing and is well finished and polished pen. However I have to add one thing this pen is acrylic and requires maintenance and care to ensure no scratches just by throwing pen on desk or anywhere else. Below are the few images of the pen showing comparison with other pens. Gama Kuyil vs Pilot 78G vs ASA Rainbow BALANCE: 5/5 I love the fact that the small pens don’t have to be necessarily slim and this really goes down well with me. And I love ASA Rainbow also because of its girth too. Its very well balanced pen and feels amazing in your hand whether you write with cap posted or not at the back. ASA Rainbow – Writing Unposted ASA Rainbow – Writing Posted The cap posts very securely and also posting does not add to that much heft. This one is aptly balanced pen. NIB AND INK FILLING MECHANISM: 3.5/5 Our first feedback for this beautiful pen was to make it C/C mechanism pen because ink filled in barrel changes the color of the barrel and darkens it and thus it will be soon launched with C/C mechanism on 23rd September. The nib on the pen in question is Fine-Medium Ambitious 35 mm nib (#6) and is chrome finish. I love the ambitious nibs of size 35 mm and 40 mm. This nib writes with welcome feedback and writes wet. I love the way it writes. The nib has got certain springiness to it. ASA Rainbow – Nib Unit top view ASA Rainbow – Nib Unit side view ASA Rainbow – Nib Unit angled view Though the upcoming pen with C/C filling mechanism will come in following nib options: Schmidt monotone F NibSchmidt monotone M nibSchmidt monotone B nibThis pen has an eye dropper fill mechanism and hold good 3 ml of ink. The feed is made of ebonite and fitted very tight and securely. The removal of nib will require knockout block as the nib is friction fit. ASA Rainbow – Eye dropper fill I recommend people to buyers is to chose pen with option of fountain pen testing at checkout which takes time but you get the pen which writes good out of the box and this facility is being given by ASA pens free of charge. Below are the few images showing hand written review and also certain specification, ASA Rainbow – Page 1 ASA Rainbow – Page 2 ASA Rainbow – Page 3 Conclusion : This is a beauty and I am sure it will outsell any other model ASA pens has launched because this pen has it all going for it when its launched in C/C mechanism. However i would not recommend using this pen as ED as the barrel gets discolored because of the ink not that the ink burps. Go ahead save some money to buy this one. I recommend it. Please check my BLOG for other listings.
  11. mehandiratta

    Pen Review - Asa Viraat

    The review is about my second oversized pen ASA Viraat that i bought along with the Gama Supreme which i will be reviewing later. The detailed review is posted on my wordpress blog here : ASA Viraat This happens to be custom job that he did for me and supposedly upcoming model in growing list of ASA Pens. My other review of ASA pens are as follows: ASA Spear ASA Galactic ASA I-Can ASA Porus ASA Patriot DESIGN & BUILT: 4.5 / 5 This pen comes in two ebonite colors like black, light brown rippled, dark brown rippled. The pen in review is light brown rippled often called as White Tiger Ebonite. ASA Viraat – Top View ASA Viraat – Uncapped Built wise its a amazing, thick and the quality of the ebonite used is top notch. No qualms about it. Also there are two option of finishes available for this pen, Polished and Matte. Matte being new finish on the colored ebonite from ASA Pens. I am using the Polished version which can be seen in the image below. ASA Viraat – Polished version. Look at the shine The thickness of material is amazing. Its built like tank. Throw it here and there and forget. No damage will happen to this tank like built pen. The pen is fat and average thickness of pen is 15 mm, with maximum thickness at 16 mm around center of barrel and then barrel tapers down to bottom to 14 mm. ASA Viraat – Capped Pen View Compared to Gama Supreme it is smaller by 4 mm in length. The pen is around 160 mm in length which is quite big. The cap is @17mm dia at bottom and @16mm at cap finial. The clip is quite stiff and sturdy. Also there is a band at the edge of bottom of cap called lip band. All the trims are in silver chrome finish. I personally don't like the lip band but that doesn’t discount from the fact that it is well executed pen. Some people may like this some may not. ASA Viraat – Cap with silver trims ASA Viraat – Inner Cap View The grip section length is small though. The pen is flat top and bottom design with certain amount of tapering towards at either ends.Overall its a simple design for a pen but in big proportions. Quality is top notch. ASA Viraat – Flat Top and Bottom ASA Viraat – View of Grip Section and Cap Bottom Below are the few images showing its comparison with other pens. ASA Viraat vs Gama Popular vs Oliver F27 vs Parker Frontier ASA Viraat vs Gama Popular vs Oliver F27 vs Parker Frontier – Side View ASA Viraat vs Gama Popular – Barrel Thickness Few vitals are that the cap opens in 4 turns and the grip section is 13 mm thick. BALANCE: 4.5/5 The pen of these size are generally heavy but being ebonite its light weight. But because of its size there is just a little amount of welcome heft which make you feel that you are actually holding a big pen. The cap posts securely at back but i don’t think that is required. As mentioned earlier the grip section is small though and might be hassle for some. who hold the pen a bit higher. ASA Viraat – Writing without cap posted ASA Viraat – Writing with cap posted As you can see the pen is quite big, thus no requirement of posting the cap at back. Also you can see the grip section being small in length and my grip touching the threads which actually are not sharp and provide slip resistance. Actually this thick section takes some time getting used to. NIB AND INK FILLING MECHANISM: 05/05 Now the pen is fitted with Broad Bock nib. Oh man l love this nib. Lovely. Lays down perfect wet line that broad nib is supposed to do. ASA Viraat – Nib Unit Top View ASA Viraat – Nib Unit Side View ASA Viraat – Nib Unit Bottom View ASA Viraat – Nib Unit Angled View Pen is an eyedropper filler. And hold approx 5 ml of the ink. Feed is made of ebonite. And following nib options are available. Bock Fine Nib Bock Medium Nib Bock Broad Nib Ambitious 35 mm Medium Nib Ambitious 40 mm Medium-Broad Nib ASA Viraat – Pen taken apart ASA Viraat – Ebonite Feed Below is the handwritten review showing the writing sample and ink drying tests. Conclusion: This pen is for the serious buyers who actually are on lookout for oversized beauties. And this is one of them.
  12. Hi fellow users... After the giveaway for Bril Royal Blue Ink I have 3 ink bottles (Plastic) - 25 ml filled with Camlin Scarlet Red for giveaway now. The review for the same is done here - LINK I am willing to give this to 3 people , worldwide. Kindly put in your names below and I will be choosing the people through random.org Below is the ink shot for your reference. Please check the review in depth HERE This is the Best Bright Red ink in India. Even gives run for money to many expensive inks.
  13. Dear All After the successful group buy of RANGA BAMBOO MODEL & RANGA MODEL 4C This is a group buy effort for the Ranga Model 3 which will be available only till 25th September. Kindly register at the earliest. Details of the pen in Four options are as below: Ranga Model 3 (Eye Dropper Version) Finish - Polished or Matte (Bakul)Clip Option - White or Gold Colored Clip or Clip-lessNib Option : Wality F Gold Colored, Dual Tone Medium Nib (Indian Make), Upgrade of Bock in Chrome Finish (With Conklin imprinted) M or B is available at extra US $ 9.Default settings: Wality Fine nib & Gold Colored Clip PenShipping: Included and is through Registered Post. Takes 2 - 4 weeks for delivery. Price includes shippingPayment: Via Paypal to paypal account mpkandan@gmail.com Ranga Model 3 (Cartridge/Converter Version) Finish - Polished or Matte (Bakul)Clip Option - White or Gold Colored Clip or Clip-lessNib Option : JoWo Nibs ​​/ Schmidt NibsConverter : Schmidt K5 ConverterJoWo Nibs options : Gold Color Mono tone F, M or B nib, Dual Tone F, M, B (Steel Nibs),Chrome Mono Tone F, M, B Nib.Schmidt Nib options: Gold Color monotone F, M, or B.Default settings: Schmidt Gold Colored monotone F nib with Gold Colored ClipShipping: Included and is through Registered Post. Takes 2 - 4 weeks for delivery.Includes worldwide shippingPayment: Via Paypal to paypal account mpkandan@gmail.com Color Available : Regular Ebonite (as per first two images below)​Brown Ripple Green Ripple Olive Ripple Blue Ripple Bright Green Ripple Yellow Ripple Burgundy Ripple Green with Orange Ripples and black specks Light Yellow with Light Green Ripples and black specks Mottled Brown Black Mottled Olive Brown Matte Black Color Available : Premium Ebonite (as per image below)​Solid Orange Solid Green - Will be shipped after 18 days after order Solid Pink Solid Blue Blue/Pink Swirls Blue/White Swirls Blue/Green/Orange Swirls Yellow/Black Swirls Red/Black Swirls Yellow/Green Swirls - Will be shipped after 18 days after order Please note that the Group Buy (Discounted) International prices are as below: Eyedropper Normal ebonite - 28 USD (Regular Price is US $ 35 to US $ 45) Eyedropper Premium Ebonite - 39 USD (Regular Price is US $ 55) German nib Normal ebonite - 55 USD (Regular Price is US $ 68 to US $ 80) German nib Premium ebonite - 69 USD (Regular Price is US $ 88) Please note that you can also have Model 3 Ball Pens with Cap / Roller Ball Pens with Cap in this Group buy. The prices of Ball Pens/ Roller Ball Pens are same as Prices of Model 3 Eyedropper pens. This would come with Parker refill.
  14. mehandiratta

    Ratnamson 302 - True Classic

    First of all, I must thank Pradeep for getting me these pens from Rajahmundry. I actually got lot of pens from Ratnam, Ratnamson, and Guider who all are stationed at Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh state of India. So this, as in Ratnamson 302, is the first in line to be reviewed and this pen is one of the fast selling models of Ratnamson. Ratnamson 302 – Capped Ratnamson is a brand name of Ratnam Ball pen works. There is other brand by the name of Ratnam which is owned by Ratnam Pen Works. As far as I know Ratnam Pen works is an original parent company which got split into two and thus Ratnamson came into existence. And both the companies produce some good quality pens. which i will be reviewing it here one by one. Ratnamson 302 – Rose Pink Rippled and Blue Rippled Model DESIGN & BUILT : 3.5/05 Like I said earlier this pen is one of the fast selling model of Ratnamson’s and it is a very well designed and executed pen. Made of Ebonite this pen come in various regular ebonite colors like Rose Pink Ripple, Blue Ripple (Both shown in pic above), Black, Brown Ripple, Green Ripple and Dark Brown Ripple. Also mottled pattern is available but i believe that is on request. Ratnamson 302 – Beauty Shot The pen is cigar shaped design which tapers slightly just a bit towards the end to circular rounded bottom. The cap finial is also rounded similar to the barrel end. Ratnamson 302 – Capped The grip section is made of black color ebonite and their is a slight tapering towards the top of section from middle of barrel. The length of grip section is not that long. Actually it is short. But thats not a problem. Circular thread patterns do provide for grip and threads are not at all sharp. Ratnamson 302 – Uncapped View The picture below shows the rounded bottom and top of the pen. Ratnamson 302 – Rounded top and bottom The cap clip though is quite sturdy but I can see there is bit of uniformity in insertion of clip inside the cap, which is because of the reason these are all hand made. Ratnamson 302 – Cap Ratnamson 302 – Cap Top View You can see from the image above the difference of clip insert inside the cap. Nevertheless these are minor things and can be resolved easily. The cap has slim center band which seems to be a okay kind of job because i have seen many manufacturers not able to take care of bands properly. I love the pens with centre band. Though I am not happy with the centre band on the cap but the pen shape and finish is far above what i expected. Ratnamson 302 – Cap Side View Ratnamson 302 – Cap Clip View Ratnamson 302 – Cap Centerband Closeup Ratnamson 302 – Cap Internal View Like most of the Indian pens this also comes with breather hole which helps in tackling the vacuum created while opening the pen and thus preventing ink leakage. Below are the few images showing the pen comparison. Gama Kuyil vs Ratnamson 302 vs Pilot 78G vs Jinhao 886 – Capped Gama Kuyil vs Ratnamson 302 vs Pilot 78G vs Jinhao 886 – Uncapped and Posted Gama Kuyil vs Ratnamson 302 vs Pilot 78G vs Jinhao 886 – Side View The pen built quality barring just two areas with regards to centre band and clip insertion inside cap, is amazing. The material used is amazing. Handmade and overall well executed classic designed pen. Lastly one thing i wanted to mention is that cap threads are not that smooth as it should be and offer certain resistance while opening. BALANCE : 05/05 One good thing with the ebonite pens is that they are extremely well balanced weather cap is posted or not. The length of the pen is 145 mm when capped and 125 mm when uncapped including the nib. And when cap is posted it is approx 165 mm long. The cap is thickest near centre band at 14mm dia and the average barrel thickness is 13 mm and grip section thickness is 9 to 10 mm. Ratnamson 302 - Writing Unposted Ratnamson 302 - Writing Posted The pen is very well balanced with cap posted or not posted, though it becomes very long id the cap is posted. I personally prefer writing without posting cap. NIB & INK FILLING MECHANISM: 2.5/05 Well this is one area where i was not that much happy. It gives you resistance on good quality paper (which in a way is good for handwriting) but writes scratchy on not so good quality paper and picks up paper fiber even. The nib is gold color monotone iridium tipped nib and it writes fine. I actually will end up changing the nib. But lately I have realised if you keep using this nib it will grow on you. Ratnamson 302 - Nib Unit Top View Ratnamson 302 - Nib Unit Side View Ratnamson 302 - Nib Unit Bottom View Ratnamson 302 - Nib Unit Angled View The feed is made of ebonite and the pen writes actually bit wet. I had to do certain smoothing on the nib. And still I am not happy. Ratnamson 302 - Ebonite Feed The ink filling mechanism is through eyedropper and it holds good amount of ink. Good thing about the pen is that it never burped on me while writing for a complete week. Ratnamson 302 - Ink Filling Through Eyedropper Below is the Link of my handwritten review which shows sample and ink dry test for your reference.Also are certain images. LINK CONCLUSION: I will buy this pen for its design and change its nib. This pen is not that expensive and retails around for 12 to 15 USD. And thats why i will buy this pen for its classic design and long history behind brand name. Ratnamson 302 - Saying Goodbye
  15. Dear All This is new group buy for the new model of ASApens named "Popsicles". Completely handmade. Popsicles is homage to classic design of Sailor King of Pens. Fitted with Schmidt #6 Nib in Chrome color. (Fine, Medium and Broad Available). Comes with Schmidt K5 Converter. This is made of premium thick acrylic and comes in following colors: Shiny Ivory Floral Rose Tangy Orange Pure White Pastel Green Sky Blue Coral Red You can pre order this pen here POPSICLES We are running a special Group Buy Offer for FPN members. The price mentioned here is the special group price of Rs.2000/- for Indian Customers and 49USD for international customers. Limited Period Offer. Normal Price is 65 USD for international shipments and 2500 for indian customers Offer expires on 31st August.
  16. I request all fellow users to show off the Ebonite only pens here.... Show us your ebonite beauties here .... Would really love to know what all we have....
  17. mehandiratta

    Ink Review - Bril Laurel Rose

    As mentioned in my previous reviews for the inks, Bril inks are one of the most used and admired inks in India. Bril has been in existence since 1964 and are based out of Bangalore in India.The review is about the BRIL LAUREL ROSE which is my second ink review from Bril. This review is simultaneously posted on my blog which is more detailed. Link to blog is here : INK REVIEW Bril Inks can be purchased from their Webpage as they have launched the webshop recently with nationwide shipping. Bril inks come in following colors: Royal Blue Green Red Laurel Rose Turquoise Blue Violet Black My earlier Ink reviews are listed as below: BRIL ROYAL BLUE CAMLIN SCARLET RED CHELPARK BLACK Also I would like to add that i got the inks as a gift from one of my friend and fountain pen enthusiast, Rakshit Pai. Bril Laurel Rose Bril Laurel Rose is a wonderful color ink which comes in 60 ml glass bottle and is priced at Rs. 18 (USD 0.28). INK SPLASH Bril Laurel Rose – Ink Splash on BILT Matrix Paper – Angled View Bril Laurel Rose – Ink Splash on BILT Matrix Paper – Top View Angled view shows the the sheen ink gives apart from the variation in shades. DROP ON PAPER NAPKIN Bril Laurel Rose – Ink Drop COLOR MATCH Bril Laurel Rose – Color Match WRITING SAMPLES Bril Laurel Rose – Writing samples with three different pens on BILT Matrix paper Bril Laurel Rose – Writing samples with three different pens on Century copy paper Bril Laurel Rose – Writing samples with three different pens on Camlin Kokuyo Notebook INK SWABS Bril Laurel Rose – Ink Swab on BILT Matrix paper ( From top to bottom – 1 to 3 swabs) Bril Laurel Rose – Ink Swab on Century copy paper ( From top to bottom – 1 to 3 swabs) PEN SCRIBBLE Bril Laurel Rose – Pen Scribble on BILT Matrix Paper WATERPROOF TEST Bril Laurel Rose – Waterproof Test I felt that ink has decent water resistance. As ink did not fade away too much even after running the paper under tap water for complete one minute. Rather paper started to give away but not the Ink. Bril Laurel Rose – Waterproof Test INK DRYING TIMES Ink drying times were tested on the Bilt Matrix paper and pen used was Jinhao X-450. Bril Laurel Rose -Ink Drying test BLOW-UP WRITING SAMPLES Bril Laurel Rose – Zoomed in Writing Sample You can see from the above zoomed in writing sample that there is certain bit of shading in the Ink. CONCLUSION I like the pinkish color of Bril Inks. I have used this ink in lot of pens and have realised that this ink stains the converter but gets washed out after using ammonia flush. Still i recommend not use this ink in demonstrators. Must buy at the price.
  18. mehandiratta

    Pen Review - Wality 71 Jt

    The review is simultaneously posted on my blog which is the detailed review with handwritten sample. LINK Wality 71 JT – Close up Wality or Airmail are one of the most sought after Indian fountain pen manufacturers. Both brands are manufactured by AIRMAIL PEN COMPANY based out of Mumbai, India. And they have a good lineup of fountain pen and most of them are Eyedroppers and few of them are Piston fillers. My previous review of the two other Wality Pens I have reviewed are as follows: Wality 52 PD Wality 69 A Wality 70 AM Wality Pens are generally not easily available in northern part of India, I actually can to an extent of saying that they are not even available in that part. Reason could be poor marketing or poor sales. Surprisingly Wality pens are manufactured in Mumbai and even in Mumbai you will find them only certain parts not everywhere. This particular pen i.e. WALITY 71 JT was bought from ASA Pens. Amazing, passionate pen man Mr. Subramaniam behind the store. He actually has enabled lot of people in around the world. Best part is even if i have certain issues with pens he offers to replace or service them which is his forte. Though this only happened once with ASA Spear. Wality 71 JT gave me lot of troubles which will be covered in detail review below and how it became one of the best writers i have today. And surely it is #inexpensive. Wality 71 JT DESIGN & BUILT : 4.5 / 5 Oooooh that look ….. Beauty. This pen is gorgeous. One gorgeous demonstrator pen. Lovely. What not. One look at it and I am sure you will love to grab this pen. Wality 71 JT – Beauty Shot Wality 71 JT (Jumbo Transparent) is a reasonably large pen when capped. The barrel is transparent and is amazingly polished inside and out. Its crystal clear, and rest of the pen i.e. cap and section are made of solid swirl acrylic and it comes in various colors like Blue Swirl, Green Swirl, Purple Swirl and many more. Wality 71 JT – Uncapped The trims are chrome silver finish. Cap top is like a conical dome as you can see from the picture above and the silver colored clip is trademark Wality sturdy stiff clip. There is a big silver center band in the cap with circular ring pattern all over and engraving at the bottom “Mfg. by Airmail Pen Co.” The thing that i don’t like is that the silver center band easily rotates in this model and is not fixed and that is the reason why I have deducted half point out of built. Wality 71 JT – Cap The cap has a breather hole which like many of the Indian pens it has which can be clear from image above and below. Wality 71 JT – Breather Hole. There is a inner lining of the same acrylic material also provided which is slightly visible from the image below. The cap opens in 3 turns. Wality 71 JT – Cap Inner View The grip section of the pen is small in size and people who hold the pen a bit higher might encounter the the threads but the good thing is that these threads are not the sharp threads and in actual they provide more grip to otherwise slippery hands. Wality 71 JT – Small Length Section The pen (without the cap) is thickest at the center of the barrel and it tapers down towards both the ends. Also the bottom of the pen which is solid crystal also has the same conical domed shape similar to cap top. Wality 71 JT – Thickest at Centre The quality of the acrylic used in this pen is far better than the other wality pens like Wality 52 PD, Wality 69 A etc which all give you a certain pungent odor, which is not the case here. Built quality is top notch only issue being the loose center band which keeps rotating and thats the reason for deduction half of the point. Below are the few images showing comparison of Wality 71 JT with other pens. Wality 71 JT vs ASA I-Can vs Jinhao 159 vs Pilot 78G – Capped Wality 71 JT vs ASA I-Can vs Jinhao 159 vs Pilot 78G – Capped Side view Wality 71 JT vs ASA I-Can vs Jinhao 159 vs Pilot 78G – Cap Posted Wality 71 JT vs ASA I-Can vs Jinhao 159 vs Pilot 78G – Cap Posted Side View Overall its an amazing beautiful looking pen which had one issue in looks department , that this pen came with Gold Color Monotone fine Wality nib which was replaced to Ambitious Chrome nib. Wality 71 JT – At Top BALANCE: 4.5 / 5 The pen is Large Pen. The pen is 152 mm when capped and 135 mm when uncapped including the nib. The pen as a whole is thickest at the lip of the cap which is 14 mm and the barrel is thickest at center which is 12mm. The pen is very well balanced when writing uncapped and unposted. The length is perfect and feels really good and balanced and lightweight in your hands. Wality 71 JT – Writing Unposted However when you post the cap at the back the pen really becomes long and uncomfortable even though the cap postes quite securely at back. Wality 71 JT – Writing Posted Therefore, I beleive there is no requirement of posting. NIB & INK FILLING MECHANISM: 3 / 5 This is what i was not at all happy with. The whole charm of the pen died in a moment when i inked it and started writing with it. First of all the nib was scratchy and then second thing was that it burped. it was a leaky pen. Nib it came with was stock gold colored monotone fine nib which first of all did not go well with chrome trims. I did lot of tinkering with the pen. Pushing the nib deep and heat setting the nib and changing the nib to dual tone wality nib even putting iron balls inside the barrel to prevent burping, but it did not work there was always a air gap in section which was leading to burping and none of the Wality feeds was proper match to it. Then in last attempt I changed the nib to monotone chrome finish Ambitious #6 Nib and voila … it did wonders to my pen. I was extremely happy. Wality 71JT with Ambitious Nib replacement The nib set deep inside the section and is a big #6 size nib which looks small as it is set deep inside section. Now it writes medium and wet, just the way i like…Smooth. Love it. I bet you will also love it. Wality 71JT with Ambitious Nib – Top View Wality 71JT with Ambitious Nib – Side View Wality 71JT with Ambitious Nib – Bottom View Wality 71 JT – Nib porn The feed is made of ebonite and this resulted in proper setting of nib by heat setting. Images below shows clearly the ebonite feed heat set with ambitious nib and also the ebonite feed bottom view ink channel. Wality 71JT with Ambitious Nib – Section View after Heat Setting. Wality 71 JT – bottom Feed view – Ink Channel Ink Filling mechanism is through eyedropper and it takes approx 3.5 to 4 ml and being demonstrator love the ink sloshing in the pen barrel. Wality 71JT – Taken Apart Wality 71 JT – Ink Fill Wality 71 JT – Threaded Section Barrel Top View So all in all I am quite happy now with Ambitious Nib and love it. I keep picking this pen again and again as my edc pen. I have finished two barrels of ink completely without any burping now. For more details and images and Handrwritting sample and ink drying times please check my blog : LINK
  19. mehandiratta

    Ink Review - Chelpark Black

    Chelpark is one of the oldest brand of Ink in India. And the company is staring the closure at the moment and it is difficult to get stock of the inks easily now. My earlier Ink reviews are listed as below: BRIL ROYAL BLUE CAMLIN SCARLET RED Chelpark is currently manufactured by PG Stationary in Bangalore and as per local availability following inks can be found in market: Black Blue Black Washable Blue Turquoise Blue Crimson Violet (Old stock available only) Ruby Red Emerald Green (Not available anymore) Sapphire Blue (Not available anymore) The Chelpark Black Ink which i will be reviewing today comes at price of Rs. 20 for 60 ml glass bottle. However this bottle was gifted to me by my friend Prithwijit. Chelpark Black - 60 ml Glass Bottle Its a dye based ink and comes with so called Cleen-X technology which prevents clogging. Chelpark inks used to be most widely used ink in the India but lately the production is on and off and the supply is not regular. Even their are speculation that company is getting closed. This ink is actually not black at all rather the faded black and is very diluted. One can easily say it is more of a grey rather than black. INK SPLASH Chelpark Black - Ink Splash on Bilt Matrix paper - 70 gsm I am pretty much disappointed with the color of this ink. It is no where near black rather it is grey. If one is intending to use the ink as grey one might be pleased. But i am not. DROP ON PAPER NAPKIN Chelpark Black - Ink drop on paper napkin COLOR MATCH Chelpark Black - Color Match WRITING SAMPLES On Century Copy Paper Chelpark Black - Writing sample on Century Copy Paper - 70 gsm Chelpark Black - Writing sample on Century Copy Paper - 70 gsm Chelpark Black - Writing sample on Century Copy Paper - 70 gsm On BILT Matrix Paper Chelpark Black - Writing sample on BILT Matrix Paper - 70 gsm Chelpark Black - Writing sample on BILT Matrix Paper - 70 gsm Chelpark Black - Writing sample on BILT Matrix Paper - 70 gsm On Camlin Kokuyo School Notebook Chelpark Black - Writing sample on Camlin Kokuyo School Notebook Chelpark Black - Writing sample on Camlin Kokuyo School Notebook Chelpark Black - Writing sample on Camlin Kokuyo School Notebook The handwritten samples clearly shows the darkness of color. It is a light grey ink and perform substantially okay with wet medium nib like Jinhao X750.Also we can see a bit of shading on a very lighter side. INK SWABS Chelpark Black - on Camlin Kokuyo Notebook (from top to bottom , 1 Swab, 2 Swabs, & 3 Swabs) Chelpark Black - on BILT Matrix - 70 gsm (from top to bottom , 1 Swab, 2 Swabs, & 3 Swabs) Chelpark Black - on Century Copy Paper (from top to bottom , 1 Swab, 2 Swabs, & 3 Swabs) WATERPROOF TEST Chelpark Black - Waterproof Test It is clear that ink is not completely washed out. The paper directly was run through tap water for 60 seconds. BLOW UP WRITING SAMPLE Chelpark Black - Zoomed in Writing Sample on Century Copy Paper Chelpark Black - Zoomed in Writing Sample on BILT Matrix Paper For more details and review kindly visit my blog : LINK CONCLUSION: The ink is not what you expect from a black ink.Its very faded and not light in color more towards grey. I beleive Camlin Black is far better than Chelpark Black, I beleive this ink can be avoided totally if you are looking for Black Ink but at the same time if you are game for grey ink at cheap price this is for you.
  20. mehandiratta

    Ink Review - Camlin Scarlet Red

    This is my second review of the ink from the another popular brand in India, CAMLIN KOKUYO whose presence is pan India. Camlin used to manufacture 4 colors of ink in India under brand name CAMEL as follows: Scarlet Red Royal Blue Green Permanent BlackBut lately they have stopped manufacturing the Green and there is a rumor in the market that Scarlet Red might also go of the shelves. This CAMEL Scarlet Red ink , which I will be reviewing today was procured from local market in Delhi for meagre Rs. 15 for 60 ml glass bottle. Camlin Scarlet Red It is a dye based ink and it has turned out to be one of my all time favorite inks. Its bright shocking red ink. Love it. Camel inks or Camlin inks are currently the most used inks in India because of their pan India presence. INK SPLASH Camlin Scarlet Red – Ink Splash on Bilt Matrix – 70 gsm Camlin Scarlet Red – Ink Splash on JK Executive Bond Paper – 100 gsm DROP ON PAPER NAPKIN Camlin Scarlet Red – Ink Drop on Paper Napkin COLOR MATCH Camlin Scarlet Red – Color Match WRITING SAMPLES Camlin Scarlet Red – Writing Sample on Bilt Matrix (70 gsm) using 3 pens of varying nibs widths Camlin Scarlet Red – Writing Sample on JK Bond Paper (100 gsm) using 3 pens of varying nibs widths Camlin Scarlet Red – Writing Sample on Camlin School Notebook using 3 pens of varying nibs widths The writing makes it clear that this ink offers no or very little shading. But still i love the brightness of this ink, the red brightness it has to offer. So in to your eyes. The ink does not feather at all even on the normal school notebooks and is a very well behaved ink. INK SWABS Camlin Scarlet Red – Ink Swab Sample on Bilt Matrix (70gsm) – 3 swabs, 2 swabs and 1 swab from Left to Right Camlin Scarlet Red – Ink Swab Sample on JK Bond Paper (100 gsm) – 3 swabs, 2 swabs and 1 swab from Left to Right Camlin Scarlet Red – Ink Swab Sample on Camlin School Notebook – 3 swabs, 2 swabs and 1 swab from Left to Right WATERPROOF TEST Camlin Scarlet Red – Waterproof test Its not waterproof at all. Just one run of tap water and all gets washed away. BLOW UP WRITING SAMPLE Camlin Scarlet Red – Writing sample close up on JK Bond paper (100 gsm) Camlin Scarlet Red – Writing sample close up Bilt Matrix (70 gsm) CONCLUSION: I like the shade of Red thats offered by Camlin. This ink is nice wet ink and has a normal dry up time. It does not clog up the pen even if kept in the pen for a week or two. One more thing is that doesn’t stain the Pen if you are using any demonstrator. Moreover i find it better than other inexpensive red inks in India and some international inks. Must buy if you are in India and love the Red Color Ink. For further details and entries, please visit my blog LINK
  21. mehandiratta

    Ink Review : Bril Royal Blue

    I have stocked up lot of inks, especially inks like Chelpark, Camlin, Bril and Sulekha. All these are region specific like Chelpark is easily available in North India and Bril's availability is limited to Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai, and Sulekha only available in Kolkatta that too few colors against 11 colors listed on webpage and lastly Camlin is available pan India. The review is about the Bril Royal Blue Ink, which happens to be my first ink review. And before I go further I would really like to thank Visvamitra and Lgsoltek, whose ink reviews I personally like a lot and is the inspiration for the ink review. Bril inks are one of the most used and admired inks in India. Bril has been in existence since 1964 and are based out of Bangalore. Bril Royal Blue is one of the most used inks in India after Camlin Blue and it is priced at Rs. 15 (US $ 0.25) for 60 ml glass bottle. INK SPLASH Ink Splash on Bilt Matrix - 70 gsm Ink Splash on Century Copy Paper - 70 gsm Drop on Paper Napkin Color Match Writing Samples Bril Royal Blue – Writing Sample on Bilt Matrix (70 gsm) using 3 pens of varying nibs width Bril Royal Blue – Writing Sample on Camlin School Notebook using 3 pens of varying nibs width Bril Royal Blue – Writing Sample on Century Copy paper (70 gsm) using 3 pens of varying nibs width Ink Swabs Bril Royal Blue – Ink Swab Sample on Bilt Matrix (70 gsm) – 3 swabs, 2 swabs and 1 swab from Left to Right For further details and waterproof test, please visit my blog LINK
  22. mehandiratta

    Pen Review : Wality 70 Am

    Walitys or Airmail are one of the most sought after Indian fountain pen manufacturers. Both brands are manufactured by AIRMAIL PEN COMPANY based out of Mumbai, India. And they have a good lineup of fountain pen and most of them are Eyedroppers and few of them are Piston fillers. My previous review of the two other Wality Pens I have reviewed are as follows: Wality 52 PD Wality 69 A The pen that I am reviewing or we will be discussing about is one of the sleeker version of the Wality/Airmail pens and is named as WALITY 70AM or AIRMAIL 70AM. (A = Acrylic and M = Medium). DESIGN & BUILT: 5/5 Made out of premium acrylic in brownish orange marbled and swirled finish, this is one of the best designed pen Wality pen. And it comes only in one color and that is orange brown swirls with pearlescent effect and in actual it feels really premium. The cap is made of metal in silver color and has guilloche design pattern in matte finish. The cap bottom or the lip has an extension which is made of the same acrylic material of which the pen is made of. Actually it seems the metal cap is bonded to the acrylic cap through some process. The cap top is in shiny chrome finish which is in dome shape. and even the clip is in shiny chrome finish. The pen clip is sturdy and stiff and will fit even shirt pockets and not slide. The section of the pen is small and when i try to hold the pen in my hands my fingers touches the threads which actually are smooth and not that sharp and they actually provide the grip to otherwise slippery hands. The pen easily opens in 1 and 1/2 turns which actually is not seen in Indian handmade ebonite pens. The pen actually tapers from lower half of the barrel towards the section gradually. Its slender well-built pen. The built quality of pen is far above acceptable, the only glitch remains is the Nib and the feed placement and alignment which we will be discussing later in “Nib and Ink Filling Mechanism” section later. As you can see in the image below the thickness of the acrylic in the barrel, its evident the quality is okay. Below are the few images which shows the comparison with few other pens to get the idea for size of pen. (From Left to Right ) ASA I.Can , Jinhao X750, Pilot MR, Wality 70 AM (From Left to Right ) ASA I.Can , Jinhao X750, Pilot MR, Wality 70 AM The pen is well built and well designed just one or two quality finishes you might encounter which are not noticeable to human naked eye. For Further detailed review including handwritten sample and review. Kindly visit my blog here : LINK
  23. Dear All This is a group buy effort for the Ranga Bamboo Model - 16 mm dia. Best Prices will be unlocked only after we reach 25 members. So kindly register for a group buy whoever is interested. Details of the pen in two options are as below: Ranga Bamboo (Eye Dropper Version): Finish - Polished or Matte (Bakul)Clip Option - White or Gold Colored Clip or Clip-lessNib Option : Wality F Gold Colored, Wality M Chrome Finish, Bock (With Conklin imprinted) M or B is available Default settings: Wality Fine nib & Clip-less model penColors available: Mottled Brown, Solid Black, Brown Ripple, Green Ripple, Olive Ripple, Yellow Ripple, Blue Ripple,Pink Ripple. Ranga Bamboo Pen with German Screw in nib (Jowo/ Schmidt) and Converter: Finish - Polished or Matte (Bakul)Clip Option - White or Gold Colored Clip or Clip-lessConverter : Schmidt K5 ConverterNib Option : JoWo Nibs ​​/ Schmidt NibsJoWo Nibs options : Gold Color Mono tone M or B nib, Silver Color Mono tone F or B, Dual Tone EF, F, M, B , 1.5 Italic (Steel Nibs)Schmidt Nib options: Gold Color monotone F, M, or B.Default settings: Schmidt Gold Colored monotone F nibColors available: Mottled Brown, Solid Black, Brown Ripple, Green Ripple, Olive Ripple, Yellow Ripple, Blue Ripple,Pink Ripple. Images are as below :
  24. This is the review of custom designed pen PORUS (caved in version) executed by ASA pens. The detailed review of the pen is done here : LINK ASA Porus (Customized Pen) There is a brief history about the pen that I am reviewing today. There was always an urge to design and get a customized pen and actually get executed. It all started whenPradeep from Mumbai took initiative to bring all like minded crazy people who just love fountain pen and actually are real serious about them. One fine day Sulagno (I hope i have spelled his name correctly) asked why cant we do a customized pen and seeing an opportunity i jumped in and gave certain design inputs and offered to do CAD drafting for the same. What came out is a series of design inputs by Me, Sulagno, Rakshit, Pradeep, Anirban Bhattacharya, Burhan (from Singapore) and not to miss out Mr. Subramaniam of ASA Pens, who was the guy who gave certain technical inputs and who in actual executed one more custom pen after the SNIPER. ASA Porus – Beauty So here we are with new pristine white pen PORUS (named after Great Indian King- Porus, who was well built and tall). ASA Porus DESIGN & BUILT: There were lot of iterations done for the design of the Pen. Pen had to be over sized, fat pen with long grip section that criteria was clear from the beginning. Three iteration were made, one flat top straight shaped, second stepped design and third the cigar shaped and lot of liking went for the cigar shaped and it was finalized for design. ASA Porus – Uncapped It is designed to be clip less pen to give it a minimalist look. This is a no fuss design with no metal parts except the nib. It is a pure beauty when kept on the table. Just so clean, simple and elegant. This is a pristine white pious pen. Sign of peace. ASA Porus – Photoshoot Made of out of high quality white acrylic this pen has thick acrylic section and has fantastic built quality. Seems well built. however i will be careful to use it as it is milky white and top of that it is acrylic and has a bit of heft. A fall here or there might give certain crack or damage the pen. So I take precaution while using it for sure. To add to this unlike other Indian acrylic cheap pens it has no Odor. ASA Porus – Close up Overall a well designed and executed pen which is equally well built. ASA Porus – Aptly named Now moving to certain details. The pen has rounded cap top and rounded barrel bottom which is quite evident in the pictures. ASA Porus – Rounded top and bottom The pen opens in 7 turns which i beleive is bit on higher side. Can certainly be reduced. But that doesn’t take way the credit of amazing built quality of pen. ASA Porus – Uncapped Cap has in built inner lining and has breather hole to avoid moist deposits inside the cap. So that nib can breathe. Images below might give clearer picture. ASA Porus Cap Closeup with breather hole ASA Porus – Cap inner view Porus comes in two versions one is flat flushed version and other is caved in flushed version. In both the cases cap is flushed with the barrel ASA Porus Flat Flushed Version vs ASA Porus Caved in Flushed version along side Gama Supreme (Pic Credits : ASA Pens) ASA Porus – Caving around meeting point of cap and barrel ASA Porus – Slightly Opened cap showing 2 mm caving in The pen is over sized jumbo pen which you can have an idea from few images below. ASA Porus vs Gama Kuyil vs Pilot Metropolitan vs ASA Rainbow vs Gama Airborne – Shot 1 The detailed review of the same can be found here : LINK
  25. mehandiratta

    Gama Airborne

    The pen I’m about to review to review always amazed me by the looks. It has been reviewed by Hari here on FPN ) So following is my review of the pen with my inputs and writing samples and close up images. DESIGN : One of the most beautifully designed pen I’ve come across. Very slim profile pen. Easily fits in the pocket. Long cap rounded at top with gold plated clip which really complements the pen color. Made of ebonite, comes in 5 colors shiny black, matte black, green rippled, brown rippled, and light brown rippled. This pen comes with stock gold plated nib which again complements the design. I believe brown and gold color really go along very well. The pen cap opens with 5 turns just like many Indian ebonite pens. The clip is bit flexible and as mentioned earlier is good plated with no inscriptions, looks wonderful. The top of the cap is rounded and the bottom of the barrel of pen tapers down to sharp narrow rounded profile. The pen size is comparable to Pilot Metropolitan in length but in thickness this pen is of slim profile. Below are the images of pen compared to metropolitan and Gama Kuyil. I would say I love the design of the pen. For more details and handwritten review and handwriting sample. Please follow my blog LINK





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