Jump to content

Asa Athlete


deepak23

Recommended Posts

The ASA Athlete

Got a shiny black athlete recently from ASA Pens last week. This is a 'in-house' attempt by the Chennai based pen seller ASA Pens.

 

The pen is well proportioned and is really well balanced to hold and write. The cap is very nice fit and sits flush with the body. The only grouse is that the cap is a single start thread and it takes a number of turns to get it open. The plus is that the ASA logo lines up perfectly with the clip. The clip is tight and grips well. The cap posts with a little bit of play. However the barrel is quite long and allows for comfortable writing even without posting.

 

The nib is an unmarked one and it writes a wet line with a F to M line (around 0.5mm). The nib is a wet writer and writes pretty smooth on good paper. On normal paper the nib is wee bit scratchy (Have not attempted a polishing yet, but will do so if it continues). The nib is a bit of a temperamental starter especially if starting with flourishes or curves (C, G etc). Well behaved when starting with vertical lines. This could be due to the fact that the nib protrudes quite a bit from the feed. Filled with Chelpark Royal Blue (near identical to older Quinks).

 

The feed is ebonite and is friction fitted.

 

The section has a large number of fine threads that allows safe use as an Eye Dropper pen. The barrel holds a fair amount of ink.

 

In all a great pen, except for the small grouse with the temperamental nib. I hope ASA decides to do the pen with an option of the JoWo nib like in the Gamas at some point in the future.

 

Final ratings

Design and appearance - 5/5 (Its a eye turner)

Build - 5/5 (Solidly built)

Nib and Performance - 3.5/5 (Good typical performance, sadly not the best)

Overall - 4.5/5 (A good VFM buy)

 

(Sorry for the lack of pictures, but the ASA website has good photos. Will try to post pics soon).

 

{Edited to add ink used}

Edited by deepak23

A lifelong FP user...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 8
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • deepak23

    4

  • mrmohitmishra

    4

  • LamyOne

    1

Top Posters In This Topic

Hello Deepak23,

 

This is amazing! I was just talking with Hari about this very pen. :D Yes, from the pictures at the ASA site, it is a real stunner; I'm still trying to decide on a color. I am a little concerned about hearing that it can be a "tricky starter," what ink are you using and have you tried other inks? (Sometimes, the ink can make a difference with start-up problems).

 

Best regards,

 

Chris

Edited by LamyOne

- He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me; and I in him. (JN 6:57)

- "A woman clothed in the sun," (REV 12.1); The Sun Danced at Fatima, Portugal; October 13, 1917.

- Thank you Blessed Mother and St. Jude for Graces and Blessings obtained from Our Lord.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chris,

I have inked it up with a Chelpark Royal Blue (this is a thin slightly under saturated ink similar to Quink) which probable explains the wetness of the line. The starting trouble (to borrow automobile jargon) is not very pronounced and if you have a slightly firm hand this will not be apparent. I have a very light hand and a fast starting stroke and I face trouble on most Pelikans and Kawecos too.

 

I was torn between the mottled brown and the black. Finally played it safe (I have far too many mottled ebonite pens :rolleyes:).

 

I would recommend it. (Truth be told, this is the least temperamental of all IPG marked nibs I have :) )

 

Cheers,

 

Deepak

A lifelong FP user...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I did not have any issue with the start ups. Did you examine the tines and filled it the way an eyedropper should be, I mean , reversing it and getting a few drops out. Did you wash it before you inked it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mrmohitmishra, am not really a newbie. Tried all usual stunts before losing my patience. Asa's Subramaniam was ready to replace the nib, but had to send the pen back to him. Didn't want another trial, so the pen now sports a Schmidt F...

A lifelong FP user...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mrmohitmishra, am not really a newbie. Tried all usual stunts before losing my patience. Asa's Subramaniam was ready to replace the nib, but had to send the pen back to him. Didn't want another trial, so the pen now sports a Schmidt F...

Okk. I did not mean any offence.

Edited by mrmohitmishra
Link to comment
Share on other sites

None taken. Didnt mean to sound prickly. Have 40+ eyedropper pens and have experienced most troubles..

A lifelong FP user...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

None taken. Didnt mean to sound prickly. Have 40+ eyedropper pens and have experienced most troubles..

I know. I am a newbie compared to folks round here.

 

I ordered Crystal LE with a German nib cause I found the nib to be not as sturdy but otherwise it wrote

really well.

 

Some other people had similar experience like you had. It appears that nib is not consistent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33501
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26627
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...