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Asa Genius 2015 Pen Review


vig2432

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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

 

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Edited by vig2432

Vi veri veniversum vivus vici

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Very nice review and aptly captures the essence of this excellent pen...this is my favourite pen too..this was actually based on a design by an famous designer based in Mumbai and also was a challenge to execute. To achieve the acceptable width and length was an achievement.

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Great... Love to see more reviews coming soon from hand.....

 

And i agree that ASA Pens have world class service and offer excellent value for money pens... amazing....

vaibhav mehandiratta

architect & fountain pen connoisseur

 

blog | instagram | twitter

 

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Genius is very good pen. I have the exact same shiny black model.

 

 

16260500191_9efd54593c.jpg

 

 

Genius compared to 78G capped

I put my savings to test

Lamy & Pilot FPs the Best

No more I even think of the rest

(Preference Fine and Extra Fine Nibs)

Pen is meant for writing - not for looking :-)

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Nice review of a very nice pen!

Just one little nit to pick: I think you do the Genius a disservice by calling it a mini version of the I Can. To my mind, the significantly shorter barrel makes for a completely different feel to the pen. I have both - bought at the same time! - and am getting used to both, and I find they feel very different in the hand, despite the similarity in the design...

a fountain pen is physics in action... Proud member of the SuperPinks

fpn_1425200643__fpn_1425160066__super_pi

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Nice review of a very nice pen!

Just one little nit to pick: I think you do the Genius a disservice by calling it a mini version of the I Can. To my mind, the significantly shorter barrel makes for a completely different feel to the pen. I have both - bought at the same time! - and am getting used to both, and I find they feel very different in the hand, despite the similarity in the design...

 

True. ASA I can pen is of a traditional indian ebonite ED in which the pen is very large compared to other western models. I called it a mini because this a pocket friendly version of a traditional design. But YMMV

Edited by vig2432

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And a shout out to the proprietor of ASAPens, Mr. Subramaniam for creating a nice pen. He is FPN poster subbucal

Vi veri veniversum vivus vici

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Why did i have to come across this review??? :)

 

Just ordered a matte black edition with broad nib.

 

The Lord works in mysterious ways. Hope you didnt take me as the evangaliser for ASAPens and I hope you enjoy your pen.

Vi veri veniversum vivus vici

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  • 7 months later...

vig2432, One of my Indian friend is going back to Mumbai this weekend. Your review made me drooling on ASA Genius. Which I thought is perfect as I planned to carry daily in my shirt pocket. I've checked asapens.in but, I can't find the option as mentioned on your review. I would like to have the Genius with an F nib coupled with a converter. Could you please tell me if this pen with an F nib and converter would be available in a shop somewhere in Mumbai? in addition, any other pen by ASA or GAMA that you recommend (something along the size of a Pilot Custom 74, my current daily carry)? Thanking you in advance.

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Direct your queries to asapens.in or to the owner subbu_asapens. A C/C option and a F jowo is also available. Check out the new ASA Writer with the versace nib

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Yes. The C/C versions of I can and Genius are called I will and Wizard

 

Thank you for this information. The models I Will and Wizard don't seem to show up on the ASA website...?

Edited by Forsooth
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Better email asapens. Some of his stock doesnt show up on his website. But he keeps them on his inventory. He is generally prompt with his replies

Vi veri veniversum vivus vici

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Better email asapens. Some of his stock doesnt show up on his website. But he keeps them on his inventory. He is generally prompt with his replies

 

Thank you for the follow-up! :)

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  • 1 year later...

Yes. The C/C versions of I can and Genius are called I will and Wizard

 

It's been a while since this review and I can't find anything about the C/C version of the Asa Genius.

Does it currently exist??

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  • 11 months later...

I am bumping up this thread, since my ASA Genius arrived today.

Not too long ago, I was surfing for some Indian ebonite pens, I have several Rangas and one Deccan.

From Asa I have only the acrylic transparent Nauka which however does not tickle my fancy too much for some reason.

I stumbled over the Asa Genius which looked interesting due to the pocket size and the smooth transition section to barrel (which I am always after). The pen is an ED, which was also what I was looking for since I like to have ebonite feeds on my pens if options allow.

The price was also very interesting, 23 Euro free shipment included. (before deciding I also looked up this thread...)

There were only a few colour options available at the time, but the mottled light brown seemed to suit me fine, so I made the order, with Jowo M nib in silver finish and a silver colour clip.

The pen arrived today and it's even nicer than I thought!

I gave the pen a good wash especially inside the barrel (and I did well as there were debris inside from the lathe work) and also scrubbed the threads with an old toothbrush, and inked it up with two (2) droppers full (Ranga's standard dropper) of Waterman Florida Blue (the barrel was still not completely full!...).

I put a very small drop of silicone on the threads (which were rather clean after my washing), closed it, dipped the nib in the ink bottle and then left it to soak up a little.

The nib is smooth, writes a fine line, slightly finer that I expected on an M and is slightly dry. I'll have to see if the tines need loosening up a little.

Although being a "pocket pen" the Genius capped is approx 5mm longer than an Aurora Optima. Uncapped the size is surprisingly identical to the Aurora Optima and extremely comfortable in the hand, the only difference being that the section of the Genius is just a tad wider than the Aurora.

 

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This is an interesting close up of the inside of the section, where you can see the inside end of the feed, the small holes at the top IMO are the ink channels in the feed, I assume...

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Thanks, sansenri, for giving an update on this pen. Mine arrived last week, but I didn't ink it until I saw your post.

 

When you filled the pen, did you turn the pen upside-down before screwing the section all the way on?

That is a little trick which not only prevents burping but also primes the feed so the pen doesn't write dryly.

You just need to do it over the sink or a paper towel because a drip or two may come out.

I did that trick and my Genius isn't writing dryly at all. I did the minimal upgrade to an AsaPens medium nib.

It writes more like a Western fine nib to me. My Jinhao X750 medium is notably broader. However, it is very smooth and a great writer.

 

I find it interesting that they just put a JoWo nib with the original ebonite feed.

When I asked Mr. Subramaniam about ordering eyedropper pens with JoWo nibs, I got the impression that the whole nib unit needed to be installed instead of just the nib. Perhaps it was a miscommunication between us. The reason I didn't go for the JoWo upgrade on the Genius was because I thought it would be turned into a C/C pen due to the nib unit, thus increasing the price significantly. Anyway, the AsaPens nib is excellent and even has a little softness to it.

 

I agree with you about the size of the nib. When I took it out of the bag I thought, "Pockets in India must be really big!" Compared to other Indian ebonite pens it must be small, but it's wider and even longer than most of my pens. I enjoy the girth, though. It prevents me from gripping too hard. I got the matte black version and the textured surface is lovely. All in all, this is a fantastic pen designed to get some serious work done.

Edited by TruthPil

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