A Review Of The Wahl Eversharp Decoband In Rosewood

[offbase]

I have the same pen in Wild celluloid, and I am not crazy about the filling system. Any pen with a sac or bladder is going to need a replacement at least once during the user's lifetime; probably more than one. I have been sitting for years with a Vac, a John Holland lever and an old Waterman's filigree lever to get sac replacements. They're just a PITA, IMO.

 

I will take the Montblanc or Pelikan piston systems any day of the week.

Edited April 1, 2020 by offbase

[Blorgy]

In order to appreciate the filler in the Decoband, it helps to have an appreciation of the history of fountain pens. I appreciate the filler partly because a long time ago Chilton used to make pens with fillers that resembled the filler in the Decoband.

[como]

I like this filling system: a vintage touch and low maintenance. Changing a sac takes 5 minutes. The thing to look out for is that if the tubes are air tight enough to draw the amount of ink as designed. Mine works perfectly but it's possible that some have less than standard tolerance. If it's not drawing nearly as much as it should, you will need to send it back. Putting some silicon grease on the metal threads should help with air tightness too.

 

Rubber sacs last a long time, easily 10 years, if you don't put sac-rotting ink in it. Two years ago I bought a Conway Stewart NOS from 1950s. When I opened the section, I found an original sac still supple and totally usable. Of course as a rule, I changed the sac. But the point is that rubber sacs are generally robust.

Have you or other members had any experience with the durability of the sac? I've had my eye on this pen for awhile but now that I'm about ready to order one, I've developed qualms about the filling mechanism. I used to enjoy/explore various fills but have come to really appreciate a piston filler, eye dropper, or good old converter. This fill mechanism reminds me of my Sheaffer Legacy which failed over time, later learned that many had difficulties with it, so now it's cartridge fill only. Has anyone had longer term experience with the Decoband?

[lovemy51]

 

Thank you

The wet nib has a generous flow & hides some of the nice flex. (not comparable to vintage flex). Some actual performance remains hidden. Posting a pic with TR paper/Wahlberry ink which reveals a little more.

sorry, just got back to this post. Thanx for the reply and i see what you mean... nice pen, nevertheless. hope you are enjoying it

 

[gerigo]

Como, could you help explain what are sac rotting inks?

 

Someone previously in a different thread showed that Iroshizuku inks are sac rotting because they are very alkaline. I personally have experienced this before with Iros melting sacs in some of my older pens. Are iron gall or highly acidic inks also sac rotting? It should not be the case right since iron gall inks have been around as as long as fountain pens have been around? Are ph neutral inks the ones we should use?

 

 

I like this filling system: a vintage touch and low maintenance. Changing a sac takes 5 minutes. The thing to look out for is that if the tubes are air tight enough to draw the amount of ink as designed. Mine works perfectly but it's possible that some have less than standard tolerance. If it's not drawing nearly as much as it should, you will need to send it back. Putting some silicon grease on the metal threads should help with air tightness too.

 

Rubber sacs last a long time, easily 10 years, if you don't put sac-rotting ink in it. Two years ago I bought a Conway Stewart NOS from 1950s. When I opened the section, I found an original sac still supple and totally usable. Of course as a rule, I changed the sac. But the point is that rubber sacs are generally robust.

 

[como]

Hi gerigo, I must admit that my knowledge and experience with inks is rather limited. I don't put exotic/fancy inks in pens that I think might rot the sac, stain the barrel, or clog the ink channel etc. As you said, there are quite a few threads dealing with this topic and worth researching. When it comes to really nice pens that do not use c/c system, I just stick to the basic Waterman, Parker, Pelikan, MB inks that I know don't have any problems with my pens. Also I don't use a pen for very long, usually just a few days. So no ink sits in any pen for too long and pens are always cleaned thoroughly after use. I don't worry too much about pen with sac, as it's easy to replace a sac. The trouble starts if the ink rots the sac and is forgotten in this particular model, where the ink then can corrode the metal tube.

Como, could you help explain what are sac rotting inks?

 

 

 

[gerigo]

Como, thanks!

 

Hi gerigo, I must admit that my knowledge and experience with inks is rather limited. I don't put exotic/fancy inks in pens that I think might rot the sac, stain the barrel, or clog the ink channel etc. As you said, there are quite a few threads dealing with this topic and worth researching. When it comes to really nice pens that do not use c/c system, I just stick to the basic Waterman, Parker, Pelikan, MB inks that I know don't have any problems with my pens. Also I don't use a pen for very long, usually just a few days. So no ink sits in any pen for too long and pens are always cleaned thoroughly after use. I don't worry too much about pen with sac, as it's easy to replace a sac. The trouble starts if the ink rots the sac and is forgotten in this particular model, where the ink then can corrode the metal tube.

 

[como]

gerigo, maybe you can ask SamCapote? https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/352854-why-do-you-buy-ink/page-6?do=findComment&comment=4315441

See post #109 (well, you can't miss it).

Como, thanks!

 

 

[Blorgy]

MB inks that I know don't have any problems with my pens.

 

In the past Montblanc sold an iron-gall ink. It was called blue-black until its name changed in 2010 to midnight-blue. After 2013, Montblanc stopped selling iron-gall inks. This may be relevant because occasionally people buy old bottles of ink at pen shows.

The late Frank Dubiel suggested that if he always used the same pen, and if he always filled it with Sheaffer Skrip ink (which was then made in USA), there was no need to rinse his pen with water. When I was young, I kept using the same two pens, I used Parker ink, and I did not rinse my pens with water.

Edited April 22, 2020 by Blorgy

[mauckcg]

I have the same pen in Wild celluloid, and I am not crazy about the filling system. Any pen with a sac or bladder is going to need a replacement at least once during the user's lifetime; probably more than one. I have been sitting for years with a Vac, a John Holland lever and an old Waterman's filigree lever to get sac replacements. They're just a PITA, IMO.

 

I will take the Montblanc or Pelikan piston systems any day of the week.

I could have sworn reading somewhere it is a silicone sack instead of rubber. I can't find that though so we shall see. Very happy with my celluloid Decoband and it is by far the largest pen i own at this point.

[gerigo]

I could have sworn reading somewhere it is a silicone sack instead of rubber. I can't find that though so we shall see. Very happy with my celluloid Decoband and it is by far the largest pen i own at this point.

The Decoband is very regular sized compared to the Danitrios, Namiki Emperors and the ASC Bologna Extras. My measure of whether a pen is large is whether it fits into a Visconti pen case. While the Decobands are girthy, their aren't super long.

[como]

I think this kind of pneumatic/vacumatic filling system would be better off with a thin walled rubber sac. Silicon sac is too stiff to be operated from air pressure.

I could have sworn reading somewhere it is a silicone sack instead of rubber. I can't find that though so we shall see. Very happy with my celluloid Decoband and it is by far the largest pen i own at this point.

[PAKMAN]

Love the look and styling of this pen! Not a fan of the size, just too big.

[XYZZY]

I could have sworn reading somewhere it is a silicone sack instead of rubber. I can't find that though so we shall see. Very happy with my celluloid Decoband and it is by far the largest pen i own at this point.

 

Zaddick also posted a review of this pen, and answered that question:

 

 

I confirmed the sac is latex. According to Syd, true silicone was too supple and they do not use vinyl. The column of ink in the sac when full has to be held without the sac collapsing under the weight of the ink. Silicone was not up to the task so good old latex to the rescue.

[como]

Thank you for the comments. It‘s always good to directly hear about the choice of material used from the person involved in the design process. I‘ve read quite a few sources about silicon vs. latex. While I understand the benefit of using silicon, with all things considered, I prefer latex sacs. One source of confusing, and I don‘t remember where I read this, is that whether silicon is too stiff to be operated with pressure bar, or too fragile for it.

 

There is a link to another discussion on silicon vs. latex that I enjoyed reading and learning. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/95482-silicone-vs-latex-sacs/

 

Zaddick also posted a review of this pen, and answered that question:

 

[georges zaslavsky]

An oustanding pen which is greatly built Thanks for sharing the review

[mauckcg]

The Decoband is very regular sized compared to the Danitrios, Namiki Emperors and the ASC Bologna Extras. My measure of whether a pen is large is whether it fits into a Visconti pen case. While the Decobands are girthy, their aren't super long.

The oversize is almost too wide for a three pen Visconti case.

 

 

Zaddick also posted a review of this pen, and answered that question:

 

 

Probably where i saw it then.

[cgreenberg19]

Very pretty pen. It's been on my "list", but I haven't bought it yet.

[CoolBreeze]

@sannidh - This was an absolutely fantastic review. I loved its thoroughness and lovely pictures. It was a real treat. Thanks for taking the time to put it together!

 

Just curious - when you said its "parts" prefer acidic inks...may I ask which parts? Is it more than just the sac? If so, I am assuming its the gold ring at the very end of the section that you dip into the ink during fill? I think you said some ink can get trapped between the section and that part which may lead to the potential of corrosion? I may be mistaken though.

Edited April 29, 2020 by CoolBreeze

[Blorgy]

I think this kind of pneumatic/vacumatic filling system would be better off with a thin walled rubber sac.

 

I can see strong similarities between the Decoband’s filler, a Touchdown, and a Snorkel. I cannot see much similarity between the Decoband’s filler and a Vacumatic.