Kanwrite PC Metal... An underrated but excellent EDC pen

[Aravind_A_2310]

Kanwrite or Kanpur Writers is one of the most popular pen companies in India and outside (If you've used a noodler's pen, Chances are high that it may be made by Kanwrite...). Though their Desire and heritage have stolen the show for most of us, there are a few hidden gems in the brand... One of which is the PC, which has slowly gained traction in recent times. 

I bought this PC (which along with the Relik, a similar student pen with a hooded nib), directly from Mr. Sandeep Awasthi, who is the owner of Kanwrite. And suffice to say that I've found my new favorite EDC pen might be a bit of an understatement... Because I LOVE this pen...

 

Design and Build

 

Like I said before, Kanwrite makes some of the noodler's pens. and they say they use this "celluloid derivative" plastic... So it should smell like some harsh chemical right ? well, for me at least, surprisingly, there wasn't any smell on the pen (the body at least... we'll get to the innerds later...). The pen resembles the old Reform piston fillers that were sold in the 70's as student pens and the closest looking pen I have is the Beena Lincoln. It's a very handsome pen with good overall build for the price... Mine is an opaque blue color with a steel cap and gold clip, And it's a very smart looking guy...

 

 

Ergonomics wise, although the pen is on the thinner side, If you're coming from a ballpoint or gel pen you'll be right at home. It fits nicely in the hand and because it's very light, you can write for hours without any fatigue and the pen can certainly hold enough ink to suffice that. The pen is certainly long enough for me to write unposted, but  do like the extra heft it gives me posted, plus it doesn't throw off the balance so it is just as comfortable to write, even on my long skinny hands, it's a joy to write with...

 

Before we move on, Here is a size comparison with some other pens, capped and uncapped... In order from top to bottom

• Parker Vector Std. with custom grind
• Beena Lincoln
• Kanwrite PC metal
• Airmail/Wality 69(nice...)T with Kanwrite No.35(international #6 for anyone wondering) F nib
• Kanwrite Desire 35

 

 

The pen comes with a screw on piston filling system which can hold quite a lot of ink compared to standard cartridges or converters. And there comes the familiar chemical smell of the vegetal resin and phew... it stinks!!! though I don't mind it, funnily enough...  One thing I'll recommend is to put something to act as an agitator as the ink tends to cling to the top of the converter (I salvaged the ball bearing from an old parker converter and put in in the PC's piston filler). the piston action is smooth partly because they have smeared it with a ton of silicone grease that i actually ended up cleaning the pen and re greasing it because I felt it was too much grease...

 

Thankfully the pen has enough threads and it is pre greased so you can eyedropper the pen as well....

 

Nib, Feed And Writing

 

The nib used n the PC is a custom steel nib made in house by Kanwrite. It's a fine nib by western standards and on the fine side of a medium nib by Japanese standards. The nib is then friction fit into what looks like a plastic feed but the part which actually draws the ink is ebonite (watch this Video to have a closer look  at the feed) and with the writing samples, the feed is more than adequate enough to supply the ink even for fast writing (As the Pier Gustafson test will show Thanks @Waski_the_Squirrel)...

 

 

And coming to the all important writing test... this is what makes or breaks the pen, and BOY... does this deliver... the pen just glides on paper and puts ink with near as makes no difference, no pressure at all. The writing was done on 70gsm printer paper that was locally available (I'm the kind of person to think the pen should suit the need of the paper... not the other way around), Since it is a F nib, there is no feathering or bleed-through (Also probably because I was using Bril ink, Which tends to be a drier ink). There is a hint of feedback but it's a pleasant feedback, not what you call scratchy but adds to the overall enjoyment of the pen which considering it's a Kanwrite nib I was expecting, and it didn't disappoint. And No.... I didn't check how quick the brown fox jumps over the lazy dog!

 

Here is a writing sample of the pen (Pardon the poor penmanship):

 

 

Conclusion And Final Verdict

Overall, For around  ₹ 350/- (Approx. $6) when bought directly from Kanwrite (Which I did...) It is a pretty dang good value and a must have to any fountain pen collector, and one of the more underrated beginner pens in my opinion. My advice... Buy it... You won't regret It.

 

You can buy the PC from the below info(No affiliation whatsoever):

• For people in India, I'd recommend you buy the pen directly from Mr. Awasthi as it is the cheapest way than buying from Amazon or other pentailers) 
  • Call or Whatsapp him at +919305456599
  • or mail them at kanpurwriters@gmail.com
• For people outside India, I'd say check Fountain Pen Revolution HERE. (Or can any of our fellow friends post another way of getting it outside India?)

Anyway... That's been it. if you've reached this far... thanks for tolerating my review and I'll see you around in the forum....Bye

[Catpaws]

I just got one of these and I really like it. It's going to be perfect for taking notes. Thanks for the review!

[Aravind_A_2310]

10 hours ago, Catpaws said:

I just got one of these and I really like it. It's going to be perfect for taking notes. Thanks for the review!

Your most Welcome 🙏

[bugsydog55]

Also have one of these and I concur with your review.  In the US Kanwrite doesn't get much attention outside of folks that know about Fountain Pen Revolution.  I've been a fan of Indian pens for several years and have cases full of them from all types of makers.  But, for some mysterious reason, I've grown to really appreciate the common, everyday pens that any person might be able to afford.  So, alond with the handmade ebonites and fancy acrylics, I may have a Camlin or a Click or an Airmail inked up.  I enjoy your reviews and thank you for bringing some attention to a pen and pen maker many people don't recognize.

[Aravind_A_2310]

26 minutes ago, bugsydog55 said:

Also have one of these and I concur with your review.  In the US Kanwrite doesn't get much attention outside of folks that know about Fountain Pen Revolution.  I've been a fan of Indian pens for several years and have cases full of them from all types of makers.  But, for some mysterious reason, I've grown to really appreciate the common, everyday pens that any person might be able to afford.  So, alond with the handmade ebonites and fancy acrylics, I may have a Camlin or a Click or an Airmail inked up.  I enjoy your reviews and thank you for bringing some attention to a pen and pen maker many people don't recognize.

Thank you for your kind response🙏. In my opinion, fountain pens apart from being an artwork, should first and foremost be functional( I'm not ragging on brands like ranga, lotus and others, infact, I'm quite a fan of their work... I've always been a function over form kind of guy...)... What's a good looking pen if it doesn't write?... I've always liked these affordable pens since they're affordable(Even for India, as some of the well known budget pens like the metro and the safari are out of budget for many), inconspicuous, yet dead reliable (they're designed as everyday workhorses for the masses) and surprisingly durable... You always know when you take the pen out to write, it'll write... If you're interested, I have some more reviews in the India and Subcontinent section... I felt my review didn't get enough attention here, so I now frequently post there.

[Savit]

Kanwrite PC, Relik, and Saloon are good models. All three of them are functional and nice writers. Thanks for the review.

[Aravind_A_2310]

1 hour ago, bestillmysoul said:

Kanwrite PC, Relik, and Saloon are good models. All three of them are functional and nice writers. Thanks for the review.

I've yet to buy the saloon... but I do have the relik and the pc... Both of which I've reviewed on FPN and yes... They're very good writers... 

[PuliMorgan]

Thank you for the review. I was planning to upgrade my 11 year old from his Camlin Elegante to Kanwrite Desire. Based on this review, I will buy him a Kanwrite PC instead. It is cheaper than Desire too. Nib looks different from other pens from Kanwrite, but i am sure that Kanwrite never ships a bad nib. I absolutely love their Legacy and Desire models.

 

 

[Aravind_A_2310]

 

47 minutes ago, PuliMorgan said:

Thank you for the review. I was planning to upgrade my 11 year old from his Camlin Elegante to Kanwrite Desire. Based on this review, I will buy him a Kanwrite PC instead. It is cheaper than Desire too. Nib looks different from other pens from Kanwrite, but i am sure that Kanwrite never ships a bad nib. I absolutely love their Legacy and Desire models.

 

 

Thank you for your response. Indeed for a child, the Kanwrite PC might be a better option than the desire in my opinion, as it is much more durable than the Desire (the Desire is made of acrylic and it is prone to cracking on drops, especially the translucent ones as it's more brittle) and can handle drops without any issue, plus the nib is a typical kanwrite fine nib.

One thing to note is that if you buy directly from Kanwrite via mail or whatsapp, you can get it at the best price. Please do PM me if you want their contact info. (you can PM me in FPN or by whatsapp @ +918078057833, I'm From Thrissur BTW)

[PuliMorgan]

14 minutes ago, Aravind_A_2310 said:

 

Thank you for your response. Indeed for a child, the Kanwrite PC might be a better option than the desire in my opinion, as it is much more durable than the Desire (the Desire is made of acrylic and it is prone to cracking on drops, especially the translucent ones as it's more brittle) and can handle drops without any issue, plus the nib is a typical kanwrite fine nib.

One thing to note is that if you buy directly from Kanwrite via mail or whatsapp, you can get it at the best price. Please do PM me if you want their contact info. (you can PM me in FPN or by whatsapp @ +918078057833, I'm From Thrissur BTW)

 

I spoke to Kanwrite Proprietor on WhatsApp, but the price is now Rs~450/- including courier charges. I am rethinking now. 

 

I have bought Desires and Legacy directly from him earlier. You can find my Kanwrite Legacy review somewhere in this forum.

 

I grew up in Thrissur (Machad near Wadakkancheri). Now I am in Kochi. Nice meeting you.

[Aravind_A_2310]

Just now, PuliMorgan said:

 

I spoke to Kanwrite Proprietor on WhatsApp, but the price is now Rs~450/- including courier charges. I am rethinking now. 

 

I have bought Desires and Legacy directly from him earlier. You can find my Kanwrite Legacy review somewhere in this forum.

 

I grew up in Thrissur (Machad near Wadakkancheri). Now I am in Kochi. Nice meeting you.

Can you PM or whatsapp me? I can give you numbers of some pentailers, that can give you some good pens around the 250 - 500  mark.

[Aravind_A_2310]

2 minutes ago, PuliMorgan said:

 

I grew up in Thrissur (Machad near Wadakkancheri). Now I am in Kochi. Nice meeting you.

Excellent, I've came to wadakkancheri a couple of times to see their festival (machadu Maamangam). I live near the thrissur town area. Nice meeting you too.

[PuliMorgan]

36 minutes ago, Aravind_A_2310 said:

Excellent, I've came to wadakkancheri a couple of times to see their festival (machadu Maamangam). I live near the thrissur town area. Nice meeting you too.

 

Machadu Maamangam was OUR festival 🙂. I still cherish the memories of cheering for Manalithara Village during "Kuthira Vela", the wooden horse jumping competition which used to be the main attraction of the festival! 

 

I left Manalithara in 1996, but still visit the place occasionally to meet old friends.

 

Back to the Fountain Pens - Thank you for sharing the details of various pens and pentailers via WhatsApp.

[Aravind_A_2310]

24 minutes ago, PuliMorgan said:

 

Machadu Maamangam was OUR festival 🙂. I still cherish the memories of cheering for Manalithara Village during "Kuthira Vela", the wooden horse jumping competition which used to be the main attraction of the festival! 

 

I left Manalithara in 1996, but still visit the place occasionally to meet old friends.

 

Back to the Fountain Pens - Thank you for sharing the details of various pens and pentailers via WhatsApp.

your welcome😊🙏