A Review of Deccan Advocate and Cigar

[Harish N V]

Hello everybody. This is a review of twin pens that I received from Deccan. These models are namely the famous Deccan Advocate and the Deccan Cigar. Iam naming the second pen as cigar owing to the shape and this is probably not the name designated by Deccan pens. I must at the outset state that these pens are very very impressive. 

 

INSPIRATION BEHIND THE PURCHASE

 

The inspiration behind this purchase has been Hari 317 on this forum. In one of his topics or responses, he mentioned about his ever inked Deccan Advocate which really prompted me get in touch with the store to place an order. Also my Ranga model 3 is also an inspiration in the sense that it made me more interested in the duofold shaped pens. The Cigar purchase just was purely due to the gorgeous ripple ebonite pattern and the shape and size of the pen that inspired the purchase. Mr Hassan from the Deccan pen store shared some pictures and size comparisons which made it irresistible. 

 

THE PICTURE

 

 

 

PURCHASE PROCESS AND DETAILS

 

The purchasing is very simple and straightforward. The people at Deccan at very polite and helpful. The delivery and order placing was hazzle free and prompt. There were no delays whatsoever the pen took about 5-6 days to reach my place. There is unfortunately no website available. So one need to get in touch with the store through their landline number or you can also reach the people through whatsapp. GIven below are the contact details. The pens arrive via speed post with very minimal packaging involved. I like the simplicity of this. 

 

Mr Hassan Siddiqui- 09866935135

 

THE HISTORY OF THE SHOP

 

The Deccan store has a remarkable history of 92 years and the history is given in the link below. But apart from this you can find many other stories also. This is just one link. 

https://lbb.in/hyderabad/deccan-pen-store-begumpet/

 

THE DESIGN AND FEATURES
 

These pens are classic. The cigar is a classic pen and is slightly smaller than the Deccan Advocate. The Cigar has a seamless finish, an hourglass section and is a clipless pen. This has a lovely brown and black ebonite pattern with black dots and the colour and design are extremely attractive. The grip of the cigar is quite long, comfortable and hour glass shaped. The pen opens in about 6 turns and has single start threads which are cut well. The top side of the pen has two concentric circular patterns to differentiate the top and bottom. The pen is a humble eye dropper and comes with an ebonite feed and a Kanwrite nib and the size can be chosen from a variety of options. I opted for BB. 

 

 

The Advocate is a larger pen than the cigar pen and comes in a stunning matte black finish. This pen shape is inspired from the duofold and there is a subtle cap band which is indicated by a polished finish as opposed to the matte finish of the overall pen. The pen has a silver clip that is very functional. The clip has been changed and the earlier models had a more regular cap. This pen opens in about 4 turns. The filling system and nib and feed systems are identical to the cigar in every way and this I ordered with a Kanwrite M nib. 

 

 

 

Both the pens have 35mm or no: 6 size nibs. 

 

THE CRAFTSMANSHIP

 

These pens in my opinion have been crafted really well. I love both the pens in their own way and they have been crafted very well. The grip sections have been done really well. The grip sections are not straight and monotonous but rather flare out at the top near the nib and are extremely comfortable while holding. There is quite a lot of attention given here and I thoroughly appreciate this aspect. The cigar pen has been very well polished and the tooling marks are minimal. The matte finish on the advocate has been done very well. The slight discomfort with the advocate is that the threads on the cap rub against the section a bit and hence leave a few marks. But Iam able to overlook this and I really like minor imperfections in my handmade pens.  

 

THE LOVELY GRIP SECTION

 

A LOVELY PATTERN

 

The bottom half of the advocate has a very nice tapering to enable posting and this shows high level of skill involved in the making process. 

 

Overall very very well crafted pens they are. 

 

SIZE COMPARISON

 

The advocate is a a big pen. I wont call it huge as that realm is reserved for some of the Ranga pens. I find the size perfect for me and will surely help me out with long writing sessions. The cigar is more comparable to Ranga model 3 even though it is quite a bit girthier than the model 3.

  

Left to Right: Deccan Advocate, model 3, model 8 and cigar. 

 

 

BALANCE
 

The pens are very well balanced. Even though huge, they are well balanced and can be written too for hours. The cigar cannot be posted and is very comfortable as such. The Advocate can be posted but it becomes a monster by posting. These pens can endure long hours of writing and can take a variety of Kanwrite nib options depending on preferences. 

 

WRITING
 

The pens write really well. The BB nib needed to be polished just a touch to remove baby's bottom. The feeders were really good and the nibs wrote very well after inking up. However as a part of my usual procedure, I just soaked the nib and feed overnight and then inked them up and they are my everyday writers for the past week. I especially loved the BB nib and it being on the cigar is perfect for me. I love broader nibs on small pens and finer points on bigger pens. I take the Deccan also to my classes when I teach Chemistry problems for my students. I write about 3 to 4 pages of my journal with these pens in rotation and they are so comfortable. 

 

I must also mention that my experience with Kanwrite nibs have been very positive and these number 6 nibs come in so many options that Kanwrite provides and one can keep on playing with exciting nibs that are inexpensive and easy to purchase. 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

These pens are an extremely satisfying purchase for me. Iam a big fan of Indian Handmade pens and these pens certainly are really good. I like the craftsmanship and also the size and balance of these pens. Also the feeling of ebonite is so good. These pens are extremely affordable ( Advocate - INR 1650 and Cigar- INR 2200) and offer great value for price. It is a must have for passionate pen collectors. Thanks to Mr Hassan for helping me out with purchasing these beauties. Also thanks to Hari 317 for your inspiration. 

 

[langere]

Thanks for this great review!  It gave me a real sense of what the pens must be like to write with.

 

Erick

[Harish N V]

Thanks a lot Erick for reading the review. Iam happy that it gave you a feel of these pens. 

[K Singh]

Congratulations on the lovely Deccans. Enjoyed reading your detailed review 👍 

 

Nice to see you have started exploring other Indian pens as well. Like you, I too am a fan of Indian ebonite pens. And like you the posts by Hari Sir have been a huge inspiration for my pen purchases too.

[Harish N V]

Hi K Singh,

 

Thanks for reading the review. Iam planning for a woodex next. WHat model would you personally suggest? What is the pricing like? Also which model compares to the deccan advocate?

[mtcn77]

Great nib! You got me hooked on Kanwrite BB, what a great performer it is.

[Harish N V]

Yes. Absolutely. They might need however a tiny but of work. Heat setting, flossing the tines and some removal of baby's bottom

[K Singh]

42 minutes ago, Harish N V said:

Hi K Singh,

 

Thanks for reading the review. Iam planning for a woodex next. WHat model would you personally suggest? What is the pricing like? Also which model compares to the deccan advocate?

Woodex Model 4 is very similar to Deccan Advocate. Pricing is lower compared to Deccan. Personally Woodex model 39 is my favorite. You can see all these pics in Hari Sir's post here including the Model 4 alongside 39 so can have an idea on its size. They also offer Woodex 39 with 40mm ambitious nib. 

 

[Harish N V]

22 hours ago, K Singh said:

Woodex Model 4 is very similar to Deccan Advocate. Pricing is lower compared to Deccan. Personally Woodex model 39 is my favorite. You can see all these pics in Hari Sir's post here including the Model 4 alongside 39 so can have an idea on its size. They also offer Woodex 39 with 40mm ambitious nib. 

 

Hi K singh, 

 

I got in touch with Mr Narasimha from Woodex yesterday and have ordered a model 4 from them with a #6 Kanwrite M nib. Iam excited. I will hopefully get it sometime coming week. 

[K Singh]

2 hours ago, Harish N V said:

Hi K singh, 

 

I got in touch with Mr Narasimha from Woodex yesterday and have ordered a model 4 from them with a #6 Kanwrite M nib. Iam excited. I will hopefully get it sometime coming week. 

Great 👍. Look forward to your views on it compared to the Deccan Advocate.

[Harish N V]

Yes. Will surely post a review after getting the pen. 

[amberleadavis]

We look over and seeing it!

[Savit]

Nice pens. Deccan Author is another good pen from Deccan.

[Harish N V]

Oh. Yes I have heard of the author.I have asked currently for a custom pen from Deccan. Also iam keen on the bullet jr.