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Are Ratnamson Pens Worth Buying in 2022 ?

Dr.Manish Bhalla

By Dr.Manish Bhalla
in India & Subcontinent (Asia)

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Dr.Manish Bhalla Dipped Only

Dr.Manish Bhalla

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I have their model no.32 and I am not satisfied with it's ebonite quality,fabrication and also it's nib. Do any of you feel the same. Please share your views if you have any of their other models.

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hari317 Museum Piece

hari317

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32 minutes ago, Dr.Manish Bhalla said:

#Hari317 your opinion on this brand is needed

sure. I love this brand. It has a history and a heritage. No other company, however good they are, cannot be a Ratnam or a Ratnamson. Their ebonite is sourced from the same place everyone else gets it. There's only one source for Indian ebonite. Their stock steel nib is easily replaced with a kamwrite or ambitious no 5. They used to make nice handmade gold nibs also which are no longer available. So yes they are certainly worth it to me. Whether they are worth it to you, only you can decide. Good luck.

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

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Dr.Manish Bhalla Dipped Only

Dr.Manish Bhalla

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7 hours ago, hari317 said:

sure. I love this brand. It has a history and a heritage. No other company, however good they are, cannot be a Ratnam or a Ratnamson. Their ebonite is sourced from the same place everyone else gets it. There's only one source for Indian ebonite. Their stock steel nib is easily replaced with a kamwrite or ambitious no 5. They used to make nice handmade gold nibs also which are no longer available. So yes they are certainly worth it to me. Whether they are worth it to you, only you can decide. Good luck.

I changed nib to Kanwrite #5.5 and it is writing much better. Thanks 😊 for the suggestion. Previously I was struggling with its stock steel nib. I want to know - Which brand Steel Nib they use in their pens ? I don't think they make nibs themselves.

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hari317 Museum Piece

hari317

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1 minute ago, Dr.Manish Bhalla said:

I want to know - Which brand Steel Nib they use in their pens ?

I don’t know. 

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

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vijaych NOS (New Old Stock)

vijaych

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I have Ratnamson No.21. Very good pen. Few years ago I gave a rather harsh review, but the pen grew on me. I will definitely order more from this brand.

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MidSouthern-Dad Rare

MidSouthern-Dad

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I have a Ratnamson Supreme.   I bought it because of it’s historical lineage as one of the first Indian pen manufacturers.

 

 I swapped the steel nib for a 14k gold flex FPR #6 nib.   These are made by Kanwrite.  I had this in mind when I bought it.  The ebonite feed is easy to heat set to the new nib, and there’s no railroading.

 

The main problem was that the nib kept drying up.  I traced the problem to a vent hole that had been drilled into the chamber for the nib!  A drop of clear epoxy closed off the hole forever.  Now the pen is still wet even if I don’t write with it for a month.  There’s no moisture on the section, so I didn’t need to put another vent hole in the right location.

 

The last issue is one of taste.  The pen looked dull in its finish.  Using the coarse, then the fine polish sold by Anderson Pens, I got it to the degree of glossiness that I wanted.

 

Overall, a solidly crafted pen.  But I felt the need to improve mine.

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metalhead Rare

metalhead

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Contrary view perhaps. And perhaps because I tried a lot harder (and waited longer) to get one. Unfortunately for me the Ratnamson Supreme didn't click. Especially not at the price point. While built and polished marvelously, my piece had a poor quality clip and ring, and the nib wasn't even close to a decent KW medium performer. I have heard that some people can score a great gold nib from them, but the effort it took for me to just get one pen (calling them many times, waiting for months, then getting a telugu speaker to help me etc, then waiting more) just wasn't worth it. I liked then pen after nib change, but definitely not worth the cost. I have had better luck in terms of quality from Ratnam (through penhouse), ASA, Woodex and PLP, at same or even lower price point. 

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Prof Drew Rare

Prof Drew

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Very interesting discussion. I enjoyed reading about the Swadeshi story of this company in the Debroy/Roy book and on Inked Happiness. Someday I hope to get one or two pens to try. It seems hard to find their pens overseas especially.

 

Happy writing.

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matteob Extremely Rare

matteob

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I have one of their smaller pens with a gold nib which I  bought several years ago. It is precious as it is great quality and it was a real song and dance to get it. After unanswered emails I managed to get the old chap who made them on the phone and place an order. He spoke good English. It was the gold nibs that made these special. I think the company now run by his nephew who has not got his skill do just proprietary nibs: I have enough of those lol.

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Meghdut NOS (New Old Stock)

Meghdut

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On 8/4/2022 at 11:16 AM, hari317 said:

There's only one source for Indian ebonite

where is that? would love more insights on this. 

 

My understanding is that Ratnam and Ratnamson are  ballpoint and fountain pen brand from same company. Is it not? I'm confused because I see different contact points for ratnam and ratnamson. 

Edited by Meghdut
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hari317 Museum Piece

hari317

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9 hours ago, Meghdut said:

where is that? would love more insights on this

Loyal Ebonites, Tiruvallur.

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

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hari317 Museum Piece

hari317

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9 hours ago, Meghdut said:

My understanding is that Ratnam and Ratnamson are  ballpoint and fountain pen brand from same company. Is it not? I'm confused because I see different contact points for ratnam and ratnamson. 

Pls read this post

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

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hari317 Museum Piece

hari317

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12 hours ago, Triplesss said:

is no 32 rathnamson value for money in trms of quality and writing? or is it just legacy and name.

I would recommend only the Supreme. It's a very good pen.

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

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