Asvine J16 Ebonite.

[Dan Carmell]

5 hours ago, 1pen2pen said:

np, enjoy your pens.

How do you like the Petrified River ebonite? I was very tempted but went for the green/tan/black and then put in a KanWrite titanium EEEF UltraFlex aka EF semi-flex. 

[1pen2pen]

On 2/21/2026 at 7:05 PM, Dan Carmell said:

How do you like the Petrified River ebonite? I was very tempted but went for the green/tan/black and then put in a KanWrite titanium EEEF UltraFlex aka EF semi-flex. 

from a functional point of view it is a good, well built, well-performing pen that lives up to the excellent standard set by the original titanium version of the J16. i have no complaints there at all.

 

from an aesthetic point of view i have two issues, both easily dismissed as nitpicking, but imo there is something not quite right about the ebonite versions of the J16, this one included:

• now that i know more about ebonite i'd have to say that the ebonite used in these J16s is pretty underwhelming. compared to Indian ebonites (for example) the stuff used here -- at least in my ebonite J16s -- is very low key and ... "meh".
• in my opinion the largeish metal fittings of the J16 are somewhat out of proportion. on the Ti version there was no problem, metal on metal and no complaints. here, with the ebonite, they sort of overwhelm and "compete" with the ebonite in an unsatisfying way.

let me put it this way: if i just use the ebonite J16s and don't really look at them they are good pens -- noticeably above average for a Chinese pen -- that feel nice in the hand and perform very well. but, if i look at these pens to admire the aesthetics, i start getting annoyed and question my purchases. i can't say that these are beautiful pens and the shame of it is i really, really wish i could. i fully understand that these are 100% subjective things and of course YMMV is the golden rule here.

 

it occurs to me that maybe the problem is that these pens are maybe a victim of their own success: they are a whisker away from being really great pens, possibly exceptional. given the modest price that's a pretty remarkable thing.

 

my conclusion some time ago was that you pay roughly 50 €/$/£/etc to get a good, solid, nicely performing pen with a satisfying nib and no annoying problems. above that you're paying for bling and aesthetics which is perfectly fine, a beautiful thing can and should be a joy. i don't know what your prices on the ebonite J16s are but for me i didn't pay much above that base 50, so by rights i'm on pretty thin ice complaining that i didn't get something that i didn't pay for.

that said i've seen a fair few reviews of Indian ebonite pens that look quite lovely and (reportedly) perform very well for roughly what the ebonite J16s cost. so yes, i've now gone off to buy some of those and i look forward to seeing what one actually gets for the money.

apologies for the long-winded reply, pet subject and off I went.

[shane27]

totally agree with you   the ebonite is underwhelming, especially after having an Asvine c2000 ebonite. 

[jchch1950]

55 minutes ago, shane27 said:

totally agree with you   the ebonite is underwhelming, especially after having an Asvine c2000 ebonite. 

😟  I hope it will be long-lasting at least.

[1pen2pen]

On 2/23/2026 at 9:32 AM, 1pen2pen said:

... that said i've seen a fair few reviews of Indian ebonite pens that look quite lovely and (reportedly) perform very well for roughly what the ebonite J16s cost. so yes, i've now gone off to buy some of those and i look forward to seeing what one actually gets for the money.

well, i now have a couple Indian ebonite fountain pens in hand -- two Rangas -- to compare to the J16s to and i have to say that i prefer the feel and style of those (all ebonite, no fittings, wise choice of nibs) over the J16s. BUT, that's just a personal preference thing and not really a criticism of the J16s. it has to be said, the J16s come at a pretty good price and that's not nothing.

with the Indian ebonite pens -- especially my Rangas -- it's all about the ebonite: they're loud and proud with it (you might say) and you love it or you don't. with the J16s the ebonite is just one element of the pen, in conjunction with the metal fittings. and, i must now say, the ebonite in the J16s isn't that bad. it might not be my favourite but not every pen can be so ... there it is i guess.

would I buy my J16s again? probably not, since it's a matter of which ebonite pens to buy i think i'd now go for Indian ebonite pens instead. as mentioned though, that's just my preferences talking. and there are other factors here too: MUCH wider selection of ebonites with the Indian pens, plus a wide selection of pen sizes and styles, often from one-man artisan shops. BUT -- in the case of Ranga for instance -- you may be paying as much as 20-30% more for a roughly similar style of pen. anyhoo, since i am now on a serious dive down the Indian ebonite fountain pen rabbit hole, i suppose my opinion should be taken with a good pinch of salt.

[Dan Carmell]

4 hours ago, 1pen2pen said:

…anyhoo, since i am now on a serious dive down the Indian ebonite fountain pen rabbit hole, i suppose my opinion should be taken with a good pinch of salt.

The only salt I’d add—season to taste, as they say—is that Indian ebonite is generally considered inferior to German or Japanese (which I’ve heard ranked as #1 and 2, respectively). My own experience with Indian fountain pens is that fit and finish, attention to details, is lacking. Just my own perspective, of course!

[mge01park]

Besides the real expensive ebonite pens, I haven't found any to rival the Noodler's Neponset Ebonite pens which I probably wound up with every color and use day to day as they have a ridiculous ink capacity. 

[lascosas]

As someone with maybe 200 Indian ebonite fountain pens from a wide selection of companies and eras, mostly purchased in India, I disagree that these have inferior fit & finish to other pens.  Since Indian ebonites are mostly handmade, each is slightly different.  The big problem with current Indian ebonite is that the sole manufacturer of ebonite rods in India turned over production to his son a few years ago and the quality of the ebonite has become more variable.  

 

With the exception of the Narwhal Nautilus, the Asvine J16 is the only ebonite piston filler I own.  The Narwhals are much, much nicer, but also at least twice the price. 

 

Poona Lakshmi Pathi, the owner of PLP Pens of Hyderabad, was the original manufacturer of Noodler ebonite pens.  PLP ebonite pens, available for order online from their store, are, in my opinion, much nicer than any ebonite pen Noodler ever sold.

[mge01park]

That’s great info with all the history. Appreciate it. ✅🙏👏. Being a large size pen aficionado and not much of an ebonite analyst, I’m married to the Neponset. At least, PLP was involved in them for better or worse. I recall that in their heyday they were made with parts from India. They only make 2 Neponsets nowadays the black and the red rebellion and they’ve doubled in price over the years. I have 4 inked today and got addicted to them 10-12 years ago and may have bought every model. TBH, I bought the Asvine 800, 200 and the 80, I didn’t like the J16 and returned it. 

 

[encremental]

I think the silver trim on the j16 is off in some way. I'm surprised there isn't at least one in gold.

 

John

[1pen2pen]

20 hours ago, Dan Carmell said:

The only salt I’d add—season to taste, as they say—is that Indian ebonite is generally considered inferior to German or Japanese (which I’ve heard ranked as #1 and 2, respectively). My own experience with Indian fountain pens is that fit and finish, attention to details, is lacking. Just my own perspective, of course!

i must 2nd and agree whole heartedly with @lascosas on this, the Indian ebonite pens i've been ordering from Ranga are absolutely not inferior in any way: the material is excellent; the machining is superb -- my father was a machinist so i do have some frame of reference here; the finishing is top-drawer imo; and the choice of nibs is literally 2nd to none. for instance i have invested in the Jowo nib ecosystem and Ranga is happy to accommodate that as a standard option. i could as easily have chosen Bock, Schmidt, or Ranga sections on my pens, fyi. also, a further instance, my Ranga pens typically have 4-start threading on the caps to accommodate 1-turn cap removal: not many other penmakers in the sub-200$ category offer that kind of workmanship. i have hundreds of pens in the 20-200$ range and my Ranga pens have very little competition in these regards, among others.

 

what you do not get from Ranga, or other Indian fountain pen artisans, is factory sameness and repetition. we're talking hand made pens so there will be the odd tool mark and/or slight variance between pens of the same design. for the artisanship and the wide range of feature choices that's perfectly fine with me. of course ymmv.

all i can really say is that i've been happy to give Ranga my money thus far and am planning future orders to do so again. if putting your money where your mouth is -- btw, yuk! -- means something then consider my vote for Ranga a big "+1".

 

aside from Ranga i have a few PLP pens on order but from what i've heard on Utube -- TheWetPen channel in particular -- I have no worries there either. in fact i'd recommend that channel if you're interested in learning more about the current state of ebonite pen-making in India.

[mge01park]

@1pen2pen Thanks for the info and knowledge. I’m going to look at Ranga. Your journaling story is interesting. I can relate to it. 

[bugsydog55]

This all comes down to an old George Harrison song, " It's All Up to What You Value".  

[1pen2pen]

2 hours ago, bugsydog55 said:

This all comes down to an old George Harrison song, " It's All Up to What You Value".  

absolutely! how wonderfully fortunate we are to have so much choice.