Any Indian ebonite pen owners/lovers here?

[matteob]

I have a soft spot for these pens and own Guider, ASA, Ratnamson and Ranga pens. I love the feel, appearance and strength of ebonite and some of these have been surprizingly good writers. Those with German nibs understandable but I bought a Ranga 3 eyedropper with an Ambitious fine nib and was stunned at how well it writes: smooth as butter for a fine. I am fascinated by this little cottage industry in a country that is moving away from fountain pen use and probably won't last another 20 years.

Any experiences?

[Dreck]

I've bought (and sold) a handful of Ranga model 8's that never quite lived up to my ideals, though I'm not quite ready to give up on them entirely just yet. The pen I wrote with this afternoon is a Ranga model 3, and other than a bit of shame at using the fountain pen equivalent of the kindergarten "horse leg" pencils, it's my second favorite pen. I've an ASA Genius on its way that I'm really excited about!

[gbryal]

I like my Rangas very much. Especially now that they are available from Peyton Street Pens with JoWo or vintage nibs. I have:

* a Model 3 with Wality Nib that needed a little work and has kind of a dodgy squeeze converter, but I love the matte green and black ebonite on it.
* Another 3 with crazy yellow and black gloss ebonite and a black steel JoWo nib.
* A matte black ebonite model 8 with gold JoWo nib.
* A 3cs in red flake acrylic with a Sheaffer Imperial.
* And another 3 in matte olive ebonite that has a KanWrite nib that writes really well.

The first 3 happen to be inked right now alongside my Pilot Custom 823 and Cross Peerless 125 and they can hold their caps up high and not feel inferior. They are very nice to write with and feel great in the hand.

I also have a yellow celluloid Guider in the style of a duofold that I enjoy a lot.

On the other end of the spectrum I have some other Indian pens that either broke right away, developed problems, or were just kind of meh. I've gotten good pens and bad pens from Fountain Pen Revolution (though they readily replaced the broken ones.)

[fountainpagan]

I love indian ebonite fountain pens.
I own a certain amount of Guider, ASA, Ranga, Ratnamson, Krishna, Kim, Fosfor and some no name.

[ambimom]

My first ebonite was a Ranga eyedropper with a #6 Goulet nib. It was the feel of the pen in my hand that hooked me. Ebonite just feels like a pen should. Fountain Pen Revolution has several excellent ebonite pens (under $30) that you should check out.

[amk]

I have quite a lot of Indian ebonite, including some vintage (picked up in India mainly from little stationery shops that didn't even know what they had tucked away in a drawer). Gradually I've come to feel that the companies have slightly different characters.

Guider - for me, come the closest to vintage in the feel of some of their pens, and make absolutely lovely clipless. Quite a classical style.

Deccan - the Lamy of India with their wonderful black brushed finish pens. And the occasional amazing white flash!

ASA - innovative designs like the Nauka make ASA worth following. (I also enjoyed their Popsicle but that wasn't ebonite.)

Ranga - the most colourful of the lot - always expanding the range of ebonite colours. Adorable.

I also have some very nice ebonite from Mohi / Abhay in Aurangabad, and also Ratnamson.

For me, ebonite is a marvellous material. And since I have some splendid 1920s red ripples, I know that it's a material that lasts. These pens will certainly keep going as long as I will! By contrast my Waterman 100 Year pens and Super Masters teach me that some styles of celluloid and plastic will start to wear out and degrade within fifty or sixty years - even in a couple of decades. Stick with the ebonite!

That said, I have a Guider acrylic pen and demonstrators from both Ranga and ASA. Alas, you can't get demonstrators in ebonite - its one big disadvantage!

[FredRydr]

...that some styles of celluloid and plastic will start to wear out and degrade within fifty or sixty years - even in a couple of decades. Stick with the ebonite!
:amen:

After watching the Ranga video, my interest is piqued. If anyone has experience buying these pens new in America, please advise the best way to order a bespoke Ranga ebonite pen. Stateside distributor or retailer (especially those that appear at pen shows)? Online, directly from Ranga's website? Are there any after-sale service or support issues?

[Dreck]

...that some styles of celluloid and plastic will start to wear out and degrade within fifty or sixty years - even in a couple of decades. Stick with the ebonite!
:amen:

After watching the Ranga video, my interest is piqued. If anyone has experience buying these pens new in America, please advise the best way to order a bespoke Ranga ebonite pen. Stateside distributor or retailer (especially those that appear at pen shows)? Online, directly from Ranga's website? Are there any after-sale service or support issues?

Fred, I've ordered about half of my Ranga pens directly from them off of eBay (https://www.ebay.com/usr/rangahandmadepens?_trksid=p2053788.m1543.l2754). Just find a model you want, or even something close, and contact them with your request. They'll take care of you.

When I had a problematic Model 8, they asked me to send it back. I did, and India Post promptly lost it. Mr. Pandurangan simply sent me a new one. Customer support and service? Oh, yeah.

[Lady Onogaro]

...that some styles of celluloid and plastic will start to wear out and degrade within fifty or sixty years - even in a couple of decades. Stick with the ebonite!
:amen:

After watching the Ranga video, my interest is piqued. If anyone has experience buying these pens new in America, please advise the best way to order a bespoke Ranga ebonite pen. Stateside distributor or retailer (especially those that appear at pen shows)? Online, directly from Ranga's website? Are there any after-sale service or support issues?

Hi, Fred,

My experience is much like Dreck's. I asked them if they would/could make a Model 5 in a smaller size since I liked the shape, and they sent me some options. Now I have a lovely little ebonite pen in a size and model I liked. And it didn't cost me any more than the regular ebonite pen. Really, when you think about how much a custom pen costs, this was a bargain. I worked with Mr. Kandan.

[Lady Onogaro]

By the way, Peyton Street Pens sells Rangas with a variety of nib sizes (JoWo and vintage nibs).

[matteob]

@FredRydr Ranga does a lot of business over at the other place. There is a group buy going on there at the moment. The guy to speak to is MPKandan and he can be conacted there. Otherwise drop me a PM and I will dig out his details for you. Best order direct I say. I would recommend Ratnamson too. The last of the makers to fit hand crafted 14k nibs but getting one is a major challenge. No real internet presence and only the old patriarch (in his 80s) speaks English. It took me months of patience to get mine. If you are up for the challenge here is their brochure.



https://mehandiratta.wordpress.com/2016/01/11/ratnamson-catalogue/

[amk]

I totally agree with matteob. I have bought over ebay and direct from Ranga, and always had a good experience with Mr Kandan providing his best services. Of course he will then do his darnedest to make you order more :-)

[matteob]

Yea he seems to have a new group buy every other week on fpn but it is unecessary. I have a 3c with a Jowo nib unit and a 3 eyedropper with an Ambitious fine nib. That last pen must be the smoothest fine nib I have ever tried. It wipes the floor with the Jowo. No need for any more Rangas. They have a nice choice of ebonite colours though. My only criticism is I think he charges too much compared to Guider, mainly as he mainly sells to westerners. My first stop would be Guider actually. They have a lovely finish, Mr Rao is great to deal with and they cost less than Ranga.

http://www.guiderpen.com/

[Bold2013]

4/7 pens in my collection are indian ebonites.

Ranga 4cs with sheaffer imperial steel medium CI. Awesome nib. Peyton street pens.
Ranga 4cs blow filler with bock fine titanium nib on an eversharp feed.
Ranga 4cs blow filler with a semi flex fine waterman New York nib on an eversharp nib put together by nibs.com
Duncan eyedropper with fine m800 CSI from the nib grinder.

I wouldn't mind a Ranga threaded for a bock #8 unit to put a juicy broad titanium nib in...

[catbert]

...that some styles of celluloid and plastic will start to wear out and degrade within fifty or sixty years - even in a couple of decades. Stick with the ebonite!
:amen:

After watching the Ranga video, my interest is piqued. If anyone has experience buying these pens new in America, please advise the best way to order a bespoke Ranga ebonite pen. Stateside distributor or retailer (especially those that appear at pen shows)? Online, directly from Ranga's website? Are there any after-sale service or support issues?

Hi, Fred,

My experience is much like Dreck's. I asked them if they would/could make a Model 5 in a smaller size since I liked the shape, and they sent me some options. Now I have a lovely little ebonite pen in a size and model I liked. And it didn't cost me any more than the regular ebonite pen. Really, when you think about how much a custom pen costs, this was a bargain. I worked with Mr. Kandan.

That's very useful to know. So far I've held off on getting an Indian ebonite pen because they all seem so big.

[Dreck]

That's very useful to know. So far I've held off on getting an Indian ebonite pen because they all seem so big.


You might want to take a look at the ASA Genius (http://asapens.in/eshop/genius-fountain-pen). It looks to be about the same size as a Noodler's Konrad

[camidumas]

...that some styles of celluloid and plastic will start to wear out and degrade within fifty or sixty years - even in a couple of decades. Stick with the ebonite!
:amen:

After watching the Ranga video, my interest is piqued. If anyone has experience buying these pens new in America, please advise the best way to order a bespoke Ranga ebonite pen. Stateside distributor or retailer (especially those that appear at pen shows)? Online, directly from Ranga's website? Are there any after-sale service or support issues?

Hi, Fred,

My experience is much like Dreck's. I asked them if they would/could make a Model 5 in a smaller size since I liked the shape, and they sent me some options. Now I have a lovely little ebonite pen in a size and model I liked. And it didn't cost me any more than the regular ebonite pen. Really, when you think about how much a custom pen costs, this was a bargain. I worked with Mr. Kandan.

That's very useful to know. So far I've held off on getting an Indian ebonite pen because they all seem so big.Check out the Indian pens at Fountain Pen Revolution; the prices are great and there are some small to mid-size choices. They also offer semi-flex and stub nib options for a few bucks extra. Great customer service also.

Sent from my SM-T813 using Tapatalk

[NibsForScript]

That's very useful to know. So far I've held off on getting an Indian ebonite pen because they all seem so big.


You might want to take a look at the ASA Genius (http://asapens.in/eshop/genius-fountain-pen). It looks to be about the same size as a Noodler's Konrad
Have you had any experience with ASA? Nice looking pen?

[Dreck]

That's very useful to know. So far I've held off on getting an Indian ebonite pen because they all seem so big.


You might want to take a look at the ASA Genius (http://asapens.in/eshop/genius-fountain-pen). It looks to be about the same size as a Noodler's Konrad
Have you had any experience with ASA? Nice looking pen?

It's a gorgeous little pen. I've been meaning to post a review, but working on the research proposal for my dissertation has demanded my attention of late. The ASA Genius has a 10mm section, and a barrel that bulges in the middle to about 12 or 13mm. Body length is 105mm/ 128mm including the nib. Posted, it is completely unbalanced at an unwieldy 145mm/168mm. It worked great out of the box, and then I had the bright idea to remove a perfectly-functioning F nib and replace it with a .6mm stub italic. I'm still trying to get it to write consistently. I plan on ordering another, and will ask for the body to be 5mm longer.

[matteob]

Can't comment on the Genius but I like my Daily. I think it would be better with a number 6 nib though as it is a largish pen and the no 5 looks a bit small on it. The guy who runs ASA is pleasant to deal with too.

[Freddie]

I'm a fan..have many pens..for consideration Manoj at FosFor has made to my specifications custom pens
and Subramaniam at ASA is great to deal with....I've had pens come from India to New York in less
than two weeks....No problemo with shipping....Terry @ Peyton Street Pens has brought stock to pen shows.
Additionally..have purchased pens from individuals in India.....Again....No problemo.....

Fred
enjoyin' a snack with a glass of Les Terrasses Chateauneuf du Pape 2015...................