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heath
December 11th, 2013, 06:49 PM
Click here for the review with all the images: http://penpaperinkletter.com/hema-vulpen-fountain-pen-review/ (http://penpaperinkletter.com/hema-vulpen-fountain-pen-review/http://penpaperinkletter.com/hema-vulpen-fountain-pen-review/)

I also talk a good bit about this pen in my latest podcast: http://penpaperinkletter.com/ppil-podcast-episode-2-pocket-notebooks/ (http://penpaperinkletter.com/ppil-podcast-episode-2-pocket-notebooks/)

Hema is a department store in the Netherlands and Belgium that sells these store brand fountain pens. They are not available online via any standard retail channels at the moment but there is a user from the Netherlands (cees achterberg (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/member.php/2976-cees-achterberg)) in the FPN & FPG forums that is making them available at cost plus shipping via ebay at the time of this review. I ordered one within a few days of him posting and received the pen in just over two weeks direct from the Netherlands.

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There are three variations of this pen, black, chrome and brushed aluminum. I chose the matte black version. It is a slim pen with a click cap. It comes with a short blue international cartridge and accepts standard international converters though not included. I am reviewing the pen with the blue ink cartridge that came with it.

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The Pen seems as well made as it can be with the components used. It is a thin metal that should hold up fine for desk use but will likely get dents and dings if carried in a pocket. When the cap is posted it fits snuggly but doesn’t scratch the pen body. When capped the cap spins freely which has no adverse effect but does seem a bit off. It’s almost as if the cap is floating on the pen.

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The look of the pen I find quite attractive. It is a classic style with a bit of modern thrown in. It has a flat silver cap end and the end opposite the nib on the body is just slightly pointed on the otherwise flat section. The cap and body are both matte black with the cap end, clip and two ring accents on the body being brushed silver. The section is a slick gloss black and the nib and nib collar are both shiny chrome. Capped you only see the matte aspects of the pen which I like and uncapped it is still a very nice looking pen.

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The clip has a good amount of spring but I find myself chasing the clip around as the cap spins when I am trying to clip it to my shirt pocket. The only other physical aspect I want to comment on is the threaded end where the section screws into the rest of the body of the pen. It is not a super hard plastic and I have almost misthreaded it several times. If you did end up cranking it on and missing the threads I could see it forever damaging that part rendering the pen useless. That being said, now that we know I can take care to avoid letting that happen.

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To be honest, I almost love this pen. It puts out a good amount of ink and is unassuming. It is inexpensive and yet doesn’t necessarily look or feel cheap. Between the three styles available there is likely one everyone will be fine with and it adds a good thin pen to my collection that I didn’t really have before. It’s a bit thinner than a Hero 616 full size and the exposed nib has some nice detailing. If I was asked to recommend a good $10 fountain pen this would definitely be on my list along with a handful of other ebay finds.

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I don’t completely love it though. The metal will show wear in time I am sure if I am rough at all with it and let’s be honest, we aren’t buying $10 pens to keep in glass display cases. I also wish it was available in a retail channel that more people are willing to use. I trust the FPG forum member and with ebay you are well protected against fraud but I can’t give a two minute explanation of how to get the pen to a friend that isn’t into fountain pens yet which I think is what they need.

But, who cares about the down sides? It’s a solid, decent, $10 fountain pen that is somewhat unique and a bit of a find if you get one. I’d recommend one to anyone.

-Heath
@WeThePPIL

earthdawn
December 11th, 2013, 11:06 PM
Nice review.

I am awaiting the 2 I ordered as well... for the price how can you say no?