My go to sources for Indian pens are the previously mentioned FPR or ASA Pens. I’ve tried others but my current favorite is the FPR Himalaya.
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My go to sources for Indian pens are the previously mentioned FPR or ASA Pens. I’ve tried others but my current favorite is the FPR Himalaya.
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I had an ASA Sniper which I thought was very well made. The company was very responsive--it took a bit to make but that's understandable as I chose a custom option.
Detman101 (August 31st, 2020)
I have an FPR Jaipur V2 with a fine nib that I like quite a bit. Great value. I also have one of their Himalayian V2 in Ebonite with an ultraflex nib. It writes quite well and is very light. I also enjoy the ultraflex nib. The only downside to it is that it needs some very FP friendly paper because of the nib...but that was to be expected.
Camlin has focused on the school pen market I think though there is a nice 'Trinity' fountain pen at 100 rupees and the Elegante (don't know the price for that). I also love the Camlin cute I bought in old Delhi and that is a cracking little pocket pen.
They are good reliable user pens in my experience.
Fountain Pen Revolution has a 15% off sitewide sale going on. It might be a good time to pick up an Indian pen from them. I've got an ebonite Himalaya V1 (replace the nib with a JoWo 1.1) and Guider Ebonite Schmidt broad from them and they're nice pens. I use both as eyedroppers with ESSRI and R&K Salix and they perform great.
The long-awaited FPR Darjeeling arrived last week. I have been disappointed by all the other supposedly flexible modern pens I've bought but not this one. The ultra-flex nib is splendid - very flexible with fast snap-back. In use, it doesn't feel quite like the vintage flex of Swans or Onotos. It has a little stiffness moving horizontally in either direction, though not diagonally. It isn't serious and once I recognised its existence I could allow for it. I think polishing the inside edges of the tine tips might cure it.
The pen itself is very nice. As it's in orange and black it has more than a hint of the early Duofold about it, though it's by no means a copy. The fit and finish is very good. It's a very good pen for the price. In fact, never mind the price. It's just a very good pen!
I have a few Indian made pens. My Kim & Co pen is enormous. #8 nib, ebonite and eyedropper fill. Airmail/Wality used to make a piston filler that I only know as "Black Beauty". It is one of the nicer pens I have seen. It is all black with an ink window. I do have to grease the piston often or it stiffens up quickly. Noodlers don't have anything on it in their vegetal resin lines but even after many years, I can still detect that distinct smell. It is faint but it is there.
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I finally broke down and ordered a Himalaya from FPR. It arrived today, and I love it. I got it in a very traditional green/black rippled ebonite with a 1 mm stub nib, which is wonderfully smooth. The pen's not huge -- more or less "standard" size, I guess you could call it -- but as an eyedropper will hold enough ink to allow me to write for a good long while. Now as long as it doesn't burp...
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amk (May 19th, 2020)
I bought the Himalaya V1 three months ago but replaced the nib with a JoWo 1.1. There was nothing wrong with the nib sent with the pen, but I like the JoWo better. At first, it was a tad dry, but a minute spent opening the tines made it perfect. I've kept it inked with ESSRI and it writes like a champ. No hard starts, no burps, holds a good bit of it.
I think you've bought a good pen and for the value it's hard to beat.
calamus (May 21st, 2020)
The Camlin pens are good! I have an Elegante that I find to be a nice pen to use.
-SJ
«μὴ ζήτει τὰ γινόμενα γίνεσθαι ὡς θέλεις, ἀλλὰ θέλε τὰ γινόμενα ὡς γίνεται καὶ εὐροήσεις.»
“Don't demand that things happen as you wish, but wish that they happen as they do happen, and you will go on well.” –Epictetus, Encheiridion
Has anyone heard of a brand of fountain pens called 'Raja'?
It is an Indian name, of course. From what little I have been able to gather, they were a company that existed in India during the British colonial times.
Do they still exist today, and are they still making fountain pens?
Thanks
I think that company disappeared long ago. It was actually a British company. There is a modern Indian company producing the Gama Raja fountain pen
https://www.fountainpenindia.com/product-page/gama-raja
There's also Guider Raja
https://fprevolutionusa.com/products...nt=36295620289
From a listing on that auction site.
Thank you so much for the information , Deb and Empty_of_Clouds.
M: I came here for a good argument.
A: No you didn't; no, you came here for an argument.
M: An argument isn't just contradiction.
A: It can be.
M: No it can't. An argument is a connected series of statements intended to establish a proposition.
A: No it isn't.
M: Yes it is! It's not just contradiction.
A: Look, if I argue with you, I must take up a contrary position.
M: Yes, but that's not just saying 'No it isn't.'
A: Yes it is!
M: No it isn't!
The Ranga Desk Pen looks tempting.
"Nolo esse salus sine vobis ...” —St. Augustine
I have an Kanwrite desire with what I believe is full flex nib, though the nib resembles more an ultraflex. Lovely pen and great nib.
However, I noticed early on that the convertor was either leaking or leak prone with massive evaporation. For some reason silicon grease was applied to the top part of the convertor...
Anyway, I emptied one of the free cartridges supplied, filled with ink and the evaporation problem is gone, or at least less than before
I am the only one who is compleately disappointed of Indian pens.
I have a bunch of pens Bought from PFR. They all became useless due to two issus.
They are Kenwrite / Himalaya /Gamma etc.
First issue-The pens carriages converters are screw-type. the thread has gone fast within a few months. They don't take any International cartridges so these pens can't be used.
Second issue- These pens are very messy when you use eyedropping. So the Kenwrite is poring down. Burping massively when write. It tends to leak even when the pen is unused stored upward in a pen holding Cup- Bowl.
Third issue- when the Himalaya pen is shaken down the nib and the feed so loose-fixed it tend to come loose and turen around the section which is wired.
I am sure PPR never knew these problems. I contacted him... no answer. So I never buy again.
As the weather in London is horrible and cold during the winter period These pens Burps. So I never use them or encouraged to use any other ( vintage Pens) as eyepopping.
I have two Gamma extra-large ( Baseball-bat size ) pens. They were both bought by maitaken by it's size. They are both eyedroppers and I am not going to put any ink into them. So for sevearl years they are there doing nothing.
For THis pen to remove the nib you need a "Tap" I asked the FPR. No solutions.
And I am sure these pens will be given away one day.
I must give a good credit to the FPR steel nibs. I bought some steel extra nibs. They are good and especially when tune them by slight grinding you can achive some amazing capability to write Cursive and calligraphy florishing type that does not need flexibility.
I appreciate that quality of Indian nibs. I believe they had very beautiful vintage flex nibs which is very rare to obtain now.
If I ever buy a pen It is "RANGA" AS IT GIVES LOT OF OPTIONS to go with JOWO Nib sections (screw fitted ) and with International cartridge compatibility.
Last edited by Cyril; August 18th, 2020 at 07:29 AM.
I have Two Noodlers Pens and a piston filler rollerball which tends to dry out ink very fast
They are amazing.
I find the pistons get frozen if you leave them without using for sometimes so they need to check regularly and better grease them before storing them.
Other than that they are great pens for the price. Worth every money you put on them.
Very special Nibs on Ahab.
Last edited by Cyril; August 18th, 2020 at 07:43 AM.
Detman101 (August 31st, 2020)
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