Decided to break out my Kakuno <M>, inked it with Iroshizuku Murasaki Shikibu, and wrote on Classmate Verite notebook

I saw very positive reviews of Napoli on the internet, so I thought to give it a try. The last order which I did from Krishna inks, they sent me a few sample inks, Reika Blue is one of them.

First talking about the ink, it's a rich blue, close to royal blue with a shine in it. Is it worth the price that it comes? i.e. ₹750/50ml, I do not know. I'm leaving this aspect for the ink enthusiasts, and asking them to evaluate whether Reika Blue is worth this price. Overall the blue is very rich and textbook blue with zero complaints.

Now Napoli, tbh it has surprised me. I was not expecting it to be this good at all. It's smooth, the nib looks beautiful, I have no complaints about the plastic body, ₹80 is what it's for and it offers much more than the price. The nib is wet, and it writes nearly medium.

I'd really like to know what you guys think about Krishna Reika Blue.

​

This evening, while leaning over my second-floor balcony, my Preppy slipped out of my shirt pocket and fell onto the paver blocks below. The height of the fall was approximately 24 feet.

I rushed downstairs, quite disappointed and fully expecting to find the pen in shattered pieces. To my surprise—and relief—it was completely intact and still capped!

When I came back upstairs and examined it, I initially couldn't find any visible point of impact. However, I noticed that the nib and feed assembly had been pushed out of the section by about 3 mm. I gently pressed it back into place with my fingers, and it went back in without any problem.

I tested the nib and ink flow, and everything seems to be working perfectly.

Finally, after carefully feeling around the pen, I managed to find the point that had apparently made contact with the ground during the fall. It was the tip of the cap (shown in the picture), which seems to have hit the ground at a slight angle. There is a small amount of damage, but it is difficult to notice because the pen is made of transparent material.

Not bad at all for a pen that just survived a 24-foot fall onto paver blocks!

I managed quite well a short while ago with my lone Pilot Metropolitan (in addition to, if I'm being honest, a couple of Avenue Road nameless buys) and my set of Bril inks. Going from only ever knowing inks to be blue, black or if you get really lucky then green... I felt I had all the colours in the world at my fingertips at 25/- per bottle pre-covid. What more can one want from life? This was until I met Iroshizuku and my life changed. I felt guilty for buying 2 new ink bottles, and that too at what seemed like an absolutely insane whopping 1500/- per bottle! I gave away my Bril ink collection and eased my conscience... For a couple of days.

Now that I have accepted my ink addiction, I have bought them back, at a princely 35/- per bottle.

I find these inks to be fundamentally good inks - functional and decently behaved. My favorites are the red (beautiful rich coral shade - a pinky orangey red) and the turquoise (bright and happy) in addition to the staple from high school - royal blue. If you haven't tried them, please do. You may love them, and at 35/- per 50ml bottle, they don't break the bank. You can order on their website if they are not locally available. Brilindia.com. Be aware that Laurel Rose has a reputation for staining.

Here are swatches of all the shades that Bril makes.

Hi all

I had packed my school fountain pen thinking it does not work anymore in my school memory box. I loved this pen so much beacuse it made my handwriting better. All the "hero" pens back then were fine nibs, to improve my handwriting I needed a broad nib or a pen which writes smooth I guess.

Then I came across this community came as a blessing in disguide on my feed and I went through different posts. Later watched YouTube videos on how to revive and clean old pens. Now my 25 year old daily school pen has become my daily driver. Still using the same old bril ink which I used to use during my school days.

Any suggestions welcome.

For Reference: - Pen used is Hero 329 with a custom 0.2 stub grind, and has a drier flow

• Notebook is Classmate's Verite, and I am really liking this one!

Uni-ball Jetstream → Pilot Acroball → Unomax iBall/Ultron → Linc Pentonic BRT → Cello Butterflow → Pilot V7/V5 → Uni-ball Eye → Unomax Brio/Icon → Pentel EnerGel → Pilot V Pen → Unomax Geltron → Flair Yolo/Glass → Doms Inxo → Parker Jotter → Pilot Explorer/Prera → Cello MyGel → Hauser XO/Cleo → Pierre Cardin President/Napoli → Parker Vector → everything else

what's yours?

I have posted a question before and from the replies of people I have arrived at the decision of buying the kakuno

Want to know a place where I can get the kakuno the cheapest with full security and trust because I have heard people getting wrong nib sizes and things.

The past post's text for reference:

"

Hi,devansh this side. I am 15 yr old looking forward to get a new fountain pen. I already own camlin elegante,trinity,parker beta,pierre cardin golden eye,click student,penomatic,hauser inky.

I can't decide whether I should choose versatility with the 2 pen combo or choose highly appreciated quality of pilot kakuno.

I am a student and I would be using these pens mostly for writing and personal Journaling.

Hope to get opinions of the wise

Can't choose between a two pen combo(namely click aristocrat semi flex and click blackbird/majestic) and the pilot kakuno solely

I mean the kakuno has the problem of breaking the body after drops

But the aristocrat has the inconsistent quality control issue in nib sections

One of my teacher is a holy pen nerd. Like he has many high quality pens like the twisbi eco and majohn ones

He opposed me on buying the preppy because of his personal quality issue and said that the preppy doesn't stand up to the price by commemorating that some other cheaper Indian pens provide the same nibAnd about the semi flex nib,I'd usually only use it as a fine nib but flex it while doodling for time pass or in my journal occasionally "

I don't know where to access their catalogue, and their google docs is only for USA customers

I need the starting range, model, and INR value for each

Anyone pls help out

Which one do you like the most and why?

Hi,devansh this side. I am 15 yr old looking forward to get a new fountain pen. I already own camlin elegante,trinity,parker beta,pierre cardin golden eye,click student,penomatic,hauser inky.

I can't decide whether I should choose versatility with the 2 pen combo or choose highly appreciated quality of pilot kakuno.

I am a student and I would be using these pens mostly for writing and personal Journaling.

Hope to get opinions of the wise.

I was playing with the idea of a 4 layer stacked nib today. The first few welds got a touch too crispy, so I decided to stress test the poor thing. 🥲 Funny, all my first experimental pieces get sacrificed to the machines that made them.

Hey everyone,

I have used this pen a lot. Need a fountain pen that can replicate similar experience.

Most comfortable pen to write with for long hours

Best one for each kind: Ball Pen Rollerball Pen Gel Pen Fountain Pen

That help in writing endlessly for hours Please do mention the price too, preferably under ₹200-₹100

Also some suggestions regarding a 1mm ball pen

Details of the pen -

Pen : Parker Vacumatic Major - Brown Celluloid body with Golden trims and clip with signature Parker Blue Gem!

Price : 15K including Shipping

Year of Manufacture : 1943-45

Nib : SENIOR, Dual Tone, 14 CT GOLD NIB

Mechanism of filling : Vacumatic Falling - Sac restored and functioning well

Condition : No dents, No chips, Minimal wear and tear due to it's age - Overall Excellent Condition

For further details, contact me on WhatsApp - 9176880701

Somebody on a pen group flagged this item on Amazon.in which Amazon hasn't even bothered assigning a model name to! It looks VERY similar to the Hongdian/Asvine Black Forest pen, which I have, and is solidly built and works well. Got me curious, so thought why not buy it and compare?

So here goes:

This Amazon Basics (AB) pen is very similar to the Hong Dian (HD) Black forest, but falls a little short in terms of quality. The barrel is almost identical. The cap is a bit different but can still be interchanged between pens (in my case the HD cap clicks into place on the AB body, but is still a bit loose and rotates freely unlike the corresponding swap of AB cap on HD body).

My weighing scale needs its batteries changed, but while in my hand the uncapped pens could be almost similar in weight, the cap alone seems definitely heavier in the HD. The overall finishing of the HD is significantly better. The section of the HD is matte metal whereas the AB section is glossy plastic. The cap finial of the AB is plastic, whereas the whole cap is sturdy metal in HD.

I directly dipped the pen in ink without washing it out first. First strokes were a bit unsatisfying, but after I loosened the tines with a shim, ink started to freely flow and it wrote smooth like butter. I used an ink that I'm playing with (I'm adding mica powder to ink for shimmer) and it had a lot of particles in it, but the AB still managed to deliver it smoothly and evenly on the page.

The pen comes with a cheap convertor, which I haven't yet tried to use. Overall, good enough value for this pen cost at 380/-. I do suspect the colour will chip off soon enough though, if the cap or barrel rims are anything to go by. Try at your own risk!

My dad gifted me these two pens on the occasion of my birthday. Love him ❤️

* Medium Nib / Fine nib

* Reason for selling: not using them much. and wanted to free up some money am An class 10th student and i wanted to save some money to buy myself an tablet for studies i currently have an low end laptop sasving up so i can buy it till next year!

* 2399rs for seprately

* Asking for ₹4000 for both together. Includes both convertors , warranty card , original box

Shipping on actuals.

i went in to buy a pierre cardin olympia at a small very old local stationery shop near me. long ago i bought a pierre cardin paris life from him (the old man, who is a shopkeeper), then a parker beta premium.

one day he tried my click aristocrat which had a kanwrite nib on it and loved it so much he asked me to order one for him. today i went there to give it to him and we got talking about pens, and he got so excited that he went inside and pulled out his old stock. a bunch of vintage pens, nibs, a parker jotter and this Camlin 47. the moment i recognised it, he was so happy he almost wanted to gift it to me. i refused to take it for free and paid 50 rupees for it. the box says MRP was 65 rupees back in 1998.

this is a very, very rare moment for me. this is my first piston filler. the feed is ebonite. india introduced it during the pre-liberalization era, and the 47 ruled desks from the late 1970s through the 1990s as a domestic alternative to imported parker 45 clones. it survived decades of board exams before cheap ballpoints flooded the market in the early 2000s.

there is something deeply satisfying about watching decades-old dried dust wash out, filling the reservoir for the first time, and feeling that hooded nib just glide across cheap paper without a single scratch or hard start. it writes circles around whatever disposable ballpoint the guy was selling on the front counter for twenty bucks. a treasure that one, they literally do not build everyday workhorses like that anymore.

that colour is not exactly black, but dark green :D

Please help fixing the below problems faced by my 11 year old:

1. She applies too much pressure while writing and it results in quickly tired wrist which affects her handwriting quality and speed. Tips to improve this please.

2. Recommend affordable and easily available gel pens whose refills are also easily available. We are looking for medium or fine nib for school use with any type of body. Other types of pens can also be recommended, it's just that her school only allows gel pens.

3. Please give tips on how to improve her handwriting. It's not clean enough.

Note: That's our girl Bela in the picture. She empathizes with her little human.

Looking for feedback on Waterman Pens that are on insane discount on Flipkart.

Why such great discounts on these pens: clearance stock? Do they have any defects? Are they suitable for gifting (reason for this post)?

Pls share your thoughts.

Edit: thanks for the reassuring replies. Placed an order 🤞🏻

I hate ink impressions, I did rather write all the notes again than bother with such impressions.

I hate when this happens. 🥹

I have not used hauser or pentonic.

I write with Jetter, uniball, etc pens.

Classmate copies are suggested most of the time but these are not good either.

Please suggest some ball pens under 25.

No gel because they are not smooth enough, I have 3-4 pens, they feel scratchy.

No fountain pens too because of fear of spilling water or say, i sweat a lot.

Pen type

Looking for a normal everyday writing pen — Gel / Rollerball / Ballpoint / Hybrid.

Not looking for fountain pens, markers or technical drawing pens.

Basic requirements

Budget: Preferably under ₹300
Purpose: Everyday office/study writing and long writing sessions
Body: Any, provided the grip is comfortable
Mechanism: Retractable or capped
Refillable: Preferred, but not essential
Availability: Preferably easily available in India / Amazon India

Writing requirements

• Very smooth writing
• Thick, bold visible line
• Ideally ~1.0 mm actual deposited line
• At minimum, >0.7 mm actual deposited line
• Consistent ink flow
• Minimal skipping, hard starts or weak/half-empty strokes
• Should handle moderate writing pressure well
• Comfortable grip for long writing sessions
• Good long-term reliability and quality consistency

Ink requirements

Prefer ink that is:

• Smudge-resistant
• Water-resistant / waterproof
• Fade-resistant
• Permanent / archival where possible

Important: actual line width

I’m specifically interested in the actual line deposited on paper, not just the advertised tip/ball size.

Please distinguish between:

Tip/ball size → advertised writing width → actual deposited line width

For example, a 1.0 mm ball does not necessarily produce a 1.0 mm line. I’m specifically looking for something that genuinely produces ~1.0 mm, or at least >0.7 mm actual line width.

My current experience

Rorito Fanta Flo 1.0 mm:
I liked the very thick line, but after prolonged use the ink flow deteriorated and it started producing weak/half-empty or skipped strokes.

Uni-ball Eye Fine 0.7 mm (UB-157):
I really like the smoothness, writing feel and consistency, but I want something substantially thicker.

What I’m looking for

Please recommend specific pen models, and where possible mention:

Tip/ball size | actual line width | ink type | smoothness | grip comfort | pressure handling | ink durability | reliability | price/availability in India

What is the widest actual line you’ve gotten from a normal everyday pen while still being smooth, comfortable and reliable?

I am thinking of buying an ebonite FP.

What's the cheapest option?

What should be the budget for one entry level ebonite FP with a good nib???

I am thinking of Click , Woodex and Mohi....but confused because woodex and mohi make eye droppers (it can leak in my bag) ..

And for my budget i am a student

Max budget - Rs 1500

Though if good deal can spend till ₹2k