I ordered a Ranga custom acrylic pen several weeks ago from India. I decided on a clipless pen in "blue cracked ice" acrylic. It is an eyedropper pen with an ebonite feed. It is about 5.5 inches long and weighs a mere 18 grams when full of ink. The price was under $50 with shipping.
It arrived last week fitted with a Wality nib that wrote as a medium. The nib was not terribly smooth, although Wality nibs can usually be improved by using a bit of micromesh.
I decided to replace the nib with Nemosine #6 Fine nib from xfountainpens.com. I was able to install it quite easily and it writes perfectly. However, when I replaced the cap, I felt a bit of resistance. As a result, I used a small pocket knife to remove some material from the inside of the cap to give the nib some extra room. I am very happy with the pen and the way it writes. The Nemosine nib is a big improvement over the Wality nib supplied. (You actually get an extra Wality nib and feed with the pen as well as a little bulb syringe to load ink).
I highly recommend Ranga pen company if you are looking for an inexpensive acrylic or ebonite pen. The pens are well made and they provide great service. And you can't beat the price for a handmade, custom pen!
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Thanks for the review, but if I pay $50 for an "inexpensive" pen, i expect the supplied nib to work. It is an attractive pen but it seemed to require to much "fixin" to make it acceptable.
ReplyDeleteThe nib supplied works...it is just not all that smooth. I opted to install the Nemosine because it provides a much more enjoyable writing experience...comparable to pens costing much more. And just over $50 for a custom acrylic pen is a pretty amazing price. Many pen makers charge 3-4X or more for a "bespoke" pen.
ReplyDeleteGot it, Thanks,Shirl
ReplyDeleteTony, I too have a couple of Ranga handmades, but both are troubled by the dreaded eyedropper ink burps. I understand it’s something to do with the feed setting, but they’re always well sealed in and need a nib block to knock them out (don’t possess one). I’ve found that I need to a) store them nib up to let the air lock out of the barrel and b) always at least half full, or the heat from my hand during long writing sessions brings out the burps.
ReplyDeleteAny eyedropper tips?
Jeff
Sheffield
UK
I think you have covered the main solutions to the issue. More info here: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/301758-eyedropper-pens-burping-ink/
ReplyDelete