Dollar demonstrators!

[Donald594]

First Impressions (7/10)

Well, I saw the pen in a coffee mug at A Pen Lover's Paradise, so I picked up a few after seeing Norman's youtube video. I originally thought: Oh those will be fun! So here goes nothin'....

 

Appearance (9/10)

Well, these are a true "demonstrator, they are completely clear except for one little annoying cap jewel, but that's O.K. The only other thing wrong is clip will detach when the jewel unscrews itself.

 

Design/Size/Weight (6/10)

The design is simple. Too simple for me, it is clear this, clear that, clear this, and so on and so forth. i shouldn't have gotten the demonstrator, I know, but I care more about function than looks, but I still can only give it a six. It is a small pen when it is not posted. This is the only pen I don't post because it is hard to pull the cap off of the the back end once posted. Which will lead me into the filling system...

 

The weight is just one word: Balanced

or 4: Balanced like a Sheaffer

 

Nib (8/10)

The ONLY reason I did not give this pen a 10 out of 10 for the nib was the fact I had to adjust it. When I inked it, the pen was drier than a bone, and scratchier then a chicken's talon. I immediately got the razor blade and went to work. 5 minutes later, and I had an ultra wet, ultra buttery smooth fountain pen. So if you get a dud, a razor blade will become your best friend

 

Filling System (9/10)

Again, the Only reason this pen didn't get a 10 out of 10 was the blind cap. I think a piston filler should not have a blind cap, but that is just my humble opinion. This pen holds a gallon of ink however! You should see it! It's stunning to see make a significant dent in my herbin bottles!

 

Cost and Value (10/10)

10 dollars... buttery smoothness, what is there to say

 

Conclusion (10/10)

I am cheating big time, but if you take in the account that the pen is 10 dollars, I say it is worth 25 dollars plus 10 for the piston filler. So I might as well say it's perfect

 

BUY THIS PEN!

 

Edited December 29, 2008 by MYU

[ntheo]

Hey

 

I got one too..

 

It's a good writer for a good student budget price.

It's a little board for my taste but flipping the nib over gives me the perfect line.

 

 

That and my Jinhao X30... ^_^

Edited December 27, 2008 by ntheo

[maria322]

Just ordered mine from HisNibs. I'm looking forward to getting it next week!

[MYU]

Can you explain how you used a razor blade to make the nib work smoothly? Did you employ anything else, like micromesh? Thanks...

[Donald594]

Can you explain how you used a razor blade to make the nib work smoothly? Did you employ anything else, like micro mesh? Thanks...

I put the razor blade in the slit, went back and forth, wiggled it a little, which increases ink flow. The lubrication from the ink was enough to make it buttery smooth.

[lovemy51]

i would use this instead of a razor blade: http://www.tryphon.it/fl.jpg (only $3)

 

one can get them at tryphon (no aff.): http://www.tryphon.it/catalogo.htm

 

this is tryphon explanation of that product:

We give you both a thin brass sheet (3¡n x 3¡n) and a clear acetate sheet. Most professionals use the thin brass sheet as “nib floss” to remove any surface burrs between the tines of a nib. Use the sheet of cellulose acetate to safely increase the gap between the tines or between the nib and the feed, to improve ink flow. Brass and acetate: our kit gives you both!

Edited December 28, 2008 by lovemy51

[Donald594]

BTW, The photos MYU added are from hisnibs.com

[fjf]

In Pakistan they cost about 0.23 $: http://www.bazaarwala.com/product_info.php?products_id=802

It is amazing how different the cost is in origin!.

[pelikan user]

I went to A Pen Lover's Paradise to get a Dollar pen. I obtained a red highlighted one. I dislike fine points very much and attempted to use the "razor blade" method mentioned here. One must use the razor blade with caution. I made an "oops" and attempted to fix the "oops". Now I have a nice pseudo-smooth medium lined pen for Baystate ink.

 

In general if a person likes fine/ ef lines this is a great pen without any modification. It was a smooth liteweight pen that holds a lot of ink. It has a smooth piston filling system that is very easy to operate. The reason I tried to modify the nib's ink flow gap is that I like ink lines the width of a Pelikan 200 medium or a Waterman Kultur medium. I believe ink using ink, not conserving it.

 

For a future watch A Pen Lover's Paradise is looking into obtaining pens from the same manufacturer as the Dollar pens. One is a retractable nib, larger than a Stypen, and another piston filler that is even larger. I tested the samples and found that the ink flow of the retractable was better than the demonstrator. The best of the lot was the larger sized pen. It had a nice wet ink line wider than the other two, becoming closer to an American fine/ fine-medium. I look forward to obtaining than last pen.

[lovemy51]

For a future watch A Pen Lover's Paradise is looking into obtaining pens from the same manufacturer as the Dollar pens. One is a retractable nib, larger than a Stypen, and another piston filler that is even larger. I tested the samples and found that the ink flow of the retractable was better than the demonstrator. The best of the lot was the larger sized pen. It had a nice wet ink line wider than the other two, becoming closer to an American fine/ fine-medium. I look forward to obtaining than last pen.

 

thanx for the info.

[ntheo]

In Pakistan they cost about 0.23 $: http://www.bazaarwala.com/product_info.php?products_id=802

It is amazing how different the cost is in origin!.

 

 

Too bad they don't shipped internationally...

[maria322]

Conclusion (10/10)

I am cheating big time, but if you take in the account that the pen is 10 dollars, I say it is worth 25 dollars plus 10 for the piston filler. So I might as well say it's perfect

 

BUY THIS PEN!

 

I have a small 'oops' and need some help. :embarrassed_smile:

 

I tightened the cap top onto the blind cap and cannot separate them. Any ideas? Yes, newbie, too excited to get the new pen and over-tightened the cap.

 

Thanks in advance for your patience.

 

...and then she realized the top and blind caps were NOT screwed together.

 

Oh, I feel stupid.

 

I thought the caps were screwed together.

 

Oh, I feel REALLY, REALLY stupid.

 

 

Thank you for your patience. I'm impatiently waiting for some, myself.

Edited December 31, 2008 by maria322

[RevAaron]

I bought two of these from Badr, who has been selling them in the FS forum. I liked them much that I bought 15 of them. Yes, fifteen. For about what you'd spend on a new M250 demo or M400. Kind of nuts, but they're a good size for putting in random replacement nibs- my favorites are fitted with a stub from an Eversharp Skyline, a Pelikan 120, and a Waterman #2.

 

Aaron

[ntheo]

Hey..

 

How do you pull out the nib on the Dollar Demo?

 

Is it just friction fitted?

Do you have any specific way of doing it effectively?

 

Thanks.

[Donald594]

Hey..

 

How do you pull out the nib on the Dollar Demo?

 

Is it just friction fitted?

Do you have any specific way of doing it effectively?

 

Thanks.

Well, I didn't pull it out. I just used the razor blade with the pen fully assembled.

[DRP]

Excellent review! Thanks!

[lovemy51]

i visited a small shop on Polk St, in San Francisco, called Polkadot and they have these for $6 USD. my friend bought one, i didn't...

 

i noticed an ink puddle/concentration forming around the nib and section, even when he had it facing "nib up". has this happened to anyone?

[msly]

I am in the process of getting a distributor in California to sell me 10 for $50. I am just waiting for a reply back on how he accepts payment.

[Eldan]

I just got one of these from His Nibs and it's surprisingly good. I'll probably add a few to any future orders.

[lovemy51]

I am in the process of getting a distributor in California to sell me 10 for $50. I am just waiting for a reply back on how he accepts payment.

 

PM sent!!