My Syahi Pen.

[hari317]

 

Sharing some pics and thoughts about my new pen acquisition from an Indian company called Syahi.

http://www.syahiindia.com

 

Syahi simply means ink in Hindustani and it is probably an apt name for a pen company. Apparently over a century ago there was another pen company in Madras named Mai which is again the Tamil word for ink. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/224173-precious-metal-fountain-pen-manufacturers-in-india/

 

The pen comes nicely packed in a drawer type box:

 

 

This card in the package provides a brief introduction to the company:

 

 

Pulling the drawer out reveals the pen strapped to the tray with the guarantee leaflet tucked beneath it:

 

If you lift the tray you will find underneath a nice leather pen pouch with the Syahi monogram:

 

 

Seems quite well made:

 

Syahi at the moment specialises in wooden pens. i.e. pens made out of real solid wood.

The trim is in brass. Either brushed with what appears to be a protective coating over it or with gold plating over the brass. The wood is treated with some type of finish. I can get a whiff of some vegetable oil so maybe they use some such oil to stabilise the wood.

I chose the brushed brass finish.

 

The photos had not prepared me for the pen. The pen is surprisingly chunky and comfortably large which I like. You can see that the natural texture, colour and grain of the wood has been preserved. The wood in fact has a very tactile feel.

 

 

The cap to barrel joint is by means of inserts. The barrel has a brass insert. The external acme threads on this insert engage the threads of the full depth plastic insert inside the cap. Using dissimilar materials for this joint yields a very smooth and silent cap threading action. The cap takes exactly 1- 1/4 turns to cap or uncap. A big plus in my view.

 

Unscrewing the plastic section reveals the C/C filling arrangement. The steel collar has threads to engage the threads on the K6 Schmidt converter. This is the best converter that one can buy from Schmidt today.

 

The nib is wide shouldered, two tone with the Syahi logo and name laser engraved on it. The nib has no size letter on it. I had opted for a BB point.

 

I am usually not a fan of steps from section to barrel. However on this pen the step is of no consequence to me given the ample proportions of the pen. The pen is v comfortable to use unposted. I have not posted the pen yet.

 

 

The finned plastic feeder:

 

The guarantee leaflet personally signed by Sanay who is behind Syahi:

 

The nib was perfectly gapped and aligned out of the box. The slit was nicely tapered. Here is a writing sample that I made with Quink permanent Blue. The flow is very even and the pen never missed a beat.

 

I think Syahi has done a good job with this pen. My pen writes well and has excellent fit and finish.

 

Cheers

Hari

[Abhik]

Excellent pen Hari! Only yesterday I read a review of Syahi pen, now you too! Intriguing!

Enjoy. Excellent photos too.

Best

[markiv]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I noticed they offer a gold nib option for an additional $80 which seems quite attractive. Will be watching Syahi going forward.

[Sagarb]

A superb- superb- superb review..

[Abhik]

Hari, I came back with question on dimensions. Can you share any photo with a common pen to know comparative size?

Very tempting!!

[hari317]

Thank you Abhik, Markiv and Sagar.

 

Hari, I came back with question on dimensions. Can you share any photo with a common pen to know comparative size?

Very tempting!!

Yes sure. Pls let me know which pen you would like to see along side.

Best

Hari

Edited September 13, 2018 by hari317

[Abhik]

MB 149 or MB 146

[hari317]

MB 149 or MB 146

Dear Abhik, Here are some quick pics taken using my phone camera.

 

Best

Hari

[Freddy]

Hari:

 

Thank you.

 

Fred

[mitto]

I want to use siahi in this beautiful Siahi pen.

 

Thank you Hari for the review.

[Syahiindia]

I want to use siahi in this beautiful Siahi pen.

 

Thank you Hari for the review.

Haha! For people out there who not know what Syahi means - it means ink in Urdu.

[Syahiindia]

Hari, I came back with question on dimensions. Can you share any photo with a common pen to know comparative size?

Very tempting!!

Hi Abhik :

 

Sorry, I have not put dimensions on the website yet, but here they are(for this model - The Imperator):

1) Capped Length - 142.6mm

2) Uncapped Length - 129mm

3) Section Diameter - 12mm

4) Barrel Major Diameter - 15.1mm

[hari317]

I want to use siahi in this beautiful Siahi pen.

 

Thank you Hari for the review.

Thank you. I like your transliteration.

[Yohaanrods]

That's one beautiful aquisition of yours Hari sir!!!

[hari317]

Thank you Yohaan.

[hari317]

One observation that I have is the tendency for the nib on my pen to dry out if the pen is left unused for a day or two. All my inked pens lie horizontally on my pen tray. This unuse for a day or two happens when you have too many pens and you tend to rotate pens on a daily basis. It will be nice if a better inner cap arrangement is engineered in upcoming versions.

Best

Hari

[Syahiindia]

One observation that I have is the tendency for the nib on my pen to dry out if the pen is left unused for a day or two. All my inked pens lie horizontally on my pen tray. This unuse for a day or two happens when you have too many pens and you tend to rotate pens on a daily basis. It will be nice if a better inner cap arrangement is engineered in upcoming versions.

Best

Hari

Hari, I will work on a better inner cap. However, I have noticed that sometimes there are surface tension issues in the converter, and the ink gets stuck in it. Please try giving it a wash with dilute soapwater, to remove any manufacturing oils, and let me know if that helps! -Sanay

[TheDutchGuy]

I looked at several Syahi pens yesterday at the Tilburg pen show and tried two of them. Aesthetically, they really appeal to me. I studied biology (not that I work in that field anymore) and as a hobby I'm deeply into botany, so the organic look and feel of the wood really resonates with me. The dimensions fit my hand well and I found the pens to be pleasant and ergonomic to use. What kept me from buying one, are two things. First, aesthetically I felt that the nibs looked at little bit out of character in comparison to the rest of the pen. They looked just a little bit plain to me (especially the steel nibs). Second, and this was the deciding factor, the nibs either skipped or railroaded on most downstrokes. After that brief skip, they would write a nice, wet line that's neither too wet nor too dry, i.e. just right. But the skipping really was a dealbreaker for me, especially since the pens were dipped into a bottle so I can expect them to be drier at home when using a converter.

 

I will definitely keep an eye on Syahi and see where the brand is headed. It's very interesting and I applaud the loving care that went into these pens.

[Syahiindia]

I looked at several Syahi pens yesterday at the Tilburg pen show and tried two of them. Aesthetically, they really appeal to me. I studied biology (not that I work in that field anymore) and as a hobby I'm deeply into botany, so the organic look and feel of the wood really resonates with me. The dimensions fit my hand well and I found the pens to be pleasant and ergonomic to use. What kept me from buying one, are two things. First, aesthetically I felt that the nibs looked at little bit out of character in comparison to the rest of the pen. They looked just a little bit plain to me (especially the steel nibs). Second, and this was the deciding factor, the nibs either skipped or railroaded on most downstrokes. After that brief skip, they would write a nice, wet line that's neither too wet nor too dry, i.e. just right. But the skipping really was a dealbreaker for me, especially since the pens were dipped into a bottle so I can expect them to be drier at home when using a converter.

 

I will definitely keep an eye on Syahi and see where the brand is headed. It's very interesting and I applaud the loving care that went into these pens.

Hey! Firstly, thank you for your comments on the aesthetics of our pens.

 

As for the nibs - agreed, the steel nibs are not overly decorated. The gold nibs have a flower design, similar to the Auroras. We are working on a slightly more elaborate design.

 

As for the initial skip - I am surprised. The nibs are usually washed before being sent out. However, you have faced it and I take full responsibilty. Will speak to Guillaume about it.

 

-Sanay

[TheDutchGuy]

The nibs weren't clean. These pens were show pens, they were on display, and had probably been passed through dozens of hands. They had been dipped into bottles before, that much was clear to see. As a potential buyer, for me the question is... if the pen is less than perfect, do I hand over 200 or 300 euros (depending on steel or gold nib) to a seller on a pen show who I will probably never see again in my life...? I'm rather conservative when it comes to choices like these. But I will continue to try Syahi pens from now on!

Edited October 1, 2018 by TheDutchGuy