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I am new to the FPN. I stumbled here scouring the net for inexpensive, quality fountain pens. The "India and Subcontinent" regional sub-forum proved a goldmine. Never before had I heard of Indian Pen Masters like Ratnam, Ranga, Gama, ASA, Guider, Kanwrite. The reviews of some of their famous pen models, and their contacts posted here, motivated me to buy a few pieces myself. Thanks to everyone who has posted those very detailed and helpful reviews and pictures. This is my first post on the forum. Recently, a new model appeared on ASA e shop. Teacher. It is a handmade pen in acrylic. There are only two photos of the model on their website. Here is one of them. There is another similar photo of the same pens with flat top. I got interested immediately and tried to find out more on the net. No other photos or reviews of this model could be found anywhere. Satisfied with my previous purchases from ASA, I went ahead and ordered the one in blue, the 4th from left in the picture above. Soon enough, the pen arrived packed in an attractive, very usable (and appropriately) handmade cotton pouch. The pen looks a brighter blue in my photos, but the actual shade is closer to the manufacturer's photo above. It is a standard cigar shaped pen, 150 cm long. There is no branding or embellishment anywhere except the ASA logo on the clip. The entire pen is smooth and polished to high gloss. The tear drop clip is well fitted with a barely perceptible groove of the cap finial. The cap opens in three turns to reveal a very comfortable hourglass section. The cap threads are quite smooth and do not bother the hand. The cap seemed loose and wobbly when posted. I did not force it further down. With this size, who needs to post the cap anyway? The nib is a gold tone Jowo threaded unit. It is absolutely bare except for a little "M" on the side to indicate nib width. Several Nib sizes are available. The feed is plastic. The barrel takes eight turns to unscrew from the section to reveal a standard Schmidt converter. The fit to the section is tight, it can sure be eyedroppered. There is no O ring. Silicon Grease or Rosin Castor Oil paste should seal the threads well. The nib unit is flush fit to the section. It needs eight turns to come out. The barrel is quite thick and looks robust. The cap has a smooth polished dome. Overall, it is a very pleasing and satisfactory package. I haven't inked the pen yet. With Jowo nib unit, and Mr. Subramaniam's fabled nib tuning, there is little doubt that the pen shall perform well. At INR 3500.00, for me this pen is a steal.

A few weeks ago, a friend on mine Mr. @Binu Raj wanted to gift me a pen. At first, I declined his offer, but after a lot of back and forth, I finally caved in and accepted his offer. A couple of weeks later, the pen arrived and I was surprised, it was an ebonite pen, more specifically, an Athlete. Earlier I was discussing with him about buying an ebonite pen after my M.Tech allotments finish, But this came as an early surprise. I've now been using it for a few weeks, and here's my opinion on the pen. If you can stay till the end, I'll answer a question that in my experience, Literally, No One has asked for. But for those pinched for time, here's a TL;DR: " For the asking price of 1500 rupees, I find this an impressively well built and excellent pen with a great nib. If you can deal with the pros and cons of an eyedropper, then you won't be disappointed. ". Now that half of the readers have left, Let's get moving... Design and Build I have seen some ASA pens on youtube and the forum, and I had one of their models on my bucket list. And this pen definitely lets me cross that wish from my list. Design wise, it’s a classic flattop design. Capped, the pen starts from a flat top, then goes straight, onto the barrel with a smooth transition, and starts to taper around 2/3rd of the way until the end which is also flat. There is no transition noticeable by feel, and I think if you have one of the solid colour ebonite models, it’ll just feel like a single rod stock. The finish on the barrel is excellent and like an athlete it is supremely well built. Just below the cap, on the barrel, the model’s name is engraved. I prefer this subtle engraving over the big logo like I’ve seen on some gama pens. But to each their own, I guess. My only gripe with this pen is the cap. Not because it’s flimsy or anything, the cap is adequately thick with a generic but functional clip, but the cap takes 6 turns to uncap. Yup… 6 turns. As a man who’s experienced with the 2 or 3 turns it takes to uncap most of my pens, this feels a bit too much. A multi start thread would’ve been nice. The grip is lengthy and tapered with a small flare close to the end. I like this design. Below the grip are the threads and a small step up to the barrel. The step is noticeable, but not sharp. It’s supremely comfortable to hold, and the pen is light enough that it makes as a great long writer of a pen. And with a nib as good as the ASA nib this has, I could write page after page after page, without any fatigue. The pen is plenty long to be used uncapped. Or if you prefer writing with a cricket stump rather than a pen, you can post this pen, it’ll post securely, but not deeply. But this makes it super long, but the cap weighs nothing, and it’s as comfortable to write posted as is unposted. This is not an oversized pen, that being said, it’s not a small pen either. For size comparison, from left to right, 1. Pilot 55C2 2. Click 71 Jumbo 3. Airmail 69T 4. ASA Athlete Nib, Filling and Writing The nib that the athlete comes with is a No.35/No.6 ASA branded nib. From the looks of it, it seems to be a kanwrite nib on top of an ebonite feed friction fit on the section. To @subbucal sir’s credit, the nib and feed was friction fit very tightly around the section. I needed to use a knockout jig to get the nib and the feed off for cleaning. More on the snug fit later. The pen is a traditional eyedropper (or, Tank Filler as I like to call it) and takes a very good 2.75-2.85ml of ink. Even with the ink, the pen weighs just 16 grams. That’s not considering the 6.3 grams of the cap. Coming to the writing sample, Here’s a sample of the writing with the supposedly medium nib. The pen is one of the most comfortable pen I’ve used till date, almost matching the feel of my daily carry Airmail 71JT. The pen is very comfortable to write on long sessions and the flow is very wet. The ebonite feed sure keeps up with very fast writing and the pen hasn’t dried out on me, capped or uncapped. A very reliable pen indeed. The nib feels like writing with a soft lead pencil, smooth with a touch of feedback, that goes away as you empty the barrel, since the flow goes wetter the more ink you use up. I haven’t emptied the barrel yet, but at the time of writing that writing sample, the barrel is about 1/4th now, and it hasn’t burped. The flow has become noticeably wetter since the barrel was full. I guess the tight fit does serve it’s purpose of regulating the air ink interchange. The ebonite does feel noticeably more comfortable than my airmails, it feels like it’s conforming to my grip for some reason, and for sweaty handers like me, there is no slippage, even if your hand sweats more than a man running at midday on the Chennai sun. Overall, as my first ebonite pen, I’m very much satisfied, and I don’t regret on accepting the pen from Binuraj Sir. For the asking price, It’s a damn good value. On a side note, if you don’t like flattop pens, the writer is the same pen as the athlete but with round ends. And if you prefer the convenience of a cartridge converter, but like this shape, go with the ASA spear. That comes with a jowo nib unit at bit more cost. Now, the question literally, No one asked. Say, you have a Shaeffer No Nonsense, or School pen, or the award, and you’ve damaged the nib, would an Airmail nib fit🤔🤔🤔??? The answer is… YES… any Indian No.8 nib fits, and it writes surprisingly well. Well, that’s all. Here’s a 🥇 for your patience. Till next time… see ya🙋‍♂️ P.S : A quick Update A quick update, The ink was about 1/5th of the barrel, and it finally burped. I noticed the flow getting wetter and wetter by the week, and the tightly fit feed finally got overwhelmed in the cold rains in kerala. well, guess its time to refill or change the feed... I do have some NN feeds lying around and I'll probably swap that in... So, will it burp??? Absolutely... But it'll take a fair time before that happens, just refill if the pen starts to flow like a firehose, then you'll be alright.👍

Can anyone tell me what's the difference between ASA Daily and ASA Patriot and ASA Velvet? They all look similar, all have 3 in 1 filling mechanism, and... Daily has a #5 nib whereas the other two have #6 nibs (I guess). Any other differences?

So its Sunday morning here and I planned to post it a week ago but got delayed in hopes of adding wality ( which in exchange is running late in transit) so will only focus on these 2 new guys. One is ASA Maya which I went for Jowo fine nib other is kanwrite Heritage. The service was good by both manufactures, never had a issue on contacts with watsapp, email from ASA was well lets just say it was not too good but being contact on watsapp and phone made email redundant so still very nice service. Time take for arrival was 1month 6 days for ASA and 4 days for Kanwrite which is quite on time. I went for matt Maya and solid greenish colored heritage which has a ripple texture (its number 6 in catalog). I quite enjoy the heritage's color which will look different in different lighting from dark blueish in dim light to greenish in bright light never quite reaching either....its interesting to say the least. Heritage came packed in a case while maya in a pouch. Maya along with the respected filled ink. Maya nib shot Heritage along with the respected filled ink. Heritage nib shot. Airmail is in air from what I see in tracking number so will post it when it reaches. EDIT: Obvious one but do share yours too would love to hear about them from others.

Hey folks! A few days ago, I posted a nice baakulized Wality 71JT. Here's the other thing. Three ASA Demonstrators that usually come with the baakul finish, now polished to a mirror like gloss. The interiors were also polished on the caps. I plan to offer aftermarket finishing services soon, once the pandemic has died down. Do let me know how you like them.

Hello From past few days I was reading the ASA Nauka Series review by our learned fellow members like Aditkamath26 (Very Good Pics), dinuraj - Marvellous info rich review, Sagarb - Superb Handwriting and Vaibhav (as always very detailed review with sharp pics) and after reading again and again I had decided to go for "ASA Aqua Blue Translucent Acrylic Nauka" . And let me tell you gentleman that though above mentioned people's review tempted me to buy this but I am enjoying this pen completely. Not only me, but my colleague at workplace are as well enjoying the beauty and writing of this pen. From last couple of days this ASA demonstrator is demonstrating itself very well. I believe, all the specs and details are already given in previous reviews, so, I thought that I will write some gibberish for sample and clicked few pics for your viewing pleasure.

Introduction: It was not long before that I had bought my first ASA fountain pen that had served as the stepping stone into the vast world of handmade Indian fountain pens. Now, I’m the proud owner of two ASA Naukas- one in Tangerine, and one in the clear acrylic, TransNauka. I’m not known for my patience, so the wait time was really quite a period of impatience, but in the end, the pen makes up for everything. Now, lets get to my first review here .... Aesthetics and design: The pen’s design is reminiscent of a boat, hence the name Nauka (meaning boat in Hindi). The cap is almost cylindrical that has a bulbous dome at the top, which literally glows in my Tangerine Nauka in the right lighting, a bit less so with the TransNauka. The barrel has a significant taper towards the nib, but also has a slightly smaller taper near the end that ends in a point. The section is cylindrical with no taper at all, which really suits my hand. The cap to section threads are located on the top of the section, so that gives the pen almost a Lamy 2000 zeppelin-ish look. The looks of the pens really connect with me. The acrylics are brushed with abrasives. Some people compare this finish to a Franklin-Christoph but that is like comparing apples to oranges, since the F-C is polished on the outside, and rough on the inside, rather than brushed. I would compare it to a Lamy 2000, but slightly subtle. I imagine a Lamy 2000 demonstrator to be like this. In the right lighting, the Naukas glow. The Tangerine feels like a lava lamp. Both my Naukas are clipless and it just looks fantastic without a clip. But, that’s not going to be the case forever. I want to get some snake roll-stoppers for these Naukas, then they will be perfect for me. Construction and Quality: I’m not kidding here, but my TransNauka is flawless, almost to the point of believing that its not handmade, but it really is. My Tangerine on the other hand has a few scuffs here and there, but nothing intolerable. The quality of acrylic used is also quite nice. One issue however has crept in with the TransNauka. The engraving on the cap looks like it was done hurriedly. It isn’t really crisp and clear but has a blurred look. Other than that, I’m more than satisfied. Filling system: The Nauka comes in two variants: a simple eyedropper system, and a 3-in-1 system. Both of mine are the latter. A 3-in-1 system means the pen can be filled with a cartridge, converter or via eyedropper. In case you decide to eyedropper it, do remember to grease the section threads to avoid leakage. As a note, Mr. Subramanium will provide a small box of silicone grease with your pen. If you order the 3-in-1 system, you also receive a Schmidt converter. I don’t like using the converter since during filling, the cap threads are covered in ink and is difficult to remove. However, due to aesthetic reasons, I use a converter in my Tangerine Nauka. Writing comfort: The section of the TransNauka is cylindrical and has a diameter of 12mm. It makes for a comfortable grip for me, because I have unnaturally large hands for a 15 year old. It becomes slightly uncomfortable during really long writing sessions, however, it’s the most comfortable pen I own. This is true for both my Naukas. The pen can be used without posting and is really comfortable that way. The cap isn’t postable at all. Writing experience: The Nauka comes with three kinds of nibs: one are the ASA branded nibs in fine, medium, and broad, and these come with the simple eyedropper variant, two are the Schmidt nib units in fine, medium and broad, three are the JoWo nib units in fine, medium and broad, both available with the 3-in-1 system. Mine are the #6 JoWo nibs. The TransNauka has a fine nib in steel with no plating. It writes really well. It has a distinct feel of feedback, that’s not as unpleasant as my Platinum 14k medium nib. The fine JoWo nib is not really quite a fine. Its almost a fine-medium, that edges more towards the medium. Its wider than my Platinum 14k medium. But it’s a remarkable nib. The Tangerine has a 1.1 stub in steel, with a two-tone finish. This nib is really fun to write. It also has some feedback, but I quite like it. The line variation is also excellent and for me, the nib can be used for daily writing. But both nibs were dry out of the box, which was an easy fix. I have also tried the medium, but it feels characterless to me, so I ground it into a stub and that nib resides in one of my Deccan Advocates. Pricing: The Naukas are priced well. The regular TransNauka cost me 2400 INR without GST. The Tangerine commands a slight premium, at 3200 INR including GST. The international buyers will haver to pay more for many reasons involved, which I am unaware of. In my opinion, the pen is well worth the price, considering its handmade, has a JoWo nib, and is really comfortable. Final Thoughts: In the end, you get a really nice pen, with nice looks, great comfort, and reliable writing at a great price. If it was not for my Platinum 3776 Century Chartres blue, with that medium nib and mind-blowing resin, this would have been my favorite pen. The Naukas are a close second, I look forward to owning two more in the Aqua Blue acrylic and a brushed black ebonite. Only I happen to not have the funds for that. I hope my reviews are helpful to someone, and if they are, then mission accomplished. P.S. The photos were taken with a Nikkon D5300 and edited using Polarr Photo Editor for Windows. And in case you are wondering about the surface that my pens are on in the photos, that is a Pearl Jingle Cajon with an awesome rough finish.

Hi All, Recently, we did an India Exclusive Group Buy, for ASA Azaadi. A model which was designed after Conway Stewart Churchill model. Here I am producing a Group Picture of the pens made with Conway Stewart, Omas and Cocktail Blanks, for some of our customers. Thanks for looking. Subramaniam

The review is about a pen which was launched on Whatsapp Group of 20 members at that time and I believe was first of its kind launch for a pen. Approximately 50 odd pens were made and beleive me on this all got sold out within half an hour. So beautiful were they to look at first site. They were RAINBOW. The Rainbow is reviewed at my blog in detail : LINK This happens to be an ED model and the updated model with C/C mechanism is soon to be launched at ASA Pens on 23rd September. My other review of ASA pens are as follows: ASA Spear ASA Galactic ASA I-Can ASA Porus ASA Patriot ASA ViraatRainbow is first multicolored acrylic pen from the house of ASA Pens. DESIGN & BUILT: 4 / 5 It’s a simple classic cigar shaped pen with rounded bottom and top. Actually nothing is much happening on the design front. it though is a small pocket sized pen. It is actually the material which is doing all the talk. ASA Rainbow – Swirled Acrylic Material The pen will to begin with eventually will come in following colors when launched. Cherry Red (in pic above) Midnight Blue (Blue and Dark Blue swirls) Black Pearl (White and Black swirls) Fiery Orange (Orange and Black swirls) The color yellow with green swirls might be added later which is being reviewed. ASA Rainbow – Cherry Red and Yellow Swirl To begin with what i really like about this pen is its size and girth. It is small pen but not that slim. Lovely part is the grip section which is the thinnest portion in whole pen. It’s so wonderful to grip and write with this pen. ASA Rainbow – Capped ASA Rainbow – Uncapped ASA Rainbow – Rounded Top and Bottom The pen has silver trims. Actually the pen has only clip as a trim and a nib. No other metal parts were used. its a minimalistic design pen. The clip is sturdy and stiff and not springy at all. fits shirt pockets easily. The pen cap has no breather hole unlike many other Made in India pens. The cap finial is threaded and can be taken out easily also. ASA Rainbow – Cap View ASA Rainbow – Cap inner View ASA Rainbow – Clip Built is amazing and is well finished and polished pen. However I have to add one thing this pen is acrylic and requires maintenance and care to ensure no scratches just by throwing pen on desk or anywhere else. Below are the few images of the pen showing comparison with other pens. Gama Kuyil vs Pilot 78G vs ASA Rainbow BALANCE: 5/5 I love the fact that the small pens don’t have to be necessarily slim and this really goes down well with me. And I love ASA Rainbow also because of its girth too. Its very well balanced pen and feels amazing in your hand whether you write with cap posted or not at the back. ASA Rainbow – Writing Unposted ASA Rainbow – Writing Posted The cap posts very securely and also posting does not add to that much heft. This one is aptly balanced pen. NIB AND INK FILLING MECHANISM: 3.5/5 Our first feedback for this beautiful pen was to make it C/C mechanism pen because ink filled in barrel changes the color of the barrel and darkens it and thus it will be soon launched with C/C mechanism on 23rd September. The nib on the pen in question is Fine-Medium Ambitious 35 mm nib (#6) and is chrome finish. I love the ambitious nibs of size 35 mm and 40 mm. This nib writes with welcome feedback and writes wet. I love the way it writes. The nib has got certain springiness to it. ASA Rainbow – Nib Unit top view ASA Rainbow – Nib Unit side view ASA Rainbow – Nib Unit angled view Though the upcoming pen with C/C filling mechanism will come in following nib options: Schmidt monotone F NibSchmidt monotone M nibSchmidt monotone B nibThis pen has an eye dropper fill mechanism and hold good 3 ml of ink. The feed is made of ebonite and fitted very tight and securely. The removal of nib will require knockout block as the nib is friction fit. ASA Rainbow – Eye dropper fill I recommend people to buyers is to chose pen with option of fountain pen testing at checkout which takes time but you get the pen which writes good out of the box and this facility is being given by ASA pens free of charge. Below are the few images showing hand written review and also certain specification, ASA Rainbow – Page 1 ASA Rainbow – Page 2 ASA Rainbow – Page 3 Conclusion : This is a beauty and I am sure it will outsell any other model ASA pens has launched because this pen has it all going for it when its launched in C/C mechanism. However i would not recommend using this pen as ED as the barrel gets discolored because of the ink not that the ink burps. Go ahead save some money to buy this one. I recommend it. Please check my BLOG for other listings.

Introduction:The inception of this pen began with my curiosity of Titanium Nibs and I was able to put together this "customized" pen from my purchases made over a brief visit to the United States. Having read many reviews and opinions about Titanium Nibs online,being a different writing experience from Gold and Steels nibs, I started looking for an An American Vendor for titanium nibs. While doing my research I came to know that they are available in #8 size too. So as everyone knows, "Bigger IS better", I asked around for a #8 Bock Titanium Nib.Thanks to Shawn Newton who pointed me to Karas Kustoms and I was able to order one from them quickly. [bock #6 Gold, Bock #8 Titanium] Next step was to decide on the pen material. Being an Orange Fanatic I always wanted to have an Orange Ebonite Pen. I found some on the ExoticBlanks.com website and ordered 2 rods.They were pretty expensive and there is some uncertainty as to the Country of origin of these Blanks *cough* India *cough*. This pen was made from a single 10 inch rod. Having obtained the nib and blanks, I had to decide on a pen model and the pen manufacturer. The nib being a #8,the pen had to be an oversized pen and the first Indian oversize pen that comes to (my) mind was the A.S.A Galactic. Which I had owned for a while but sold off as it was too big for my grip and was too back heavy.Being a Happy multiple repeat customer of A.S.A Pens in Chennai,India I started looking at other A.S.A Models and found the Popsicle to be of much "manageable" proportions. After a brief chat with Mr. Subramaniam,the owner of A.S.A Pens I was told that the Popsicle could be customized. So to maximize the usage of my "expensive" Orange Ebonite blanks I asked an A.S.A Popsicle to be made but with Flat Ends which I have christened "FlatSicle". I have been using the Flatsicle for almost a month now and here is my review. [Montblanc 149, A.S.A Flatsicle, A.S.A Nauka] Construction:The material feels,and smells, like most of the Indian Ebonite I have handled. Smooth,hard and warm to the touch but ofcourse I have not been able to source Indian Ebonite in Orange Color.The ends have flat polished surfaces.The Clip is pretty basic and can be customised on demand.I went for a chrome clip.The cap has a very minimal step down,of about 1mm,to the barrel which tapers by about 3 mm towards the end of the barrel.The cap takes 3 turns to uncap.The #8 Nib looks well proportionate to the pen body. The section has a very prominent lip towards the nib and tapers up towards the Cap threads and barrel.The step up from section to barrel is about 1mm and not noticable, allowing you to grip the pen higher up,even over the step up.The uncapped pen has the highest diameter at the exact middle of the pen which lends to an almost middle centre of gravity.The section unscrews from the barrel in 10 turns.This is kept so high because this pen can be used an an Eye Dropper (with some Silicone grease) where it holds a massive 5ml of Ink! The pen also takes standard converters for about 1ml of ink. I enjoy the "ritual" of filling ink so I prefer C/C pens over the huge capacity E.D mode.The Pen can be used posted but becomes unwieldy and comical. Some Dimentions of the Pen:Capped Length: 170mmUncapped Length: 128mmPosted Length: 175mmMax Cap Diameter: 17mmMax Barrel Diameter: 16mmMin Barrel Diameter: 13mmSection Diameter: 11-14mm [A.S.A Flatsicle, TWSBI Vac700, A.S.A Nauka, Pelikan Twist, Lamy Al-Star, Parker Duofold Centennial, Caran d'Ache 849, Pilot Metropolitan] Writing Experience:Having used the #8 Titanium nib for almost a month I can see what the fuss is about. It is definitely a very different and unique experience from a Gold or Steel nib. The first thought I got was how similar the "feedback" was to a Mike Masuyama Needle point I got to try at a Pen Show,almost "like a Pencil". This "feedback" I feel to be very dependent on the type of paper used. Another quality of Titanium nibs has been its "soft" nature and to experience just this I got mine in an Extra Fine grade which is a departure from my preference of Medium to Broad Nibs. During regular writing,the nib is soft enough to impart some line variation to almost resemble a Western Medium. Keeping in mind the tendency of titanium nibs to spring, the nib can be pushed to give a Broad Line. I would recommend spending a lot of time getting to know the Point of Spring Back of your nib before attempting any serious "flex". But the general users should be more than satisfied with the "casual" line variation due to the soft nature of the nib. The ebonite feed of the Nib Unit has kept up perfectly with the my extensive Flexy Loopy Loop tests in C/C Mode,I think it would be the same,if not better in E.D Mode. Balance in my hands is right inbetween my finger grip and the web of my hand where the pen rests letter me grip the section at the perfect distance from the lip so that the large nib is right on the paper. In Comparisson to my Montblanc 149,to get the perfect balance,I need to grip the pen over the Cap threads and that can get uncomfortable over time.If I hold the pen at the most comfortable area of the section,the pen gets angeled to a steep degree and making the pen back heavy. So I find the Flatsicle more comfortable than the 149!Compared to the Visconti Casanova, I find the Visconti Very back heavy and honestly I bought it only because I got it for a steal!If only I could compare the Flatsicle with a Popsicle. The Little Things:This Pen is a Monster! Be prepared to get a lot of queries about it and attract a lot of attention.The Orange Ebonite can appear different hues under different Lights and is difficult to Photograph.Nib creep on the Titanium Nib looks very nice (for those who ar'nt O.C.D about it)No,I have not sprung the tines during my Loopy Loop tests.The softness of the Nib allows it to go from an Extra Fine to a Broad line width comfortably.The pen will be a tight fit when clipped in to shallow shirt pockets and tend to "stick out".No issues in Jeans Pockets or Clipped onto the middle of the shirt (between buttons). Conclusion:What started as a curious experiment turned out to be one of my most Enjoyable Pen. Obtaining a #8 Titanium Nib in the U.S seems to be a bit difficult so I would like to thank Shawn Newton for pointing me in the right direction.Thanks to Mr. Subramaniam of A.S.A Pens for letting me "customize" one of his most popular models and doing a good job on working with the Bock #8 Nib. Nibs of this size ar'nt common in India and I'm happy mine was in good hands. As I progress through my Fountain Pen journey I find myself gravitating towards specific models,which have mostly been slim pens or pens with tapered sections and having sold off most of my oversize pens, the A.S.A Flatsicle was a very pleasant surprise as I found it very comfortable for use considering its dimensions. Its pens like these that make you stick around in a hobby.

In 2015 when the Lamy Al Star was released in the amazing Copper Orange color it created such a buzz and made everyone want to own An Orange Pen. I did get the pen as soon as it was released and loved it but that just made the Orange Craving worse. In the hunt for more Orange Pens,I bought a Parker Duofold Centennial but it just didn't seem "fun" and casual enough to be enjoyed. So I ordered a couple of Blanks of Orange Crush from ExoticBlanks.com and handed them over to Mr. Subramaniam of A.S.A Pens in Chennai,India. Having used many A.S.A Pens over the past 3 years I knew I could trust A.S.A Pens with good craftsmanship and service.The Iconic model from A.S.A Pens,the Nauka,had been my daily driver for almost 6 months and I was positive about getting a Nauka made in the Crushed Orange acrylic. An impatient wait of 2 months later, I received my A.S.A "Dolce" Nauka. This pen has been review and loved many times on this Forum so I will not go into the microscopic details.If you would like you can check put the "up to the millimeter" details provided brilliantly by Mr. Sagar here:https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/300214-asa-nauka-review-of-a-classic/ I hope to share my first impressions of a beloved pen in a mesmerizing material done with almost perfect craftsmanship. I have always found the Nauka to be comfortable for my grip over extended use. I have owned the TransNauka for almost a year now and it regularly enters my pen rotation. Much has been said about the French "Influence" over the model,its unique cap threads and streamlined design so I will let some pictures do the talking. Also I find the material gives the pen a breath of fresh air. The pen has been constructed with very tight tolerances,comparable to my Edison Nouveau Water Lily (a.k.a Unicorn Barf). There are no rough patches,lathe marks,cross threading issues or gaps. I cannot comment on the the ease of working with the material from ExoticBlanks but visually it is Flawless. Maybe Mr. Subramaniam can comment on the ease of work ability with it. A few comparissons with other pens. Left to Right: Omas Ogiva Alba, A.S.A TransNauka, A.S.A "Dolce" Nauka, Edison Nouveau Water Lily. I went for a JoWo Steel Dual toned Medium nib which allows me to use the pen in all occasions from work to personal. Out of the box the pen wrote with a smooth wet line. A.S.A Pens also provides the full range of JoWo nibs in all their tip sizes. The pen can be used with either a Cartridge,Converter or as an Eye Dropper. I have been using it as a C/C but might try out a dark ink to see if it brings out more contrast in the barrel. The little things:This pen is a compliment monster. Expect at least one every time you use it.The material is oh so gorgeous.I would say the same as on the Delta Dolce Vita and Aurora Sole pens.The problem of unscrewing the barrel while the section is still threaded to the cap has never happened to me.I practiced holding the pen right under the clip,effectively holding the section,while unscrewing on my older TransNauka.Due to huge demand the Turn over of A.S.A pens is inconsistent but the communication was clear and The Clip on most Indian pens has a tripod at the point of contact with the cap/fabric.This needs to change.Surprisingly there is no branding on the pen.I do not know if it was intentional or missed.Anyway it is not missed.The dual toned Jowo nibs are really good looking.When I started out to write this review it was more of a showcase for the material and craftmanship of A.S.A Pens rather than Utility. But the more time I spend with this pen I have come to know that any pen cannot be Utilised to its full potential with amazing material and Craftmanship and in the respect A.S.A Pens has far exceeded my expectations as this is the only pen I want to carry with me!

Hi, this is my first review of ASA GENIUS BLACK GREEN RIPPLED fountain pen which I bought from ASA PENS and as usual Mr. L. SUBHRAMANIYAM the owner is as kind and polite as we all knew from the beginning. He also gave me a spare fine nib with the pen. If anything wrong with my review plz advice me as its my first one. Video link-

The ASA Athlete was my first ebonite pen. Purchased in mid 2015 from the ASA pens website, it has me hooked onto Indian ebonite pens since then. So what do i love about this pen- the light weight: despite its large size the pen is actually very light to hold and one does not feel it's weight at all when writing- the lovely green color of the pen. The pen is a regular in my pocket and has been a great conversation starter every single time i meet new people. - the super smooth and sharp nib. The nib is a total pleasure to write with. In fact far superior to any other pen i use- the huge capacity of the ED body. Despite my heavy use, the pen easily lasts me 2-3 weeks (about 50+ A4 sheets)My only real complain with the pen is the challenge with most India ED pens - it is occasionally susceptible to leaks and overflow from the nib. Despite all my love for the pen, I have to switch to a ball pen or a Parker when I need to sign a document or fill important forms. Hopefully once i get my hands on some silicone grease this issue would be resolved. Overall I would give this pen a 7 out of 10.

The review is about my second oversized pen ASA Viraat that i bought along with the Gama Supreme which i will be reviewing later. The detailed review is posted on my wordpress blog here : ASA Viraat This happens to be custom job that he did for me and supposedly upcoming model in growing list of ASA Pens. My other review of ASA pens are as follows: ASA Spear ASA Galactic ASA I-Can ASA Porus ASA Patriot DESIGN & BUILT: 4.5 / 5 This pen comes in two ebonite colors like black, light brown rippled, dark brown rippled. The pen in review is light brown rippled often called as White Tiger Ebonite. ASA Viraat – Top View ASA Viraat – Uncapped Built wise its a amazing, thick and the quality of the ebonite used is top notch. No qualms about it. Also there are two option of finishes available for this pen, Polished and Matte. Matte being new finish on the colored ebonite from ASA Pens. I am using the Polished version which can be seen in the image below. ASA Viraat – Polished version. Look at the shine The thickness of material is amazing. Its built like tank. Throw it here and there and forget. No damage will happen to this tank like built pen. The pen is fat and average thickness of pen is 15 mm, with maximum thickness at 16 mm around center of barrel and then barrel tapers down to bottom to 14 mm. ASA Viraat – Capped Pen View Compared to Gama Supreme it is smaller by 4 mm in length. The pen is around 160 mm in length which is quite big. The cap is @17mm dia at bottom and @16mm at cap finial. The clip is quite stiff and sturdy. Also there is a band at the edge of bottom of cap called lip band. All the trims are in silver chrome finish. I personally don't like the lip band but that doesn’t discount from the fact that it is well executed pen. Some people may like this some may not. ASA Viraat – Cap with silver trims ASA Viraat – Inner Cap View The grip section length is small though. The pen is flat top and bottom design with certain amount of tapering towards at either ends.Overall its a simple design for a pen but in big proportions. Quality is top notch. ASA Viraat – Flat Top and Bottom ASA Viraat – View of Grip Section and Cap Bottom Below are the few images showing its comparison with other pens. ASA Viraat vs Gama Popular vs Oliver F27 vs Parker Frontier ASA Viraat vs Gama Popular vs Oliver F27 vs Parker Frontier – Side View ASA Viraat vs Gama Popular – Barrel Thickness Few vitals are that the cap opens in 4 turns and the grip section is 13 mm thick. BALANCE: 4.5/5 The pen of these size are generally heavy but being ebonite its light weight. But because of its size there is just a little amount of welcome heft which make you feel that you are actually holding a big pen. The cap posts securely at back but i don’t think that is required. As mentioned earlier the grip section is small though and might be hassle for some. who hold the pen a bit higher. ASA Viraat – Writing without cap posted ASA Viraat – Writing with cap posted As you can see the pen is quite big, thus no requirement of posting the cap at back. Also you can see the grip section being small in length and my grip touching the threads which actually are not sharp and provide slip resistance. Actually this thick section takes some time getting used to. NIB AND INK FILLING MECHANISM: 05/05 Now the pen is fitted with Broad Bock nib. Oh man l love this nib. Lovely. Lays down perfect wet line that broad nib is supposed to do. ASA Viraat – Nib Unit Top View ASA Viraat – Nib Unit Side View ASA Viraat – Nib Unit Bottom View ASA Viraat – Nib Unit Angled View Pen is an eyedropper filler. And hold approx 5 ml of the ink. Feed is made of ebonite. And following nib options are available. Bock Fine Nib Bock Medium Nib Bock Broad Nib Ambitious 35 mm Medium Nib Ambitious 40 mm Medium-Broad Nib ASA Viraat – Pen taken apart ASA Viraat – Ebonite Feed Below is the handwritten review showing the writing sample and ink drying tests. Conclusion: This pen is for the serious buyers who actually are on lookout for oversized beauties. And this is one of them.

Dear All This is new group buy for the new model of ASApens named "Popsicles". Completely handmade. Popsicles is homage to classic design of Sailor King of Pens. Fitted with Schmidt #6 Nib in Chrome color. (Fine, Medium and Broad Available). Comes with Schmidt K5 Converter. This is made of premium thick acrylic and comes in following colors: Shiny Ivory Floral Rose Tangy Orange Pure White Pastel Green Sky Blue Coral Red You can pre order this pen here POPSICLES We are running a special Group Buy Offer for FPN members. The price mentioned here is the special group price of Rs.2000/- for Indian Customers and 49USD for international customers. Limited Period Offer. Normal Price is 65 USD for international shipments and 2500 for indian customers Offer expires on 31st August.

http://asapens.in/eshop/image/cache/data/Athlete/Athlete-20-500x500.jpgASA Athlete: The pen with a character This review is my first and is intended for a laymen. There is usually no best. No best book, no best car and no best movie. Same goes with fountain pens. However, recently I found or discovered a pen which comes very near to being the best in my present collection. This pen was bought from ASApens.in and was named Athlete. I quite enjoyed writing with it. I call it the pen with a character . As you can perhaps see, the pen is made of ebonite i.e.a hard rubber but feels and looks like wood. How many of us can boast of using an writing instrument made of ebonite. Not many, I guess. Believe me when I say it, the feel of ebonite surpasses plastic, acrylic or even metal. You won't feel the weight. You will not experience the pressure and pain on the tips of your finger while writing for long hours. Your hands will not sweat as much. Moreover, the balance of the pen is very significant when it comes to writing for long durations. This pen has perfect balance. at least for me, posted(putting the cap on the end) or unposted. Despite being of such a large size, I never felt its size or weight even once. Pardon the cliche, but the pen is literally light as a feather. The wooden ebonite body has been polished to give it a matt black finish. It adds to the aesthetics of this pen. The pen looks classy and visually appealing. It catches the attention of those around you, provided they care about pens. The 'Athlete' has got a personality of its own. Its exterior speaks of its being a no nonsense , efficient and durable pen. When you keep it with other pens, it dominates them with its presence. Athlete is an eyedropper. For a layman, this means that its barrel is filled with ink, unlike say Parker vector or Hero 360. Usually in an eyedropper, the air bubble inside gets warmed up with the heat of the body and expands. This results in burping which means that your page can get ruined and you may end up with a big and sizable blot on your paper. But, thankfully, this is not the case with this pen. I ended up a complete tank and I found no burping. The wooden body apparently acts as an insulator much better than plastic. The ink flow increased when the ink levels dropped but there was no burping. Another problems which eyedropper pens face is leakage. None here though. The cap fits securely and the barrel is securely attached to the nib and feed section. It was a new experience for me. An Eyedropper fountain pen that doesn't leak.!!! The best part is nib. These nibs are apparently made in Germany. The engraving says that they are Iridium tipped. You can feel their superior quality. If the best fountain pen you have is a Parker Vector, you would be blown away by the smoothness of the nib. The nib does not have a glossy smooth feel which many a chinese fountain pens have. That is being too smooth to like. There is a little feedback, which I love, because I can feel myself writing and I can feel the nib gliding on the paper. The nib is a dual tone nib. Which means that it has two parts, one golden and another shiny silver colored. The nib is a size #6. For a lay man this can be translated as fairly large nib. Not the largest, but quite large. Having a large nib means that if you have large hands like mine and many of other adult men, you wont be forced to write too close to paper and while writing you can maintain a comfortable hand stance.I got the nib with tines separated. I thought that it would be an issue. But it was not. There was no rail roading. Writing samples of the pen and the comparison with Pilot 'Tank', Pilot MR and Lamy are included. The ink used is commonly available Chelpark and the paper is a JK A4 size paper. The service was excellent. When I bought the pen I used the option of getting the fountain pen checked which is not available on any other indian site. The sellers are professionals. One can any time mail them or call them in respect of any queries related to fountain pens. I called them and they didn't disappoint me. Now, let me answer the most difficult question about this pen. What I didn't like about it? Well, I liked everything. But I should add a caveat that this is an eyedropper pen which needs a little maintenance just like a samurai sword does . And the cap if left posted may leave a round mark on the matt finish. However, the pen is available in many colors on ASApens. Lastly if you feel the ink flow increasing it would be wiser to refill the barrel pen instead of waiting for the ink to be over. Overall, I recommend this pen. It's a great value for money and a daily writer. One can use it daily without impunity. One can show it off or keep it entirely to himself. It is a work horse, a no nonsense pen and most importantly a pen with a character. It is one macho of a pen, that dominates other pens and the paper.

Here are a few pics of the ASA Daily. Very nice pen with a Schmidt fine nib unit. The nib is perhaps a bit small for this size pen. Nevertheless it writes well and is very good value at $32.