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Very recently I acquired an Indian ebonite fp in black with matte finish from ASA Pens, India. This is a hand crafted pen using the age old traditional methods involving the right blend of imagination and craftsman ship.It is a big big pen in keeping with the traditional Indian ebonites. This is my first review in FPN and being so, there is every likelihood that shortcomings & inadequacies will creep in here and there which I sincerely hope will be overlooked and excused by the gracious readers . Here it goes: 1. Appearance & Design (7/10): Black matte finish in ebonite with a traditional look archetypal of the Indian hand made FPs, that is to say it is big and stout with a vintage appearance. On the barrel, the name of the company "ASA Gurushikhar" is inscribed which i appears to have been done in a jiffy and deserved a better execution. On the barrel ,name of the manufacturer and the model is inscribe on the barrel. The ASA" Gurushikhar is a well crafted pen which is minimalist in design. The top and the bottom are flat with practically no embellishments barring the chrome clip which is sturdy and functional and slightly springy. The pen is widest on the middle of the barrel and then tapers down to wards the bottom ever so slightly which makes it look pretty classy. The cap is almost parallel with out any appreciable tapering neither up or downwards. The interface of the cap and the barrel is curved in wards ( the bottom most part of the cap) and is mirror polished as are the top of the cap and the bottom of the pen. The section is polished which tapers down towards the nib unit with an outward curvature at the end of the section.The finish to my mind could have been a trifle better. In fact, many could mistake it for a Gama Kuyil since iit bears a striking resemblance to the later in terms of looks, design, size ,build and the clip even. So, sensu stricto Gurushikar has not much to offer in terms of any uniqueness .But over all quite impressive at the first blush. Views of ASA Gurushikhar . 2. Construction & Quality (7/10): It is a well built pen and appears pretty tough, solid and ready for taking the rigors daily rough use and could well be the EDC, provided the big size is agreeable to the user .The ebonite material appears to be of quality, though on a closer examination one could find some minor defects here and there by way of dings and pits on the body of the pen which doesn't mar the looks of the pen at all. In fact, these aberrations and the rough (matte) surface lends it some aura of looking "vintage " .The polish (smoothing) on the barrel could have been a shade better. Never the less craftsman ship is worth writing home about considering that it is a hand tuned pen. close up view of the barrel with the brand name engraved . 3.Weight & dimensions (7/10): As has already been said this is a big sized pen but weighs pretty much light in the hand.This is probably is the characteristic feature of the ebonite material. So, being light in spite of its size makes it ideal for long hours of writing. I use this pen un posted as it gives me the feeling of a perfect balance in the hand. Using it capped may give you the feel of a top heaviness thereby spoiling the right balance. But I guess people with large paws may differ from me. Readers will excuse me for not giving the exact weight since I do not have a weighing machine . The dimensions as measured with a ruler and a tape are as follows: Capped Length = 15.2 cm Uncapped Length = 13.5 cm Posted length = 17.6 cm Widest circumference at the mid barrel = 5.1 cm circumference of the cap base = 5.9 cm Comparison of size, from bottom to top-Lamy vista, gurushikhar, deccan advocate. 4. Nib and Performance (9/10) : The ASA pen e shop site for this pen has no options for choice of nibs or color variations. I ordered this pen with a request for a "M" nib and Mr Subramanium obliged ( the perfect gentleman that he is ) with a "M" JOWO nib of size #6 which is the ideal size for this pen.. The nib , perhaps is the brightest spot of the pen . The nib is a steel one in mono tone. "hot knife in the butter" is the most apt expression to describe the smoothness of the JOWO nib. It writes medium ,approximately 0.5 to 0.6 mm and lays down wet lines which is the way I like it. I tested the nib on my daughter's exercise book and the result is not far behind the best with the exception that in this case there is some degree of feathering.The nib is nail hard without any flex what so ever. Another highlight of this pen is the use of finned feed like the "Sheaffer" NOS type, which supplies uniform quantity of ink to the nib and makes it burp free. The "Gurushikhar" is a brilliant writer to say the least. A view of the nib and the feed. 5. Feeling System & maintenance (8/10) : The ASA "Gurushikhar" has a 3-i-1 feeling system, meaning that it i can take a converter, international cartridges and can also be used as an ED . For me, it came fitted with a Schmidt K2 converter and is top notch. It easily pump in 1 to 1.5 ml at a single go.The converter functions optimally without any trouble. With converter and cartridges maintenance is minimal. I am yet to use it as an ED (and why should I). 6. Cost & Value (8/10) : The "Gurushikhar" is modestly priced at 2500 INR, where in one gets a sturdy, well built and above all beautifully hand crafted fp, fitted with a K2 converter and A JOWO nib, that writes butter smooth. Therefore weighing all the pros and the cons , I feel the "Gurushikahar" is more than its money's worth and at the end of the day it appears to be a good bargain. 7. Conclusion : (7.7/10) : The ASA Gurushikhar has all the elements to be a much sought after pen (except for the monotony of the design which is characteristic of Indian Ebonites) with a slight modification here and there such as, if fitted with dual cap rings in golden tone at the base and a more suitable clip other than the one fitted with. Why I say this is because the same clip is also found in ASA Revolution, Patriot, Gama Hawk, Gama Kuyil etc (pl correct me if I am wrong) and therefore a separate identity is sought for ASA "Gurushikhar" All in all a good pen at a reasonable price which happens to be a champion writer.