Search the Community

Hello friends, I always like collecting FPNs with good ink carrying capacity. Therefore I prefer Eyedroppers and piston fillers. Here is my new purchase from ASA pens Channai : The Chelpark SONA piston filler.I feel the design is influenced with "Rotring" piston filler. 1)Cap : Dual tone attractive cap .Silver body with golden ornaments.Clip is engraved with name "Chelpark".Clip is having good spring tension. 2) Barrel : Smooth finished black resin barrel . Having a large ink level window.Piston working is smooth and without any play.Golden ring separates barrel and piston. 3) Nib and feed : Chelpark gold plated nib writes fine lines. Nib is less smooth than that of Airmail nibs. Modern feed is having fine fins resulting in consistent ink flow as well as quick starting of pen.Writing example attached. 4) Conclusion : I think it is the most fabulous pen manufactures by Chelpark,Bangalore.Total value for money.. Enjoying prompt service from ASA pens , for this time also. Hope you all will enjoy review and pictures as well. Comments are always welcome..... Regards , WDP4 "BAAZ" Indian 2 stroke diesel loco fan

When I purchased the two Chelpark Sona pens from Mr. Subramaniam of ASApens way back in Feb,2014, he requested me to give feedback about these pens. Well, I did inform him on call, but a written review never happened. My bad! Then on 28th Dec,2014, I came across a Lincoln, from Beena. Another Indian piston filler. After looking at the pen I knew I had to do a review of these two pens, much like a certain Mr Brown with his shootout series. Read on. First Impression: Both pens are packed similarly. I mean you can change the wrappings & the boxes and that wouldn't make any difference. The packaging is good enough, pens are housed into a hard plastic box which is inside a cardboard box. No problemo! Looks & Size: The two pens are almost identical twins, had it not been for the caps & the gold ring. A few more dissimilarities showed up when I dug deep. But I'll pull the rabbits one by one from the proverbial hat. I Compared the pens with a Lamy Safari, so you'll get a rough Idea about the size. I dont own a scale so can't tell you how it weighs. But they are made of plastic, and weigh roughly similar to a NoNonsense (with a piston converter). My guess may be off by a few milligrams. Can't help! They are easy to hold and write. I personally prefer pens with a bit more girth, but I can adjust. Good enough in my books. Nib: Yes, the rumors are true. Both pens sport a screw in nib-feed assembly. I don't own an Estie (Do you have one to pass on?) so I can't tell you if the assembly are interchangeable. But look at the pictures below. It's possible to make a frankenpen out of them (and NOT two!). The nib on the Lincoln is a shade thicker than the Sona and this is the first time I am seeing an Indian medium nib in that Lincoln. I don't have enough competency to tell you, but I don't think there are more Indian pens with M nibs. Perhaps Hari317 can shed a bit more light. Both nibs are smooth with a bit of pleasant feedback. I did not do the figure 8s on buffs before scrawling a few lines, but maybe I shall with the Beena. Just my preference. Price: The Chelpark Sona used to cost 110 INR (<2 US$ current) in July 1996. The Lincoln's price was (is) 180 INR (<3 US$) when packed in June 2013. I think even at the price of 245 INR (<4 US$) (ASA), Sona is a cheap and wonderful pen. I can not say the same about few Walities that costs around the same. But they are a different category. The Lincoln is also a steal. Thumbs up to both. Personal Thoughts: I'd recommend this piston fillers to anyone. Not too long ago, I saw a few old German Piston Fillers (School Pens) up in the PIF section. I can't remember the name, but I think these pens can give hard competition to them. Food for thought Mr. Brown # Disclaimer 1 : Not affiliated woth Chelpark/Beena. # Disclaimer 2 : My post is not intended to hurt anyone. # Disclaimer 3 : Mods, I was unsure if to post this in India & Subcontinent or here. Please move if need be. Your constructive criticism is always welcome.