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I have been using fountain pens since 1976. That time it was primarily hero pens and mostly locally manufactured moulded pens, the brand names I find hard to remember. Most of these pens were of two filling categories only, sac filler(mostly made in China) and ED. Thereafter I graduated to Parker and continued using a few of them till 2019 on and off. Meanwhile got facsinated by Ballpens, netters, jitters, Gel pens, roller pens etc. Came 2018. I still had three Parker Vectors, one each for using Blue, black/green and red inks respectively. I came across an article on Ratnamsons and history of fountain pen turned in india. This made me search for manufacturers in India and I thought of reviving my love for Fountain pens. Thus I jumped headfirst in acquiring all I could lay my hands on and in the process became friends with many turners and became aware of their products too. Subsequently I graduated to use of flex nibs and dip nibs. I got interested in calligraphy fonts and cursive writing. That will be a different post. Currently I will focus on three pens from different brands using flexible nibs Magnacarta Emotions with stock flex steel nib, Kanwrite heritage with KANWRITE Fine flex steel nib and LOTUS pen with Kanwrite 14k Gold flex nib. The LOTUS pen is part of a limited edition initiative by Fountain pen lovers of India with 50 pens only made . These three pens when I started flexing, I realised that even in steel flex nibs, the amount of pressure required to assert pressure was different. It required lot of efforts to flex Magnacarta vis a vis KANWRITE Heritage. The LOTUS pen with gold nib was but easier.

Lotus pens is an Indian pen manufacturer based out of Mumbai. It is run by Mr Arun Singhi. I came across this firm through one of the reviews posted on FPN last year or so. Looking through their website, I found some designs that interested me. https://www.lotuspens.com The material they use is from Nikko Ebonite Japan. https://www.nikkoebonite.com/english_site/index.html I was most interested in their model called the Vamza. It is apparently the Sanskrit word for Bamboo. However their Vamza was clipless and a clipless pen is useless for me. YMMV. So I got into a conversation with Mr Singhi reg the possibility of attaching a clip. I sent across some reference pictures and the result is the pen in this review. The credit goes to Mr Singhi alone. The pen comes in a box with an outer cover with the lotus pens logo on it. The box opened. The pen is inside the pouch. The pen. I chose the brown rippled material for it. The pen outside the box. It has a knot on the barrel and one on the cap. The logo on the gold plated clip. The pen uses a standard no 6 nib unit from JoWo and can use a converter or a cartridge. The ends of the pen are depressed to give the impression of a piece of natural bamboo. Nicely done. The inserts show the logo. Both the inserts. Could not manage focus despite stopping down. The section barrel threads are of coarse pitch to permit quick removal of section for refilling. Alongside my trusty Big Red for size comparison. How it rides in the shirt pocket. The section is cylindrical. The pen has a nice length for comfortable use and the knot does not fall on the webbing of my hand. The fit and finish is first rate. The cap and section screw on and off silently and smoothly. There are no machining marks on the pen and the gloss is pretty amazing. The nib is standard JoWo fare with plenty of aftermarket upgrade options. Pricing is available on the website, I felt the prices are a terrific bargain and they ship worldwide. They took about a week to prepare my pen, being a slight customisation. Happy to see a local pen company emerge. Mumbai was a major pen manufacturing hub in the heydays. If you have any questions about my pen, feel free to ask. Cheers, Hari

I received this beautiful Lotus Vamza yesterday. What's amazing is that I ordered from the honorable Mr. Arun on November 27 and it arrived on December 8 via DHL. Eleven days from the order to my home. That's a real commitment to customer service and worthy of praise. I love bamboo-shaped pens and this one is fantastic. Made of red and black Nikko ebonite it's a joy in the hand and the craftsmanship is impeccable. I ordered the JoWo 1.1 in gold-tone and I like that the Lotus brand is on the nib. A very nice touch. Seeing the quality of Mr. Arun's work I can assure you this will not be the last Lotus pen I buy. I can highly recommend Lotus pens. Thank you Mr. Arun for this treasure.

The Indian Fountain pen industry has had a very long,lustrous and prestigious history. For an Indian Student,your first Fountain Pen was invariably Indian Made. Usually made of ebonite, Eye-Dropper and Indian made generic nibs. And oh the universal "feature" of Ink Burps and leaks. Unfortunately I was one of those students who waited impatiently till 8th grade when we were allowed to use Ball pens. Please forgive my ignorance of childishness. Recently I was contacted by Mr.Arun Singhi of Lotus Excel Pens about his new line of Fountain Pens with premium materials. Some standout features of their Lotus Excel line of Fountain Pens are:Japanese Nikko Ebonite: Which provides mirror finish without any additional coatings/treatment.International Standards of craftsmanship.Interchangeable nibs ie. JoWo in the case of the Jina.Unique out of the box designs: Symmetrical "Zeppelin" design in case of the Jina,while at the same time maintaining 50/50 balance.High quality trims: 18k Gold plated trims on the Jina.Lifetime Guarantee.I guess its time to get into Indian Pens again. Presentation:The Pen comes in a Functional clam shell case with the Minimalist Lotus logo on the box. The Pen is stored in a velvet pen couch with draw strings.I like these boxes as they can act as storage for at least 3 pens.The Velvet string pouch can also be used as everyday carry. Construction:The first thing you notice with this pen is the perfect,near mirror,glossy polished surface of the pen. Mated with the strikingly gold plated appointments: the Split Nib,cap ring and cap band, there is a very pleasant contrast between the ebony and the gold. Overall the pen has a tapered torpedo shape with smooth flowing lines,all the trims being flush with the body. The Split Clip is reminiscent to some nibs from Waterman. It is spring loaded and has good tension.Below the Clip is a golden circular band. At the end of the cap is a broad gold plated band,which is at the exact middle of the pen. This gives the pen a very pleasing visual balance. The barrel of the pen is plain and tapers down. The cap unscrews with 2.5 turns and does not have the typical Ebonite on Ebonite screaching feel. The section is very comfortable in width and length and ends with a lip towards the nib. The cap screws are very low profile and do not cause any discomfort when gripped.There is about 1mm of step up from the section to the barrel.The section unscrews in 2.5 turns and again,very pleasent turns. The pen accepts International Cartridges and Converters. I havnt tried it but I think the pen can be used as E.D too.In the hand,the pen has a very balanced feel and comfortable unposted. The pen can be posted but becomes very unwieldy and top heavy. Specifications: Material : Japanese Nikko Ebonite ​ Total Length : 155 mm ​ Length without cap : 135 mm ​ Total Weight : 24 gms ​ Weight without cap : 11 gms ​ Schmidt Converter ​ Nib: Fitted with C/C type Gold Plated Jowo # 6. Available in F/M/B Size Comparisson: Sailor Pro Gear II, Mont Blanc 149, Lotus Excel Jina, Lamy 2000. Writing:My pen came with a #6 Jowo in Medium and it wrote as well as any smooth,wet Jowo Nib. No flow issues noticed out of the box. Maybe the nib was checked before being sent out? The Little Things:Its really hard to believe that this material is just Polished Ebonite. It can easily be mistaken for resin. I cant wait to see more colors in this material.I really like the Symmetrical design of the pen.And its a design that works functionally as well as aesthetically.The low thread count for the cap and section is a welcome change compared to other Indian Pens.Quality of threads:The amount of sheen in the material is maintained over the threads too!Wide selection of nibs as these pens accept JoWo Nib Units. Conclusion:Its good to see New Indian Pen Manufacturers venturing into the scene and more so with such strong products like the Jina. The quality of materials,craftsmanship,product aesthetics and Service is a breath of fresh air for not only Indian Buyers but International as well. I feel Mr.Arun Singhi of Lotus Excel Pens has hit a home run with the Jina and things can only get better from here.