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Been looking at getting a vintage Soviet pen for a bit. I finally found one I really liked the look of. Here is my review. Feel free to ask me any questions.

Well, I have attend my first pen show, the one in Cologne on April 1st. I was planing to buy one or two pens and at the end decided on Mabie Todd Swan Leverless 205/60 with flex gold nib. Nicely restored, very smooth and wet writer, I love it. Bought it from kind and helpful Sarj Minhas (one man pen show!) on whose table(s) I spent half of my time at the show The other two I bought on eBay: 1940s Bayard Excelsior 560 Standard in excellent condition. Leningrad Soyuz - never saw one of those before - nice wet writer.

The original review: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/288675-exotic-pen-review-russian-soyuz-unknown-model/ In the original review I mentioned that the piston is exceptionally tight. After some experiment and consulting the Fountain Pen Hospital while I was in NY, I decided to use American Eel ink (bulletproof version) on this pen. The piston seems to have loosened after this and I found that writing is very pleasant. http://img.vim-cn.com/8f/8b8b672cf539683549319055a51b4409677e81.jpg This writing sample is done on a Rhodia dotpad and I still have not managed how to use this kind of grid yet. The dry time is relatively long as Noodler's bulletproof ink always does (and the large amount of ink laid by this Soyuz only made the problem worse). The writing was smooth and enjoyable. The only annoying thing is that the ink has that distinctive smell which can be a bit annoying to some people. Thanks for the advice on using silicon greece but I cannot open this pen so I can only use some lubricative ink.

This is the first of my two Soyuz pens which I found from eBay. For those who does not know anything about this brand, this is the best brand of the ex-USSR and some of them have a rather good performance. This comes as an 2nd hand pen and the seller says this pen has an 14K gold nib. This pen did not come with any packaging. Though the pen has a stainless steel finishing, it is light compared even to some Jinhao pens. The pen comes with no special decoration, but only a golden clip. The section is made out of plastic, and has a descent size which is comfortable enough to grip. http://img.vim-cn.com/21/036b2fc30e11a9fb6404e0eea7b18b206d426a.jpg Appearance & Design: 9 This pen has a plain stainless steel finishing and a gold clip. I personally like this kind of simple design as it looks serious enough for me to put into my shirt pocket for my prom and simple enough to be not noticed. However some people might expect more from a pen of this level. Construction & Quality: 7 The quality of this pen is exactly how the Soviets used to treat all their products. The pen is durable as I can see from the barrel that it has successfully survived certain level of abuse and corrosion of time. However, the detail of this pen is not as good as I have expected. The details made the pen feel a bit cheap. Overall, this is a tough pen, but lacks some good detail processing. Weight & Dimension: 9 This Soyuz is a rather big pen. Whether posted or unposted, it can stay safely in my hands. The section is also suitable for my rather big hands and writing with it for a long time will not be a big problem. Though this is a pen with steel finishing, it is only a bit heavier than a Platinum Plaisir and I like this weight. It makes field trips easier. Nib & Performance: 6 http://img.vim-cn.com/5b/afbb6dc77b2be327c941e826a8fa1fd84fd8de.jpg Sample written using Private Reserve American Blue Fast Dry This Soyuz has a wet nib. Probably this pen was originally intended for officers to sign their names on files. Even with Private Reserve's fast dry ink, the nib still looks wet. The line is probably at least M or B. The nib has a rather good flexibility but when it flexes out too much, railroading starts to appear. There are some feedback but not unpleasant. The nib is fine for writing Latin alphabets but when it encounters complex scripts (i.e. Chinese which is just below the Lipsum paragraph), it can get a bit hard to control. The main reason is that the nib is too wet and too broad for these scripts. It is a semi-hooded nib and I do not think a nib replacement today is possible. Filling System & Maintenance: 3 This pen features a rotational piston filler which is detachable from the barrel. For some reason, the piston is very stiff and it requires quite some force to make it move up and down. It seems that the lubrication of ink helps a little and I might have to seriously consider the EEL series for this pen. The pen cannot be taken apart and this renders some maintenance like using silicon grace to lubricate the pistons impossible. Cost & Value: 8 This pen is used and it is probably a vintage. I got this for less than 30 bucks and I think that it is acceptable. Thought the maintenance can be a bit painstaking, the overall performance of this pen really impressed me. This is my only 2nd hand pen so I am not discussing about its value compared to others but this one is one the pens that I might take with me on a travel or my prom. This Soyuz is an interesting pen. Though old, it is still pretty durable and it is a pen that I will use in a field trip for note taking; it is also a pen that I will take to occasions like prom of ceremonies. To be honest, this might be one of my favorite pens. If you have a chance, you really should try one of this pens. You can expect rather good performance at a good price, and it will be a good choice as long as any other pen. My second Soyuz is an NOS and I will write a review when it arrives. English is not my first language so if I made any language mistakes, please point them out, thanks.