Search the Community

Deccan has a tradition of making slim and small fountain pens in addition to their regular lineup of medium sized and jumbo oversized pens. The Datoon follows on the footsteps of the Lilliput and the other smaller sized pens made by The Deccan pen stores, in Hyderabad, India. Early this month, I got another opportunity to visit Hyderabad and of course, visit this lovely pen shop along with my friend Jai. Those who have visited the Abids branch of Deccan pens will know that the fountain pen display chest is placed on the left hand side of the shop. In the middle column of this chest, the baton shaped double barreled pens are displayed. The Datoon was placed between two Baton pens when I spotted it nestled within its velvet sleeve. I asked for the pen to be taken out for me to see, fully expecting a slim ball point, but I was shocked to learn that it was indeed a fountain pen and that Deccan had managed such a slim yet comfortable to use form factor. This will be made more clear in the photos which follow. The pen is made of monotone light brown colored ebonite. http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Datoon/IMG_0894.jpg http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Datoon/IMG_0896.jpg http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Datoon/IMG_0897.jpg The barrel is just the size of a Parker ink Cartridge!: http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Datoon/IMG_0898.jpg Along with a Parker Jotter ballpoint: http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Datoon/IMG_0899.jpg Along with another famous slim pen, the Pilot Birdie: http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Datoon/IMG_0900.jpg The Datoon posts very well: http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Datoon/IMG_0901.jpg The clip is simple and functional: http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Datoon/IMG_0902.jpg We (I and Jai) asked Farooq about the Mebsons 61 imprint on the clip. He told us that Mebsons (an old pen manufacturing company in Mumbai, now they make only some ball points etc, they still have a dealer on AR street in Mumbai, here is some interesting information with mention of Mebsons: link ) had made a slim ballpoint a long while back. Deccan had the spare clips left over and they decided to put the stock to use to make some really slim fountain pens. So, that was the Mebsons connection. Side profile of the clip: http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Datoon/IMG_0903.jpg The looong section: http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Datoon/IMG_0904.jpg A closeup of the really miniature Ambitious steel nib: http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Datoon/IMG_0905.jpg The feeder is also made of ebonite and has grooves in the middle of the shaft, hidden within the section (yeah, I took the pen apart): http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Datoon/IMG_0906.jpg Measurements: This is a very light weight pen. weighing just 6.84gms capped and 4.18gms uncapped. After the pen was filled, it weighed only 4.73gms, thus the ink capacity of this miniature pen is approximately 0.55ml. Writing: Despite the cartridgesque dimensions of this pen, due to its longer posted length, I found it a comfortable writer. The nib is very smooth on my example and the feeder keeps up quite well. Here is a small writing sample: http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Datoon/IMG_0907.jpg I hope you enjoyed reading about this pen. Cheers! Hari

We (I and Jai) discovered this model during our recent visit to the Deccan pen stores, Hyderabad. We were at the end of our visit, pens to buy had been selected and I had already asked Farooq to bill my purchases, and while he was busy doing so at the main inside counter, I spotted two of these pens in one corner of their huge fountain pens display chest. I had to ask the other clerk at the shop to remove these pens, it was love at first sight. So much so, that I requested Farooq to have one of the pens filled with red ink for use during the remainder of my trip. I think they filled either Camlin or Bril red ink. The Zareen follows the legacy of Deccan's expertise in expertly mating a golden cap to a brushed black Ebonite body. We have already seen this in the example of the Caliph/786. The caps are push/click fit. I was told that these remaining pieces were discovered in their godown and the pens themselves had been made a long time back. I hope they turn up with more stocks for me to hoard. Some pictures: http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Zareen/IMG_0879.jpg http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Zareen/IMG_0880.jpg The elaborate section shape: The step on the section below the nib mates with the inner cap, ensuring a perfect airtight sealing of the nib. http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Zareen/IMG_0881.jpg http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Zareen/IMG_0882.jpg A good quality Ebonite feeder has been used: http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Zareen/IMG_0883.jpg http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Zareen/IMG_0884.jpg The cap finial pays homage to the Parker 75. The groove at the end of the barrel is a nice touch. The plain cap top: http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Zareen/IMG_0885.jpg The inner cap and the clutch fingers: http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Zareen/IMG_0887.jpg When compared to a Parker 61: http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Zareen/IMG_0889.jpg I am still using the same red ink that Deccan filled for me. Here is a writing sample: http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/hari3171/Deccan%20Zareen/IMG_0890.jpg Cheers! Hari