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Fans of Kevin Thiemann from Fountain Pen Revolution will know that he’s been selling Indian-made pens for several years now – initially sourcing and selling pen from established manufacturers, before branching out to commission and produce fountain pens, nibs and inks under his own brand name. I can no longer remember when I bought my first pen from his website – it’s lost in the mists of time! – but I can tell you that I now have a sizeable collection. It’s hard to pick a favourite from among the pens, but I do have a soft spot for his more premium quality ebonite and acrylic pens – especially the Himlaya and the Triveni. Until recently, these pens both came with the ‘traditional’ #5.5 sized FPR nib – but as of January, the Triveni is has been redesigned to incorporate the larger #6 sized nibs. And it’s one of these newer pens I want to review today – the redesigned FPR Triveni Junior, in 'Dark Blue ebonite'. If you’ve followed FPR as closely as I have, you’ll know the Triveni line has undergone a number of changes over time – the first version was designed to house a plastic “Serwex MB” grip section, and typically came with a #5 flex nib. Kevin later introduced the shorter Junior version, and both were redesigned to come with their own integrated grip section in matching material… Then, more recently again, the Triveni line was redesigned to accommodate a #6 nib. Here’s a picture of four representative grip sections (with nibs) from ‘down through the ages’: [Correction: top left pen is FPR Himalaya; top right is original Triveni with Serwex grip section; bottom right = Triveni 'version 2', and bottom left = the latest iteration with #6 nib.] ______________________________________________________________________ Appearance & Design What I’ve always appreciated about the FPR Trivenis is their no-fuss, fairly straight lines. The cap of the pen posts over the top of the barrel, so the cap is slightly larger in diameter, and both cap and body taper slightly towards the ends – but it’s not a very pronounced taper. The grip section is comparatively short, but the threads for the cap are not sharp, so gripping the pen higher up is no problem. I like the aesthetic of the Triveni Junior better than for the full-length pen – the latter I find looks a little long and thin. Then again, to be honest, I like the look of the Himalaya even more (the more tapered cap I find more aesthetically pleasing) – but these are good looking pens. I really enjoy the materials, too – the acrylic Trivenis are wonderfully colourful, while the swirled ebonite pens look sturdy and serious. I *really* like the dark blue-green accents of this model – the “deep blue” version, which to my eyes is more of a teal-black swirl. … Construction & Quality The Triveni is solidly constructed and well-made. I can see some scratching on the surface of the pen, probably the product of the machining process, but they’re faint enough to not bother me. Overall the Triveni is of higher quality than the cheaper pens in the Triveni line. The threads on the barrel, and between barrel and grip section, are smooth and easy to turn; the fit and finish is of good quality. … Weight & Dimensions My new FPR Triveni is a fairly light pen, weighing in at 18.7g (with a converter full of ink) – the cap’s contribution to that is 6.8g. The pen cap’s diameter is 15mm at its thickest, and the barrel 13mm, while the grip section tapers down from 11mm to roughly 10.5mm – a very comfortable size (for me) for extended writing sessions. The capped length of the pen is 130mm, and uncapped 122mm. For my hands, the pen is long enough to write with unposted, but the posted length (~160mm) will be better for some – and given the light weight of the materials, it writes comfortably either way. … Nib & Performance I’ve always liked FPR’s #5.5 nibs, but have been impressed with the performance of the #6’s I’ve purchased more recently (I have a few Darjeelings, which use the same nib and feed) – and this pen was no exception. The EF nib lays down a fine, wet line, and writes very smoothly. The feed in these pens is plastic (unlike the Jaipur and Himalaya, which rely on an ebonite feed) – and may have a little more trouble keeping up with a flex nib. Nib and feed are friction fit into the grip section, but come out relatively easily. An advantage of the Triveni over most of the other pens made by FPR (apart from the Darjeeling) is its capacity to take a #6 nib. Though the FPR nib is a little wider at the base than a #6 JoWo nib, the latter will fit very comfortably in the pen if you want to swap one in. Here's a comparison of the new Triveni Junior to the old Triveni Jr (red swirl) and a Himalay (green swirl): And a writing sample: … Filling System & Maintenance The Triveni can be used as an eyedropper pen, and can take a standard international cartridge or converter. I haven’t tried this pen in eyedropper mode – but the converter that came with the pen works well. … Cost & Value The Triveni (and the Triveni Junior) is available from $39 in ebonite material, and from $45 in acrylic. That’s a little more expense than the (slightly more stylish) Himalaya – the most expensive in the FPR range, but still a pretty good price for the materials and the quality of the workmanship – and it now comes with the added advantage of a #6 nib. … Conclusion I’ve always like the FPR Triveni, and over the past 5 years I’ve accumulated 7 (mostly when they were on special!). The latest iteration is my favourite, though – and it travels with me almost everywhere. It's a great pen, a great writer, and well worth the expense! …

It was about 12 months now, in December 2013, that I purchased the ‘Triveni’, the latest offering from Kevin at Fountain Pen Revolution (FPR - check out their website at http://fountainpenrevolution.com/). I’d already sampled a few FPR nibs, and found them very much to my liking – especially their flex nib. I wasn’t a great fan of their first pen, the Dilli - it was just too hard to clean - but the Triveni promised to be different: built from sturdier material (your choice of acrylic or ebonite, in a few different colours), a cartridge converter pen that could be easily converted to eyedropper, and built (so it seemed) to a much higher standard. And so it proved to be. My one and only gripe with the Triveni, if you could call it that, was its size. The length of the pen meant that it wouldn’t clip comfortably into my shirt pockets – which meant that this was destined to be more of a stay-at-home pen. So I was pleased to hear that Kevin was planning a ‘Junior’ version of the Triveni – and very quick to ‘pull the trigger’ when the Triveni Junior came out, this time ordering an acrylic version. Let me say it up front: I love this pen. It’s my first acrylic pen (which means I have no real point of comparison), very reasonably priced, looks great feels comfortable to write with – and is a better size for daily carry and use. I won’t be ‘scoring’ the pen as such in the review below – but hopefully you’ll get the idea! [Please note, I have not been compensated in any way for this review, and obtained the pen at my own expense.] ______________________________________________________________________ 1. Appearance & Design The first thing I noticed about this pen when it arrived was the bright colouration of the acrylic – that, and the ‘pearlescence’ of the material. It’s impossible to capture in photographs, but as you turn the pen it seems like you can ‘see into’ it, especially the blue/white swirls. The clip is simple but functional, and sturdily built. http://i.imgur.com/9KODZPO.jpg http://i.imgur.com/SOhxbpB.jpg Two key differences between the Triveni Junior and its ‘big brother’ become evident when you uncap the pen: first of all, gone is the black plastic grip section the original Triveni ‘borrowed’ from the Serwex MB – replaced by a custom-made grip section that matches the pen, and is made from the same material; and secondly, the stainless steel #5 nib has been replaced by a larger (#5.5) two-toned nib. I understand the full-sized Triveni now also comes with the larger nib – and that the grip section will be updated sometime early in 2015, once the current stock has sold out and been replaced. The new section is a big improvement, both in terms of aesthetics and of comfort. … 2. Construction & Quality As with its larger predecessor, the Triveni Junior seems well-made. The screws on the cap and grip section have tight tolerances, preventing nib dry-out (in the case of the cap) and allowing the pen to be used as an ‘eyedropper’ pen (in the case of the grip section). I admit, I prefer the relative simplicity of using a cartridge converter – but the option is there if you want a larger ink capacity. I love the acrylic material this pen is made from – the swirl patterns and the pearlescence are pretty easy on the eye. I don’t consider myself qualified, though, to comment on the quality of the material – but the pen barrel is around 1.5mm thick, which I think makes for good durability. … 3. Weight & Dimensions In most respects, the Triveni Junior matches the specs of the Triveni – except as far as length is concerned. Weighing in at 20g, the ‘Junior’ is 13cm long capped, 11.5cm uncapped, and ~15cm when posted (compared with 14.7cm, 13.6 cm, and ~18cm respectively for the larger pen). The pen is just long enough to write with unposted – but I find it more comfortable, and maybe a little better balanced, when posted. http://i.imgur.com/dgpskVk.jpg http://i.imgur.com/zGaoCKO.jpg The diameter of the lid is around 14mm, and the barrel is ~12.5mm at its widest point. The grip section tapers down slightly from a diameter of 11mm just beyond the threads for the cap – these are smoothly machined, and I tend to find myself holding the pen here. … 4. Nib & Performance The pen came as requested with a flex nib installed – I also ordered an EF nib as an optional extra. With the flex nib installed, the pen glided across the page nicely, laying down a consistent, fine-ish line, offering just enough feedback to know that the pen was sitting on the page. With a moderate amount of downward pressure, it was possible to get the pen to flex. The feed on the Triveni pens is plastic, so cannot be heat set or adjusted, but for the most part, I found it kept up pretty well with the demand for ink. I found it was less prone to railroading if I ‘primed’ the feed by cranking the cartridge converter a little. http://i.imgur.com/ewDsVMh.jpg http://i.imgur.com/hRkbnRN.jpg The EF nib, unfortunately, was fairly scratchy when I first swapped it into the pen – which surprised me, as every FPR nib I’ve tried in the past (I have a fair stockpile!) has been wonderfully smooth. The problem was very easily solved, though, by running the tip of the nib gently over some micromesh. Being an EF nib, it still offers a little more feedback on the page than the flex nib, but no more so than the F nibs on my two Pilot pens, or the EF nibs on my TWSBIs. http://i.imgur.com/BY9yB4p.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/YVHOgmO.jpg Overall, the performance of these new two-tone #5.5 nibs seems pretty comparable to the stainless steel #5 nibs I’ve purchased from FPR before. These are good quality nibs, at a very reasonable price. … 5. Filling System & Maintenance The Triveni derives its name, at least in part, from the Triveni Sangam, a confluence of three rivers in India (according to the website) – but also from the fact that the pen has three possible modes of filling: eyedropper, standard international cartridge, or cartridge converter. The converter that comes with the Triveni Junior is a screw-type converter (I got a slider-converter with the older Triveni). In terms of quality this was a step (or several) above the cheap plastic converters that come with most Chinese pens, and worked well. The grip section threads a long way into the barrel, to facilitate conversion of the pen to eyedropper mode. http://i.imgur.com/AITpfaW.jpg … 6. Cost & Value This, in some ways, is probably the best thing about both Triveni models: for US$29 (ebonite) or $35 (acrylic), plus $3 postage you can have a well-made, smooth writing fountain pen in your hands (add another $3 for a flex nib or a broad). That’s very competitive pricing, for a pretty good quality product. Bear in mind, too, that for only $3 (or $7 for flex and for broad), you can order an additional nib to swap in. … 7. Conclusion I loved my ebonite Triveni pen when I first purchased it, and it’s a pen I continue to enjoy using at my desk – but for me at least the Triveni Junior is an even better option: a pen that’s more readily portable, but offers much the same writing experience. If you’re looking for a lower-cost ebonite or acrylic pen, this is definitely worth a look! …

It was towards the end of last year that I first saw the FPR Triveni reviewed online, by Steve 'SBRE' Brown - and I was immediately intrigued. A sub-$50 fountain pen, with flex nib and and an ebonite body? I already had a couple of Dillis, made from plastic by the same company, with a piston feed system that was impossible to disassemble - but this looked so much more classy! So pretty much as soon as it was released, I ordered myself a pen in black ebonite... Available only from the FPR website (www.fountainpenrevolution.com), I think this is a worthwhile pen. Because I've handwritten a review, I'll let pen and ink do the talking below - plus a couple of photos.... http://i.imgur.com/P0QUck3.jpg http://i.imgur.com/b6C8gO8.jpg Now for the pen itself: http://i.imgur.com/A4vKu7b.jpg http://i.imgur.com/imbVqSx.jpg