Ackerman Pump Pen Review

[Jonny_J]

OK, so when I hear about an inventor churning something out of his home workshop, I have to buy one; I'm a sucker for it. My latest toy is the Ackerman Pump Pen, a pen that purports to take regular dip pens and India ink.

The reason fountain pens cannot take India ink is because there are breather passages that allow air to enter the pen as ink exits. This prevents a vacuum from forming, and keeps everything flowing. But these passages are tiny; they clog easily and are very sensitive to ink viscosity. Ackerman took a novel approach to this problem; he eliminated the breather system and instead put a manual pump on the side of the pen that you press to force ink out. Since there is no breather, all the holes and passages are huge, and the pen breaks down easily for cleaning.

I bought the double-ended pen, with a brush on one end and a Manga G feed on the other, which also fits the Esterbrook falcon nibs I like to use.

Let me start by saying that this pen is NOT a fountain pen. It is a portable solution for people who like dip pens. It is not intended or designed to be a fountain pen. I'll start with the negatives, and end on a high note.

First, the pump takes some getting used to; it's a crude mechanism, and a bit fiddly. It's easy to push too hard and cause ink to drip out. Don't pump it over your drawing. I've had the most luck rolling the pen so the bowl of the nib is facing up. That way, you can also see how heavily you're loading the nib. The reason I switched to a brush pen and a fountain pen in the first place was for speed, and pumping this pen isn't really any faster than dipping when you have to keep moving it away from your drawing.

Second; though the brush is high quality (it looks like natural hair to me), it doesn't really have a sharp enough point for cartooning line-work, unless you're working at quite a large scale. It's more useful for washes, or laying down areas of black. The point is nowhere near as sharp as a Pentel pocket brush-pen.

Third; dip nibs rust, so you can't really leave the nib in the pen. You have to fill it before your drawing session, and clean it afterward, especially if you load it with India ink. Cleaning is a messy affair.

Now the positives.

This is a VERY interesting tool, and the only pen AFAIK that will take dip nibs and India ink at all. Cleaning it may be messy, but nowhere near as messy as knocking your inkwell over in Starbucks. It is the only pen out there that does what it does. It has no competition.

I'm still in the process of getting used to it, but my initial impression is that this pen is not quite ready for the big-time and will probably not replace the brush-pen and fountain pen I use for inking my cartoons. It is an interesting tool for sketching on-the go, especially if you like to gray-wash over your line work. Its ability to feed any liquid medium, be it India ink or paint, is another interesting property. The brush end could be loaded with process white, for example.

There are a lot of older reviews online slamming Ackerman for his customer service, but he seems to have worked hard to fix that. I got my pen within 2 weeks of ordering. (Remember that this operation is one guy working alone in the spare time left over from his day job).

So if you like to collect interesting toys, or you are addicted to tar-like inks such as Speedball Super Black, this just might be the toy for you.

[Jonny_J]

I've been struggling with this pen for a few days and have some more observations. The friction-fit caps are difficult to take off and put on. There is no mechanical stop when you put them on; it's possible to insert the pen body too far in and actually bend the nib. I did this once. Also, even if you open the air vent, the cap draws enough vacuum when you remove it to make the pen spit ink into the cap. Ink also tends to leak out of the joint between the section and the pen body. I make a mess with this thing, and end up with ink all over my hands and under my fingernails. Also, the brush feed flows too much, so the brush is overloaded, even if you don't pump it. You need a napkin or something to blot it on before you start using it, and after every time you pause.

The leaking and spitting problems seem related to ink viscosity. If I use a thick, tar-like ink, such as sumi ink, these problems are mitigated greatly, and the brush becomes capable of a much thinner line. Speedball Super Black gets messy and gushy. If I use fountain pen ink, I can literally pour the ink out of the cap.

Overall, I think this product is unrefined in ways that limit its usefulness. I recommend using the thickest India ink you can get, and if it still leaks, consider leaving the cap off the ink bottle overnight to thicken the ink more.

[joly1]

all your remarks are perfectly true,I use sumi and acrylic inks with no hassle,for the air ink exchange I also agree with your analysis, and this brought me to try an esterbrook feeder with a manga G, instead of the genuine feeder,you do not need to pump any more ,but after your drawing session ,a complete cleaning of the pen,nib and feeder is a must ,after all you also need to do it with the Ackerman feeder,I am happy to exchange experience topics on this pen, which seldom appears on this site and read your feelings on this "not pen" as you say.

[wongsk]

I was just recently contemplating this pen,out of the sheer fact i wanted a pen that can take india ink (for the spite of it)... i noticed that they all come with different nibs, which i am not familiar with. Do you have any suggestions for everyday not taking, and an occasional dabble of flex calligraphy? Do you think the manga g will be good or otherwise?

 

Thanks,

Stephen

[ammarmali]

Awesome review! Thanks!

[UncleRJ]

Thanks for taking the time to write this great review

Like you, I can't pass up on something as interesting as the Ackerman Pump Pen. By chance would you, or anyone else reading this know what size feed I would need to use Daler-Rowney Acrylic Ink as well as India Inks?

[joly1]

Thanks for taking the time to write this great review

Like you, I can't pass up on something as interesting as the Ackerman Pump Pen. By chance would you, or anyone else reading this know what size feed I would need to use Daler-Rowney Acrylic Ink as well as India Inks?

you should go on their site https://ackermanpens.com/ Ackerman can provide feeders with a large channel for thick inks, the new pump pen has now a screw on cap that wont suck ink when removed, is thightly machined and wont leak in your pocket , I ordered one and am very satisfied, his brass sketch nib is very supple and does not corrode with acidic inks, so you can keep your pen with ink inside . since the first post on this subject the pump pen has been substantially improved, give it a try .

Edited January 2, 2020 by joly1

[Honeybadgers]

Thanks for taking the time to write this great review

Like you, I can't pass up on something as interesting as the Ackerman Pump Pen. By chance would you, or anyone else reading this know what size feed I would need to use Daler-Rowney Acrylic Ink as well as India Inks?

I have two - one was dead so he sent me another.

 

They're garbage. They're made badly, they BARELY work, the fit and finish are bad, and the guy who makes them is a nightmare to deal with, he takes weeks to reply to emails.

[Mr.Rene]

I have two - one was dead so he sent me another.

 

They're garbage. They're made badly, they BARELY work, the fit and finish are bad, and the guy who makes them is a nightmare to deal with, he takes weeks to reply to emails.

The same experience ..sorry to say...

René.

[joly1]

I have two - one was dead so he sent me another.

 

They're garbage. They're made badly, they BARELY work, the fit and finish are bad, and the guy who makes them is a nightmare to deal with, he takes weeks to reply to emails.

 

 

I own 6 of them, I am perfectly happy with them, they are the only tool I know that can work with any steel drawing nib and indian ink , yes a tool ,not a toy, suited for drawing purposes, a bit rough but very clever, easy to dismantle and clean, the new model, as I said is better than the previous ones

[Honeybadgers]

 

I have two - one was dead so he sent me another.

 

They're garbage. They're made badly, they BARELY work, the fit and finish are bad, and the guy who makes them is a nightmare to deal with, he takes weeks to reply to emails.

 

 

I own 6 of them, I am perfectly happy with them, they are the only tool I know that can work with any steel drawing nib and indian ink , yes a tool ,not a toy, suited for drawing purposes, a bit rough but very clever, easy to dismantle and clean, the new model, as I said is better than the previous ones

 

 

 

I've got two and neither work properly, and the seller took up to two months to reply to emails.

 

 

If you REALLY need some flex action and a pen that takes india ink, get an indigraph and a custom gold nib for it. More expensive, yes, but actually works. And if you don't need flex, the standard indigraph works great.

I would love to see the indigraph come up with a dip nib unit though. it'd be perfect.

[joly1]

 

 

I've got two and neither work properly, and the seller took up to two months to reply to emails.

 

 

If you REALLY need some flex action and a pen that takes india ink, get an indigraph and a custom gold nib for it. More expensive, yes, but actually works. And if you don't need flex, the standard indigraph works great.

I would love to see the indigraph come up with a dip nib unit though. it'd be perfect.

 

 

 

 

thank you for your advice,I had some interest in the indidi graf but when I asked they were not eager to go to a flex nib yet,, the search for a really flexy gold nib would be a challenge as we do not have fountain pen shows in Paris.

as I said no need for me as I found the graal with my pump pens, they work with speedball, gillots,crockwill ,sergent-major, ,all sort of dip nibs that give me all the flex I can dream of, and with sumi acrylic indian ink and paint .I own six of them and managed to make them work. May be am I a bit of a tinkerer ?

 

 

 

Edited January 5, 2020 by joly1

[Honeybadgers]

If you just want a good dip pen base that doesn't use india ink, desiderata, flexible nib factory, and osprey.

 

Honestly though, if you really need a dip nib and india ink just make an overfeed for a zebra G and dip. Bring a collapsible faber castell water cup and an ink sample vial filled with ink.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znor5ltQKJQ&feature=youtu.be

 

it's $3, and the holders are solid, the ink is good enough, and the nibs are junk, but the two that have overfeeds can be slipped off and onto a zebra G to give it a huge ink capacity.

[joly1]

If you just want a good dip pen base that doesn't use india ink, desiderata, flexible nib factory, and osprey.

 

Honestly though, if you really need a dip nib and india ink just make an overfeed for a zebra G and dip. Bring a collapsible faber castell water cup and an ink sample vial filled with ink.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znor5ltQKJQ&feature=youtu.be

 

it's $3, and the holders are solid, the ink is good enough, and the nibs are junk, but the two that have overfeeds can be slipped off and onto a zebra G to give it a huge ink capacity.

thanks , I have a Desiderata manga G and an Osprey with a flexible stainless nib, for me the quest is over, my Ackerman pump pens just FITS THE BILL, may be should you consider that some people anyhow like and use it .

[Honeybadgers]

Hey, if you got a good one, I'm happy! I wish mine worked. But unfortunately, mine were both not just "not for me" but outright didn't work.