Gama/ Asa Revolution: The Black Beauty

[mrmohitmishra]

 

 

 

 

 

"Dark am I, yet lovely, daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon."

Song of Solomon(1:5)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black like the last night of the "Nightfall" of Issac Asimov and dark like coal tar with a clip flowing like milky way from the infinite darkness of the infinite space, this is an extremely gorgeous and attractive pen. This pen reminds me of the black coat of a lawyer, which means nothing but business. This classic Cigar shaped design with a continuous flow from barrel to section, the uniformity of the design and the monotone steel coloured nib and the steel clip, speaks of nothing but business. It is a pen with Executive looks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a design full of gravity and wisdom. The more I think about it the more I find that it is a very well thought of design for a hand-made pen. What we find is not mere art, not mere uniformity of and seductiveness of curves. Rather we discover efficiency.

The Revolution is a regular size pen. The cap comes out is exactly 2 and a half turns. The clip is quite tight but due to its unique curved design it gets in a shirt pocket effortlessly but firmly and comes out equally easily.Word Gama is engraved with a cursive italic font at around middle of the barrel. Usually one would not even notice it. When one does, it just adds to the beauty of the pen. Where the cap comes out in just few turns, the section takes a lot many turns to come out. This has been done apparently to avoid any leak when the pen is being used as an eyedropper. The pen is almost as heavy as Pilot MR. However, in case of ebonite, the weight is more uniformly distributed. Therefore the centre of gravity lies at almost middle. Ebonite pens usually feel better than pens of other materials. Same goes with this pen. What I also notices is that the construction is sturdy. The walls of the section and barrel are really thick.The nib is large. Only a tad smaller in size than the section. Moreover, there is no step from section to barrel. The uniformity of the transition and the size of the nib makes it possible to hold the pen from almost any place. The section is thick enough to be held comfortably and not too thick to hold. The pen feels substantial but not humongous.The pen posts firmly and securely. Not using the pen even up to 24 hours I didn't notice any drying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I chose a fine nib. I like fine nib more than medium or broad nibs. This nib is good. It is a JoWo nib. It looks classy and is outright beautiful. It does not skip even while writing fast. It does not fail. It doesn't dry easily. On scale of nightmare;scratchy;correctable;smooth;super smooth; and ooolalalaaaa!!!, I would call it smooth. The nib is smooth and fine. But less smooth than say a Schmidt fine and a Lamy fine or a Pilot medium. What you feel is not feedback. It feels as if the pen has some affinity with paper. However, going by reports of some of my fellow FPN members the report of M nib is excellent. You may preferably go for medium if you want a nib that writes super smooth. However, even if you go for fine I won't say that you got a bad deal. I have been using this pen for three weeks now and I have had no issues with it. In fact the pen is being used ever since I bought it.

 

 

 

 

 

While writing you would surely enjoy it. That is the best part. The pen feels like 'The Pen'. Good balance and good grip. Posted or unposted the pen feels just right and looks seriously beautiful. Good pen for long duration of writing. The pen offers little flex. My fellow member Anup Ji had to once use pliers on the nib!! Yes! It's that hard. Thankfully that also means that you can't damage the nib by normal wear and tear. Which is a good thing.

 

 

Being a triple filler, the pen offers a lots of variation in filling. The pen takes standard converter, standard international converter and comes loaded with a Schmidt K-5 converter. The pen can also be used as an Eye Dropper. I have used this pen with all these options and they all work as they should be. At present the pen is being used as an Eyedropper.Because of advanced threaded nib, I never faced problem of burping or leakage in this pen. Which is a very good thing.

 

 

 

For around Rs. 2000/- I got a very attractive ,prim and proper , executive looking pen which is very strong, sturdy and durable. I also got a three in one filling system and a nice Jowo nib. I got a pen that can be used as an Eye Dropper and will not face burping issues. I got a schmidt converter. I think the deal is really a great value for money.

 

 

Here comes the score board.

Looks:- 4.5/5

Build:- 5/5

Engineering:-4.5/5

Nib and Writing:- 3.5/5

Balance:- 5/5

Value for Money:- 4.5/5

 

 

Conclusion:- This is a really nice pen. I purchased it from ASApens.in(NAYY). The customer service was excellent. I got this pen with my son's name engraved. I am very sure that he will use it. The pen has the potential of lasting for a very long time. I am a happy and satisfied user.

 

 

Edited January 9, 2015 by mrmohitmishra

[mrmohitmishra]

You can also find this review with various other reviews at my blog.

[J_MM]

Very nice review. Good use of pictures and references!

 

I have the Eyas and agree it is a nice pen. Perhaps I should get the Revolution with the JoWo nib. Tempting.

 

John

[mrmohitmishra]

Very nice review. Good use of pictures and references!

 

I have the Eyas and agree it is a nice pen. Perhaps I should get the Revolution with the JoWo nib. Tempting.

 

John

thanks

[a_m]

Lovely review. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it. You have raised the level of FP reviews on FPN to some classy essay ! And very nice images.

[mrmohitmishra]

Lovely review. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it. You have raised the level of FP reviews on FPN to some classy essay ! And very nice images.

Not trying to be humble but the truth is that I learned a lot from you.

[mrmohitmishra]

 

Some more pics

Edited January 10, 2015 by mrmohitmishra

[Scribblesoften]

Thank you for posting this excellent review. This pen with the triple filler system is sure to appeal to many people who are hesitant about using pens that are only eye dropper fillers. Beautiful classic shape that you captured nicely in your photos. Again, an excellent review.

[mrmohitmishra]

Thank you for posting this excellent review. This pen with the triple filler system is sure to appeal to many people who are hesitant about using pens that are only eye dropper fillers. Beautiful classic shape that you captured nicely in your photos. Again, an excellent review.

Thank you for these kind words. This review has captured my ecstasy and exhilaration while using this pen.

I have ordered I CAN and Genius with this triple filler system.

Thanks again.

[Scribblesoften]

I have not yet ordered the I Can and Genius myself. I look forward to reading your review of those pens as well.

[mrmohitmishra]

I have not yet ordered the I Can and Genius myself. I look forward to reading your review of those pens as well.

I am afraid that my opinion would not be of much use sir as I have got them customised. I will however pm you about my experience with build quality and ergonomics of these pens

[mrmohitmishra]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/indiapoint/16212651281/in/photostream/

 

 

great pic by anup sir

[DaveBj]

Excellent review. That looks like a pen that I want NEED to have

 

What is meant by "triple filler system?" Does that mean that the user has the choice between cartridge, converter, and eyedropper?

[mrmohitmishra]

Excellent review. That looks like a pen that I want NEED to have

 

What is meant by "triple filler system?" Does that mean that the user has the choice between cartridge, converter, and eyedropper?

It exactly means that. The pen uses a JoWo screw in nib unit. This nib unit can be easily used with a cartridge and an international standard converter. The body is the one that was initially used in one Gama Eyas, which was an eyedropper. So by default the pen can be used an an eyedropper.

Usual Indian eyedropper pens use ebonite feed which is not finned. Therefore the feed does not provide any buffer for the ink and it leads to burping which is leakage of extra ink. However, the triple filler system works like a dream with JoWo nib which is heavily finned. One does not experience any leakage or burping.

Hope it was useful.

[perfaddict]

Wonderful review!

 

Unfortunately, the pen is "out of stock" at the ASA Pens site. I hope it will be restocked with more nib options than the Fine presently available, as i am partial to Broad nibs.

[DaveBj]

It exactly means that. The pen uses a JoWo screw in nib unit. This nib unit can be easily used with a cartridge and an international standard converter. The body is the one that was initially used in one Gama Eyas, which was an eyedropper. So by default the pen can be used an an eyedropper.

Usual Indian eyedropper pens use ebonite feed which is not finned. Therefore the feed does not provide any buffer for the ink and it leads to burping which is leakage of extra ink. However, the triple filler system works like a dream with JoWo nib which is heavily finned. One does not experience any leakage or burping.

Hope it was useful.

 

Very useful That pen is now on my acquisition list.

[amk]

Wow. That's a super pen, a very simple pen but one with stunning curves and character. I absolutely must visit Gama next time I come to India! And in the meantime ASA pens may be hearing from me.

 

The good nib and the choice of filling systems is a major upgrade from the way Indian pens used to be. Really I feel the Indian pen industry is maturing and making some lovely pens now.

Edited January 12, 2015 by amk

[a_m]

Wow. That's a super pen, a very simple pen but one with stunning curves and character. I absolutely must visit Gama next time I come to India! And in the meantime ASA pens may be hearing from me.

 

The good nib and the choice of filling systems is a major upgrade from the way Indian pens used to be. Really I feel the Indian pen industry is maturing and making some lovely pens now.

 

Though the pen body is branded Gama, Revolution is exclusively available only at ASA

[amk]

Thanks for the info Anup - it's out of stock though :-(

 

Never mind, I found another nice Indian black ebonite pen to spend my money on in the meantime :-)

[mrmohitmishra]

Wonderful review!

 

Unfortunately, the pen is "out of stock" at the ASA Pens site. I hope it will be restocked with more nib options than the Fine presently available, as i am partial to Broad nibs.

Thanks a ton. ☺

 

Yes it has not been in stock for a while. I guess it's hand crafted so it takes time. But you can send a query on the website. They reach you back. Sometimes they keep some pens in stock but don't list it on their website.

 

Hope it was useful.

☺