Khyati Sketching Pen

[flummoxed]

Hello,

 

I've been looking for a good FP to help with my gesture sketches for a while now. I tend to hold back with pencil/charcoal as a medium mostly because I know I can erase/redraw easily with them. I figured an FP will help increase the surity of my lines and reduce the hesitancy that is visible with the lines.

 

I ordered a couple of FPs from a manufacturer/brand called Khyati from Rajkot (Gujrat, India). They market the pens as sketching pens and as made from "ebony" (which I'm guessing is ebonite). The pens are priced at ₹80 (approximately 1.3 USD) per pen, I bought two of them that were sold as a pack on Ebay India.

 

The pen comes with a generic iridium point golden coloured nib and lays down a thin line. So far, I've been using the pen as a dip pen, there have been no issues with the drying up or stoppages. I'm not sure if the nib is a medium or a fine, it lays a relatively dry line, which is how I like it for gesture sketches and quick sketches. I can definitively say that these pens are remarkable at their price point! They are eyedropper pens, which makes them brilliant perfect for long sketching sessions without having to worry about ink problems. The pen is relatively light wihtout posting and fits well, it is about twice the thickness of the Sheaffer Fashion and thinker than the Ranga Bamboo. They screw mechanism seems fairly well made and the cap has a breather hole too, I will field test it in a couple of weeks for leaks and other problems with carrying them around.

 

Here is a quick rendition of the Fellowship based on pre-LOTR movie sketches,

 

 

I'd say it is a steal at this price point, I will test the pen further out in a few weeks.

 

Edit: Added pen weight and thickness.

Edited January 19, 2015 by flummoxed

[hari317]

wonderful, thanks for sharing.

[flummoxed]

Thanks, here is a composite image.

 

 

I continue to be amazed with the price of the pen.

[hari317]

the pen shape is quite different from the listing pics, no? with a step for posting the cap at the end of the barrel. The pure cylindrical section shape looks like a nice touch.

 

Price is just OK IMO, the asking price is in line with the market prices for the generic lower end ebonite pens found in Madras and Bangalore local shops.

[flummoxed]

Yes, the section/barrel out the lower half in the model I've received is cylindrical with a step to post unlike the tapering once shown in the picture on the eBay listing.

 

By the ships in Bangalore, do you mean the ones on Avenue Road? Or are there other places that you've visited? Even the specializing old stationary stores don't seem to stock fountain pens apart from the generic Parker Vector or the cartoon models. I do plan to visit the stores in Avenue road to check if I can pick up a few NOS or even FPs in bad condition to tweak around the feeds and the nibs in eyedropper pens (ebonite or wood preferably).

[mrmohitmishra]

Wow....Where did you buy them

[manojd]

I have three of these and each one is unique in its shape. Looks like they keep varying it randomly. All are sold as sketching pens. I had modified one of them. Their ebonite is very soft and easy to work with.

[flummoxed]

Wow....Where did you buy them

 

They are sold on eBay India, under the same brand name by a Bombay based seller.

 

I have three of these and each one is unique in its shape. Looks like they keep varying it randomly. All are sold as sketching pens. I had modified one of them. Their ebonite is very soft and easy to work with.

 

Interesting, any pictures of the modified pens? I plan to modify the step at the end of the barrel to a curved end.

[mrmohitmishra]

What do they exactly mean by sketching pens.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Hello,

 

I've been looking for a good FP to help with my gesture sketches for a while now. I tend to hold back with pencil/charcoal as a medium mostly because I know I can erase/redraw easily with them. I figured an FP will help increase the surity of my lines and reduce the hesitancy that is visible with the lines.

 

I ordered a couple of FPs from a manufacturer/brand called Khyati from Rajkot (Gujrat, India). They market the pens as sketching pens and as made from "ebony" (which I'm guessing is ebonite). The pens are priced at ₹80 (approximately 1.3 USD) per pen, I bought two of them that were sold as a pack on Ebay India.

 

The pen comes with a generic iridium point golden coloured nib and lays down a thin line. So far, I've been using the pen as a dip pen, there have been no issues with the drying up or stoppages. I'm not sure if the nib is a medium or a fine, it lays a relatively dry line, which is how I like it for gesture sketches and quick sketches. I can definitively say that these pens are remarkable at their price point! They are eyedropper pens, which makes them brilliant perfect for long sketching sessions without having to worry about ink problems. The pen is relatively light wihtout posting and fits well, it is about twice the thickness of the Sheaffer Fashion and thinker than the Ranga Bamboo. They screw mechanism seems fairly well made and the cap has a breather hole too, I will field test it in a couple of weeks for leaks and other problems with carrying them around.

 

Here is a quick rendition of the Fellowship based on pre-LOTR movie sketches,

 

topost.jpg

 

I'd say it is a steal at this price point, I will test the pen further out in a few weeks.

 

Edit: Added pen weight and thickness.

That is a wonderful sketch!

[flummoxed]

What do they exactly mean by sketching pens.

 

If I understand correctly, the terminology is partly because of the change from dip pens to ink retaining fountain pens. Dip pens have traditionally been using more delicate nibs. Historically, due to the popularity of (roller) ball pens, etc. the changing writing habits such as amount of pressure on the pen/nib conributed to fountain pen nibs becoming more sturdier. This also led to loosing out on charecteristics as flex - line width, italics, etc. which have gone on to become special nibs.

 

AFAIK a sketching fountain pen is supposed to indicate the availability of such characteristics with the nib. However, this is not true for most low end pens marketed as sketching fountain pens (atleast in India). I am unsure about known brands such as Rotring, etc.

 

In short, I guess they want to market their product under this category, though the two pens I have received do not have any of those characteristics.

 

That is a wonderful sketch!

 

Thank you!

[hari317]

What do they exactly mean by sketching pens.

I asked the same question at one of the shops in Madras. It seems these pens are fitted with nibs that write somewhat thicker than usual and the pens themselves are fatter for more comfort during sketching.

 

the pens in that shop had similar "sketching pen" screen printed on the barrel.

[amk]

Cute little pen. From Rajkot? Darn, I didn't think anybody in Gujarat used FPs any more! I drew a blank everywhere in the state, whereas in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra I was just falling over fountain pens in every small town,

 

Do these guys export or am I going to ask one of our Indian FPN'ers for a favour? I want one! and for 80 rupees... what a steal!

[hari317]

Cute little pen. From Rajkot? Darn, I didn't think anybody in Gujarat used FPs any more! I drew a blank everywhere in the state...

did you happen to check at Gandhi road near Teen Darwaza in Ahmedabad? that is the stationery district, and the traditional accountants(munim) in family run businesses use only FPs, so it is still very much in vogue there. In fact I bought my first Wality in Ahmedabad in 1999, it was only later that I learnt that they were made in Mumbai.

[flummoxed]

I asked the same question at one of the shops in Madras. It seems these pens are fitted with nibs that write somewhat thicker than usual and the pens themselves are fatter for more comfort during sketching.

 

the pens in that shop had similar "sketching pen" screen printed on the barrel.

 

Actually, thickness and wetness seems to be something that people debate about often for sketching with FPs (some posts here on FPN also seem to suggest the same). But Hari is right about the fat grip though, I find it much easier to use because of the circumference of the pen.

 

Cute little pen. From Rajkot? Darn, I didn't think anybody in Gujarat used FPs any more! I drew a blank everywhere in the state, whereas in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra I was just falling over fountain pens in every small town,

 

Do these guys export or am I going to ask one of our Indian FPN'ers for a favour? I want one! and for 80 rupees... what a steal!

 

I threw away the packing, I could have given you their contact details. The eBay seller might be up for shipping it to you, if not how about we exchange a couple of these pens for a a couple of nibs (assuming you have access to nibs at a similar price point!)?

[joly1]

I tried to order those sketching pens on ebay.in,but the seller does not want to trade with europe or france, so I will just have to look at the images

[hari317]

http://www.khyati-india.com/index.php

 

http://trade.indiamart.com/details.mp?offer=4442095933

Edited January 21, 2015 by hari317

[flummoxed]

http://www.khyati-india.com/index.php

 

http://trade.indiamart.com/details.mp?offer=4442095933

 

Thanks Hari, they seem to make a lot of products. It might be useful to pick up some of their nib and pens sets to experiment.

[manojd]

 

They are sold on eBay India, under the same brand name by a Bombay based seller.

 

 

Interesting, any pictures of the modified pens? I plan to modify the step at the end of the barrel to a curved end.

 

Here is one picture I found. I added a ring onto the barrel and also converted into an aerometric filler. This was a while back, so the mod isn't as good

 

[flummoxed]

Cool, I plan to use a handheld filer for the end to make it a curved one. I'll report back once it is done.