Pen Review - Fosfor Islander

[mehandiratta]

The review is posted at my blog with more images and handwritten pen samples LINK

 

 

Islander – In the Wild

Well this particular pen, ISLANDER from Fosfor Pens was love at first site when I actually saw it in person at Delhi Pen Meet. I had seen lot of Islanders in the Wood online but never saw one in polycast resin. And Rishminder was the guy at pen meet who had the pen made out of polycast resin in tri colors of Indian Flag and i must complement Manoj Deshmukh of the wonderfully executed job.

And trust me friends, it was love at first sight. I ordered the pen that very day and waited patiently for 3 weeks while going through the process of selecting colors, clips and bands. It was an amazing experience dealing with him and thus it lead me to ordering few more pens from him.

This review is about Fosfor Islander. (Islander being named because it was first commissioned by a person who lived on an island)

DESIGN & BUILT: 05/05

Where shall i start ? Actually i was speechless when I first saw the pen. It’s such a beauty. It arrived in very nice cardboard package which actually is a nice case for this big pen. The pen box is the only area where the branding is done. and you won’t find the branding anywhere else.

Islander – Glamor Shot

The pen is made of polycast acrylic resin which Manoj Deshmukh of Fosfor pen casts himself and thus you have the flexibility of having the pen in any color mix you want. And I actually wanted something brownish orange with white as a base and Manoj has produced a beauty.

Islander – Close Up

And as far as finish is concerned, I can find not even a single fault. It’s supremely well finished not even a single lathe mark. I can even go to an extent of saying that the pen is the best finished pen of India. The quality of the resin is superb though I beleive that being acrylic it is brittle. So care is needed in that regards. Its an eye-candy for sure.

As far as design is concerned it’s a beautifully designed and executed pen. It’s a straight cylindrical pen with barrel tapering at bottom. The cap top and barrel bottom have soft rounded edges. Below are the few images which might help in design understanding.

Islander – Capped

Islander – Uncapped

The cap top and barrel bottom have sublime protrusion i.e. they are raised. Clip is springy and stiff and like the fact the bottom is raised for easy clipping. The band above the clip is above has intricate design and is made of pure Silver.

Islander – Cap top View

Islander – Cap Side View – Intricate Silver Band

Below are the few images of the pen showing comparison with other pens:

Fosfor Islander vs Ranga Model 4C vs Italix Parson’s Essential vs Pilot 78G – Capped

Fosfor Islander vs Ranga Model 4C vs Italix Parson’s Essential vs Pilot 78G – Uncapped

I love this pen and soooo beautiful. And this has taken place in my top 5 pens with steel nibs.

BALANCE: 04/05

It’s a perfectly balanced pen when writing uncapped and unposted. But for me it becomes quite large and uncomfortable when cap is posted at back. Yes the cap posts quite securely.

The pen length is 149 mm when capped and 133 when uncapped.

Below are the images of the pen showing comparative of writing with cap posted and unposted.

Islander – Writing Unposted

Islander – Writing Posted

Since it's a long pen I don’t think there is no need of posting cap.

NIB AND INK FILLING MECHANISM: 05/05

There were lot of nib options like JoWo, Schmidt and Ambitious and I opted for Schmidt silver monotone #6 Medium nib which is tried and tested.

Islander – Nib unit angled view

Islander – Nib unit top view

Islander – Nib unit side view

Islander – Nib unit bottom view

The ink filling mechanism is via converter and cartridge mechanism. It can also be used as eyedropper.

Islander – Cartridge Filling Mechanism

Islander – Can be used as eyedropper showing inner side of cap above and barrel below

This pen writes beautifully and writes wet and is perfect for shading inks. Below are the few images which shows the handwritten review along with test of wetness and line variation.

CONCLUSION:

This pen is available starting from 70 USD. And is available in different materials like wood, ebonite, acrylic resin.

It is my top favorite pen. No.1 in my top favorite followed closely by Ranga Model 4C. Just to tell you all that this is completely handmade pen. Kudos to Mr. Deshmukh. Thank you.

[flipper_gv]

This is a great looking material.

[Forsooth]

That is a wonderful piece of craftsmanship!

 

This is crazy, but I'll say it. For me, the design is somehow evocative of Dr. Zhivago (the film). The snow, the soil, the seasonal transitions between ice and fertility...?

 

Anyway, the pen is beautiful.

Edited October 31, 2015 by Forsooth

[Tas]

Absolutely beautiful

[T4TEXAS]

Tha ks for the review. An absolutely beautiful pen.

[mhguda]

The Islander is me - my first one in rosewood, the second in sandalwood. You have just convinced me that I need a third Islander. In one of these fantastic cast resin designs.

And here I thought I had every Fosfor I ever wanted (I have a third one, also custom, a syringe filler.)

I will have to go through your review again to find out how to get the absolute best most gorgeous color combination for me...

Yours is absolutely beautiful. Enjoy. And yes, Manoj does great work.

And that clip does enhance the looks of your pen...

[burhanj13]

love your handwriting Vaibhav.

The pen material is beautiful. The more I look at it, the more it is making me want to get the pen.

Will likely get one soon.

Mr Manoj had done a wonderful job.

[Sagarb]

Another superb review ..and what a beautiful pen it is...congrats Vaibhav..

[mehandiratta]

This is a great looking material.

Yes it is ... and its quite solid too....

[mehandiratta]

That is a wonderful piece of craftsmanship!

 

This is crazy, but I'll say it. For me, the design is somehow evocative of Dr. Zhivago (the film). The snow, the soil, the seasonal transitions between ice and fertility...?

 

Anyway, the pen is beautiful.

Yes the craftsmanship is amazing....

well i must see the movie now... ve yet to see it...

 

And thank you for going through the review ... I am glad you liked it

[mehandiratta]

Absolutely beautiful

 

Thank you... I am glad you liked it....

 

Tha ks for the review. An absolutely beautiful pen.

Thank you for the kind words....

[mehandiratta]

The Islander is me - my first one in rosewood, the second in sandalwood. You have just convinced me that I need a third Islander. In one of these fantastic cast resin designs.

And here I thought I had every Fosfor I ever wanted (I have a third one, also custom, a syringe filler.)

I will have to go through your review again to find out how to get the absolute best most gorgeous color combination for me...

Yours is absolutely beautiful. Enjoy. And yes, Manoj does great work.

And that clip does enhance the looks of your pen...

Congrats.... you have a pen named after you Mr. Islander.... Beautiful pen it is....

Please do share your islanders here....

 

And yes manoj is amazing craftsman .... love his work...

[mehandiratta]

love your handwriting Vaibhav.

The pen material is beautiful. The more I look at it, the more it is making me want to get the pen.

Will likely get one soon.

Mr Manoj had done a wonderful job.

Trust me Burhan.... you will be amazed with the perfection.... you have to get one ... or when you come back to India to see one...

 

Another superb review ..and what a beautiful pen it is...congrats Vaibhav..

Thank you Sagar Sir.... Its gorgeous...

[Prithwijit]

Great review Vaibhav-Ji and as usual and peppered with mind blowingly beautiful handwriting and photographs.

 

I just have one question though. Most other Islanders I have seen seem to have a flat end to the barrel while yours is rounded. Was that a special request on your part or are the flat ends a customization?

 

Regards,

 

Prithwijit

[mhguda]

Congrats.... you have a pen named after you Mr. Islander.... Beautiful pen it is....

Please do share your islanders here....

 

And yes manoj is amazing craftsman .... love his work...

Here they are.

open.

and closed.

As you can see there are slight differences between the two pens, but they were not enough to justify a new name (said manojd).

And BTW it's Mrs. Islander...

[mehandiratta]

Great review Vaibhav-Ji and as usual and peppered with mind blowingly beautiful handwriting and photographs.

 

I just have one question though. Most other Islanders I have seen seem to have a flat end to the barrel while yours is rounded. Was that a special request on your part or are the flat ends a customization?

 

Regards,

 

Prithwijit

Yes sir that was part of request to make more pronounced rounded bottoms...

Edited November 1, 2015 by mehandiratta

[mehandiratta]

Here they are.

open.

and closed.

As you can see there are slight differences between the two pens, but they were not enough to justify a new name (said manojd).

And BTW it's Mrs. Islander...

 

Yes i See the differences Mrs. Islander (oops... sorry for that earlier)

I love the rosewood one more...

 

Can you tell me the nibs used on your pens...

Edited November 1, 2015 by mehandiratta

[mhguda]

Both are Schmidt nibs, the Rosewood has a smaller nib, FH342 IIRC. while the Sandalwood has one size larger nib, of which unfortunately I cannot remember the number...

Both of them are F. When I first got the Rosewood, it had a gold tone M Schmidt nib, which I did not like so much, so I requested a nib change. As you can see the current nib is the same silver color as the cap ring which is the only ornament on the pen. Visually, I think this pen is stunning, and its looks are indeed more arresting than the Sandalwood...

But, the Sandalwood, made of that special fragrant wood, has another quality: not only does it have a subtle fragrance, but this lingers on your hands for a few minutes after putting the pen down... And also, it is an interesting visual object because the color is continually changing because of my use of the pen.

As to how they write, both are a pleasure to use, and I note I alternate between preferring the larger nib and section on the Sandalwood, to the smaller section and nib on the Rosewood. The Sandalwood sometimes feels a little burly, if you know what I mean. Like a country bumpkin, almost. But the Rosewood has a very sharp step between section and barrel which is sometimes a little too noticeable. It's very nice to learn that that is something that could be avoided in the resin version (or at least I assume so, from your story).

I will be thinking about a new Islander. I like the fact that yours does not have the metal insides that the Rosewood has. And the transition is not so sharp. But you seem to have kept the seamless transition between barrel and cap, which I like in the Rosewood, although it does mean the step between section and barrel is unavoidable. But maybe with the resin, a little less pronounced than in the Rosewood? Here I go again...

[sannidh]

Loved your review Vaibhav. Thank you

 

Just curious about the polycast resin, why exactly do you find the material brittle?

[flummoxed]

Congratulations on the pen and welcome to the Islander tribe!