The ‘Himalaya’, From Fountain Pen Revolution

[IndigoBOB]

  On 11/27/2017 at 12:22 PM, Jamerelbe said:

 

You might want to let Kevin from FPR know about your nib issues - he's pretty good with customer support! I've had issues from time to time with EF nibs (though the #6 EF I bought recently was great!), but the F and M nibs have always been good for me. The B nib is not much broader than the M, so that may be your best bet.

 

Will be interested to get your take on the ebonite vs acrylic materials - I have one ebonite 'version' of the pen, and 3 acrylics, but the ebonite is fairly new and I haven't paid sufficient attention to notice any difference in 'tactility'.

 

I did.

 

Kevin provides A+/superb customer service. You really feel like you're dealing with a solid company. Gives you that reassurance that FPR wants you to have the optimal writing experience for an affordable price.

 

I wanted to see how the Broad wrote first since I don't want him to spend extra money sending me a Fine when I may prefer a Broad, which is on the way, or Medium instead. I want to get my bearings.

 

I'm quite optimistic about the Broad fitting my preferences and if it has that same sturdy quality, presence of pleasant feedback I detected, but puts down a smooth line, I'll be very happy I think.

 

Besides the scratchiness of the nib, I actually think it is good quality for the money. It doesn't have that cheap feel to it like a Jinhao or a Wing Sung nib. The flow was excellent when I tried the Free pen I received (the Muft). If I received a nib like you reviewed I would be so happy. For the high functionality of the pen, the lovely design, sturdy build, and inclusion of a free pen that isn't (bleep) (which I love for some strange reason), I think FPR is worth trying.

 

FPR is definitely on my radar now, I think they have immense potential. I would love to see them make more alternative options for presently popular pens and their designs since they come with great acrylic, provide eyedropper options, and have ebonite feeds. I want them to compete harder in the market against popular models.

[half_inked_one]

You guys are dangerous! (Iceman TM)

You have convinced me and I have ordered one with flex + 1 mm Stub additionally. Saffron Orange, like the one from Jamerelbe .

[Jamerelbe]

  On 11/28/2017 at 7:23 AM, half_inked_one said:

You guys are dangerous! (Iceman TM)

You have convinced me and I have ordered one with flex + 1 mm Stub additionally. Saffron Orange, like the one from Jamerelbe .

 

I've got 3 acrylic Himalayas now, plus the green ebonite - and at this point Saffron Orange is still my favourite, though I'm also pretty partial to the blue! Congratulations on your order: I trust you'll find yours to be everything you were hoping for. Be warned, the 'stubs' don't tend to be very 'stubbish' - though you can find some advice on the forum about how to grind them into submission if you search around!

[IndigoBOB]

Received the Green Ebonite Himalaya Broad nib.

 

My optimism was accurate. The ebonite provides additional traction for grip on the pen; an apparent step up from the acrylic with regards to traction.

 

The Broad nib it came with is nice and smooth and has a lovely feedback to it, and I am very picky about feedback. I received a Medium Nib, which was also very nice, obviously not as smooth as the Broad, but with no complaints here.

 

I got the chance to receive a TWSBI Eco-T in the same delivery. I love the TWSBI Eco and now the Eco-T as well, and I had an equivalent impression with the Ebonite Himalaya.

 

I highly recommend trying out the Ebonite versions especially if you have ever found yourself worrying about slippage problems with any kind of material.

 

At the price range this pen competes with some big time players like the Lamy Safari and Eco/Eco-T, but I think the Ebonite version holds it own, and if you don't have any slippage problems, I think the Acrylic version does a good job, but there's something about the ebonite version I really like.

Edited December 1, 2017 by IndigoBOB

[Jamerelbe]

  On 12/1/2017 at 12:12 AM, IndigoBOB said:

Received the Green Ebonite Himalaya Broad nib.

 

My optimism was accurate. The ebonite provides additional traction for grip on the pen; an apparent step up from the acrylic with regards to traction.

 

The Broad nib it came with is nice and smooth and has a lovely feedback to it, and I am very picky about feedback. I received a Medium Nib, which was also very nice, obviously not as smooth as the Broad, but with no complaints here.

 

I got the chance to receive a TWSBI Eco-T in the same delivery. I love the TWSBI Eco and now the Eco-T as well, and I had an equivalent impression with the Ebonite Himalaya.

 

I highly recommend trying out the Ebonite versions especially if you have ever found yourself worrying about slippage problems with any kind of material.

 

At the price range this pen competes with some big time players like the Lamy Safari and Eco/Eco-T, but I think the Ebonite version holds it own, and if you don't have any slippage problems, I think the Acrylic version does a good job, but there's something about the ebonite version I really like.

 

Hi IndigoBOB, so pleased to hear that the ebonite version solves your problems - I haven't noticed any slippage issues with the acrylics, so I'm OK with either, but the form factor is excellent and the filling mechanism pretty trouble-free. I'd like to try the TWSBI Eco-T sometime, too - but not sure I'm ready for another outlay of that kind right now (especially since 4 Sing Sung 3008 pens just arrived in my letterbox today... )

[IndigoBOB]

Well I hope to see you join the 3008 conversation/thread. I'm impressed by those myself. I hope you got at least one with the click lock mechanism on the piston knob.

 

Yes I am very happy with the Ebonite version. Since it felt good I inked it up and even smoothed out the Fine nib I first received and it writes quite lovely now with a pleasant feedback to it. A wonderful introduction into ebonite.

 

This FPR Ebonite pen definitely has a different feel from my TWSBI's, the Lamy Safari, and other pens. I like the different feel it brings to my collection. It creates a nice variety for a daily rotation.

[IndigoBOB]

I have had some time to write with the Ebonite Himalaya-Fine version and play around with it and I say I am loving this pen and a lot has to do with the materials used.

 

It has been a wonderful introduction into Ebonite, which is like finding something I've been missing all along. The lovely traction that the material provides for gripping is unequalled in my experience. To get that same security and comfort of grip with acrylic pens is something I've only partially accomplished with articulated sections like those on the Lamy Safari, TWSBI Eco-T, and Franklin-Christoph Model 20 Marietta, all of which I really like, but they won't ever have that ebonite feel if you know what I mean.

 

Another fun aspect about the Himalaya is the Ebonite feed and how you can use it with a converter as well as an eyedropper, which is an option I like having. The flow is fantastic and I can get a healthy saturation out of an ink to the level I can't with a plastic feed. The flow seemed increased by a lubricated ink like Sailor Jentle Doyou, which I also inked up in the free Muft Pen which is really fun to write with, too.

 

Both the Muft and Himalaya-Fine required tuning of the nibs, but I have found that it was as much a disadvantage as it was an advantage. Now I can't generalize how other nibs are, but I like how these nibs polish very incrementally so that I can tune them more easily. Where a Jowo nib will smooth out drastically with one figure eight on 12000 micromesh, these nibs took a couple and maybe more figure eights to smooth out to that same increment, which means I can tune these more specifically to my liking.

 

But I really like the feedback that comes out of these nibs. It's quite pleasant, and I'm very picky about feedback and honestly minimizing it, but not with these nibs. That's just a characteristic I have found in these FPR nibs I have tried and I like it. In conjunction with the rich flow from the ebonite I have had a nicer feel for a finer nib with this pen that I have not experienced with with others with plastic feeds.

 

All in all, it has been a different experience from something more mass produced like the before mentioned acrylic pens, but I really like what this has brought to my fountain pen experience and the positive addition to the variety this adds to my daily rotation. And these aren't Medium nibs nor Broad nibs. I have tried a broad nib and it was very smooth upon dry writing, and even too smooth for my taste. The Medium being right in the middle.

 

The enjoyment and pleasure I have gotten out of the writing experience of this $30 pen has surpassed experiences with pens that fit my preferences at 5 times that amount. I think FPR's mission to provide a quality writing experience at an affordable price has been accomplished with regards to my writing experience with this Ebonite Himalaya.

[IndigoBOB]

Continuing to be impressed by this pen in the ebonite version I have. It handles any difficult ink I throw at it. It's loaded with Kung Te-Cheng now, and since it writes dependably without hard starts it has become a personal favorite. And Kung Te-Cheng can be a very difficult ink.

 

It's holding up and functioning very well. And I can upgrade it with a TWSBI Eco/Mini nib, which is quite juicy with it, but I don't feel the need to because I am enjoying an FPR Medium with it.

 

This has knocked a few pens out of my Daily Rotation: Went from 6 to 2 and I use it now with a Franklin Christoph Model 20 Marietta. Both are very different pens and feel different, but I am enjoying each equally.

[titrisol]

I bought one of the acrylics (saffron) with a F nib. It is a good pen for everyday but nothing special.

Visually, the acrylic is beautiful, with patterns that make it interesting and shiny sections... but the sections are not aligned properly to have the same sheen

Handling, this pen is light and fits well in my hands, I prefer to use it posted, seems to be more stable

Nib, it is a stainless nib, quite run of the mill IMHO. The nib is on the wet side, with a good flow of ink and rarely skips. In my pen the nib needed to be set firmly (push) as it was glorping at the beginning.

Fill piston, it is the part i like the least of this pen, it would be nicer to use international cartridges or a nicer piston filler.

All in all, great value for $30

[Gloucesterman]

Has anyone received one of these pens with a "flex" nib?

 

If so what has been your experience with it? I am thinking of ordering several and I prefer some flexibility when I use my pens.

 

Thank you.

[Jamerelbe]

  On 1/12/2018 at 1:33 AM, Gloucesterman said:

Has anyone received one of these pens with a "flex" nib?

 

If so what has been your experience with it? I am thinking of ordering several and I prefer some flexibility when I use my pens.

 

Thank you.

 

My experience with FPR flex nibs is that they're comparable to (but IMHO better than) Noodler's flex nibs (if you have any experience with those): they require some downward pressure to get the tines to spread, but provide very pleasing line variation. In my experience there's *less* effort required to get line variation with FPR than with Noodlers - and I don't recall buying any duds!

 

I gave to confess though that I'm not an expert with 'flexy' writing. I like to 'play' with it from time to time, but more often than not I'm trying to write at pace, rather than play with line variation etc - so my FPR flex nibs tend to do 'double duty' as regular (albeit fairly juicy) fine nibs.

[truthpil]

  On 12/16/2017 at 3:37 PM, IndigoBOB said:

Continuing to be impressed by this pen in the ebonite version I have. It handles any difficult ink I throw at it. It's loaded with Kung Te-Cheng now, and since it writes dependably without hard starts it has become a personal favorite. And Kung Te-Cheng can be a very difficult ink.

 

Did the Himalaya turn out to be a perfect match for Kung Te-Chung? My concern is that the cap won't seal tight enough to keep the nib from drying out if left untouched for a couple days.

 

 

  On 1/12/2018 at 1:33 AM, Gloucesterman said:

Has anyone received one of these pens with a "flex" nib?

 

If so what has been your experience with it? I am thinking of ordering several and I prefer some flexibility when I use my pens.

 

Thank you.

 

It depends on what type of flexibility you are used to. The FPR flex nibs do require some muscle to flex (as with the Noodler's nibs) and make my hand ache after writing a whole page in flex writing. Although it takes some work to flex them, they do flex to a decent degree and give some really beautiful line variation. The degree of flex is quite good. My ebonite Himalaya with FPR flex nib can write some beautiful flex script even if I'm writing rather quickly.

[ReadyFireAim]

  On 1/12/2018 at 12:20 PM, TruthPil said:

The FPR flex nibs do require some muscle to flex (as with the Noodler's nibs) and make my hand ache after writing a whole page in flex writing.

Try the Creaper in a Himalayan and set the exposure to 20 mm.

Make sure you don't have nib bind by heat setting it with a sliver of mylar paper between the feed and nib.

For best results, knock the top of the tip off so it is D shaped (do not touch bottom)

 

That should make it MUCH more flexy...

Enjoy!

 

Edited January 12, 2018 by Nail-Bender

[Gloucesterman]

 

Thank you to Jamerlbe & TruthPil for the information. I am looking at the Darjeeling BOGo currently being offered at FPN.

 

[Honeybadgers]

I ordered one in brown ebonite (was debating between that and the gorgeous saffron acrylic - went with the more traditional material) with a flex nib. We'll see how it writes. was supposed to be delivered today, was delayed.

[Forsooth]

I have a Himalaya - an excellent writer - but was wondering two things:

 

1. A #6 nib will never fit in this pen, correct?

 

2. The Himalaya's cartridge/converter is screw-on. Is there a source for a longer, more capacious version of this cartridge/converter? Maybe one without a plunger?

 

Thanks!

[ReadyFireAim]

  On 1/12/2018 at 10:41 PM, Forsooth said:

I have a Himalaya - an excellent writer - but was wondering two things:

 

A number 6 will never fit but the Creaper is a better nib anyway.

 

You can convert your converter to a sac.

There should be instructions on this forum.

[Forsooth]

  On 1/12/2018 at 11:07 PM, Nail-Bender said:

 

A number 6 will never fit but the Creaper is a better nib anyway.

 

You can convert your converter to a sac.

There should be instructions on this forum.

 

Thank you. I'll look into this.

[DrDebG]

Based upon your review and the thoughts of others, I am thinking of order one. Generally I prefer stub nibs but some others in this post do not care for them. Has FPR improved their stub nibs at all?

 

Also, I live in a dry climate. I love my TWSBIs and other Chinese pens, but they are all dry starters for me. I occassionaly have the same problem with Lamys, but not very often, and not at all with all of my other pens. (And I do store all of my pens in an horizontal position, even in my briefcase.) Does the Himalaya have a cap that seals pretty well when capped?

[Jamerelbe]

  On 1/12/2018 at 8:10 PM, Gloucesterman said:

Thank you to Jamerlbe & TruthPil for the information. I am looking at the Darjeeling BOGo currently being offered at FPN.

 

The Darjeeling comes with a larger (#6) nib, and a plastic feed rather than ebonite. Still a great pen, but I don't have anywhere near as much experience with their #6 flex nib. Let us know how you go with it - I've reviewed the Darjeeling a few months back too, I think(!), so you should be able to find it on FPN. [if I didn't already own 3, and if international shipping wasn't such a bear, I'd be ordering the orange-and-black version...]