Closed - Ranga Model 3 And 3C - Group Buy - Dec 2016

[ak2k5]

Well my wife is on the way to the post office to pick up the pens.

I ordered one for her in Teal Blue/Black Ripple and one for me in Green Ripple.

The only thing I'm second guessing is that I ordered them both with Schmidt nib units instead of JOWO because I didn't see the option for it.

 

I'll post pictures later on.

 

no worries . i tried schmidt B for first time and it writes glassy smooth. and as far as i know schmidt nibs are actually made by jowo and i haven't noticed much difference in quality between schmidt and jowo nibs in my other pens.

[dinuraj]

Ranga 3 & 3C.jpgI received my two pens today! One is a Solid Cherry Red 3C the other a Forest Green-Black Ripple 3. The 3C has a gold clip, the 3 has a Silver.

 

I ordered them without nibs and the Jowo option + C/C. I bought four Jowo #6 nibs from fpnibs for the pens, two polished steel and two, two-tone 1.1mm stub and Fine. So far, they write quite well and are surprisingly fine pens given the low cost.

 

After watching the video of how the pens are made, I'm even more impressed!

 

Love the cherry red. Ordered the model 5 in cherry red after seeing your pen. If you have more pictures, can you please post them

[matteob]

I think there will always be some variation in colour when an ebonite pen arrives. I think for some reason polished ebonite is very difficult to photograph. To be honest though I am really happy with my pens but I always allow for differences in shading when I place an order. It is part of the fun of ordering from India.

 

I'm surprized Schmidt nibs are made by JoWo as if you look up Schmidt online it looks like they have a big manufacturing facility. JoWo have no online presence at all but their premises on Google Maps seems much smaller. Both manufacturers nibs (along with Bock) are very smooth. I would appreciate a bit more feedback to be honest. The Ambitious nib in the eyedropper pen I ordered is a nice balance. I am very pleased with its writing characteristics.

 

I like the Monterey and Zayante pens posted above but Payne Street pens charge like a wounded rhino for overseas postage. If Mr Kandan could make something like that as a commission I would be the first to buy. Sadly I will probably skip the 5 group buy as i have little hands and the pen looks a little bit too big for me but will definitely buy more in future. I'm also broke after Christmas!

Edited February 8, 2017 by matteob

[MuddyWaters]

 

Same here regarding being disappointed with the colour....I ordered the Rose Red - Blue Ripple, but looks more like Rose Red - Bottle Green Ripple. Maybe it's the polish that makes it look different to the raw material, which is fair enough if we could have seen the sample beforehand. Would order another but $50+ isn't such a bargain in my view for a nice but not that exciting pen.

 

 

I got an orange-blue and I hope it will be a bit more lightly coloured than yours. Hm, the colours can be quite different, but we will see!

 

I already received my fountain pen (color Teal Blue - Black Ripple). It works properly, looks great on the hand and writes very well and smoothly.

 

The only objection is about the color, I'm a bit disappointed with the color, the blue is darker than in the example photo in the first post.

 

Here is my Ranga

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j438/davidgancedo/Plumas/ranga3c.jpg

 

 

Thanks Mr. Kandan

 

I actually really like this subdued green, really classy blend with the black! Looks great with the gold-coloured nib as well.

 

 

I think there will always be some variation in colour when an ebonite pen arrives. I think for some reason polished ebonite is very difficult to photograph. To be honest though I am really happy with my pens but I always allow for differences in shading when I place an order. It is part of the fun of ordering from India.

 

I'm surprized Schmidt nibs are made by JoWo as if you look up Schmidt online it looks like they have a big manufacturing facility. JoWo have no online presence at all but their premises on Google Maps seems much smaller. Both manufacturers nibs (along with Bock) are very smooth. I would appreciate a bit more feedback to be honest. The Ambitious nib in the eyedropper pen I ordered is a nice balance. I am very pleased with its writing characteristics.

 

I like the Monterey and Zayante pens posted above but Payne Street pens charge like a wounded rhino for overseas postage. If Mr Kandan could make something like that as a commission I would be the first to buy. Sadly I will probably skip the 5 group buy as i have little hands and the pen looks a little bit too big for me but will definitely buy more in future. I'm also broke after Christmas!

 

This is what I started fearing after ordering the pen. I hope that the Jowo will be wet enough, and some feedback is nice as well.

[matteob]

I'm sure you will not be disappointed. A JoWo and a Schmidt nib are lovely to write with. The Ambitious is more like a Platinum Century nib: not rough just feeds back the paper texture a bit. There is some feel with a JoWo too but not as much.

[MuddyWaters]

I'm sure you will not be disappointed. A JoWo and a Schmidt nib are lovely to write with. The Ambitious is more like a Platinum Century nib: not rough just feeds back the paper texture a bit. There is some feel with a JoWo too but not as much.

 

I got the Ranga for barrel comfort for long writing sessions anyway so I'm sure it won't disappoint in that regard. Since I do like scratchier nibs as well, if I like the hold of the Ranga, getting an ED with Ambitious nib would be a good next option. Do they write on the wet or dry side?

[matteob]

I find the Ambitious slightly on the wet side but not drastically so. It's a nice nib indeed. The pen has a nice weight to it but is not heavy. My eyedropper is a 3 and my medium JoWo is the 3C. They will be good daily workhorses.

[MuddyWaters]

I am under the perhaps erroneous impression that pens get a little wetter when used as ED, so that might be why the ambitious is a bit wet. I hope the Jowo gives me a decent level of wetness. I always like to have shiny ink that takes a little while to dry on the page.

[bbs]

Comparing this with the current Model 5 group buy, I think this Model 3 is more my size ..... Any plans for another group buy of this one? Last Christmas wasn't a good time for me to be spending!

[sansenri]

So my Ranga 3c arrived at last.

This one was ordered in premium ebonite blue-orange-green and I really like the result!

The finish is polished, the polish is very smooth on this ebonite, feels silky!

I chose no clip, 3c, and Jowo threaded, as I had a few spare Jowo nibs around.

The pen arrived in the usual Ranga pen case with a bonus transparent eye dropper.

I tried a steel rhodinated nib first, but the colours of the pen are too warm and really need a gold plated finish to go with it.

The two tone looks good.

I am also happy with the colours of the pen, the colour variations really turned out well, without excessive prominence of one colour over the other and nice patterns

Size and shape are my favourite among Ranga, as I have mentioned before.

What I like in the model 3, besides being the right size for my hand, big enough but not too big, is also the lack of step between section and barrel. This means the cap is not flush with the pen, but the advantage is comfort in holding the pen, and the threads are also very smooth.

The photos are nothing artistic but I hope they help to describe well this very nice premium ebonite.

The pen itself is really perfect in all aspects of construction and looks. Great job, Ranga!

I will be testing it soon but expect consistent performance as with all my other Rangas.

[Jamerelbe]

@sansenri, thanks for posting your photos - I've ordered a Model 5 with this ebonite in the latest Group Buy, and was a bit anxious about how the colours would work. Yours looks fantastic - very reassuring!

[matteob]

@Muddywaters I ordered a 3c with the Jowo medium with converter as well: safer for the pocket when travelling. However the eyedropper is a great desk pen with a large capacity and I like the traditional hand made ebonite feed. The more I use the Ambitious nib the more impressed I am with it. It is very smooth but you can still feel the paper. It is as good as the German nibs in my opinion and the 3 capless is perfectly balanced. Eyedroppers get wetter as the ink runs down and you have ro top them up at 1/4 full otherwise your hand can heat up the air in the barrel and cause the ink to rush out.

 

@MannyBA I have tried both Schmidt and JoWo and both are equally good: both have the same smooth feel so they could indeed be made by JoWo.

 

@bbs if you ask nicely maybe Mr Kandan can do you a 3 at the old group buy price. Did he do that for you Muddywaters?

 

 

 

I think a 5 is a bit too big for me too but would be interested in a Bamboo pen later on.

Edited February 13, 2017 by matteob

[MuddyWaters]

No I paid full price unfortunately. It's a bit steep now that I think about it but if the pen fits well in my hand and writes well, I'll be okay with it. The group buy definitely gives an interesting discount.

[sansenri]

best of luck, Jamerelbe!

I've seen different pens in this ebonite, they can look different depending on how the swirls mingle, but in general they are nice contrasting and vivid colour.

 

Ref size, here is a picture taken some time ago comparing some of my Ranga

 

from the left, model 5 mottled brown, model 3 mottled green, model 4 red black ripple bakul, model 3c olive ripple bakul, model 3 c olive ripple polished, last one Aurora Talentum for size

Edited February 13, 2017 by sansenri

[MuddyWaters]

which is your favorite sanseri?

[sansenri]

@Muddy no doubt the 3c, I love the olive ripple in bakul

 

I mounted a reuthenium plated nib and it looks very good, it's the same grey colour of the ripples

 

 

the 3c also for its size and shape, as I mentioned.

 

The red ripple bakul finish of the 4 is also nice but the pen has a more evident step between section and barrel which makes it less comfortable for me, I hold pens quite far from the nib

 

That is one of the reasons why I also like the Ranga model 8, also in the photo here, as they have a very long section

 

 

[bobje]

Sansenri, your photography of the Model 3 in blue-orange-green really show off the material well. Beautiful pen.

[MuddyWaters]

Your bakul is definitely beautiful! I can barely tell a difference between the model 4 and 8...

[TravelCommons]

I've been very tardy in posting pictures of my shipment. I ordered the 3C in the Rose Red - Black Ripple (#12) special ebonite with a JoWo fine nib. It is a great pen. The red is darker than what I would expect from a "Rose Red" descriptor, but it's exactly the right red to mix with the black.

 

I also took up Mr Kandan's follow-up offer to add an Oliver F27. It's a nice looking pen for the price, though the nib is scratchy and needs some work. I'll smooth it out when I can get over to Home Depot for some micromesh

 

 

Edited February 19, 2017 by TravelCommons

[mpkandan]

I already received my fountain pen (color Teal Blue - Black Ripple). It works properly, looks great on the hand and writes very well and smoothly.

 

The only objection is about the color, I'm a bit disappointed with the color, the blue is darker than in the example photo in the first post.

 

Here is my Ranga

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j438/davidgancedo/Plumas/ranga3c.jpg

 

 

Thanks Mr. Kandan

Thanks a lot Sir. Hope you will be happy with the colour.

 

Regards,

Kandan.M.P

Ranga Pen Company