“I think I have big hands? I’m not really sure because the only one I have to compare it to is this one and they’re the same size…” 😅 love this channel
The trick for a full fill of a vac fill system like this (besides fully immersing the nib) is to wipe the nib off as you did, then pulling the vac rod all the way back while holding the nib UP then slowly and carefully depress it so get the air out (now at the top) -- but STOP before the plunger passes the wide part of the barrel! Quickly put the nib back in the ink, depress the plunger the rest of the way and voila! A good fill!
I have done this before, and it works. However, I’m not as obsessed with a complete fill as I used to be. Part of the fun is infilling and refilling your pens, right?
It's such a good pen, and the matte grey finish feels sooooo nice as well. Also, your ink choice was *chef's kiss*. I think I may need to go along those lines with my next refill!
The matte finish feels amazing to use. Mine just arrived today with an EF nib and I've already written 10 pages. I think this might be my new daily driver pen. It is soooo comfortable and writes so well.
I bought exactly this pen and I immediately fell in love with it. It is by far my favorite pen (right now). I am just sad that all the other models come with golden details (I don’t like that) and I hope they will bring out some more colors with black details. Right now it is inked up with Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Bordeaux
This one was a huge surprise for me last year. Totally came out of nowhere. Definitely one of my new favorites. I actually do like Gold accents sometimes, but this black on black is definitely irresistible.
All of these pens are on sale right now for the Amazon Prime event (except for the Frosted Black one shown with the EF nib, for some reason, but F and M are discounted). Great video as always, Stephen!
@@stepheninks Lol I told my wife I wouldn't buy anything unless it was part of the big sale, so I got the same pen in medium. I think they knew they didn't need to discount yours because of the video. BTW, I cackled at the bloody hanky thing. I was thinking about the same thing as you soaked that kleenex.
This was a really cool review. I don't draw, just write a lot of poetry and some short sci-fi stories and concepts, but I want to! Especially now that I'm collecting fountain pens. I am definitely gonna try one of these and the P20. Great review. Keep up the great artwork.
Thanks! I love doing a creative thing with a great writing instrument. I’ve always dreamed of creating a sci-fi comic book someday. Hope you enjoy your journey!
I've got an Asvine P20 in orange, and I really really like it. I love the feel and look of it. and it writes so nicely. Tempted to maybe get one of these but maybe that is greedy...
Great looking pen. I know the struggle of having big hands and pens feeling just slightly too small, but can’t bring myself to post my fountain pens except for my Platinum Preppy.
Is that because of the threading? For what it’s worth, I post all my pens and I have never had a problem with scratches from the cap, except for pens with a powder “matte” finish. Those are a bit more high maintenance.
@@stepheninks For me it's less the threading or the fear of scratches - I'm not particularly precious with my pens, and don't mind if things look 'used' - it's just that the cap doesn't feel quite right for me. There's something about the way it feels to push cheap plastic caps that doesn't feel right when I do it to my resin/metal pens. It's probably just a personal thing. But posting a Preppy is like posting a cheap gel pen, and somehow to my brain that feels "correct".
I have never used an Estie before (it’s on my list for sure) but I totally believe that this pen can stand toe-to-toe with something in that price range. It’s such a great find!
hey great video! im looking to get back into trad inking (most of my work is digital) and i didn't even realize vacuum fountain pens were an option! super convenient as I liked only using specific inks so I opted for nib pens in the past. nabbed one of these pens myself n excited to use it soon
Sweet! I think that there’s a place for the paper based in every digital artist’s repertoire and vice versa. In my non-UA-cam life, I’m a teacher and a technology specialist at my school district, and I still use paper to plan out all my presentations before I turn on the software. Cant knock it if it works!
I think it’s due to the shape of the rubber gasket inside of the pen, but there’s sort of a one-way valve situation going on. You can pull the piston up all the way, but when you push it down, the airway is blocked, creating a vacuum.
Hi Stephen. Jim from Madrid, Spain (a fellow artist and a New Yorker expat living abroad). This Asvine Vacuum Filler looks real nice and the fact that it is a vacuum filler is great for Urban Sketching. I do have a question, though, that I hope you may help with (maybe after a bit of time using it?). Does the ink dry when not used for days or weeks at a time? I mean... If you fully charge it and you don't use it for a week or 10 days, for example, does the nib gets dry and you need to clean it again? I ask because... I have a TWSBI ECO ( nib) and 2 Platinum Preppys (02 - + 03 ) in which the nibs don't dry out for long periods if time (I use my FPs with different coloured inks, so depending on what I'm creating I'll use different FPs), but my Lamy Safari - nib (for example and a great FP, BTW) does tend to dry out on the nib when unused for a while, though easy to restart, unlike my Jinhao's x750s with Fude nibs that dry out way quickly and I need to constantly clean. For my style and art process, I do need to have larger reservoires of ink but I want the FPs readily available when need it at any given time and on the spot. Last, but not least (as for any artist) budget is always an issue, so it has to be budget friendly. I hope I explained my concern and question correctly and I would much appreciate your comment if possible before purchasing one. Great video as always (I'm a subscriber to your channel) and Thank You for your help in advance. Cheers from Sunny Spain! 😁👍😎✌
No worries, I recently wrote an email to a colleague on my phone, and it autocorrected “talking about” to “stalking about,” which I had to apologize for :)
I don’t usually have problems with pens drying out, so maybe others experience might be different based on the humidity/elevation where you live? Anyway, I used this pen for about 4 weeks on a single full, and it never skipped. I would sometimes have problems with my PenBBS 456 skipping if I left it unused for a week or two, it this one has t let me down yet.
I always use an ink miser with narrow mouthed ink bottles. I don’t trust myself with holding onto it and want to avoid the mess of the ink on my section (try to avoid it at least).
I should get one of those. I have quite a few bottles that are “miser level” that I keep coming back to. It’s hard to buy a new pen thing when what I really want are more pens!
@@stepheninks Definitely! I have a vacuum filler that I keep black ink in. The ink bottle is nearly impossible to see inside effectively. I can't imagine dropping my (gold) nib into the bottle blind and never being sure if it was deep enough. If I go too deep and slip while pushing the piston down? Yikes! Any slip and I would be crying. My plastic ink miser takes all (most) of my worries away. I can see the ink level. I can see the nib's depth into the ink. I don't worry about ink on the section and any slips might make a mess but not likely damage my nib. 😁
How's yours hold? My v126 already failing. It's plunger has been loose and I am ey dropping it now. Read somewhere that theirs has been hold up really good. Wondering should I get a new v126.. looking at j16 but not really fan of metal pens
I have taken this on airplanes, filled it with every type of ink imaginable, and it continues to do well. Is the mechanism loose at all? Or perhaps the rubber washer has worn down? One step I do take to care for my pen is lubricating the rubber piston with silicone grease every time I do a deep cleaning. I also do this with my PenBBS 456s and they are very similar pens to this one.
I have a question, if I may: I purchased this model a while back and was really surprised at how *much drag there was from the rubber whatsit (the plunger part) against the inner wall of the barrel. Can I/should I add a bit of silicone grease to the wall and run the plunger past it a few times? Would that mess up the ink? Or does the ink alone alleviate that drag? I haven’t even flushed it with water yet, but no one else has remarked on that issue and I’ve never owned a vac before, so I need a grown up, lol.
Yes, you definitely can (and should) use silicone grease on this type of pen. I recommend getting a little bit on a toothpick and running it along the rubber spacer where it touches the wall. You only need a little bit. After that, you can pull the plunger up and down a few times to spread it around. I usually do a deep cleaning of my vac and piston filler pens every 2-3 months and I add more silicone grease at that time, but if I do a cleaning where I don’t take the pens apart, I usually don’t add the silicone. There is a no more upkeep on these pens over a cartridge/converter pen to be sure, but I think it’s worth it. I actually put silicone grease in my converters as well from time to time.
Great and interesting video. Are you sure it is similar to PenBBS? The box is nothing like the PenBBS boxes I have, but pretty much the same as Moonman/Majohn boxes.
I guess I should have qualified that, because the box matches all the metal PenBBS pens I have bought (like the 250 and another one I own) but yeah, most of them don’t come with that particular box. I’ll bet I could swap the internal parts of this pen with that of my Pebbbs 456 and it would be a perfect match. Just a guess though, because I haven’t tried it.
That’s a tough one, because they are really similar. I think the internals might be identical actually. What the differences boil down to are the nib grind and the aesthetics. The v126 has a straightforward standard grind, I think it comes in medium, fine, and extra fine. This one is an extra fine. The 456 has a Waverly grind, which upturns slightly at the tip. I do t know why, but that little turn makes a difference in the line quality. I absolutely love it, but some people don’t. The other advantage of the 456 is that PenBBS puts them out in a bunch of different acrylics, some of them quite rare, so if you watch their Etsy store, you can find something really unique. I hope that information helps. For me, between the two, I would put the 456 on top, because I love the nib grind (although again, I have to say that some people don’t like their grinds), but actually mileage may vary.
Hi! This is still one of my favorite pens after all this time! If you’re thinking about getting it (or any pen with a piston, for that matter) I highly recommend you get a small vial of silicone grease (usually about 5USD) that you can use to lubricate the inner parts when you clean it. They will start to wear out if the lubrication gets washed out.
Argh. I picked one up on Amazon and am irritated because Amazon never prompts for the desired nib, and I ordered the dang default-which happens to be an M nib. Second time I’ve done that with Asvine. When I finally order the P-whatever, I will be CAREFUL, and order an EF.
I’m the weirdo who likes the grind that no one else likes (ef), so I always assume they’re trying to stick me with the M. Hopefully you still find it useful!
Aaaand since Prime Day wasn’t over and I’d forgotten we needed 1000 ibuprofen tablets, I decided to save myself a few shekels and just order the frosted translucent no-color for USD 22.- It arrived today. No markings anywhere on the exterior, but the nib had a schmancey ‘E’ on it. (My M has a schmancey ‘M’. Aesthetic character limit? 😂) It is FANTASTIC. I haven’t really learned to draw with pen & ink, but for now I want to just to use this pen. I actually wanted it for use with my Hobonichi planners, which have a 3.7mm grid that I don’t always feel like ignoring. I’ve subscribed to your channel a. on account of this fantastic tip (thanks). And b. because it is nice (and reorienting) to OCCASIONALLY see demos by lefties like me.
Have you tried tipping the pen up after the first plunge ?, expel most of the air by pushing the piston rod up, then try a second plunge, you should get a nearly full fill. I do that with my Pilot 826.
I have done that, and yes it definitely fills with more ink. This is kind of weird, but I actually like getting a lower fill, because I enjoy filling my pens. Perhaps because of the fact that I use ef nibs, a fill like the one in the video might last me as long as a month, so I tend to just leave it as-is.
I own this pen but there are three things I dislike: 1. When unscrewing the piston, the rubber stopper does not fully disengage so I don't get the full flow. I need to ever so slightly pull the piston knob up a bit. Maybe there's a way to adjust this by taking it apart, but I've not done that. Out of the box it's not perfect. 2. The threads on the piston are metal on plastic. I don't like that from a long term durability perspective. 3. I personally didn't really like the feel of the medium nib. Felt like I had to press a bit hard to get a nice flow. I can adjust the nib myself, but I just can't be bothered because I have over 30 other pens I'd rather pick up. Maybe one day I will try and fix this. Overall it's okay for the price. I've only listed the negatives above but I did like the filling mechanism, the quality of the plastic seems good, pen was a good size for me, the aesthetics are nice. But I would rather look into the P36 if I were in the market for an inexpensive plunger / piston pen.
Thanks for all that feedback. I do agree with a few of these things, despite liking the pen. 1: I noticed this with this pen, but I also notice it on the PenBBS 456 (of which I own 2). I always assumed this was a quirk of vac filler pens, but now I wonder if more expensive ones (say, the Pilot Custom 823) are also like that. 2: Metal on plastic is always a minus for me. I haven’t had a problem with this yet, but I worry still. 3: I have an ef nib on mine, and I love it. Can’t speak to the M nib. I also want a P36. I just want all the pens.
From the stock nibs available for this pen, you won’t find a calligraphy nib. I can’t say this for certain, as I’ve never done it, but some say that these pens have the exact same internal parts as PenBBS pens. You might be able to get one of their calligraphy pens to fit, but again, I have not tested this. Also PenBBs calligraphy nibs (if I’m not mistaken) aren’t available in the traditional stub nib varieties, but have more exotic styles like architect and long knife nibs. Another option (which would be expensive I’m sure) would be to contact a good nibsmith, and see if they can attach or grind down a nib into a stub for you.
If a company doesn't care enough to consult an English speaker on its product name and then names its pen ass vine, then it really matters little how one pronounces the monstrosity of a name. It's like the gorgeous Japanese lacquer pens made by a company called Wancher (Wanker anyone?). It's just sad.
“I think I have big hands? I’m not really sure because the only one I have to compare it to is this one and they’re the same size…”
😅 love this channel
The trick for a full fill of a vac fill system like this (besides fully immersing the nib) is to wipe the nib off as you did, then pulling the vac rod all the way back while holding the nib UP then slowly and carefully depress it so get the air out (now at the top) -- but STOP before the plunger passes the wide part of the barrel! Quickly put the nib back in the ink, depress the plunger the rest of the way and voila! A good fill!
I have done this before, and it works. However, I’m not as obsessed with a complete fill as I used to be. Part of the fun is infilling and refilling your pens, right?
@@stepheninks
And watching that ink move around when you have a transparent pen !
It's such a good pen, and the matte grey finish feels sooooo nice as well. Also, your ink choice was *chef's kiss*. I think I may need to go along those lines with my next refill!
Thanks! This is the pen that surprised me the most this past year!
The matte finish feels amazing to use. Mine just arrived today with an EF nib and I've already written 10 pages. I think this might be my new daily driver pen. It is soooo comfortable and writes so well.
I loved the vampire pen sketch!
This seems to be a great pen, the frosted black trim looks quite good, will definitely be getting this pen
It’s a lovely pen!
I bought exactly this pen and I immediately fell in love with it. It is by far my favorite pen (right now). I am just sad that all the other models come with golden details (I don’t like that) and I hope they will bring out some more colors with black details. Right now it is inked up with Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Bordeaux
This one was a huge surprise for me last year. Totally came out of nowhere. Definitely one of my new favorites. I actually do like Gold accents sometimes, but this black on black is definitely irresistible.
I'm afraid you just "sold" me a pen AND ink 😁 That combination looks too cool.
I know, right?
Bloody red is my fav inc color, no matter what pen model i use😊
All of these pens are on sale right now for the Amazon Prime event (except for the Frosted Black one shown with the EF nib, for some reason, but F and M are discounted).
Great video as always, Stephen!
They decided to keep the ef nib in stock, just for me.
@@stepheninks Lol I told my wife I wouldn't buy anything unless it was part of the big sale, so I got the same pen in medium. I think they knew they didn't need to discount yours because of the video. BTW, I cackled at the bloody hanky thing. I was thinking about the same thing as you soaked that kleenex.
Your artwork is great. Thank you so much for this nice and interesting video.
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Love your artwork. The humour is gorgeous
Thank you!
Just got this pen and I love it!
I think it will be my EDC pen.
This pen is way more awesome than it has any business being. I don’t usually buy multiple pens, but I want two of these!
Great review, and I love the drawing!
Thanks!
I bought one after watching your video. Arrived this morning and its such a sweet writer. I got the crystal clear. Thanks for the recommendation.
This one was a surprise to me too. Cool to see lots of people picking it up and enjoying it!
This was a really cool review. I don't draw, just write a lot of poetry and some short sci-fi stories and concepts, but I want to! Especially now that I'm collecting fountain pens. I am definitely gonna try one of these and the P20. Great review. Keep up the great artwork.
Thanks! I love doing a creative thing with a great writing instrument. I’ve always dreamed of creating a sci-fi comic book someday. Hope you enjoy your journey!
Gorgeous drawing my friend! Loved the Dracula-Pen 😈
Thanks!
Hey, thanks again Stephen for a great video
Glad you liked it!
I've got an Asvine P20 in orange, and I really really like it. I love the feel and look of it. and it writes so nicely. Tempted to maybe get one of these but maybe that is greedy...
I don’t think you’ll regret it if you do! This is one of my favorite pens. It really shocked me how much I loved it!
Great looking pen. I know the struggle of having big hands and pens feeling just slightly too small, but can’t bring myself to post my fountain pens except for my Platinum Preppy.
Is that because of the threading? For what it’s worth, I post all my pens and I have never had a problem with scratches from the cap, except for pens with a powder “matte” finish. Those are a bit more high maintenance.
@@stepheninks For me it's less the threading or the fear of scratches - I'm not particularly precious with my pens, and don't mind if things look 'used' - it's just that the cap doesn't feel quite right for me. There's something about the way it feels to push cheap plastic caps that doesn't feel right when I do it to my resin/metal pens. It's probably just a personal thing. But posting a Preppy is like posting a cheap gel pen, and somehow to my brain that feels "correct".
that's cool
Bought this pen based on your video and love it. It reminded me of how an Esterbrook Estie writes. Thank you!
I have never used an Estie before (it’s on my list for sure) but I totally believe that this pen can stand toe-to-toe with something in that price range. It’s such a great find!
Thanks for the review, I like this best of the color options/finishes available. How many turns to uncap?
About 1.5
@@stepheninks super, thanks. I ordered it after I saw your review, on sale today too (medium nib)
Beautiful
Thank you!
hey great video! im looking to get back into trad inking (most of my work is digital) and i didn't even realize vacuum fountain pens were an option! super convenient as I liked only using specific inks so I opted for nib pens in the past. nabbed one of these pens myself n excited to use it soon
Sweet! I think that there’s a place for the paper based in every digital artist’s repertoire and vice versa. In my non-UA-cam life, I’m a teacher and a technology specialist at my school district, and I still use paper to plan out all my presentations before I turn on the software. Cant knock it if it works!
Nice-looking pen. Looks like you found yourself a winner.
Where does the air above the piston go when you pull up on the knob?
I think it’s due to the shape of the rubber gasket inside of the pen, but there’s sort of a one-way valve situation going on. You can pull the piston up all the way, but when you push it down, the airway is blocked, creating a vacuum.
Hi Stephen. Jim from Madrid, Spain (a fellow artist and a New Yorker expat living abroad).
This Asvine Vacuum Filler looks real nice and the fact that it is a vacuum filler is great for Urban Sketching.
I do have a question, though, that I hope you may help with (maybe after a bit of time using it?).
Does the ink dry when not used for days or weeks at a time?
I mean... If you fully charge it and you don't use it for a week or 10 days, for example, does the nib gets dry and you need to clean it again?
I ask because... I have a TWSBI ECO ( nib) and 2 Platinum Preppys (02 - + 03 ) in which the nibs don't dry out for long periods if time (I use my FPs with different coloured inks, so depending on what I'm creating I'll use different FPs), but my Lamy Safari - nib (for example and a great FP, BTW) does tend to dry out on the nib when unused for a while, though easy to restart, unlike my Jinhao's x750s with Fude nibs that dry out way quickly and I need to constantly clean.
For my style and art process, I do need to have larger reservoires of ink but I want the FPs readily available when need it at any given time and on the spot. Last, but not least (as for any artist) budget is always an issue, so it has to be budget friendly.
I hope I explained my concern and question correctly and I would much appreciate your comment if possible before purchasing one.
Great video as always (I'm a subscriber to your channel) and Thank You for your help in advance.
Cheers from Sunny Spain!
😁👍😎✌
BTW... sorry for some incorrect grammar... by "Dumb-Phone" is always playing tricks on me!
😣😁👍😎✌
No worries, I recently wrote an email to a colleague on my phone, and it autocorrected “talking about” to “stalking about,” which I had to apologize for :)
I don’t usually have problems with pens drying out, so maybe others experience might be different based on the humidity/elevation where you live? Anyway, I used this pen for about 4 weeks on a single full, and it never skipped. I would sometimes have problems with my PenBBS 456 skipping if I left it unused for a week or two, it this one has t let me down yet.
I always use an ink miser with narrow mouthed ink bottles. I don’t trust myself with holding onto it and want to avoid the mess of the ink on my section (try to avoid it at least).
I should get one of those. I have quite a few bottles that are “miser level” that I keep coming back to. It’s hard to buy a new pen thing when what I really want are more pens!
@@stepheninks Definitely! I have a vacuum filler that I keep black ink in. The ink bottle is nearly impossible to see inside effectively. I can't imagine dropping my (gold) nib into the bottle blind and never being sure if it was deep enough. If I go too deep and slip while pushing the piston down? Yikes! Any slip and I would be crying. My plastic ink miser takes all (most) of my worries away. I can see the ink level. I can see the nib's depth into the ink. I don't worry about ink on the section and any slips might make a mess but not likely damage my nib. 😁
@@stepheninks For true miser level ink volumes left in a bottle I find eyedropper pens are good for squeezing that last pinch of a favourite ink.
How's yours hold? My v126 already failing. It's plunger has been loose and I am ey dropping it now. Read somewhere that theirs has been hold up really good. Wondering should I get a new v126.. looking at j16 but not really fan of metal pens
I have taken this on airplanes, filled it with every type of ink imaginable, and it continues to do well. Is the mechanism loose at all? Or perhaps the rubber washer has worn down? One step I do take to care for my pen is lubricating the rubber piston with silicone grease every time I do a deep cleaning. I also do this with my PenBBS 456s and they are very similar pens to this one.
I have a question, if I may: I purchased this model a while back and was really surprised at how *much drag there was from the rubber whatsit (the plunger part) against the inner wall of the barrel. Can I/should I add a bit of silicone grease to the wall and run the plunger past it a few times? Would that mess up the ink? Or does the ink alone alleviate that drag? I haven’t even flushed it with water yet, but no one else has remarked on that issue and I’ve never owned a vac before, so I need a grown up, lol.
Yes, you definitely can (and should) use silicone grease on this type of pen. I recommend getting a little bit on a toothpick and running it along the rubber spacer where it touches the wall. You only need a little bit. After that, you can pull the plunger up and down a few times to spread it around. I usually do a deep cleaning of my vac and piston filler pens every 2-3 months and I add more silicone grease at that time, but if I do a cleaning where I don’t take the pens apart, I usually don’t add the silicone.
There is a no more upkeep on these pens over a cartridge/converter pen to be sure, but I think it’s worth it. I actually put silicone grease in my converters as well from time to time.
Thank you! I’ll give it a rinse and do that, I appreciate the quick response.
Great and interesting video. Are you sure it is similar to PenBBS? The box is nothing like the PenBBS boxes I have, but pretty much the same as Moonman/Majohn boxes.
I guess I should have qualified that, because the box matches all the metal PenBBS pens I have bought (like the 250 and another one I own) but yeah, most of them don’t come with that particular box. I’ll bet I could swap the internal parts of this pen with that of my Pebbbs 456 and it would be a perfect match. Just a guess though, because I haven’t tried it.
I am confused between the 2. V126 and penbbs 456. Keeping prices aside, which is an overall better pen? Thanks in advance.
That’s a tough one, because they are really similar. I think the internals might be identical actually.
What the differences boil down to are the nib grind and the aesthetics. The v126 has a straightforward standard grind, I think it comes in medium, fine, and extra fine. This one is an extra fine. The 456 has a Waverly grind, which upturns slightly at the tip. I do t know why, but that little turn makes a difference in the line quality. I absolutely love it, but some people don’t. The other advantage of the 456 is that PenBBS puts them out in a bunch of different acrylics, some of them quite rare, so if you watch their Etsy store, you can find something really unique.
I hope that information helps. For me, between the two, I would put the 456 on top, because I love the nib grind (although again, I have to say that some people don’t like their grinds), but actually mileage may vary.
@@stepheninks this is a great help. Very well appreciated. Thanks
Someone else in the comments said the very same thing I did. You sold me on the pen and the ink as well.
I’m going to vote this pen for President. I’ll write it in. Guess which pen I’m going to use?
Hi, is the pen still working after nine months? Any issues? I really like your drawing, particulary when b&w or r&w
Hi! This is still one of my favorite pens after all this time! If you’re thinking about getting it (or any pen with a piston, for that matter) I highly recommend you get a small vial of silicone grease (usually about 5USD) that you can use to lubricate the inner parts when you clean it. They will start to wear out if the lubrication gets washed out.
Argh. I picked one up on Amazon and am irritated because Amazon never prompts for the desired nib, and I ordered the dang default-which happens to be an M nib. Second time I’ve done that with Asvine. When I finally order the P-whatever, I will be CAREFUL, and order an EF.
I’m the weirdo who likes the grind that no one else likes (ef), so I always assume they’re trying to stick me with the M. Hopefully you still find it useful!
Aaaand since Prime Day wasn’t over and I’d forgotten we needed 1000 ibuprofen tablets, I decided to save myself a few shekels and just order the frosted translucent no-color for USD 22.- It arrived today. No markings anywhere on the exterior, but the nib had a schmancey ‘E’ on it. (My M has a schmancey ‘M’. Aesthetic character limit? 😂) It is FANTASTIC. I haven’t really learned to draw with pen & ink, but for now I want to just to use this pen. I actually wanted it for use with my Hobonichi planners, which have a 3.7mm grid that I don’t always feel like ignoring.
I’ve subscribed to your channel a. on account of this fantastic tip (thanks). And b. because it is nice (and reorienting) to OCCASIONALLY see demos by lefties like me.
Have you tried tipping the pen up after the first plunge ?, expel most of the air by pushing the piston rod up, then try a second plunge, you should get a nearly full fill. I do that with my Pilot 826.
I have done that, and yes it definitely fills with more ink. This is kind of weird, but I actually like getting a lower fill, because I enjoy filling my pens. Perhaps because of the fact that I use ef nibs, a fill like the one in the video might last me as long as a month, so I tend to just leave it as-is.
I own this pen but there are three things I dislike:
1. When unscrewing the piston, the rubber stopper does not fully disengage so I don't get the full flow. I need to ever so slightly pull the piston knob up a bit. Maybe there's a way to adjust this by taking it apart, but I've not done that. Out of the box it's not perfect.
2. The threads on the piston are metal on plastic. I don't like that from a long term durability perspective.
3. I personally didn't really like the feel of the medium nib. Felt like I had to press a bit hard to get a nice flow. I can adjust the nib myself, but I just can't be bothered because I have over 30 other pens I'd rather pick up. Maybe one day I will try and fix this.
Overall it's okay for the price. I've only listed the negatives above but I did like the filling mechanism, the quality of the plastic seems good, pen was a good size for me, the aesthetics are nice. But I would rather look into the P36 if I were in the market for an inexpensive plunger / piston pen.
Thanks for all that feedback. I do agree with a few of these things, despite liking the pen.
1: I noticed this with this pen, but I also notice it on the PenBBS 456 (of which I own 2). I always assumed this was a quirk of vac filler pens, but now I wonder if more expensive ones (say, the Pilot Custom 823) are also like that.
2: Metal on plastic is always a minus for me. I haven’t had a problem with this yet, but I worry still.
3: I have an ef nib on mine, and I love it. Can’t speak to the M nib.
I also want a P36. I just want all the pens.
@@stepheninks By the way I also own the Pilot Custom 823 and it doesn't have the issue described in point #1.
@@Rabixtergood to know. I hope I own that pen someday.
👍👍👍👍
👍🖋️👍
@@stepheninks thanks
Interesting pen. For diamine bottles I just use a blunt syringe to fill my Vacs.
I’m having to go that way a lot these days, as my favorite ink colors start to get used up.
What would be a comparable nin for calligraphy? I need a 1.9 nib on this pen....
From the stock nibs available for this pen, you won’t find a calligraphy nib. I can’t say this for certain, as I’ve never done it, but some say that these pens have the exact same internal parts as PenBBS pens. You might be able to get one of their calligraphy pens to fit, but again, I have not tested this. Also PenBBs calligraphy nibs (if I’m not mistaken) aren’t available in the traditional stub nib varieties, but have more exotic styles like architect and long knife nibs.
Another option (which would be expensive I’m sure) would be to contact a good nibsmith, and see if they can attach or grind down a nib into a stub for you.
I recently obtained the same pen and I noticed that the end cap is flimsy and has play when unscrewed. Is this considered normal?
Mine gets loose pretty easily, but it can be tightened. All of the vac fillers I have are like that.
@@stepheninks How can you tighten it?
@@peponas87 You can only tighten it when the blind cap is closed. If it’s open, it will remain loose.
The classic consumptive (tuberculosis) sign - the red blood on handkerchief .
Never thought that would be a pen aesthetic, did ya?
If you have an inconveniently sized bottle or the ink level is low you can eye dropper fill this pen.
Yeah, but I love that whoosh when it fills!
Mine is leaking
That’s a bummer. I have two of these and they run fantastic. I suppose you got a dud. I hope you can return it.
Volume is a bit down on this one. Was hard to hear you through my speakers. Otherwise great video!
Oh really, I’ll have to look into that. Thanks for the feedback!
If a company doesn't care enough to consult an English speaker on its product name and then names its pen ass vine, then it really matters little how one pronounces the monstrosity of a name. It's like the gorgeous Japanese lacquer pens made by a company called Wancher (Wanker anyone?). It's just sad.
lol. This is the best argument I have heard as of yet to completely disregard pronunciation.