Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 349

As promised - one last Indian-made fountain pen, to close out our March reviews...

Like the pen in the previous blog post, this one is also a Fountain Pen Revolution (FPR) model ... actually it's the very first model they designed from scratch! I got it back in October of last year directly from FPR for $8 USD in their "Deal of the Day" sale (regular price: $18 USD).

(please click on photos to enlarge)

And here it is - my Fountain Pen Revolution 'Jaipur V1' fountain pen!

The "V1" (version one) refers to it being the original 'Jaipur' design; the newer one (ie. the V2) is made of premium acrylic or ebonite, has a screw-in nib unit with a #6 size nib and a newly-redesigned clutchless piston mechanism (clutchless, in this case, meaning that the piston mechanism can be removed from the barrel).  The V2s are currently about three times the price of the V1.

As for the model name, almost all of Fountain Pen Revolution's pen models are named after places or things connected to India; this one is named for the city of Jaipur, the capital of the state of Rajasthan, located in northern India.

The 'Jaipur V1' is a lightweight, medium-sized resin piston-filler that's currently available in ten different colours - in solid (blue, black, red and orange), demonstrator (blue, green, purple and clear) and half-demonstrator (blue and black). You can see the lineup here in the FPR webstore.

The pen's specifications (as provided by FPR):
Length capped: 13.5cm (5.3”)
Length posted: 15.8cm (6.2”)
Section diameter: 1cm (0.4”)
Body diameter 1.3cm (0.52”)
Weight (empty): 17g (0.6oz)

I like to use the pen posted because it's not heavy, it's not too long and it's well-balanced in the hand, all of which make it good for long writing sessions. A small word of warning: the pen does have a smell to it, due to the material (a vegetal resin) used in its manufacture. I've found that with similar resins, the smell does dissipate over time ...but it does take some time.

Side note: I've discovered a little trick that might help mask the smell of the plastic; I applied a very small amount of Vicks VapoRub ointment to the inside of the cap with a Q-tip and a little bit to the exterior of the pen, and then wiped it off. It seems to do the trick. (Disclaimer: I don't know the long- or short-term effects of this ointment on the pen's material, but I've done it with three other pens that had the same problem and they seem fine. Use this method at your own risk!)

I love the peaked cap top and the shiny clip and cap ring :) The latter has the letters "FPR" in cursive tastefully etched onto it. The clip has just the right amount of tension to it, and the cap screws on tightly and posts securely on the end of the barrel.

The piston mechanism works smoothly and I haven't noticed any ink seeping into the back chamber of the pen. Should this happen, Fountain Pen Revolution was kind enough to post a video on YouTube showing you how to fill and also disassemble the pen-- 'How to fill and disassemble a FPR Jaipur Fountain Pen by Fountain Pen Revolution' (the disassembly part starts at the 1:40 mark)

The 'Jaipur V1' is available with a wide variety of steel nib options -- both non-flex (EF, F, M, B and 1 mm Stub) and flex (Steel Flex & Steel EF Ultra Flex). You can also upgrade to a 14K gold nib for an extra $99 USD should you so choose.

The nib on mine is a non-flex two-tone #5.5 sized Medium steel nib. It has less feedback/tooth than the Fine version of this nib on my FPR 'Quicksilver', and it's also is a wetter writer. The difference in wetness is due to the 'Jaipur V1' feed being made of ebonite, whereas the 'Quicksilver' feed is made of plastic. The nib on my 'Jaipur V1' wrote well out of the box and I'm very pleased with its performance.

(Above: One last photo that captures the red colour of the pen a little better than the previous shots - the photo above was taken on a different day and in a different location).

All in all, I'm very happy with my purchase. For $18 USD (or less, if it's on sale) you're getting a smooth-writing, reliable, piston-filling workhorse of a fountain pen that comes with a variety of nib options. If you want to upgrade to a Broad, 1 mm Stub, or Steel Flex nib, it's just $3 USD more (the Steel EF Ultra Flex nib is $13 USD extra). Many thanks to FPR for the pen, and also to YouTuber Larry Berrones of Larry's Fountain Pens channel for the discount code (use code LARRY15 to get 15% off your FPR order).

(photos & review by Maja)