Great review, I recently start to using this pen and I love how it works, as all my Asvine pens it works great out of the package, don't need any kind of tunes, works great and is a great companion to my Asvine P36 fountain pen.
The Asvine V200 is one of my favourites ( also like the P36 ) and its looks are a home run for me. Simply beautiful! Great quality and excellent nib. Have also purchased a medium nib.
Another excellent review brother, thank you. I had an Asvine piston filler with stainless steel "vine" like exterior. I gave it away, because it was too heavy to enjoy writing with. Besides, at the time it was the only color scheme available, the smoke-gray acrylic body, and once I got it I was not thrilled with it. So, I gave it to someone who never used a piston filler before. And we had a great time at the café. We even got a few on-lookers interested as well. It was fun, and well worth the $30.00. God speed. 😊
James, I am very impressed with my V200. In hand, it feels substantial and well made. It's a fantastic pen, and you'd think it is a much more expensive pen, if you didn't know. I prefer it to the Conid Bulkfiller. I think I saw another reviewer say that the grip section screws off the barrel; making it extremely easy to clean the pen. I haven't tried that, since my pen is new and still has ink in it.
Great timing on this video. I was hoping to receive my V200 this morning, but it's almost certainly going to be tomorrow. This will be my fourth vac-fill pen, after a PenBBS 456, a WingSung 699, and an Asvine V169. Oh - and my Sheaffer Statesman Snorkel and Imperial II Touchdown feel so much like vacuum fillers that they're kinda cousins. Yes, it's my favourite filling method. 😀 The V200 design is bold and very modern, and I think it's even better than the Conid. I do think the silicone rings are a poor choice functionally but work well stylistically. If (when) mine break or fall off, I'll probably just paint the grooves.
Thank you for this review!! Newer to fountain pens. My fiancé purchased the asvine v169 as a birthday request for me last year (twice actually. The first one I dropped at work and found out someone found it 10 mins later n took it home. Finally got it back a week later completely demolished. All the threads somehow seized into place. Ink coming out everywhere. I was devastated so there came the second one) I fell in love with this pen from the looks alone. I love the demonstrators. I like to be able to see what’s going on with the pen itself. Of all the videos I’ve watched I think you’re the only person who’s covered everything I’ve wanted covered.
If you don't want to risk the cost on this one, I can recommend the V126. Still a vac filler but without the exotic materials, so about half the price. I cannot fault them. I have 3!
I'm not keen on the general appearance of the pen. However, the built quality and the nib are excellent. This is one of the greater fountain pens ever! Kudos to Asvine. Also the price point is fantastic. Thanks for all your great reviews and friendship.
I do have the V200. I have the Fine nib. Speaking about the nib, it is very smooth and as you pointed out, the reverse writing is surprisingly nice. I have the P36 and found the V200 a better fit in my hand. You are correct about posting the cap. You certainly can do it but it rests on the final and that is a recipe for disaster taking it off, if you are not careful to seal the barrel first then pull the cap straight off. I do not post the cap as it does back weight the pen. There is decent capacity in the pen. I don't have to refill as much which is a plus to me. Great review, James.
Asvine can try white polycarbonate instead of Acrylic. It will be translucent but it will justify the titanium in terms of overall pen strength. Same can be done to V126
The points of titanium are the wieght and the corrosion resistance both of which would be equal or better with aluminum but the titanium can and usually will have a higher hardness than aluminum therefore making it more scratch resist. Another point is that on pens that can disassemble like this one you can custom anodize the titanium parts with a simple torch or strong lighter where as aluminum is a much more complicated and frankly dangerous anodizing process if you dont know what your doing.
I keep shimmer and sheening inks in the V200 for weeks at a time, and it keeps on ticking. I’ve had Pelikan Edelstein Lapis in it for about 3 weeks. I figured if things went sideways, I would be able to take it apart. Writes very well. I did a little smooth and polish to the nib, but it was really great out of the box.
This one’s checks a lot of boxes for me. Love the titanium with demonstrator look. SHARP! I love my Asvine V169 in matte black. Even love this look more. How does this compare with the V169 in terms of weight? Thanks for this review
They just hit the seen a couple years ago, but the people involved have been the business a long time. They are producing some very good, affordable pens and they are listening to the feedback they get from their customers.
When screwed down does it seal off the feed like other vac fillers or does it stay back from the feed allowing ink to flow even when fully threaded shut? Im ok either way, just like to know especially since im about to take a flight and might pick one up.
I bought one of these purporting to be “brand new” on eBay, but inside the barrel near the top (opposite end of nib), slight dark smudging that must be ink. Can this be from the factory? Or can I assume someone bought it and tried it out and tried to resell it as “new”?
Was it a seller who deals in new pens, or who has a variety of products? I've had pens that were dip-tested and so a little blue washable ink on the nib and feed (usually very little). I've haven't had any from Asvine that had ink inside, though.
@@JG3Reviewsthanks so much for the reply!!! It appears maybe they were pulling a fast one on me. The packaging (albeit opened), and manual and accessory package (wrench, 2 o-rings) seemed completely untouched, literally, and except for those ink traces, everything about the pen appeared pristine (gleaming and glistening the way only absolutely brand new items do, that fresh look you can’t “clean” back into something)…..
…. But not-so-happy new development, though: as to functionality, everything seemed fine, but I noticed when I’d unscrew the knob to release more ink into the grip/feed, and I could see the ink flow into that 1/4” channel as expected, the pen would stop writing (even though it had been writing fine immediately before unscrewing that (and pulling the plunge back slightly more to open that channel; unscrewing on its own doesn’t open it) am I drawing an air bubble in, disrupting the flow/capillary action?) I can restore the flow with various undesirable efforts, like mild shaking, pulling and pushing the plunger a bit (wasting some ink in the process!), and once it’s flowing, it acts like fully repaired (even capping the pen and leaving it unused for a big stretch - it jumps right back into action! - whew). But no less troubling is THIS: I bought this Monteverde Green ink in part for lovely dark red/maroon traces that appear randomly in written lines. I was very disappointed not to see any of that as I wrote. But to my consternation, I see traces of red in the feed (unless there is a dark red tube in it? Doubtful). Could it be that the feed is filtering and collecting red sediment out of the ink? *Hating* to impose with my questions, but replies/insights much more ** appreciated ** than I can say!!!! Do I have to consider whether the tines are too close or “baby’s bottom”? It writes amazingly well (and jumps right into action after sitting unused)… the problem only arises if I move the plunger to get ink into the lower section/feed area. I suspect by pulling the plunger back (unscrewing, as I said, is not enough to open the channel) I am drawing an air bubble in.
I’m not a fan of vac pens. I prefer piston fillers. With that said, I love Asvine. The P36 is the matching titanium piston filler and it is awesome. I also have more than a few P30s, P20s, and P50s.
Looks good. My only qualm might be the cavity of the cap -- does it hold enough air to dry the nib more quickly than a conical cap? I do have the PenBBS 456 in clear acrylic, and like the looks. I might like the Asvine nib better. The PenBBS nib was a nail at first, although it has developed over the years. Do you know, James, if the threading of the section varies between the Asvine and Bock nibs? I don't see how I would like a Bock steel nib all that much more than the Asvine steel, but if I took a fancy to getting a Bock titanium nib for the Asvine titanium pen, would I need to get the Asvine with the Bock nib? Just curious. Many thanks for this fine review!
I liked mine so much, I bought another! I found the tool did not work very well on one of my other Asvines, so I bought a high-quality 4-inch crescent wrench. Problem solved.
I was shopping for a smaller crescent here in town a few days ago and found I’ll have to go online. I was surprised none of our stores had any in stock.
The pen sure looks like my Conid Bulkfiller and it seems to me that we have two dissimilar cultural aesthetics coming out of China with their pens. Firstly there is the Chinese influence and this does not sell as well in western countries and secondly, there is the western copy which does not sell as well in China and parts of the Orient. This is my understanding of the rationale behind Chinese copies. It is not easy to create within an aesthetic which is alien. The interchangeable Bock nib is definitely a useful engineering choice. I refit my Conid with a Sailor nib and custom feed because the Conid/Bock Titanium nib that I chose for the pen was a bit of a noodle, soft without appreciable flexibility. The pen now has a cross nib. The Fontainbel is a bit crisper design.
Sorry Rev James I can see from this review that the nib doesn’t sign with the clip. Like I said on Instagram, that’s a killer for a clear transparent plastic pen. I’m not sure if I’ll get one. I do have many Asvine pens, I like them.
Great review, I recently start to using this pen and I love how it works, as all my Asvine pens it works great out of the package, don't need any kind of tunes, works great and is a great companion to my Asvine P36 fountain pen.
The Asvine V200 is one of my favourites ( also like the P36 ) and its looks are a home run for me. Simply beautiful! Great quality and excellent nib. Have also purchased a medium nib.
Same here, I really like them both.
Another excellent review brother, thank you. I had an Asvine piston filler with stainless steel "vine" like exterior. I gave it away, because it was too heavy to enjoy writing with. Besides, at the time it was the only color scheme available, the smoke-gray acrylic body, and once I got it I was not thrilled with it. So, I gave it to someone who never used a piston filler before. And we had a great time at the café. We even got a few on-lookers interested as well. It was fun, and well worth the $30.00. God speed.
😊
Sounds like a good time!
@@JG3Reviews
😊
James, I am very impressed with my V200. In hand, it feels substantial and well made. It's a fantastic pen, and you'd think it is a much more expensive pen, if you didn't know. I prefer it to the Conid Bulkfiller. I think I saw another reviewer say that the grip section screws off the barrel; making it extremely easy to clean the pen. I haven't tried that, since my pen is new and still has ink in it.
I agree, it is a nice one with very good writing feel, and I can confirm that the grip does unscrew, so it's very easy to clean.
To me, it is a beautiful, simple looking pen. I'm a sucker for clear pens with titanium that's buy for sure.
Great timing on this video. I was hoping to receive my V200 this morning, but it's almost certainly going to be tomorrow. This will be my fourth vac-fill pen, after a PenBBS 456, a WingSung 699, and an Asvine V169. Oh - and my Sheaffer Statesman Snorkel and Imperial II Touchdown feel so much like vacuum fillers that they're kinda cousins. Yes, it's my favourite filling method. 😀 The V200 design is bold and very modern, and I think it's even better than the Conid. I do think the silicone rings are a poor choice functionally but work well stylistically. If (when) mine break or fall off, I'll probably just paint the grooves.
Thank you for this review!! Newer to fountain pens. My fiancé purchased the asvine v169 as a birthday request for me last year (twice actually. The first one I dropped at work and found out someone found it 10 mins later n took it home. Finally got it back a week later completely demolished. All the threads somehow seized into place. Ink coming out everywhere. I was devastated so there came the second one) I fell in love with this pen from the looks alone. I love the demonstrators. I like to be able to see what’s going on with the pen itself. Of all the videos I’ve watched I think you’re the only person who’s covered everything I’ve wanted covered.
Ouch, that would hurt! Glad the videos were helpful. Both of of those Asvines are terrific.
Lots of Asvine coming onto my feed. Might need to get one haha!
If you don't want to risk the cost on this one, I can recommend the V126. Still a vac filler but without the exotic materials, so about half the price. I cannot fault them. I have 3!
@@lazaglider thank you for this. I was browsing the online store and got swamped with options. Recommendations always helps 👍
This pen just arrived and I’m admiring the design -It’s reminiscent of Art Deco to me. Thanks for this review!
I love my Asvine pens. Such great writers. And I love the design of this pen.
I definitely enjoy using this and my other Asvine FPs. It's a great FP.
I'm not keen on the general appearance of the pen. However, the built quality and the nib are excellent. This is one of the greater fountain pens ever! Kudos to Asvine. Also the price point is fantastic. Thanks for all your great reviews and friendship.
I do have the V200. I have the Fine nib. Speaking about the nib, it is very smooth and as you pointed out, the reverse writing is surprisingly nice.
I have the P36 and found the V200 a better fit in my hand. You are correct about posting the cap. You certainly can do it but it rests on the final and that is a recipe for disaster taking it off, if you are not careful to seal the barrel first then pull the cap straight off. I do not post the cap as it does back weight the pen.
There is decent capacity in the pen. I don't have to refill as much which is a plus to me.
Great review, James.
Thanks!
Am getting one of these!
Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity. No curves, no swoops, just pen.
Asvine can try white polycarbonate instead of Acrylic. It will be translucent but it will justify the titanium in terms of overall pen strength. Same can be done to V126
The points of titanium are the wieght and the corrosion resistance both of which would be equal or better with aluminum but the titanium can and usually will have a higher hardness than aluminum therefore making it more scratch resist. Another point is that on pens that can disassemble like this one you can custom anodize the titanium parts with a simple torch or strong lighter where as aluminum is a much more complicated and frankly dangerous anodizing process if you dont know what your doing.
Good points. 👍🏼
Such a beauty!!!
I keep shimmer and sheening inks in the V200 for weeks at a time, and it keeps on ticking. I’ve had Pelikan Edelstein Lapis in it for about 3 weeks. I figured if things went sideways, I would be able to take it apart. Writes very well. I did a little smooth and polish to the nib, but it was really great out of the box.
How do you guys clean vac fillers? They look nice but probably a pain to clean between ink colors
This one’s checks a lot of boxes for me. Love the titanium with demonstrator look. SHARP! I love my Asvine V169 in matte black. Even love this look more. How does this compare with the V169 in terms of weight? Thanks for this review
The V169 weighs 52 g to the V200’s 37.4 g.
have you seen the new jinhao 100 transparent? they're beautiful!
I haven’t, I’ll have to check it out. 👍🏼
I brought bought one, I really like the look :)
I enjoy this pen. It is beautiful and writes great. I have very small hands and it still works well for me.
I know I've been out of the fountain pen loop for awhile but I never heard of asvine
They just hit the seen a couple years ago, but the people involved have been the business a long time. They are producing some very good, affordable pens and they are listening to the feedback they get from their customers.
When screwed down does it seal off the feed like other vac fillers or does it stay back from the feed allowing ink to flow even when fully threaded shut? Im ok either way, just like to know especially since im about to take a flight and might pick one up.
Yes, it is the kind that has a silicone o-ring and stops the flow of ink when it's tightened down.
I bought one of these purporting to be “brand new” on eBay, but inside the barrel near the top (opposite end of nib), slight dark smudging that must be ink. Can this be from the factory? Or can I assume someone bought it and tried it out and tried to resell it as “new”?
Was it a seller who deals in new pens, or who has a variety of products? I've had pens that were dip-tested and so a little blue washable ink on the nib and feed (usually very little). I've haven't had any from Asvine that had ink inside, though.
@@JG3Reviewsthanks so much for the reply!!! It appears maybe they were pulling a fast one on me. The packaging (albeit opened), and manual and accessory package (wrench, 2 o-rings) seemed completely untouched, literally, and except for those ink traces, everything about the pen appeared pristine (gleaming and glistening the way only absolutely brand new items do, that fresh look you can’t “clean” back into something)…..
…. But not-so-happy new development, though: as to functionality, everything seemed fine, but I noticed when I’d unscrew the knob to release more ink into the grip/feed, and I could see the ink flow into that 1/4” channel as expected, the pen would stop writing (even though it had been writing fine immediately before unscrewing that (and pulling the plunge back slightly more to open that channel; unscrewing on its own doesn’t open it) am I drawing an air bubble in, disrupting the flow/capillary action?) I can restore the flow with various undesirable efforts, like mild shaking, pulling and pushing the plunger a bit (wasting some ink in the process!), and once it’s flowing, it acts like fully repaired (even capping the pen and leaving it unused for a big stretch - it jumps right back into action! - whew).
But no less troubling is THIS: I bought this Monteverde Green ink in part for lovely dark red/maroon traces that appear randomly in written lines. I was very disappointed not to see any of that as I wrote. But to my consternation, I see traces of red in the feed (unless there is a dark red tube in it? Doubtful). Could it be that the feed is filtering and collecting red sediment out of the ink?
*Hating* to impose with my questions, but replies/insights much more ** appreciated ** than I can say!!!! Do I have to consider whether the tines are too close or “baby’s bottom”? It writes amazingly well (and jumps right into action after sitting unused)… the problem only arises if I move the plunger to get ink into the lower section/feed area. I suspect by pulling the plunger back (unscrewing, as I said, is not enough to open the channel) I am drawing an air bubble in.
Is it worth it to get this over the Asvine V126?
Get both, is my advice. They're different, both great pens but if I could only have one, I'd choose the V200.
I’d agree with Teresa, and I really like the V126. This one is more interesting overall, and I like grip a bit better.
I think it feels much more substantial than the V126. That said, I like my frosted V126 with the black trim a lot, too!
Hey JG, have you tried Bock Nib on this? If you have, please let us know. They were offering Bock Nib with it.
I haven’t tried the Bock, yet.
@@JG3Reviews Thanks JG! I have ordered one based on the review. Fingers crossed.
I love it
If mine hadn’t broken on its first refill I’d have been impressed.
I’m not a fan of vac pens. I prefer piston fillers. With that said, I love Asvine. The P36 is the matching titanium piston filler and it is awesome. I also have more than a few P30s, P20s, and P50s.
Looks good. My only qualm might be the cavity of the cap -- does it hold enough air to dry the nib more quickly than a conical cap? I do have the PenBBS 456 in clear acrylic, and like the looks. I might like the Asvine nib better. The PenBBS nib was a nail at first, although it has developed over the years. Do you know, James, if the threading of the section varies between the Asvine and Bock nibs? I don't see how I would like a Bock steel nib all that much more than the Asvine steel, but if I took a fancy to getting a Bock titanium nib for the Asvine titanium pen, would I need to get the Asvine with the Bock nib? Just curious. Many thanks for this fine review!
Sorry, apparently I missed several comments a month ago. Let me check on that. I’m curious as well.
Have you seen this pen in rainbow?
Only online. Looks like they did a good job.
@@JG3Reviewsit is amazingly nice looking.
I liked mine so much, I bought another! I found the tool did not work very well on one of my other Asvines, so I bought a high-quality 4-inch crescent wrench. Problem solved.
I was shopping for a smaller crescent here in town a few days ago and found I’ll have to go online. I was surprised none of our stores had any in stock.
The pen sure looks like my Conid Bulkfiller and it seems to me that we have two dissimilar cultural aesthetics coming out of China with their pens. Firstly there is the Chinese influence and this does not sell as well in western countries and secondly, there is the western copy which does not sell as well in China and parts of the Orient. This is my understanding of the rationale behind Chinese copies. It is not easy to create within an aesthetic which is alien. The interchangeable Bock nib is definitely a useful engineering choice. I refit my Conid with a Sailor nib and custom feed because the Conid/Bock Titanium nib that I chose for the pen was a bit of a noodle, soft without appreciable flexibility. The pen now has a cross nib. The Fontainbel is a bit crisper design.
Too slick section, but an excellent writer.
Sorry Rev James I can see from this review that the nib doesn’t sign with the clip. Like I said on Instagram, that’s a killer for a clear transparent plastic pen. I’m not sure if I’ll get one. I do have many Asvine pens, I like them.
Hey, we all have our preferences. 👍🏼