I now have one of these in a pretty brown/black ebonite swirl pattern like vintage pens. I can report that the nib is a very smooth writer in normal writing, laying a line with just the right amount of wetness. As you say, the pen is comfortable in the hand and well-balanced. I have a light touch unless I am deliberately pushing for extra flex, so the result is an even EF varying to medium line with occasional thicker loops, very nice. I always enjoy using the pen; it doesn’t have any issues in long writing sessions, and the ebonite has a good feel, subtly different from plastic. The nib worked well right out of the box; I just flushed it and started writing. I store the pen nib up, and so far I haven’t had the inky finger issue you reported. I’m being cautious about carrying it around; I’ll update this comment if any issues appear. As you found, I haven’t had issues with the nib drying out between uses several days apart and haven’t tried longer times yet. (It’s already beat my hard-starting Pilot Metropolitan, though that’s a low bar.) Overall, I highly recommend this pen and enjoy using it every day, though I am being cautious about carrying it around until I can be confident that nib burps won’t be a problem. The “EF-Ultraflex” nib is fantastic, as is customer service. If anyone has issues or questions, they should reach out. I haven’t had railroading issues, but FPR does sell an ink additive that is meant to reduce railroading, I assume by somehow increasing ink surface tension. I’m curious to hear about the experience of anyone who has tried this out. They also have plastic and ebonite feeds and a variety of nibs and nib units available separately, and I’d be interested to hear about which brands of pens are easily nib-swapped with these and any issues that arise. Kevin at FPR recommends ebonite feeds with flex or other nib types with high ink demand, but plastic feeds if there is too much flow. So far, I have had no issue with excess ink when writing in a fine line with my EF-Ultraflex.
I had the same problem with the oozing ink with the rollerball version of that pen. I ended up taking the pen apart and putting silicone grease on all the threads and the base of the piston. I have not had a leak or ooze since. :)
I love your channel. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that you review affordable everyday pens. Your channel inspired me to buy a Narwhal and I love it.
I picked up one of these, oh 4-5 months ago and love its flex! What a fun writer! My only quibble is the piston knob remains pretty tight, nearly impossible for me to turn by hand but I like the pen so much I just live with that.
My experience has not been good with this pen. The piston knob was snapped off. It was replaced with now questions. Then, the pen continually "burped" and left pools of ink on the page.
@@paulmchugh1430 Yes, but IIRC they're more expensive and you gotta pay/wait for shipment straight from India. But I'd also rather pay more for better QC.
I got mine over the new year when they were buy one get one of equal or lesser value. I also bought the cracked ice and I got the steel Ultra Flex nib, I got the all-black ebonite with the stub, and they sent the eyedropper. Technically all three burping on me. Both my Jaipurs will burp if I do not push some of the air from the non-working Pistons back out before I start writing. The pistons both trap large bubble that I can never get out even though I have the nib all the way down to the grip submersed while filling. I even heatset the nibs and feeds together and still experience this problem. As stated I got it to stop burping when I force the air back out with the piston. That plus the large air bubble leave me with very very little ink capacity. The eyedropper will act the same way even if I have it filled up more than halfway, I have to hold it for several minutes before I start riding upright, and how's limited downward time writing so I have to write quickly. This was also someone else's solution as well. It seems like you have had a better sampling of the Jaipurs which I'm happy for you of.
My Jaipur V2 Ultra Flex is also very nice pen, but I expected more flex from Ultra Flex nib. At least 2 mm line width with minor pressure. But it provides 1.6 - 1.8 mm at out-of-comfortable pressure. So I switched to Pilot Custom 742 FA. Same line width but much easy to flex and also 14k gold nib and overall pen build quality. Also I will never sell my Jaipur because it is very good overall value pen. Definitely worth to own one.
Nice video thank you. I’m a bit of a flex nib fiend but not all that good at it. This pen looks good. The nib looks amazing especially for stainless steel. Overall very impressive
I have two FPR Trevani pens with Ultra-flex nibs. One did that "burbing" trick. I did a "heat set" and reset the feed & nib. since then, I can carry both pens without leak / burb. I have fun playing with the flex nibs. Thanks for the review!
I like my Jaipur V2 especially the medium nib, although it experiences an occasional hard start but usually writes extremely well after it gets started. The flex nib still perplexes me. I have trouble getting a thin upstroke even with no pressure. I look forward to learning how to use the flex nib better.
I have this pen in Black ebonite. The F nib was very scratchy and had feed problems but I had a EF nib that I ordered at the same time and it writes great. I use it every day.
I don't have the Jaipur v2, but I have the v1 and several other FPR pens (love the Himalaya). With the exception of 1 (a Guru), the nibs have all been excellent and great customer service. Many of them (especially as ink droppers) do tend to burp on occasion--I have this problem with another Indian made pen, an Airmail (purchased from FPR, but I love it anyway) or the mysterious ink in the cap. I usually find that if my pen case went sideways in my briefcase. It is frustrating--and if they could fix that they'd have truly exceptional pens. Still every time I come back to using one of the pens, I'm amazed how enjoyable the writing experience is. Also, love the FPR Classic Blue ink. It's becoming one of my favorites.
Aloha James! Another well done review. To be honest, I was holding my breath during the whole video as my experience with FPR pens has got to be the worst! I must add that I have never tried any of the flex nibs, so keep that in mind. I have had everything from poor ink flow to way too much ink. The nibs I tried are average at best as well as the overall quality of the pens, although the new acrylic models looks to be better made. One of the issue is the hand made/cut ebonite feed, while good for ink flow (and of course much needed with a flex pen) it's not as precise as plastic molded feeds. I have tried heat setting and such and in most cases only made it worst! Much of this also applies to Noodlers' pens, which I also own and have had better success (or at least not as bad failures!) Don't know if I added much to the conversation, but that is my own personal experience. Your video has inspired me to ink up my Noodler's Konrad (I also have a Ahab) with Diamine Oxford Blue, an ink I have not used in a while, so thanks for reminding me. So far the pen is writing very wet (hopefully no ink in the cap in the morning!), so the ink is looking very saturated and the standard Noodlers flex nib does offer some line variation. This will be my pen for tomorrow! Have a nice evening. Mahalo, Thomas
@@JG3Reviews I praised the Noodlers Konrad a bit too soon because by morning the underside of the feed was soaked with ink as well as inside the cap. May need to try heat setting the nib and feed as I got nothing to lose at this point? Any experience doing that with any of your ebonite feed pens?
I heat set the FPR Guru a while back and it stopped burping. I think I also gave it a serious cleaning to remove the silicone grease completely and retreated with some that seemed thicker (from Goulet, I believe).
@@JG3Reviews I must of either missed you mentioning that in the FPR Guru review or maybe you didn't even mention it? Burping is not a problem with either of those Noodlers pens, but more the un-controlled ink flow, so the pen usually runs out of ink before it can even burp! As for silicone grease, at least with my TWSBI pens, I find the thinner (more diluted) silicone grease that comes with TWSBI pens to last longer than the thicker silicone grease. This is for the piston, but I would not trust the TWSBI included silicone grease for eye-droppering any pens! Yes, I notice that the grease that was on the Noodlers will "stick" to ink - will need to do what you did and do a deep cleaning. Have a nice evening.
Thanks, James! I have a Kanwrite Heritage with this nib and I'm really happy with it. Works for me as an everyday writer, smooth enough and light pressure gets enough flex to give my writing some character. Also, I get a nice xf line just barely touching the nib to the paper--lots of fun.
It’s interesting to see the expressions of disappointment with this pen. I have five of them-all ultra-flex nibs-and each one of them is wonderful. I have found that with one of them the ink leaks into the cap when I let it sit for a while, but that’s the only trouble any has ever given me. Maybe I’ve just be fortunate, but I’ll keep recommending them at every chance I get.
Have you figured out how to address the leaking? Started with a white one (no problem) and then picked up a teal on black Friday just for Emerald of Chivor. I carried it around to show family on Christmas, but every time I opened it there was more and more ink on my hands turning them off from waiting to try it. I have since flushed the pen and let it sit with water to see if it had been resolved. It's almost like ink condensation, not a ton, enough to cause problems, but you're still not swimming in ink.
I agree. I don't have 5 of them but I own one....and it's fantastic. I enjoy writing with it above all of my flex pens except my original vintage Aurora 88.
EDC--I have four of these in all ebonite colors. 3 UF, one fine. I find mine very wet, and I use iron gall in all. I have many pens but these FPR v2 are the only ones l I use anymore. Don't do fancy flex writing, just normal note-taking, and enjoy the feel and lively response.
Thanks for the review. I've got this and the Kanwrite. I would have to say that the Osprey Madison is a much better modern flex pen. They have number of different pens and nib options. I opted for the fine-flex and it's amazing. They have an EF-flex for and even greater line variation but I was afraid that the EF might be too scratchy. The Madison is their lower cost pen. With a single standard #6 flex is about $24 but they have many options. It will have you playing with ink for a long time.
I have an Osprey Madison with a Zebra G nib I have had it for about 2 months and am still wondering why I bought it. The feed is poor; the nib is scratchy and frequently railroads. I have been writing for a long time (over 40 tears) with stub nibs, so consider myself an experienced scribe. Osprey is not my only flex nib, but my most disappointing.
I don't have the Jaipur; but I do have a Himalaya V1 with the ultra-flex nib. There was certainly a learning curve for me! Once I slowed down and let the nib teach me, I did much better. I have Stipula Calamo Sepia ink in it -- super wet, good idea to let the page dry before writing on the other side, or use a blotter. And, your experience matches mine. No railroading; just no flow if I go too fast. My best flex nibs are, of course, vintage. Still, way to go, FPR!
Beautiful pen! How smoothly does it write when you are not trying to flex? It’s called “EF ultra flex”, but how does its smoothness compare with a very smooth dedicated EF nib like the one you can get on the Hong Dian Black Forest? It would be great to have a pen that could write quickly and smoothly without bleed through until you feel like breaking out the flex.
Mine writes well. If you write with a light hand it functions well as an EF. It's flexible, but not an overly soft flex, so writing "normally" has not been an issue. If you're one to write with more pressure, you'll find yourself getting some accidental line variation. I like to try and find its sweet spot so that it adds to my writing without me having to think too much about it. lol
@@JG3Reviews : thank you! That makes a lot of sense. Normally when I am writing at speed I have a very light touch - it’s one of the many reasons I prefer to use a fountain pen. Then I want a nib that is buttery smooth and effortless and a fine enough line to use less space and minimize bleedthrough and spread. But when I want to take my time and go for some character and creativity, I pay attention and enjoy the effects of flex and choose a paper that is good with fountain pens. This EF ultra flex sounds like the kind of nib that I would really like.
The Purple Lilac Jaipur pen I bought a couple of months ago is stunning as far a color and chatoyance goes, but that is about it. I gleefully inked it up, wrote with it, OK nib, but that is where it ended. I recapped it and put it on my pen stand and decided to pull out my journal to write. When I took the cap off, ink came pouring out of the cap and got all over me and my desk!!! Then when I got that cleaned up, I tried to write and another big blob of ink came out all over my journal. WHAT A MESS! This pen in my opinion is NOT worth anywhere near what I paid for it. I've had way better performance from cheaper pens from China. Awful experience!
Sorry to hear that, but thanks for giving another perspective. This has got to be a seal problem somewhere. I wonder if anyone has a solution. When my FPR Guru had burping problems I heat set the nib and that solved it.
I now have one of these in a pretty brown/black ebonite swirl pattern like vintage pens. I can report that the nib is a very smooth writer in normal writing, laying a line with just the right amount of wetness. As you say, the pen is comfortable in the hand and well-balanced. I have a light touch unless I am deliberately pushing for extra flex, so the result is an even EF varying to medium line with occasional thicker loops, very nice. I always enjoy using the pen; it doesn’t have any issues in long writing sessions, and the ebonite has a good feel, subtly different from plastic. The nib worked well right out of the box; I just flushed it and started writing.
I store the pen nib up, and so far I haven’t had the inky finger issue you reported. I’m being cautious about carrying it around; I’ll update this comment if any issues appear. As you found, I haven’t had issues with the nib drying out between uses several days apart and haven’t tried longer times yet. (It’s already beat my hard-starting Pilot Metropolitan, though that’s a low bar.)
Overall, I highly recommend this pen and enjoy using it every day, though I am being cautious about carrying it around until I can be confident that nib burps won’t be a problem. The “EF-Ultraflex” nib is fantastic, as is customer service. If anyone has issues or questions, they should reach out.
I haven’t had railroading issues, but FPR does sell an ink additive that is meant to reduce railroading, I assume by somehow increasing ink surface tension. I’m curious to hear about the experience of anyone who has tried this out. They also have plastic and ebonite feeds and a variety of nibs and nib units available separately, and I’d be interested to hear about which brands of pens are easily nib-swapped with these and any issues that arise. Kevin at FPR recommends ebonite feeds with flex or other nib types with high ink demand, but plastic feeds if there is too much flow. So far, I have had no issue with excess ink when writing in a fine line with my EF-Ultraflex.
I had the same problem with the oozing ink with the rollerball version of that pen. I ended up taking the pen apart and putting silicone grease on all the threads and the base of the piston. I have not had a leak or ooze since. :)
I love your channel. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that you review affordable everyday pens. Your channel inspired me to buy a Narwhal and I love it.
Great!
I picked up one of these, oh 4-5 months ago and love its flex! What a fun writer! My only quibble is the piston knob remains pretty tight, nearly impossible for me to turn by hand but I like the pen so much I just live with that.
My experience has not been good with this pen. The piston knob was snapped off. It was replaced with now questions. Then, the pen continually "burped" and left pools of ink on the page.
They're hand-made in India, so to reach that price the QC is rather poor.
@@WhenDoesTheVideoActuallyStart There are pens made in India with great QC. Ranga for one makes great pens.
I just got my Ranga this week. I'm quite impressed.
@@paulmchugh1430 Yes, but IIRC they're more expensive and you gotta pay/wait for shipment straight from India. But I'd also rather pay more for better QC.
I got mine over the new year when they were buy one get one of equal or lesser value. I also bought the cracked ice and I got the steel Ultra Flex nib, I got the all-black ebonite with the stub, and they sent the eyedropper. Technically all three burping on me. Both my Jaipurs will burp if I do not push some of the air from the non-working Pistons back out before I start writing. The pistons both trap large bubble that I can never get out even though I have the nib all the way down to the grip submersed while filling. I even heatset the nibs and feeds together and still experience this problem. As stated I got it to stop burping when I force the air back out with the piston. That plus the large air bubble leave me with very very little ink capacity. The eyedropper will act the same way even if I have it filled up more than halfway, I have to hold it for several minutes before I start riding upright, and how's limited downward time writing so I have to write quickly. This was also someone else's solution as well. It seems like you have had a better sampling of the Jaipurs which I'm happy for you of.
My Jaipur V2 Ultra Flex is also very nice pen, but I expected more flex from Ultra Flex nib. At least 2 mm line width with minor pressure. But it provides 1.6 - 1.8 mm at out-of-comfortable pressure. So I switched to Pilot Custom 742 FA. Same line width but much easy to flex and also 14k gold nib and overall pen build quality. Also I will never sell my Jaipur because it is very good overall value pen. Definitely worth to own one.
I’ve never tried the Jaipur, but I do love my FPR Darjeeling with the ultra flex nib (or whatever they call it).
Nice video thank you. I’m a bit of a flex nib fiend but not all that good at it. This pen looks good. The nib looks amazing especially for stainless steel. Overall very impressive
I have two FPR Trevani pens with Ultra-flex nibs. One did that "burbing" trick. I did a "heat set" and reset the feed & nib. since then, I can carry both pens without leak / burb. I have fun playing with the flex nibs. Thanks for the review!
I like my Jaipur V2 especially the medium nib, although it experiences an occasional hard start but usually writes extremely well after it gets started. The flex nib still perplexes me. I have trouble getting a thin upstroke even with no pressure. I look forward to learning how to use the flex nib better.
I have this pen in Black ebonite. The F nib was very scratchy and had feed problems but I had a EF nib that I ordered at the same time and it writes great. I use it every day.
I don't have the Jaipur v2, but I have the v1 and several other FPR pens (love the Himalaya). With the exception of 1 (a Guru), the nibs have all been excellent and great customer service. Many of them (especially as ink droppers) do tend to burp on occasion--I have this problem with another Indian made pen, an Airmail (purchased from FPR, but I love it anyway) or the mysterious ink in the cap. I usually find that if my pen case went sideways in my briefcase. It is frustrating--and if they could fix that they'd have truly exceptional pens. Still every time I come back to using one of the pens, I'm amazed how enjoyable the writing experience is. Also, love the FPR Classic Blue ink. It's becoming one of my favorites.
Aloha James! Another well done review. To be honest, I was holding my breath during the whole video as my experience with FPR pens has got to be the worst! I must add that I have never tried any of the flex nibs, so keep that in mind. I have had everything from poor ink flow to way too much ink. The nibs I tried are average at best as well as the overall quality of the pens, although the new acrylic models looks to be better made. One of the issue is the hand made/cut ebonite feed, while good for ink flow (and of course much needed with a flex pen) it's not as precise as plastic molded feeds. I have tried heat setting and such and in most cases only made it worst! Much of this also applies to Noodlers' pens, which I also own and have had better success (or at least not as bad failures!) Don't know if I added much to the conversation, but that is my own personal experience. Your video has inspired me to ink up my Noodler's Konrad (I also have a Ahab) with Diamine Oxford Blue, an ink I have not used in a while, so thanks for reminding me. So far the pen is writing very wet (hopefully no ink in the cap in the morning!), so the ink is looking very saturated and the standard Noodlers flex nib does offer some line variation. This will be my pen for tomorrow! Have a nice evening. Mahalo, Thomas
Appreciate your experience. It helps give a fuller picture. Love that Oxford Blue!
@@JG3Reviews I praised the Noodlers Konrad a bit too soon because by morning the underside of the feed was soaked with ink as well as inside the cap. May need to try heat setting the nib and feed as I got nothing to lose at this point? Any experience doing that with any of your ebonite feed pens?
I heat set the FPR Guru a while back and it stopped burping. I think I also gave it a serious cleaning to remove the silicone grease completely and retreated with some that seemed thicker (from Goulet, I believe).
@@JG3Reviews I must of either missed you mentioning that in the FPR Guru review or maybe you didn't even mention it? Burping is not a problem with either of those Noodlers pens, but more the un-controlled ink flow, so the pen usually runs out of ink before it can even burp! As for silicone grease, at least with my TWSBI pens, I find the thinner (more diluted) silicone grease that comes with TWSBI pens to last longer than the thicker silicone grease. This is for the piston, but I would not trust the TWSBI included silicone grease for eye-droppering any pens! Yes, I notice that the grease that was on the Noodlers will "stick" to ink - will need to do what you did and do a deep cleaning. Have a nice evening.
Thanks, James! I have a Kanwrite Heritage with this nib and I'm really happy with it. Works for me as an everyday writer, smooth
enough and light pressure gets enough flex to give my writing some character. Also, I get a nice xf line just barely touching the
nib to the paper--lots of fun.
It’s interesting to see the expressions of disappointment with this pen. I have five of them-all ultra-flex nibs-and each one of them is wonderful. I have found that with one of them the ink leaks into the cap when I let it sit for a while, but that’s the only trouble any has ever given me. Maybe I’ve just be fortunate, but I’ll keep recommending them at every chance I get.
Have you figured out how to address the leaking? Started with a white one (no problem) and then picked up a teal on black Friday just for Emerald of Chivor. I carried it around to show family on Christmas, but every time I opened it there was more and more ink on my hands turning them off from waiting to try it. I have since flushed the pen and let it sit with water to see if it had been resolved. It's almost like ink condensation, not a ton, enough to cause problems, but you're still not swimming in ink.
I agree. I don't have 5 of them but I own one....and it's fantastic. I enjoy writing with it above all of my flex pens except my original vintage Aurora 88.
EDC--I have four of these in all ebonite colors. 3 UF, one fine. I find mine very wet, and I use iron gall in all. I have many pens but these FPR v2 are the only ones l I use anymore. Don't do fancy flex writing, just normal note-taking, and enjoy the feel and lively response.
Thanks for the review. I've got this and the Kanwrite. I would have to say that the Osprey Madison is a much better modern flex pen. They have number of different pens and nib options. I opted for the fine-flex and it's amazing. They have an EF-flex for and even greater line variation but I was afraid that the EF might be too scratchy. The Madison is their lower cost pen. With a single standard #6 flex is about $24 but they have many options. It will have you playing with ink for a long time.
I have an Osprey Madison with a Zebra G nib I have had it for about 2 months and am still wondering why I bought it. The feed is poor; the nib is scratchy and frequently railroads. I have been writing for a long time (over 40 tears) with stub nibs, so consider myself an experienced scribe. Osprey is not my only flex nib, but my most disappointing.
I am using a washable ink with this pen. Love the flex nib
I don't have the Jaipur; but I do have a Himalaya V1 with the ultra-flex nib. There was certainly a learning curve for me! Once I slowed down and let the nib teach me, I did much better. I have Stipula Calamo Sepia ink in it -- super wet, good idea to let the page dry before writing on the other side, or use a blotter. And, your experience matches mine. No railroading; just no flow if I go too fast. My best flex nibs are, of course, vintage. Still, way to go, FPR!
Grateful, by the way, still to have power in this storm that links Texas and Ohio. Hope you do, too.
Yes, we're doing well so far. Working from home and enjoying the fire.
Looks pretty cool but and it peeked my interest but I am unable to find available anywhere in my country.
Beautiful pen! How smoothly does it write when you are not trying to flex? It’s called “EF ultra flex”, but how does its smoothness compare with a very smooth dedicated EF nib like the one you can get on the Hong Dian Black Forest? It would be great to have a pen that could write quickly and smoothly without bleed through until you feel like breaking out the flex.
Mine writes well. If you write with a light hand it functions well as an EF. It's flexible, but not an overly soft flex, so writing "normally" has not been an issue. If you're one to write with more pressure, you'll find yourself getting some accidental line variation. I like to try and find its sweet spot so that it adds to my writing without me having to think too much about it. lol
@@JG3Reviews : thank you! That makes a lot of sense. Normally when I am writing at speed I have a very light touch - it’s one of the many reasons I prefer to use a fountain pen. Then I want a nib that is buttery smooth and effortless and a fine enough line to use less space and minimize bleedthrough and spread. But when I want to take my time and go for some character and creativity, I pay attention and enjoy the effects of flex and choose a paper that is good with fountain pens. This EF ultra flex sounds like the kind of nib that I would really like.
Would adjusting the piston filler to have less air space as the ink goes down minimize burping?
Was it it a fine or medium nib, and how did it do in 'reverse' writing?(excellent vid)
I don't think it's classified either way, but you can get a nice fine line with very light pressure.
Looks like it's time for Lava soap! LoL
The Purple Lilac Jaipur pen I bought a couple of months ago is stunning as far a color and chatoyance goes, but that is about it. I gleefully inked it up, wrote with it, OK nib, but that is where it ended. I recapped it and put it on my pen stand and decided to pull out my journal to write. When I took the cap off, ink came pouring out of the cap and got all over me and my desk!!! Then when I got that cleaned up, I tried to write and another big blob of ink came out all over my journal. WHAT A MESS! This pen in my opinion is NOT worth anywhere near what I paid for it. I've had way better performance from cheaper pens from China. Awful experience!
Sorry to hear that, but thanks for giving another perspective. This has got to be a seal problem somewhere. I wonder if anyone has a solution. When my FPR Guru had burping problems I heat set the nib and that solved it.