Dear Mr Indi, Thank you for this review. I am very happy to know you really liked our Indian pen. Indian fountain pen market was literally squashed by cheap Chinese use-and-throw pens. Ranga pen company has suffered a lot of market crush in the past. Its their dedication to the trade they do, which has kept them alive. A good review from a honest critic like you will help the Indian pens to make a strong mark in the pen world. It is also very important for these companies to focus more on quality standards and help them improve to a new level. Being Indian, am feeling very proud with this review. Sir, Thank you.🙏
I'm very glad you feel that way. I'm very pleased with this pen and now really want to try a Model 5! I'll have to safe up first though as I've already spent my pen money this month.
Thank you for such an informative review of the Ranga 4C. I brought my 4C after watching your video and I must say that I’m absolutely amazed. The pen writes like a dream. I would describe it as a “flying elephant”. Boy o boy, what a freakin phenomenal pen. I now look forward to getting another one in acrylic.
Thank you Mr. Rathbun for making this video. I would not have known about this excellent brand of fountain pen. I love their offer of choice in models & nibs & colors.
The generosity of the fountain pen community can truly be overwhelming at times. I'm constantly seeing posts about people randomly sending pens and accessories to each other without request for accolades or payment. Thanks to Mr. Michael for introducing Mr. Doug and the rest of us to this great source for handmade pens! Any chances we can get a review of the freebie some time soon?
Thanks for the suggestion! I just completed a fast and dirty look at the freebie pen. In addition I show a better demonstration of the converter needle fillers. The video will be up tomorrow morning.
Hi Doug, my friend, I have to thank you, I bought this pen, black and red as of color combination. I am more than pleased, it is a beauty to look at at, I admire the workmanship and it is a pleasure the way it writes. Thank you again! You have a friend in Mexico City if you ever visit. My name is Abe Cherem
ERRATA: With the help of some of your comments, I was able to unscrew the Jowo nib unit housing from the section. It was very tight and led me to believe it was a friction fit. The feed is plastic, NOT ebonite. Also, I am posting a video showing the freebie piston filler pen that came with the Ranga 4C along with a better demonstration of the converter needle fillers. Also, I've included a link to a video showing how Ranga hand turns an ebonite pen. Fascinating watch! th-cam.com/video/08pUuLREZR4/w-d-xo.html
I am thrilled with your review. I have several Ranga pens and everyone has been an experience like yours. Beautiful hand made pens delivered with generosity of spirit.
Thank you so much for this video. In this „CNC“-world it’s fantastic that there are handcrafted productes. I like the material and that this pen is handmade. The Ranga pen model selection is great. Ebonite is also used for woodwind-instruments mouthpiece (clarinetts, saxophones).
A year later ... Watching this video peaked my interest in Ranga pens. I recently acquired 2 models at a group buy: a 5B with conical ends and a Abhimanyu Grande. The craftsmanship is excellent and it's an exceptional value. I wanted to put the bug in your ear about checking out one of those BIG pens. I found it to be beautiful and ergonomically comfortable to write with.
Melbourne, Australia we are in Lock down again for the third time. The place is going down the toilet - but wait there's a video from Doug. I love the packaging on Indian pens. Often they come in clear, reusable plastic cases. A very nice pen and nib. I'd like to see it with a large ink window and I'd eyedropper it. A size 8 nib as long as the bonnet on 60s Chevrolet.
Hi! I'm interested in Ranga's pen. What is your eyedrop Ranga nib? Fine or Flex or....? And if you have your recommended eyedrop ink, please let me know. Thank you!
Based on the endorsement of the Ranga pen, I decided to try one. I bought a C3. It arrived, via DHL from Chennai to Rockville, MD, in 5 days ! It wrote perfectly right out of the box (extracting the pen from its packaging was the hardest part). I now have a handcrafted pen, joining my EDC list of fountain pens.Thanks for expanding my horizon beyond the usual options here in the States.
Great, great review, Doug, and again, you're very welcome. I'm delighted that you like it so much. I love Ranga as a brand, and my 3C is one of the few fountain pens that always remain inked in a very competitive rotation. Ranga is able to somehow get the measurements and the feeling of a pen right. That's something easy to overlook when the market is flooded with incredible acrylics and ingenious filling systems. When I bought my first, I was heavily in doubt between the 3C and the 4C, and eventually decided to go with the 3C because that doesn't have a step-down when uncapped. It's maybe a bit more comfortable and better to look at when writing with it, but the trade-off is that it takes a "few" (2 1/2) turns to uncap it, because it doesn't have a similar hard-stop. I also don't have a broad jowo nib yet (apart from cursive italic grind), and looking how this performed it becomes a real candidate. One additional thing maybe worth mentioning: If you go for a Jowo or Bock nib, they use the respective standard nib housing, so it's incredibly easy to swap out nibs between pens. You can even order a nibless pen and select the correct bore at a $12 discount, if you happen to find yourself in surplus of nibs. I'm pretty sure I will go for either a 4C or an 8B next. Likely both, but not at the same time.
Thank you. Thank you! Michael. Did I get even close to pronouncing your name correctly? I think I have my sights set on a Model 5 with a Titanium #8 broad. But it will have to wait because I just ordered a Visconti and a TWSBI.
@@InkquiringMinds You got close to the pronunciation, but the Dutch "ch"-sound is very hard to replicate for none-native speakers ^^ The titanium could be awesome, but consider your recent experience with flex nibs. As I understand it, the Bock titanium is essentially just a very flexible nib, and gets most of it's prowess out of line variation and "bounce". I've considered trying one a #6 of them - as FPnibs sells them for €72.60, which is on the more reasonable side. And I agree with not getting everything at once... even if it would not be financially motivated, it's good to give every pen some time to settle in.
@@TweakMDS I watched a video by Aaron where he put a Bock titanium nib into a Penbbs pen. I'm interested in the "pencil-like" feedback of the titanium. A learning experience! :)
Yay! I knew you would like that 4C. I currently own six Rangas, ranging in models 3 to 8B, including two 4C's. All my "polished" pens are in the various colored patterns. My solid color pens are in the "matte" finish which helps to hide any machining anomalies (a tip for future reference/if you're so inclined to make another purchase).
Dear Doug- just writing to tell you I just received and inked my new Ranga ebonite 4C in broad! HOLY COW! I am a convert. The pen writes like a dream ( “like Fish oil ink on buttered glass” “like buttah” is a VERY apt description.) I will be ordering more of these pens in different models. It is very well made, the nib is PERFECT. I could see droplets of water in the converter so I know they tested it before they sent it. I ordered it 9 days ago and it is here today; I did normal shipping- all the way from India. The owner, Mr. Kandan, was very responsive to my questions via email. They threw in a free ink dropper pen too. The pen is an amazing bargain at this price point ( I have no business affiliation with the company by the way.) If you were thinking about buying one of these, stop thinking and take the plunge. You will be happy you did. Doug, I can’t thank you enough for your review on this. I had seen these before but to be honest , the thought of buying a pen from half way around the world made me hesitant. The thought of having a problem and sending it back was holding me back- I have done that here at home and I always hate it. Your review, and the quality of the pen have made me a Ranga Revolutionary! Cheers!
Thank you for sharing your experience, MrCabimero! I'm glad you had the same experience I had. I'm looking at a Ranga 5 with a #8 size titanium nib. But it will have to wait until I pay for the Visconti and TWSBI on their way to me.
Professor Doug, I do appreciate the handmade nature of this pen, the first thing that struck me was the near invisible seam between the cap and body, love that look. More importantly the sincere nature with which it was sent to you shows true pride in their product and craft. Me thinks a big one is in the offing for myself.
So much fun! All the add-ins, how do you do it?! All perfect for the situation. So what a beautiful pen, right? Great nib tuning prior to you receiving it I think. Not all JoWo nibs write super awesome out of the box. Could be though. I love that section. It's like this pen was built to write well not be all flashy as its main asset. Lovely handmade and functional pen. I say well done. Give me a juicy, comfortable pen any time and day. Super kind of Michael to gift you the pen. Well done, Michael! Well done indeed. Thank you ~ Take good care ~ Please stay safe and healthy!
Great review as usual. I have several Ranga pens and all have been well made and with great nibs out of the box. Most have had better polishing than the one you had but as you said nothing is perfect. I do your reviews because your handwriting is pleasant and adds to the pen rather than taking away from it as it does for some. I know in some cases it is the camera position makes it more difficult when writing and trying to film it. That being said I do enjoy your writing.
The Ranga is beautiful! Now I want one. Wow. Love the family artisanal touch. 💙🖤💙 Great review. I just ordered from them. Thanks to you and your friend Mike.
Thank you for this review, the ranga pen Co pants is now one of the best quality pen makers and these small flaws are almost not found anymore although there are a few more insignificant imperfections, but a great improvement in quality for sure
Thank you very much for your very informative video. Just one thing from a fountain pen user in Japan. The nib widths are as follows. Pilot nib widths are EF, F, MF, M, B, BB and C. In the case of Pilot nib, C is 3B. Platinum nib widths are UEF (that's Ultra Extra Fine and is almost a needle), F, M, B and C. In the case of Platinum nib, C is BB. Sailor nib widths are EF, F, MF, M, B and Z. In the case of Sailor nib, Z is BB →3B.
By the way, I guess PenBBS's color/finish number 67 窝边草 or grass around burrow comes from an idiom 兔子不吃窝边草 tù zi bù chī wō biān cǎo. Tuzi in Mandarin means a rabbit.
Thanks, Doug! What a great gift! What I can give is my compliments on another excellent presentation. I am interested in the article you referenced, but I'm not seeing the link in the description. Appreciate you showing the business card, reminds me to be in touch about the pen I ordered. As I'm excited to receive it, I'm sure there's a problem---fellow sufferers will understand. Those converter gizmos are cool, too! What'll they think of next?
That is a boss pen. The cloth wrapping was almost too precious to open, like a cute cake on a plate, but eventually hunger takes over. I'm glad you're enjoying such a generous gift! If you buff out the tool marks you'll have to show it again.
Yes, the Jowo nibs come with a regular Jowo housing and feed. Happy to see you review this pen! Looks like they have improved the cap threads, since my Model C4s need about three turns to uncap. I have three Model C4s and one Abhimanyu in various colours of ebonite, some with matte and some with polished finishes, and all with Jowo nibs. I love them all. I particularly like the Abhimanu because of its quick capping/uncapping with less than one turn. It is short but chunky and comfortable. I must say that the finishes on mine had no significant flaws. I believe that Indian ebonite is different from European/Japanese ebonite and sometimes has small inclusions and imperfections, aside from any machine markings. However, it is a lot less expensive and works perfectly for a pen. I also have another Indian ebonite pen, a Kim ACR, an eyedropper pen which has an ebonite feed which is more complex than usual and supposedly reduces the chance of burping. But I discovered that I really don't like eyedroppering an opaque pen! The Indian nib on that one is okay, smooth but nothing stellar.
Very nice review! I have some ebonite pens and one from Ranga. All of them are eyedropper pens and so while they are large and comfortable to hold and use, they occasionally do suffer from burping issues.
Thanks for the another great review which led me to finally ordering the pen from Ranga. It is 4C but Rose Red and Black with dual tone fine nib and polished finish
Yep, I was nodding my head. I received mine just recently and inked it up earlier this morning. My first thought was how different it feels. It's very nice and it writes so well. I have the Model 8B but as you said, there are so many options. After just a little while with it I started thinking about getting another but again, oh my, there are so many choices.
Just received one of these. A very nice pen indeed. Mine is mottled blue ripple, so the turning marks are not so easy to see, but they are there. Lots of variations, probably due to being handmade, like with mine it takes 4 full turns to remove the cap! I've got huge hands but this is very comfortable to use unposted.
Ranga has been on my radar for a long time. I know they have a couple models they do for Peyton Street Pens, and I've tried a few of them. And I LOVE ebonite (although I only have two ebonite pens so far). Despite that, I've not pulled the trigger on one for no reason other than "I just haven't." I may have to fix that. Thanks for the review!
I'm really pleased that you liked your Ranga, as you know I've been a fan for quite a while. For your next one, you might want to consider trying one of the Indian-made Kanwrite nibs, I've been very happy with them as well. You also might want to try out the matte-finished ebonite that they offer, I have a few pens in the matte finish and they have even more of that great "ebonite feel." Thanks also for the shout-out in what's another great video.
I've been considering an Indian pen. Of course in ebonite (I love the ebonite of my Mabie Todd Swan eyedropper.) And, as I dropped about the same amount of money for the Mabie Todd, I finally think that I may have to get one. I agree with you about the finish. A little more effort, and it could have been almost a mirror polish. Thanks for sharing this great looking pen!
I have 2 ranga 4cs pens. Both with vintage sheaffer nibs, one steel fine and one gold medium/broad. Love them! I may send my gold one to mark bacas to be ground to a italic oblique!
I love the Ranga ebonite pens. If you like Sheaffer inlaid nibs, you should check out the special Ranga model that is sold by Peyton Street Pens. They use a Sheaffer steel inlaid nib and can be eyedropper or used with converter. BTW, the blue ebonite with a custom architect nib and my own added snake clip is to die for. Cheers.
Nice one Doug & glad you like the pen(would have been suprised if you didn't).I have 6 or 7 various models & materials all a joy to use so much so its hard to pick.The last one purchased was the 9b in ebonite which is their largest pen at 175mm capped & 150mm uncapped a real giant.All of these pens you would be paying a fortune for if made in the west.I've also got ASA & Gama pens equally as good.Now just to wait for the Lamy review👍
Got my first Ranga ebonite pen today, Ranga 4C as advised, thank you Doug in solid blue colour . Just to mention they have now changed the clip design.....
I recommend sticking to the German nib units! My model 5 (while highly recommend) took some tinkering. I had to apply silicone grease directly to the friction fit nib and feed to keep it from leaking
Thanks for sharing! This is why Michael insisted on getting me the upgraded 3in1 4C as it has the Jowo nib unit. The eyedropper versions do not and suffer from some of these symptoms you describe.
Ooh, you got the upgrade version with a Jowo nib unit! That is a _very_ generous gift! I'm pretty sure the feed is plastic, though. If I'm not mistaken, these are in screw-in units. As I was watching the video (and nodding along,) I thumbed my 8B. Mine is the base version with the stock Kanwrite nib (one of the biggest nib makers in India) and ebonite feed. And I got a replacement nib and feed just in case. Ebonite feeds generally don't accept converters, because they're too brittle and it's near impossible to make the precise shape. So they're generally on eyedroppers or piston fillers. My stock nib is two tone and engraved with the logo you saw on the website and "Ranga" in cursive and F for fine. Bare in mind that Indian nib widths are more like Japanese. I got couple other Indian pens (Kim ACR, Click and Airmail, oh and Fellowship) and all came with stock fine nib that needed a little smoothing but all are nicely juicy, and all are eyedroppers. Now I'm eyeballing a Gama pen. But they're mostly sold out... If/when you're ordering a second Ranga, have a look if you can also throw in Airmail 71J. Alan from What I Ink made a review of it and it is great. Great both in terms of quality and size. These Indian pens are a whole world of its own. A world well worth exploring, in my opinion. I'm a big sucker for ebonite and skilled workmanship. The value proposition is just completely different level than something mass-produced by the thousands. No matter how "precious" the resin allegedly is.
You are right about the feed being plastic and I just unscrewed the nib unit. I had assumed an all ebonite pen would have an ebonite feed and had only read the description of the non-3in1 version. Michaël insisted on the upgraded version 4C.
Nice review -- been thinking about getting a Ranga for a while. When you get your next Ranga, maybe you could try out one of the Ranga in-house nibs (listed on the drop-down list as Ranga - made in India) and tell us what you think? Would be nice to see a nib not made by one of the three main companies! Also, thanks for showing the Fan Mu needle fillers -- they look useful.
Thanks for this review.. Glad to know that Ranga pens are getting attention in international fountain pen community ! Have you tried Krishna Inks (from another family owned company in India) which also has been quite popular ?
I know because I do the same thing. That what pen clubs are about too. Not just pens you don't know, but sharing your observations of a pen you love or hate with others to perhaps learn something.
Am I wrong in saying that the Japanese “Coarse” nib is a double broad? I love your honest, thorough review, which (when accompanied with your amazing creativity with the production and its inserts) that just makes you the best! I too feel comfortable polishing the ebonite myself. If the pen is truly an everyday writer, then an investment in a Ranga pen with a Jowo nib (isn’t it the favorite for most of us) is inevitable. I would never choose an EDC pen with a “B” nib because I write too small in my everyday notes to make the words legible when that much ink hits paper. Doug, I always find an investment of 20 to 30 minutes of my time in your video productions to be well worth the return (we finance professors would call it “ROI,” return on investment, :). Keith
Ranga pens have been on my radar for a couple of months now, I have been split on what pen to get. This looks like a good one, or the model 8b. I kinda want the model 5 but no clip is a deal breaker, the moonman m2 always rolls on me. Might have to pick one up, peytonstreetpens has reasonable prices on these (surprising because imo all their vintage pen prices are sky high).
The Japanese designations for line widths are 極細字，細字，中字，太字，極太字 (EF through BB). I recently bought a vintage 3776 with a broad nib which is nowhere near what I'd define as broad. My Opus 88 Koloro is a true broad. I'm sure you'll appreciate that the complexity of kanji just lends itself to EF and F nibs. Chinese calligraphy/letter pads have 1 cm x 1 cm grids to allow for enough room. How would a character with 64 strokes look like? Right, one big blob of ink bleeding through the paper.
Aloha Doug! Great review as always! Before I forget, how long did it take for you to receive the pen? Maybe some of this has been mentioned in the comments below, so I apologize if it has already been pointed out, but the following are just my personal experience as I am the owner of a Ranga 3 and 4C. The matte (bakul?) finish definitely feels "different" over the polished version - I believe you get a better feel of the ebonite with the matte finish. Un-capping the pen is 2.75 rotations with my 4C and 3.25 with the 3. I believe and understand the handmade nature of this pen will account for the variation, but both are a bit too much for me. My model 3 came directly from Ranga and is an eyedropper model only, which can make it bit problematic (think Noodler's pens!) I have tried to set the nib and ebonite feed, but the pen never writes well and I always end up with a cap full of ink. Luckily my 4C (C for cartridge/converter?) has a Bock nib unit, so no issues with ink leakage and that is the way I would go if I bought another Ranga pen. Anyway, hope some of this is helpful? Mahalo, Thomas
I had never seen the converter needle fillers before. They seem like a good idea, even if not absolutely required. I like to fill the converter through the grip/feed/nib unit so the feed is already full of ink when I get done. I just have an ink rag handy to clean off the residual ink that may still be on the grip/feed/nib. Do you know if either the Platinum or Pilot needle filler will work with a Sailor converter? richard -- "The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw (through Inspector Javert)
Hi Doug sir, what polishing compound did you applied to this pen for removing tool marks and if it worked? and any video of yours that I can refer to learn.. I'm thinking to polish my Ranga 3C black ebonite...
Wow!! I think I LUV that Ranga Ebonite pen-lightweight and good size for my arthritic thumb & high grip!! Yea!! I’ll be very curious about the #8 nib since I love 💕 my hand farther off the paper. And ink dropper-great for art & writing & probably could use in a game of darts with a little fancy feather modification. Oh and did I see a lovely bazooka joe pink pen?!? The dreams of sugar drops are dancing in my head now!
@@InkquiringMinds what’s the turn-around on such a creature? Did you polish up the black one? I think I would need to do a polish too. I sand all my tool handles like hammers, garden implements, etc when they just aren’t finished very well. It’s very annoying when the stamped name or a big nick or mold lines etc ruin the feel (& often the look) of something you hold to use!
Hmmmm, just had a thought (shocking I know) but trying to figure out how to get a #8 nib but think the #5 ebonite pen might be too much. I could make the grip on the #5 smaller? Or will they do some customization for grip size?
@@RBartsy I haven't gotten around to polishing it yet. I think between the time the pen was ordered (by Michael) and the time I received it was around three weeks.
If you don't want to have your pen shipped from India, Ranga pens are available from several sources here in the USA. My go-to dealer is Peyton Street Pens. They sell a good selection of Ranga models plus a few PSP exclusives that Ranga manufactures for them. The pens come with screw-in Jowo nib units, which PSP also sells stand alone if you want to have different nibs for your pen. I have a couple of PSP Davenports that are among my favorite pens. richard -- If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing. - Anatole France
Thanks for the 411 on Peyton Street Pens. Unfortunately, shipping from the USA to Canada from EVERY online pen store in the US is way too expensive. Goulet has finally lowered their shipping to $13US but there is no free shipping to Canada even if you spend $1000. Peyton Street charges $20US. I get free shipping from Cult Pens in the UK and Appelboom in the Netherlands and Ranga only charges $13.98US shipping.
After looking at their website I just fell in love with the variety of finishes and nib choices, I'm definitely going to order a couple of pens from them but I'll need to save some money first after my last CultPens purchase (Thanks for the 10% off btw) just a question, Do you know if they declare the same price you pay online for customs? Here we can only get away without paying import taxes if its down 50 dlls and I like to avoid that extra charge if is possible.
“ Fish oil ink on buttered glass” like “buttah” It was worth waiting all week just to hear that! Thanks for the review. I can’t take it any more . .. I haven’t bought the last 3 you reviewed but this looks too good to pass on. On a different note, do you have any recommendations on a pen with a BB ( some call it coarse I think) nib?
Kaweco's reputation is still suffering from some poor nibs from 3 years ago. They have changed their nib source. I bought a Kaweco Sport as the cheapest way to get a BB, for like $25. I liked it so much that I bought another BB nib, just the nib, to stick in another pen that happens to be threaded for Kaweco nibs. It also is problem-free. So I recommend Kaweco BB nibs.
Another one to add to my list of fountain pens I want. Just bought platinum president after I saw your video on that pen so probably should give my wallet a break. Only so many days a year I can give myself a present. :-)
Haha, the article mentions "shatter-resistant plastic" which is called vegetal resin. Most people know it from Noodlers' pens (which are made in India, funnily enough.) Vegetal resin is plant-based and biodegradable. And has very distinct smell to it. Some describe it as "vomit." Most plastic pens from India (unless explicitly labelled acrylic) are made from vegetal resin. And some smell very badly, some barely. The transparent free pen you got is from vegetal resin and I'm sure you already sniffed it :D Or am I just the weirdo who sniffs everything? Thanks for linking the article, btw. Very nice
Thank you for this wonderful video, Douglas. I think I the same model, in plain black, though bought many years ago, before they had access to a laser engraver so there’s no branding even on the clip. I opted to keep costs low by going with an Indian nib and having it as an eye -dropper so it doesn’t get much use. (I now realise that I’m not an eye dropper man).
Hey Doug, there’s a Chinese pen I’ve been considering that looks nice, but I can’t find a single review on it on TH-cam... it has a 14k nib and is called Hongdian 885 (I think - names can be hard to follow). Have you heard of it? Any thoughts or intention to review some time?
Yes, I've seen that pen before on Etsy and eBay. The partially painted nib is fascinating but I won't be spending over $100 of my money on a slim Chinese pen with a gold nib. At $100 there are so many more choices. Now if they want to loan me one for review, of course! :)
@@InkquiringMinds Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I was kinda thinking the same, but then... if... if it's a really nice nib then $100 for 14k is not a lot! I think I'll hold off for now though.
The Japanese manufacturers have Coarse nibs that are of a comparable size. They are usually hard to find when hunting for deals on used pens on ebay, so I don't own one (yet) 😁
@@InkquiringMinds After I posted the reply, I decided to rectify the situation. I bought an old Pilot Custom 67 with a Coarse nib on ebay. I'll get it in a few weeks, since it is being shipped from Japan :)
For me the Ranga '8B' was one of my least favorite pen in my whole collection for three reasons, the tooling marks were so noticeable (even in garbage lighting) that I couldn't even admire the cool patterns of the Ebonite, plus the section had threads so tight it literally got stuck and needed some serious force to remove, same goes for the threads for the nib unit as the it couldn't even screw in a quarter of the way before having to stop completely as any further and it felt like something would break. I emailed them about the issue and got an apology plus an offer for a full refund but first I'd have to ship it back an after some thinking, I risked it since it would probably take 3 months before I get a refund and for the pen to arrive to them (as it did for me, even with DHL). Thankfully after some continuous screwing and unscrewing the threads because useable and silicone grease kind of helped but I do plan on selling it as doesn't get enough use in my collection and left me with a bad impression of the company. Thankfully the Zayante and 4C came to me in "perfect" condition and are the only reason I would even consider buying another pen from Ranga or even a handmade one at that but the nibs were duds.
I just successfully unscrewed the Jowo nib unit. I'm going to add some silicone grease to it as it was rather stiff. The pen came with gobs of silicone on the section threads so I think they're trying to solve the problem. Ebonite against ebonite sticks very well!
First, ebonite is HARD vuncanized rubber. All useable natural rubber is vulcanized. Second, the finish on that pen is really disappointing. My ebonite Neponsite is beautifully finished. Ebonite does feel great. I have a Menlo that Brian Gray made for me when an ebonite section. But poor finish aside, I do like that pen, and your review was great! Thank you.
22:10 That's a misconception and a myth. The extra fine nibs are only a contemporary fashion, not at all a requirement to write Chinese characters. Not only, one can write kanjis with a double broad nib, it was initially the preference in Japan when the fountain pen was first introduced. Kanjis were at that time written with small brushes, medium brushes, big brushes ( images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51nvxWVQ3jL._AC_SY355_.jpg ), huge brushes (springfieldarts.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/Seiran%20Chiba%20Japanese%20Calligraphy_0.jpg ), even mops ( encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTmwCxMaR7XceWmj29_3nHLsd662dDqq2zBoA&usqp=CAU ). As a remainent of those early days, Japanese pen makers, like Platinum, still offer C nibs that correspond to a double even a triple broad nib size. C because they comes after B, if not BB. www.handoverthatpen.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/20170604_June-PI_1073-1.jpg Now, they often called "coarse" nibs because they are most often grounded by nibmeisters to suit particular preferences (zoom, architect, oblique, cursive italic, etc.) And don't forget about all those bent fude nibs... they were also create to write Chinese characters.
IMHO, I don't consider the evidence of the pen being handmade as "flaws." I regard them as an essential reminder of the fact that this is a handmade item.
Alan: I don't mind the flaws but I consider the circular scratches just not finished enough. I watched Michel Paquet finalize a pen he custom turned for me in his garage. He spent about 10 minutes getting the minute scratches out with polishing compound on the lathe. Ten minutes is all it took.
Good question! As I said to Alan below, I don't mind the flaws because the pen is magnificent. However, the tooling marks are, in my opinion, the result of not taking enough time with the pen on the lathe. I don't consider those marks "artisanal".
In my opinion price should reflect quality, regardless of how they are made. An underpolished pen at $5 might be just fine, while at $100 it would be rejected. Somewhere between those two numbers is a line, above which I accept no shortcomings. Maybe it's around $30. TWSBI is a good example. I'm happy with my GO ($18), despite the low grade plastic. I'm only happy with my Eco ($31) because everything about it is nice, including the plastic. By my relatively low standards.
The branding is on the clip only. I can not understand many of those expensive acrylic pens that etch text into the barrel and basically scarring the beautiful acrylic when they have their trade marks all over the clip, finial, cap band.....and nib!!
It is not so noticeable on some acrylic pens. My new Penlux Masterpiece Snowflake has the barrel engraving and limited edition number, but because it is a cracked ice, clear and frosted white, you have to look carefully to find it.
@@InkquiringMinds Just make sure you keep your hands clean as I have found that after a while debris starts to fill the etching and out comes the soft brush and soapy water!
It's so weird that I don't own this pen yet although I am from India. It's only after the BBC article that I became aware of Indian Fountain pen Brands.This pen is pretty difficult to buy in India though. Not even the most popular pen stores in India carry this brand.
Did you get a special order ebonite feed, Doug? I ask because your review made me order an ebonite 4C but it comes with a _plastic_ feed and no listed ebonite option, as do most of the pens listed on their website, as far as I could see. Maybe I was looking at the wrong 4C? rangapens.com/model-4c-2
@@InkquiringMinds I think this is just a standard Jowo broad with it's housing. They're just that good. There's ebonite feeds for Jowo housing available, but the way I understand it, that's like writing with an open faucet.
Dear Doug- just writing to tell you I just received and inked my new Ranga ebonite 4C in broad! HOLY COW! I am a convert. The pen writes like a dream ( “like Fish oil ink on buttered glass” “like buttah” is a VERY apt description.) I will be ordering more of these pens in different models. It is very well made, the nib is PERFECT. I could see droplets of water in the converter so I know they tested it before they sent it. I ordered it 9 days ago and it is here today; I did normal shipping- all the way from India. The owner, Mr. Kandan, was very responsive to my questions via email. They threw in a free ink dropper pen too. The pen is an amazing bargain at this price point ( I have no business affiliation with the company by the way.) If you were thinking about buying one of these, stop thinking and take the plunge. You will be happy you did. Doug, I can’t thank you enough for your review on this. I had seen these before but to be honest , the thought of buying a pen from half way around the world made me hesitant. The thought of having a problem and sending it back was holding me back- I have done that here at home and I always hate it. Your review, and the quality of the pen have made me a Ranga Revolutionary! Cheers!
Dear Mr Indi,
Thank you for this review. I am very happy to know you really liked our Indian pen. Indian fountain pen market was literally squashed by cheap Chinese use-and-throw pens. Ranga pen company has suffered a lot of market crush in the past. Its their dedication to the trade they do, which has kept them alive. A good review from a honest critic like you will help the Indian pens to make a strong mark in the pen world. It is also very important for these companies to focus more on quality standards and help them improve to a new level. Being Indian, am feeling very proud with this review.
Sir, Thank you.🙏
I'm very glad you feel that way. I'm very pleased with this pen and now really want to try a Model 5! I'll have to safe up first though as I've already spent my pen money this month.
VA super
Thank you for such an informative review of the Ranga 4C. I brought my 4C after watching your video and I must say that I’m absolutely amazed. The pen writes like a dream. I would describe it as a “flying elephant”. Boy o boy, what a freakin phenomenal pen. I now look forward to getting another one in acrylic.
That unboxing itself is so satisfying to watch! Took me 4-5 trials to get past the unboxing session.
It was very cool, authentic, packaging!
Thank you Mr. Rathbun for making this video. I would not have known about this excellent brand of fountain pen. I love their offer of choice in models & nibs & colors.
My pleasure!
The generosity of the fountain pen community can truly be overwhelming at times. I'm constantly seeing posts about people randomly sending pens and accessories to each other without request for accolades or payment. Thanks to Mr. Michael for introducing Mr. Doug and the rest of us to this great source for handmade pens!
Any chances we can get a review of the freebie some time soon?
Thanks for the suggestion! I just completed a fast and dirty look at the freebie pen. In addition I show a better demonstration of the converter needle fillers. The video will be up tomorrow morning.
Hi Doug, my friend, I have to thank you, I bought this pen, black and red as of color combination. I am more than pleased, it is a beauty to look at at, I admire the workmanship and it is a pleasure the way it writes. Thank you again! You have a friend in Mexico City if you ever visit. My name is Abe Cherem
Thank you so much, Abe!
ERRATA: With the help of some of your comments, I was able to unscrew the Jowo nib unit housing from the section. It was very tight and led me to believe it was a friction fit. The feed is plastic, NOT ebonite. Also, I am posting a video showing the freebie piston filler pen that came with the Ranga 4C along with a better demonstration of the converter needle fillers. Also, I've included a link to a video showing how Ranga hand turns an ebonite pen. Fascinating watch! th-cam.com/video/08pUuLREZR4/w-d-xo.html
I'd go for one of those converter needle fillers if one size fit all, which will be entirely possible on the 12th of Never.
I am thrilled with your review. I have several Ranga pens and everyone has been an experience like yours. Beautiful hand made pens delivered with generosity of spirit.
Thank you very much!
Thank you so much for this video. In this „CNC“-world it’s fantastic that there are handcrafted productes.
I like the material and that this pen is handmade. The Ranga pen model selection is great.
Ebonite is also used for woodwind-instruments mouthpiece (clarinetts, saxophones).
A year later ... Watching this video peaked my interest in Ranga pens. I recently acquired 2 models at a group buy: a 5B with conical ends and a Abhimanyu Grande. The craftsmanship is excellent and it's an exceptional value. I wanted to put the bug in your ear about checking out one of those BIG pens. I found it to be beautiful and ergonomically comfortable to write with.
Melbourne, Australia we are in Lock down again for the third time. The place is going down the toilet - but wait there's a video from Doug. I love the packaging on Indian pens. Often they come in clear, reusable plastic cases. A very nice pen and nib. I'd like to see it with a large ink window and I'd eyedropper it. A size 8 nib as long as the bonnet on 60s Chevrolet.
In the backseat of my 60 Chevy! :)
I like a captive audience! LOL
Excellent review. I have some 7-8 Ranga pens. Never had any issues, I do really like these pens!
Good to hear!
So gorgeous. I just ordered one!
@@Sonicman415 Cool! You'll love it once you get it out of its linens! :)
Would love to see you with more different Ranga pens and their reviews! Thanks for this review. I love my Ranga pens-eye dropperd!
Hi! I'm interested in Ranga's pen. What is your eyedrop Ranga nib? Fine or Flex or....? And if you have your recommended eyedrop ink, please let me know. Thank you!
Will do!
Every time I watch a review I feel I need to buy the pen in question - thank you, Doug, for being such a thorough & entertaining reviewer.
My pleasure!
Based on the endorsement of the Ranga pen, I decided to try one. I bought a C3. It arrived, via DHL from Chennai to Rockville, MD, in 5 days ! It wrote perfectly right out of the box (extracting the pen from its packaging was the hardest part). I now have a handcrafted pen, joining my EDC list of fountain pens.Thanks for expanding my horizon beyond the usual options here in the States.
Thanks for sharing, Michael!
Great, great review, Doug, and again, you're very welcome. I'm delighted that you like it so much.
I love Ranga as a brand, and my 3C is one of the few fountain pens that always remain inked in a very competitive rotation. Ranga is able to somehow get the measurements and the feeling of a pen right. That's something easy to overlook when the market is flooded with incredible acrylics and ingenious filling systems.
When I bought my first, I was heavily in doubt between the 3C and the 4C, and eventually decided to go with the 3C because that doesn't have a step-down when uncapped. It's maybe a bit more comfortable and better to look at when writing with it, but the trade-off is that it takes a "few" (2 1/2) turns to uncap it, because it doesn't have a similar hard-stop.
I also don't have a broad jowo nib yet (apart from cursive italic grind), and looking how this performed it becomes a real candidate.
One additional thing maybe worth mentioning: If you go for a Jowo or Bock nib, they use the respective standard nib housing, so it's incredibly easy to swap out nibs between pens. You can even order a nibless pen and select the correct bore at a $12 discount, if you happen to find yourself in surplus of nibs.
I'm pretty sure I will go for either a 4C or an 8B next. Likely both, but not at the same time.
Thank you. Thank you! Michael. Did I get even close to pronouncing your name correctly? I think I have my sights set on a Model 5 with a Titanium #8 broad. But it will have to wait because I just ordered a Visconti and a TWSBI.
@@InkquiringMinds You got close to the pronunciation, but the Dutch "ch"-sound is very hard to replicate for none-native speakers ^^
The titanium could be awesome, but consider your recent experience with flex nibs. As I understand it, the Bock titanium is essentially just a very flexible nib, and gets most of it's prowess out of line variation and "bounce". I've considered trying one a #6 of them - as FPnibs sells them for €72.60, which is on the more reasonable side.
And I agree with not getting everything at once... even if it would not be financially motivated, it's good to give every pen some time to settle in.
@@TweakMDS I watched a video by Aaron where he put a Bock titanium nib into a Penbbs pen. I'm interested in the "pencil-like" feedback of the titanium. A learning experience! :)
Yay! I knew you would like that 4C. I currently own six Rangas, ranging in models 3 to 8B, including two 4C's. All my "polished" pens are in the various colored patterns. My solid color pens are in the "matte" finish which helps to hide any machining anomalies (a tip for future reference/if you're so inclined to make another purchase).
Six Rangas?? Dave you Dog! Thanks for the tip! :)
Dear Doug- just writing to tell you I just received and inked my new Ranga ebonite 4C in broad! HOLY COW! I am a convert.
The pen writes like a dream ( “like Fish oil ink on buttered glass” “like buttah” is a VERY apt description.) I will be ordering more of these pens in different models.
It is very well made, the nib is PERFECT. I could see droplets of water in the converter so I know they tested it before they sent it.
I ordered it 9 days ago and it is here today; I did normal shipping- all the way from India. The owner, Mr. Kandan, was very responsive to my questions via email. They threw in a free ink dropper pen too. The pen is an amazing bargain at this price point ( I have no business affiliation with the company by the way.)
If you were thinking about buying one of these, stop thinking and take the plunge. You will be happy you did.
Doug, I can’t thank you enough for your review on this. I had seen these before but to be honest , the thought of buying a pen from half way around the world made me hesitant. The thought of having a problem and sending it back was holding me back- I have done that here at home and I always hate it. Your review, and the quality of the pen have made me a Ranga Revolutionary!
Cheers!
Thank you for sharing your experience, MrCabimero! I'm glad you had the same experience I had. I'm looking at a Ranga 5 with a #8 size titanium nib. But it will have to wait until I pay for the Visconti and TWSBI on their way to me.
PS- mottled green in matte finish! Shweeeet!
Douglas Rathbun - ouch! I did both of those. Looking forward to your review. Good luck!
Professor Doug, I do appreciate the handmade nature of this pen, the first thing that struck me was the near invisible seam between the cap and body, love that look. More importantly the sincere nature with which it was sent to you shows true pride in their product and craft. Me thinks a big one is in the offing for myself.
Well said!
I've had a Ranga on my wish list for a while now. Thanks for the review!
Any time!
So much fun! All the add-ins, how do you do it?! All perfect for the situation. So what a beautiful pen, right? Great nib tuning prior to you receiving it I think. Not all JoWo nibs write super awesome out of the box. Could be though. I love that section. It's like this pen was built to write well not be all flashy as its main asset. Lovely handmade and functional pen. I say well done. Give me a juicy, comfortable pen any time and day. Super kind of Michael to gift you the pen. Well done, Michael! Well done indeed. Thank you ~ Take good care ~ Please stay safe and healthy!
Thanks, Annie! I'm glad you enjoyed it! The TH-cam search is your friend.
You make the Ranga seem like the next Grail Pen with its smoothness! I love it! I might have to get myself one!
You should!
Great review as usual. I have several Ranga pens and all have been well made and with great nibs out of the box. Most have had better polishing than the one you had but as you said nothing is perfect. I do your reviews because your handwriting is pleasant and adds to the pen rather than taking away from it as it does for some. I know in some cases it is the camera position makes it more difficult when writing and trying to film it. That being said I do enjoy your writing.
Thank you so much! I used to try to write over the camera but then switch camera positions. But now I can't see the screen while I'm writing! LOL
The Ranga is beautiful! Now I want one. Wow. Love the family artisanal touch. 💙🖤💙
Great review. I just ordered from them. Thanks to you and your friend Mike.
Awesome! Thank you!
Always wondered about Rangas. Thanks for your (always) thorough review.
My pleasure!
Great review. I recently got a completely unpolished ebonite pen, and I love the machining lines in it so much I want another pen in a different color
Right on!
Thank you for this review, the ranga pen Co pants is now one of the best quality pen makers and these small flaws are almost not found anymore although there are a few more insignificant imperfections, but a great improvement in quality for sure
Thanks for the info! I've just received a new Ranga 3C this past week. I will review it soon.
I love my 4C and my 4CS and my Zayante. All of them ebonite and by far, the nicest 'feeling' pens I have.
Thank you, John!
Thank you very much for your very informative video. Just one thing from a fountain pen user in Japan. The nib widths are as follows. Pilot nib widths are EF, F, MF, M, B, BB and C. In the case of Pilot nib, C is 3B. Platinum nib widths are UEF (that's Ultra Extra Fine and is almost a needle), F, M, B and C. In the case of Platinum nib, C is BB. Sailor nib widths are EF, F, MF, M, B and Z. In the case of Sailor nib, Z is BB →3B.
Excellent information! Thank you!
By the way, I guess PenBBS's color/finish number 67 窝边草 or grass around burrow comes from an idiom 兔子不吃窝边草 tù zi bù chī wō biān cǎo. Tuzi in Mandarin means a rabbit.
I have been told on Twitter that if you see brown patch in lawn (dead lawn), often, that is a nest of rabbits.
Thanks, Doug! What a great gift! What I can give is my compliments on another excellent presentation. I am interested in the article you
referenced, but I'm not seeing the link in the description. Appreciate you showing the business card, reminds me to be in touch about the pen I ordered. As I'm excited to receive it, I'm sure there's a problem---fellow sufferers will understand. Those converter gizmos are cool, too! What'll they think of next?
Thanks, David! I fixed it! The link is there.
That is a boss pen. The cloth wrapping was almost too precious to open, like a cute cake on a plate, but eventually hunger takes over.
I'm glad you're enjoying such a generous gift! If you buff out the tool marks you'll have to show it again.
Yeah I have some pretty good polishing compound that might work.
Yes, the Jowo nibs come with a regular Jowo housing and feed. Happy to see you review this pen! Looks like they have improved the cap threads, since my Model C4s need about three turns to uncap. I have three Model C4s and one Abhimanyu in various colours of ebonite, some with matte and some with polished finishes, and all with Jowo nibs. I love them all. I particularly like the Abhimanu because of its quick capping/uncapping with less than one turn. It is short but chunky and comfortable. I must say that the finishes on mine had no significant flaws. I believe that Indian ebonite is different from European/Japanese ebonite and sometimes has small inclusions and imperfections, aside from any machine markings. However, it is a lot less expensive and works perfectly for a pen. I also have another Indian ebonite pen, a Kim ACR, an eyedropper pen which has an ebonite feed which is more complex than usual and supposedly reduces the chance of burping. But I discovered that I really don't like eyedroppering an opaque pen! The Indian nib on that one is okay, smooth but nothing stellar.
Thanks for sharing, Meh!
Very nice review! I have some ebonite pens and one from Ranga. All of them are eyedropper pens and so while they are large and comfortable to hold and use, they occasionally do suffer from burping issues.
That is something from which all eyedroppers, with the exception of my Opus 88 Bela, suffer.
Thanks for the another great review which led me to finally ordering the pen from Ranga. It is 4C but Rose Red and Black with dual tone fine nib and polished finish
Good for you, Oleg!
Yep, I was nodding my head. I received mine just recently and inked it up earlier this morning. My first thought was how different it feels. It's very nice and it writes so well. I have the Model 8B but as you said, there are so many options. After just a little while with it I started thinking about getting another but again, oh my, there are so many choices.
Hope you enjoy it! Thanks, John!
Just received one of these. A very nice pen indeed. Mine is mottled blue ripple, so the turning marks are not so easy to see, but they are there. Lots of variations, probably due to being handmade, like with mine it takes 4 full turns to remove the cap! I've got huge hands but this is very comfortable to use unposted.
It is an awesome pen. I’m going to get another.
Ranga has been on my radar for a long time. I know they have a couple models they do for Peyton Street Pens, and I've tried a few of them. And I LOVE ebonite (although I only have two ebonite pens so far). Despite that, I've not pulled the trigger on one for no reason other than "I just haven't." I may have to fix that. Thanks for the review!
Thanks, Ken!
I'm really pleased that you liked your Ranga, as you know I've been a fan for quite a while. For your next one, you might want to consider trying one of the Indian-made Kanwrite nibs, I've been very happy with them as well. You also might want to try out the matte-finished ebonite that they offer, I have a few pens in the matte finish and they have even more of that great "ebonite feel." Thanks also for the shout-out in what's another great video.
Thanks, Alan! I've been wanting to try a titanium nib forever. I might try to persuade Mr. Kandan to gift me an extra Kanwrite nib? :)
I have a matte finished ebonite Indian pen by Asa. It’s also a triple-fill type.
I've been considering an Indian pen. Of course in ebonite (I love the ebonite of my Mabie Todd Swan eyedropper.) And, as I dropped about the same amount of money for the Mabie Todd, I finally think that I may have to get one.
I agree with you about the finish. A little more effort, and it could have been almost a mirror polish.
Thanks for sharing this great looking pen!
Thanks, Paul!
Will add that to my Wish List! Beautiful Pen!
You should!
I have 2 ranga 4cs pens. Both with vintage sheaffer nibs, one steel fine and one gold medium/broad. Love them! I may send my gold one to mark bacas to be ground to a italic oblique!
Sounds great! I have an OM on my new Lamy Studio.
I love the Ranga ebonite pens. If you like Sheaffer inlaid nibs, you should check out the special Ranga model that is sold by Peyton Street Pens. They use a Sheaffer steel inlaid nib and can be eyedropper or used with converter. BTW, the blue ebonite with a custom architect nib and my own added snake clip is to die for. Cheers.
Wow! Thanks, Andrew! Looking at snagging one now!
Nice one Doug & glad you like the pen(would have been suprised if you didn't).I have 6 or 7 various models & materials all a joy to use so much so its hard to pick.The last one purchased was the 9b in ebonite which is their largest pen at 175mm capped & 150mm uncapped a real giant.All of these pens you would be paying a fortune for if made in the west.I've also got ASA & Gama pens equally as good.Now just to wait for the Lamy review👍
That's a big pen!
Wonderful pen. Love the feel of ebonite. I've tried a Kiwi Indian pen, and really liked it. This one is definitely on my todo list.
Right on!
Got my first Ranga ebonite pen today, Ranga 4C as advised, thank you Doug in solid blue colour . Just to mention they have now changed the clip design.....
Right on
I recommend sticking to the German nib units! My model 5 (while highly recommend) took some tinkering. I had to apply silicone grease directly to the friction fit nib and feed to keep it from leaking
Thanks for sharing! This is why Michael insisted on getting me the upgraded 3in1 4C as it has the Jowo nib unit. The eyedropper versions do not and suffer from some of these symptoms you describe.
Ooh, you got the upgrade version with a Jowo nib unit! That is a _very_ generous gift!
I'm pretty sure the feed is plastic, though. If I'm not mistaken, these are in screw-in units. As I was watching the video (and nodding along,) I thumbed my 8B. Mine is the base version with the stock Kanwrite nib (one of the biggest nib makers in India) and ebonite feed. And I got a replacement nib and feed just in case. Ebonite feeds generally don't accept converters, because they're too brittle and it's near impossible to make the precise shape. So they're generally on eyedroppers or piston fillers. My stock nib is two tone and engraved with the logo you saw on the website and "Ranga" in cursive and F for fine. Bare in mind that Indian nib widths are more like Japanese.
I got couple other Indian pens (Kim ACR, Click and Airmail, oh and Fellowship) and all came with stock fine nib that needed a little smoothing but all are nicely juicy, and all are eyedroppers. Now I'm eyeballing a Gama pen. But they're mostly sold out...
If/when you're ordering a second Ranga, have a look if you can also throw in Airmail 71J. Alan from What I Ink made a review of it and it is great. Great both in terms of quality and size.
These Indian pens are a whole world of its own. A world well worth exploring, in my opinion. I'm a big sucker for ebonite and skilled workmanship. The value proposition is just completely different level than something mass-produced by the thousands. No matter how "precious" the resin allegedly is.
You are right about the feed being plastic and I just unscrewed the nib unit. I had assumed an all ebonite pen would have an ebonite feed and had only read the description of the non-3in1 version. Michaël insisted on the upgraded version 4C.
Nice review -- been thinking about getting a Ranga for a while. When you get your next Ranga, maybe you could try out one of the Ranga in-house nibs (listed on the drop-down list as Ranga - made in India) and tell us what you think? Would be nice to see a nib not made by one of the three main companies!
Also, thanks for showing the Fan Mu needle fillers -- they look useful.
Not a bad idea, though I've been fascinated to try a titanium nib for a while now. Perhaps I can get Mr. Kandan to throw in a Ranga nib for free?
Thanks for this review..
Glad to know that Ranga pens are getting attention in international fountain pen community !
Have you tried Krishna Inks (from another family owned company in India) which also has been quite popular ?
Yes. I reviewed a Platinum 3776 with a music nib with Krishna Silent Knight Sky ink.
Happy Valentine's Day to you and to your wife! Wishing you both many more years of swooning at each other!
Thank you so much!
Great review. Now that you don't this review, Ranga may experience a rush of orders. One of them will be mine. 😊 Now to decide. 😁
Hope you enjoy it!
Thank for the video Doug. I myself own 3 different model of Ranga . Just love it. The ebonite feed make them super wet. Super pens👍
Not sure why people want to see reviews of pens they already own?
I know because I do the same thing. That what pen clubs are about too. Not just pens you don't know, but sharing your observations of a pen you love or hate with others to perhaps learn something.
Someone has mentioned that my feed might not be ebonite but plastic. I look closer and I'm pretty sure it is plastic.
@@InkquiringMinds Irony Alert: ebonite-bodied pen has plastic feed!
25:35 “That’s what she said!” You were in rare form for this one, sir. Well done. And, damn it, now I have to get at least one of these.
LOL I couldn't do that to Jimmy Stewart!
It's the first time that I've seen a barrel and cap made in ebonite.
Me too!
Am I wrong in saying that the Japanese “Coarse” nib is a double broad? I love your honest, thorough review, which (when accompanied with your amazing creativity with the production and its inserts) that just makes you the best! I too feel comfortable polishing the ebonite myself. If the pen is truly an everyday writer, then an investment in a Ranga pen with a Jowo nib (isn’t it the favorite for most of us) is inevitable. I would never choose an EDC pen with a “B” nib because I write too small in my everyday notes to make the words legible when that much ink hits paper. Doug, I always find an investment of 20 to 30 minutes of my time in your video productions to be well worth the return (we finance professors would call it “ROI,” return on investment, :). Keith
Yes, a double broad Platinum is certainly a "C" coarse nib. It just wasnt' on the Binder chart. I'm adding it. Thanks for the kudos Professor!
Ranga pens have been on my radar for a couple of months now, I have been split on what pen to get. This looks like a good one, or the model 8b. I kinda want the model 5 but no clip is a deal breaker, the moonman m2 always rolls on me. Might have to pick one up, peytonstreetpens has reasonable prices on these (surprising because imo all their vintage pen prices are sky high).
$20US shipping from Peyton Street is a deal breaker.
Thanks for another witty informative video
You bet! Thanks, Marie!
Japanese double broad is sometimes called "coarse". It definitely exists.
Yes, of course there is coarse! I’ll add it to Richard’s chart.
The Japanese designations for line widths are 極細字，細字，中字，太字，極太字 (EF through BB). I recently bought a vintage 3776 with a broad nib which is nowhere near what I'd define as broad. My Opus 88 Koloro is a true broad. I'm sure you'll appreciate that the complexity of kanji just lends itself to EF and F nibs. Chinese calligraphy/letter pads have 1 cm x 1 cm grids to allow for enough room. How would a character with 64 strokes look like? Right, one big blob of ink bleeding through the paper.
@@yuklimka7251 Thanks for this! Most helpful!
@@InkquiringMinds I'm glad I could share this nugget of knowledge. Thanks for a thorough and entertaining review.
Aloha Doug! Great review as always! Before I forget, how long did it take for you to receive the pen? Maybe some of this has been mentioned in the comments below, so I apologize if it has already been pointed out, but the following are just my personal experience as I am the owner of a Ranga 3 and 4C. The matte (bakul?) finish definitely feels "different" over the polished version - I believe you get a better feel of the ebonite with the matte finish. Un-capping the pen is 2.75 rotations with my 4C and 3.25 with the 3. I believe and understand the handmade nature of this pen will account for the variation, but both are a bit too much for me. My model 3 came directly from Ranga and is an eyedropper model only, which can make it bit problematic (think Noodler's pens!) I have tried to set the nib and ebonite feed, but the pen never writes well and I always end up with a cap full of ink. Luckily my 4C (C for cartridge/converter?) has a Bock nib unit, so no issues with ink leakage and that is the way I would go if I bought another Ranga pen. Anyway, hope some of this is helpful? Mahalo, Thomas
Thanks for the info! I would say it took about three weeks to get the pen once it was ordered.
I had never seen the converter needle fillers before. They seem like a good idea, even if not absolutely required. I like to fill the converter through the grip/feed/nib unit so the feed is already full of ink when I get done. I just have an ink rag handy to clean off the residual ink that may still be on the grip/feed/nib.
Do you know if either the Platinum or Pilot needle filler will work with a Sailor converter?
richard
--
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
- George Bernard Shaw (through Inspector Javert)
I can't say whether they would work as I don't have a Sailor.
Hi Doug sir, what polishing compound did you applied to this pen for removing tool marks and if it worked? and any video of yours that I can refer to learn.. I'm thinking to polish my Ranga 3C black ebonite...
I used Meguiars swirl remover 2.0
@@InkquiringMinds cool thanks
Hello gentlemen, Is there a significant difference between Regular and Premium ebonite ranga fountain pens ? ( I'm planning to buy 4c or 9b )
As far as I can tell, premium is the more limited colours.
Wow!! I think I LUV that Ranga Ebonite pen-lightweight and good size for my arthritic thumb & high grip!! Yea!! I’ll be very curious about the #8 nib since I love 💕 my hand farther off the paper. And ink dropper-great for art & writing & probably could use in a game of darts with a little fancy feather modification. Oh and did I see a lovely bazooka joe pink pen?!? The dreams of sugar drops are dancing in my head now!
I have my sights set on a model 5 with a #8 titanium nib!
@@InkquiringMinds what’s the turn-around on such a creature? Did you polish up the black one? I think I would need to do a polish too. I sand all my tool handles like hammers, garden implements, etc when they just aren’t finished very well. It’s very annoying when the stamped name or a big nick or mold lines etc ruin the feel (& often the look) of something you hold to use!
Hmmmm, just had a thought (shocking I know) but trying to figure out how to get a #8 nib but think the #5 ebonite pen might be too much. I could make the grip on the #5 smaller? Or will they do some customization for grip size?
@@RBartsy You can write Mr. Kandan. He is great at communication.
@@RBartsy I haven't gotten around to polishing it yet. I think between the time the pen was ordered (by Michael) and the time I received it was around three weeks.
If you don't want to have your pen shipped from India, Ranga pens are available from several sources here in the USA. My go-to dealer is Peyton Street Pens. They sell a good selection of Ranga models plus a few PSP exclusives that Ranga manufactures for them. The pens come with screw-in Jowo nib units, which PSP also sells stand alone if you want to have different nibs for your pen. I have a couple of PSP Davenports that are among my favorite pens.
richard
--
If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.
- Anatole France
Thanks for the 411 on Peyton Street Pens. Unfortunately, shipping from the USA to Canada from EVERY online pen store in the US is way too expensive. Goulet has finally lowered their shipping to $13US but there is no free shipping to Canada even if you spend $1000. Peyton Street charges $20US. I get free shipping from Cult Pens in the UK and Appelboom in the Netherlands and Ranga only charges $13.98US shipping.
After looking at their website I just fell in love with the variety of finishes and nib choices, I'm definitely going to order a couple of pens from them but I'll need to save some money first after my last CultPens purchase (Thanks for the 10% off btw) just a question, Do you know if they declare the same price you pay online for customs? Here we can only get away without paying import taxes if its down 50 dlls and I like to avoid that extra charge if is possible.
The declared value of the Ranga 4C was 300 Rupee or about $5 Cdn.
I have the 4c - a very comfortable pen. It just sits right.
I agree!
“ Fish oil ink on buttered glass” like “buttah”
It was worth waiting all week just to hear that! Thanks for the review. I can’t take it any more . .. I haven’t bought the last 3 you reviewed but this looks too good to pass on. On a different note, do you have any recommendations on a pen with a BB ( some call it coarse I think) nib?
Kaweco's reputation is still suffering from some poor nibs from 3 years ago. They have changed their nib source. I bought a Kaweco Sport as the cheapest way to get a BB, for like $25. I liked it so much that I bought another BB nib, just the nib, to stick in another pen that happens to be threaded for Kaweco nibs. It also is problem-free. So I recommend Kaweco BB nibs.
@@ichirofakename Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it! I've never had anything broader than a broad!
Another one to add to my list of fountain pens I want. Just bought platinum president after I saw your video on that pen so probably should give my wallet a break. Only so many days a year I can give myself a present. :-)
Hope you enjoy it! I love my President. I'm so glad I skipped over the 3776.
Haha, the article mentions "shatter-resistant plastic" which is called vegetal resin. Most people know it from Noodlers' pens (which are made in India, funnily enough.) Vegetal resin is plant-based and biodegradable. And has very distinct smell to it. Some describe it as "vomit." Most plastic pens from India (unless explicitly labelled acrylic) are made from vegetal resin. And some smell very badly, some barely. The transparent free pen you got is from vegetal resin and I'm sure you already sniffed it :D Or am I just the weirdo who sniffs everything?
Thanks for linking the article, btw. Very nice
I sniffed the pen. It stinks. LOL I'm putting up a short video tomorrow morning on the freebie pen and those needle fillers.
Thank you for this wonderful video, Douglas.
I think I the same model, in plain black, though bought many years ago, before they had access to a laser engraver so there’s no branding even on the clip. I opted to keep costs low by going with an Indian nib and having it as an eye -dropper so it doesn’t get much use. (I now realise that I’m not an eye dropper man).
Thanks, aag24!
Sir, in this video beginning which color of ink is used and ink Brand also?
That is J. Herbin Kyanite du Nepal in my Leonardo Momento Zero Blue Hawaii with a custom ground architect nib.
@@InkquiringMinds is it similar to turquoise blue color?
@@jiteshpbhujbal7851 Yes. With silver shimmer.
Hey Doug, there’s a Chinese pen I’ve been considering that looks nice, but I can’t find a single review on it on TH-cam... it has a 14k nib and is called Hongdian 885 (I think - names can be hard to follow). Have you heard of it? Any thoughts or intention to review some time?
Yes, I've seen that pen before on Etsy and eBay. The partially painted nib is fascinating but I won't be spending over $100 of my money on a slim Chinese pen with a gold nib. At $100 there are so many more choices. Now if they want to loan me one for review, of course! :)
@@InkquiringMinds Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I was kinda thinking the same, but then... if... if it's a really nice nib then $100 for 14k is not a lot! I think I'll hold off for now though.
The Japanese manufacturers have Coarse nibs that are of a comparable size. They are usually hard to find when hunting for deals on used pens on ebay, so I don't own one (yet) 😁
Yes! "Coarse" just didn't make Richard Binder's chart. I wrote it in. LOL
@@InkquiringMinds After I posted the reply, I decided to rectify the situation. I bought an old Pilot Custom 67 with a Coarse nib on ebay. I'll get it in a few weeks, since it is being shipped from Japan :)
Great review! I like these Indian pens, but the extreme wetness turns me off a bit
Fair enough!
For me the Ranga '8B' was one of my least favorite pen in my whole collection for three reasons, the tooling marks were so noticeable (even in garbage lighting) that I couldn't even admire the cool patterns of the Ebonite, plus the section had threads so tight it literally got stuck and needed some serious force to remove, same goes for the threads for the nib unit as the it couldn't even screw in a quarter of the way before having to stop completely as any further and it felt like something would break. I emailed them about the issue and got an apology plus an offer for a full refund but first I'd have to ship it back an after some thinking, I risked it since it would probably take 3 months before I get a refund and for the pen to arrive to them (as it did for me, even with DHL). Thankfully after some continuous screwing and unscrewing the threads because useable and silicone grease kind of helped but I do plan on selling it as doesn't get enough use in my collection and left me with a bad impression of the company. Thankfully the Zayante and 4C came to me in "perfect" condition and are the only reason I would even consider buying another pen from Ranga or even a handmade one at that but the nibs were duds.
I just successfully unscrewed the Jowo nib unit. I'm going to add some silicone grease to it as it was rather stiff. The pen came with gobs of silicone on the section threads so I think they're trying to solve the problem. Ebonite against ebonite sticks very well!
First, ebonite is HARD vuncanized rubber. All useable natural rubber is vulcanized.
Second, the finish on that pen is really disappointing. My ebonite Neponsite is beautifully finished. Ebonite does feel great. I have a Menlo that Brian Gray made for me when an ebonite section.
But poor finish aside, I do like that pen, and your review was great! Thank you.
Didn't I say that it was vulcanized hard rubber? I'm going to try to polish out the scratches. The next one might be acrylic. Thanks, Jackie!
Stop it, Doug! My bank account can't handle any more of this!
I've been looking at Ranga pens, possibly a Model 5.
Yeah, a Model 5 with a #8 nib for me.
@@InkquiringMinds same here!
LOL😂
Rangaman!
LOL! Now I need a T-shirt!
22:10 That's a misconception and a myth. The extra fine nibs are only a contemporary fashion, not at all a requirement to write Chinese characters. Not only, one can write kanjis with a double broad nib, it was initially the preference in Japan when the fountain pen was first introduced. Kanjis were at that time written with small brushes, medium brushes, big brushes ( images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51nvxWVQ3jL._AC_SY355_.jpg ), huge brushes (springfieldarts.org/sites/default/files/inline-images/Seiran%20Chiba%20Japanese%20Calligraphy_0.jpg ), even mops ( encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTmwCxMaR7XceWmj29_3nHLsd662dDqq2zBoA&usqp=CAU ).
As a remainent of those early days, Japanese pen makers, like Platinum, still offer C nibs that correspond to a double even a triple broad nib size. C because they comes after B, if not BB. www.handoverthatpen.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/20170604_June-PI_1073-1.jpg
Now, they often called "coarse" nibs because they are most often grounded by nibmeisters to suit particular preferences (zoom, architect, oblique, cursive italic, etc.)
And don't forget about all those bent fude nibs... they were also create to write Chinese characters.
Thanks for this Alain! This is all true, of course. I was just trying to make a very small joke.
Nice pen. So are the flaws a cost of its artisanal nature or a benefit?
IMHO, I don't consider the evidence of the pen being handmade as "flaws." I regard them as an essential reminder of the fact that this is a handmade item.
Alan: I don't mind the flaws but I consider the circular scratches just not finished enough. I watched Michel Paquet finalize a pen he custom turned for me in his garage. He spent about 10 minutes getting the minute scratches out with polishing compound on the lathe. Ten minutes is all it took.
Good question! As I said to Alan below, I don't mind the flaws because the pen is magnificent. However, the tooling marks are, in my opinion, the result of not taking enough time with the pen on the lathe. I don't consider those marks "artisanal".
@@InkquiringMinds I wonder how much the price would go up if you added 10 minutes of polishing. Maybe not that much.
In my opinion price should reflect quality, regardless of how they are made. An underpolished pen at $5 might be just fine, while at $100 it would be rejected. Somewhere between those two numbers is a line, above which I accept no shortcomings. Maybe it's around $30. TWSBI is a good example. I'm happy with my GO ($18), despite the low grade plastic. I'm only happy with my Eco ($31) because everything about it is nice, including the plastic. By my relatively low standards.
The branding is on the clip only. I can not understand many of those expensive acrylic pens that etch text into the barrel and basically scarring the beautiful acrylic when they have their trade marks all over the clip, finial, cap band.....and nib!!
It is not so noticeable on some acrylic pens. My new Penlux Masterpiece Snowflake has the barrel engraving and limited edition number, but because it is a cracked ice, clear and frosted white, you have to look carefully to find it.
@@InkquiringMinds Just make sure you keep your hands clean as I have found that after a while debris starts to fill the etching and out comes the soft brush and soapy water!
I assume you've already seen the famous Ranga production video, but if not: th-cam.com/video/08pUuLREZR4/w-d-xo.html
Thanks!
It's so weird that I don't own this pen yet although I am from India. It's only after the BBC article that I became aware of Indian Fountain pen Brands.This pen is pretty difficult to buy in India though. Not even the most popular pen stores in India carry this brand.
Thank you, Venkatraman!
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you, Joan Bell!
Did you get a special order ebonite feed, Doug? I ask because your review made me order an ebonite 4C but it comes with a _plastic_ feed and no listed ebonite option, as do most of the pens listed on their website, as far as I could see. Maybe I was looking at the wrong 4C? rangapens.com/model-4c-2
Hmmm I’ll have to double check. I assumed it was ebonite. Doesn’t matter because it is a fire hose!
@@InkquiringMinds I think this is just a standard Jowo broad with it's housing. They're just that good. There's ebonite feeds for Jowo housing available, but the way I understand it, that's like writing with an open faucet.
@@TweakMDS Yes, I just now unscrewed the Jowo nib assembly - very tight.
It is plastic and in a nib housing. It was so tight I thought I might break it.
Gandhi. I wonder why people get it wrong.
Oops. My bad. The H is in the wrong place.
Dear Doug- just writing to tell you I just received and inked my new Ranga ebonite 4C in broad! HOLY COW! I am a convert.
The pen writes like a dream ( “like Fish oil ink on buttered glass” “like buttah” is a VERY apt description.) I will be ordering more of these pens in different models.
It is very well made, the nib is PERFECT. I could see droplets of water in the converter so I know they tested it before they sent it.
I ordered it 9 days ago and it is here today; I did normal shipping- all the way from India. The owner, Mr. Kandan, was very responsive to my questions via email. They threw in a free ink dropper pen too. The pen is an amazing bargain at this price point ( I have no business affiliation with the company by the way.)
If you were thinking about buying one of these, stop thinking and take the plunge. You will be happy you did.
Doug, I can’t thank you enough for your review on this. I had seen these before but to be honest , the thought of buying a pen from half way around the world made me hesitant. The thought of having a problem and sending it back was holding me back- I have done that here at home and I always hate it. Your review, and the quality of the pen have made me a Ranga Revolutionary!
Cheers!
That's terrific! Thank you for letting me know. The personal attention from Mr. Kandan is very special as are his pens!