Fountain Pen Revolution Himalaya v.2 : An artist review
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- čas přidán 22. 07. 2024
- Hello pen lovers!
Today I’m reviewing the Fountain Pen Revolution Himalaya V2. I did not really like the FPR Jaipur for art. You can see my review here:
• Fountain Pen Revolutio...
But how about the Japuir’s more stylish (and a bit more expensive) cousin? I’ll be sharing my thoughts today.
I’m releasing this video a week ahead of schedule! Normally I post every other week, but I want to get working on some stuff for the holidays, so I guess you can call this one a little Christmas bonus! More content to come! Thanks for stopping by!
Find the pen here:
bit.ly/FPRhml2
I’m looking at upgrading my paper choices for these videos, so I’ll be testing out some Tomoe River paper. You can find that here
bit.ly/TmRvrCrm
00:00 intro
01:43 parts and disassembly
06:15 ink fill
08:15 sample strokes + Tomoe River Paper
15:17 drawing sample
17:02 final thoughts
Thanks! Please subscribe to my channel if you like what you see!
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I have the Darjeeling with the Ultraflex nib and I love it! Was wondering about the Himalaya, but I don't need any more pens 😂😂😂 good review!
If you like the Darjeeling, you would probably like this. I don’t care much for the nib and feed, but the finish is very nice.
These pens are excellent when you use the Fpr Ultra flex nib omg their so good
I keep hearing a lot of good things about the Ultra Flex nibs. Flex nibs aren’t really my thing, but I’ll probably have to give them a try eventually.
@@stepheninks You'll LOVE THEM
A viedo about makting a sketchbook would be really great. I personally would choose a thicker paper. I like Clairefonataine 90g/qm.
Thanks for the recommendation! I’m going to go look that up!
My first fountain pen was an FPR Indus with the regular flex nib. It skipped and blobbed, and I had to really lean on it to get it to open up the tiniest bit, gouging the paper. Super frustrating.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and I bought an FPR Guru ultraflex secondhand on Reddit. It's a damn treat in comparison. Easy to use and doesn't tire out my hand. I don't think I'd buy one of their higher end pens but the ultraflex nib is living up to the hype, thank goodness. If you can get the nib cheap it might be worth a try.
You know, you’re the second person to recommend the ultra flex to me? It might be a sign that I need to check it out. A CZcams friend of mine had a really bad experience with their customer service, but they were pleasant to me. I’ll be thinking about it. To be fair, I actually do like this pen as is, despite some of its issues.
@@stepheninks I saw many good reviews about the nib but the build quality of the first pen put me off. I really just wanted the nib for a future transplant but I like the Guru. It's plain but does its job unassumingly.
I recently acquired an old Platinum pocket pen in SF for really fine lines with a little line variation. These two pens have scratched my flex itch for about $50. Anything after that is retail therapy/compulsive collecting 😁
@@amyr.862 yeah, I personally feel like I’m done with flex nibs. I don’t really need them, and some of the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. If I really want line variation, I like the results I get with my brush pens a little better anyway.
@@stepheninks A lot of folks chase the flex dragon. It's not the end all pen experience but it's fun. Then there's the "It's not vintage flex" crowd that thinks if you can't spread the nib to thumb width by breathing on it it's no good. That FPR nib is PLENTY 🤣🤣 I won't cry and skip meals if something happens to it!
I love brush pens but I'm shaky as heck when I try to make a thinner line. Which is weird because I'm a little more steady with a paint brush. I'm practicing.
@@amyr.862 chase a dragon and get burned! When I started my channel, I was definitely chasing the thinnest line I could get... the Kakuno was almost perfect for that, and then I found my Platinum 3776, which was just everything...but not without cost.
As for brush pens, I think they have some of their own little quirks when compared to straight up brushes. I used to be better, but I’ve fallen out of practice. I’m going to do some videos about my brush pens someday. Probably not at least until summer, because I have soooo many videos that I’ve already started filming. I’m backlogged for a few months at least!
You didn't get the ultraflex nib???????? :P
I have the himalaya v1 flex nib (not the ultra flex) and it is really consistent and has pleasant feedback. Even if you don't flex it, it is just a great drawing nib at least on my pen and among all the other modern fountain pens (i.e. readily available) I have tried it is my favorite for writing and drawing. Yes, as you say the feed is very wet so its kind of self defeating to carry the pen around in your pocket lots since you are always gonna get ink in the cap/section but I definitely recommend the flex nib (and I look forward to trying the ultra flex nib).
The thing about these kind of flex nibs is although the fpr flex nibs represent some of the best modern flex nibs (while being super affordable) they still aren't flexy in the way vintage fountain pen nibs apparently are. The joy of marking with a fountain pen is that a well adjusted nib takes no force to write with and to flex these kinds of modern "flex" nibs it takes force so if you want consistent, fine lines then just don't apply force! To me it becomes a question of why not?
Also, side note have you heard of the Platinum DP-1000an? Its like the Platinum Carbon Desk Pen but it has an even finer nib. It is an EXTREMELY fine nib, like it gets into the territory of rivaling microns, technical pens, hi-tecs etc. For drawing I find it is the best fountain pen nib I have found that gives consistent, fine lines that can be hatched out to dry lines like a micron in its sweet spot can. Though the DP-1000an never runs dry per say, it can be hatched with that quick motion so that its mark lightens to nothing while simultaneously you can put the nib to paper and swirl it around all you want and you won't outrun the feed. With a fountain pen nib this fine you gotta learn to be able to adjust it a bit (a jewelry magnifier glass and a thin plastic sheet to stick between the tines to open them up a hair to adjust flow) to get it the way you want but when you do you can adjust it to the perfect amount of dryness/wetness and have an incredibly durable fine drawing instrument.
To be honest, I’ve tried some of these modern steel flex nibs, and I’m really not into them. I have 2 Noodlers pens, which I rarely use, so unless the FPR nibs are waaay better than that, I can’t justify the extra cost. I kind of feel like the Himalaya is even a bit expensive for what it is. Of all the ebonite feed, Indian Style pens that I own, I think the Himalaya is the best version of that. Even so, there are a lot of pens I would recommend before the Himalaya for art. To each his own though, I know this pen has a loyal fan base.
I had never heard of the Platinum pen you mentioned, so I googled it, and suddenly realized that I HAD seen it before, when I first got into fountain pens while living in South Korea. It was marketed as the “Platinum desk pen” over there, so I thought it was the same thing as the Carbon Desk Pen, but looking at it, I realize that is the one I saw all those years ago. I just put it on my wish list. Sounds like something I would LOVE. Thanks for bringing my attention to it!
@@stepheninks I haven't tried the Noodler flex pens myself but that is because while initially a lot of advice pointed towards Noodlers flex pens the more I read the more people who had handled both seemed to say the FPR himalaya's with the flex nibs are significantly better.
What I can say is I have metropolitans, jinhao x750s, a levenger fountain pen, pen bbs pens, a vintage semi-flex steel nibbed pilot and a bunch of others and the himalaya with the flex nib I have still stands out as the best feeling to draw and write with. Its got a really nice feedback (not scratchy, but not skatey), the flow is good and the line variation is also good.
I haven't tried the ultraflex, but people's opinions on it seem very positive (though you can definitely outrun the feed).
The himalaya is an unusual position. It is definitely pricey compared to other artist pens (albeit disposable) but compared to other modern fountain pens that claim to do similar things (pilot falcon, pilot fa nib, aurora flex nib, franklin christoph flex nib) it is both way cheaper and equally (in some cases way more) capable.
Interesting... I would think that the nibs would be really similar, given that they look really similar.. I might be interested to try it. I’ve also heard great things about the new Jowo omniflex that’s available on Conklin pens. That might be my next purchase, I’m not that into flex nibs though. A nice, even line does well enough for me!
@@stepheninks Why didn't you like the noodlers flex nib? Was it too scratchy or did it take so much force to flex it wasn't worth it? I haven't used them but I have heard they often take a lot of tinkering out of the box.
I remember the first time I use tomoe, and I just couldn’t wipe the smug off my face. Tomoe shines when you use shading inks, so you might not be seeing what tomoe is all about. For practical daily use, I would recommend sugarcane copy paper (I am using tree zero from amazon $15 per ream) it’s not as good as specialty fp paper, but it’s good and economical enough that it doesn’t bleed and feather. As far as vellum, it’s surprisingly not fountain pen friendly, because it feathers a tiny bit. Vellum is meant for pencil or isographs. I have yet to try Mylar printing paper.
Never tried FPR before, but I own an Ahab. These pens are just too finicky to rely on. Maybe I will invest in a pilot FA or Franklin Christoph in the future, but so far I like my Japan XF, Euro Fine and 1.1 Stub setup as my drawing trifecta to give my line drawings some depth.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the recommendations! I just put some of that paper on my Amazon wish list. Love that it’s Carbon Neutral as well. If I end up buying it, I can do another video about that as well.
I don’t have an Ahab, but I do have a Noodlers Nib Creaper, and a Konrad. I’ve been pretty underwhelmed by both. I have a video on the Creaper, and I’m planning something for the Konrad. Love Noodlers inks... not so enthusiastic about the pens. I definitely like the Himalaya better than both the Noodlers pens that I own.
I just got this same pen in brown ebonite and honestly i'm appalled by how poor the build quality it is. And also how ugly it is, frankly. With the ultra flex it costs $50, yet it's vastly inferior in build quality to my $14 chinese pens from Amazon. The HongDian Warrior / Black Forest / 525 all blow this pen out of the water to the point that they're legitimately incomparable. For example the HongDian Warrior with Fude nib is all brass/stainless steel construction with a premium feeling matte black rubber exterior and chrome steel accents. It's extremely sturdy and solid feeling, the clip is super thick and strong, the cap snaps on with a very satisfying thunk, the nib writes smoothly and the piston converter twists smoothly and seamlessly. Honestly you would be forgiven for mistaking this $14 chinese pen for precision German engineering. In comparison this ebonite FPR Himalaya v2 looks like a mcdonalds toy. Well that's a slight exaggeration. It actually looks more like my $2 Pilot Varsity (disposable) fountain pens..... I honestly cannot believe the fountain pen community is OK with this kind of build quality for 50 fucking dollars.
It's like I'm living in some kind of mirror world. Why the hell are the $14 chinese pens higher quality than literally any other pen I've ever bought? And why does no one talk about them? They are so vastly superior to the Himalaya, and the Pilot Metroplitan, and the Noodlers Ahab, and the TWSBI 580, and every other pen made out of plastic acrylic. What a joke that plastic pens are sold for $50-$500. The HongDian pens were my first ever fountain pens, they're just the first ones I found on Amazon before I knew much about fountain pens. Imagine my disappointment when every single pen I've bought since then, no matter the price, has been so cheap feeling in comparison.
By the way, I also bought the FPR quickdraw flex, and although it's definitely much nicer than the himalaya, it's again almost $50 with the UF nib and still fairly chintzy. I'm gonna keep the quickdraw just for the UF nib but I'm definitely returning the Himalaya. Honestly, anyone reading, don't buy the ebonite Himalaya. I can't speak on the acrylic versions but honestly don't expect anything high quality or premium feeling. Be aware you're only buying it for the nib.
I understand the frustration. To be honest, if I were able to do it again, I would pass on this one. To be sure, there’s a consistency issue with the pens. Personally, I feel like I got a decent one, but others have reported similar experiences to what you said.
By the way, if you really want to commiserate with someone on the FPR pen line, my CZcams friend Douglas Rathburn has a video about his FPR Himalaya, and he totally rips them a new one. It’s a pretty fun watch.
I also agree that price is no indication of quality. I just got a Wing Sung pen that I’m planning to review for the channel, and I’m absolutely in love with it! Better than pens that cost 5-10x as much. That’s why I like seeking out reviews of pens before buying.
@@bobjenkins3rd good points. I have heard really good things about Ranga. If I ever bought another Indian pen, it would probably be from them. For now, I have some other things I want to look at before giving Indian pen makers another look.
Jaipur is pronounced Jai pure.
Thank you! I was pretty sure I was pronouncing it wrong.
Ji (rhymes with hi) poor actually