The name is quiet a mouthful: ASA Rainbow 3-in-1 Filling Colourful acrylic Fountain Pen. But trust me, the pen is mightier than the name!
Legend has it that the pen – mine is a Cherry Swirl (Red & Black), its sibling come in equally tempting combinations of Flaming Orange, Midnight Blue and Cracked Ice – has a queue of people eager to acquire it and I was therefore pretty happy when I received it within a decent time after ordering. The fact that it was my first dealing with ASA pens, made it even more memorable – the payment process, the packaging, the delivery, nothing left anything to be desired.
I learn here in the net that the people behind the company are ordinary aficionados like us – people afflicted with an incurable love for writing instruments. May their tribe increase!
For, what their passion has created, and I now hold in my hands, is a sheer delight.
It is not a thin, slim, anorexic pen and I love the way the acrylic feels. Add to it the girth of the pen – it looks “healthy” in a typically Indian way, without being fat that is – which makes it a pleasure to hold and behold. The rounded edges naturally accentuate the smooth 
My piece comes fitted with a Schmidt Fine nib, which is just a pleasure to put on paper. It glides on and one must stress here, glides on and on and on. Without even a murmur or burp of protest, the ink flowing perennially, as glitch less as ever. The real worth of the pen however, comes with use. The more one writes with it, the easier it becomes – perhaps it is about the pen’s process of getting over the initial reluctance of giving its heart and soul to a new owner, the pen taking time to match the emotional hunger for bonding that it fostered in me at fight sight.
The K5 Converter, also from Schmidt adds a decent amount of ink (read huge for the normal user) and is another no-nonsense feature that makes the pen so endearing. I haven’t really used it either with a cartridge or as a barrel filler, though from the looks of it (and if ASA pen’s integrity is any indicator) I can safely vouch for both options, with tarry a thought. The feed too, looks solid state – like the German parts it helps to link.
ASA Pens also provides a free testing facility that is aimed at running the pen in before they ship it and I guess, it is another feature that needs to be mentioned for all ye who are thinking of acquiring your Excalibur from the company. Hang on, did I say Excalibur? Well, that is a Freudian Slip, if there ever was one.
I will not bore you guys with the mandatory (are they?) specifications – height, weight, capped and uncapped length and other mundane stuff like that for the simple reason that they are all there in the website from where you will actually make the purchase. But I will surely tell you this – that a considerable amount of love and affection has gone into the making of the pen is obvious from any angle you view it from – the material and the components are superb, the craftsmanship impeccable and the functionality beyond compere. My salute to the people behind this piece of art – keep up the good work! What makes it even more desirable is the fact that it is Made, here in India and is perhaps one of the finest bearers of her rich pen crafting legacies.
The price? It’s a steal. I have paid much, much more for products from much bigger names but are way inferior to this one.
In the final analysis then, this is the kind of pen my mother would have happily chosen for me to get married to. Go ahead, exchange the garlands! I already have.
NOTE: I purchased the pen without the owners knowing anything about my intention to review it. The review is a passion crime and I shall be grateful if you do write your comments / sprinkle ink.
Some of you have contacted me with a request for ASA pen’s web URL. Here goes:
(I had originally posted this review in my other blog www.corecommunique.com)