Click President – the answer to all pen lover’s prayers for an affordable piston filler, Made in India from scratch, is here!
A piston filler, simply put, is a fountain pen with a knob at the bottom that is twisted to fill the barrel with ink. The first piston fillers are known to have hit the market in the 1820’s or thereabouts, though the credit of making them a part of popular fountain pen lore goes to Pelikan, who in 1927 acquired the patent of Theodor Kovacs, and launched the pen in 1929. The dates are important as till the other day, we in India did not have a mass-produced piston filler of our own, one available at a “reasonable” price point: a “volkspiston” (literally, a piston filler for the people) as it were.
As a fountain pen lover, and a proud Indian to boot, it was a matter of pain (I wouldn’t go to the extreme and use the term “shame”, considering the commercial compulsions, that I feel, were responsible in holding back the manufacturers). But pain it certainly was. And now as we welcome a brand new 2K22, I have in my hand the piston fillers from Click – designed at home, Made in India ground up, reasonably priced and backed by the Click brand assurance: one that stands for quality that brooks no compromise. Am I happy? Bloody hell, I am. Ecstatic is a better word!
The Click CT President looks like a Click Aristocrat that went to the gym. It is just a shade shorter than the Aristocrat in height and a little thinner. The height and girth of the Click CT President, according to Harsh Gagwani, the Managing Director of Click, has been arrived at deliberately. “Our experience shows that this happens to be the best suited for standard sized hands, including Indian ones and the weight too has been kept within the acceptable limits. The materials have been chosen after many trials and tabulations as we were extremely stringent with ourselves – only did the Click President have to be functionally perfect, it also had to be visually appealing and conform to standards that would be acceptable to the maximum number of fountain pen lovers”.
The Broad Clip that tapers down, the centre band at the bottom of the cap and the trim ring where the finial meets the barrel are all golden, which provide a beautiful contrast to the Red and the Blue Presidents, while in the Demonstrator, it attains a class of its own, very rarely seen in instruments in this price range. The threaded Cap exposes the knob, which turns seamlessly to work the piston up and down drawing or dispelling the ink. In terms of performance, it is as smooth as melted chocolate.
But what makes all three Click Presidents (They come as Blue, Red and Clear Demonstrators) attain the showpiece status is the way they allow one to peep into their inner sanctums as the piston rods move as they draw in the ink. What is more, the piston system is openable for cleaning should the proud owner so desire.Forgive me if I sound too hackneyed, but looking at the ink filling in has a twang of romanticism that is enough to make the heart of any fountain pen fanatic overflow. See it, then close your eyes to let the fact that it is “Made in India” sink in slowly. If that doesn’t melt your heart and simultaneously perk you up with pride, nothing will.
As for writing with the Click President, what do I say? For I am an acknowledged Click fan and just love the pleasure that Click pens have unfailingly given me. It will not be an exaggeration if I say that I have never written with a Click pen that I have not loved and the Click Presidents are no exception. I have collected the Fine, Medium and the Broad nibbed ones and all three, true to their class, are flawless. The Two-tone nibs look charmingly elegant and the ebonite feeds perform their duty – that of transporting just the right amount of ink to the nib to give them the wet, juicy countenance that they are known for – perfectly. And here is something for all those who cannot stop themselves from fiddling with the nibs – the nib units in the Click President are interchangeable and in keeping with what Harsh Gagwani calls “popular demand”, extra flex and roller ball nib units are also being made available.
Now the million Dollar question – how do I rate the Click President? Well, I have countless fountain pens that are way more expensive. I also have innumerable fountain pens that come with name tags that enjoy the top-of-mind recall. But no one pen that comes as close as meeting the adage that has been my one dream – to possess a fountain pen, that would be “China se Sastha, Germany se Accha and Garv se Made in India”. Well, to put things straight – The Click President is now my daily carry pen, which I believe is where I should rest my argument.
For those who have joined us late, Click, located in Indore, was established in 1978 and has since then, continued to address the popular demand for fountain pens in India. Click is now run by Harsh Gagwani, a third-generation techno-entrepreneur who has been the brain behind the epoch-making Click Aristocrat and the Falcon Range of pens, which apart from their runaway popularity in India are also widely loved in many countries, including the United States, where they are exported.
The Click President is all set to take this home-grown success story further. As for fellow Indian fountain pen lovers, if you want to wear your nationalism on the sleeve, look no further – the made in Tiranga is here for you to carry in your pocket, next to your heart!
Jai Hind.
For More Information: http://www.uniquepen.in/