Chelpark Terminator

Best pen name? Or absolutely best pen name?

Think of India. What are you picturing? If you’re picturing food, saris, or stereotypes, SHAME ON YOU. You should be picturing fountain pens. And not the kind that are so uselessly, ludicrously expensive (five figure price tag, anyone?) that no mortal would dare write anything with it, short of the One Perfect Novel. No, we’re talking about sensible pens, the people’s pens, that strike that perfect balance between affordable and reliable.

Affordable and Reliable are also the names of two towing companies, fun fact.

I tend to shy away from eyedropper pens—I’m the paranoid type. I like to have as many safety mechanisms as possible between me and a potential ink spill. This is living on the edge for me, as far as pens go.

A writing delight, or a tick-ink time bomb? Only time will tell.

I’ve given this pen no particularly special treatment—it’s been hobnobbing with all my plebeian pens, bouncing around various pockets, pencil cases, and bags. It seems fine so far. This is a school pen, after all, so it’s probably built with an eye toward withstanding a fair amount of abuse. The cap closes with a nice snap, posts securely, pops open when needed, and does a good job keeping the pen from drying out.

Most importantly, it’s colorful

The only major issue in design is the conspicuous lack of an ink window. The only clue you have that you’re running out of ink is when the ink starts leaking out in big blobby drops when you write (a feature of eyedropper pens, apparently—when the ink gets low enough, the heat of your hand holding the pen makes the air expand inside the pen, forcing out drops of ink). An ink window would be great, provided it’s flush with the body of the pen (I’m not a fan of windows that are recessed or that jut out).

No time for frills. We’re being sensible here.

What the “C” signifies, I’m not quite sure (chitinous? charming? cantankerous? cool?), but it writes like a fine nib. Smooth, this pen is not. I’m hardly in danger of putting too many loopies in my cursive. But I wouldn’t call it scratchy either. Scratchy means unpleasant to write with. This nib makes you think, it imposes a deliberate consideration as you write with such a hard and hardy nib. This is tactile to the max. It’s perfect for a school pen, especially one made in a tradition devoted to good handwriting. You don’t want your schoolwork to be rushed. Take your time, think about what you’re doing, that’s what this pen is for. And the fine nib is suitable for all kinds of paper, from Clairefontaine to cheap printer paper, from Mead to the typically fountain-pen-unfriendly Moleskine.

Works on Moleskine paper? THIS TRULY IS AN EXOTIC PRODUCT FROM A MYSTICAL LAND.

I don’t know how hardy this pen will prove to be, how crack-resistant the resin will end up being over time, but for now, this is a great little workhorse pen that I’ll be keeping in inked-up rotation.

For those of you used to a JetPens timeframe of delivery, getting this pen will be a culture shock (unless you live much closer to India than I do), because the source of this pen is a guy in India. It takes a few weeks. But it’s worth it!

You can get the Chelpark Terminator from Fountain Pen Revolution as part of a 3 for $15 deal, or get it by itself for $8.