Asvine P20 Piston Fountain Pen Blue Resin, Iridium Medium Nib Gold Trim Smooth Writer Collection with Case Set

Asvine P20, Medium Nib, Purple. Don't know that I'd call it an iridescent purple acrylic pen, but the "plane of light" does change its colors. First impressions - quality construction, color, and finish (acrylic); cap comes off with two turns; smooth writing nib; didn't need posting but one could; clear ink window; and good ink flow (TWSBI Blue Ink). To me the nib writes between a medium and fine nib, that's not bad and it just could be the ink. It's a piston-fill, which vendor notifies you of by email prior to delivery (nice, confirming touch) and the pen's directions are in perfect English.Being a piston-fill, I only gave it 4-stars for a beginner's fountain pen. The piston-fill works perfectly and I've not experienced any leakage.Delivery was quick, with the pen arriving in a well-secured plastic case within a cardboard box.After a day's worth of writing, I really like the pen for the value less than $30, smooth nib, appearance, construction, and lightness. If you're on the fence, buy the pen - it will add color and smiles to your collection.

This pen is so good, I just had to write a review. I've purchased several (relatively) inexpensive fountain pens in the past (Hong Dian, PenBBS, Jinhao), so I'll review this with that price level in mind. (I advise anyone who buys fountain pens to flush their pen first with water and a tiny drop of dish soap, as this can avoid many problems associated with first time use.)Quite simply, this pen is as good or better than pens that cost twice as much.-The Extra Fine steel nib is extremely smooth and writes perfectly right out of the box. Required zero tuning, tweaking, or smoothing. Not scratchy at all and puts out a good amount of ink to enable a little shading on the right kind of papers. Not as fine as Pilot EF nibs, but "fine", "extra fine", "medium", etc are all relative, so keep that in mind. There is no standard.-The piston mechanism works perfectly, and is something you don't usually find in a pen at this price point outside of TWSBY pens, and this has much higher quality acrylic than TWSBY.-The clip, while some might find unappealing aesthetically, is extremely functional. The little roller can easliy clip over larger loops and surfaces with without snagging, and securely holds in place with good tension.-The section has a somewhat unique shape in that it tapers and then straightens out toward the end, and has no "stop" for your fingers. I find this comfortable, but others may not, so be aware. Zoom in on the pictures of the listing and you'll see.-It appears to be turned acrylic, so you won't find ugly and scratchy injection molding lines. This is something (turned acrylic) that is typically found in pens that cost $50+ to start.-The acrylic is really attractive. It has a translucency and sparkle that's really nice in the light.-The ink window is highly functional. Crystal clear and you can see what color you have inked up and if you're running low.I really cannot recommend this pen enough. If you're thinking of buying something "fancy" like a Leonardo or Narwhal or something, give this a try, as it's nearly the same quality at a fraction of the price. You'll be able to use it at work without feeling guilty or worring about it getting lost or stolen. I would also recommend PenBBS pens, as they have a similar level of quality and price point, and have a huge selection of styles and filling mechanisms.

The media could not be loaded. First, here is the ink I used with this pen:Sailor Manyo NekoyanagiThis was only my second time using that ink, and now I wish I'd bought a sample vial before a full bottle. It feels like it writes pretty dry in the two pens I've tried it in (Jinhao x750 and this one) but maybe I just haven't found the right pen for that ink. I like how it looks when dry, but I'm not a fan of how it writes.The brief sidetrack on the ink is important because what ink you put in a pen really makes a difference. I had some issues with this pen at first, but I realized my issues are with the ink because it's the same exact issue I had with my Jinhao x750 with this ink. I don’t have time to re-ink it with something else right now, but I might update the review when I do.The pen as a whole is good. The resin is beautiful, but the gold accent design at the end of the cap makes it look kinda cheap because it's obviously cheap plastic.The cap does post securely in my experience, and it doesn't feel too top heavy. I just personally don't like posting my caps. I also wouldn't recommend turning the cap while it's posted because you might spin the filling mechanism underneath it.The nib isn't buttery smooth, but it's not bad either. Comparing it with one of my favorite pens, the TWSBI Eco, (because they're in the same price range and have similar filling mechanisms and steel nibs) they have a similar level of feedback when writing. I prefer the Eco, but that’s largely because I've been able to keep a notoriously misbehaving ink (Organic Studios Nitrogen) in it for months, and not only does it not evaporate much, but it will also still write after sitting with that ink in the feed/nib. To be fair, *most* pens -- especially in this price range -- don't have that good of a seal, so it's not really fair to expect that. Also to be fair, I haven't had this pen long enough to test that seal yet, and this pen definitely looks nicer than the TWSBI Eco.I think this pen is probably pretty middleground as far as writing dry or wet. It's definitely not a gusher, but I think if I had a less dry ink in it, it would write a bit wetter. In my experience with it, it has written a little dry, but I really think that's the fault of the ink I paired with it. I think most basic fountain pen inks would work fine with it. This ink is just weird. I probably wouldn't recommend a shimmering ink with this pen because those inks tend to cause more flow issues, and I don’t think this pen would handle that very well.Overall, if you want a pen that looks fancy and writes decently, I would recommend this one. I still prefer my TWSBI Eco, but that's probably mostly because I've had more time with it.Pens in the pic from top to bottom (for size comparisons with common fountain pens):1. TWSBI Eco2. The pen being reviewed3. Jinhao X7504. Kaweco Sport -- though I probably should have uncapped them and posted the Sport for the pic because it's designed to be longer when posted yet still fit in your pocket when capped.Note: the ink smudge on the paper was my fault, not the pen's. I was messing around and accidentally smacked the feed against the paper, so a few drops of ink made a mess. That wouldn't happen under normal use. Really, as long as you aren't swinging it around and don't drop it, it should behave just fine.

Very smooth writing pen but it is called "purple" but has very limited purple in the pen. When you glance, it is not a purple that stands out.Also; this is the PISTON filling style; it is not difficult to fill but I believe would be difficult to disassemble and clean.Quality seems to be there, it's a beautiful pen but it was supposed to be purple.It was fairly easy to fill and easy to use.Pictures try to show the minimal purple