(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)
(Note: We listed the pen model incorrectly in the original post and have updated the name and product links accordingly. -Brad)
The only thing that frustrates me about this pen is that, no matter how many photos I take, I can't seem to quite capture how awesome it looks in person. The Ranga Abhimanyu from Peyton Street Pens has beautiful depth of color. This red and black colorway has swirls that look like an active lava flow. The ebonite is smooth, and the body and cap feel substantial and strong.
The cap screws off to reveal a grip section in the same ebonite material. It's nicely shaped with a taper that ends in a flair that keeps the fingers from slipping. This model has no clip, and both finials are gently shaped to a point. The overall shape reminds me of a Nakaya Piccolo, though this solid ebonite is much heavier. The Ranga isn't uncomfortably heavy, though. It's very well balanced and comfortable to write with, even for long writing sessions.
The grip unscrews from the body to access the converter. It takes a standard international cartridge or converter, but the pen can also be eyedroppered. The body threads are long, so it takes lots of unscrewing to access the ink chamber, and those threads come pre-greased, so it's ready to ink right away.
Once inked, it's revealed that this is not just a pretty pen. I really enjoyed writing with it. The nib is a #6 steel nib. This one is marked as a Fine, but Peyton Street Pens offers a number of sizes as well as some grinds. This one has a fine cursive italic grind on it, done by in-house nib grinder Nivardo Sanchez. The writing has great character, and the downstrokes are wider than the cross strokes. I might be slightly biased, because that is my favorite flavor of nib grind, but I adore the way it writes. It has a nice flow, it's super smooth, and I have had no issues with the pen drying out, even when I let it sit for a few days without use.
This model of pen comes in a variety of colors, from simple elegance to gloriously wacky. The price ranges from $72 to $105 depending on size, plus another $25 if you would like a custom nib grind, which is a very fair price. It's probably a little low, but don't tell them that; I might need a second one.
(Peyton Street Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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