Fountain Pen Revolution Jaipur Version 2 Review: Affordable Piston Filler With Flex Potential

Introduction

Fountain Pen Revolution specializes in high quality, low cost pens from Indian manufacturers, alongside a selection of worldwide brands. The Jaipur Version 2 is one of those pens, and it brings a few meaningful updates over the original model: a new nib unit that is interchangeable with the #6 units sold through the Fountain Pen Revolution site, and a redesigned piston mechanism. It normally retails for $55, and it has been seen on sale for around $46.75. For a piston filler with an interesting resin and a decent nib, that is not a bad price.

Design and Materials

The pen is available in a wide range of colors. The cracked ice acrylic lineup includes blue, orange and white, teal and ruby, and jade and purple. Ebonite options come in matte black, mottled brown, and a mottled deep blue. The review example is the blue cracked ice acrylic, a fairly light pen whose acrylic nonetheless feels sturdy. The material is semi-transparent with a blue cracked ice look, and it has a kind of chatoyance as it catches light at different angles.

The cap comes to a blunt rounded point near the top, with a very thin clip band and a clip that tapers to a teardrop end, similar in looks to the clip on the Conklin Duragraph line. It is fairly flexible and accommodates materials of varying thickness. On the cap band, the FPR engraving is a bit sloppy, and oddly there is a period after the F but none after the P and R. The barrel tapers at an even angle to a plastic section that is part of the piston mechanism, ending in an elongated blind cap with a rounded tip.

Nib and Section

Under the cap, which twists off in one and a quarter rotations, sits a number six sized nib. It is available in extra fine, fine, and medium, and at additional cost in broad, stub, steel flex, and extra fine ultraflex. The ebonite feed pairs with the nib, and the section is compatible with other Fountain Pen Revolution #6 nib units if you want to swap in something with a plastic feed.

The section begins with an extremely small flare and stays straight until the threads, which are not sharp or uncomfortable if your grip rests on them. Behind the threads at the start of the barrel there is a generous ink window, a nice touch on a piston filler.

Filling and Everyday Handling

This is a piston filler. Behind the barrel, the plastic piston knob operates very well once the blind cap is removed. The pen is plenty long enough to use unposted. The cap does post over the blind cap, but it does not sit deeply where it contacts the barrel, so you need to post it with a bit of intention to get it fully secured.

Disassembly and Maintenance

The Jaipur Version 2 is unusually easy to take apart. The nib and feed simply pull right out of the section; to reinstall, you match them up and press them both down together. The piston comes out by hand as well: hold both the piston knob and the lower portion of the pen, twist, and the entire mechanism comes free, lightly greased and ready to clean. Because you can remove the nib from one end and the piston from the other, the pen is very easy to flush thoroughly.

Inking and Writing Experience

The review pen was filled with Fountain Pen Revolution’s Tangerine Dream ink, a really nice saturated orange with good shading, sitting between Noodler’s Apache Sunset and the slightly darker Blackstone Wild Orange. The ink comes in a 30 ml bottle, and Fountain Pen Revolution has introduced a number of inks worth checking out alongside the pens.

The writing sample used a medium stainless steel nib with the Tangerine Dream ink. Ink flow is fairly wet, and the feed keeps up just fine with fast writing once the nib is properly aligned. One small note: after reattaching the nib, if everything is not quite aligned correctly, ink flow can suffer, which is a user error rather than a fault of the pen. Reverse writing is very scratchy. As for flex, this is not one of the flex nibs, but a decent amount of line variation is possible, not a ton for a steel nib, but respectable.

Buying Advice

At $55, or around $46.75 on sale, the Jaipur Version 2 makes sense as a piston filler with an interesting resin and a decent nib. Fountain Pen Revolution also offers a number of models with interesting flex options, so if you want to get started in flex and would rather try an inexpensive model before committing to something more expensive, this brand is a good place to start.

Conclusion

The Jaipur Version 2 is a reasonable pen at a reasonable price: easy to disassemble, pleasant materials, a swappable #6 nib unit, and a redesigned piston that works well. It is a solid pick for anyone who enjoys tinkering with their pens or wants an affordable entry into flex writing.