$4 Zebra V-301 Fountain Pen
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- Опубликовано: 26 окт 2024
- If you are are looking for a cheap fountain pen then the Zebra V-301 ( amzn.to/2DWD8LG ) is almost certainly on your list. This is a budget fountain pen from the Zebra Steel Series, just like Zebra's GOAT... the F-701 ( amzn.to/2GSrkxk ) ballpoint.
Unfortunately the V-301 is not that great. It's not too much fun to write with and I've had relatively poor performance when using it. For a better experience for the same money, check out the R-301 rollerball ( amzn.to/2IpTRMT ).
#fountainpens #cheapEDC #cheapfountainpens
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I bought one of these for $3 during Zebra's recent back to school sale to reach the free shipping mark. I had no expectations.
I was actually pleasantly surprised. It writes fairly well, and gets the job done as you said. It's certainly not a Flex nib, but the nib does have some springiness to it that makes it comfortable for long sessions.
I work in a warehouse so I keep it my safety vest with my F-701 for meeting notes and project planning. I know it will survive drops onto concrete, but if it does get run over by a pallet jack, I won't be too sad.
I found that the scratchiness, hard starts and general dryness of the pen is due to the cartridge design. The V-301 cartridge is prone to developing a vacuum that holds the ink at the bottom of the cartridge until tapped or shaken and makes the wick feed run lean.
The solution I found was to use a different cartridge I had laying around.solved the flow issue and turns the V-301 into a nice, wet writer. I think next I'll try refilling the cartridge with some Noodler's Heart of Darkness.
Anyway if you want to give it a try, the Monami Olika cartridges work in the V-301. They're also sold re-branded as Ooly Splendid cartridges. They vastly improved this pen for me.
@@unsharpen I used an Ooly Splendid fountain ink cartridge from some pens I impulse bought at Barnes & Noble. They're available in packs on Amazon. I later found out that they're rebranded Monami Olika cartidges, which are available from JetPens. They're a bit longer and slimmer than the V-301 stock cartridge but they fit nicely and the ink flows better. They look like short internationals, but the opening is the same size as the Lamy cartridges. The Lamys would probably be too long for the V-301, though.
I went ahead and tried some Noodler's HoD in the stock V-301 cartridge. It flows like a champ! I think the issue is the combination of the fat body and narrow neck on the stock Zebra cartridge and the viscosity of the V-301 ink that creates a vacuum where air isn't getting exchanged with ink.
When I first got the pen and it would stall out I noticed that the ink would be sitting in the bottom of the cartridge opposite the nib, even if I was holding it point down. if I took the cartridge out and put it back in, breaking the vacuum, it started right back up and wrote until the pressure stalled it out again.
Interesting. I have one I bought several years ago and the nib isn't hooded. I've never had any trouble with it being a hard starter like I've seen other people report. For a cheap fountain pen, it's worked fine for me.
Edited to add: mine doesn't make the scratchy noise on paper that yours does. Maybe my nib was made better or maybe it's the ink in using. I'm pretty sure I refilled the cartridge with Noodlers black at some point. Mine writes smoothly--not as smoothly as my better fountain pens, but fairly impressive for a $4 pen.
At first it didn't work great, but after emptying out the ink cartridge and filling it with better ink, it now works like an expensive pen.
Of my low end pens, this has been my favorite. Pain is finding ink cartridges.
You can refill the cartridges with a syringe.
I was thinking of buying this just yesterday but went for the F-301 ballpoint and mechanical pencil combo. I'm going to have to buy this one as well.
I find that that for the price point it writes wet & smooth...a good pen to use at work that you will not mind losing as opposed to an expensive one...no scratching...do you think it scratches because you are a lefty? Good review!
I picked one up yesterday, after filling roughly 3 pages. (writing not drawing I’m no artist lol) The one I got hard starts every time and ink supply to the nib always dries up within 2 words. However I held the pen so the nib was upside down and scribbled a little that way, and sure enough as long as I’m holding it upside down it doesn’t hard start and ink supply is fine. As soon as I flip it back over to how it’s supposed to be held the ink dries out almost immediately. Not too sure what to make of it.
I bought one a very long time ago, when the feed was some kind of felt-y material and it didnt hold up with time. Then bought a newer model with a plastic feed and sadly it too didnt last long.
A very dissapointing pen IMO
I bought a V-301 this morning. It was a little less than $4 at a local office supply store (aka heaven). Mine is writing very smoothly. The ink is there as soon as I take the cap off and start writing. Maybe it's a fluke. I was thinking earlier that it could not be a pen for lefties. There are such things, right? I'd be interested to know if your did any better if you tried scribbling right-handed. ... I saw a video of people drawing with them, so... Hm. Curious.
I'm waiting for a Pilot Metropolitan that I ordered from Amazon last Thursday, and that just shipped this morning (Wednesday). I thought having Prime was supposed to make a difference. : (
I also ordered an inexpensive glass pen. My first. I can't wait to try it. : )
Great videos, Sal!
PS: What writing do you do that your pens are so important to you?
I bought one I write at a angle and it works like a gel pen
I have this pin and i like it use it for school seems to be ok on cheap(ish) paper I don't write very fast at first it did not work well after a weeks worth of use it started to work well been using for I year would recommend for 5 bucks in some cases.
Just buy a pilot metropolitan, I've had too many issues with my v301 and the Metropolitan will last you way longer and comes with a converter. You can buy 12 cartriges for 5 dollars or buy a 50ml bottle of ink for a varied price.
Yes, you are correct.
How do your store your fountain pens? Will they leak if you store them nib down or on their side?
I keep most on their side but upright is usually best. I’ve rarely had leaking issues even when storing tip down.
I think I bought a old version, because it doesn't have a hooded nib
I had one and it was a very smooth writer. My wife liked it, so I gave it to her and got another. The second one wrote so poorly I tossed it.
How do you know which fountain pens are okay for reverse writing? (Or should you not do it with any of them?)
I put this in my pocket and the cap came off, so now there is an ink spot in my jeans. Also, do you know any other refills that fit this?
The Monami Olika and Ooly Splendid cartridges work.
i think jinhao might work as well
How come mine i put in the ink but it doesn’t write
Did you hear a pop when you put the ink in? Make sure the seal broke.
First one was so bad I tossed it. The replacement that was sent to me from Zebra is no better. Two thumbs down for this pen. :-/
I bought this for work the other day and I can’t get it to write more than one letter at a time without it going dry and needing a heavy shake. Who has time to shake after EVERY SINGLE LETTER. Trash pen I will try and return it and will be calling them to complain. Extremely disappointed because I’ve loved every other product I’ve bought from them
Thats the main problem with that model. Sometimes it writes sometimes it doesnt.
But if you by any chance get lucky and find someone that actually writes, it writes just fantastic.
Also, cleaning the pen, the nib and changing the ink sometimes helps.
@@javn5255 agreed. amazing pen when it actually works, not worth it when its inconsistent and dry