Fountain Pen Review: Fountain Pen Revolution Himalaya V1 Chrome Flex (Peacock Aqua)

I confess that I’ve had this pen in my queue for a long time. When I received it from Fountain Pen Revolution to write my review, I immediately filled it with ink. What I hadn’t expected was the RED ink that I used immediately stained the pale blue pen. What to do? So, I buried the pen in the bottom of my “to review” pile. Then, the pandemic hit and we all had a lot of other things to worry about. But I also had time to soak my pen. And lo and behold, patience and some industrial grade pen cleaner managed to get the red ink off the pen and most of the converter. Note to self: clean your pens more regularly.

So, here is the long-awaited review of the Fountain Pen Revolution Himalaya V1 Chrome in Peacock Aqua Acrylic (Note to potential buyers: If you like highly saturated ink colors, maybe choose one of the darker acrylic colors to avoid staining issues. Learn from the “Mistress of Disasters”.).

As mentioned, this is an acrylic pen with chrome trim and can feature either a standard nib option or the FPR Flex nib. These peens are manufactured in India for Fountain Pen Revolution. FPR also adds a custom ebonite feed to help improve overall ink flow.

In order to create the flex, the nib is split all the way down below where it is held into the grip section. The cut outs on the side are designed to help the nib flex further.

There is an o-ring seal between the grip and the body. I suppose it would be possible to eyedropper the pen, if you so desired. However, knowing how much the cap and grip stained from my own inkcident, I would tread carefully before considering this course of action.

Pictured above are two of thee push-pull converters from FPR. The one at the top is brand new and the one at the bottom is stained red from use. From what I understand, this staining of the converters is fairly common and should not be cause for concern. There is a newer version (V2) with a screw converter that may not be as prone to staining.

The pen is lightweight weighing in at 16 gms capped and 11gms uncapped. The length is 13.5 cm (5.625″) capped, 12cm (4.6875 “) and 15cm (5.875”) posted.

It’s comfortable in the hand  and can be posted without getting oddly top heavy.

I know why you’re here… you want to know if it flexes. Alright, I won’t make you wait any longer.

Indeed, it does flex. The nib I received was the flex and not the “ultra flex” so there may be more potential for MORE FLEX. We don’t need more cow bell, we need MORE FLEX.

I did not have to press as hard to get the FPR nib to flex as I have had to do with other flex nibs or soft nibs I’ve tried. Head-to-head, the FPR nib is much better and easier to use than the Noodlers for sure.

In my longer writing sessions, I did find that even with this modest flex, the feed did still choke occasionally — even with the ebonite feed. And when it did choke, it choked HARD. It took a good minute or two to restore flow. Now, this could have been the slightly drier Oster ink I was using or the fact that it is upwards of  90ºF (32ºC) here today. I often think that there can be too many variables when testing pens and inks to be entirely certain. Writing materials are not an exact science.

The feed did seem a wee bit chonky too. When I pressed down with any vigor, it would actually touch the paper creating an extra little, unwanted line. (see above and below)

I think that the FPR Himalaya, or any of their Flex nib compatible pens are a worthy investment with caveats. These are not pens for beginners. I recommend them for someone who is familiar with the mechanics of fountain pens and is comfortable with inky fingers. Because the nib may hard start, this pen is best used with a wet towel, glass of water or a small stack of scrap paper to prime your nib. It might stain so be comfortable with a pen that looks “lived in” — think of this as your “beater pen” not your pristine, buffed and shined just-from-the-car-wash. It will have a history of stains and scratches that will tell the tale of your flex writing experiments. At the $30-ish price point, it can be well-loved pen.

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DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Fountain Pen Revolution for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.