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Ranga Model 3 pen review

JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
Ive never done one of these before, plus, I don't have a big collection of pens or experience, so don't expect much sophistication. :blush:

I wanted a "nice" pen to go along with my Lamy Safari, Al-Star, and few Jinhaos I got on a lark, as well as my fairly nice Cross Townsend. But I wasn't ready to step up to a $150-$300 pen yet, either. And I don't want to start a darn collection, I just want to write with it. A lot--get a lot better at penmanship before getting a nice Pelikan or Edison or Sailor someday.

I stumbled across the name Ranga here and elsewhere and learned that apart from horrible Indian nibs, the pens are pretty well-liked. I found a model at Peyton Street Pens (Teri is wonderful, highly recommend them) that she paired with some new-old-stock, Sheaffer no-nonsense nibs which I get the sense people generally like. So I ordered it with a gold clip and gold-plated M nib.

Long story short, I love it! I now understand why people so love the feel of ebonite--it's not as hard or cold as plastic or acrylic, and not as heavy as painted metal. It's quickly become my favorite pen to use, and I don't think it's because it is new. It just feels, well, great. The pen is about 5-7/8" long, and loosely styled after the Parker Duofold, I think, with a fairly stout barrel and cap and a nice big, flat top. I wouldn't know, but other reviewers put this in the Montblanc 149, Edison Collier, or Pelikan M805 size range, and another reviewer gave the weight as 26 grams with the cap, 16 grams uncapped. While you can post the pen, I find it to be too long and unbalanced for me and I use it unposted. The pocket clip is very stiff, but goes on the pocket smoothly and it certainly keeps the pen secure.

Again, I'm not the most experienced guy, but I quite like the Sheaffer no-nonsense nib, it is smooth, what little feedback it had when I first inked it is pretty much gone, and it's gotten very smooth in a very short period of time. Flow is fine, no hard starts or skipping when writing quickly. And I just love the color, which they call Smooth Ripple Green. It's kind of a black and olive drab mix, which must appeal to the military vet in me :biggrin1:. At $65, it was exactly what I was aiming for, and I will likely happily write with it for a year or so as my daily go-to pen, and then I may upgrade. Or not. I certainly don't feel like I need "more" pen at this point. I highly recommended this for an economical intermediate or "second step" pen. The first two photos are mine, the third is from the Peyton Street Pens listing page here:

PSP-Ranga Ebonite Model 3NN Flat-Top Fountain Pen - for Sheaffer No Nonsense Nibs (New) - Model 3 and 3S Flat Top - Ranga | Vintage Fountain Pens - Parker, Sheaffer, Waterman - https://www.peytonstreetpens.com/range-indian-ebonite/model-3-and-3s-flat-top/psp-ranga-ebonite-model-3nn-flat-top-fountain-pen-for-sheaffer-no-nonsense-nibs-new.html.

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P.S. Teri has other models and you can get them (and this one, actually) with Jowo nibs if you prefer. I'm happy as a clam with the Sheaffer nib, though. I've never tried a Jowo, however.
 
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tankerjohn

A little poofier than I prefer
Thanks for the rundown. Sound like you got a great pen there. I would expect Peyton Street’s QC to be spot on. It’s nice they are working with an Indian maker on high quality, affordable fountain pens. Pens from India offer lots of bang for your buck. It’s cool that they spec them with the Sheaffer nibs. Jowo steel nibs are kind of generic and boring. I have three. Don’t get me wrong, they are high quality and perform consistently well. It’s just that they are also hard as nails, and it seems like every proprietary pen out there has one. The Sheaffer nib was a good choice and adds character to your pen. Happy writing!
 

JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
It came with a Sheaffer converter. Of course you could use cartridges with it.

I just noticed I put Tanga, not Ranga in the title. But the edit button is gone. Does it expire after some set time??
 
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