First Impressions - Airmail 77PD

I discuss a fountain pen which writes well, but won't hold ink.
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[@trunildesai8882]

I am from India. We had to use fountain pen in schools. The Indian made pens for students were never good. When the Hero pens were available, almost every student shifted to them. I used them till junior college and later shifted to cello ballpoint pens which were too convenient.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I'm depressed to hear that. I hoped for a lot from the Indian pens, but my experience has been questionable.

[@teresaharris-travelbybooks5564]

I'm sorry you got a bad pen, but the review is extremely entertaining, so not all is lost. We need to see the bad side of pen collecting as well. It's a five star review, if that's any consolation. I have a Penbbs 489, that I have no idea if or how much ink I'm getting in it, so I go through the motions and write with it for as long as it will write.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I'm glad it was at least entertaining! Yes, writing with the pen is at least pleasurable.

[@ChrisSaenz13]

I hear you! It's frustrating! Sometimes I can't evaluate a pen until I've had several of them but if one gives too much trouble right off the bat I just can't make myself spend another penny on another one or three! I had this level of frustration with the Jinhao X159... initially.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I wasn't thrilled with my Jinhao x159, but never bought another one. You're right: ideally, I would would try several of the pen. But it would be really hard to talk myself into buying another of these!

[@thorhilda]

This is what they meant, I guess, by "Clutchless piston design for easy disassembly". 😊

[@WaskiSquirrel]

My guess was that referred to being able to easily unscrew the piston...

[@sathishrao7926]

I guess it was imported when US imposed ban on mangoes from India.. Mangoes were ordered but lemons were shipped 😉😉

[@WaskiSquirrel]

You're right: sadly there was a brief period when the US imported lemons. What does it mean that neither grows in North Dakota?

[@christophermckellar1352]

Bummer. Well handled.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Thank you! I hope yet to make it work, but I wish I didn't have to.

[@steventrosiek2623]

Thanks for a honest review. I am a small time collector and also an average skilled repairman. Ill get one of these pens from a US supplier and test it and then dismantle it completely to see what potential problems exist. If successful, ill message you privately to mail your p.o.s. to me and I'll fix it free of charge. I surely understand your frustration.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Thank you! Sadly, I really don't know what happened with this pen. I legitimately have lost it. Hopefully I find it again while I'm decluttering.

[@davidanderson3425]

Our consumer rights are far better protected when purchasing from an established online retailer in our own country. There are many out there. Usually they will replace or give a refund without hesitation. The problem is when buying the more obscure pens from retailers in places like India or China. Often a complaint will get bogged down with difficulties in communication and misunderstandings with eBay sellers etc. Also, the cost of returning an item to the seller in India or China can almost equal or exceed the value of the pen itself. We know, from experience, the quality control at factories manufacturing inexpensive pens is almost non-existent. As you say, you are just as likely to get a good pen off the production line as you are to get a 'lemon'. I hope you 1) manage to find your Airmail pen and 2) find a way to fix it yourself as I've heard some people give this brand good praise.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

You make a good point. With pens like this, I see it as an adventure. I want to experiment with exotic pens. But, if I want a reliable pen, I need to buy it from a US based retailer. I learned that lesson the hard way a few years ago with a Stipula that I purchased from a non-US retailer.

[@archivist17]

I have a Wality Airmail. It's a different model, as it's eyedroppered, has a body-coloured screw cap, and has a very attractive 'Galaxy' colours. It works very well, until the barrel is about a quarter full, when it burps horribly. Yes, I couldmkeep it topped up, but...

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Eyedroppers are obnoxious that way.

[@MrAndrew1953]

Maybe soak it in pen flush or run pen flush through it. I use some Monteverde Pen Flush. Hope this tip works.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I'll try that. I'm not sure what the problem is. Maybe it's the barrel of the pen?

[@barbarawhipple2016]

Can’t you fill it with a syringe? From unscrewing that whole piston thing?

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I think it could be done, but if it doesn't pull in ink, I would be afraid that the seal isn't good enough to hold ink once put in the pen.

[@MissMarilynDarling]

these dogon indian made pens are terrible heres the trick lube the piston ring real well and screw it into the piston knob all the way and then insert it in to the pen and screw it all the way down and the unscrew it all the way and then you should be able to operate it like a normal pen untill the next time it needs to be disassmebled its just like a noodlers nib creeper in that the piston is similar if it gets stuck inside the piston knob or it gets stuck in the barrel sometimes I have to pull the nib feed and shove a skewer in there to get it out and I'm 90% sure that the hood of that pen comes off so you can maintenance the feed and clean out the pen :/

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Thank you for the advice! The lube didn't seem to do the trick. I'm wondering if the barrel has an inconsistent size?

[@MissMarilynDarling]

@@WaskiSquirrel ok well if you have plyers you can pull it out the rear end that way or if you can find a way to unscrew the nib housing you can push it out with a blundt tip syringe the pen is made about as well as a nib creeper if you have one of those you will know how fun they are to deal with 0.0 NOT .lol but once you figure them out their not so bad :)

[@MissMarilynDarling]

I will put it at the beginning of todays video so you can see what I'm talking about :)

[@tsherbs1309]

Not sure what you may have paid for that pen, but it is bin-worthy if you did not pay much. How many p51 clones do you need, especially if they don't work reliably? I can see why you sat on the review for months....

[@WaskiSquirrel]

It's a parts pen now. To be clear, it's a clone of a p51 clone. That was what struck me about it. And it was a waste: I never fixed it.

[@ichirofakename]

Another implicit vote for cartridge/converter filled pens.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

They do have their good points, but I've had a few of them fail as well.

[@sajjadhusain4146]

This is no mystery. The piston unit simply failed live on camera. Pistons on far nicer, pricier pens are known to also sometimes suddenly fail for no apparent reason. Indian-made pens, in general, aren’t exactly famed for quality and reliability. This Airmail pen looks like a typically cheap product that wouldn’t surprise me if it failed to work flawlessly.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

You're right that it's a cheap product. But I have owned several piston fillers at this price that work far better. My feeling after some experimentation is that the barrel in this one has an inconsistent radius.

[@honnony]

Any pen failing is a tragedy, although a pen failing on KZbin shows the reviewers' humanity. Profanity yes, but you didn't chuck it in the garbage, like I did my wonderful Asvine V126 when the gasket blew and instead made it live on in your parts drawer. After my Asvine fiasco, I found these wonderful Airmail pens that get eyedropped. Now I read I have to deal with a dreaded ink burp. Oh well, sh*t happens. Thank you for sharing it was indeed entertaining and enlightening.