Asvine's use of the words "transparent" and "translucent" is actually correct. Translucent(trans = through, lucere = to shine) just means the material lets light through, while transparent(apere = to appear) makes the further qualification that objects behind the material must be visible through the material. There are no further qualifications when it comes to colour, so the transparent teal and brown are definitely transparent. The frosted ones are less transparent, but obviously still transparent to some degree. It's like having light from a point source which casts a sharp shadow, or diffuse lighting which scatters the light all over the place.
Transparent means you can see objects through the material - since you can see the vacuum rod through the barrel, the teal version is indeed transparent. Translucent means light is scattered but passes through the material; you cannot see details of objects through the material.
I've had the V126 for a couple of months, and it's hands down my favourite budget pen. It's such a smooth writer in Fine. And I can leave it for 2 weeks and there's no hard starts. I'm in the process of buying the V200 because of the online hype, but at almost double the price I wouldn't consider that budget budget. I have the clear 126 and inks look beautiful in it.
If nib & clip alignment are an aesthetic issue, you can remove the nib from the housing (typically friction fit) and reinsert the nib in the nib housing in the correct orientation. Of course, with double or triple-start capping threads, it will then only be aligned in one orientation of the cap. I've done this with several pens that didn't come from the factory aligned. Thanks for the great review, David.
Hi! Thanks a lot for these and all other reviews! Let me tell you, I felt soooo comforted when I saw I am not the only one getting ink on both paper and... hands :)
It definitely has a sweet spot for where the vacuum mechanism needs to be positioned for easy flow during writing. David pulled it back a bit too far, into the narrow portion of the barrel where it pulls a vacuum, which is why it blurped when he pushed it forward. As long as you keep it in front of the visible ledge where the barrel pulls away from the gasket, you should be fine, ink and air can flow freely around it due to the larger diameter. A possible concern I have with this pen is that the resin threads on the vacuum knob got a little chewed up by the metal threads of the barrel, but hopefully that has done as much as it'll do and is stable now.
Thank you very much for the review. These are indeed remarkable pens for the price. The slight unscrewing of the blind cap is indeed a quirk of all vacuum fillers, but it comes at the advantage that they won't burp ink on you when taken on an aeroplane. Another useful feature is that the section can be removed for easy cleaning, as well as for eyedropper filling when you have a very small amount of ink in your ink bottle or sample vial, which adds some more flexibility to the filling method. Once again, thank you so much for the review!
I envy the lucky person who receives this writing sample in the mail when you return a letter to them, David. With that inky blob, it's a rarity indeed.
Excellent review. I have the Asvine V126; in teal also; which looks very nice with the gold furnishings. I so enjoy writing with mine because it's so comfortable in my hand. I did think it was a bit fiddle-y to get a full ink fill, but persistence pays off. I do love Asvine pens, and they must have a U.S. distribution center because they arrive practically overnight. Not like waiting a month for other Chinese brands to arrive.
Love you covering brands like this - PenBBS, Moonman, Asvine. I know some of the Chinese brands are frowned upon, but they have some really cool offerings for those who can’t justify spending over 50$ or so on a pen, and I love your insight. So thank you!
I got this pen recently. The ink chamber with a rod inside looks incredible. (Specifically red ink in an amber pen looks magical.) I like it a lot more than piston filler demonstrators, (I think pistons are rather unsightly, unlike the vacuum filling system.) The rest of the pen does not feel premium, though. There's nothing wrong with it, but it's just not exciting. Nib, in particular, is a bit odd - it is smooth, but if you press a bit harder the feedback is viscous like like a ballpoint pen, which I don't enjoy at all. So it's not the perfect pen for me personally, but it's a great pen for this budget.
The noise I made when you showed the frosted black was just full caveman appreciation. Those Colorverse inks look great, too! I also genuinely appreciate that you didn't cut out where the ink ran out, and instead explained a fact about vacuum pens that may not be apparent to newbies. I had to learn the hard way (though TWSBI has a lovely and easy to understand instruction sheet) and was scared I had broken my Iris already. Silver lining is that I learned how to dissemble and clean it very early! Speaking of, quick question: Do you have any videos on pen care and where to source supplies such as the oil used in vacuum pens? There is a lot of conflicting information regarding certain parts of pen care, and it's been difficult to make sure I have certain supplies, or the right version thereof.
I have the v126 in translucent Brown with a medium Asvine nib and I'm a convert. The nib is bouncy and juicy and was trouble free right out of the box. I'd go as far as to say that it is my favourite steel nib, and I have quite a few from different brands. I'd be hard-pressed to recommend another pen that offers a similar value for money proposition. An excellent buy and I'll be trying more of their pens.
I have a few asvine pens, including this model. All of my asvine pens write great out of the box. For a budget pen, they are great, I find jinhao is a bit of a gamble, I got two 9019 and one nib was terrible and the other great, had the same issue with the x159 model.
I'm with you re: strong value proposition for Asvine pens. I seem to get on a "brand kick" every so often and lately it's been Asvine. I have the P36, P80, an Asvine cousin -- the Lemon M1 but I skipped the V126 in favor of the recently released V200 mostly since I have a preference for flat top pens. The V200 costs more (about $20) than the V126 but like the 126, wrote smoothly "write" out of the box!
On my V126, the nib is perfectly lined out against the clip. It's so precise, that I hardly believe it's accidental. Maybe they have become better in that respect? And agreed otherwise; mine is a great writer as well.
The pen that would be the closest comparison to this Asvine V126 would be the Wing Sung 699. Both are Chinese vacuum fillers that are similar to the Pilot Custom 823. I have the Pilot Custom 823 and the Wing Sung 699 but not the Asvine V126. If the Asvine V126 is better than the Wing Sung 699 (which is good but not great) it would be worth a try.
Re: Pilot Prera - I have one and it's by far my smoothest pen. I just got a Lamy 2000 (my grail pen) and it isn't as smooth as my Prera (which I'm actually super disappointed about)
