V200 Rainbow Titanium

My original review was written before I learned more about this fountain pen and realized the pen was only as good as the ink you used in it. To be sure this is a well made, beautiful writing fountain pen. The ink flow is very consistent, very much more so than I or anyone would expect it to be. The tip of the pen is well made. It provides a smooth, consistent and level line of writing yet gives you full control over the way it writes. Unlike many fountain pens I have used this one has never leaked in my pocket or in the cap of the pen. I had many vacuum fill pens, which I think are the best method to fill the pen with ink, and this is a very easy pen to fill and will give you ways to fill the barrel to different levels. I press hard when I write with any type of writing instrument, this pen handles the pressure well and is responsive to varied pressure and the direction you hold the pen to let you control the written line. For the money this is a very well made pen, with characteristics, features, and quality of some very very(overpriced) expensive pens I have owned.

First of all, this is a very well made pen. It's heavy. It feels precise like a machinist's tool. (Mine is the black frosted version.) I've been into fountain pens for about 10 years and have had probably a couple dozen pens up to the $200 mark. I'm especially into flex nibs for handwriting and fine art. I tend to like large ink capacities of piston fill, vac fill, eyedropper, bulk fill etc. The V200 is a vac filler with a key feature, a shut off valve. If you screw the back-end cap all the way down, ink flow from the reservoir to the section and nib is shut off. I've learned this is a far better design on any pen with such a large ink capacity, as this when shut off can absolutely prevent most burping, and prevent leaking while traveling as well. Honestly I will only eye-dropper fill this pen, which I find easier than the vacuum party trick, but the shut-off valve is what is key.While the nib that comes with this pen is just fine, I like to replace stock nibs with some kind of modern flex nib. My favorites are the FPR Ultraflex, and the Bluedew nib which is basically a stainless steel version of a Zebra G dip pen nib, intended for fountain pens. As it happens, the Bluedew nib unit, including the nib, feed, and plastic cylinder, will screw directly into the V200 nib section, the o-ring even seals up nicely. It's practically like they were designed to work together. (The plastic threads of the nib units I believe don't exactly match but it doesn't seem to matter.) This is definitely the easiest pen I've had for converting to a first-rate flex nib.Other similar pens I've had are the Opus 88 demonstrator and various Twsbi. Also Majohn, Jinhao, Pilot, FPR, Noodlers, Hongdian, Moonman, Duke, a bunch of Lamy's, etc. I would put the V200 at the top of the heap.The black frosted version in particular is aesthetically just wonderful. Perhaps the Opus 88 is slightly more premium feeling and looking, though that pen is twice the price and has its own drawbacks, like requiring way too many turns to uncap, and not being able to post. Also not at all easy to fit alternate flex nibs to the Opus. The V200 takes only 1-1/4 turns to uncap, posts very well.For these reasons, the V200 is my new number 1. For my admittedly particular purposes, it's practically perfect. I already want to get a couple more.

I have found Asvine fountain pens to be well made and good writers; amazing quality for the price. This V200 <F> nib clear Titanium vacuum filler lives up to my expectation. It has a screw cap and the clear body makes it easy to know how much ink is left. The body holds a generous amount of ink. It is comfortable in my small hand, but due to the weight, I usually use it unposted. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because vacuum fillers are not my favorite, but really it’s an excellent pen for a very reasonable price; especially if you like a little weight to your fountain pens.

Bought the V200 <EF> Asvine nib about two weeks ago as my first fountain pen. Paired it with the Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black and a 24lb cotton paper. I am extremely pleased with the purchase. So much so that I bought my wife the anodized version of the V200 for her first pen, two days after this one arrived. Both have written excellent out of the box, with no tuning required. The piston rod on mine did have a slight warp. My wife's was flawless, so I think it was just a fluke, since I haven't seen it mentioned in any other reviews. The only impact this has is when the tiny O-ring on the end of the rod intereacts with the end of the feed. This one takes a little fiddling to seat the O-ring properly and get a complete shutoff. Again, my wife's pen functions perfectly, so I have something to compare against. That is literally the only negative I have to point out, though. Everything else is immaculate. Fit and finish are, with the obvious exception, impeccable throughout both pens. Operation of the vacuum filler is flawless, even with the curved rod. The section is comfortable with the kind of micro-grip you only really get from brushed metals. The thread profile here is also very easy to the touch. No sharp edges or burrs. Solid, well-built feel, right down to the cap. I haven't had any trouble feeling where I should stop twisting, but if over-tightening is a problem for you, it does not have any kind of thread stop. It is metal to plastic, both top and bottom. I don't recommend being hasty with the blind cap in particular. That would be possible to cross thread pretty severely. Simple solution is to treat it like a fine instrument and it should serve admirably. It is also quite simple to unscrew the section from the barrel and fill the reservoir with a dropper or syringe, which is what I like to do.The writing experience has been smooth and problem free. The few exceptions to that have been my own lack of knowledge or experience and not really anything to do with the pen. No hard starts or skipping. Really nice, super-fine line writing in reverse. The nib itself is beautifully polished and engraved with some decorative scroll work and the size of the point. The Asvine produced nib and feed have worked without a problem, right out of the box. I have no experience here, but I would personally say that it feels pretty stiff. Little to no line variation, which is a desirable trait for me, at least in this context. Asvine also offers replacement nibs in all four colors, for a little over $5 each. Replacing them is as easy as unscrewing one and threading another one in. I have only traveled with it once, but that was by bicycle and not over perfectly flat terrain. No leaks or burps during that trip.Would absolutely recommend and have plans to buy another in the next few days. If you are into demonstrator type pens, this one is offering some phenomenal value.