Kanwrite Desire - Square in the Sweet Spot
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Published: 2019/05/14 - Updated: 2020/05/28
Total: 884 words
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More often that not, my desk is my pocket. But everyday desk items doesn't have the same ring.
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Cooperative Gold Ibis, on 2020/02/26, said:
Can you please show the writing samples of EF and SEMIFLEX/ULTRAFLEX nibs..I want to buy this pen and my regular style is spencerian..I want thinner Lines ..I am searching all over the internet but i am not finding any samples or review of those nibs..
I wish I could. Sadly I don't have those nibs to show.
There are some writing samples in the FPN group buy thread for this pen and there's mention of Kanwrite flex nibs in this thread if you haven't yet seen these. The Kanwrite FB page also has some writing samples, but, again, not exactly what you're looking for.
Good luck! It seems like people really like Kanwrite nibs (I do) so the search is worth the effort.
2020/03/03
1
Thanks for the reply...I found that Ultraflex EF nib is not an EF but more of a fine..but i liked the line width..Going for the Ultraflex EF nib rather than a regular EF.
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The Kanwrite Desire is a terrific, entry-level Indian pen. It combines great materials, excellent size, solid fit-and-finish and a high-quality #6 nib that comes in a bunch of sizes.
If you have a chance, get one!
A New Pen? Sort of.
I believe this is an upgrade/relaunch of this model for Kanwrite. This 2016 FPN post introduces the Desire, but that version has a #5.5 nib. The section on the new version looks a little different and there are new colors, but the basic size and choice of materials appears to be the same.
I came across the Kanwrite Desire as part of a recent FPN group buy organized by Vaibhav Mehandiratta. The pen was offered in the group buy in a selection of 12 colors for US$16 per pen shipped.
In additional to the colors, the pen's #6 nib came in a choice of 7(!) sizes:
The nib is housed in a screw-in nib unit for easy swapping.
Cool colors, a #6 nib, 7 nib sizes and a great price. This was a no-brainer. I ordered 2: a double-broad and a stub.
Materials
For exotic acrylic lovers, these are a delight. The colors are subtle, swirly and beautifully matched. I don't know if I like the purple-brown-white or the orangy-brown-white better. Both are outstanding.
The pen is light but very nicely sized, comfortable for writing posted or unposted.
It is remarkably similar in length and section size to the Moonman M6. The Kanwrite Desire is narrower in girth and quite a bit lighter, but otherwise these two are an interesting match.
The cap comes off in roughly 2 turns - so just OK. I have not experienced any cross-threading of the cap. The two bands at the base of cap are flawless on my two pens and add an attractive accent.
The clip is springy but not substantial. A good yank and it'd be bent for life. The branding on the clip is well proportioned, if pedestrian. There's no liner in the cap. That would be a desirable upgrade.
The pen posts wonderfully. The posted size is just perfect for me.
The pen is all plastic. No metal in the section, cap or barrel. The pen is advertised as eyedropper-able and the section threads are fine and precise (about 8 turns to thread the section in the barrel) so should seal reasonably with silicon grease. But there's no o-ring.
The supplied converter is a basic push model. It works fine.
Momma, There Go Those Nibs!
After a steady parade of Chinese pens with #5 nibs that come in one or two nib sizes - with M only rarely one of the options - a budget friendly pen with a #6 nib and choice of 7 sizes is more than a welcome surprise.
With the pens in hand, it became immediately obvious that the Kanwrite nibs and the new Moonman M6 35mm nib are very, very similar.
The Kanwrite Desire and Moonman M6 nib units are the same diameter but the threads are different. The Moonman unit does tighten into into the purple Desire section but not the orange. Playing with mis-matched threads, however, is asking for trouble.
The feeds on the two are virtually indistinguishable.
For fun, I compared other #6 nib units in my collection. Kanwrite is in the Bock camp. Moonman is closer to Jowo.
Putting Pen to Paper
Kanwrite nibs really do have an excellent reputation, as reflected in this FPN thread. The family-owned company supplies nibs to many Indian pen makers, but is said to keep the best for their own-brand pens.
I found the nibs in my two pens to be stellar right out of the box. No need to fiddle with them at all. Really nice!
The brown-orange pen has the stub nib (reground from a broad?) and I picked SKB Tea Amber as the ink. The purple-brown-white model got Bird's Ink, Taiwan Whistling Thrush.
The stub nib gives interesting line variation between horizontal and vertical strokes. It has a definite edge, not sharp but altering the way the lays down ink. Semi-italic? There's no flex to this nib.
The double broad nib is wonderfully smooth and juicy - pretty much everything I was hoping for in a this kind of nib. The nib is full of warm-fuzzy feeling.
Conclusions
What can I say? The Kanwrite Desire is a great pen from a maker who knows what they are doing.
The acrylics are stunning, the size is spot-on and the pen posts like a dream. Construction quality is solid. And the price is right.
But it's the nibs that put the Kanwrite Desire over the top. An easy slam dunk. For me, a great find.
Leave a comment if you know where to buy this pen! It would be great to unearth a source for the entire line with the full set of nibs.