Endless Love

Endless is definitely at the forefront of Indian entities that are creating a stir in the world of notebooks, inks, and accessories. They had started with notebooks, where, after creating a distinct niche for themselves, they are now concentrated on increasing their basket of offerings. Inks – they call their line Alchemy - were obviously the next in line, and while their ink packaging is simply superb, (the bottles are eye candies, especially with the vibrant inks splashing inside), I will not go into them here as I wish to take it up in a different video.

This one is about a pen that they are about to launch. But before I begin, a word of caution – the pen that I have with me and will be reviewing, is a prototype, and by the time it becomes commercially available, many small details are likely to change. I have no idea whatsoever as to what will be the price of the pen either.

But that should not deter me from stating unequivocally just how much I love this pen. It is an acrylic creation christened the Captiva by Endless. But what really sets it apart from the crowd is the fact that it is Torque Filler. For those who are wondering as to what the hell a torque filler is, it is a piston filler that is shades more convenient to use, as the rotating mechanism is exposed at the end of the barrel, and is a step up in terms of filling capacity in fact. Aditya Bhansali is an Automobile Engineer, and trust him to have incorporated the innovation, which makes filling up a snap.

The second welcome feature of the pen is an ink window that lets the user know the level of ink in the belly, which as we fountain pen users all know, is a hugely convenient thing.

The third obvious heartwarming feature is the smoothness of the steel nib, which is backed by a feed that throws just the right amount of ink to the tip, without crossing the line into messiness. The Captiva is supported by several nib options to choose from (Extra Fine, EF; Fine, F; Medium, M; Broad, B; Stub, S; Architect; and Needle Point, NP) and I am sure that there will be one that will warm the cockles of each individual’s heart. And oh, they also come in three different colours – navy blue, black. and chrome.

The pen has been designed by an automobile engineer, no less, and therefore, let us not comment on just how good it feels in terms of weight, balance, and its ability to glide on paper. Suffice to say, it is a pleasure to write with it. There is another thing that I must mention here – Aditya and Dheeraj, the moving spirits are not only fountain pen, ink, and accessories aficionados themselves, but have traveled the fountain pen (read pen show) circuit extensively. The result is that they are up-to-date about the latest happenings in the fascinating world of fountain pens and are well aware about exactly what other users want, which they constantly try to address. Being in the trade as retailers – they are also behind the hugely successful “the pen world” e-commerce platform – they have an insight that is hard to match. Add a genuine desire to meet the unique needs of pen lovers and you have a combination that is virtually unassailable.

The Indian fountain pen making community has often been castigated as staid and unwilling to expand its horizons, content as it is, doing an Ostrich. Well, to all you detractors, may I present the Team Endless, with the Captiva proudly in hand.