3 bluRAFIA Schmidt K5 Fountain Pen Ink Converters

I was looking for a cheaper alternative for a Pelikan brand converter for my Pelikan Pelikano pens. I have some by some other manufacturers and by Pelikan, but the Pelikan version is the best looking in the pen. I saw these and thought they had the same telltale chrome piece at the section end, so I took a chance and bought them. The three of these including shipping is only a buck or two more than one Pelikan converter will cost you without shipping.When they arrived, I held one next to my Pelikan and the are so similar that I think they are made by the same manufacturer. There is a tiny difference, though. The seal on the Pelikan is slightly different. Where the bluRAFIA is more or less a single tube, the Pelikan is like two tubes, one inside the other, with a space in between them. The inner tube might be of a softer material than the outer one, because it is definitely more pliable and fits snugly into the section of my Pelikano and stays there.The bluRAFIA doesn't feel snug and, oddly, you can't push it in all the way using finger pressure. When you screw the back of the Pelikano on, the back of the Pelikano pushes the converter the rest of the way on. The bluRAFIA converter isn't longer than the Pelikan converter, as far as I can tell, but you definitely put strain on the threads of the pen when you tighten the back of the pen down. I don't know if this will cause the Pelikano to wear faster or, perhaps, crack or not. If you take the back of the pen off again, the bluRAFIA converter will now be snug, but if you tug it, it will just sort of fall off again and you can't get it to fit snugly again with finger pressure. I think it requires a bit of force from the clamping action of the theads to fit. If your pen has brass threads, no biggie, I think. Maybe even so much the better because as it is, it's a nice, snug fit.The Pelikan converters have been, to me, sometimes too pliant and while they fit snugly to begin with, with time they can develop a sloppy, loose fit. I have fixed this in the past by slightly oblongating the section end of the converter (bite it slightly between my teeth!), so maybe it's all apples and oranges--two designs that look the same, are constructed with high quality materials and feel high quality, but they each have less than perfect seal ends for my particular pen.Nevertheless, neither has leaked, which, I guess, is the most important thing you want from your converter.That's why, in the end, given that both coverters have problems and aren't perfect, the bluRAFIA are definitely cheaper and every bit as good looking and high quality as the Pelikans at a fraction of the cost from this seller.

Don't purchase. They don't fit tight, they hold less then the std international converters, and the mechanism looks similar to the converters that come with the JinHao Chinese pens. I can't believe Schmidt made these. I guess you can fool yourself into thinking that you can get something for next to nothing. Pay the $5.00 per Schmidt converter, and don't try to say a few dollars on a product that if it doesn't fit tight in the fountain pen, it wouldn't suck up the ink, and/or will leak inside the pen. The real Schmidt converters work very well, and at $5 clams a pop, still inexpensive. The image below is what the real Schmidt K5 converter looks like.

Ugh. Should have listened to the more recent reviews on this one. Have bought this item from the exact, same listing and vendor before without incident (which is why I went ahead and bought again despite the negative reviews), and these are NOT the Schmidt K5 converters I received previously. These don't even remotely resemble the K5 and as a result, they don't even come close to fitting (was meant for some Pelikanos but tried it in Lamy, Waterman, and MB, just out of curiosity and it fit none of them). Seems like deceptive advertising. Very disappointing.

Neither bluRAFIA nor clear as pictured. I'll keep them because they will likely work, but there should be a penalty for the bait/switch tactic. At least they should change the photo. They seem to be shipping green transparent versions, unbranded.Also, from the vendor (not prime) shipping was laboriously slow and had no tracking.

These are converters with a small diameter cylinder and very small capacity. The construction is at best average.

I was skeptical when I ordered these, but when they arrived they were everything I expected. They appear to be well-made, the mechanism works smoothly and they appear to be as nice as any converter I have bought. Unfortunately, they were too long for the Watermen pen I planned to use the with, but they will be put to use in other pens. Recommended.

Got the three pack. Works great with my Namisu. Ink pulled right in with no effort. Flow of the ink when writing, even quickly, was continuous. Changing converters, different converter for each color, was also easy.

These are nice . . . and very well priced. Best price around for good quality standard converters. They work as expected, and seem very well built. Overall a great buy for anyone seeking good converters for their pen. Caveat: these will not work in Parker, Lamy, etc . . . So do research if your particular pen takes international standard cartridges.