**For those who don't know us:**

**We're BubPens, a small studio in China working on unconventional fountain pen mechanisms. Earlier this year, we introduced the “Snorkel-Piston”—the first production attempt at combining Sheaffer's classic snorkel filling system (1950s design) with a modern piston mechanism.**

**The v1 Beta vision in 3d animation : All aluminum aerospace-grade feed system, 23 precision parts, designed for maximum performance and minimal compromise.**

So here's the story. We ran a **limited closed beta in mainland China** over the past few months, and honestly? Our entire studio team has been *drowning* in final exams. That's why Reddit went radio silent 😅

We've already released **BubPens v1 Beta** domestically. Since it's a test version, we knew there'd be plenty of unexpected issues—so we intentionally limited sales to China only. (Can't beat that $1 nationwide shipping with 3-day delivery—it's been a *lifesaver* for managing support requests. Honestly, if we'd launched this version globally, I'd be getting destroyed by logistics right now.)

**The good news:** After our domestic testing cycle, we've identified every major issue and have solutions ready. The **official v2 release (January/February)** will address all of them.

**What v1 Beta taught us (and how we're fixing it):**

**1️⃣ Ink clogging after 7 days with cap on**

* *Problem:* Ink would dry in the breather tube and capillary channels, requiring manual cleaning (dental floss, metal picks) to use again
* *Solution:* We're ditching the aggressive aluminum feed design. **v2 uses a traditional resin feed**—proven reliability over innovation

**2️⃣ Picky ink compatibility**

* *Problem:* Some ink formulations didn't play well with our system
* *Solution:* Complete breather tube redesign with:
   * Two new gill-like vents (similar to fish gills—better airflow)
   * Enhanced grinding to eliminate burrs
   * Finer capillary channels throughout
   * Sandblasted surface finish for better contact and premium feel

**3️⃣ Magnet detachment (rare but happened)**

* *Problem:* After thousands of extensions/retractions, magnets had a small chance of falling out
* *Solution:* **Zero glue. Pure mechanical engineering.** We eliminated all adhesives and added threaded locking wherever geometrically possible. v2 includes **four precision-threaded retention points**—this was genuinely some of our most demanding machining work. Result: magnets are now physically impossible to lose.

Other confirmed upgrades for the official BubPens 101 v2

On top of the fixes above, here’s what’s already locked in for the official 101 v2:

* New grip section: reshaped to a fully round, more comfortable profile based entirely on your feedback.
* Stronger magnets with added resin support: thicker magnets plus resin reinforcement for better durability and long-term stability.
* Internal anti-damage tweaks: small internal geometry changes to make the mechanism more robust and harder to break during disassembly or curious “over‑tinkering”.
* Exterior design refresh: new finial, new clip, new center band, and more color options. The transparent versions will get their own dedicated metal inner mechanism for a cleaner, more intentional look.
* Resin feed: moving away from the Techno-radicalism aluminum feed to a reliable, serviceable resin feed for the production run.
* Breather tube optimization: refined breather tube design for better reliability, priming, and compatibility across more inks.

Thanks for your patience, everyone. This beta round proved incredibly valuable. 🙏

**Timeline:** I finish my last exam on **December 16th**. Right after that, I'm jumping straight into website updates and accelerating v2 production.



BubPens Snorkel-Piston: We are back with China Beta Results & How We Fixed the 3 Critical Flaws