What Chinese Pens Are You Using Today?

[PAC 1957]

Piero,

 

I have a Kaigelu 316 Duofold copy and use it interchangably with my Centennial. I agree, that pen isn't of the same quality. The balance and plating are both not as good, however it is a very good pen that I would miss if I didn't have it. I will say, if I could get any Parker of that quality at that price, I'd be a happy man. I can gat the K316 for the same price as a Vector in a B&M store at home. I'd never get the Vector again having had a K316 for that money.

 

Regards

 

Richard

Hi Richard,

Thankyou FOR Your reply. Any doubt about the fact that these Chinese copies are good. But in my opinion They remain copies at the end Of the day , using Western brands as overall benchmarks. This is the main problem with Asian manufacturers also in many other fields , their quality is improving and sometimes even better in the lower price range, with quite a few Important exceptions : , They are " "followers" in terms of design and let"s say " New ideas" , certainly not in terms Of quality and value for money especially in entry level products.This is also a problem Of Japanese pen brands : do You know for example why Japanese fountain pens aren't popular in Italy, in any price range, except for entry level products? because They basicallly inspire their production to European and US products . The first comment Of the average Italian pen collector or even user when They see most Of Sailor or Pilot products ( except FOR a Capless FOR example, which is something Very different and a Real winner): oh, doesn't this pen look like ( or almost like) a..........name of a major Western brand. It's difficult to disagree, although the tradition & quality of top Japanese brands and the ongoing improvement of Chinese production are Important facts which must be acknowledged. Especially in the medium / high end market niche quality Of fountain pens is more or less leveled, and thus design, new ideas are what make new pens winners or not . And besides their longer tradition, overall Western brands are still ahead of the game in FP production, in my opinion and as I was able to see since I joined FPN , Of many other FPN Members.

 

Best

Piero

.

Edited March 10, 2013 by PAC 1957

[richardandtracy]

Piero,

 

You could be right. Italy is certainly the home of modern design, and many countries follow Italian design whether it's clothes, cars or pens.

Modern Chinese design has no depth of history behind it. However when China re-discovers its roots, then things will change - they have a much longer history than any European civilisation - China was one country while all the Greek city states were still fighting each other and in the UK we were still painting ourselves blue while different tribes fought each other.

For the high end pens the Chinese are beginning to do their own, and some of them are gorgeous. I am not willing to risk the money, but this sale is amazing: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150844797284?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 . It also owes nothing to any other manufacturerI can recall.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[51ISH]

I seem to remember back in the '60's and 70's folks in the UK saying the Japanese were 'just copying' the British Motorcycle industry...and that they would never really 'catch on' within 10 or so years the British Motorcycle industry was all but finished....Mr Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha etc are all doing very nicely thank you (yes I realize Triumph has made a recover and all credit to Mr Bloor for what he has done) While I am no expert, and have no figures to back up my statement, I believe, the Italian Motorcycle Industry produces some superb motorcycles, Ducati, etc...I understand the numbers involved are a fraction of the Japanese outputs.

 

I understand this is comparing 'Apples to Oranges' as we sometimes say here...

but, I think there are some similarities here.

[51ISH]

Ooops...sorry....double post...

 

I'm on a dodgy hotel Internet connection.

Edited March 11, 2013 by 51ISH

[sebastel23]

jinhao 136 with supermarket no-name erasable blue cartridges.

[PAC 1957]

Piero,

 

You could be right. Italy is certainly the home of modern design, and many countries follow Italian design whether it's clothes, cars or pens.

Modern Chinese design has no depth of history behind it. However when China re-discovers its roots, then things will change - they have a much longer history than any European civilisation - China was one country while all the Greek city states were still fighting each other and in the UK we were still painting ourselves blue while different tribes fought each other.

For the high end pens the Chinese are beginning to do their own, and some of them are gorgeous. I am not willing to risk the money, but this sale is amazing: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150844797284?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 . It also owes nothing to any other manufacturerI can recall.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

Dear Richard,

I agree Of course with You on Chinese history and tradition, no doubt about it. China is progressively specialising in more value added and higher quality products in many fields, pens is certainly One in which their roots and tradition may play an Important role in helping Chinese brands to market products which no longer owe something to other iconic western models, but provide , above all, a " Chinese interpretation" in the art Of pen making .

 

Best

Piero

Edited March 12, 2013 by PAC 1957

[PAC 1957]

I seem to remember back in the '60's and 70's folks in the UK saying the Japanese were 'just copying' the British Motorcycle industry...and that they would never really 'catch on' within 10 or so years the British Motorcycle industry was all but finished....Mr Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha etc are all doing very nicely thank you (yes I realize Triumph has made a recover and all credit to Mr Bloor for what he has done) While I am no expert, and have no figures to back up my statement, I believe, the Italian Motorcycle Industry produces some superb motorcycles, Ducati, etc...I understand the numbers involved are a fraction of the Japanese outputs.

 

I understand this is comparing 'Apples to Oranges' as we sometimes say here...

but, I think there are some similarities here.

You are right mentioning the motorcycle Industry case. I'm a biker myself and owned several Japanese as well as Italian/European bikes. The current situation , after at least 2 decades Of Japanese domination under all view points , ( production numbers, high end bikes, innovation& Technology, value FOR money, etc) the current situation is characterised by some European brands leading the game in the high end market and the Japanese still having the big numbers in mass production,

I'm not sure this situation and how it occurred can be replicated in the pen sector, however. In the digital era the " need " FOR pens and FP s in particular isn't comparable to the automotive Industry situation , fountain pens are a market niche, especially the high end ones, and the several icons created by German, US, French and Italian brands in several decades leave Very little room for something really new , in a sector where return on investment isn't that sure because Of small expected numbers.

 

Best

Piero

[lovemy51]

What does the Wing Sung feel like?

I have a Wing Sung 812, but with its fine nib & leaky hood, I don't use it at all.

 

 

Today's pen is a K316. Guess which colour.... That's right, Charcoal. Hrrumph. I'm getting predictable.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

the WS is a great pen -right out of the box!

 

way better than some of the italian pens i own -e.g. Aurora with a terrible scratchy nib. but i think italian pens (or anything italian) should be discuss on another sub forum.

[mhosea]

I have Wing Sung 322 and 233. They are nice pens in a lot of ways, but the nib alloy is easily the worst I've seen, soft and not springy. They are ok for an experienced fp user, but maybe not so hot for a newbie who might press down a bit. I put a Waverly on them, and they now write well. The feed and fillers seem quite good.

 

Today it will be an Indian pen, but yesterday it was a Zhenjue 930 with Noodler's #41 Brown (a little diluted).

[richardandtracy]

I have got to take photos of my seashell Jinhao 1008's. They are gorgeous looking, and surprisingly nice to write with.

 

In addition to the Jinhaos (with Diamine Imperial Purple in them) I have a more sober Kaigelu K316 in Charcoal.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[LostInBrittany]

Today I have a Hero 616 in my pen pouch, almost as everyday.

I hadn't any hope on then when I bought it, and now I use it even more than my real P51.

It's a pretty pen, it's always ready to write, and it's cheap enough that I wouldn't cry if it is damaged in daily use...

[doggonecarl]

Inked up my Hero 329 with Waterman Blue. Writes great.

 

Most of the pens I got in my fairly recent Chinese pen haul were of the low-end, entry level range--Heroes, Guanlemings, and Wing Sungs--and they all have similar writing characteristics. The nibs are nails, and they all lay down an even, consistent, skip-free line with very little pressure required.

 

There is so little feedback from the nib on a couple of the pens, it's almost like writing with a rollerball. Almost...but not quite.

[richardandtracy]

This is today's Jinhao 1008:

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx356/richardandtracy/Jinhao%20Pens/Jinhao1008Picture1_zps3f336faf.jpg

 

It looks gorgeous. The assembly method is a bit like a kit pen, with threaded bushes being pressed into the end of a drilled out blank. The cap-barrel thread is a single start, and the clip on this one is roughly in line with the nib when capped, but about 120 degrees out when screwed onto the other end of the barrel.

The Abalone shell has all the irridescence you'd expect and the MOP is attractive too. There are no defects on the barrel of this one, but on the other (stripe version) one I have the blank wasn't perfectly centralised when turned and the shell is exposed through a break in the clear acrylic, so it's possible to stain it with ink if you were to have an accident.

 

Writes quite well too, with a medium nib. The pen is moderately heavy & slightly top heavy if posted.

 

Regards,

 

Richard

Edited March 13, 2013 by richardandtracy

[sebastel23]

does my frankenhero monster 6.16 (= 616/100) still qualify as chinese pen?

[richardandtracy]

does my frankenhero monster 6.16 (= 616/100) still qualify as chinese pen?

Of course. The components are all Hero...!

 

My pen of the day is my other Jinhao 1008, the Mother of Pearl & Abalone stripe pen:

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx356/richardandtracy/Jinhao%20Pens/Jinhao1008Picture2_zps996c2769.jpg

It isn't quite as smooth as the other one, but is still perfectly acceptable.

 

Regards,

 

Richard

[wastelanded]

Received a Wing Sung 2007 yesterday in the post. It looks nice, but when you pick it up the barrel finial is loose and makes noise. The nib is very tinny, and needed a lot of spreading to even get ink flow. So this is what a cheap Chinese pen is like.

 

My Baoer 519 is like a real Faber-Castell in comparison: the Kaigelu 316 is several miles above it. Bit of a disappointment, this one. I could've had a Kaigelu 356 for the same money! The quality of Chinese pens has come a long way since 2007, evidently.

[wastelanded]

My pen of the day is my other Jinhao 1008, the Mother of Pearl & Abalone stripe pen:

 

That's a nice looking pen!

[caleath]

My Jinhao 159 showed up today..I have private reserve tanzanite in it. I am way enjoying this pen

[hanryy]

Hello All,

 

I will be going to China (Nanjing) this coming week. I do not know if I will have much time to look for pens. Does anyone have any suggestions on any specific models to look for? I am more or less familiar with the big brands, but completely lost on which models to look for...

 

I tend to like heavier pens and larger nibs, although a larger girth in the pen doesn't really matter to me. I do fine with both fat or narrow bodied pens.

 

I am currently using a Duke Ruby which I picked up quite a few years ago. A great pen! Unfortunately the cap is now loose after 6 years of use.

[sebastel23]

big nibs:

 

jinhao X450

jinhao X750

kaigelu 322

 

big pen (with big nib):

 

jinhao 159

 

(these are only the ones i know of, there will be lots more)

 

 

my recommendation though is to go with the regular sized nibs:

 

jinhao century

hero 7022

hero 704

kaigelu 316

kaigelu 356

 

and with my recent experience, i'd recommend to also get a handful hero 616.

 

 

good luck with finding them!