Bookworm 675 Impressions

[ianmedium]

Hello folks.

I just received my orange celluloid Bookworm 675 from ebay today and wanted to write some impressions of it.

 

I won this pen for the princely sum of 98 cents plus $6.98 shipping from the seller share.enjoy on ebay. Firstly purchasing from Cindy was a great experience. Shipping was super fast and the pen was exactly as described. A very lovely addition was a handwritten note from Cindy thanking me for my purchase and support of her business. I was really taken aback by such a thing, especially considering the pen cost less than a buck! Oh yes, the note was written with a fountain pen

 

So, to the pen. Overall first impressions are excellent

 

Appearance and design: 9/10

Very impressed with the look of this pen. The orange celluloid (or whatever material it is, I am not sure but that is what it is described as being) mixed with the black and chrome detailing is aesthetically very pleasing, the pen looks worth a great deal more than the cost.

 

Construction and quality: 9/10

 

Truthfully this pens fit and finish puts to shame a great many well known pens in the $100 price range. The plastics used are of excellent quality, lustrous and thick. The quality of the filigree cut outs is sharp and delicate and very tasteful. The orange body is slightly translucent and has good depth and has a slight iridescence to it, very attractive.

The cap snaps shut onto the section like a rifle bolt and posts beautifully. The cap clip has a nice firm spring to it but not too firm, just right I feel.

Overall 9/10 is very appropriate and in fact I feel I am not being generous enough as when one thinks this pen cost less than a dollar, I mean, really, unbelievable really!

 

Weight and Dimensions: 9/10

Wonderful balance un-posted and a little back heavy posted . Girth and length perfect for every day writing. I would say it is about the same size as a Pelikan Souveran 400 from my memory of that pen

 

Nib and Performance: 10/10

 

When one thinks what this pen costs the quality of writing experience cannot be less than ten out of ten. The nib is steel plated with gold, two tone and not marked bookworm but rather what looks like "Yiren". As per usual with new pens I flushed the pen with a mild soap solution in warm water to remove any manufacturing oils. It is usually my want to do the brown paper bag trick on most new nibs I have but it was not necessary with this pen. The nib is a medium and I would say it is pretty much true to size. It has a little bit of spring to it and is buttery smooth. It reminds me of the nib on my Montegrappa Historia in terms of feedback, spring and smoothness, it really is that good!

 

It looks like the feed may be ebonite. it has that matt finish with a slight rubber bloom one finds on ebonite feeds. The feed is not ribbed and I would say delivers a medium-wet ink flow, no skipping, just perfect writing.

 

Filling system and Maintenance: 8/10

Standard cartridge converter. Quality is OK, it's plastic and what appears to be metal and gets the job done! Honestly, at this price it is fine. If I had spent a $100 I would have been a little disappointed but again. I am less than $8 into this pen including shipping so 8/10.

Maintenance, well it is a simple pen and feels so well made that I think it will outlive me and need little to none!

 

Cost and Value: 10/10

How could it not be! Honestly If I had paid $150 for this pen I would feel I got a good deal. Looking at what else is out there it easily is the equal to many of the well known brands at that price point, at $8 it is simply unbelievable value for money!

 

Conclusion: 9/10

 

I really wanted to say 10/10 as simply put one cannot moan about a thing with this pen for the cost. I am only knocking one mark off for the filler as the rest of the pen does what a pen should do, write well, feel well made and good balance when writing, excellent nib and feed quality and to my eyes it looks beautiful.

 

I would highly recommend this pen and remember this is from someone with some rather more expensive pens! If this was given to me as a present I would have thought the person had spent a great deal more on me than they actually did! Add in the wonderful seller and overall this is one of those lovely fountain pen experiences we are lucky to have once in a while.

 

The seller impressed me so much with the note and pen that I at once ordered a more expensive pen from her as I felt guilty in having spent so little with her

 

Here are some pictures. I hope they convey what I have tried to get across in this review.

 

A sample of the writing from this pen, the pen itself and the note enclosed.

 

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm225/ianmedium/L1010048.jpg

 

 

The Nib, front and back!

 

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm225/ianmedium/L1010045.jpg

 

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm225/ianmedium/L1010044.jpg

 

 

Close-up of the filagree work and quality of fit and finish

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm225/ianmedium/L1010047.jpg

 

 

And finally the pen's individual components.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm225/ianmedium/L1010043.jpg

[lovemy51]

mine came with a "Fude" nib and it doesn't have the name Yiren on the nib. my Yiren is very different.

 

thx for the review, ian!

[ianmedium]

Thanks so much. I must admit I am only just starting to learn about the Chinese pen industry. If it had not been for a free Hero with a NOS Sheaffer purchase a while ago I would still remain ignorant on the subject but my oh my are they great value for money!

 

The Yiren brand is one I have not heard of before. I assume there are multiple brands owned by one company and they mix and match. I have ordered Cindy's most expensive pen that she has for sale as I am intrigued by it. The Jinhao legend of the Dragon for the princely sum of $33. From what I have read the nib on that one is wonderful!

 

I actually woke this morning itching to write with the Bookworm!

[lovemy51]

oh, i have quite a few chinese pens and "love" most of them, "like" some of them and "don't care" for a handful of them. i enjoy having at least one chinese pen in my daily rotation. my only problem is, having too many of them, which to choose!

 

best,

[kayakjax]

I got my first pen from share.enjoy yesterday. I paid less than $8 shipped to my mailbox. Fit and finish impressed me, especially for the price.

 

Equally impressing to me was the little handwritten (with a fountain pen!) from Cindy. It was folded into a clever little origami square that I haven't been able to fold back into place.

 

The pen I got was called a "Noble Orange Celluloid and Golden" fountain pen. I was so impressed by Cindy's customer service that I too was looking for another pen to buy. I was looking at the Bookworm 675 Fountain Pen and Rollerball, and searching it, I just found this thread. Sorry about hijacking your thread, but I was just thinking about that cool little note and a bargain pen when I saw it and felt I had to add my voice to the chorus.

[ianmedium]

I got my first pen from share.enjoy yesterday. I paid less than $8 shipped to my mailbox. Fit and finish impressed me, especially for the price.

 

Equally impressing to me was the little handwritten (with a fountain pen!) from Cindy. It was folded into a clever little origami square that I haven't been able to fold back into place.

 

The pen I got was called a "Noble Orange Celluloid and Golden" fountain pen. I was so impressed by Cindy's customer service that I too was looking for another pen to buy. I was looking at the Bookworm 675 Fountain Pen and Rollerball, and searching it, I just found this thread. Sorry about hijacking your thread, but I was just thinking about that cool little note and a bargain pen when I saw it and felt I had to add my voice to the chorus.

 

 

Yay! Another Cindy customer. isn't she great! I tell you, that little not was better than getting the pen, it really made my day and she has lovely handwriting!

 

Very pleased with my bookworm, It continues to write really well and I actually had a positive comment from someone in the coffee shop I go to as to it's looks! They asked if it was expensive as it looked so and when I told them the price the could not believe it.. I gave them Cindy's details so hopefully another customer for this lovely seller.

 

Now eagerly awaiting the Dragon pen!

 

oh yes, i too was not able to fold it back but I have actually stuck it now in the corner of a picture frame as a reminder that there are some truly lovely people out there!

 

 

[lovemy51]

hi guys. may i ask, who is Cindy? :embarrassed_smile:

 

edited: never mind. i found her.

Edited May 9, 2012 by lovemy51

[ianmedium]

Great, I very much recommend her ebay store, I have found when one finds a good one one sticks like glue to it!

[Chayan]

Hello folks.

I just received my orange celluloid Bookworm 675 from ebay today and wanted to write some impressions of it.

 

I won this pen for the princely sum of 98 cents plus $6.98 shipping from the seller share.enjoy on ebay. Firstly purchasing from Cindy was a great experience. Shipping was super fast and the pen was exactly as described. A very lovely addition was a handwritten note from Cindy thanking me for my purchase and support of her business. I was really taken aback by such a thing, especially considering the pen cost less than a buck! Oh yes, the note was written with a fountain pen

 

So, to the pen. Overall first impressions are excellent

 

Appearance and design: 9/10

Very impressed with the look of this pen. The orange celluloid (or whatever material it is, I am not sure but that is what it is described as being) mixed with the black and chrome detailing is aesthetically very pleasing, the pen looks worth a great deal more than the cost.

 

Construction and quality: 9/10

 

Truthfully this pens fit and finish puts to shame a great many well known pens in the $100 price range. The plastics used are of excellent quality, lustrous and thick. The quality of the filigree cut outs is sharp and delicate and very tasteful. The orange body is slightly translucent and has good depth and has a slight iridescence to it, very attractive.

The cap snaps shut onto the section like a rifle bolt and posts beautifully. The cap clip has a nice firm spring to it but not too firm, just right I feel.

Overall 9/10 is very appropriate and in fact I feel I am not being generous enough as when one thinks this pen cost less than a dollar, I mean, really, unbelievable really!

 

Weight and Dimensions: 9/10

Wonderful balance un-posted and a little back heavy posted . Girth and length perfect for every day writing. I would say it is about the same size as a Pelikan Souveran 400 from my memory of that pen

 

Nib and Performance: 10/10

 

When one thinks what this pen costs the quality of writing experience cannot be less than ten out of ten. The nib is steel plated with gold, two tone and not marked bookworm but rather what looks like "Yiren". As per usual with new pens I flushed the pen with a mild soap solution in warm water to remove any manufacturing oils. It is usually my want to do the brown paper bag trick on most new nibs I have but it was not necessary with this pen. The nib is a medium and I would say it is pretty much true to size. It has a little bit of spring to it and is buttery smooth. It reminds me of the nib on my Montegrappa Historia in terms of feedback, spring and smoothness, it really is that good!

 

It looks like the feed may be ebonite. it has that matt finish with a slight rubber bloom one finds on ebonite feeds. The feed is not ribbed and I would say delivers a medium-wet ink flow, no skipping, just perfect writing.

 

Filling system and Maintenance: 8/10

Standard cartridge converter. Quality is OK, it's plastic and what appears to be metal and gets the job done! Honestly, at this price it is fine. If I had spent a $100 I would have been a little disappointed but again. I am less than $8 into this pen including shipping so 8/10.

Maintenance, well it is a simple pen and feels so well made that I think it will outlive me and need little to none!

 

Cost and Value: 10/10

How could it not be! Honestly If I had paid $150 for this pen I would feel I got a good deal. Looking at what else is out there it easily is the equal to many of the well known brands at that price point, at $8 it is simply unbelievable value for money!

 

Conclusion: 9/10

 

I really wanted to say 10/10 as simply put one cannot moan about a thing with this pen for the cost. I am only knocking one mark off for the filler as the rest of the pen does what a pen should do, write well, feel well made and good balance when writing, excellent nib and feed quality and to my eyes it looks beautiful.

 

I would highly recommend this pen and remember this is from someone with some rather more expensive pens! If this was given to me as a present I would have thought the person had spent a great deal more on me than they actually did! Add in the wonderful seller and overall this is one of those lovely fountain pen experiences we are lucky to have once in a while.

 

The seller impressed me so much with the note and pen that I at once ordered a more expensive pen from her as I felt guilty in having spent so little with her

 

Here are some pictures. I hope they convey what I have tried to get across in this review.

 

A sample of the writing from this pen, the pen itself and the note enclosed.

 

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm225/ianmedium/L1010048.jpg

 

 

The Nib, front and back!

 

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm225/ianmedium/L1010045.jpg

 

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm225/ianmedium/L1010044.jpg

 

 

Close-up of the filagree work and quality of fit and finish

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm225/ianmedium/L1010047.jpg

 

 

And finally the pen's individual components.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm225/ianmedium/L1010043.jpg

 

 

Can this be used as an eyedropper? Just curious!

[coffeetoofull]

Thanks for the great review on the possibility of a low cost high performance pen. I'm looking forward to trying one of these pens. I noted on Ebay that they are for sale under $10 which includes SH to the States. Another FPN member posted a "topic" on low cost high quality pens which you might wish to view.

Best Writings To You, coffeetoofull

[coffeetoofull]

Received the Bookworm 675 pen from China, as a birthday gift, today. It is a beautiful pen and capped weighs a whopping 1.6 ounces, and 9 ounces uncapped. However, it seems balanced. The cap has a nice plastic lining. The snap cap closes securely to the barrel, and posts to a position made for it on the end of the barrel. However, this is a heavy pen for a man with a medium hand. Except for short notes, I will not attempt to write with this pen when the cap is posted to the barrel.

The nib was scratched about 1/8 to 1/4 inch across the top right side, and/also had light scratches along one side. Since it was a gift, I doubt if I could ask for a replacement nib. The cost from the Ebay seller was $8.67, which included shipping to the USA.

Edited June 19, 2013 by coffeetoofull

[betweenthelens]

I just ordered one last night. Thank you for the recommendation, Ian.

[lreiley]

I'm waiting for mine.