Here goes folks. I got this pen in today, after waiting on it for a couple of weeks. Of course, it did come from China, so maybe that's not too bad. Shipping costs were fully 60% of the actual price of the pen. Anyway, on to the pen itself.
APPEARANCE--As you can see by the pic, it is a lovely pen, w/ alternating segments of green celluloid w/ subtle flecks of black and gray, then diamond patterns of glossy and matte gold finish. Where the cap connects to the body, the gold band is stamped with the number 718, and some Chinese characters. It is a little on the flashy side, but still looks classy. It's not slender, but not fat either.
WEIGHT--I really like it's heft. Definitely not a light pen, but not as heavy as my Danitrio Tac Carry II's either. I would think that, depending on one's preference, it could be used posted or not.
NIB--It is a F two-tone nib, which is usually not my preference, but I needed some F nibs, just to lend some balance to my collection. The nib is stamped "GOLD NIB" & "GLM" I'm not sure what the GLM stands for, unless it is an abbreviation for Guanleming.
INK DELIVERY SYSTEM--It comes with a fairly common screw/piston- type converter that seems to hold a reasonable amount of ink, unless one is very prolific at a sitting.
CLIP--This is probably my least favorite component of this pen. It is very stiff indeed. Underneath the bottom of the clip, there is a nub, something like a ball-bearing cut in half and welded to the clip's back-side. It is somewhat of a pain to clip to a shirt. It takes a deliberate motion to accomplish it.
CAP--It is a friction fit to post it, but seems to hold well enough. When closing the pen, the cap definitely snaps on.
WRITING EXPERIENCE--I wouldn't say that it is buttery smooth, but not "toothy" either. I have filled it w/ Diamine Emerald Green. (Yeah, I am THAT way). It's definitely not a singularly enthralling exercise in fountain pen pleasure, but it is nice enough, I suppose, considering I got it for $20, plus shipping.
RECOMMENDATION--I definitely can suggest this as a good candidate to add to one's collection, even with the above disclaimers. I hope my first review was adequate. I look forward to doing other reviews in the future, but only if they can shed some beneficial light on certain pens, inks, etc. Thanks

Your new pen is pretty--nice colors! Thanks so much for the review, and it's always a pleasure to learn about a pen I haven't seen before. I hope you enjoy it very much.

Sharkle, thank you very much for the affirmation. My only intention was to give a sound summation of this pen's characteristics.

Nice review, Tony. I'm not sure how I missed this when you posted it.

I've not heard of Guanleming before. Thanks for pointing it out.

Don

Tony,

Can you let us know which seller sold you the pen? I looked at comeon1788/Chinese Pen Supplier's site, but all he currently has in the Guanleming arena is a calligraphy pen, and the name on an ebay search turned up only him.

Donnie

Donnie, that's exactly who I got mine from, thru an eBay auction. Does he not list an e-mail address? If he does, I would e-mail him directly and ask about this pen's availability. I'm guessing you like the looks of this pen?

Yes, I do like the looks, and I also prefer a pen with a little heft. Two pens I really like are my Tac Carry II and a Duke Carbon Fibre, both of which might be a little on the high side of hefty. Ironically, my other favorite is a Pilot 78G, six of which would not come up to the weight of a Tac Carry II -- at least I don't think they would - I haven't weighed them to check. I guess I will weigh them when I get home, and see if I am exaggerating.

Donnie

Wow, a "true" celluloid pen for $20. Honestly, sounds too good to be true.

Thanks for the review, though.

I don't know if it's "true" or not, but that's what the pen was described as in the eBay listing.

I'm finding out Chinese pens are the best value for the money. But I think they are made to used, and for a long time. A true tool if you will. My Jinhao is a super pen and as I said in my review of it, the big boys could take a lesson from it. Shipping is rather brutal though, as you mentioned Tony.

I was amused that the fault you had with your pen, the clip with the "nub" on the underside, was my only complaint of my pen.

Yep, I'm not sure how I could alter it to make it more user/pocket friendly, but I may give it a try.

Jeez...with that kind of shape they could have made it a piston filler.

nice pen, thanks for the review