This a very cheap pen. Cheaper than a Pilot Varsity/Vs, and is refillable.


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First Impression 3/5
This fountain pen is sold in the Japanese chain of 100-yen shops called Daiso. There is not much information on the package: it says it is the “Mini size”, made in China, produced for Daiso Japan. Written both in Japanese and in English.
Well, this is an inexpensive pen. But it looks better than one might expect.


Appearance 2/5
It is made of poly carbonate (PC). Transparent for the cap, and black translucent for the barrel and section. The nib is stainless steel.
My major concern is the durability and how soon the cap might crack.
Of course, made of cheap materials, this is not a pen to show off.


Design, size, weight 4/5

I like small pens, and this is a short pen that needs to be posted --much in the fashion of the Japanese pocket pens-- to become comfortable to write with. The adjustment between cap and barrel for posting is excellent.
The barrel has three rugged areas to grab the pen in the “correct” position. But even I do not think this poses any inconvenient for those out there with unorthodox grip as they are very shallow and unobtrusive.
It is very light: 9 g
Dimensions:
capped: 113 mm;
uncapped and unposted: 105 mm
posted: 145 mm
Diameter: 12.5 mm (cap) and 11 mm (barrel)
All in all, this a very comfortable pen.

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Nib 5/5

It is remarkably smooth. Looks cheap indeed, and there are no engravings on it. It writes like a fine.

Click to view attachment


Filling system 4/5

Uses cartridges. It comes with a cartridge that is shorter than those of Sailor, but Sailor cartridges work perfectly.
The Sailor converter does not fin in the barrel. Nobody’s perfect!


Cost and value 5/5

Excellent. What can you say of a very smooth writer for 100 yen? I am taking good care of it, but I uncap and cap it very often and no cracks have appeared after a couple of weeks of carrying it around.


Conclusion 4/5

Smooth, light, small, comfortable... All for 100 yen? I only wished it had a better look.


Hope you enjoy this post. Comments, of course, very welcome

Nice review! But, isn't this in the wrong forum?

Oops, I think you meant this for the Review section of the Forum. Any how, nice review. Looks like there is a lot of condensation in the pen cap...
Oh, and welcome to the Fountain Pen Network.

PRAG

What! How did I not see this when I was in Tokyo this summer? The only FP I found at Daiso was a Sailor Ink Pen. Do you think the stock just varies per store?

Very nice review!

Is there a way to purchase these in the U.S.?

Looks like a very interesting pen that would do well for a novice FPner.

It's so austere that I can't help but like it. What can I say? This is Sparta!



Geez, even in Japan everything is made in China. It won't be long until everything in China is made in Zimbabwe or somewhere, though.



Polycarbonate is the type of plastic used in audio CDs, DVDs, and safety goggles, for example. While it's tough enough to be made bullet-resistant, indeed it is also quite prone to cracking.



No engravings...wow. What type of tip does it have? Is it folded under? Despite the resolution of the picture, I can't tell from that angle.



On a side note, the reason that cheap pens tend to be well-sealed is that they come with ink already loaded. See, when a manufacturer has to make some aspect of a product work well out of necessity, they can do so no matter how cheap the price, and when they don't have to do something, they won't, no matter how expensive the price.



In addition to knock-arounds, I tend to view pens like this as freebies for potential converts. Do you like it? Keep it! (I have you now--hehehehehehehe!)

Sorry! Just realized. I wonder if the forum could be changed.

About the condensation... you do not know how humid Tokyo is these days!!!

In Daiso shops you can see several fountain pens, not only the Sailor InkPen. One of them is a non-refillable disposable pen that comes in black and in red.

About buying it in the US, I have no idea.

Cheers,

Io

Iridium,

I do not think the nib is a folded type one. Just check the following pics:

Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

By the way, does anybody know how to change the forum in which this thread is attached?

Again, my apologies for not having attached it to the Pen Review forum.

Cheers,

Io

Wow, it looks like it has actual tipping material...on a nib with no engraving! It's so flawlessly pragmatic that it's...beautiful. You'll have to excuse me, I think I have some ink in my eye.

Yes, the stock really varies per store. Or perhaps they were just sold out?? I went to 3 Daiso stores and could find fountain pens in only one (out in the boondocks!). Luckily they had both the Sailor and this Chinese pen. The Sailor pen nib looks like a very narrow stub; it has no tipping. I haven't tried writing with either one yet. I'm a bit scared of the Chinese one as the feed has some white dusty looking stuff on it. I'm not sure if it's fungus (the pen I bought also had condensation in the cap) or dust from manufacture or what.

Neill

Daiso sells FPs?? Wow, I'll check them out. Here in the Phils, Daiso sells things for P88 and P55.

I shall check up the Daiso in Singapore whether they see this or not.
The last time I checked the only item they have related to fountain pen is the sailor ink cartridges, a pack for S$2, about $1.40

They have some fountain pens including the Sailor ink pen, just not in the same place as the cartridges but with the Calligraphy supplies. Not sure if they have this mini pen though.

Hi all again,

I have just visited a couple of Daiso shops and in both of them I found lots of this Mini pen described in this post. It is true that the inventory of each shop is different, and in one of them, I have found three other fountain pens, these with the Platinum logo engraved on the nib. Hopefully, I will write a report on it shortly.

The reason of my visits? I lost my Mini on the same day I posted my report... But it is only 100 yen! , and that is not any big drama! I want to use it for a while.

Cheers,

Io

Went to check up Daiso in Singapore again.
Found the fountain pen mentioned here but it's full size.
Comes with a cartridege already fixed but I have difficulty untwisting the barrel.

I also found a few differnt cheap fountain pen there.
One is a sailor ink pen, not the ink bar.
This one the cartirdge is changeble.
There is another brand (not the Daiso house brand) of fountain pen in full size and mini version.

All selling for S$2 each, about $1.40.

Not only do I love mini-pens, I also love cheap pens. This Daiso has the look of both the Varsity and Pilot Petit 1 with the rounded, bullet-like tips (another feature I like!).

Alas, the only Sailor carts I have at the moment are black. Not my favorite color, by far. As good an excuse as any to buy some more carts.

Hi there, may i know which outlet you went to?
i get quite lost in the PS one.. cant seem to find anything (i want)
THanks

In the PS outlet its at the calligraphy supplies perpendicular to the stationery section. Pens are with the calligraphy stuff, cartridges are on the stationery rack. Its pretty near the entrance on your right.

Very like the Tesco Comfort Pen Reviewed by 'Have Fun' here: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=71860

Regards

Richard.

Could this pen be used as an eyedropper?

Richard,

I wanted to say something about that pen. That Tesco pen is the full size pen sold at Daiso stores in Japan. Actually, the sections of these two pens are interchangeable; in fact, they are identical.

In Japan, that full size pen comes in red and in black.



Lloyd said:

"Could this pen be used as an eyedropper?"

I think so. No visible holes on the barrel. The same approach for Platinum Preppys could work here--a gasket and some grease to avoid leaks.

The full size version (vid supra) does have a hole at the end of the barrel.

I know there is or was at least one Daiso store in the US, in Alderwood Mall near Seattle--but I haven't been to Seattle since 2006 and don't know if it's still there. (Did a little research--there are now four Daiso stores in Washington state and five in California, all in the Bay Area.)

Not sure if they sell this pen at the US locations, though.

I haven't got this pen but I've got a couple others from Daiso. One is called "Ink Pen" and it looks like it could be converted into an eyedropper fairly easily with either a tiny o-ring or maybe some silicone grease, but I don't know how well the threads seal. According to the packaging and the nib, it's made by Sailor. The end of the barrel is clear plastic which would let you check ink levels somewhat. I'll try putting water in it to see what happens. I don't have a lot of confidence because the threads are quite large and widely spaced.

The other pen from Daiso has a rubbery coating on the barrel and seems to seal tightly so it would make an ideal eyedropper if it didn't have a hole in the end of the barrel. Doh!

Another potential eyedropper is the Tachikawa "School Pen" which is often sold in department stores' arts & crafts section (usually within the manga/drawing pens and utensils). It was 420 yen, so it's still within the bargain-basement range, and seems to have a following with the art crowd. It's got a super fine nib with no tipping, and seems extremely scratchy uninked. It may be possible to smooth it up a bit. The feed uses some kind of felt pad to deliver ink to the nib, so I question its longevity, and you'd probably have to stick with the same colour ink forever. But the barrel is made out of softer plastic and seals tightly, the section has 6 very fine threads, and the barrel is transparent on two sides, making it ideal for eyedropper use.

Personally eyedropper pens (especially the home-made kind) scare me.

Neill

Interesting - I wonder if the Daiso here in Richmond, BC sells these.