Shule Pens

[vans4444]

This is a review of two very cheap Chinese pens. They are the both Shule 2212 and they each cost £1.78, including postage.

 

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww3/vans4444/Pens/Shule1.jpg

 

First Impressions (7/10) – The silver one looks OK but the red one looks really great. They both write well with very narrow nibs.

 

• Appearance & Design (7/10) – They are made of metal, highly polished and feel very smooth to the touch. Shule 2212 is printed on them, plus Chinese characters. I have seen pictures of Chinese fountain pens that are overly ornate, but these are nice clean simple designs. Both have hooded nibs reminiscent of the Parker 51, but they are most certainly not clones. The caps are firm and push into place with noticeable click. The metal thread on the barrel feels crude but when screwed tight it is firm with no flex. The bladder assembly looks cheap. However, taken as a whole they look good.

 

• Weight & Dimensions (7/10) – They are about 13.5 cm in length, slightly shorter and very slightly thinner than a Cross Century II, with a similar weight. The cap posts firmly. With the cap posted, the pen is comfortable in my large hands, but I certainly would not want them any shorter.

 

• Nib & Performance (7/10) – The nibs are narrow. One of the Shules is marked 0.5mm. I emailed the supplier and he replied that all his Shules have the same 0.5mm narrow steel nib. Straight out of the jiffy bag they worked perfectly using Parker washable ink. The flow rate is very good, I would say medium, certainly not dry. There is no skipping even when I write as fast as I can. All the letters are fully formed. Both nibs sound and feel scratchy, the silver one a little less so. The nibs are stiff.

 

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww3/vans4444/Pens/Shule3.jpg

 

• Filling System (4/10) – These are the only bladder pens I have so I cannot compare them to any other pen. They are easy to fill but I suspect the bladders don’t hold a huge amount of ink.

 

• Cost & Value (9/10) – I brought these as an introduction to Chinese pens, and I have been very pleasantly surprised. I have read that quality control issues mean that the quality of Chinese pens can very considerably. If so I have been lucky because both these pens perform well. They are nice looking pens; feel firm and comfortable in use. They are good pens for every day office use with the exception of the filling system. I don’t want to carry ink around while I am in the office so prefer cartridges. This is more of a comment about my cautious nature than a criticism of the pens.

 

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww3/vans4444/Pens/Shule2.jpg

 

• Conclusion (Final score, 6.83/10) – In summary, these are a good incredibly cheap pens. In terms of quality they cannot hope to compare with most of the pens review in this forum, but they are a tenth or even a hundredth the price. They are incredible value for money.

Edited March 20, 2009 by vans4444

[swierski]

wow, those look really nice and not bad for the buck. May i ask where you bought them from?

[vans4444]

wow, those look really nice and not bad for the buck. May i ask where you bought them from?

 

 

I got them from eBay (.co.uk) seller name Pens Direct Ltd here is the link

 

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Pens-Direct-Ltd

 

 

Vans

[swierski]

wow, those look really nice and not bad for the buck. May i ask where you bought them from?

 

 

I got them from eBay (.co.uk) seller name Pens Direct Ltd here is the link

 

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Pens-Direct-Ltd

 

 

Vans

 

Thanks

 

[swierski]

I'm kinda new to the fountain pen industry, and i just ordered the black shule pen. I kinda need some lessons in refilling it, so could you please help me?

[dogpoet]

It's pretty straightforward, but I'd suggest that you fill the pen over the sink until you get the hang of it.

Looking at the photo above, it's a similar filler to a Parker aerometric: just put the nib end of the pen into the ink, then squeeze the bar over the bladder. That drives the air out of the bladder, letting the ink in. A half dozen squeezes should fill the bladder, and depending on how much it holds, it may not even need that many. Once the pen stops sending bubbles into the ink when the bladder's squeezed, it's full.

(One nice thing about that sort of filler is that you can work it one handed, leaving your other hand to hold the ink bottle: it's a bit less fiddly than piston fillers.)

[Beechwood]

I bought one of these too basically because I couldnt believe how they could be sold for such a low price.

 

The pen is thin but the nib is remarkably smooth and reliable, more so than my Sonnet!

 

If you want a thin pen with a hooded nib and to pay less than £1 you cannot go far wrong

Edited March 24, 2009 by Arthur

[lovemy51]

I bought one of these too bascially because I couldnt believe how they could be sold for such a low price.

 

The pen is thin but they are remarkably smooth and reliable, more so than my Sonnet!

 

If you want a thin pen with a hooded nib and pay less than £1 or $1 you cannot go far wrong

sorry, but i don't think i wanna pay more than $2 USD for shipping :roflmho:

[archie001]

Nice cheappy pens which do their work! Congratulations!

[dogpoet]

Just got hold of one of these (in black) for a bit less than a couple of quid, and I'm with Vans all the way. It's a very nice pen for the money, and its skinniness (you get the impression somebody set out to design a pastiche of the Parker 51 with anorexia nervosa*) is less of an issue than I expected looking at it. It's not brilliant, but its rather wonderful for less than a couple of pounds. Nice nib as well.

 

*(It's not even close, sadly, but not being that good is still a very long way from being bad)

[Achim]

I bought three of those in the past months - blue, green and red (at about 4€ per pen incl. p&p). They look great with the transitions from black to coloured. The nibs are quite fine - about the same or even finer as a Lamy EF, much finer than e.g. a Pelikan F. Always write at once, and the nibs are very smooth. Also nice to try out different inks. I only use them posted, without cap those are too short and light for me.

 

Two more on their way (black and blue) to give away as little presents - these pens might be very cheap, but don't look or behave cheap. Also a perfect pen to leave in the office (together with a bottle of ink) - not a big loss moneywise if it disappears.

 

 

[dogpoet]

A very good point. I'd imagine they're also useful to have lying around your desk in case one of your colleagues fancies a quick go with a fountain pen, as well.

[MYU]

I like the clip on these. It looks like Shule borrowed the idea from the likes of Omas. It would be nice if they provided some nib options... even if for a little extra money. Also, it would be interesting to see the exposed nib. I'm not sure if the section can be easily disassembled... Anyway, thanks for the review!