Sonnet Comparisons With Lookalikes

[studiohead]

1340026522[/url]' post='2377963']

and you dismantle HOW? I can't get the black ring off the converter to take the little BB out.

 

I guess I could just fill them all with ink and leave them sit in a cup or something, then clean them out and wash the BB out.

 

THe one I've been using has a plastic ball in it. Too bad all the new ones have the BB.

 

Okay, it is simple, makes for faster cleaning, let me get the spare K356 from the bag.

1. Make sure the piston is halfway in the barrel, hold onto the plastic transparent barrel.2. Use other hand to twist off the connecting piece while not touching the piston twist rod3. Once the screw on piece is not connected to the ink barrel, pull the whole part straight out.

You should be able to do this fairly quickly. Need to think about this as flushing so many Chinese converters you need to invent the way to do it efficiently.

[Penman222]

Based on your excellent review, I just ordered a black finish Kaigelu 356 for about $6 shipped. Looking forward to getting the pen in about a month. I have had very mixed results with Chinese pens. I have had about a 50% success rate with Hero 616s, and a really poor experience with a Jinhao 750. Then again, I just returned a terribly scratchy brand new Sailor 1911 Large to the seller, so one can never tell until the pen is inked up.

[watch_art]

It might need a little nib tuning - but they're really good pens. My favorite is the blue - it's got a matte finish that feels really good in my hand. Skinny skinny pens though. Is the Sonnet really that small?

[studiohead]

It might need a little nib tuning - but they're really good pens. My favorite is the blue - it's got a matte finish that feels really good in my hand. Skinny skinny pens though. Is the Sonnet really that small?

 

Yes it is. But I find it just right, not as thick as the Parker IM, no as thin as the vector. I like Matt Pens as well.

[travelingsalesman]

Conclusion

 

If you like medium nibs, I would recommend a Kaigelu 356 instead of either the Sonnet or the Duke 209. This preference is based on the fact the K356 is better value for money than the Sonnet, and the finish is likely to be more durable than that of the Duke 209.

 

My Kaigelu 356 just arrived today, and it looks great and works very well. Thanks for the wonderful review!

 

Quick question: how is the nib mounted? I see a very small misalignement between the feed and the nib, and I'd like to fix it. So, how do I take out the nib, and how do I put it back?

[richardandtracy]

So far as I can tell (I've not taken it out, but there is no reason not to think it's the normal construction), the nib is just a friction fit, and should be possible to take out & re-fit with the feed & nib properly aligned. I have had a Jinhao Century pen where the friction fit was unbelievably tight and I was only just able to move it, but you'll have to try yourself.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[lovemy51]

awesome comparo, Richard! i have the Kaigelu and it does write better than my Sonnet.

[atypical]

...

Quick question: how is the nib mounted? I see a very small misalignement between the feed and the nib, and I'd like to fix it. So, how do I take out the nib, and how do I put it back?

The nib and feed are friction fit; you can pull them out.

The feed is keyed, so do not twist while pulling.

Reassemble by aligning nib and feed and pushing them back in.

[travelingsalesman]

Great! Thank you: will try

[georges zaslavsky]

very nice indpeth comparo thanks for sharing

[kma335]

Nice review! I bought the Kaigelu as one of my very first pens!

[richardandtracy]

Over last summer I did a lot of building work, and the K356 was often in my pocket. Frequently it was used for writing on timber (very good) but there was one problem. One day I got blood and permanent marker all over my fingers, then used the Kaigelu. This bubbled the paint on the section almost immediately. As a result, it doesn't look quite as good as it did, but still works perfectly.

 

Apart from that, the K356 is still looking good and standing up to regular use. The others have been put away due to me not liking them so much.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[PDW]

...

 

One day I got blood and permanent marker all over my fingers, then used the Kaigelu. This bubbled the paint on the section almost immediately.

 

Richard.

 

Which caused the paint to bubble, the blood or the marker ink? Are you going to repeat the experiment using each separately?

[richardandtracy]

To answer your questions, 'I don't know' and 'NO!' respectively. I was doing slating on a roof, having to cut slates, hang on and control 7 or 8 tools at a time. I don't fancy repeating that.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[mhguda]

Did you do any refinishing of the section, or what did you do about the bubbled paint? I'm asking, because one of my nice no-name pens had something similar happen (not the blood or marker ink, just regular body oils on fingers from regular use, I think), and almost all the paint peeled off. I tried masking that with (black) nail polish, and it was ok for a time, but recently that too all came off. So I have now sanded the section to a simple grey metal finish. I don't really like how it looks, but it's not too bad, and it's smooth enough not to bother me when I use the pen, which is now in rotation and in regular use. But I was curious what others do with a pen like that...

[richardandtracy]

I haven't tried refinishing it yet. When I do, I'm going to try colouring some epoxy adhesive, as epoxy paints are very durable.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[whych]

The only point you guys are missing is the availability of different nibs for the Sonnet and how easy they are to swap - similar to the Pelikans.

You can get Steel nibs in plain or gold plate from XFine to Broad and, if you look in Germany, in an Oblique medium.

If you want to pay more, the gold nibs come in all grades.

Putting a gold nib into your 'budget' Sonnet with GP trim does not make it out of place, since they are sold with gold nibs as well.

I have found that the gold and Steel nibs perform about the same.

The only gripe with the Sonnet is that it can take some nibs a few days to start feeding properly if inked from dry, but then they write OK after that.

Like most reasonable quality fountain pens, their nibs are fussy on what sort of surface they write on and don't like oily surfaces or the cellophane of window envelopes, but then very few do, unless they have very fine or misaligned nibs that scratch the surface when writing to give the ink something to sink in to.

[UK Mike]

A very good review - I have two Baoer 388s and a Duke 209 and they all write remarkably well straight out of the box.

 

In contrast I have two genuine Sonnets which have been problematic from new - one with 18k gold nib and the other with a gold plated steel nib.

The gold one is ok but with a very dry feed which results in many hard starts.

 

The steel one sounds similar to Richards - a real pain to get it to write, then it skipped and hard started. It took a LOT of nib tuning to make it write and it is now quite satisfying with just a short hard start (1/2 to 1 downstroke) left as a problem. The trouble is that the confidence and pleasure in the pen is gone and it is very much a last-pick pen. Amazing that Baoer can get so many things right on a pen that cost me 15% of the price of the Sonnet.

[pajaro]

Having used a number of pens for years that came with nibs in sizes I found unpleasant, I appreciate the pens I have used where the ability to change nibs is designed in.

 

I bought a Sonnet with a medium nib, and might want to change that. Being able to change the nib easily is of overriding importance to me. The other pens would be a waste of money if you want other than a medium nib, their other superior qualities notwithstanding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richardandtracy]

It is nice to be able to change nibs, and I do say that if you like something other than a Medium, then the Sonnet will be the only choice. However, a steel Sonnet nib on its own is at least 3x the general price of a K356, so it could well be worth considering grinding the nibs on these other pens to try doing it yourself.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.