Baoer Pens

[Mister John]

Lately, I decided to try out some chela Chinese pens on eBay. My main quarry were Hero 616s (review on these later), but I ended up being stuck by The designs and amazing prices of Baoer pens, which I understand are a subbrand of Jinhao. This review will cover the 8 Horses design though the others I picked up are pretty similar.

http://www.hisnibs.com/images/Chinese/Baoer/8%20horse/Baoer8HorseAngledPair2.jpg

Photo credit: hisnibs.com, where you can buy this pen.

 

Packaging 0/5

The pen came shipped in a padded envelope wrapped in a clear cylindrical cellophane sleeve. Even the lowly Bic features more adorned packaging than this.

 

Design. 2.5/5

Reasonably competently executed raised designs of horses and Chinese writing. It is a more attractive and less garish design than many others in the Chinese pen market.

 

Ergonomics 3/5

Being a brass bodied and full size pen, it weighs quite a bit. Not so much that it is uncomfortable to use, but you definitely feel the weight. The grip features black ribs that are unobjectionable but not especially helpful either. Still, the grip is perfectly usable.

 

Writing quality: 4/5

the nib is the usual gold plate with the Baoer name and a sort of rainbow shape on it. Again, this is perfectly fine. The surprise for me was the quality of the writing. Mine lays down a nice, wet line. The nib is smooth and has none of the usual afflictions--scratchiness, hard starts, skipping, etc. it's a much nicer experience than a Pilot Versity or a disposable Bic fountain pen.

 

Value: 5/5

I paid practically nothing for this pen on eBay though you may prefer something a bit more certain than a random seller from Hong Kong. This strikes me as extraordinary. For what I paid, the pen is almost disposable, but it is a really nice writer. I bought several more of these, make sure they work well, and now give them away to friends and colleagues who evince the slightest interest in fountain pens. They are amazed at my thoughtfulness and generosity. I don't tell them my dirty little secret---that the ink will cost more than the pen.

[Muncle]

This, amazingly, is one of my favourite pens. My only reluctance with it is that it is a hard starter after a couple of days, but if you prime it first thing in the morning it works well for the rest of the day. I find it reliable, attractive, a good writer and has a good feel in my hands.