Iconic Chinese Fp

[pkoko]

What is the most iconic Chinese FP? Any chinese piston fillers? What I am asking for is the TWSBI of China.... Any recommendations?

[deepak23]

The Hero 3xx pens. Going strong for more than 3 decades...

[pkoko]

What about the best writing Chinese pen?

[Ian the Jock]

For me so far, the best 3 writing pens are.

 

Jinhao 217

Hero 7022

Jinhao 500\Kaigelu 316\Picasso Swedish flower king.

 

Closely followed by many, many others.

 

Ok, not exactly 3, but they are all so good.

 

Ian

[nosygrammarian]

Best writing is always a tricky question. What do you mean by best? What do you mean by writing? In my case, it varies by what I want to do. I change what I use accordingly. My Jinhao 15 hooded nib is very nice and like most of my Chinese hooded nib pens, can substitute for a ballpoint pen in almost any place. (One exception is water-soluble food service labels, which have trouble with all water-based inks, including those used in rollerballs.) I carry it a lot of places, because it's versatile, writes nicely, and has a nifty design I've never seen anywhere else and my inner pen nerd goes crazy for it. When I'm in the mood for fancy writing, I grab my Jinhao 1200 that's been ground to an italic and I have loaded with Waterman's Tender Purple ink.

 

Most Chinese pens are going to write well enough to do what you want. As to iconic, that's more difficult. Because of the nature of China's system, very few manufacturers are known at the national level. I'd have to say Hero, Jinhao, Wing Sung, Baoer, and Duke. As to models, that's almost impossible, with a dizzying array of models to choose from. I haven't been at this fountain pen thing (*looks around nervously*) very long, and I've encountered more Chinese pens in the $5 or less range on eBay than I can ever hope to keep track of, and most of those I've tried have been very good writers.

 

I think that there's really no such thing as the most iconic Chinese pen. The manufacturers just don't work that way. Now, if you'd asked for the Lamy of China, I could help you. There are two. Hero (359 Summer Colors), and Jinhao (599, and the smaller 699 and 799 models). Both are really nice, but the Jinhaos have nicer clips and a wider variety of nib and body options.

 

I'm rambling, so I'll shut up now. Seriously though, Chinese pens are a wonderful frontier where you can own clones of the most iconic fountain pens (at a fraction of the price of the originals) as well as wildly original designs that are cheaper, usually well made, and write just as well or better than pens from anywhere else in the world. Have fun with them. I know I do. Just do your research, and buy carefully. Respected sellers are less likely to send you bad pens.

[ksm]

The iconic Chinese pen?

 

I would say Hero 100 (if you want it to be expensive) or Hero 616 (if you want to keep it in a dollar a piece range). It's lines, hooded nib; narrow, dry line. This in my opinion are quintessential elements of Chinese pen. Both Hero pens, share all the characteristics of tools used by bureaucrats before digital era.

For me, and I think for most people who grew up in The Eastern Block, this shape would always mean "Chinese pen" and not "P-51".