Baoer 801. Better Than A Parker Vector.

[bob_hayden]

Well they both have Parker styling -- one is a Vector clone and one is a Sonnet clone;-)

 

I had a number of Sonnet clones including a 388 but I wasn't crazy about then and sold them on eBay as a lot. I don't remember what I did not like about them though as a group they were more variable and of lower quality than the 801s I have. I can see where some would find the 801 too plain or too thin.

 

Is that "833" a typo? I could not find such a model on eBay.

[bob_hayden]

Yesterday I was going through some old stuff and found a Luoshi 918. It's a white pen with blue trim like some porcelain. On the outside it looks just like a Baoer 801, but rather than taking cartridges or a converter it has what amounts to a converter glued in place permanently. I have used it very little and can't speak to its quality, though obviously I did not toss it in the trash as I have done with quite a number of Chinese pens. The 801 is an excellent pen for less than half the price, so unless you really want the blue and white finish, the Luoshi does not seem like a good deal. If you do want one, as of today there is exactly one listing for the Luoshi on eBay. It gives the Brand as Jinhao!-) At least that would fit with its resembling a Baoer as Baoer is a brand of the company that makes Jinhaos, and perhaps Luoshi is another brand of the same company.

 

Another Parker Vector clone on eBay carries the Pirre Paul's brand, model F 101. I have a couple of these and cannot recommend them. They cost twice as much as an 801 and are very crudely made. For example, the section screws into the body with what looks like a self-threading screw cutting into the soft plastic. My pens have been used very little but already the threads in the body are wearing away and the section is not very securely held in place.

[Dickkooty2]

 

Is that "833" a typo? I could not find such a model on eBay.

Yes! Thanks, Bob. I should have typed 388. Mind/memory wander as aging plods ahead.

 

I've corrected my comment. Sorry for causing any confusion.

 

Dick

[FerDS]

I've always avoided baoer, but t I have to confess I have no real reason since I've never tried one before

[sodul]

I just received 3 Baoer 801 in brushed metal with gold trims. The first one worked right away and was quite smooth. I tried to flex it but only managed to make the pen wetter, no flexing here. I was quite impressed with the overall quality considering I paid $1.95 shipped per pen. This two tone nib is quite elegant, is much much nicer looking than the Parker Vector and does not feel as stiff. It also feel fuller thanks to the solid metal section. After this good impression I was looking forward to try the other two.

 

I put a cartridge in the second one ... no ink on paper ... try the converter and soak up the nib and feed ... very little ink on paper. Turns out the tines were very far apart and had baby's bottom. I was able to get the tines closed up at the tip, but the baby's bottom issue required to get the polishing pads out. Starting with 1500 all the way to 12000 (9 levels) I did 8 figures 8 and 8 infinity on each level with some water for the first 4 coarser levels and just the ink for the finer levels. And the pen writes very nicely and is wet enough. Quite smooth as well.

 

On the third one, the tines were so close together that the ink would not come out. Since the nib is so small I had a hard time to get my brass shims in there, I took my 0.003 (not sure of the zeros, but experts will know) and spreader the tines a little too much. I put them back together and it is a pretty smooth and wet writer now. The bad thing is that the plating on the clip is sick and has small corrosion spots.

 

These are quite cheap pens and look good for the price but the quality control is very inconsistent to say the least. I have several JinHaos and I had to work the nibs on most of them to remove scratchiness or just some feedback but all of them wrote right away. For someone with just a bit of experience in nib tuning, these are quite nice afterwards (Except for the plating issue on one).

 

I gave one to my wife who loves it.

 

The Parker vector was the pen my brother used in high school while I had a Waterman Forum. I have larger hands and honestly I disliked the Vector at the time. I got a chance to try it again last year when I got back home, and it was a meh at best I never liked writing with a nail, and here a hollowed out nail is what it feels like. It turns out the cap is what reminds me of the Vector, and why I dislike it, the most. This really thin metal that feels like holding an empty can of soda. So yeah I never liked the Parker Vector but based on this review I though they could be nice gifts as beginner's fountain pens, once tuned. I might get a few more as gifts.

[bob_hayden]

My positive experiences with the 801 were based on pens purchased a few years ago. I think the price has come down since then. Has the quality followed?

[sodul]

My own experience with Baoer, 5 pens, 3 models, is that the quality seems a little more inconsistent than with JinHao. On the 3 801 pens only one was perfect, the second one was unusable without nib tuning experience and minimal equipment, and the third one also required tuning but showed rust spots. I quite like the feel of my 388 but the plastic liner inside the cap is cracked, and it does not close securely and does not post securely either. I also got a Baoer 051 which had no problem whatsoever. Of 5 pens I had to work the nib on two. I'm waiting for an other Baoer 801, same model as Richard's. I'll post an update on the quality when I receive it.

 

I like my JinHao pens quite a bit and except 2 159s which are peeling off (I plan on making one of them brushed brass), but from staying in sweaty shirt pockets, they are holding up quite nicely and are very easy to maintain.

[Lexus77]

I have the exact same Baoer, and I have to say I completely agree: It's a lovely little. It writes smooth and easily, the build quality is excellent, and the finish is stunning. More than any of the other pens in my modest (and mostly cheap) collection, it seems to WANT to put ink down. I just put the point near the paper, and before I even notice it touching, it puts down a line. I love that. No skipping, no hard starts, ever. The nib does seem to get a little over-saturated, though. I have mine filled with (gorgeous) Diamine Eau de Nil, but after letting it rest for some time, it takes writing a line or two before the colour turns from black to what it's supposed to be. Not really a problem, though.
The only thing I would wish, is that I could buy the same pen in a thicker version. It's just a bit on the narrow side, too much so for my big hands. Not a big problem, but finding the exact same pen with a 10-11 mm section would be awesome.

[bob_hayden]

Lexus77, have you looked at the Baoer 68? The body is similar to the 801 but fatter. The clip is a different design and the section grippy black plastic instead of metal. The nib looks like a bigger version of the tiny 801 nib. I have a black one which is good but too heavy for me. I guess that goes with being bigger;-) I tried to upload an 87k picture but FPN refused, saying it had to be less than 100k. That does not agree with my idea of math. but what do I know? You can find pictures on US of A eBay. It comes in black or red. (Sorry, I have not seen the fancy finish that began this thread.)

[Lexus77]

Lexus77, have you looked at the Baoer 68? The body is similar to the 801 but fatter. The clip is a different design and the section grippy black plastic instead of metal. The nib looks like a bigger version of the tiny 801 nib. I have a black one which is good but too heavy for me. I guess that goes with being bigger;-) I tried to upload an 87k picture but FPN refused, saying it had to be less than 100k. That does not agree with my idea of math. but what do I know? You can find pictures on US of A eBay. It comes in black or red. (Sorry, I have not seen the fancy finish that began this thread.)

 

Thanks for the tip! I have ordered one in black from ebay right away. Too bad it's not quite as beautiful as this 801, but if it writes just as well, I know I'm gonna like it very much.

[bob_hayden]

That was quick! I should ask the seller for a commission;-)

 

 

[hvargas6505]

I haven't gotten to try the Baoer 801 yet, but I'll probably do it soon after reading this. I have a Vector and like it a lot, but considering the 801 is made of metal and it's way cheaper, I'm tempted to buy one.

 

However, I don't think it's quite fair to compare the 801 to the Parker Vector due to the differences in construction; the Parker Rialto would be more comparable to the 801 due to it being essentially a metal Vector.

[richardandtracy]

I was a bit cautions about comparing it with the Rialto, for a couple of reasons:

1. The Rialto is a mid range open and the Baoer 801 isn't remotely mid range price wise, the nearer equivalent being the Vector.
2. The Rialto has a plastic section. The Baoer has metal.
3. While I have a Rialto, I'd have difficulty comparing anything with it. I had it for about 6 months before it spent 6 weeks stuck in the washing machine door seal after I forgot it & washed it with one of my shirts. It hasn't worked perfectly since, and the connector thread has taken on a slight bend. The plastic section was beginning to show the same cap click wear problem as a Vector did at the same age. The finish was showing no sign of distress.

However, in some ways it would appear to be a good comparison. The problem is, I would be unable to comment on the longevity of the main finish on either pen, and only having a sample of 1, I can be less certain of the reliability of the Rialto results.

 

 

Since I last commented in this thread, I have had blisters develop in the black paint covering the cap finial. This happened a couple of weeks ago, and more than a year after getting the pen. The end could be re-painted without affecting the main, glorious, finish. Even if this cosmetic problem is considered to be 'The End of the Pen's Life', it has lasted more than twice as long as my Vectors under the same usage levels. I am convinced that my conclusion that it is better than a Vector still stands.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[bob_hayden]

 

However, I don't think it's quite fair to compare the 801 to the Parker Vector due to the differences in construction; the Parker Rialto would be more comparable to the 801 due to it being essentially a metal Vector.

 

I had never heard of a Parker 88/Rialto so I looked it up online. Indeed, the 801 looks more like a mid to low range 88/Rialto than a plastic Vector, though there is a flighter model of both the Vector and the 801. But reviews seem to indicate that the 88/Rialto is a gilded Vector, so if the 801 at $2 can compete with a $100 pen that is certainly a feather in its cap! This makes me think of the US of A auto industry. In 1950 a Buick shared very few parts with a Chevy and was generally much more substantially built, and better put together. But today a Buick is often a gilded Chevy. In which case I wonder if it pays to buy a gilded version of what is essentially a cheap car/pen. I suppose it depends on whether you value appearance over function. But with the 801 you can get a classy appearance for a fraction of the price of a plastic school pen!

 

I suspect that the 801 is commonly compared to the Vector because the Vector is much more common and well known and has been around for many years. It also sounds like the 88/Rialto has had less of a presence in North America, which is where I am. In any case, the Vector would be pretty far down on my list of favorite school pens, so I can easily resist the temptation to pay ten times as much for a fancy one, even if it lasts twice as long;-) I expect the 801 will also last much longer, but for a fraction of the price.

[sodul]

To add more datapoints on the quality consistency here. I received 3 more Baoer 801 pens today, so I got 6 so far.

 

The first one was a tad dry but wrote right away. The tines were only touching at the tip but I still used my .003 brass shim to make it wetter as to be enjoyable.

 

The second one was wide open, the tip not touching and visible to the naked eye. It had not baby's bottom like one of the previous ones but I just could not get ink to the tines, even less to the tip. I had to flush it before it started writing. I squeeze the tines back together a bit as well.

 

The third one looked open as well but not as much and wrote right away. Maybe a little wetter than some would like so I made it just a tad drier.

 

The finish is fine on all of them with no obvious corrosion spots.

 

So out of 6 pens, 2 would not write, 1 with plating issues, and one too dry to be enjoyable. All of them are now good writers with minimal effort. I still recommend the 801 as a great value for the price and I still prefer it over the Vector, regardless of price.

[Bluey]

I had to flush it before it started writing..

Shouldn't flushing be done first thing with every pen though?

Chinese pens always need flushing from oils. Once flushed they're great writers. That may have been the reason why they didn't write. I've seen it many times before.

Edited March 28, 2017 by Bluey

[sodul]

I never flushed any of my JinHao pens, over 20 of them, to get them to write on arrival. Just a minute ago I inserted a cartridge in a JinHao 599 with clear plastic, including a clear feed. It was very cool to see the ink flow all the way to the tip in seconds and the pen just writes, as it should.

 

Personally I consider flushing something that a lambda user would not be familiar with. I used fountain pens for 15 years as a kid/student and never knew I was supposed to flush pens. The most I did was maybe run the section under the faucet if I wanted to try an other color, or if my pen was dried up after the summer break. The car analogy would be that you drive your new car slowly to break it in, but this is unnecessary on modern cars. I'm expecting that good fountain pens should not require the initial maintenance either. Some pens can be rather difficult to flush like the Hero 616, which also worked for me without flushing first.

[bob_hayden]

I have been using fountain pens for nearly 60 years and I never flushed a new Made in USA Sheaffer or Parker before using it. I think of flushing as something that is wise for Chinese pens because they do not always clean off oils left from the manufacturing process. But I don't think they are guaranteed to be oily, so some may not actually need it. Still, it's pretty annoying to find out there is a problem after you ink the pen, so I routinely flush Chinese pens. (Of course, many old Western brands are now appearing on pens made in China.)

 

I have been using my 801s again recently and I would have to confirm that the gap between the tines is pretty unpredictable. I have nibs ranging from a dry extra fine to a very wet medium broad, though all write with all but the balkiest inks.. A factor that might contribute to unpredictable flow is that the nibs are made of rather dead material. They do have a little more spring than a Parker Vector, but a little more pressure and they deform -- suddenly going from fine to medium broad in the process. This contrasts with the Vector, which is pretty dead but pretty stiff, or the Sheaffer dollar pens which are very springy and very tough. In any case, I think with the 801 we have to add to the variability associated with quality control the variability due to the pen's history and how much it may have been altered in use.

 

In using these pens recently I find the caps post marginally. Despite the problems I still consider these good pens for the price. I have had far more flow problems with Jinhao 599s.

[oneill]

Well they both have Parker styling -- one is a Vector clone and one is a Sonnet clone;-)

 

I had a number of Sonnet clones including a 388 but I wasn't crazy about then and sold them on eBay as a lot. I don't remember what I did not like about them though as a group they were more variable and of lower quality than the 801s I have. I can see where some would find the 801 too plain or too thin.

 

Is that "833" a typo? I could not find such a model on eBay.

Hi Bob I am so glad that you like the Baoer which is made by the same company as Jinhao,I used to edit their pages on ebay for a very long time and have always been happy to promote them, for the cost of their pens there are very little that you get that is not good,they are made from solid brass the only problems I have ever had with them is that the convertor can sometimes be left with manufacturing residue and needs flushing out, I always use a small drop of Amonia with an even smaller drop of dish washing liquid in cold water if that doesn't make it work then I cant help you.I always reward any tradesman who does a job at my place with one or the other of

those brands. My favorite is the Mother of pearl or the Abalone which is the same pen which is given different names by the seller, good on you for buying one of those,. Trust me oneill

[sodul]

I received an other Baoer 801, this time it was a shimmering sand model: black with colorful tones like gold dusk. The nib seemed just right this time, although I only dipped it. There are two concerns though. First is that screwing the barrel causes a high pitch noise, I'll add silicon grease or some other lubricant as it is quite annoying. Second is with the texture, it is quite gorgeous but there are gaps in the texture, especially on the cap where almost 1/3rd on one side is just plain black. On a more expensive pen this would be a big disappointment, and I would definitely return the pen on a high end model.