Kaigelu 316

[WJM]

Kaigelu 316. From all Chinese made fountain pens I have, this one is probably the most interesting and most impressive one. Since the moment I accidentally bumped on this pen on eBay and saw pictures, I knew I had to get this, and it didn't disappoint when it arrived. Kaigelu 316 is one of the most beautiful fountain pens I'e ever had in my hand. For a Chinese made pen it's not exactly the cheapest, however for the price of about $20 (though prices vary from this to even about $50) it is still inexpensive, but looks and feels like a genuine luxurious item. The design is said to be a copy of a modern Parker Duofold Centennial. While it's hard to disagree that's what they had in mind, I'd say Kaigelu 316 generally brings to mind all those big flat-top fountain pens, and even has a somewhat vintage looks to it. You could easily made a comparison of Kaigelu 316 to eg. Conklin Duragraph. Let's be liberal, and rather than a knock-off, consider this another incarnation of a classic design.

Kaigelu 316 comes in three colors: "white-veined", grey-amber, and "charcoal" black. From those three I have the first two and both look stunning, though I personally prefer the white one. The nib is two toned with a Kaigelu logo engraved: a kangaroo with a young one, which kinda brings Pelikan to mind. Golden (gold?) plating on the nib is a bit imprecise, but you really need to pay attention to notice that.

The filling system is technically c/c, however it's a bit problematic c/c. Both of my Kaigelus 316 came with screwed-in Kaigelu converters, neither of which works properly. They barely draw any ink, and if they do, it's mostly ink colored air bubbles. I once replaced the Kaigelu converter with a Jinhao converter, which seemingly worked better, but then after about one hour I found that the inside of the barrel was soiled with ink. For some reason converters just don't seal properly in those pens (one of them doesn't even screw in: threads in the converter don't match the threads in the pen). I guess something could probably be done about it, or maybe a yet different converter would work, but I just gave up on them and went for using cartridges, re-filled with a syringe. Standard or long international cartridges (I use Pelikan) work fine, although some of the long ones have trouble fitting in the back of the barrel. As for the converters, they are international standard, and despite threads they seem to fit other standard c/c pens, but I haven't really tried using them. Anyway, why Kaigelu converters screw in is a mystery to me, this seriously seems entirely pointless. Unless it was inspired by Conklin Duragraph after all (I don't have one, but as far as I know, it also has a converter which screws in).

Before using any of my Kaigelus for the first time I flushed them with water with some dish soap, so I can't really say how would they write without it, but after - they wrote perfectly fine. They're moderately wet, with the white-veined one being a little drier, however not to the point I'd consider it a problem - it's still very smooth and consistent. Ink flow is perfectly fine, I didn't experience any starting or skipping problems. Nibs are very stiff, with barely any line variation possible.

The cap screws in - which I always appreciate - and takes about three full twists to fully close the pen. On both pens the threads needed some time to smoothen with usage, as they were a bit rough at the beginning. Posting is possible if you push the cap a bit, but it's definitely not recommended, for two reasons. First, it posts very shallowly and not very securely, the pen gets too long while posted and just wasn't designed for that. Second reason is the one big issue with Kaigelu 316: a really bad lack of balance.

Kaigelu 316 feels ridiculously heavy. It makes for an interesting comparison with Jinhao 159, which factually is a few grams heavier, but feels lighter. The reason is that Jinhao 159 is whole made of metal so its mass is rather equally spread, while Kaigelu 316 is made of acrylic resin except for the barrel and cap finials, which for some incomprehensible reason are made of metal. The heaviest parts are on both ends, which make this pen feel like a barbell. As a consequence even while unposted, Kaigelu 316 is very back heavy, and posting makes is almost unusable for anything more than making a short signature. Unposted it can be used relatively comfortably, but for longer writing sessions this could become an issue.

Construction of the pen seems very high quality, but one can wonder how long the golden finish on the clip, rings and the nib will last, though I wouldn't make a big issue of that. Bigger concern I'd have for the black lacquer on those unfortunate metal finials (once I dropped one of my Kaigelus on a wooden floor, and the result was just a very tiny, barely visible chip on the lacquer). Time will show I guess.

I think I just spend more time complaining about this pen than praising it, but despite this, Kaigelu 316 is, as I said at the beginning, very impressive. It's a very good writer, looks gorgeous and costs little. The only really serious issue I have with it is the lack of balance, but it's bearable enough to still enjoy using this pen.

Dimensions:
136 mm long capped,
128 mm long uncaped
about 170 mm long posted,
13 mm diameter of the barrel.

Weight:
45 g capped,
30 g uncapped.

Edited June 18, 2017 by WJM

[visvamitra]

Thank you for the review.

[ParkerDuofold]

Hi WJM,

 

Thank you for detailed review of a very fascinating pen. I have the same two colors you have; I found them to be the prettiest of the three.

 

Coming in at 4 grams heavier than the Studio, (also a heavy pen, but perfectly balanced); the 316 is not for long writing jags. However, if you're in the business world and just need a pen for signatures and quick notations, the 316 is hard to beat. It is so stunningly beautiful, it can put a 149 to shame, (IMHO), and it can hold its own next to a genuine Duofold as well, (also IMHO).

 

Both my nibs needed the "pen cap" trick to make them wet enough for me, but once I gently splayed the tines on a metal dowel rod and counted 5-6 Mississippi's once or twice, they became nice and juicy and were already smooth, right out of the box.

 

Two different types of adhesive are used on these pens; one is water soluble and releases when soaked in hot water for a few minutes... the other type doesn't.

 

If you have the glue that does loosen in hot water, contact FPN member "richardandtracy"; he sells replacement plastic finials for that ton of lead on the end of the barrel. If you're one of the lucky ones, (I wasn't), you can transform these pens into dream machines.

 

Thanks again for the review and all the time and effort you put into it.

 

Be well.

 

- Anthony

 

PS: Before you start soaking your pens in near boiling water; check with Richard to make sure he has some finials available, (he makes them by hand in batches and they sell out quickly), and for detailed instructions on how to do it properly.

Edited June 18, 2017 by ParkerDuofold

[Kelly G]

FWIW: I used dry heat at around 212 degrees F to loosen the barrel final on my 316. I applied the heat to the finial rather than the barrel and the glue released with no problem. Richard's replacement finial is a vast improvement for this pen.

[ParkerDuofold]

FWIW: I used dry heat at around 212 degrees F to loosen the barrel final on my 316. I applied the heat to the finial rather than the barrel and the glue released with no problem. Richard's replacement finial is a vast improvement for this pen.

Hi Kelly,

 

Thank you for this... I may give it another shot... I hope Richard still has some left. I never bought any before when I learned I had the non-soluble glue.

 

Thanks again.

 

- Anthony

[MontPelikan]

Hello,

 

A short review of this pen could be found here:

 

https://youtu.be/vtp2VI_pQAE

 

Thank you for watching.

 

MontPelikan

[truthpil]

Thanks so much for this review, especially the detailed comments about weight an unbalance!

It saved me from making another purchase I would have regretted. I have small hands and the reason I started using FPs in the first place was to alleviate hand fatigue.

I guess I'll grab me and much cheaper but allegedly better balanced Jinhao 500 instead. The 316 is still a beautiful pen though!!

[WJM]

As much as I really like my Kaigelu 316's and it definitely wasn't my intention to discourage anyone from getting one... Yes, if the unbalanced back weight would be a problem, this likely isn't a pen for you.

Edited October 17, 2017 by WJM

[Ian the Jock]

If you have small hands, unposted, the 316 would be right up your street.

I always use mine posted and I haven't found the apparent "backheaviness" to be an issue, even over loooong writing periods.

 

It is a top pen, and gorgeous as well.

 

I find I suffer more from hand fatigue with slim, lightweight pens as I grip on for dear life, as I need to feel the pen in my hand.

 

The Jinhao 500 is another of my faves, and is indeed a very well balanced offering.

 

Ian

[truthpil]

Thanks, Ian. I agree that too light is also no good. Control becomes an issue then. My concern with the 316 was the backheaviness, so thanks for providing another opinion. I find even the Jinhao X750 and X450 unposted to cause cramps in long writing sessions, so I'm really looking forward to the 500 and dropping a nice juicy oblique stub into it.

[WJM]

A little addition and update to this review.

 

First, about a month ago I ordered the third, charcoal black Kaigelu 316. Back when I bought m first two 316s I ignored that one as another black & gold fountain pen. Not that I don't like those, but I didn't have anything like those white and white swirls or amber acrylic before, so they just seemed more interesting and original. Well, they were but I was wrong about the black one. I didn't have anything like this charcoal black acrylic before neither. This pen is gorgeous, the depth and chatoyancy of the finish is amazing. As for the quality and consistency of the third pen there is good and bad news. Good is that seemingly in this one the converter actually works. I haven't really used it, I'm not sure about how well it seals and whether it would leak, I grew used to 316 being a cartridge only pen, but it draws water all right, which is more that I can say about the other two of my Kaigelus and the converters which came with them. Bad news is that the nib had severely misaligned tines out of the (figurative) box. That fortunately was easy to adjust. For the most part the pen writes well, although I've had some occasional skips and starting issues, especially on a less absorbant paper. I'm not jumping into conclusions for now, I've had this pen for one day.

 

The second thing is that I received plastic (acrylic/resin/whatever) barrel finials from richardandtracy. Fortunately I was able to change the finials in all three of my 316s (the issue of the heat resistant adhesive) and it's a huge improvement. I'm not gonna go into details, Richard described them himself in his threads about this, but with his replacement finial it's a whole new pen. Uncapped is now very well balanced and comfortable to write with.

Edited February 13, 2018 by WJM

[truthpil]

The update is much appreciated!

 

If it takes that much work to get this pen looking and performing the way it should then maybe I should pass.

 

Did you happen to order your pen from jewelrymathematics? Even in China he seems to be the main guy for getting this pen now.

[WJM]

Yes, all three of my Kaigelus (four counting the 356) are from jewelrymathematics

[truthpil]

Yes, all three of my Kaigelus (four counting the 356) are from jewelrymathematics

 

Thanks! I got my 356 from him as well.

 

Oh yeah, and it also needed some work to write correctly (tines too close together so no flow at all).

I guess it's just par for the course with some Chinese pens.

Edited February 13, 2018 by TruthPil

[WJM]

 

Thanks! I got my 356 from him as well.

 

Oh yeah, and it also needed some work to write correctly (tines too close together so no flow at all).

I guess it's just par for the course with some Chinese pens.

Or some pens overall, really... I had some flow issues with 356 as well but after some minor adjustment it turned into a very pleasant writer.

[truthpil]

Or some pens overall, really... I had some flow issues with 356 as well but after some minor adjustment it turned into a very pleasant writer.

 

You're right. After I pried the tines apart on my 356 it is an incredibly smooth writer!

 

But it sounds like it might take a little more work to get a 316 to full operational potential.

Edited February 13, 2018 by TruthPil

[WJM]

Unfortunately the third Kaigelu 316 proves to be a troublemaker.

 

The flow problems turned out to be worse than I though. Hard starts are regular, sometimes it's enough to leave the pen capped for a few minutes to get problems with starting again. The flow is rather dry and sometimes the pen just stops writing after a while and it takes a moment to get it running again.

 

And I'm out if ideas what to do with that. I though the feed was clogged - it was, there was something in the channel. I removed it, cleaned it, flushed it and soaked it. Didn't really help. Doesn't seem to be the nib either. The slit is actually wider than in my other two 316s with which I never had any flow issues.

Edited February 18, 2018 by WJM

[Frank66]

I do not know if that helps, but I have replaced the nib unit in 2 of my Kaigelu 316s with:

- a Bock 250 unit in steel, also available in gold and palladium (ranging from EF, F, M , B, XB, 1.1, 1.5 and 1.9mm italics)

- a semi-flex titanium Bock 250 unit.

These Bock nib units fit precisely in the Kaigelu 316 pen sections and the modifications are very easy to carry through and not that expensive.

The pen is thus transformed into a very high-relaible writing instrument. For me it was totally worth it.

The how-to technique is described here:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/302951-kaigelu-316-modification-250-6-bock-nib-beaufort-ink-converter/

and here

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/315921-titanium-bock-nib-kaigelu-316-beaufort-ink/

Hope that helps,

Frank

Edited February 18, 2018 by Frank66

[WJM]

Yes, I read your posts about it before and thought about this solution as well. It would likely help but I'm still gonna try to do something with this pen before I decide on additional expenses.

 

It seems to be a problem with the feed, it just doesn't keep up. The nib writes quite wetly for a short while and then it quickly goes dry and stops. I hold the pen the nib down and I can see the empty gap between the tines. After a while (much longer than it should take) I can see the ink slowly going down the tines.

[Bluey]

Yes, I read your posts about it before and thought about this solution as well. It would likely help but I'm still gonna try to do something with this pen before I decide on additional expenses.

 

It seems to be a problem with the feed, it just doesn't keep up. The nib writes quite wetly for a short while and then it quickly goes dry and stops. I hold the pen the nib down and I can see the empty gap between the tines. After a while (much longer than it should take) I can see the ink slowly going down the tines.

The feed is not the problem. Standard cartridges/converters frequently suffer from air bubbles