There's Something To Be Said For Cheap Pens...

[Michael_Hill]

Now I am absolutley no expert by any means, and am very new to fountain pens. I dont own any pens that cost hundreds of dollars, nor will I ever. My highest pen purchase so far was $75.00 and I wish I had listened to the warnings on said pen...not a mistake I will make again. Anyway, on the the jist of my thoughts today...

Today I recieved three pens in the mail, three "el cheapo" pens, the cheapest being a whopping $ .99 with free shipping, thats ninety-nine CENTS... I dont think you can get cheaper than that. I inked each one up and thought "Ok...here comes the consequences of buying cheapie pens". But much to my suprise all three pens write BETTER than my $30-$75 pens...no hard starts, no skipping, no leaking, no fiddling to get the inks to flow, not one single issue! And all three "el cheapo" pens write smoother then the more "expensive" pens. I also have a Jinhao cheapie that falls in with the other three cheapies. Absolutely wonderful writing pen, smooth, no issues, a pleasure to write with.

It just blows me away...Im sure eventually you're going to run into a dud no matter what you buy, but wow, makes you wonder just how bad some of the brand name pen makers' QC really is when a $.99 pen totally blows away all the brand name pens you have in fit, finish, and function. the three pens i got today are...

 

Luoshi Wooden with Gold trim. (looks like rosewood) best of the lot, smoothest pen I own. fit and finish are amazing for $.99...

Lanxivi Crocodile (multi color green Celluloid with gold trim, the clip looks like a Crocodile. $10.00. writes a tad dry, but still very smooth.

Generic no-name bamboo pen, not the most comfortable pen to write with, but wow does it write....smooth and juicy. $6

 

For anyone wanting to add to their collection and not spend a bunch of money, or if you're on a budget, check the Luoshi and Lanxivi out for sure. The generic no-name bamboo pen is not comfortable at all, but is a good writer.

 

 

[oneill]

Now I am absolutley no expert by any means, and am very new to fountain pens. I dont own any pens that cost hundreds of dollars, nor will I ever. My highest pen purchase so far was $75.00 and I wish I had listened to the warnings on said pen...not a mistake I will make again. Anyway, on the the jist of my thoughts today...

Today I recieved three pens in the mail, three "el cheapo" pens, the cheapest being a whopping $ .99 with free shipping, thats ninety-nine CENTS... I dont think you can get cheaper than that. I inked each one up and thought "Ok...here comes the consequences of buying cheapie pens". But much to my suprise all three pens write BETTER than my $30-$75 pens...no hard starts, no skipping, no leaking, no fiddling to get the inks to flow, not one single issue! And all three "el cheapo" pens write smoother then the more "expensive" pens. I also have a Jinhao cheapie that falls in with the other three cheapies. Absolutely wonderful writing pen, smooth, no issues, a pleasure to write with.

It just blows me away...Im sure eventually you're going to run into a dud no matter what you buy, but wow, makes you wonder just how bad some of the brand name pen makers' QC really is when a $.99 pen totally blows away all the brand name pens you have in fit, finish, and function. the three pens i got today are...

 

Luoshi Wooden with Gold trim. (looks like rosewood) best of the lot, smoothest pen I own. fit and finish are amazing for $.99...

Lanxivi Crocodile (multi color green Celluloid with gold trim, the clip looks like a Crocodile. $10.00. writes a tad dry, but still very smooth.

Generic no-name bamboo pen, not the most comfortable pen to write with, but wow does it write....smooth and juicy. $6

 

For anyone wanting to add to their collection and not spend a bunch of money, or if you're on a budget, check the Luoshi and Lanxivi out for sure. The generic no-name bamboo pen is not comfortable at all, but is a good writer.

Can I refer you to two fabulous pen makers namely Jinhao and Baoer both are made by the same company and I have been pointing buyers to them for years,made from Brass very affordable and comes with lots of options such as turning it into a Flex writer by changing the nib, details of how on YouTube,Trust me , Oneill

 

[Runnin_Ute]

Perhaps I have been lucky, but I have had very little bad luck with fountain pens in general. Well over 30 pens (closer to 40 counting ones I no longer have) and I can think of only two or three at most that have had issues. That does NOT count vintage pens I bought that I needed to do work to, and knew that ahead of time. (Esterbrook J series pens, several needed a new sac.)A Jinhao 159 was the worst one. A couple of Parker IM's that are hard starters, but once they start they write nicely.

[matteob]

Cheap doesn't necessarily mean nasty now with stuff from China. They have some way to go still but some excellent pens come out of China which exceed expectations based on the price

[Uncial]

Cheapies are great. I can chuck them in a bag, leave them rolling around on the desk, take them on holiday without worrying about losing them and fire any ink I please into them. Plenty of them make good writers and can take a fair bit of abuse.

[wasteland]

I notice this is a recurring topic on this forum.

I've had plenty of cheap pens (including Jinhaos and Baoers) and currently I only have a few expensive ones. On occasion, some of the cheapies (Lamy Safari that took a beating and never stopped giving satisfaction) have outperformed some of the expensive pens (a Lamy 2000 with restricted sweet spot and a Parker Duofold Centennial with a troublesome feed). But in general, and over the long term, I do think you get what you pay for. For instance, Chinese pens can be adequate writers, but I've found that they are inclined to dry out if not used every day because their caps don't seal well. With my more expensive pens, this never happens. There's also the issue of build quality. Pens that are built to last generally do last. I'd say this is true of tools in general.

And then there's a subjective factor. At some point, I wanted to keep around only the few pens I treasure and dispose of the ones I considered beaters.

[Articm39]

I share the OP's sentiment on cheap pens. I have three $100+ Japanese pens and a Pelikan M805 that I overpaid. I also have half dozen cheap Chinese pens, and many of these write as well or better than the expensive ones. The Jinhao x750 and x450, in particular, are so smooth and perfectly wet that I use them more than any other pens.

[ISW_Kaputnik]

As wasteland notes, not a new topic here, but nothing wrong with that.

 

Some of the best "cheapies" are vintage pens. I've gotten Esterbrooks for as little as $7.00, put in a $2 sac, and been good to go. And occasionally I've picked up something more upscale at a much lower than normal price.

 

But sure, a lot of cheap modern pens, not all of them Chinese, are good too. And they may pass the standard of not only writing well when you get them, but still being just as good two years later after heavy use.

 

On the other hand, I do find some of my mid-range Pilots, which cost me between around $90 to around $140, to be nicer to write with than, say, my perfectly good $3 Wing Sung, or the excellent Kaiduoli, which somebody gave me, but which I know went for around $7.

 

And if you're buying a lot of cheapies, it's worth considering doing without six to ten of them (while still getting a few), and using that money to buy one more upscale pen. The only question is which one.

 

I do stay away from the real luxury pens, although I can understand something of their attraction. And someone could use the same argument with me that I just used. For the price of maybe four of my best "midrange" modern pens and a couple of the pricier vintage ones I could get...

[Michael_Hill]

 

Now I am absolutley no expert by any means, and am very new to fountain pens. I dont own any pens that cost hundreds of dollars, nor will I ever. My highest pen purchase so far was $75.00 and I wish I had listened to the warnings on said pen...not a mistake I will make again. Anyway, on the the jist of my thoughts today...

Today I recieved three pens in the mail, three "el cheapo" pens, the cheapest being a whopping $ .99 with free shipping, thats ninety-nine CENTS... I dont think you can get cheaper than that. I inked each one up and thought "Ok...here comes the consequences of buying cheapie pens". But much to my suprise all three pens write BETTER than my $30-$75 pens...no hard starts, no skipping, no leaking, no fiddling to get the inks to flow, not one single issue! And all three "el cheapo" pens write smoother then the more "expensive" pens. I also have a Jinhao cheapie that falls in with the other three cheapies. Absolutely wonderful writing pen, smooth, no issues, a pleasure to write with.

It just blows me away...Im sure eventually you're going to run into a dud no matter what you buy, but wow, makes you wonder just how bad some of the brand name pen makers' QC really is when a $.99 pen totally blows away all the brand name pens you have in fit, finish, and function. the three pens i got today are...

 

Luoshi Wooden with Gold trim. (looks like rosewood) best of the lot, smoothest pen I own. fit and finish are amazing for $.99...

Lanxivi Crocodile (multi color green Celluloid with gold trim, the clip looks like a Crocodile. $10.00. writes a tad dry, but still very smooth.

Generic no-name bamboo pen, not the most comfortable pen to write with, but wow does it write....smooth and juicy. $6

 

For anyone wanting to add to their collection and not spend a bunch of money, or if you're on a budget, check the Luoshi and Lanxivi out for sure. The generic no-name bamboo pen is not comfortable at all, but is a good writer.

Can I refer you to two fabulous pen makers namely Jinhao and Baoer both are made by the same company and I have been pointing buyers to them for years,made from Brass very affordable and comes with lots of options such as turning it into a Flex writer by changing the nib, details of how on YouTube,Trust me , Oneill

 

 

Yes I already have a Jinhao as stated in my topic, and another one on the way as well. Thanks for the info, will check out the Baoer pens too.

[TSherbs]

Nice finds!

 

Try the Jinhao 992

Wing Sung 3008

 

I love these pens.

[Mech-for-i]

Its actually a fact of modern day technology , know how, and results of many generations of engineering ... despite what Stipula, Visconti, MontBlanc or what other brand might want the world to believe ... Pens, fountain pens in this case, are mature technology put into an engineering package. Nothing more, nothing less. Cheap only mean the Mfr had been ale to put all these within an economical constraint.

 

We can see similar in many daily living wares ... and in fact fountain pen was so in its prime days , but for a time lost it due to market and market volume in particular, but is now returning to give us this price sector of products. To me what matters is that this cheap or economic priced range means the product category is now again picking up its rightful position as a PEN, a tool, and only then as a hobby item, collectable, and so .. we may all in general all write less these days but we are still writing, and for that we need a pen. And if we can had some enjoyment i the process the better, and if we can had that enjoyment with less cost that even better yet still ...

[Arkanabar]

The plug in the end of a Jinhao 992's barrel often causes cracks within short order. {eta: I knock them out of mine; it doesn't take much.} Try the Jinhao 991 -- not as pretty, same nib and feed, but with better durability.

Edited January 24, 2018 by Arkanabar

[Runnin_Ute]

Although I had poor luck with a Jinhao 159, my 599 has been the complete opposite. I just flushed it today, but it has been a great little pen. I had a nib stubbed on my TWSBI 580 and got the 599 with it's nib stubbed when the 580 was returned to me as a freebie.

[ParkerDuofold]

The plug in the end of a Jinhao 992's barrel often causes cracks within short order...

Yes. Most of my 15 ct. dealer pack ended up like the pic below... and the 450/750's are prone to weak inner cap seals which fail early or cause routine "dry out" issues.

 

Michael, I know you're excited about them right now... I was too when I first discovered Chinese pens,... but they do suffer from real issues. (That said, I do have around 5 out of 20 450/750s that still give me relatively excellent service).

 

The one Chinese pen that is probably worth going after is the Wing Sung 698... it typically costs around $15 for a genuine model, but their well-made and worth the extra money.

 

As was stated above... you get what you pay for... or as my dad routinely told me... "TANSTAFL, son." (There Ain't No Such Thing As a Free Lunch).

 

 

- Anthony

 

 

EDITED to correct typos and clarify text.

Edited January 24, 2018 by ParkerDuofold

[Pichak]

Hi Michael Hill,

 

How you can get the Lanxivi Crocodile at $10?

[WJM]

Yes. Most of my 15 ct. dealer pack ended up like the pic below... and the 450/750's are prone to weak inner cap seals which fail early or cause routine "dry out" issues.

 

Michael, I know you're excited about them right now... I was too when I first discovered Chinese pens,... but they do suffer from real issues. (That said, I do have around 5 out of 20 450/750s that still give me relatively excellent service).

 

There is a substantial difference between a Chinese pen for $1 and for $20, which is to be expected. Those for $10-20 are much better than those for $1-2 and their value for money is often magnificent, Wing Sungs 618, 698 or Kaigelu 316 being great examples.

[Venemo]

My highest pen purchase so far was $75.00 and I wish I had listened to the warnings on said pen...not a mistake I will make again. Anyway, on the the jist of my thoughts today...

 

May I ask what pen it was and what was wrong with it?

[ParkerDuofold]

There is a substantial difference between a Chinese pen for $1 and for $20, which is to be expected. Those for $10-20 are much better than those for $1-2 and their value for money is often magnificent, Wing Sungs 618, 698 or Kaigelu 316 being great examples.

Hi WJM,

 

Exactly. That's my point... in the final analysis... you always get what you pay for... often times, what initially looks like a great deal... is not.

 

Why spend $2 on something that is transient... when for a few dollars more... you can get something that will serve you well over the long term? It is just good economics to pursue the latter... at least, that's what the "smart money" does.

 

Be well.

 

 

- Anthony

[Pichak]

Hi WJM,

 

Exactly. That's my point... in the final analysis... you always get what you pay for... often times, what initially looks like a great deal... is not.

 

Why spend $2 on something that is transient... when for a few dollars more... you can get something that will serve you well over the long term? It is just good economics to pursue the latter... at least, that's what the "smart money" does.

 

Be well.

 

 

- Anthony

 

I agree. I have more than 20 Chinese fountain pen. More than half of them have some problems as low quality build, hard start etc. For now I only inked one Chinese fountain pen to use as throw away pen. Add some money and get something like Pilot Mr, Platinum Plaisir, Kaweco Sport or Lamy Safari is better idea.

[Pichak]

Some of my Jinhao fountain pens (not all) and I still have other brands as Hero, Wing Sung and etc.