The Drawback Of Cheap Chinese Pens.....

[Thymen]

.... is that they are, well, cheap.

 

Which means that is not going to cost a fortune in case you ruin one by tweaking the nibs and feeds etc.

 

I bought a few Jinhao 159 pens, and some X750 are on their way. I also purchased a couple of spare nibs, and was not particularly fond of both the nibs that came in the pens as the spare ones. But with their amazingly low prices, I thought I'd have a go at tweaking them. So I took my polishing grindstones and crayons I use for sharpening my woodworking chisels (grid 8.000 to 30.000) and with the help of 'the Internets' for information I started.

 

I admit, without much success, at first. But I kept going, and I learned. It took a lot of time, but hey, it was fun!

 

That's when I discovered the major drawback of these cheap pens...... once tuned, polished, re-tuned, cleaned, and tested for some time, you end up with a pen that actually writes very well! And while tweaking them, they grew on me. They became - my - pens, I grew fond of them.

 

Which means that I started wondering why I spent a month's salary on expensive MontBlancs and the likes, whose nibs I do not dare to touch in fear of ruining them. And that are now actually seeing much less use then the pens I obtained for less then $4.....

 

So folks, be warned when you buy pens that'll cost you a fraction of a meal at McDonalds: they may lessen the pride you once felt by owning a top of the line one!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Been dere, still doin' dat.

[Karmachanic]

If only I could get a black X750 flat top. 'Cuz I can't get enough of that black flat top stuff.

[NighthawkSix]

Which means that I started wondering why I spent a month's salary on expensive MontBlancs and the likes, whose nibs I do not dare to touch in fear of ruining them. And that are now actually seeing much less use then the pens I obtained for less then $4....

 

 

I second your thought. I was starting down an expensive path, when I bumped into these pens and they turned me around. My PenBBS pens write just as well, if not better, than my $200 pen. That's one reason why I enjoy them.

[JonSzanto]

Pens, like many things, fulfill quite a number of desires. Economy is certainly one, as is function. I still own many pens that please me in ways that no other pen does, and I don't shun them simply because they might not have come to me as a bargain-basement purchase. If I like a pen, I like it. It doesn't have to justify its humble - or extravagant - beginnings.

[Aysedasi]

I have five 159s, which I messed with and replaced all the nibs on ages ago, but they sit in a drawer now unused with all the nibs long removed for other pens...... Just didn't hold my attention for long enough, I'm afraid.

Edited September 15, 2018 by Aysedasi

[sansenri]

The drawbacks in Chinese pens are well beyond the nib.

The nib in fact, especially in more modern Chinese pens is not too bad.

And you are right in saying that with some tweaking it can improve to the point of becoming smooth and pleasant to use.

But stiff, usually very stiff. So if you look for some softness if not even some flex, Chinese nibs don't usually cope. So far at least.

My X750 is a nice pen after some nib smoothing on micromesh, but my m200s are way better IMO, and if comparison is with my Pelikan 140s or 400NNs, it's another planet.

Chinese pens have other problems though, for example often they come with a faulty converter.

I have more than one time spent 4-5 $ on a Chinese pen, and then had to spend 8-9 $ on a good converter...

To many Chinese pens are very heavy. The new wave of Wing Sungs and PenBBS is changing that though (at last).

Many Chinese pens, particularly the brass ones have lousy threading, gritty and not perfectly matched.

Several Chinese pens have lousy plating, after a period of use, plating comes off, leaving you with an ugly looking pen.

Often Chinese pens use soft plastic, threading wears out, body gets scratched. Other times plastic is brittle and cracks.

It depends what you look for in a pen, if it's only smooth stiff writing, and all the rest does not bother you, then it's fine.

That said, I do use my X750 (red lava) every now and then, it's stiff and somewhat heavy, but the nib is smooth and flow is generous.

 

PS

the X750 has two other advantages (vs several other Chinese pens)

good size (many Chinese pens are small and have very narrow section)

small step down barrel to section (many Chinese pens are uncomfortable to hold due to the step down, often with sharp edges)

Edited September 15, 2018 by sansenri

[gwsmallwood]

My meager collection so far:

• Pilot Metropolitan Medium
• Jinhao X750
• Baoer 388
• Wing Sung 3008 Fine

I also have a Baoer 051 on the way. My Metro seems to be a bit sensitive to ink selection, but otherwise is a great pen. My X750 could use a bit of nib tuning, and the Baoer 388 I dropped the first day I inked it up and now the cap doesn't fasten. The Wing Sung 3008 has only been inked up for a day, but so far has the best nib of the three. I just wish it had a bit more weight unposted. Posted, it's far too cap heavy.

 

I like the idea of having a nice collection of cheap pens. I've only been using fountain pens for a few months now, but I like the idea of being able to give away pens to anyone who expresses genuine interest. With these sub $10 pens, it's not too difficult to do that.

[Mongoosey]

I agree with you on chinese pens.

 

I personally don't like many non-chinese starter pens. Either too dry, too small, too toyish looking, and other reasons .

 

In fact, one of the only starter pens I've enjoyed returning back to has been the jinhao x750. It's not too hefty for me like the x450 or 159 so I can bear it, and it has a generous inkflow, a nice section shape/size, and I can put a Jowo in it to make it write beautifully.

 

When I was testing my friend's pen collection out I was turning down the consideration of many pens in favor the my x750 in side-by-side comparisons.

 

I still do want a few $100+ $200+ pens, especially since I prefer lighter pens, but the fact that I can to go my x750 and enjoy it as much as I do makes me happy Plus I don't fear losing it, it's a good knock around pen, and I don't have to worry about what inks I put in it.

[alexander_k]

As the OP points out, there are many advantages to cheap fountain pens (not only modern Chinese, btw; there's also a lot in vintage, like school pens from the 1960s), including a low threshold for experimentation. And yes, in the end, performance of a good inexpensive pen may be as good as that of very expensive ones. I guess it all depends on what you want to hold in your hand: a beautiful thing that people admire or something to write with in a particular manner. I can live with both but the most important thing is to get pens of all prices to work well. Sharing experiences and ideas has become so easy and fast that one cannot go wrong after a brief search for information.

[mke]

I came the other way round. From cheap Chinese pens to expensive ones.

 

Apart from some Jinhao 159 where I swapped the nibs for Jowo nibs, I don't use them anymore.

Most of them will soon be 'for sale' pens. The problem is, they don't have ANY resale value.

But, I will keep my Jinhao 159/X750/15 and one or the other from other brands.

 

What I do use are the Moonman M2 pens for my colors. Their price-performance is optimal. But the new type of Chinese pens are not really cheap anymore (see https://frankunderwater.com/). Chinese pens (and Indian pens) close the gap in quality and price - and many pens nowadays use good nibs from JoWo/Bock or Schmidt.

 

I have no love affair with any Chinese pen and I am not going back from my Montblancs / YOL / Waldmann / CdA / Manupropria / Sailor / Pilot to less-performing Chinese pens.

But if you don't have any expensive pens, think twice before buying one. In such a case, the new type of Chinese and Indian pens could save you a lot of money.

[Dip n Scratch]

I had a Waterman Expert that wrote very dry & consequently it slept in a drawer, snug & safe in its box.

I bought a Jinhao X450, 599 X750 & J159. Because I could do so at minimum cost.

Stuff a Bock #6 nib into a X750 & you have a superb EDC pen. Jinhao just do not do alternative #6 nibs. The Bock nib was 2-3X the cost of the pen it went into. I would have been more annoyed about losing the nib than the pen.

Jinhao do make a pseudo Pelikan clone, - J500. The usual c/c filler with a 2-tone #5 nib. It is interesting, but the resemblance is only visual. I bought the Jinhao 159 to get a spare nib & feed as I was using Diamine Registrar's Ink, which is iron-gall of course.

The J159 looks like a knock-off Mont Blanc 149. Did they copy the section diameter from a actual MB 149 Meisterstuck. Far too thick for my personal comfort. It got dismantled very quickly.

The Jinhao 599 is, apparently very popular in China as it is their version of a Safari, but with a standard nib. As a Safari clone it is quite a good one. The Hero 359 has the same problem of a proprietary cartridge as the Lamy original.

The worst of the Safari clones has to be a Yiren 566. I tried two at different times & both were turds. They leaked ink constantly. Avoid them.

I have had some fun swapping & changing these pens at minimal expense.

[lowks]

I wish they did more stuff in Ebonite and carbon fiber, then I will be golden

[Mech-for-i]

I think the title of this thread pretty much nail it ... the drawback of cheap Chinese pens - and upon the posts, I think quite a number of fellow forum members had somewhat mistook this as - drawback of Chinese pens - which is of course two different matters entirely , in fact as a veteran Chinese fountain pen user I pretty much agree entirely with all the stated bar the fact that the said issues all seems to be a part of the CHEAP ones. But then what I would not agree upon is that its issues with the actual ( much ) larger quantity of various ( almost never seen outside of China ) Chinese pens.

 

As a somewhat general rule, the actual up market models were and are usually actually made to be user pens, not hobbyist oriented like mostly the rest of the world do as China the country actually still see people actively using fountain pens daily and as straight forward writing tools. The caveat of course is then the pens are then all designed around actually being tailored to be used, not as fashion item, or hobbyist oriented craft item or so and so ..

 

The Jinhao(s), the Lanbitou, etc etc ....... all those 78G / Safari / Kaweco / Pilot .... copies etc I would simply term them the bottom price bracket and a large part the teen / hype fashions and they show, and pens like the PenBBS, new production Wing Sung are all really tailored towards the hobbyist / quasi fashion /accessories market and similarly they advance in quality and they advance in price.

 

All the said wanted, as well as some of the asked for ; are in fact quite easy to had in a Chinese pen but of course we are talking those not really glamorous , and somewhat would be overlook models ... softer nib, well Hero's 10K gold nib is known for softness build in ( but not flex ) and so do their 12K, some of their steel nib in fact are known for that too but don't get it wrong those will not appear on a pen that cost only $1.00 or even $5.00, we would be looking at pens in the more or less 50RMB up to 250RMB price bracket ... Give it some leeway on fright cost and we are talking $10.00 as a start ; in absolute term its still cheap but its not cheap as far as typical bottom price bracket goes. So I wager a part of that is we the customers .. its after all business , and quality costs .. is it suiting you the customer that will be a question regarding the individual and the pen in question. On the other hand there are advance seen even in the bottom price bracket models but in the end their price limit what the Mfr can do with them , the materials, the time and effort , labor that can be allocated, the manufacturing tolerance etc etc ...

[old4570]

Cheap = Lottery ...

You win , you lose ..

 

But there definitely are cheap pens worth having .

Also depends on your idea of cheap !

With some fountain pens going over 100,000 what do you call expensive ?

For some Thousand dollar pens are middle of the road and cheap might be $100 ...

Also demographics .. That poor person in SE Asia or the starkest of Africa might consider a $5 USD pen expensive .

 

Might need a new post for this ..

[Mech-for-i]

...

Also depends on your idea of cheap !

With some fountain pens going over 100,000 what do you call expensive ?

For some Thousand dollar pens are middle of the road and cheap might be $100 ...

Also demographics .. That poor person in SE Asia or the starkest of Africa might consider a $5 USD pen expensive .

 

Might need a new post for this ..

 

 

Valid and interesting perspective here ... and the notion that most of us on this forum , while many do see the fountain pen as a daily used ware, it cannot be denied that we see this as a hobby and collections ... where in many part of the world these are just pens, and no less so in many Asian country including China. Thus what I see is a very minority of the actual pen produced , and limited to a very minority proportion in term of models are generally in discussion here and they tend to in turn present a skewed view of the situation one way or the other.

 

And the OP do get a point, - "once tuned, polished, re-tuned, cleaned, and tested for some time, you end up with a pen that actually writes very well! And while tweaking them, they grew on me. They became - my - pens, I grew fond of them " - in that many of these Chinese ( and non Chinese ) cheap ( I shall say affordable instead ) fountain pen are no more like the like of say a nominal industry scale production ware that's for simply being used .. they certainly are not tailored to be otherwise ...

[JonSzanto]

Also depends on your idea of cheap !

The context of cheap doesn't necessarily have to be related to per-capita incomes around the world or anything like that (in fact, it shouldn't.) The simple fact is that it is easy to categorize this if you only look at the range of prices that fountain pens sell for. A large, large part of the Chinese pen market goes for prices that - when looked at from the least expensive pen out there to the most expensive - can easily be considered cheap. With high-end pens from Montblanc and artisanal makers all around the world going for multiple-thousands of dollars, a $3.00 pen is a cheap pen regardless of the wage/annual income level of any particular country or community.

[mke]

Some months ago was a sales event at Aliexpress where I could have bought 159 of the Jinhao 159 for the same price as one Sailor King of Pen which I bought 50% off in an auction.

Both pens were cheap.

 

Edited October 3, 2018 by mke

[hbdk]

Thymen you told my story - and tinkering is so much fun so my collection is expanding and expanding