New Kaigelu 316 Colors

[OCArt]

Introduction

The Kaigelu 316 was introduced several years ago and found a following as a well made Chinese 'homage' to the Parker Duofold Centennial. It closely matched the size and design of the Parker but was a bit heavy as many Chinese pens tend to be. A short time ago I noticed that some new colors had come on the market and decided to try one out.

 

New Colors

 

Comparison Old and New

I ordered the orange one for about $20 on eBay and was curious to see if the weight had been reduced. As you'll see from the chart below the weight has dropped by nearly 60 grams overall. I believe they switched to a lighter material for the rear finial.

No Other Design Changes

I couldn't detect any other design changes except that the cartridge converter is now friction fit rather than screw-in. The cap still takes about 2.5 turns to remove and the and threads smoothly onto the body. Kaigelu nibs are quite good and this one is between and fine and medium size. It's not a standard nib size, perhaps 5.5, but you can mount other nibs with some experimentation. Overall it's a pleasant pen to use but unwieldy and very long when posted.

 

 

[A Smug Dill]

Thank you for the comparison! I just received two of the new Kaigelu 316 models, and am so pleased with the weight and balance of the pens, I now have a third one on order and in transit; and I was very confused about why there was so many expressions of reservation about the top-heaviness or weight imbalance of the Kaigelu 316.

[Karmachanic]

the weight has dropped by nearly 60 grams overall.

Thank you! Time to order another pearl/black

[Jorge]

Thank you for the weight comparison.

Furthermore, these new version is available with an EF nib as well as with the M one, which was the only option available with the previous model.

I have the new "amber" one with the EF nib and it writes like a dream.

[rafapa]

Are you sure the weights are correct? The old one weights 1lb?

[Karmachanic]

Are you sure the weights are correct? The old one weights 1lb?

Typo should be mg

[OCArt]

The Kaigelu 315 was/is great but there is now a lot of competition in pens of this style. I really like the Moonman M600S with the following weights

Whole pen 290mg

Cap 106mg

Section+nib 185mg

Body only 91mg

Edited October 2, 2020 by OCArt

[rafapa]

The Kaigelu 315 was/is great but there is now a lot of competition in pens of this style. I really like the Moonman M600S with the following weights

Whole pen 290mg

Cap 106mg

Section+nib 185mg

Body only 91mg

I am sorry to be so picky but these weights cannot be correct.

290mg are equal to 0.000639pounds

[sansenri]

the values in the table can be read in grams, but they all need a dot before the last figure...

 

40.0g 45.6 g 29.1g etc.

 

heavy pens can reach 40g weight capped, light pens are usually around 15g uncapped, so those weights divided by 10 look correct

 

unfortunately I don't have a sufficiently sensitive scale to weight my 316s or Centennials to confirm

[OCArt]

BIG thanks Sansenri! I'm happy to know the answer to the mystery.

I am sorry to be so picky but these weights cannot be correct.

290mg are equal to 0.000639pounds

Edited October 2, 2020 by OCArt

[A Smug Dill]

The Kaigelu 315 was/is great but there is now a lot of competition in pens of this style. I really like the Moonman M600S ...

We have two Moonman M600S here, and I can't say I was impressed by them other than for the pretty acrylics that attracted me in the first place. In both cases, the pen feels relatively insubstantial in the hand; and the nib tipping is too broad and round, so the marks it puts down are neither narrow enough befitting a Fine nib, nor crisp enough even if I was prepared to live with wider but very controlled, precise lines. Mine has basically fallen to disuse after Day 3 of it being inked, although my wife still uses hers.

 

Whereas the two Kaigelu 316 I received are great. They feel hefty and substantial without either imbalance or weighing my hand down when writing, the EF nibs are suitably fine and precise, and I'm impressed by their construction: how everything can be screwed out, and there are O-rings on both the nib housing and the metal core inside gripping section. Oh, and of course it is not at all a concern to me whether they are fitted with #6 'standard' or otherwise easily swappable-for-other-brands nibs; I have no intention of using these pens as glorified nib holders for a Bock stub nib or some such, and the factory-fitted nib is more than good enough so as not to warrant replacement.

[wastelanded]

I'm so pleased to hear they no longer fit a door stop as the back finial. I bought a replacement finial here years ago, made all the difference.

[A Smug Dill]

In balanced suspension when uncapped, with a converter installed and half-filled with ink:

[Jorge]

 

Just to bring some more detail on the reasons for the weight change between the new and old versions of the K316, as far as the bottom finial is concerned.

 

The picture shows the old finial at the right. It is 100% brass, painted, and friction inserted (plus some glue) into the body of the pen.

The new version, left of the picture, while still 100% brass and painted, is much smaller and is now screwed to the body

 

As a result, the new finial is much lighter than the old one (I am sorry, but I do not have a precision scale at hand to provide exact figures), and explains, at least partly, the data reported by the O.P. (thank you again for your review).