Different nibs on same Duke model?

[ximhot]

I started to notice this: on the same Duke model, different sellers have different nibs. The 2 pictures are nibs of Duke Dream World from 2 different sellers.

 

One is gold-plated nib from an ebay seller and the other is 14K gold nib from hisnibs.com. I checked the Duke website and there is no reference to a Dream World with gold plated nib. In fact the gold-plated Duke Dream World says 14K Gold Pen on its cap. Is the seller on ebay tempering with the nib? Anybody can share any information or thoughts?

Edited July 20, 2007 by ximhot

[michael_s]

I'm just speculating, but perhaps Duke had a surplus of that barrel and cap, and decided to sell them with a cheaper stainless steel nib to clear-out their inventory? What's stamped on the nib, "Duke Germany"? I can't make-out the second third line from that photo. Or are people now counterfeiting Duke pens?

 

Regardless of the nib's composition, does it write smoothly? Is it stiff or soft? Is the pen well balanced? Is the cap more red or more brown in color?

 

-Mike

Edited July 20, 2007 by michael_s

[ximhot]

If Duke is really doing what you speculate, it is a shame and I will never buy Duke pen again. I have hoped that Duke can really turn the Chinese pen making industry around by providing reputable and reliable products. If they keep the cap saying 14K gold pen on and put in a gold-plated nib, that is a lie. I just bought a few of this pen and plan to give them as gift. I CAN'T give to others with a cap that says gold pen but indeed a gold plated pen.

 

I am contacting Duke to see what is going here. If it is them or the seller.

 

The non-gold nib (I can't tell if it is gold-plated because it is monotone golden in color). The nib is stiff but writes pretty well. Stamped on the nib says "Duke, Germany, 1889", versus the "14K, 580".

 

I'm just speculating, but perhaps Duke had a surplus of that barrel and cap, and decided to sell them with a cheaper stainless steel nib to clear-out their inventory? What's stamped on the nib, "Duke Germany"? I can't make-out the second third line from that photo. Or are people now counterfeiting Duke pens?

 

Regardless of the nib's composition, does it write smoothly? Is it stiff or soft? Is the pen well balanced? Is the cap more red or more brown in color?

 

-Mike

 

[jd50ae]

Maybe HisNibs or isellpens could add to this thread.

 

As a Duke user I have seen hundreds and owned about 30 and I must say I have never seen this before.

Maybe a note to Duke?

 

[ximhot]

Plot is thickening and I can't wait to find out. I sent an email to Duke last night and haven't heard anything yet.

[Univer]

Hi,

 

I want to make sure I understand what I'm seeing in the posted photos.

 

My impression is that the first image shows the two different sizes in which the Dream World pen is available: large on the left, small on the right. So far as I know, both sizes are typically fitted with 14K nibs, as shown, although the nib engraving differs between the two sizes. (I have one of the small pens, and the nib engraving matches the right-hand nib in this photo.)

 

My impression is that the second image shows two views of a large Dream World listed on eBay. This one clearly has a different nib design, and is described as having a plated nib.

 

Correct?

 

I noted a few of these eBay listings popping up recently: Duke pens that we've seen only with 14K nibs, now being sold with plated nibs (I believe I saw a Gold Medal model as well as the Dream Worlds). I read those listings carefully, and they clearly stated that the nibs were plated. I know that there is some variability among Duke nibs. For example, I have one of the Shenzhou (sp?) pens with a 14K nib, but I have seen another version with an 18K nib. I have a Columbus with a 14K nib that is different, cosmetically, from some others I have seen. So it is entirely possible that the same model might be available, legitimately, with either a solid gold or a gold-plated nib. That is not, in and of itself, objectionable.

 

It sounds, though, like some posters are under the impression that the first photo shows a proper 14K nib next to a plated nib that has been engraved so as to deceive. If that were the case, then there would be a real problem; but I don't believe that's what's going on here, and I don't think that's what the image is intended to show.

 

If I'm misreading either the photos or the posts, please accept my apologies. I'm just trying to sort this out.

 

Cheers,

 

Jon

[ximhot]

Thanks for Jon's reply. I have 2 issues with Duke pens with different nibs.

 

First, the Dream World's cap is engraved with "14K Gold Pen". I got one from an ebay seller and it has a gold-plated nib. I can't agree with the practice, either from Duke or the seller to sell a pen with a cap engraved with 14K Gold marking while the nib is not. With the "14K Gold Pen" marked, I don't think it is Duke's intention to put out a gold-plated version. Just my opinion.

 

Second, Duke's website has no reference to gold-plated nibs for these models.

 

These are the 2 questions I am looking for answers. And I think they are not over the line for a customer.

Edited July 20, 2007 by ximhot

[Univer]

Oh, absolutely - these are perfectly legitimate questions.

 

For what it's worth, I share your - what shall we call it? bemusement? - with some of the naming conventions and practices of the Chinese pen makers. When I see a piece of gold-colored trim, like a cap band, with the words "14K Gold" engraved into it...well, my initial reaction is to think that that piece of trim is made of that material. Failing that, I tend to expect that there will be some solid gold somewhere on the pen. In the case of my Dream World (or my Haolilai 801), the nib is in fact 14K, so I'm less inclined to take issue with the cap band engraving. But if I were to pay a non-trivial sum for a pen so marked, only to discover that all that glitters was not gold, I would not be happy.

 

Sometimes I think I see a tendency, among the Chinese manufacturers, to incorporate potentially misleading terms directly into their corporate names. So one might have the "Beijing 14K Gold Pen Company" (in which case "Beijing 14K Gold Pen" on a cap band would nothing more than a company identifier) or the "Deluxe Pen Company GMBH Belgium" (in which case an engraved "Belgium" could be seen as a part of the company name).

 

I'm not saying that these practices are intended to deceive; but I'm also not exonerating these manufacturers on the basis of cultural/linguistic differences. Consumers around the globe, rightly or wrongly, typically see "14K" as a statement of gold content, and "Austria" as a statement of origin; and these manufacturers are selling pens to those consumers. I hope these naming conventions are regularized soon.

 

And as for the absence of plated-nib variants of these models in the Duke catalog - you raise an excellent point.

 

I look forward to further information.

 

Cheers,

 

Jon

 

 

[jd50ae]

Can you post a picture of the pens side by side?

Capped and un-capped.

[ximhot]

I have only the gold-plated nib version.

[jd50ae]

Thought I was on to something. Guess not.

Here are three Duke Sharks in three different sizes but identical nibs.

 

[ximhot]

Shark has only stainless steel nib. If it is put out as a 14k gold nib, there might be same issue, then.

 

So far I haven't heard neither from the eBay seller nor Duke concerning the nib question.

Edited July 22, 2007 by ximhot

[jd50ae]

Just went to His Nibs and I found the answer. There are two different sizes of the Dream World pen. I thought your photo looked like two different pens but I searched in all the wrong places.

[ximhot]

There are indeed two sizes of Dream World. But they both should be mounted with gold nib.

[michael_s]

So any word from Duke on the nibs?

 

-Mike

[Bibliophage]

I don't know that it's Duke, but one ebay seller REALLY bothers me. Partly because Ebay keeps letting him mislabel his auctions.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=230156387499

 

Basically, topsellshop keeps listing pens for $3 that are "Sterling Silver". Mind you, he/she/it doesn't say that it's sterling in the description, but it's certainly deceptive in the subject. I've seen the same thing with "Gold" for some pens as well.

 

Another from the same seller - 230156916145 - says "Sterling silver clip" - but later on says 'silver accents'.

 

(However, I did get one seller's stuff yanked from Ebay due to his habit of 1) insisting that all bidders contact him by email _outside_ of ebay first, and 2) having a "buy it now" price in the description without it being buy it now. )

 

Maybe if enough people report topsellshop for deceptive listing, Ebay will start paying attention to the word "Sterling" - unfortunately, they don't let you actually say HOW the listing is deceptive anymore. You can only report it.

 

Anyone know what chinese pen maker he might be selling?

 

[TheNobleSavage]

I have a few Duke pens and I am very happy with them, one has an 18kt gold nib while the other has a 10kt nib. I know that when they use gold plated nibs they will use GP right next to the number, for example "22ktGP"

 

As for why they are using smaller nibs on a pen that normally uses a larger nib, I cannot answer that.

 

 

TNS

[tuxedobay]

I have one Duke, plus a half dozen or so (at $1.99 plus $6.00 freight, who cares?) other Chinese pens. One writes as good as my best Carene, the Hero is pretty good, the rest fair to good - except the Duke. It is poor to lousy.

 

Now, in all fairness, I have read a few suggestions about how to clean a new pen to be sure of getting the proper flow, so before I castigate it any more, I will try them. If it improves things, will let you know.

 

Ken

[ximhot]

I bought a couple pens from topsellshop. They use deceptive description and sell knockoff pens. I bought a pen that looks extremely like a Fuliwen on the listing but turns out a nameless copy. Pen is okay but a little bit more will buy a genuine Fuliwen that has much higher quality. It is off my list.

 

The issue of a gold-plated nib on a Duke publicized solid god nib pen arose from my recent purchase from akideal@ebay. I won a few Dukes from this seller on ebay. Then I found out that the nibs on all this seller's Dukes are different from the Duke website. Unfortunately Duke didn't bother to answer my question about the nib. I compare the Dukes I got from akideal@ebay and isellpens.com, the Dukes from isellpens.com have manual, warranty certificate, and higher quality boxes, while all the Dukes I got from akideal have no warranty certificate. akideal@ebay is terrible in answering questions. I sent in a few emails about a loose cap on one Duke (actually the most expensive 10k nib Silver Shell D32), never heard from them. This seller is off my list, too.

 

I also purchased a Fuliwen from a seller from Canada. It doesn't have a gift box but it is a genuine Fuliwen.

 

I will stick to isellpens.com or some other reputable sellers recommended by FPN in the future. The shining pens with super low price on ebay? Bye-bye, it is a waste of money and a lot of frustration. I paid my tuition.

 

I don't know that it's Duke, but one ebay seller REALLY bothers me. Partly because Ebay keeps letting him mislabel his auctions.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=230156387499

 

Basically, topsellshop keeps listing pens for $3 that are "Sterling Silver". Mind you, he/she/it doesn't say that it's sterling in the description, but it's certainly deceptive in the subject. I've seen the same thing with "Gold" for some pens as well.

 

Another from the same seller - 230156916145 - says "Sterling silver clip" - but later on says 'silver accents'.

 

(However, I did get one seller's stuff yanked from Ebay due to his habit of 1) insisting that all bidders contact him by email _outside_ of ebay first, and 2) having a "buy it now" price in the description without it being buy it now. )

 

Maybe if enough people report topsellshop for deceptive listing, Ebay will start paying attention to the word "Sterling" - unfortunately, they don't let you actually say HOW the listing is deceptive anymore. You can only report it.

 

Anyone know what chinese pen maker he might be selling?

Edited August 4, 2007 by ximhot

[ximhot]

Not a single word.

 

So any word from Duke on the nibs?

 

-Mike