Shuangling Telescoping FP

[Larry T]

I was given two Shuangling Telescoping Chrome Crosshatch Fountain Pens to test, because I am such a big fan of the old Speeno 1013 pens, reviewed here. The distributor wanted me to see how the two mini pens compared. The test pens came from the distributor(Brian) in China. Speerbob is selling the Shaungling pens in his ebay store. I have no affiliation to the sellers, I just like cool toys. Having filed my disclaimer, I will say that Bob is a top-notch vendor, I've bought several items from him in the past, with excellent results.

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a52/ircameraman/Cappedweb.jpg

 

1. Appearance and Design: 8

 

It's a neat little pen, it's not pretty, but it works. The crosshatching and thicker section greatly improves handling over the Speeno. I have been using the Shuangling every day at work to log work orders, and at home to pay bills. I can write with it for extended periods with no discomfort. I use it with a Moleskine log book at work with no feathering or bleed-through.

 

2. Construction and Quality: 7

The pen is solid, much better built than the Speeno, but the metal sleeve that fits over the filler sac slipped off on both examples. I was able to push both back into place easily, and even if you lost the sleeve, the pen would still fill and write. To be fair, neither sleeve came loose again during the course of the test.

 

3. Weight and Dimensions: 8

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a52/ircameraman/GroupShot1web.jpg

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a52/ircameraman/GroupShot2web.jpg

 

Both pictures show the Shuangling with other popular pens. The pen with the little key hanging off the cap is my Speeno, the bullet shaped silver pen is a Fisher Space Pen. Two Shuanglings are shown, one open and uncapped, the other, closed.

 

I normally like a heavier pen, but something this small is not going to weigh much, unless it's made of lead. The Shuangling is tiny, but it opens up to a very useful length.

 

Length closed: 3 3/8 inches, Extended: 4 3/8 inches, Width: 3/8 inch.

 

4. Nib and Performance: 8

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a52/ircameraman/NibTopweb.jpg

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a52/ircameraman/NibUndersideweb.jpg

 

 

 

Both pens have smooth nibs and decent flow. The nibs are on the dry side, but had no trouble keeping up when I wrote fast. Parker Quink seemed to perform a little better than the Waterman Blue-Black. Both inks wrote well, but the pens were smoother with Quink. I would say the nibs write a line between fine and x-fine.

 

5. Filling System and Maintenance: 5

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a52/ircameraman/Fillerweb.jpg

 

As you can see, this pen is an aero-filler. I marked it down in this category because it's nearly impossible to fill the Shuangling without getting ink on your hands. Because of the size, the nib and barrel threads are close together. The first time I filled it, I nearly drained the sac of ink trying to wipe the threads clean. It gets easier as you practice. Cleaning is no worse than a Parker 51 or 21.

 

6. Cost and Value: 8

 

Bob is selling these pens for $16 shipped, twice what the Speeno 1013 cost in 2005, but I think the Shuangling is a better design, and it writes as well as many, much more expensive pens.

 

7. Conclusion: 44/6= 7.33

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a52/ircameraman/Wrap-upweb.jpg

 

I like the Shuangling a lot, it has replaced the Speeno in my left front pants pocket.

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a52/ircameraman/Uncappedweb.jpg

 

Thanks for reading, comments are always welcome.

Larry

Edited March 16, 2010 by Larry T

[significantpass]

Cool! I think I might get myself one of these. Thanks for the review.

[Breck]

Very interesting pen. Can you explain how the telescoping mechanism works?

[Larry T]

Very interesting pen. Can you explain how the telescoping mechanism works?

 

The thinner, smooth barrel at the top of the pen nests into the lower, crosshatched section. Just pull straight up, and the pen grows.

 

Larry

[WendyNC]

That is just cool. Thanks for the review!

[Ed Ronax]

Nice review, lovely looking pen, thanks.

[Larry T]

I had fun doing the review, I appreciate the positive feedback.

 

As I was going through the grading process, I decided to apply the guidelines to some other pens I own. I have several wonderful pens in the $300-$600 dollar range that wouldn't have scored much higher than 7.5 on this test. I am really impressed that a $16 pen could compete, performance wise, with high priced hardware.

 

Taking pictures of highly reflective objects, while trying to preserve detail in the highlights, is quite a challenge. The half dozen or so pictures in the review took about three hours to produce. It was an educational project for me. :blink:

 

Larry

[Yuki Onitsura]

I had fun doing the review, I appreciate the positive feedback.

 

As I was going through the grading process, I decided to apply the guidelines to some other pens I own. I have several wonderful pens in the $300-$600 dollar range that wouldn't have scored much higher than 7.5 on this test. I am really impressed that a $16 pen could compete, performance wise, with high priced hardware.

 

Taking pictures of highly reflective objects, while trying to preserve detail in the highlights, is quite a challenge. The half dozen or so pictures in the review took about three hours to produce. It was an educational project for me. :blink:

 

Larry

 

Thanks for the review and the photos. Very interesting little pen. =) As for pricier pens not scoring much better, I think there's a bit of statistical regression going on there.

 

Yuki

[Larry T]

I had fun doing the review, I appreciate the positive feedback.

 

As I was going through the grading process, I decided to apply the guidelines to some other pens I own. I have several wonderful pens in the $300-$600 dollar range that wouldn't have scored much higher than 7.5 on this test. I am really impressed that a $16 pen could compete, performance wise, with high priced hardware.

 

Taking pictures of highly reflective objects, while trying to preserve detail in the highlights, is quite a challenge. The half dozen or so pictures in the review took about three hours to produce. It was an educational project for me. :blink:

 

Larry

 

Thanks for the review and the photos. Very interesting little pen. =) As for pricier pens not scoring much better, I think there's a bit of statistical regression going on there.

 

Yuki

 

 

I think you're right, Yuki, only two of the six ratings have to do directly with design and finish, which are expected to be better on higher priced merchandise. This formula tends to value performance, not a bad thing, when I spend my money, I want something that works. I have been carrying the Shuangling around in my pocket for two weeks now, and it continues to work very well. I'm glad you enjoyed the review.

 

Larry

[Juicyjones]

What a wacky pen, so cool. Thanks for that review.

[pathobby]

Really good review of an interesting pen which seems like fabulous value for money.

 

One question though... where do your fabulous glass pen-rests come from. They are great!

 

Are there any pictures of thes rests anywhere?

 

PH

[mompus]

Earlier today I put up a brief post mentioning the "Shuangling" and I remembered that I hadn't publicly complemented Larry T on the great review he'd done for this pen. I knew Larry had evaluated the similar "Speeno 1013" back in '05. Ergo, when I was looking for someone to send a sample to, He seemed the perfect candidate (as of course He was).

There is, alas, something about the Shuangling which bugs me and which Larry didn't mention; I find that lanyard cord rather cheesy. I guess the (now defunct) manufacturer saved a few hundredths of a Yuan per by using yucky string on an otherwise classy little pen. Fortunately, unlike the labels on sofa cushions, there is no federal law prohibiting their removal. I've had one of these, sans string, on my keychain for a couple of years now and I've yet to regret axing that lanyard.

Best

Mompus

[PianoMan14]

The telescoping feature should be nice when you don't want to write with an m400 (unposted) size pen.

[mollzo]

A nice descriptive review!

 

And as I bought a Rotring telescopic Esprit as my very first FP - this could prove to be the follow-up, since I am also a big fan of smaller, niftier pens!

 

- Morten

[Larry T]

Really good review of an interesting pen which seems like fabulous value for money.

 

One question though... where do your fabulous glass pen-rests come from. They are great!

 

Are there any pictures of thes rests anywhere?

 

PH

 

The pen rests were a gift from my daughter. One of her friends is a glass blower. The company is called Royal Glass Makers LLC, and their website is www.royalglassmakers.com. Sorry it took so long to respond, for some reason, I'm not getting emails on this topic. Just checked, the website isn't up anymore.

Here's another picture from my Speeno review that features the rests.

 

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a52/ircameraman/Speeno1.jpg

 

Larry

Edited April 23, 2010 by Larry T

[Larry T]

Earlier today I put up a brief post mentioning the "Shuangling" and I remembered that I hadn't publicly complemented Larry T on the great review he'd done for this pen. I knew Larry had evaluated the similar "Speeno 1013" back in '05. Ergo, when I was looking for someone to send a sample to, He seemed the perfect candidate (as of course He was).

There is, alas, something about the Shuangling which bugs me and which Larry didn't mention; I find that lanyard cord rather cheesy. I guess the (now defunct) manufacturer saved a few hundredths of a Yuan per by using yucky string on an otherwise classy little pen. Fortunately, unlike the labels on sofa cushions, there is no federal law prohibiting their removal. I've had one of these, sans string, on my keychain for a couple of years now and I've yet to regret axing that lanyard.

Best

Mompus

 

Thanks for the opportunity, I enjoyed writing the review. The Shuangling is still in my pocket, gets daily use, and hasn't so much as stuttered, except when I forget to fill it. Yeah, the lanyard on mine disappeared immediately after the photo session, and the pen works great on a key ring.

 

Larry