Liangbo 201 Dual Sided Nib Pen

[Osmaroid]

I saw the Liangbo 201 pen posted in the FPN "For Sale" forum and was intrigued. It was one of 3 models of Chinese Liangbo pens with a dual sided nib something like that of the Parker 180 and the earlier Sheaffer Stylist. I knew of Chinese Hero pens with a similar type of nib at ridiculously low prices and had tried them a few years ago with less than good results. This seller, however, claimed of the Liangbo manufacturer that "they seemed to have solved the feed problems that plagued these pens". I had to find out and so ordered one in Maroon resin.

 

Appearance 5 / 5

The pen arrived quickly and without box or papers, tightly packed in tissue paper in a padded envelope. At first glance, it reminded me of a Pilot Prera but with a wider cap band. On the band is engraved "Wang 201" and a small graphic. It turns out that it is quite a bit bigger than the Pilot. I like plain, elegant pens and this fits that description well. When the cap is removed, the styling continues to a simple tapered cylindrical section with a gold colored end. The cap posts on the end and does stay there with no play, but is not what I'd call a tight fit. The sort of appearance in a pen that I would be pleased to be seen using.

 

 

Construction and quality 4.5 / 5

The exterior construction can be seen above. The cap is a push fit and seems to firmly click in place. The pen feels well made. The barrel unscrews to show a conventional aeromatic type filler. I could not see whether the breather tube of a true aeromatic type was present, but the pen seemed to fill with a reasonable but not prodigious amount of ink (enough for two fairly long letters). The only slight annoyance is that the gold colored ring between section and barrel is not captive, and I know from experience that such an arrangement can lead to lost rings (anyone have a spare ring for a Pilot vest pocket ?).

 

 

Weight and Dimensions 5 / 5

The pen measures 5.33 inches long when capped and has a maximum barrel diameter of about 0.52 inches, and about 5.72 inches long when posted. It is quite a light weight at 0.72 oz. All in all, I found it a comfortable pen to use for reasonable amounts of time - a 2 hour writing stint in particular.

 

Nib Performance 5 / 5

Now we get to the whole reason I bought the pen. The nib in outline is more like a conventional nib than the other such pens I have seen, but there is no doubt of what it is, with a feed-like arrangement covering much of the area of both top and bottom of a flat, gold colored nib. The sides of the nib are distinguished from one another by a metal overlay on each feed, the one on one side being gold colored and with "Liangbo" engraved in it, the one on the other side being silver colored metal.

 

 

So how does it write? With the gold colored side uppermost (i.e. visible when being used) the pen wrote with a medium width line and was smooth with no tooth or catching - the sort of characteristics I like. With the silver side uppermost, the line was finer and, as might be expected, a little less smooth although still a fine performer. This first test was dipped, so really didn't show how well the feed performed. Having cleaned the pen with flushes of water with a drop of detergent and then flushes of plain water, I filled it using about 5 squeezes of the aeromatic bar with pauses in-between. I then wrote several letters. I found that the feed seemed to perform admirably - it had very consistent performance with no variation until the sac was essentially empty. After being left capped for several hours, it needed a little prompting to start up the first time. However, with subsequent periods of non-use with the pen capped, it started up every time with no difficulty. I have no explanation for the one aberration.

The line produced by the two sides of the nib can be seen in the followed sample of my very poor handwriting.

 

 

 

Value 5 / 5

The pen cost me $20 shipped - what can I say? It really is great value for a pen with an unusual nib that actually works, that is comfortable and consistent in use, and that has the elegance of a simple, well deigned object. I certainly felt that this was so and, having tested the maroon one for a while, promptly ordered the black one which has just arrived.

 

Average Ranking 4.9 / 5

An excellent rating, at least in my opinion, and well worth trying out at such a low cost.