Kaigelu 322 Review

[richardandtracy]

Kaigelu 322 Review.

 

This is a very brief review of my wife's Kaigelu 322 Pen. I have no idea how much it cost, as I am the last person who needs to know!

The pen came in a small card box, though I suspect this pen would normally come in the same large plush box as the Kaigelu 316. It's an open nib pen with a painted metal section, cap and barrel and a composite cap & barrel.

 

Initial Impressions.

 

On opening the box I was fairly impressed. The lacquering was beautifully done, without a blemish, and the gold highlights looked smart and attractive. It looks very sophisticated, though the gold rings are a bit over the top. On opening the cap, the pen still looks attractive with its black section & duotone nib which looks in proportion to the rest of the pen. All-in-all, it looks very smart and fairly understated. This pen comes in two colours, black & this red one.

 

The pen is as below:

Uncapped:

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx356/richardandtracy/Kaigelu%20322/Kaigelu322Photo1.jpg

 

The nib & section look nice, as shown below.

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx356/richardandtracy/Kaigelu%20322/Kaigelu322Photo2.jpg

 

The pen dimensions are:

• Length, Capped: 143mm (5.62")
  Length, Uncapped: 127.5mm (5.02")
  Length, Posted: 167mm (6.57")
  Barrel Diameter: 13mm (0.51")
  Weight: approx 37g

 

Construction

I think this is a higher range Kaigelu, so the plating is probably as thick as that on the Kaigelu 316. The metal section, barrel and cap are lacquered in black or red. The convertor is a higher range screw in convertor, and is almost identical to the one found in the K316 ( http://www.fountainp...316-grey-amber/ ). The nib is the same as the medium nib found in the Kaigelu 316. The pen it is well put together, there are no sharp edges and it is well designed. The clip is secure and there are no sharp edges. The cap lip is reinforced with a separate machining and the edge is well finished.

While it isn't a top of the range pen, it feels well made and durable, with good design and all the parts are well finished, giving an admirably smooth surface.

The only problem with this pen is that my wife dropped it onto concrete last summer, and the impact forced the cap onto the cap click ring much harder than normal, splitting it. As a result the pen now dries out relatively fast and the cap is not retained as securely as it was.

 

Writing

I've not written with it inked, but the nib looks smooth and the tines well aligned under a loupe. The nib is the same as the medium nib on the Kaigelu 316, so it can be smoothed off into a very good writing experience.

 

The pen is well balanced when un-posted, and OK when posted. When posted the metal part of the cap is fairly high up, making the pen less balanced than it might be. The size is a little large for me with large hands trained to the size of the Parker 61 & 51. The weight isn't objectionable & the section shape is no worse than many, and quite comfortable due to a lack of projections sticking into your fingers. All round, it's comfortable & very well built. Should be suitable for quite a few hours of writing at a time.

 

Conclusion

This pen is yet another good Kaigelu. The more I see of the brand, the more I am impressed. Thus far, I've not seen a bad one.

 

I hope this is of interest,

 

Richard.

[sebastel23]

dear Richard,

 

even though i am a newcomer, may i ask you for a favour?

if it isn't inconvenient for you, could you please post a photo of this pen (kaigelu 322) beside the kaigelu 316, the jinhao century and the parker duofolds?

 

i have been a reader here for quite a while and enjoyed especially your clipped and accurate reviews.

 

cheers,

sebastian@shanghai

[studiohead]

dear Richard,

 

even though i am a newcomer, may i ask you for a favour?

if it isn't inconvenient for you, could you please post a photo of this pen (kaigelu 322) beside the kaigelu 316, the jinhao century and the parker duofolds?

 

i have been a reader here for quite a while and enjoyed especially your clipped and accurate reviews.

 

cheers,

sebastian@shanghai

 

The place to get Kaigelu in Shanghai is from the wholesaler Shanghai Decan and it is cheap. They also also the Wholesaler for Jinhao and Baoer. Better prices than retail and you can see the pen in question.

 

 

Decan Trade Co.,Ltd Shanghai Municipality Guangfu Road No.21 Room 1036B

上海德灿贸易有限公司

闸北区光复路21号 上海 工批南楼1036B馆

021-51066978

13817946676

A stop away from People's Square at Qufu Lu Station

Edited February 20, 2013 by studiohead

[sebastel23]

 

The place to get Kaigelu in Shanghai is from the wholesaler Shanghai Decan and it is cheap. They also also the Wholesaler for Jinhao and Baoer. Better prices than retail and you can see the pen in question.

 

 

Decan Trade Co.,Ltd Shanghai Municipality Guangfu Road No.21 Room 1036B

上海德灿贸易有限公司

闸北区光复路21号 上海 工批南楼1036B馆

021-51066978

13817946676

 

dear studiohead,

 

thanks for this information, very welcome. i remember you posted this in your suzhou/shanghai travel report earlier.

 

i guess that most FPN members have no chance to go there, and even i who lives here in shanghai only rarely have the chance to "travel" that far (it takes me up to 0ne hour to get to the city center, and most of the time i do not have that much time available - need to work etc ...

but i guess, sooner or later i'll get there.

 

cheers,

s.

[studiohead]

They are open weekends (Both Saturday and Sunday) till about 6:00pm. I know the feeling, when I am in Suzhou for work, I only can spend a very short amount of time there is because either I am headed from the Airport or there to do swag for the company. (Only excuse to leave Suzhou for Shanghai to pick up on my hobby) The prices would be the best you get in town. Almost all the sellers in Shanghai will buy their Hero/Duke/Picassco/Jinhao/Baoer/Crocodile/Playboy/Montague/Huashilai from the stationary wholesale there.

[richardandtracy]

I'll see what I can do about a photo. Probably won't be until very late your time tomorrow.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[richardandtracy]

Bother and blow. I got a K323 to photograph next to the K316. I am sorry. :embarrassed_smile:

The photos I took are below:

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx356/richardandtracy/Kaigelu%20316%20Review/Kaigelu323Photo4_zps7f1e84fa.jpg

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx356/richardandtracy/Kaigelu%20316%20Review/Kaigelu323Photo5_zpsee0732e2.jpg

 

Not much help I know.

I will try to photograph the correct pen tonight.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[sebastel23]

Bother and blow. I got a K323 to photograph next to the K316. I am sorry. :embarrassed_smile:

Not much help I know.

I will try to photograph the correct pen tonight.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

dear richard,

don't worry -- these are and will be helpful too!

and, there's no need to hurry. as stated above, i do not expect to get to shopping soon.

 

:-)

 

cheers,

sebastian

[richardandtracy]

K322 and K316 photos:

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx356/richardandtracy/Kaigelu%20322/Kaigelu316and322Photo1_zpse9349005.jpg

http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx356/richardandtracy/Kaigelu%20322/Kaigelu316and322Photo2_zpsb5f144dc.jpg

 

Regards,

 

Richard

[sebastel23]

thank you so much.

 

ah, i see the subtle differences. while they are roughly similar in shape, i'll probably need to get a 316, too.

 

cheers, and xin nian kuai le (happy new year) from shanghai.

sebastian

[sebastel23]

@studiohead:

today i had an unexpected opportunity to jump off line 8 - as a result, i bought two jinhaos (an x750, and a century mk.II in blue). i did not like the imbalance of the kaigelu 316.

 

@richardandtracy:

the inner cap of my 322 is broken, too - it seems to be a systematic issue with this model.

 

thanks again to you both.

cheers,

sebastian