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Intro Hörner is a small German company, located in Dresden, that has been marketing a line of fountain pens and ballpoint pens since 2016. The firm is virtually unknown and the only reviews I have found about its models are from two German YouTube channels, Big-G ́s Tintenkiste and Writing Delight deutsch. It was founded by André Hörner, who, as he tells in an interview, found the motivation to make quality pens when he was a student, seeing the general poor quality of the writing instruments used by his colleagues. In the early days, he occupied the garage of his home and then moved to a shared industrial building. Hörner's creation seems to follow some marketing manual to the letter (the founder is a marketing consultant). There is a clear idea: to build pens of a certain quality that have a refined appearance at a reasonable price. To achieve this, production is subcontracted to a qualified manufacturer - we do not know which one - and a prestigious supplier is chosen for the nibs, Jowo in this case. In addition, the profit margins are much lower than those of other luxury brands. This is a formula already used by a young brand such as the English Scriveiner (They admit to outsourcing production to China). Hörnet also create a predominantly digital sales channels, their own website and Etsy. It is also distributed in India, Western Europe, the USA and Canada. Finally, to define the type of customer they are targeting, they associate their instruments more with a lifestyle than with other aspects more linked to the world of fountain pens. One of the advertising photos shows a glass of whisky and a Havana cigar, and another shows a table in a luxurious office. It is worth noting that we produce several models with a wooden body. Appearance and design The Terra is a slim and elegant pen, slim and rather short. It features a clean design, with a classically cut chrome-plated cap with the Hörner name engraved on the ring, a chrome-plated mouthpiece and a body painted in bright blue with an engraving of a world map. The body is topped with a chrome cap. It stops short of looking like a slim because its shape is slightly tapered. I would say that its appearance is more luxurious than pens in its price range such as the Kaweco Student or the Faber-Castell Ambition. Its appearance does not invite you to carry it daily. It is more for use at home. The paint, while looking quality, does not seem to me to withstand careless treatment. Germany is not engraved anywhere on the pen. Weight Dimensions & Ergonomics I find it to be a very comfortable pen that holds up to long writing sessions. Despite having a chrome section, it doesn't feel slippery. Because of its size, it may not fit large hands. If you don't like slim pens, this is not the pen for you. I don't post pens, so I can't say how it feels that way (I don't dare to post it for testing for fear of scratching the paint, although the smoothness of the locking mechanism invites to think that nothing will happen if I put the cap on). Length capped = 136 mm (5.35") Length uncapped = 120 mm (4.72") diameter at section = 9-10mm (0.35 - 0.39") weight capped/posted = 26,76 gms weight uncapped = 15.44 gms Nib performance The nib is stiff, glides well, but on some papers there is noticeable feedback greater than that of my Faber-Castell Ambition M, something I attribute, at least in part, to mounting a fine nib. It reminds me of that of a Hongdian 523 EF I tested some time ago. The units reviewed by the German channels of Big-G ́s Tintenkiste and Writing Delight deutsch mounted medium nibs and in various digital stores that I have consulted the size M is offered exclusively. Neither on Etsy, nor on the website of the companies is possible to choose your size and we do not find it engraved on the nib. But it is possible to purchase replacement nibs in sizes F and M. In addition, there is a gold option. The feeder does appear to be of German origin, the same one used by the Moonman M2 from the time when it mounted Jowo and Bock nibs. I wonder if it is a Schmidt. Filling system and maintenance International type converter and cartridges. Maintenance is minimal, as befits this type of filling system. Nib cleaning is quick, ink comes out well after running a syringe with water through an uncapped cartridge a few times. Otherwise, fingerprints on the chrome plating disappear easily with a goggle cloth and there is nowhere for ink residue to become embedded. Cost and value Without reaching Chinese levels, it can be said that the Hörner Terra offers quite a lot for the price at which it is sold, around €50. But I wouldn't say it's a bargain either, I don't see it clearly superior to a Kaweco Student or a Faber-Castell Ambition, but it can be an alternative to these and is a bit cheaper, although the price deference depends on the versions. It is below the Otto Hutt Desing #01, the brand's entry-level option, but it costs twice as much and the writing experience is similar as Christian from Writing Delight deutsch told me. Construction and quality The Terra surprises me with its quality. It is very well finished, the parts fit perfectly and the machining is excellent. The chrome plating on the mouthpiece gives the impression of being resistant, I don't think it will flake off due to rubbing against the cap or a table. The cap has a very soft closing mechanism, it looks pneumatic, like the doors with shock absorbers. The paint is very nice and seems well applied, but I have the impression that it may scratch if not careful enough. It is not for storing in cases with other writing implements. On close inspection with a magnifying glass I noticed only one minor flaw, the chrome trim on the body had a small scuff. Conclusions I consider the Hörner Terra to be an interesting option among the second tier pens. It is somewhat cheaper than the Faber-Castle Ambition, the Lamy Studio or the Kaweco Student and I think that, in terms of quality, it stands up to comparison. In terms of writing, the Jowo nib is a winning bet, it writes well out of box and offers a remarkable performance. It also offers a different visual, a stylish, elegant and clean design, without the excesses of other pens that are sold as luxurious. Stylistically, I see it as an economical alternative to the Otto Hutt. I also see similarities with some Hongdian models.

I was for quite a while intrigued by the Hongdian 1850 fountain pens. This was following a nice experience with Jinhao 159 regarding quality control that made me want to explore more Chinese pens. So here is my second or third venture into Chinese fountain pens. INTRODUCTION: Iam not very competent in introducing this pen. It is a somewhat higher end Chinese pen in comparison to the Jinhao and retails at around INR 2600 excluding discounts that a retailer might offer. There are higher end models also available and the 1850 model is at the lower end of the Hongdian Price point. I purchased this pen from Swastik penn in Gujarat, India which also offers other models at varying price points. https://www.swastikpenn.com/ PACKAGING It comes in a very simple Hongdian box which houses the pen and a 15ml Black Ink bottle. Nothing extraordinary or flashy here. It is also not a carry around box like the ones that contain Ranga pens. The box can just be opened from the top and holds the logo both outside and inside the box. COMMUNICATION AND DELIVERY: This was very efficient and the pen reached me in a matter of 3 days after the payment was made. No hazzles on this front and the pen was very well packaged. The website is well designed and the selection of specifications all the way till the payment was very simple. APPEARANCE AND DESIGN I really like the aesthetic appeal of this pen. It is a very light pen and the body of the pen is black in colour. The pattern on the body of the pen is really attractive and well machined. Also the black coating on the pen and nib are nicely done. The pen seems to be made of Aluminium ( but Iam not very certain) and is quite robust. The cap snaps very nicely when closing and there is a band below the cap which says " HONG DIAN FOREST SERIES". The top finial flares out a little bit from the body and sports the Logo sealed inside a robust plastic. This is quite appealing. This pen is a slim pen and suited for people who like a slim writing section and long and slender pens. This reminds me in a way of Lamy CP1. MECHANICS The pen posts securely and the bottom finial is designed to accommodate the cap well. Its a cartridge converter pen and has a Hong dian converter attached to it. It is functional and does its job. The nib can be unscrewed and looks more like a number 5 nib. It is coated in black and does its job. The clip is the downside of this pen and is really stiff. It cannot be casually slid into your shirt or pant pocket without s some effort. There is also a risk of it tearing the cloth material. This is particularly a problem because in my opinion, this pen is designed as an everyday carry pen and demands a very functional clip. The writing section is quite comfortable and is probably made of some resin( But not sure). It offers a fairly good grip and is suited more for people with smaller fingers. WRITING: This pen sports a fine nib which is quite smooth and very functional. But nothing very extravagant here. In my opinion, i can't say that this nib suits my personal tastes. It lacks character and does not make me write for longer. This nib is also available in EF and Fude point. It is slightly on the drier side of wet and suits practical purposes like note taking and writing short paragraphs. It is not suited for longer writing sessions in my opinion. Also the pen wrote immediately when inked and did not require any tuning whatsoever. Excellent quality control in the nib and feed area. I found the same thing with Jinhao 159. Is it true of other Chinese pens? SIZE COMPARISON This picture tells it all! CONCLUSION All in all, for this price point, i quite like the appeal, build construction and quality control aspects. Also it is a quite robust pen. But i find better pens in price ranges above and below it. Ranga pens, Gama pens, Kanwrite Legacy, Parker frontier, Pilot MR, Platinum Plasir, etc etc either better or in the same league. I would personally invest in Gama or Parker frontier when it comes to the prices lower and many of the Ranga pens at a higher price. However this is also a hazzle free pen and sports a nib that barely has any short falls functionally.

@Hagbard Celine, Certainly there is a common element, the key word being "morandi". Researching on the internet, I discover that there is an Italian painter, Giorgio Morandi, whose works are characterised by using a similar chromatic tonality to that of Hongdian's models. However, I don't see a clear relationship with the models you show in the pictures. One might think that the manufacturer of your pens understood "morandi" to be something like two colours, not a chromatic range of an Italian painter. We know the most important Chinese manufacturers, but we don't have much information about them. I don't even know if they have a website. But there must be numerous "anonymous" manufacturers flooding the market with models without a clear reference. This was already the case with Western manufacturers; the origin of the components is not always clear. For example, I am now on the trail of a German brand called Hörner (Hoener). They produce very good quality pens, but the company has between 1 and 4 employees (deduced on a German forum by a member, I guess by some company classification code). All we know is that the pens have Jowo nibs, who makes them? I have already ordered one and will post a review shortly.

Sellers on AliExpress, in my experience, almost always do that. If you as the customer don't press the “Extend processing time” button, the order will get cancelled automatically by the system if it is not marked as shipped 9(?) days after an order is placed, anyway. We simply have no visibility as to which cancellation does what to the seller's standing or rating on the marketplace platform. … Nevertheless, Taobao simply doesn't work for me for the three categories of things I'd be interested in buying: fountain pens, bottled inks, and books on Chinese calligraphy. Bottled inks because Chinese postal regulations prohibit shipment of any liquid out of China; fountain pens, because Taobao sellers are wary the one or two ink cartridges included in retail packages of c/c-filled pens will cause a shipment to be stopped and rejected/confiscated/dumped by Chinese Customs officials on account of the no-liquid rule; and books, because even for the sellers who will accept orders with overseas delivery addresses, the shipping costs are exorbitant and dwarf the price of the books, especially when I'm usually after very thick volumes. I'm not going to arrange for the goods to be shipped to a consolidation-and-forwarding service, either, and let the seller wash its hands off completely as soon as an order has been delivered to some warehouse's address in China. So, for now AliExpress remains to me the only practical and viable option (in some instances) for ordering hobby-related products from mainland China. HongDian, Majohn, etc. do not have corporate websites for listing or showcasing its products to consumers globally, if that's what you're asking for. Majohn probably has a website designed to attract commercial interest from prospective retailers; I know HongDian does. If you want to see the brand's products, and as much of the manufacturer's own/original marketing collateral for them, you need to be looking for their official (or “flagship”) stores on Chinese-language marketplace platforms, such as Taobao and JD, which are operated independently and aimed at a domestic audience.

Does Hongdian have a website?

I disagree with your posit, if it was made as a general statement, and not limited in scope to specific brands and manufacturers (and thus only having applicability to a minority in the industry). Look at Pelikan. While it isn't exactly shutting up shop, for all we can see, it is now focussing on the budget-end and/or youth market. Faber-Castell continues to produce, market, and sell the Fresh, Scribolino, Grip, Hexo, Essentio, and Loom models which hardly anyone would consider to be ‘symbolic’ or reflecting one's sophistication or high status. The Preppy remains Platinum's best-selling model and in current production; the company sold several million units of those. The relatively recently introduced Prefounte is hardly a luxury pen model, but simply the more ‘adult’ variant of the Preppy. The also recent Procyon was marketed with a focus on its technical performance attributes, not its looks or ‘class’. Sailor — HiAce Neo, Profit Jr., and Lecoule models. In the past, the Lecoule's colourways either appealed to precious stones, or (sometimes colourful) transparency; but Sailor has relatively recently released business-like, sombre colourways to capture the interest of adult users, and offered them at the same price point as the fancier-looking ones. Pilot has recently expanded its website to capture interest from the younger, Instagram generation of consumers. HongDian, Moonman/Majohn, Delike, Wing Sung, Jinhao, etc. are all taking cues from Italian, German, and Japanese pen designs and styling to capture wallet share from those who don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a ‘status symbol’ writing instrument, but just want pens that look nice and write competently. PenBBS has been producing pens with a wide variety of filling mechanisms, coupled with pretty acrylic bodies, to appeal to geeky interest and Instagram-ability. (After all, PenBBS as a brand has its origins in an online pen enthusiast discussion forum.) Opus 88 and Fine Writing International are more inclined to reserve their best models for the Taiwanese (and, by extension, Chinese and Southeast Asian) market, while they start to make a name for themselves in regional markets in the West selling well-made, robust, and reliable steel-nibbed models. Ranga and ASA Pens focus on labour-intensive production of ebonite and acrylic models that can take JoWo or Bock nib units to serve as glorified nib holders, which can also be paired with house-brand or other Indian-made nibs for consumers who want to save on costs. That's more than a few pen manufacturers of note known to the hobby today. While Sailor, Pilot, and Platinum continue to produce very high-end pens, and Chinese brands are increasingly moving into also producing gold-nibbed pens, I wouldn't say any of them have abandoned the budget-conscious segment of the market.

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