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So here's that 2nd part of the review that I promised. I'll include the other pens that I meant to in the first review, as well as some others that I have purchased since. I'm doing my best to keep the reviews a fair comparison between the two groups (a rating of 7 in this review will deserve it just as much as in the previous review). Baoer 519: A: 7, F: 8, V: 8, D: 7 On the recommendation of another user in Pt. 1 of this shootout, I purchased one of these in FP for myself and one RB for my brother. Both are very nice pens, slightly thinner/smaller than I expected (for some reason). They're a good size though, and a well built pen. The cap clicks firmly, and the metal/laquer is all very nice. I immediately polished the gold off of the top of the nib because I don't think it matches, but to each his or her own. I will say two things about posting the cap on this: the cap is a bit overly heavy (not as bad as the Jinhao 159), and it's difficult to physically push the cap down on the rear post. It won't go all the way down on either pen. Still, it holds firmly. Also, very much to my liking, the top of the cap screws off, allowing the clip to be bent back in case it is bent away from the cap body. For a cheap stamped steel clip, this is a farily nicely built one with a good level of spring to it. Oh yeah, writing: it writes well. Quite smooth from the box, with a slightly too-dry line (easily fixed). reliable, and it writes with little to no pressure. Overall, can't beat $6 just to have a spare around. Parker Vector: A: 6, F: 4, V: 4, D: 5 This was one of two middle school pens. The other was a clear blue and chrome Sheaffer that was also poor. Yeah, this isn't going to be a great review. I really do like the look of the pen and nib, but the plastic is way too cheap and prone to breaking if even slightly over-tightening the barrel. The medium is way too thick for me, but writes ok when it writes. I admit, this was a better writing pen back in middle school, but I can't clean it up and make it write at all anymore. For the price, it's not bad, but I've had two barrels and a cap crack on me, and the writing experience was never wonderful. Man would I love this pen, this nib shape, if it were only relaible and the plastic were a bit nicer. Picasso 916 Malange: A: 8, F: 6, V: 6, D: 7 This is a really great looking pen, somewhat in the same class (though not as nice) as the Pilot Prera. It's modern, gets looks (namely in the brighter colors), but doesn't look too Wall Street. This is what would go with a Banana Republic outfit. The metal body has a good weight to it, but it's still fairly light, and the cap is not too heavy. The laquer is well applied. The nib is pretty, and with a little adjustment can write pretty well, but seems to suffer from possible baby's bottoming as it takes a small amount of pressure to write. The clip is difficult to remove and quite stiff, but not terrible, and I can't imagine it being bent away from the pen easily. One more thing, the cap does not post easily. It seems secure, then pops because of the air pressure built while posting the cap. It seems to take a twist forward and back under pressure to make the cap stay, and when it does, it's very secure. Clicking the cap over the nib is also a great feeling, not like any other pen I have (though not necessarily better). That said, I got the orange pen, and am kicking myself for it. The color in reality is this awful light pastel carrot color, bad enough that I limit my exposure out of the house. The 'Carolina blue" RB that I got for my brother is much nicer (although I wouldn't use it since UNC is my school's rival). I imagine the white and black versions would escape this problem, and the red, pink, and green look like they'd be better picks. Sailor HighAce: A: 7, F: 9, V: 8, D: 6 I don't know how I missed this in my last review. This was the first new fountain pen that I purchased since middle school (and since inheriting my grandfather's collection). This is a wonderful writer, for those of us who like fine nibbed pens. There's a feedback that this one gives that no other pen gives, it's wonderful. It's a very light weight pen, but the slightly heavier aluminum cap feels really great posted on the back. The pen is very simple, unassuming, clean, but still attractive. The plastic doesn't feel cheap. The converter is excessively expensive in comparison to the price of the pen, and it has to be a Sailor converter, but the normal ink cartridge writes for so long with the fine, slightly dry nib that I really don't mind refilling it by syringe. This pen has become my go-to BSB pen, and has held up to almost a year of the ink in the pen solid. This and the 78G offer very similar writing experiences. The barrel has a hole in it, so no ED conversions, although I'm sure you could epoxy that hole shut easily if you really wanted to (no real need though). Noodler's Ahab: A: 6, F: 5, V: 7, D: 7 This is a great pen, but it's a specialty item, and one that needs more intensive care. A medium flex pen at this price is impossible to find, especially one that writes a proper fine under low pressure. But I have trouble keeping ink in the pen (1 week capped on its side or nib up and the ink is gone) and also with ink bombs (leaking into the cap), and this is a big problem as a daily writer. The nib and feed will definitely need fiddling. All that said, it's still a wonderful pen at this price, but you must seriously need it for flex writing (or at least write daily with the pen). The size is very comfortable even posted, the piston mechanism is quality, and it's an easy ED converter, which is good because this will drink ink. Also, some people have figured out where to grind the nib to make this a much easier flex pen. Definitely worth having in a collection, but I don't trust it enough to keep with me on business. On a side(ish) note, this plastic, as you know, smells. I still like the idea of using renewable materials, and there's a nice "softness?" to it. You're best COMPLETELY disassembling the pen and washing all plastic components many times in soapy water and leaving them out to air dry for a week or 4. Eventually the smell will go away, and you'll be happy you bought the thing. So yeah, 5 more affordable pens. Of this pack, I think I'd have to go with the Sailor. It's one of the few pens I'd take to a job interview with me because it's dead reliable, unassuming, professional but not executive, flies well, and because it handles BSB like an absolute pro. FYI, the other pens I've taken to interviews include: Safari (Kung Te Cheng), Parker 51 (Lexington Gray). That's a pretty short list of a lot of trust. Hope you enjoy and can make use of these reviews. Greg

Hi guys, I'm looking for paper that is lined and could be classified as "school use". My only complain with my current composition books is that they bleed and feather the heck out of me. It didn't originally bother me, but eventually it got so bad that I went back to ballpoints for a while. Another major concern is that I'm not a fancy person, I go through paper very quickly so I don't want to get the expensive paper like Rhodia or some other fancy brand. So any suggestions?

Cheap Pen Shootout I've decided to do a shootout of my lower-cost new normal writing pens. I've wanted to review most of these before, but haven't been up to giving each one its own review. I will be reviewing these in approximate price order, from $0 to $30, and scoring them in these categories (each from 0-10 points): Aesthetics, Functionality, Value, Desire, respectively. Pilot Varsity: A: 4, F: 6, V: 8, D: 3 These pens are the cheapest fountain pen money can buy, and are available in most office supply stores. The pen feels cheap, but sturdy. The nib is reasonably smooth and writes a nice medium wet line. Unfortunately, it's only available in a medium nib, which is fatter than I usually like to use. Some users remove the nib/feed and refill the pens, but I’ve tried this and won’t be doing that again after snapping one of the feeds. These are highly reliable pens. Platinum Preppy: A: 5, F: 7, V: 9, D: 5 This is a great little, nearly disposable pen. It's the only commonly available pen at this price with a proper fine nib (and also medium). Aesthetically, it's a modern clear plastic-y pen, but it still feels nicer than any blister-pack BP or RB. The nib is slightly on the dry side, but extremely reliable, and the price can't be beaten considering that it takes cartridges or converters. That, combined with a removable nib/feed make it worth cleaning and refilling. I have also eyedropper-converted one, and it’s awesome and has probably about a month’s worth of ink in it. I've marked the Aesthetics category a 5 instead of a 6 for the annoying graphics wrap on the barrel. *note, the free Preppy that comes with Noodler’s Ink at Gouletpens does not have this wrap and looks MUCH better. Pilot Petit1: A: 6, F: 8, V: 8, D: 7 This is functionally a Varisty (same nib/feed) with the following differences: mini-size, removable nib/feed, cartridge/eyedropper. These make a big difference to me. Also, the feed is made of clear plastic, so you can see the ink in/under the collector and feed. Well worth the $4 price tag, and available in many colors. Extra points to Pilot for molding small bumps on the back of the barrel so that the cap clicks firmly on the very back of the pen, extending its size and sturdiness. Hero 626: A: 5, F: 3, V: 4, D: 5 This is an interesting Parker 61 quasi-knockoff. Much thinner and lighter than the original, and the little hood arrow isn't nearly as pretty. It feels like it's more expensive than it is, but not by a ton. Very light, and the nib is a tiny little pin. When it works, it's not terribly smooth, but writes a wet EF line. Unfortunately, it often doesn't write at all in my experience. I've only been able to make Parker Quink Black to work, not Noodler's black, or other inks. That said, with the Quink, it writes fine and even started up just fine after I forgot about the pen for a couple of months. It's cheap enough to play around with, but a pen that doesn't write and isn't worthy of a display case isn't generally worth having. Hero 159: A: 7, F: 8, V: 9, D: 8 This thing is phenomenal. For $9 shipped from China, this is a great deal. It’s such a big, heavy pen that I cannot write with the cap on for more than a couple of minutes, but it feels perfect with the cap unposted. The nib is glassy smooth, even on cheap paper, and although the nib is a wet medium, I enjoy it enough to still write with it regularly even though it’s a bit too broad. The threads that hold the cap on are a hair rough, but that's a small gripe for a cheap pen. This is clearly a MB 149 rip-off, but it’s so well done for so little money. Overall, this is one of my best purchases. Also, if you don't like the nib, replacements can be found fairly easily. Hero 001-360: A: 5, F: 3, V: 4, D: 4 This is a very interesting low-cost pen. Aesthetically, the pen is simple, and although not expensive looking, it is nice to look at. It has a lightweight aluminum body which is on the thin side. The cap clicks firmly on both ends of the pen, and the pen is best balanced with the cap posted. The section is a slick chrome, which is a little slick, but not bad. The clip is spring- loaded, which is a nice feature on such a cheap pen. Then there's the writing. This pen has been less than reliable for one big reason: the spring cap does not have an inner cap liner, so the ink can dry out through the slots cut in the cap for the clip. I haven’t figured out how to deal with this yet, but silicone, wax, and rubbery glues will be tested. When it’s working, the nib writes a very wet line, and I imagine that it would be nearly impossible. Aerometric Filler works best when the steel guard is removed. Overall, I imagine that the trident is a much better pen as the 90 degree slit angle in the 360 produces some starting or writing issues, but as a ~$10 alternative, it's a good carbon copy pen. I understand that there is a newer version of this pen that looks a bit different, so there are options there too. Dolce Vita Naranja: A: 9, F: 7, V: 8, D: 9 This is a great, albeit a knockoff. This is easily one of my best looking pens at any price, and it's a reasonably smooth and reliable writer. Like most cheap/knockoff pens, it's only available in a medium nib, but again, I’m told it takes a standard #5 nib (not verified). It's a heavy pen, though not nearly as much as the 159, but it still feels good to write with. The nib is a bit small, but not totally disproportionate. Other users have complained about the cap taking a lot of force to pull off, but I've had the opposite problem. The cap doesn't slip off for no reason, but it has dropped the pen in my pocket, which is no good. Best for shallow shirt pockets, not pants pockets. Pilot 78G: A: 5, F: 8, V: 7, D: 4 This Pilot is a wonderful pen. The nib/feed is the same as many other Pilots in the $10-$50 range, but the rest of the pen is very cheap in look and feel. I very much enjoy writing with the slightly dry, very fine F nib. The stub nib is a great medium for the price. The design of the pen makes it look like it’s trying to keep up with an MB or something, but the cheap plastic and gold trim rings and clip are gaudy and cheap looking. I've even tried sanding the pen down to give it a matte finish and make it look more honest about its price range (which helped). If you don't mind the looks, this is an incredible pen for the money, but I can't get over the looks and will either retire or give away at least one of mine. FYI, my Prera is in my top 5 rotation. Nemosine Singularity: A: 8, F: 8, V: 9, D: 7 This is definitely a great pen. Good size, good looks, good writing. I don't like how this looks in anything but demonstrator (I normally don't like demos), and is a light, slightly above average sized pen. The plastic body and cap are very crystal clear and don't feel cheap at all. The nib is very large, but properly sized for the pen. I have the EF and 0.9mm stub nib, both of which are great. The EF is a proper EF, (think Pilot/Sailor F), and the stub is very smooth. Both write a hair dry, but adjust easily. This uses standard INT cartridges and comes with a converter. ED conversion looks like a strong possibility. Replacement nibs are available all over and for cheap. This pen is an incredible value that I would recommend to anyone. Lamy Safari: A: 6, F: 9, V: 5, D: 6 Probably the #1 default newby pen, the Safari has earned the title. It's a perfect tool; it's reliable, writes a fairly smooth wet line no matter which one of the many available nibs you have, and is a cartridge/converter. You’ll need Lamy-specific cartridges or converters. It's also quite comfortable; slightly larger than normal girth, fairly long pen, but light enough that the cap feels good posted on the barrel. The triangular grip section is very comfortable in my hands. On the down side, there isn't much to look at. Weight distribution is good, and although the plastic is a hair on the cheap side, it feels sturdy. This is a true German no-frills tool of a pen and a perfect workhorse. Also, they come in many colors, including the Vista demo and Al-Star aluminums. Despite everything, I have a hard time taking this over one of the other pens as it makes no fashion statement whatsoever. $30 isn't steep as pens go, but it's almost 3 times the price of everything else here, and I don't think that I can justify that. One last thing, the EF nib is unusably broad for small hand writing; I would probably rate this a medium, MAYBE a fine. Oddly enough, the 1.1mm stub that I now use regularly writes much more legibly in my hands. In general, I'd say that I have a hard time deciding between the Preppy ED and the Petit1 ED if I'm limited to $5, and either the Dolce or the 159 for under $15. I've heard that some people don't have such QC luck with those two Chinese knockoffs, but that's slightly less of an issue if you don't mind fiddling and polishing the nibs and feeds.

About six months ago, I discovered the amazing treasure trove of cheap Chinese pens available on eBay. While suspicious of the quality on offer at such low prices, I thought it worth plunking down fifty bucks of fun money to find out. I had heard the Duke was one of the more reputable of the Chinese pen manufacturers, so I spent $7 of the Duke/Uranus snakeskin. At that time, the Pelikan Lizard had just come out and I wanted to compare the Chinese and Pelikan versions of lizard/snake scales. It goes without saying that, in all ways artistic, the Pelikan blows this pen away, so this review will only examine the pen on its own merits. I've now had the piece for six months and used it off and on during that time. It's been in various rotations three times, or about 6 weeks of reasonably intense usage. The pen arrived in a nice blue Duke labeled gift box or approximately the same dimensions as a typical Waterman pen box. Inside, the pen was enclosed in a narrow plastic bag. It came with the converter pre-installed and, from first appearances, looked pretty good. Like most Chinese pens, this one features a brass body with a silk-screened pattern and then a clearcoat layer of varnish on top. The pen itself is of moderate weight, approximately that of a Sheaffer Prelude. It is a thin pen, but not obnoxiously so. A close inspection of the pattern reveals no disastrous defects, but the screening is certainly imprecise and incomplete in places. The design looks much better from a distance than up close, where the sloppy craftsmanship is more readily apparent. The pen does have some nifty features that elevate it somewhat. The cap band is handsomely inscribed "URANUS" in a Roman font, together with some stars and some Chinese script. Uranus is, I believe, a sub-brand of Duke. After 6 months, it has held its luster and looks quite nice. The clip features a lovely compass rose design, and the tassie features an ivory circle in a sea of black. These details are all well executed. The nib is a nice design too, featuring a crown logo with rays splaying out toward the end of the nib. At the bottom is the word Duke inscribed in san serif all-caps. While the design elements are good, the craftsmanship of the stamping is less so as the imprint is weak. Holding the pen side by side with a Pilot 78g, the difference in the quality of the nib inscription is striking. All of this is to say that you do, to some extent, get what you pay for. A large part of the difference between a $100 pen and a $7 pen is in the quality of the materials and craftsmanship. I would say that, for the price, Duke has done a very creditable job on the design and execution. The cap snaps on and off and posts securely. Many Chinese pens feature snap on/off caps, presumably for cost reasons, but getting the correct amount of force to hold the cap on seems to be a challenge for many. Most err on the side of way too much force. Baoer, in particular, seems to suffer from this problem a fair bit. Some, like certain Hero pens, employ too little force. Duke, however, has found the "butter zone" for the force needed with this cap. It's easy to remove, but does not remove itself. One also worries that, even if the force is correct initially, wear and use will lead to a situation where it's no good. After 6 months of use, however, there is no sign of any problem. On to the writing. (See attached written review.) This pen is perfectly fine. I'm glad to have satisfied my curiosity about Chinese pens, but I do not see myself getting any more of them, at least at this price point. The $30 Kaigelu pens that are an homage (copy) to the Parker Duofold Centennial are rather nice, but these very inexpensive pens have to make too many sacrifices in the name of cost reduction to be inspiring. In a way, I'd prefer the more honest approach that Pilot and Sailor have taken with this market. The Platinum Preppy and Plumix cost about the same or less. They do not try to pretend to be a high-end pen, even from a distance. What they do well is to produce an interesting writing experience with a number of options. Duke/Uranus, on the other hand, provides a reliable writing experience, but not an interesting one. I would recommend passing on these unless you are in the position of needing a reliable pen with a more upmarket (at least from a distance) design. Even then, I would say that springing for a Pilot 78g is probably still a better bet as these can be had for around $15. By the way, if anyone wishes to trade for this or other inexpensive Chinese pens I own, I would happily take most deals. Please PM me.

Price:11 USD plus shipping to Ireland from Hong Kong Very decent packaging for a 11 dollar pen inclusive of delivery. I mean, could you ask for more? A simple box with both the cover and the container has a nice embossed feel to it, red at the top and grey at the bottom, with the Hero brand splashed across the top. Nice smooth velvety plastic cushion for the pen to rest on. No complaints here. (considering some 3 digit pens have been received in PVC pipes, stuffed with toilet paper...) Comparisons with some common pens, eg the Lamy ( which everyone probably has ) and TWSBI VAC 700. Didn't weight it ,but feels about the same as a fully inked VAC 700, heavier than a Lamy Al Star Pity the nib wasn't bigger, would have given the pen a more majestic feel. It's almost fighting with my Conway Stewart 338 for smallest nib award. Steel nib with erm, pseudo gold coating. Anyhow, pretty cool duo-colored nib for 11 dollars. Barrell is cast in ..okay I'm really bad at telling materials apart to be honest. For its price, plastic I guess, surrounding a steel body. The trimmings are listed as silver but time will tell. The black/blue granite or electric as I'd call it, is a simple design that doesn't particularly catch the eye, and isn't too gaudy. Cartridge converter supplied is the standard international one. Looking into the barrel, it's hollow all the way, and could definitely do with a longer converter, giving us the precious extra maybe 0.5ml? It's described as a medium nib, but I would say it is a western fine. I've seen no broads so far, but maybe you'll have better luck searching than me. Basically , just go up one size for the width you'd like. I've onlytested it with the Noodler's X Feather, but I will say it is a smooth writer, not a Montblanc George Bernard Shaw smooth n or TWSBI medium jowo nib smooth, but very good regardless for its value. If my Montblanc George Bernard Shaw was a 10/10, TWSBI is a 8/10, this would be a 6.8/10. I''m not sure if this pen is a 'dry writer'' or if it;s just the ink as this really is the first time I've used this ink. Have already given the nib etc a little scrub and flush. Personally I like posting as it gives me some ''balance'' that keeps my writing from going to small , especially when I use a fine. But that's just me. Pros- cheap- reliable and simple cartridge converter requiring little maintenance- feels solid, not something that you'd drop and crash into 10 tiny pieces- weight of the pen is quite evenly distributed to the middle of the pen- snap on cap, good for people who take pens in/out all the time every few minutes eg doctors on ward rounds- discrete looking and avoids the akward ''ooh you using a fountain pen, you must be so classy'' conversation you don't want to have. cons- really? for a 11usd pen I have to be critical?- okay fine cartridge converter with small ink reservoir...- I mean seriously...you expect a phoenix, yet offer chicken feed ? ( trivia, anyone knows where this line is from..hint, more likely to know if you were born mid 80s or so )

I was looking for some paper that was a little more budget friendly than the oft recommended HP Premium 32 lb paper, also something a little lighter weight. I am planning on binding up some books and the 32 lb makes a fat book with too few pages for my current needs. I found the HP LaserJet 24lb paper at my local Staples for $12/ 500 sheets. I tested it out with a variety of my pens, from an EF to M to Noodler's Flex. No feathering, no bleed through, only some show through when I used the Noodler's flex but even that wasn't bad. The writing experience was smooth. Just enough drag to be nice and not feel like the pen was slippery. To me it was the perfect amount of drag. Not as smooth as a Rhodia but way smoother than cheap copy paper. Very pleasant. At 24lb it feels slightly heavier than regular copy paper. It's much lighter weight than the 32lb paper, which feels like cardstock to me. At roughly 2 cents a sheet it's a good deal in my book. I'll post some pictures of the package and a writing sample when I get home. I found the paper on Walmart's website for $8 or $9 plus 97 cent shipping in the US. Wish I'd looked before I went to staples, could have had it delivered to my home for $2 less a package.