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So, after penvangelizing my mother, she quickly went and bought herself a Noodler's Ahab. The very first day she took it to work, she dropped it on the floor and bent the nib. Heartbreaking, I know. But the way she bent it reminded me of a Chinese calligraphy fountain pen nib. It got me thinking: Is it possible to successfully mod an Ahab to make it write like a Chinese nib? I know it wouldn't write exactly like it, but would it be able to approximate the line variation? I'm very curious to see if anyone has ever tried to mod an Ahab in this way. On a side note, how hard would it be to fix the nib? She's not nearly as curious about the potential as I am.

So I've been using fountain pens for about six months. I started with a Sheaffer Viewpoint 1.1mm that I found at Staples. Since then, I've picked up a couple Metropolitans, a couple Ahabs, a Monteverde Invincia, and a Plumix (love that nib!). Recently, I went a little berzerk with eBay and picked up a (bleep)-load of Chinese pens. As they come rolling in, I'd like to share my thoughts with everyone on their performance. My first contribution in the Pen Reviews section is for the... CROCODILE NCR64 Green Marble Celluloid Fountain Pen Price: $18.50 Nib: Medium, Steel, 22KGP/two-tone Country of Origin: China Filling System: Piston / Cartridge (International Standard, I believe) http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/ncr64_01.jpg Appearance: 10 / 10 Immediately upon seeing this pen on eBay, I fell in love with it's looks. The Green Marble looked beautiful, and although somewhat tacky, I thought the crocodile styling of the clip and finial looked cool. When the pen arrived, it didn't disappoint...at least not in that regard (more on that later). The green marble of the cap and barrel is, in my opinion, stunning. It has a shimmery/iridescent quality to it that glows and sparkles in the right light. The finial, section, and end cap all have a similar marble pattern, but they're all black. It's a subtle detail, but one I really appreciate. The crocodile clip is pretty tacky in person, too, but I love it, rhinestone eyes and all. There is also a gold crocodile emblem on the top of the finial. Not as tacky as the clip, but fits the motif of the pen to a tee. I absolutely love the way this pen looks. http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/ncr64_02.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/ncr64_02b.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/ncr64_02c.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/ncr64_04.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/ncr64_05.jpg Build Quality: 4 / 10 The NCR64 seems fairly weighty at first, but all the weight is in the cap, which must be made of some sort of metal. The rest of the pen is mostly plastic. The threads inside the cap are metal, but the coupler on the barrel is plastic, so it feels cheap to screw the cap on and off. When the pen arrived, there were some tiny black plastic pieces in the converter. I fished them out, but wasn't sure where they came from until I washed the pen. The little black pieces were from the post inside the section that the converter installs on. Only a small portion of the post remained, so the converter would attach to the section, but not tightly. I had to fill the converter with a syringe, insert it, and tape it to the section to keep it in place. It's a kludge, but it's working. After I got the converter in place, I did some writing, and when I went to screw the cap back on, it didn't stop turning. The threaded coupler came unglued from the barrel, so I had to glue it back in place and let it dry overnight. For a pen that cost $18.50, I find these defects absolutely unacceptable. http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/ncr64_09.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/ncr64_07.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/ncr64_08.jpg Nib: 4 / 10 I wasn't sure what to expect from the medium nib. I know some Chinese companies fall in line with Japanese companies and their medium nibs are ground finer and compare to western fine nibs. I hoped that was the case with Crocodile. It's not. The nib is pretty fat, even for a medium. I have small handwriting, so I prefer a fine or extra fine nib. Writing with this pen is like writing with a crayon. If I force myself to write larger letters, it looks decent. There are random hard starts, but they're few and far between. The only other complaint I have is that the line is not consistent. The nib seems a little mooshy and will "mash" the line every once in a while. For example, in my writing sample below, look at the "o" in Algernon and the "ac" in Blackwood. I don't like that. I like a nice, consistent line. I will say, though, that the nib is super smooth. There is practically no feedback at all. The nib just glides along the paper. If it wasn't for the fat, inconsistent line it puts down, I'd love this nib. I always like to check out the imprints on these nibs. This one has another crocodile on it, but I'm not sure about the words engraved. Either I'm going blind, or they botched the letters. To me, it looks like it says this: 22K GP CR0Co ROMEDILE http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/ncr64_03.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/ncr64_03b.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/ncr64_10.jpg Comfort: 10 / 10 I've done quite a bit of writing with this pen, and it's very comfortable. My hand didn't cramp up once. The pen is easy to hold despite the smooth, plastic section. The pen posts securely, and it's comfortable to write with it both posted and unposted, although I have small hands, so I prefer to write with it unposted. Overall Score: 28 / 40 I think this is a really beautiful pen, but for $18.50, I expect better build quality. If I can ever find another one on eBay for cheap, I may buy it for parts (to replace my section). And once the current ink runs out, I may try to find an EF nib for it. I could probably turn this into a pretty nice writing instrument.

At least, I classify these as beginner pens! From left to right: Leonardo 'Silver Check' fude-nibbed pen that takes standard international cartridges or a converter, light weight. If you were ever curious about writing with a fude, this is your chance to find out. Duke 2008. Ribbed silvertone barrel and red cap with cloud design. Dryish, medium-fine nib. C/c filler. Xfountainpens/Bulow/Jinhao 450 in soft brushed gold. Wet, wet, medium nib. Heavy. C/c filler, shaped section. Reply with a bit about yourself and pen likes and dislikes. Will ship to CONUS only, and announce winner at random. Thanks!

I thought I would find a dragon from the land of dragons. But a dragon was not available. So, I ended up buying a crocodile http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/3.06b.jpg "3.06b" by Joxerra Aihartza - Nire argazki-bilduma / own picture. Licensed under FAL via Wikimedia Commons. Sorry... wrong image... its not as dangerous... This one was really a cute looking crocodile that I could hold in my hands http://cl.jroo.me/z3/3/8/7/d/a.baa-One-happy-crocodile-D.jpg Source: http://www.jokeroo.com/pictures/animal/1031991.html This one was a really happy crocodile...and also made me very happy. I could not understand why crocodiles were considered so dangerous. Besides, it had glittering and shining eyes, was slim and really easy to hold. I was sure it was not going to give me any slip or run away. It was wild and brought with it the wilderness one could hardly imagine. Its easy to understand why we get scared - sharp tooths, biting, scratching - anything that would hurt! But what if it was smooth - indeed very suave, very cultured and well behaved - even ready to get tamed - not just understanding you but even ready to follow you with every move? Ah everyone would then love to have such crocodile ! So my little crocodile - here you see: I had never thought I would be writing with the tongue of a crocodile who is perhaps basking in the sun. But I finally decided it was time to do that ! And I cant stop my amazement (and bewilderment) as to how fine and smooth its tongue is. It writes fine and no feedback ! Those who use fine nib, know that experience, where they would reject the scratchy types but write with the smoother ones. But even the smoother ones have that "feedback" thing on the paper. But this FP feels like as if I am writing with a broad nib - the nib itself writes the Chinese fine. The FP as such is very well made, well balanced. Its on the slimmer side. Gets posted well and is well balanced. The trims have the characteristic crocodile images that is characteristic of the brand. And did I forget the glamour element in the shinning and glittering eyes - thats lovely and enticing. The filling system is the standard cartridge/converter. The FP comes with converter. Excellent FP if you are looking at something on the wild side.

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.

I seem to have a growing collection of inexpensive Chinese fountain pens that share three things in common: they’re black, with chrome and/or gold trim; they’re comparatively heavy (composed primarily of brass or aluminium); and they’re surprisingly inexpensive. The Bookworm 679 very much fits that bill – so why am I bothering to review it? Well, for a couple of reasons – apart from the fact that this was supplied to me by JustWrite Pens (www.JustWrite.com.au), free in return for an impartial review. First of all, because no-one else seems to have reviewed it yet – but secondly, because it turns it out’s a pretty nice pen, especially for the price. If you’re a fan of the Jinhao x450, especially, you may find this pen is right up your alley – though it has a couple of advantages over the x450, which I’ll discuss in the review below… Just so you know, as with a number of other reviews I’ve done for lower end pens, I won’t be ‘scoring’ this one out of ten – to my mind, it’s just not fair to compare some of these lower price point pens to their pricier counterparts. ______________________________________________________________________ Appearance & Design – Sleek, glossy black – with classy looking faceted cap and barrel I don’t know why it is that so many pen manufacturers seem to favour the colour black – but as far as I know, that’s the only colour this pen comes in. Black, with gold trimmings on the cap and barrel… and a duotone (gold and chrome) nib. What marks this pen out a little is the fact that it’s not a pure cylinder – the cap and the barrel (apart from the last 1.5cm) is faceted – 12 straightish edges in all. That, and the fact that the clip ends with what (only) appears to be some kind of wheel – though sadly, unlike some other pens, the wheel is soldered to the clip, and doesn’t turn as the pen is clipped into or taken out of your pocket. A slip-on lid covers a smooth plastic grip section. The cap is clearly designed to post, and fits snugly onto the stepped-down ending of the pen barrel. This is one of the pen’s advantage over the Jinhao x450 – I’ve already cracked the inner cap on one of those suckers, and no longer dare to try and post them. http://i.imgur.com/dWU6VAw.jpg http://i.imgur.com/aNnQOhx.jpg My first impressions with this pen weren’t overly favourable – mainly because it was one of several black pens I received at the same time. But as I’ve spent time examining it more closely and using it, it’s grown on me. I guess this is subjective, but I like the fact that it’s not a straight cylinder – and the clip, though its ‘wheel’ doesn’t actually spin, nonetheless seems to be easier to slide into a pocket than the very stiff clip on the Jinhao x450 and x750. http://i.imgur.com/2MzfGXT.jpg Construction & Quality – Well-made, not flawed or blemished, seems pretty durable The cap and barrel of the pen are made of brass – they’re heavy, and don’t seem too prone to denting. The black lacquer surface seems to adhere pretty well to the pen, but only time will tell whether it’s prone to peeling or scratching away. The end of the barrel is plastic – it reminds me a little of the ending on a Parker Vector, though obviously the diameter is larger. Weight & Dimensions – A pretty substantial pen in the hand The first thing you notice about this pen when you pick it up is its ‘heft’ – it weighs around 41.5g, or 25.5g minus the cap. The diameter of the cap and barrel is around 12mm; the grip section tapers from 11mm down to around 9mm – which I find pretty comfortable, especially if I’m holding it well back from the nib. Capped, the pen is 140mm long; uncapped it’s a shortish to 119mm; posted, it extends to 160mm. Though it’s designed to be posted, I find it a little more comfortable if I leave the cap off – simply because of the weight, there are no problems with balance either way. Nib & Performance – A very pleasant writing experience A close inspection of the nib revealed that it seems to swoop down towards the tip – as if to stiffen the nib and provide for a finer line. And certainly, compared to the nibs on the Jinhao x450 and x750, this one lays down a finer line (which for me is another advantage of this pen – the Jinhaos I tend to replace the nib with a Goulet EF, F or 1.1mm stub). Aesthetically, either you’ll like the nib and the ‘finless’ feed or you won’t – I didn’t mind the look of the nib (gold, with a chrome ‘swirl’, and the word ‘Bookworm’ inscribed along its length) – but I tend to like the underside of the feed to be at least a little bit less bland. Then again, how often does anyone write upside down? The nib and feed are friction fit, and can be removed for cleaning purposes. I’d guess this is around a #5 size nib. http://i.imgur.com/Dam0eZi.jpg http://i.imgur.com/6jJCuUE.jpg More important than the nib’s appearance is its performance – and I found this to be very pleasant. It’s a nail-like nib, but you can get a little line variation if you want to force it – and it lays down a fine-to-medium line. The nib was fairly dry when I first inked it up, but with a bit of sustained downward pressure (to force the nibs apart – see Steve “SBRE” Brown’s videos for more info on ‘how to make a dry nib wetter’), I found it began to write really nicely, and lay down a not-too-dry, not-too-wet line. Apart from that small adjustment, the nib provides an enjoyable writing experience. http://i.imgur.com/rCcWHgI.jpg Filling System & Maintenance– Standard International Cartridges – Converter Supplied The Bookworm 679 takes standard international cartridges, if that’s your preference – but comes with a cartridge converter supplied. The converter looks very similar in design and construction to the cheap plastic converters that come in most of these Chinese pens – but with a black band around the top of the converter, inscribed with the brand name ‘Bookworm’. http://i.imgur.com/yvUE0J6.jpg Cost & Value/Conclusion – Full marks from as far as I’m concerned! The Bookworm is not a high-end pen – but at AU$12.95 from JustWrite (you can probably find it cheaper, but for Australian buyers this comes with a 2 year warranty) it’s a really good buy – especially if you’re trying to introduce someone to the fountain pen habit, and want to give them a classier looking pen. I’d be very happy to recommend this as a pen that looks, feels and writes a fair way above its price point. Thanks to Kevin from JustWrite for providing it for me to review.

Hello all, I think that chinese pens can give a good writing experience for not that much money, and as considering a new pen to underline, I looked first to the Jinhaos x750 + Goulet EF nib. I don't know a lot about other chinese ones that would be suitable, but I can tell that I like the look of the Jinhao 500, even if I'm afraid by its size/weight. Does it accepts goulet/#6 nibs ? Does the nib is swappable or not ? I really have to know more about these kind of FP, I heard about Baoer, Kaigelu etc but there are surely more.. For ~20-25€ (all included), I don't know yet what to choose and I'm still searching for what would the more pleaseable to use, first to underline and then also to write some definitions, notes (at school). → I think I will use a red ink like PR fiesta red. Recommandations ? Thank you !

I admire the marbleized plastic (or celluloid) that has been used for pen bodies for many years, particularly the greens, so when I stumbled upon this Chinese pen with the mile-long generic name for $4.50 (shipping included), I said, "Why not?" My luck so far with Chinese pens has been exceptional; at prices lower than the cost of mailing pens within the US, I've enjoyed a variety of sublime escritorial experiences. Then came the FSSFSSC SS-1: I know everybody says this, but photos really don't do it justice. (Forgive the photos; this was hasty work in the bitter cold.) When the pen is moved around in the light, it has more depth and dimension than I ever could have hoped for in a fine hardwood. The marbling shimmers, it glows and darkens, it captivates. The finish is smooth but not perfectly so; up close, a slight orange-peel texturing is evident on the surface. I like the chrome clip. It's mounted directly into the cap material, about a 1/4" from the top. Its design and placement are reminiscent of some 1920s pens I've seen. It takes a firm, secure grip of a shirt pocket. The cap is topped with a chrome button, flush with the surface. Below the clip is a chrome band, just shy of 1/4" wide, with black curlicues painted on it that mumble, "Asian afterthought." This detail deftly destroys the illusion that the pen is anything other than a cheapo Chinese model. Parallel rings incised into the metal would have preserved the vintage look, but this recommendation obviously comes too late.The section is chrome, comfortable but slippery. Its metal threads mesh with those cut directly into the cap material. When the cap is mounted, the barrel is crooked - about 3 or 4 degrees out of whack. Even though I've never had writing issues with other Chinese pens, with this one I figured I'd better follow the advice to flush before filling. A cartridge was supplied, but no converter. After much pushing and grunting, I finally handed it over to Dwayne Johnson to have him install the thing. Getting ink to feed was even harder; I tweaked and wiggled and shook. (The nib says "Germany" but we probably shouldn't leap to the conclusion that it was made there.) It finally wrote, but continued skipping like Rhoda Penmark, with a heart full of evil.

Well, thought I'd try my hand at a review. I've bought (and used) countless pens from different manufacturers and recently have been on a kick of buying Chinese pens. I decided to dedicated a small amount ($20 CDN) to see how many inexpensive Chinese pens I can buy and just what you can get for your dollar these days. I'm up to 7 pens purchased and I've got $3 left, so, well, you can at least get bulk. Of the pens that have arrived so far (Jinhao 599, Jinhao 250, Baoer 517, Hero 369), the Hero 369 has easily been the most surprising, as not only is it the cheapest of the lot at the princely sum of $1,45CDN shipped, but has some really interesting features. Scores are out of 10 Appearance/Finish (7/10): The Hero 369 has a very classic, slim appearance in brushed aluminum with chromed metal accents. The cap has no finial or jewel, just a flat section of brushed metal. The clip is chromed metal, and the the Hero logo and model number (369) appears around the bottom of the cap. http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/jekostas/Hero2_zps69b9bcc0.jpg There's a small centre band in chromed metal, and the body tapers down slightly to the end cap, also of chromed metal. I quite like the looks overall, a very simple, elegant and modern pen. Fit and finish on the outer body is quite good with no marks on the matte finish of the body or scratches on the chroming. Here's the first big surprise, the clip is spring-loaded! It's firm, but with more than enough play to comfortable pull it out of your pocket. http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/jekostas/Clip_zpsc701a70a.jpg Opening the cap we see a black plastic section with a shiny finish (pretty common) and two chromed metal rings near the nib that act as the holder for the cap. I quite like the nib, it's small, first, and secondly it's not hooded, which is pretty rare for these low-end Heros. I know some people prefer hooded nibs, I don't. I like to see the nib. The nib is quite interesting as well, being very narrow and in shiny stainless with a good ball of tipping material included. http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/jekostas/Hero_zpsa19e7b4f.jpg I quite like the looks, personally. Where it falls down (a little) is the finishing. The cap has a fairly sharp edge at the bottom, and the threading of the section is somewhat rough and some plastic shavings came out when I first removed the section from the body (not a great sign, generally). One last nice point on the finishing is the cap - there's no white plastic inner cap that endemic to low-end Chinese pens, instead the cap has four metal springs that clasp the section when closed and the end cap when posted. The pen posts very securely with no rattle. Size and Weight (6/10): Let's not beat around the bush - this is a very slim pen. The thickest part of the body is 9mm wide, and the body tapers down from just below the centre band to the end cap at 7mm. The section is, of course, very small as well. The thickest part of the section near the body joint is 8mm, and tapers down to 7mm by the chrome clutch rings near the nib. Despite being very skinny, the pen is decently long. Capped, the pen is 133mm long, uncapped 119mm, posted 144mm so at least in length it should fit just about everyone's hand. I don't have a scale to measure the weight, but the pen is (as you could probably imagine) very light. It's comfortable enough to write posted or unposted but let's be honest - you probably don't want to be writing essays with this sucker. It's just too thin. As a quick note-taking pen or something to keep in your cheque-book I imagine it would do very well. Nib Performance (9/10): Now we get to the meat and bones of it. Does the pen write well? I'm happy to say yes, yes it writes extremely well and even has a few surprises up it's sleeve. After a quick rinse with warm water and filled with Higgins Fountain Pen India (a very "wet" ink) the pen started up immediately, and wrote with a smooth, medium-wet line. The nib size is probably somewhere between a Western F and XF and has a reasonably large sweet spot. The feed keeps up well with fast writing (as it should with such a small tip). Full disclosure - the nib was a little scratchy when I first got the pen but about 5 minutes with a little micro-mesh and it's smooth as butter. The tines came perfectly aligned out of the package. Now for the big surprise: There's some line variation! Not a whole lot mind you, but it's definitely there. Check the writing sample below and you'll see some of what I'm talking about. http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/jekostas/Scan0001_zps5eb4a098.jpg http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/jekostas/Flex_zps04e785a0.jpg Paper is sugarcane, ignore the awful handwriting. There is a little feathering visible but that's likely a combination of wet ink and (not great) recycled paper. Filling (8/10): The 369 uses a permanently attached aerometric converter with the metal cover/squeeze bar. I didn't expect it to work well, but I have to say it surprised me - this filler did substantially better than aerometrics I've used in cheap Hero pens in the past like the 266 and 616. It seems to have a shorter breather tube than other Hero pens I've used with aeros, and 3-4 squeezes will fill the sac a good 3/4s full. The feed is reliable and keeps up with fairly fast writing but it will railroad if flexing the nib constantly, a little bit of which can be seen in the sample above. Value (10/10): Did I mention that this pen cost me $1,45 shipped? And that the nib has some flex, it's an aluminum body, with a sprung clip and a (surprisingly usable) aerometric filler? I've used some great low-cost Chinese pens but for me, this one takes the cake. Conclusion (8/10): An absolutely solid pen and very fun. Perhaps a little too thin to use every day but it's super fun to play with. The only negative that I can think of that can't be overlooked for the price is the thinness, but that's a function of the design.

Figured what better way to get into fountain pens than to start inexpensive, fortunately had a couple friends who were able to get me some recommendations on favorable ones. Most were about 10USD or less, the most expensive 'single' pen was the Uranus KSF-301 w/ Box for about 17USD. My favorite of the pack is the Jinhao X750 with the Goulet Extra Fine nib, followed by the Jinhao X450 which I replaced with a Goulet 1.5mm Stub Nib (I put the 2-tone Jinhao M nib from the X450 onto my Nemosine Singularity). On the thin side it's a toss up between the Kaigelu 363 and Jinhao 611. The Hero 616 is probably the least favorite of all the Chinese ones I've tried. Baoer 507 "8 Horse" (one of a three pack I got, I kept the silverish one) http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/baoer_507_8horse.jpg Jinhao 611 in blue, aside from the Hero 616 I have, probably the finest on the nib size I have. http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/Jinhao_611.jpg A Kaigelu 363 and Haushilai 2111, bought them as a pair, I like the Kaigelu better of the two. http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/kaigelu_363_huashilai_2111.jpg A Duke Uranus KSF-301 (~ Medium Partially Hooded Nib) http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/uranus_301_full.jpg Jinhao X450 in "Distressed Black" http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/x450_closenib.jpg Jinhao X750 "Shimmering Sands" with a Goulet 2-tone Extra Fine Nib. Currently my favorite of the chinese pens. http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/x750_ef.jpg Most of them side by side (the non-Chinese ones shown being the Sheaffer Snorkel, Nemosine Singularity, and the unbranded green one in the front) http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/chinese_colection.jpg

Hi everyone, I recently found a Fountain pen and the nib looked broken. I asked someone and he said it was supposed to like that. I was wondering if actually supposed to be like that or it's broken. Note that it is a Chinese pen if that helps. Thank's

The next entry in my "Cheap Chinese Pen I got from eBay" series is the... Duke Uranus M25 Fountain Pen Price: $5.90 Nib: Extra Fine, Steel, Hooded Country of Origin: China Filling System: Piston (push type) http://gizmosauce.com/img/duke_m25_01.jpg Appearance: 8 / 10 The first thing I noticed about the Duke Uranus M25 is that it's a really tiny pen, similar in size to a Jinhao 611. It's short and thin, and probably fits in with the bullet/missile style of pens that have been popping up. Its design is simple and classy, if not slightly understated. The top of the cap and end of the barrel are tapered to a rounded end that culminate with a small chrome button, which I think is a nice touch. The clip has a simple design, but it's extremely tight and won't clip to a shirt pocket without a fight. The pen's design is not a flashy one, but there are two things that I really like about it: I love the Chinese writing down the side of the cap. In general, I think Asian writing is beautiful to look at. I have no idea what any of it says, but I think it's pretty.I like the nib and section. It has this shark-like shape to it...I think they call it a cayman mouth style. I think it's kind of cool looking.http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/duke_m25_02.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/duke_m25_05.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/duke_m25_03.jpg Build Quality: 8 / 10 The cap and barrel seem to be made of some lightweight metal. It could be brass, but I think it's more likely aluminum. The section is mostly metal, too, I think, but the coupler threads that attach to the barrel are plastic, so it makes screwing and unscrewing the section feel slightly cheap. The pen comes with a push-type piston converter. It's very common among inexpensive Chinese pens, but it's the first time I've ever used one. Seems cheap, but it works fine. It includes a small ball (glass or plastic, I can't tell) in the reservoir to agitate the ink to keep it from settling at one end of the converter or the other. It's a very nice touch. Because the nib & section are so small, I had no problem filling it from a sample vial. The converter worked perfectly to fill the pen. http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/duke_m25_04.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/duke_m25_08.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/duke_m25_09.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/duke_m25_10.jpg Nib: 10 / 10 The nib was supposed to be Extra Fine, so I expected it to be on par with the Fine nib on my Pilot Metropolitan. But the line put down by the M25 is a little heavier than the Metro. I'd probably classify it as a Fine. My handwriting is very small, and I hoped for a true Extra Fine, but I was somewhat disappointed in the line weight from this pen. It's possible that the ink I'm using (Diamine Oxblood) is contributing to that. Other than the thicker-than-desired line weight, the nib performs wonderfully. It's a SUPER smooth writer. Most F and EF nibs give some feedback (or are downright scratchy), but this nib glides over the paper with ease. It's also a pretty wet writer for an EF (which might also contribute to the thicker line weight). I encountered a few skips, but nothing too out of the ordinary. BUT WAIT...on a whim I attempted some reverse writing (flipping the pen over and writing with the back side of the nib). Holy cow...it's perfect! The line weight is super thin, and because it's a wet writer, it never runs out of ink. Writing like this has its cost though: it's pretty scratchy. I may whack it with a little micro mesh to try to smooth out that side of the tines...but the nib isn't replaceable, so if I mess it up, I'm stuck with the results. Because the section is hooded, only the very tip of the nib is visible. There is no way to remove/replace the nib (there are probably special tools that might allow this, but you can't just pull it out if you need to give it a good cleaning or to swap it for another nib). http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/duke_m25_06.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/duke_m25_12.jpg http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/duke_m25_13.jpg Comfort: 8 / 10 I've written several pages with this pen today, and I've had no hand cramps. The open end of the barrel flares out a bit, and if you run your finger over it, it feels a little sharp. But, when writing, it's not noticeable at all. The finish of the cap and barrel is a little slick, and the pen has slipped out of my hand a few times. Because of this, it's probably not a great pen for travel. As I said earlier, this pen is tiny. People with larger hands might not find it comfortable. You can post the cap, but it's not a secure fit and the cap will come off while you're writing. I have small hands, so I have no problem writing with it un-posted. If shorter pens don't work for you, you won't like this pen. For the sake of comparison, here's the Duke Uranus M25 (second from the top) alongside a Noodler's Ahab (top), a Pilot Metropolitan (third from top), and a Monteverde Invincia (bottom): http://www.gizmosauce.com/img/duke_m25_11.jpg Overall Score: 34 / 40 At first, I considered the Duke Uranus M25 to be a decent pen. But now that I've discovered how well it writes when reversed, my satisfaction with the pen shot upward. It's a nice, classy pen that is capable of writing as a Fine (normal) and as an Extra Fine (reversed). The nib is butter-smooth under normal use and puts down a pretty consistent line. This little $6 pen performs very well, and is an exceptional value. Other reviews in my "Cheap Chinese Pens I Got from eBay" series: Crocodile NCR64 / 806 Green Celluloid Fountain Pen

Executive summary The Hero 801A is a delightful chinatown find, coupled with the factory hero ink makes a fine writing combination. Appearance & Design (5/10)What can I say, it’s a black pen with gold accents. Body is metal, I assume brass with black paint/enamel. Not too thick not too thin the body has a slight taper. Cap is clear plastic lined and pulls off with a firm grip and caps neatly to the top of the body and stays there. The grip (for lack of terminology) is matte aluminum and is slightly jarring in contrast to the gold accents. The second, and smaller detractor is the etched model name in mandarin and English on the side of the cap, the writing will not rub off. Feel that this pen would be great sans the gold and gold lettering. The covered nib reminiscent to the parker super 21. Compared to a Nakimi Falcon and a noodlers pen for size. 18 by jajoff, on Flickr 2. Construction & Quality (10/10) I apply a “punching above ones weight” metric here, where by price or price range is used as a comparative to other pens in this price range. Does it compare with a pen that would sign the Geneva Convention? No. But for the price range it doesn’t have to, it punches with pens costing 10 times as much. . Most pens in this range need work- the noodlers famous 20 dollar holler being one of them, maybe that’s half the fun sometimes… sometimes it’s nice to get it working out of the box. Have bought several Chinese pens, and have been mostly mildly disappointed, almost never with the threading- universally they seem to get that right with these metal body ones, the hero 801a being no exception. The clip is nicely done, very simple with a wide flare at the top of the cap with good clipping power. Paint or enamel is pretty hardy looking doesn’t feel soft like some Chinese enamel pens. Standard filler is a screw type with a reasonable size reserve, works well with the fine nib. No sharp edges. 2 by jajoff, on Flickr 3. Weight & Dimensions (8/10) How a pen balances in hand is the second most important primary being the nib and writing performance. Weight total 32.9 grams Body 21.2 grams Cap 11.7 grams Prefer to post the caps, and most Chinese pens are unbalanced and heavy, my duke and duke 2000 pens being the worst offenders. This pen excels and doesn’t unbalance, without the cap the pen feels very light- ideal for a woman or the infirmed. If I had to critique maybe slightly wider, length fits nicely in a bigger hand with longer fingers. Length: 14.2mm Width: 9.5mm (approx. at thickest point) 3cm circumference. 4. Nib & Performance (9/10) Nice very fine nib, suspect chrome plated at best. Nib hidden, didn’t disassemble. Biggest quibble with this nib is that there is some side to side movement of the nib- somewhat affects the line but is slightly annoying if concentrating on this. Uncapped the nib dried within 20-30, a lick of the nib cleared the dryness. The flow is quite nice and surprised me, most of the Chinese pens including the noodlers tend to be dry starters until fixed. Given the fineness of the nib suspect that ink will last a long time with this one. Pretty smooth not an iridium nib find most fine nibs scratchy and like to dig into the paper. Being of the devils hand, fine nibs tend to exacerbate this, but the hero performs very well. As a lover of big fat, wet lines I gave pause to purchasing this but have no regrets thus far. Recognize handwriting sample below lacks in penmanship and stylistic flair and serves just as record of nib width. Writing done on lined rhodia paper. No puddling of ink or malfunctions. 5. Filling system & Maintenance (9/10) Standard, easily replaceable and cleanable screw type. Cannot attest to maintenance. 6. Cost & Value (10/10) Cost: $7.95 plus tax. Ink 56ml: $5.95 plus tax. If this pen had a 30-40 dollar tag on it, it would not surprise. Packaging consisted of plastic cellophane in a box of 12. By far the best chinese pen I have had the pleasure of using. Being a noodlers ink fan, I know this isn’t bomb proof but for 6 bucks I wanted to change and try some black ink and I am happy with it in this pen. 7. Conclusion (51/60) Was expecting typical Chinese quality- that will get tossed in the back of the drawer, only to be drawn (pun) out on the rare occasion. Some lingering concern with the lateral movement of the nib, unsure if not fully seated, defective or characteristic of hidden nib pens. All in all, incredible value for money, makes one happy to be a capitalist consumer. Would recommend to first timers or to collector that want a hooded nib pen for very little money.

I happened to be around Chinatown..and walked into a Bookstore... Couldn't resist buying the whole series... it was cheap as chips... Overall they are easy, free flowing inks... with a real nice shade.... (I do like the Blue Black).. The red is more like a strong pink.... and surprise.. surprise... they actually have some sheen.... All of them... So, when you get tired of spending $20, $30 or even $40/bottle of some extremely hard to find ink..... Go get some Hero ink... you'll be gladly surprised..

Hi all, Being a curious type of person, some time ago I was intrigued to see some Chinese pens described as having 'curved nibs' such as this: http://m2.uxcell.com/photo_new/20120713/c/ux_a12071300ux0223_ux_c.jpg I am slightly tempted to try one, but wish to know a bit more before making a decision. Now my questions are along the lines of: i) Are these a bit of a gimmick? ii) Are there variants on the 'curved nib' theme? iii) Are they worth the effort (how easy are they to use) and are the actual results disappointing? iv) If you have one, is it a pen which you 'go to', or does something hold you back for most situations (i.e. except doodling, playing, etc.) ...and any comments on their practical use etc. much appreciated. Best. E.

Need some help / advise / ideas.. I have a couple of Chinese Pens , a Huashilia 3000 and a Bookworm (not sure but I think might also be made by Huashilia) that both have finish problems. Both have brass bodies covered by some type of black paint and possibly a clear finish over the paint (also, not sure about the clear finish part).Both are great writing pens but both have started to have the black finish begin to show tiny "bubbling" and flaking off. Anyone ever have a go at refinishing on of these? I was considering sanding, repainting and dipping in a clear lacquer. As cheap as they were, and considering how bad they look now, I figure I've got nothing to loose. Any thoughts? To the moderators, I'm going to post this in both the Chinese and the general repair forums. Hope that's ok. ;-)

Are there any Beijing fountain pen lovers on this forum? I will travel there in a few weeks (for the first time) and i couldn't think at a better gift for myself than a nice Chinese fountain pen. I know the city is huge, but I wonder if someone can guide me to some places where I can buy some really nice, local fountain pen(s). My budget is limited, however, I'm sure I can find something nice, but I have no idea where to start looking.

I just received a Haolilai 661A, which I ordered from eBay. Since there is little about this brand on FPN, I thought I'd post this very informal, handwritten review.The pen I purchased was http://www.ebay.com/itm/FOUNTAIN-PEN-HAOLILAI-661-FINE-NIB-SILVERY-PURPLE-H055-/121127212869. The photo posted here of the pen is is from the eBay listing. My review is in the attached image, though I can't seem to modify the orientation of the photo.

A couple of months back Jeff Pearson posted some comments and queries on my blog regarding fountain pens. Later on among the comments and replies, one day he suddenly asked for my mail address as he wanted to gift me certain fountain pens. Thinking it a bit quirky, I avoided it. Later on after more of such requests I finally relented. btw Jeff is a member of FPN (which I came to know later) & having username notimetoulouse So yesterday I got these wonderful fountain pens - Jinhao x450, - love it Kaigelu 316, - had only seen its reviews on FPN Picasso, - had only heard of the brand Wingsung 380, - I already have it, the same one !!! Lanbitou - so tiny didn't know it existed :-) and also a carefully packed set of ink cartridges - obviously I did not know that these inks also came in cartridges. Thanks Jeff for these wonderful pens and cartridges - and taking the pains to ship these from your end - which is half the world round ! btw the Jinhao x450 is my favourite, and I had been searching for this colour for quite some time :-) And all the pens have very smooth nib, and look great! Images below.

As a relatively new fountain pen user who happens to go to university, I really like Chinese fountain pens. They're cheap, they're fun, and sometimes I feel like I get pretty lucky. While I feel like Hero gets a pretty bad rap for the blatant copying they do of designs (such as Lamy or Parker), I ended up buying this 160 on eBay. I mostly dabbled in Jinhao, and while I like them, I decided to spend a bit more and see if I liked these better. This is my first review, and I'm by no means a photographer, so I apologize if some of the pictures aren't quite as good as what you're used to seeing! First Impressions: The pen came in this pretty simple green box. These kinds of boxes I've received before so it's nothing really extravagant or special, but I do like it. It gets the job done and it's pretty nice. You open the box and once again you have this fairly cheap material protecting the pen, but the pen itself I think is very attractive. The clip is nice and springy, and the top of it has a small five petaled flower design. All around the cap you have these grooves of various lengths that stretch downwards towards the barrel of the pen. The body tapers towards the end, and on the barrel you have a shiny chrome band that says "Hero" and under it "160" with the same Chinese characters that appear on the box. Construction: Note that all my attempts at close-up shots failed, so sadly there will not be any photographs here. The cap is simply a pull off, not a twist sadly, but it functions very well. Not much force is needed to actually remove it, and it is secure enough so that it will never simply accidentally come up when trying to remove it from your pocket or pouch. Overall, the construction is extremely solid. Nothing rattles, the barrel screws on and off tightly, and the whole body seems to be able to stand up to some abuse. Filling: The pen uses an aerometric converter which I had some problems with, but I suspect that those were issues related to my own inexperience with the system rather than the converter being at fault. For now, I removed it and have a Parker converter installed, which fits fine. Note that standard international converters don't seem to fit. The use of a Parker converter was a necessity. Nib: The nib is great. Honestly, I love it. It is a 12k gold semi hooded nib, and it writes excellently. I never experience any skipping or hard-starting, it has a nice, juicy sweet spot, and it provides a kind of feedback that I really like. I've had some Jinhao nibs that are smoother, but I rather enjoy this one more. It's not scratchy, but you feel that you're writing which I think is great. In my experience it's a nice, wet nib that can lay down a nice patch of ink despite it being a pretty fine nib. There is little to no line variation, so if you're a flex freak it's really not for you, but since line variation and lecture notes don't particularly go hand in hand, I don't find that it detracts from the experience at all. Writing Sample: I'm no calligrapher, but I tried to make it as nice as I could for you guys! Overall: I adore this pen. I absolutely love it, and this is one that's always going to be inked. It's very affordable, it's very nice, it's not a boring black, and it just gets the job done. When I was contemplating buying one I couldn't find any reviews on this model, so hopefully this can be helpful to someone who is in a similar situation as I was. Maybe they aren't completely ethical design-wise, but if this is any indication, they make one hell of a pen.

I have a Jinhao X450 (marbled finish) that I got a while ago when I bought a couple of Chinese pens (one is my knock-about Hero 110 that's quite good). I avoid Chinese pens unless I need something that I can use when working in the lab or that can be knocked-about, be lost (or stolen). Given that, I don't usually pay more than $10 for them, and don't care much if they don't work. But I have taken a liking to the very sturdy brass and enamel construction and the excellent M nib that I have gotten used to (though I greatly prefer F and EF nibs and usually avoid M or bigger because it is impractical to write calculations with them, and the fact that I simply really like EF nibs). Unfortunately, after writing two paragraphs, a vacuum forms inside the converter and no ink at all flows into the feed/nib section. I end up having to turn the piston in and out to manually draw air in every ten minutes. I took every single piece of the pen apart and soaked it in household bleach (it was fine, but please don't anyone soak their Montblanc in bleach! I DO NOT recommend trying this on any pen you spend more than $10 on! ). Cleaned every single channel and section with a little nylon brush. Everything was free of any contaminant or manufacturing residue. Put everything back together perfectly. Tested pen. . . And the same thing happened. I can hear a slow bubbling sound as the air tries to get into the reservoir. It is obvious that the feed system is not allowing for any air to enter. The system consists of a partially hollow feed with a little capillary feed that slips inside of it, it is this narrow little capillary feed that plugs into the tiny hole in the section and connects to the converter's reservoir. I don't think the design facilitates for any air to enter to stop a vacuum forming. Does anyone else's X450 do this? Is there any way to fix it? I would really like to find a way to solve the problem, as I have taken a liking to the pen. Thanks in advance for any advice.

This is a short review of the HERO 725. To begin, I need to say that it is a very cheap pen (about 14 USD). But not only expensive pens are worth reviewing... Fountain pens are for everone after all ! Look: For a 14 USD pen, it is, I would say very very nice. Look very classy, simple... especially the two tone nib that is very well crafted. Nib performance: The nib on this pen performs very decently for such a inexpensive pen. However, if you like very expensive solid gold flexible nibs, there are chances that you're gonna be disapointed! What I mean is that it is a fonctionnal nib there is not a lot of fun to do with that. Is is very stiff and don't try to make it flex... PLEASE!!!! it's gonna flex, but not the way you like it to, and not returning to the initial position... you know what I mean It is not TOO scratchy neither. Weight and balence: I was surprised how well balenced this pen was, posted or not, it is very confortable. It weights about 25.7 grams. Feed : On that point, it is easy to notice that it is a chinese pen... At the begenning of the page, it is gonna be very very wet, and at the end it is becoming dry... but that is not a big issue if you dont write for a long continuous lap of time with it.. but i would say it is a big problem if you're a person who writes 16 pages straight... Conclusion: It is a good pen for the price. I would recommend it, but it is not the first one I would buy in that price range, personnally, I prefer the pilot 78g. I dont like giving a note on 10 or 100... It is very different for each writer and I think it is better to describe the good and the bad points of the pen to let everyone decide if it is a pen for him or not... *English is not my first language, so please understand if I made some mistakes.

I recently came across these pens at a thrift store and they were only 99 cents so i bought them thinking that they may be worth something since i have made a lot of profit off of doing this before with other fountain pens that i found. The one is a fountain pen with a rooster and feather/flowery design. On the tip it says "Genius Iridium Germany" The box which has an Asian type of design on it also has another pen in it. But this one is a ballpoint pen with what looks to be a giraffe and feather/flowery design. Here are some pictures. I appreciate the feedback.

Which one of these sets are real and which are counterfeit (or are they all the same)? What are your experiences with them if you have bought them in the past? Anyone here who can read Chinese? What do the packs say on the front?

I was looking into aquiring a Camel 1968 Medium Nib (http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAMEL-1968-Rosewood-Color-Medium-Nib-Fountain-Pen-new-/150971590994?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23269ba952) for notetaking and school use, but I have some reservations because I have never heard of the manufacturer. I really don't want to go through the hassel of returning it to China if it's a piece of (bleep). Has anyone heard of Camel pens; if so, I would love to hear some feedback. Does anyone know of any cheaper pen brands that preform well compared to their cost?