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Wancher - Roll Of The Dice


whitedot

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I bought it from the Chinese seller directly, for cheaper, but the pen is the same, I believe, because the Chinese seller supplies Engeika.

I expected a fake, a shiny cheap fake.

The pen is actually very good, and could comfortably be sold for more.

 

I have to agree.

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FWIW, I must have bought more than 50 pens from their ebay shop Engeika. Yeah, even on their ebay store there are some listings with dubious descriptions. They are good for the established made in Japan stuff like the Japanese big three, i would not touch their wancher stuff with a bargepole. YMMV.

 

 

I have to agree with this comment. I've also regularly bought the Japanese big three pens from their store. And recently thought I would roll the dice on a Wancher celluloid pen. Unfortunately I found out I would never make a good gambler. I will be avoiding the brand in future and sticking with the Japanese big three - reputation is everything after all.

 

I would have exercised the return policy.

 

I will stop posting on this after this post - I'm concerned it appears I am simply disagreeing with other posters views. I only wanted to support hari317's comment, based on my own personal experience.

 

I have been in contact with the seller, it would be unfair to post here if I hadn't already done so. The seller always responds to my emails and they sent me two lengthy emails with about a page each of explanation on their purchasing practices and how the pen quality is below par but they do their best to pick the better pens from China to sell. It was interesting and it was certainly appreciated that they took time to elaborate on their purchasing and their philosophy of sourcing cheap pens to make cheaper pens available to those who can't afford Japanese pens. Unfortunately I was expecting something with more Japanese influence and better quality - that's partly my fault for taking the roll of the dice as mentioned. I accept the seller is in business to make money and this is a workable option for them. Unfortunately I have a difference of opinion on the representation put forward regarding the pen quality and background.

 

For example, when I noticed the letter "G" was missing from the name Germany on the German made iridium nib and the three middle letters in iridium were blended together, I got just a tad suspicious. It didn't improve from there.

 

At the end of the day its my one bad pen purchase out of a lot of good pen purchases.

 

None of this means that I disagree with anyone who enjoys these pens. I'll leave it at that.

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I don't know why, as I don't particularly like the Lamy 2000's stark looks, but I've pulled the trigger on one of those Wancher Bauhaus pens using TaoBao + Mistertao. Should be an interesting transaction, never used either before. I am perfectly sure it will all work out though, as the seller Kyushu Pen Shop has a rating of four shiny diamonds and a "Kind baby transaction" of 100%.

:eureka:

Latest pen related post @ flounders-mindthots.blogspot.com : vintage Pilot Elite Pocket Pen review

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FWIW, I must have bought more than 50 pens from their ebay shop Engeika. Yeah, even on their ebay store there are some listings with dubious descriptions. They are good for the established made in Japan stuff like the Japanese big three, i would not touch their wancher stuff with a bargepole. YMMV.

 

 

I have to agree with this comment. I've also regularly bought the Japanese big three pens from their store. And recently thought I would roll the dice on a Wancher celluloid pen. Unfortunately I found out I would never make a good gambler. I will be avoiding the brand in future and sticking with the Japanese big three - reputation is everything after all.

 

I would have exercised the return policy.

 

I will stop posting on this after this post - I'm concerned it appears I am simply disagreeing with other posters views. I only wanted to support hari317's comment, based on my own personal experience.

 

I have been in contact with the seller, it would be unfair to post here if I hadn't already done so. The seller always responds to my emails and they sent me two lengthy emails with about a page each of explanation on their purchasing practices and how the pen quality is below par but they do their best to pick the better pens from China to sell. It was interesting and it was certainly appreciated that they took time to elaborate on their purchasing and their philosophy of sourcing cheap pens to make cheaper pens available to those who can't afford Japanese pens. Unfortunately I was expecting something with more Japanese influence and better quality - that's partly my fault for taking the roll of the dice as mentioned. I accept the seller is in business to make money and this is a workable option for them. Unfortunately I have a difference of opinion on the representation put forward regarding the pen quality and background.

 

For example, when I noticed the letter "G" was missing from the name Germany on the German made iridium nib and the three middle letters in iridium were blended together, I got just a tad suspicious. It didn't improve from there.

 

At the end of the day its my one bad pen purchase out of a lot of good pen purchases.

 

None of this means that I disagree with anyone who enjoys these pens. I'll leave it at that.

I just pulled the trigger on one of these (via taobao). I'm sure that at 1/6th of the price you paid, it'll be a good pen...for the price. I think it comes down to how much the pen might be worth....afterall, I doubt anyone would pay $120 for a Lamy Safari and call it a good pen, or $300 for a TWSBI 540.

 

When you decide on whether a pen is (subjectively) good or not, you can't avoid comparing it to pens in a similar price range. When the difference is too great, you can't call it a good pen, even if it is comparable to pens of a lower price point.

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Orange pen too gaudy. Should lose the goldtone bands. Make it look like a cheap imitation gaudy italian pen. Without the bands it would look rich.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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... I am perfectly sure it will all work out though, as the seller Kyushu Pen Shop has a rating of four shiny diamonds and a "Kind baby transaction" of 100%.

:eureka:

 

 

Haha, love machine translations from Chinese!

"kind baby transactions" :roflmho:

 

As taobao means - “panning for treasure", and they call on the site all their products "treasures"- "baobei" 宝贝. Coincidentally, "treasure" is also a very often used term of endearment, referring to babies, especially when it is close phonetically - baby - baobei.

 

So in the end it all looks like a highly suspicious child-trafficking shop. :roflmho:

Edited by suexilin
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... I am perfectly sure it will all work out though, as the seller Kyushu Pen Shop has a rating of four shiny diamonds and a "Kind baby transaction" of 100%.

:eureka:

 

 

Haha, love machine translations from Chinese!

"kind baby transactions" :roflmho:

 

As taobao means - “panning for treasure", and they call on the site all their products "treasures"- "baobei" 宝贝. Coincidentally, "treasure" is also a very often used term of endearment, referring to babies, especially when it is close phonetically - baby - baobei.

 

So in the end it all looks like a highly suspicious child-trafficking shop. :roflmho:

 

Badabing. This made my day. :roflmho:

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Just to add some spice, look what I have found on a certain Auction site in Japan http://storeuser8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/user/hunnyhuntjp

From The Sunny Island of Singapore

 

Straits Pen Distributors and Dealers of Craft Rinkul, JB Perfect Pen Flush, Ohto Japan, Parker, Pelikan, Pilot Pen, Private Reserve Inks, Schrade Tactical Pens, Smith & Wesson Pens, Noodler's Ink LLC Pens, TWSBI Inc and Waterman in Singapore

Disclosure: I do nib work for others and am affiliated with those which do. I also sell and represent certain brands of pens.

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Bump. I am executing a group buy. Please PM.

 

I would be happy to purchase any pen from the same seller.

Edited by whitedot
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I also have a few photos of the Blue Wancher to share - hastily snapped under poor lighting.

 

Curiosity did get the better of me.

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/9H8lkpa.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/qdKAlVQ.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/DNVmMiG.jpg

 

Edited by whitedot
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Here it is. Please suggest ways to get rid of the toxic smell - probably adhesive, grease or polish! Otherwise it is not at all bad for US$16 shipped.

 

They have been selling two different models on ebay recently. One is bright orange as the Sunflower and the other is deep red. They are both made of celluloid, so, the smell you are experiencing is probably camphor which is used in it's manufacture.

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They have been selling two different models on ebay recently. One is bright orange as the Sunflower and the other is deep red. They are both made of celluloid, so, the smell you are experiencing is probably camphor which is used in it's manufacture.

 

Those are a total different series.. The "SWAN" series.

 

Cannot seem to find these ones on eBay anymore.

 

 

C.

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Here it is. Please suggest ways to get rid of the toxic smell - probably adhesive, grease or polish! Otherwise it is not at all bad for US$16 shipped.

 

They have been selling two different models on ebay recently. One is bright orange as the Sunflower and the other is deep red. They are both made of celluloid, so, the smell you are experiencing is probably camphor which is used in it's manufacture.

 

Having inspected two Wanchers now, I am 99% certain that the smell emanates from a slick substance on the threads. Most of it rinses off under scalding water.

 

Now, I have never seen celluloid. But, they sure look like acrylic to me.

 

 

There is also a Delta Dolce Vita lookalike - the same model but in black and orange.

Edited by whitedot
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Here it is. Please suggest ways to get rid of the toxic smell - probably adhesive, grease or polish! Otherwise it is not at all bad for US$16 shipped.

 

They have been selling two different models on ebay recently. One is bright orange as the Sunflower and the other is deep red. They are both made of celluloid, so, the smell you are experiencing is probably camphor which is used in it's manufacture.

 

Having inspected two Wanchers now, I am 99% certain that the smell emanates from a slick substance on the threads. Most of it rinses off under scalding water.

 

Now, I have never seen celluloid. But, they sure look like acrylic to me.

 

 

There is also a Delta Dolce Vita lookalike - the same model but in black and orange.

I have ....or rather had one of those. It's not too heavy, and about the same size as the other (blue) one that I bought. My mum decided she liked it, so I no longer have it....very good pen for the price.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 9 months later...

Could not resist the Iridium Navy Violet

It was cheap so I don't have big expectations. Looks really nice :)

Now the wait...

 

http://www.engeika.com/data/engeika/product/20140222_d15477.jpg

Pic from Engeika web site

Edited by Jeje3325
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  • 1 year later...

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