Why Does Cheap Pens Looks More Expensive?

[Icywolfe]

Besides the makie pens and artistic pens. No oddity pens like the VP and that Lamy Dialog3. (Other weird pens. The M1k is also weird for being huge, nib wise.)

 

Like my Jinhao X450 it's about 10 USD and it looks more expensive than something like my Ahab (20 USD) or my Justus 95 (312 USD).

 

 

This is going off of pictures, but some of the Montblanc pens looks cheaper than some no name Chinese pens on eBay.

 

I mean looks from afar not a close up with a magnifying glass. Why do cheaper pens look far more expensive? While on the other hand expensive pens looks so cheap?

 

----

 

Within company:

 

The Pilot Metro looks more expensive than the Pilot Prera.

[Tylerjordan]

Well I feel like this is a loaded question since how expensive things look is subjective but I will say this: A lot of cheap Chinese pens simply copy expensive pen's designs and add a couple extra things, like a trim ring or embellished clip.

 

 

The Jinhao MB copy is made to look like a MB whereas the Ahab pen is more 'fun' and made from coloured acrylic. You're also paying for the flexible nib and the filling system.

 

The main question is what do you consider to be 'expensive' looks?

Edited August 7, 2014 by Tylerjordan

[The Blue Knight]

It is a little strange as I mean a decent Jinhao X450 writes pretty well however I find myself reaching towards it rarely and pens that cost more and write worse I find myself using more often. I can't understand it.

[Icywolfe]

Well I feel like this is a loaded question since how expensive things look is subjective but I will say this: A lot of cheap Chinese pens simply copy expensive pen's designs and add a couple extra things, like a trim ring or embellished clip.

 

 

The main question is what do you consider to be 'expensive' looks?

I actually thought about that just a second after I posted this and for that I sort of have the scale for it. More stuff going on on the pen is more expensive-looking and more bland is cheaper.

 

Also the color and the shine.

Edited August 7, 2014 by Icywolfe

[Tylerjordan]

I actually thought about that just a second after I posted this and for that I sort of have the scale for it. More stuff going on on the pen is more expensive-looking and more bland is cheaper.

 

Also the color and the shine.

I feel that having more stuff makes it look cheaper! I like the sleek pens that have nice design and trim without overdoing it.

[orfew]

I actually thought about that just a second after I posted this and for that I sort of have the scale for it. More stuff going on on the pen is more expensive-looking and more bland is cheaper.

 

Also the color and the shine.

IMHO this is not accurate in that it does not apply to many of the pens I own. I have plenty of plain black pens and some of them could be considered quite expensive. For example, my Montblanc Heritage 1912 is a plain black pen with simple platinum trim. It does not even have cap bands. For me simple and plain equals elegant and sometimes very expensive. Another example would be a clip less Nakaya Urushi pen. Very subtle colouring and no clip to detract from the simple beauty of the pen and its finished.

Edited August 7, 2014 by orfew

[Icywolfe]

IMHO this is not accurate in that it does not apply to many of the pens I own. I have plenty of plain black pens and some of them could be considered quite expensive. For example, my Montblanc Heritage 1912 is a plain black pen with simple platinum trim. It does not even have cap bands. For me simple and plain equals elegant and sometimes very expensive.

I meant this whole as a regular person's eyes. If you go into a Staples store or Office Depot store and look at the pens. Gel, roller, or ball point. More stuff it has going on generally more expensive it is.

 

I feel that having more stuff makes it look cheaper! I like the sleek pens that have nice design and trim without overdoing it.

I mean stuff going on as those Edisons with the swirling resin.

[orfew]

I meant this whole as a regular person's eyes. If you go into a Staples store or Office Depot store and look at the pens. Gel, roller, or ball point. More stuff it has going on generally more expensive it is.

 

I mean stuff going on as those Edisons with the swirling resin.

What do you mean by a "regular person"? To me your premise is fatally flawed. You are trying to extend your personal taste as the touchstone for others.

[Icywolfe]

What do you mean by a "regular person"? To me your premise is fatally flawed. You are trying to extend your personal taste as the touchstone for others.

Okay maybe so. But still if I walk into a office supply store generally the plainer that item is less expensive it is. And that thought will be stuck in the head. Same thing with heavier is it equals to quality.

[Sasha Royale]

I have recently been through my Jinhao x450, 599 , x250, x500. They write nicely for $5 pens. No complaints.

Next in rotation is a Pelikan Souveran M600. Sink me ! I almost forgot the luxury of this delicious, buttery,

bit of libertine delight.

 

Note to self >> You still have half a case of 15 -year-old Bernkastler Badstube Spaetlese. Let's have a bottle

with pizza on Saturday.

[Michigan]

Your tastes will change as you gain wider experience. There is a visual aspect to pens, for sure. I wouldn't judge solely on that criterion or any other.

[mrchan]

Besides the makie pens and artistic pens. No oddity pens like the VP and that Lamy Dialog3. (Other weird pens. The M1k is also weird for being huge, nib wise.)

 

Like my Jinhao X450 it's about 10 USD and it looks more expensive than something like my Ahab (20 USD) or my Justus 95 (312 USD).

 

 

This is going off of pictures, but some of the Montblanc pens looks cheaper than some no name Chinese pens on eBay.

 

I mean looks from afar not a close up with a magnifying glass. Why do cheaper pens look far more expensive? While on the other hand expensive pens looks so cheap?

 

----

 

Within company:

 

The Pilot Metro looks more expensive than the Pilot Prera.

Cheap pens do not look expensive. They look flashy and bling but once you have a closer look at them, you start noticing the true quality of the pens. The nib is the prime example. A cheapo pen will never have a nib as nice as a not so cheap one. Don't compare it to something like an Ahab

[perth]

Cheap Chinese pens seem to have a lot in common with gaudy and opulent Italian pens.

[BrandonA]

Okay maybe so. But still if I walk into a office supply store generally the plainer that item is less expensive it is. And that thought will be stuck in the head. Same thing with heavier is it equals to quality.

 

What about a MB 149? Very plain and yet it is the flagship pen for one of the more prestigious manufacturers it is definitively not cheap.

 

To me you could put 5 cheap pens on a table and 5 expensive ones and you'd easily be able to filter out the cheap from the expensive even if you didn't know the brands as you'd look at the materials and the workmanship of the pens. Its crazy to say that the cheaper pens look better - the question is which offers the best value for money?

[Wolverine1]

If you think that an el-cheapo Jinhao pen looks better than a MB pen, I would say that1) you need to get you eyes checked out, and 2) you really need to spend more time evaluating quality pens, make yourself more familiar with quality pens before hauling off and making totally absurd claims like you have.

[Christi0469]

If you think that an el-cheapo Jinhao pen looks better than a MB pen, I would say that1) you need to get you eyes checked out, and 2) you really need to spend more time evaluating quality pens, make yourself more familiar with quality pens before hauling off and making totally absurd claims like you have.

Yes, but taste is very subjective. Some of the more understated Jinhao pens are attractive, and if the OP is happy with a $5 pen then I am happy for him. It certainly won't rival Montblanc's fit and finish but not everyone can afford (or would pay for if they could) MB's price tag.

 

I didn't quite care for the "regular people" comment, but I know my daughter might prefer bling (she's 11) as might people who don't know what to look for in a quality writing instrument. We fountain pen lovers are a very are but a tiny slice of society.

[Christi0469]

 

To me you could put 5 cheap pens on a table and 5 expensive ones and you'd easily be able to filter out the cheap from the expensive even if you didn't know the brands as you'd look at the materials and the workmanship of the pens. Its crazy to say that the cheaper pens look better - the question is which offers the best value for money?

If you did this at a pen show are fpn meetup then certainly people could pick out the expensive pens. If we did this at Staples (or better yet, Walmart) the sucess rate would go down significantly.

 

I wouldn't say it's crazy. I don't think that cheap pens look more expensive, but I do think the the Pilot Metropolitan gives me an immense amount of value for the $15 I spent for it. For me to get 33.33 times the value from a $500 pen it would have to be a miracle pen (this is of course subjective and you're milage may vary).

Edited August 8, 2014 by Christi0469

[WaskiSquirrel]

I'm going to focus entirely on looks, not function or manufacture.

 

An expensive look is extremely subjective. I happen to like the very understated look of the Pilot Justus 95. It looks very classy. I've heard it said that, "True wealth doesn't need to flaunt it." Of course, I'll never even approach being wealthy, so take that with a grain of salt.

 

As for the look: a lot of people associate shine and gold color with expense. The Jinhao pens have this. The Noodler's pens are made with a different material and are not designed to have the shine and color. The Ahab model also has a slightly strange shape. The ebonite and acrylic Konrads look quite a lot more expensive. I would suggest that the shine and chatoyance of the acrylic is a big part of it. I'm not sure I can explain the ebonite: maybe the swirls?

 

Now, I could set my Edison Collier on the table beside my Pilot Justus and most people would select the Collier as the more expensive pen. They would be wrong. But, the Collier has the shine, the attention grabbing color and design, and it has the gold-colored finish. The Justus is a lot more restrained. A closer look shows the detailing and other features that make the Justus more expensive. Similarly, I could buy a custom Edison and set it beside the Collier and, if I'm careful with material, the Collier would appear to be the more expensive pen until one looked closely.

 

I'm dealing a bit in stereotypes here, but a lot of people associate wealth with flaunting it. Some of the Jinhao pens put on this show.

 

But, as others here said, there is more beyond the show. Imagine a neighbor with a really nice house, nice car, nice furniture, maybe a boat...and a fortune in debt on their credit cards. There is more than just physical appearance.

[perth]

I've never understood the appeal of swirly colours. They definitely remind me of marble or granite, which I've come to associate with opulent and over the top things.

 

Also, pens that are sometimes too minimalist, I.e. the Edison Collier (no offence intended, just my subjective taste) look incomplete. The clip is situated in the middle of nowhere with no clip ring to frame the look. So I guess "less is more" isn't always true, at least for me.

[owend]

The original phrase was "LOOKS" more expensive.

 

Two things come to mind: firstly looks alone can be deceptive; as others have pointed out, if you could handle them the more expensive pens' quality would show (generalising, of course).

 

Secondly, if your product HAS quality, you don't have to shout about it, so you don't have to work as hard at making the pen look expensive. Pens such as Rotring 600 or MB 149 may not look expensive but!