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Chinese Pens Show And Tell.


Ian the Jock

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When Moonman come out with the M600 and now the M800 there is somewhat heated discussion about the ethics of the copycat approach .. well .. my take had always been somewhat neutral but I had to question when we the consumer keep buying the well so call knock off , then we are just telling the Mfr what ... and the flip side is ... if they do come up with original design .. we seldom give them good business even if the pen is actually just as good or even better .. now go figure

 

And one of Moonman's better original ; shall I say is the Moonman M5 , one of their wooden pen that actually do not use a brass section ( before they got us the M6 of course ) , its 115mm uncapped, 130mm capped, and 153mm posted & at 13mm girth with a comfortable , smooth no stepping section made of resin / acrylic and the usual Moonman screw in nib unit , the cap screw in via the thread right next to the nib and the section is left hand screwed onto the barrel , the cap and barrel is wood turned and all round profiled with a rather stylized clip

 

27578033667_9488402a17_k.jpgMoonmam M5 Ebony , on Flickr

 

And further there is actually an OEM variant of this in the form of the Montagut Carpenter ( yes that Montagut , French members know ) now with the cap in hexagonal profile snap on instead of screw on, section now in brass lacquered screw in nominal fashion to the barrel , with a branded but the same screw in Moonman nib unit in FM . I like the M5 and the Montagut a lot , its functional, somewhat off beat esoteric stylish , and the whole no stepping section and 13mm girth made for comfortable easy grip.

 

49734295522_2c51f9c1b2_k.jpgMontagut Carpenter, on Flickr

Thank you for showing the M5, the section and barrel does look comfortable with no steps (step downs are one of my worse deal breakers), although perhaps somewhat big for my medium sized hands.

The bulging cap and the carved clip are bit excessive for my liking, but I recognize an unusual design and appreciate it. Possibly the Montagut with it's hourglass shaped section could be better for my grip. Where would I start looking for one of these?

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Thank you for showing the M5, the section and barrel does look comfortable with no steps (step downs are one of my worse deal breakers), although perhaps somewhat big for my medium sized hands.

The bulging cap and the carved clip are bit excessive for my liking, but I recognize an unusual design and appreciate it. Possibly the Montagut with it's hourglass shaped section could be better for my grip. Where would I start looking for one of these?

well I got Asian size small hands and I find no issue with both of them .. anyway the M5 is long out of stock and out of production, the Montagut, well I am not sure , neve seen the brand offering any outside of China ( the fountain pens I mean ) but you can check Ali-Express I suppose or Taobao of course by searching for " 夢特嬌木匠鋼筆 " it should cost roughly 130 to 160RMB give or take a bit in its home market. Had seen some Montagut pens on Amazon but never seen this particular model there , those by individual retailers

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Thank you, cannot be found but it was interesting to see anyway.

 

One pen I (almost) liked, that I recently found, is the Fuliwen 017.

It's a nice looking pen made of solid resin with some nice colour effects, feels very solid, but most of all is a larger size than many Chinese pens which are often slightly too skinny, well balanced, and comfortable to hold (despite the step down, but the section is quite long so it does not seem to bother).

The nib on it is really nice, I suspect it's a German made Schmidt.

fpn_1588104841__p1190102-3_fuliwen_017.j

 

If I have to compare it to anything, it resembles the typical Indian ebonite pens, but it's such a classic shape that I'd say there is no copying here.

fpn_1588104161__p1190099-3_fuliwen_017.j

 

why did I say almost?

because unfortunately the pen I received is defected.

As you can see here I received it with a warped cap. The warping affects the aesthetic of the caps only, which still screws on correctly and the pen works just fine.

fpn_1588104751__img_3295.jpg

Of course I contacted the seller to complain, but the seller refused to send a replacement pen, although has agreed to refund the pen (I suspect they had run out of this model, which in fact can no longer be found).

So I have a free pen, although slightly flawed... oh, well.

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Fuliwan do not use German nib , they source their nib local or had the factory made for them batch specific ; also one of the few Mfr who by default offer M nib in both No.5 and No.6 size

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One pen that does not seem to have been mentioned in this thread is the Kaigelu 322.

I quite like this pen as, again, this is a biggish pen.

It is vaguely inspired by the Waterman Liason, but so vaguely that it is nothing more than a homage (no copy).

That said it looks quite good, and shows rather nice finish as other Kaigelus.

There is a more ordinary black version, but this red version is rather appealing.

I bought this in 2017 and at the time the seller said it was a remainder of stock, no more available afterwards.

It does show a few of the idiosyncrasies of pre penBBS/Moonman era, such as rather heavy weight (brass), somewhat gritty threading, and very stiff nib, but it's solid, balance is much better than the 316 (not such a heavy finial at the back), and the nib is very smooth (uses the same nib as the 316).

The red laquer is rather nicely done too.

fpn_1588190294__p1160539-3_kaigelu_322_r

 

fpn_1588190443__p1160540-3_kaigelu_322_r

Edited by sansenri
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  • 2 weeks later...

thanks, a pity Kaigelu has discontinued it.

 

Here is another pen that is almost a very good one. The Baoer 051 (which may probably have been mentioned before).

The pen is an obvious copy of the Monteverde Impressa, but is worthy of note essentially because it works very well.

The construction of this pen is solid, and it looks quite good, the barrel has a metal finial which puts some weight on the back of the pen, but not to an extent that it becomes unbalanced. The pen cannot be posted, it just won't, but not an issue for me as I never post.

The clip is nicely spring loaded. The two very good points in this pen are the converter and the nib.

The converter is the most surprising aspect, well made!, almost a miracle.

The nib is good, stiff but very smooth and writes a comfortable medium-fine line. No surprise here, Baoer nibs are usually good.

The body and section are made of nice smooth resin. The metal threading between barrel and section is slightly loose but not gritty as in other pens. The cap snaps on nicely, is not too loose nor too tight to need to pull hard on it to uncap.

The two main draw backs: the section is smallish... a bit too small to be really comfortable. The worst defect is the step down.

The step down is there because of aesthetic reasons. In order to make the cap go flush with the pen body when capped the pen needs a step down, which in turn causes the section to be smaller in width than would be desirable.

Two important in use factors sacrificed on the altar of aesthetics...

I hold pens high up, but the step down is also rather sharp, so I find myself holding the pen further up, after the step!

Workable but not the best of grips... (blame on Monteverde for the design! :) although, even if I don't own one, it would seem that on the Impressa the step down is not as sharp).

Depending on how you hold pens, the 051 might however work for you. Worth testing, as writing performance is really good.

fpn_1588975082__p1160548-3_baoer_051.jpg

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

thanks, a pity Kaigelu has discontinued it.

 

Here is another pen that is almost a very good one. The Baoer 051 (which may probably have been mentioned before).

The pen is an obvious copy of the Monteverde Impressa, but is worthy of note essentially because it works very well.

The construction of this pen is solid, and it looks quite good, the barrel has a metal finial which puts some weight on the back of the pen, but not to an extent that it becomes unbalanced. The pen cannot be posted, it just won't, but not an issue for me as I never post.

The clip is nicely spring loaded. The two very good points in this pen are the converter and the nib.

The converter is the most surprising aspect, well made!, almost a miracle.

The nib is good, stiff but very smooth and writes a comfortable medium-fine line. No surprise here, Baoer nibs are usually good.

The body and section are made of nice smooth resin. The metal threading between barrel and section is slightly loose but not gritty as in other pens. The cap snaps on nicely, is not too loose nor too tight to need to pull hard on it to uncap.

The two main draw backs: the section is smallish... a bit too small to be really comfortable. The worst defect is the step down.

The step down is there because of aesthetic reasons. In order to make the cap go flush with the pen body when capped the pen needs a step down, which in turn causes the section to be smaller in width than would be desirable.

Two important in use factors sacrificed on the altar of aesthetics...

I hold pens high up, but the step down is also rather sharp, so I find myself holding the pen further up, after the step!

Workable but not the best of grips... (blame on Monteverde for the design! :) although, even if I don't own one, it would seem that on the Impressa the step down is not as sharp).

Depending on how you hold pens, the 051 might however work for you. Worth testing, as writing performance is really good.

fpn_1588975082__p1160548-3_baoer_051.jpg

 

 

This pen has a very satisfying capping mechanism but mine didn't write. It also felt somewhat awkward to hold though it is a very nice looking pen.

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I do think I've got both the Kaigelu 322 in that same finish and th Baoer but mine is a chrome striped finish , they are quite nice in writing, just a bit too heavy for my liking

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This pen has a very satisfying capping mechanism but mine didn't write. It also felt somewhat awkward to hold though it is a very nice looking pen.

odd it didn't write, mine writes really well, regretfully the "dud risk" is often lurking with cheaper pens...

(did you make any attempts at pulling out nib and feed to check it?)

I do understand your comment on how the pen feels in the hand, I recall you like larger section pens and this one has this particular issue of an acceptable barrel width (although still within smaller to mid sized pens) but a thinner section (due to the design that makes it look nice when capped...).

Overall it's well made, but not exceedingly comfortable.

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I do think I've got both the Kaigelu 322 in that same finish and th Baoer but mine is a chrome striped finish , they are quite nice in writing, just a bit too heavy for my liking

it's almost rare now! :)

you're right it is a bit heavy, but it belongs to the brass pens series of some years ago.

Better balanced that the 316 in this respect, although the 316 has been hard to beat in beauty of finish.

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I was not intending to get the Jinhao Century , but you know what .... resistance is futile .... the moment I laid eye on the new Flaming Swirls finish, I gave in , really the photo do not do justice to the acrylic, its more an Orange Red befitting the namesake and with pearlescent sparkles

 

49925212838_acf2ffb87e_k.jpgJingao 100 Century Flaming Swirls by Mech for i, on Flickr

Edited by Mech-for-i
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Someone asked about it, so instead of just private message I post here for all to check it out , LIY ( Liveinyou ) Mini , not a new model , been around for quite some time ( years ) and generally eclipsed by the brand's other acrylic pens .. though I think this is really a worthy addition to anyone simply because of its configuration. Vest Pocket pen with long long section , coupled with a very short barrel and equally long long cap to made for a pocket pen when capped, super short when uncapped, and post to write configuration, but LIY do it in a fairly lightweight but all brass lacquered finish with an included truncated size and capacity converter though it can use standard international cartridge just as well

 

49915218837_a221a6df56_k.jpgLIY ( Liveinyou ) Mini , on Flickr

 

Not very apparent, but there is 2 version of the pen, the pink one is the original version and the lilac one is of the latter version , in the latter version the Mfr had been able to made this slim pen even slimmer , the Mfr though do not distinguish between the 2 version so buying from them might give you one or the other - now some measurements

 

Weight :

18.6g ( both ) , cap weight 7.2g ( both )

 

length :

Capped 110.5mm ( original version ) 110wmm ( current version )

Uncapped 103.5 ( original version ) 103mm ( current version )

Posted 131mm ( both )

 

Girth :

at section and barrel widest 9mm ( original version ) 8.8mm ( current version )

cap , 10mm with 11mm cap ring

 

Caveat Emptor : though this pen use the de- facto 18.5mm hooded nib, its not easily interchangeable since the feed is locked in the section and will require special tool to get it out before you can replace or change the nib , it is possible to pull the nib from the front but you will not be able to put it back in !!!

Edited by Mech-for-i
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Mech, do you have any of the more expensive LIY in coloured resin? like the Shiwu?

The materials look nice, I am wondering about the ergonomics, quality in general, and the nibs.

I have not seen them reviewed yet on FPN (I think except the Future)

They have Schmidt nibs I believe but they start getting on the expensive side...

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Mech, do you have any of the more expensive LIY in coloured resin? like the Shiwu?

The materials look nice, I am wondering about the ergonomics, quality in general, and the nibs.

I have not seen them reviewed yet on FPN (I think except the Future)

They have Schmidt nibs I believe but they start getting on the expensive side...

well yes, I do had them , if you had the future, then expect the same across the board , material is basically similar and dare I say it, no better or worse than say PenBBS, Moonman, and then some others , ergonomic vise, the mountain series is better than the Shiwu as far as I am concerned , but in general they are just one fat cylinder and yes they are getting on the expensive side of Chinese fountain pen. But pretty much in line with all the so call designer brand ( which are almost all selling for fashion status ) and for my part I am finding the Schmidt nibs just well .. nothing special .. and so do the Bock nibs on their latest aluminum model .. Overall quality of the pen from this brand is always decent , I would not say great or superlative but very well put together

 

In the end if a specific acrylic colour and pattern excite then sure go get one , yes they are expensive but its not like they are EXPENSIVE

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thank you

in terms of resins used I think they have chosen some which are particularly attractive, I think more than pen BBS, also they look slightly larger in terms of width (which I would appreciate), but of course would have to try one to tell.

Also, while Moonman and PenBBS seem to have established recent pricing around $25-30 on their nicer models, LIY has reached $ 70-80...!

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33017348965.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.570f61ccnIPg9a&algo_pvid=3c61fa6e-bffc-4d56-9da5-2a1f3a2abff1&algo_expid=3c61fa6e-bffc-4d56-9da5-2a1f3a2abff1-18&btsid=0ab6fb8815906029147788176e325c&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

might be I'm looking in the wrong places...

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Indeed their pricing being such ;my grappling with the brand is their use of generic Schmidt nibs which in my experience is lack luster at best.

 

I do agree some of the acrylic finish certainly are eye catching

 

The Shiwu had a no.6 when all others had a no.5 and its a rather thick pen 15mm on the cap and tertiary slimmer at the barrel this could be advantage or disadvantage depending and at 30g+ total its not really lightweight for an acrylic pen

 

Their no.5 nib models are all priced similar as Pen BBS better models at $25 to 40 still its only the Shiwu and the Aluminum model thats priced IMHO over hyped

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