Penbbs 308

[WJM]

Yesterday I put PenBBS converter in my Parker 45 and it works much better in Parker than it did in the 308.

Edited July 6, 2018 by WJM

[inkeverywhere]

After many months since my OP and many good comments on the 308 I still haven't purchased one yet. The particular colour I want never seems to be anything but "out of stock" on all the ebay sellers I visit. What makes it more frustrating for me is the fact an extra fine nib can also now be purchased for the 308, my preferred nib size.

 

Really seems to me penbbs is a victim of their own success.

 

 

Greg

[WJM]

I'm afraid it's not likely to change. From what I see, PenBBS never restocked those pens, they just made one batch of them and that's it. Only new stock that came after that were new colors, which also aren't restocked later.

Edited July 6, 2018 by WJM

[Mech-for-i]

Well, depending on the particular color too. A few specific ones continue to ( though only in small batch quantity ) get re stocked. Some of the more exotic, or pedestrian pattern / colors, for the matter never got re stocked, say the initial solid color variant, they sold out they sold out, and I mean just the basic black. PenBBS seems more concern about releasing new pattern though , I sincerely hope they get their act together and get us that M nib initially promised and also re stock more frequent and wider to the range .. that goes with all the models too.

[truthpil]

PenBBS seems more concern about releasing new pattern though , I sincerely hope they get their act together and get us that M nib initially promised and also re stock more frequent and wider to the range .. that goes with all the models too.

 

I agree. They seem to occasionally release new colors within reissuing the originals that were sold out. There are a few exceptions to this rule that seem random...for example, the other day the "cloud" variation of the 309 suddenly came back in stock after being out of stock for months. Even those promptly sold out within a couple days. My guess is that Penbbs is focusing its sales on a specific group (fountain pen enthusiasts in China) which already owns these pens and thus wouldn't want to buy more of the same color. Thus they keep releasing new colors of the same pen without reissuing the original colors.

[DasKaltblut]

This Penbbs converter is a piece of work, I thought I just unscrew the metal band like you'd do with Jinhao converter, but it won't budge, even pliers did nothing.

I just disassembled my Penbbs converter successfully. Use something grippy to slide the silver ring off the back. After that it is easy. Went back together no problem either. I removed the agitator, I'm hoping that will help with ink stuck at the top of the converter.

[truthpil]

Now that there are around 3 different releases of the 308, does anyone know if the headspace within the cap was increased on the 2018 models?

 

The major downfall of my original 2017 version (the batch that has "266" on the cap ring) is that there isn't enough headspace in the cap for most JoWo #6 nibs so they end up getting pushed to the side when capping the pen. If that issue was resolved with later versions, I'd love to buy some more.

[Mech-for-i]

AFAIK, nothing changes ... mechanically

[truthpil]

AFAIK, nothing changes ... mechanically

 

Awww nuts....thanks!

 

I guess I just 'need' to get another 309 then.

[Drone]

On Tuesday 28 August 2018, for $19.95 I purchased a Penbbs Model 308-43GF fountain pen in Cloud White with GT nib & furniture from Goldspot Pens. The order shipped from New Jersey via USPS on Wednesday and was received three calendar days later in S.E. Florida. It's good to see Stateside U.S. resellers carrying Penbbs without greedy mark-ups like we see on other Asian pens like Pilot, Platinum, etc.

My 308 pen has "266" stamped on the cap band. Here's a link to the Goldspot page:

https://goldspot.com/products/penbbs-308-266-fountain-pen-cloud-white-with-gold-trim-fine-point

The gold-tone steel nib that came with the pen is pretty good. After cleaning the pen, the nib only required minor adjustments and smoothing. Regardless, I find the Asian fine nibs are just too fine for daily use on a range of paper types.

I tried replacing the factory nib with a bare JOWO #6 two-tone fine nib from Goulet Pens. I tested the pen and converter with Pilot/Namiki Blue ink. As it is, the JOWO nib fit securely and wrote well with no flow issues. However, the tip of the JOWO nib hit what looks like the metal finial/clip retainer inside the cap. I think I need to file a couple of millimeters off the back of the JOWO nib before it can be safely used in the 308 pen when capped.

By the way, the converter that came with my 308 is a disaster! The converter leaks, it does not fit securely in the section, ink sometimes gets trapped in the converter causing flow problems, and it is impossible to disassemble for cleaning or maintenance. The metal collar will not come off on my converter and believe me, I've tried all sorts of non-destructive ways to remove it. The lousy converter ruins what otherwise seems like a pretty good pen.

Question: I have heard a Parker proprietary converter fits the Penbbs 308. Can anyone truly confirm this? I only have International size converters and one older Lamy converter with the red knob (Z24?). I can definitely say those do not fit.

And just for fun here is the (6.50"/16.51cm long) 308-43GF shown in good company alongside a (6.45"/16.38cm long) black Pilot Custom Series Model 743 with an FA nib and a new third-party Ebonite feed, and the little (6.86"/17.42cm long) Kershaw Model 1160OLBW Fraxion manual-deploy flipper pocket knife with Kershaw's "KVT" ball bearing pivot. As shown the Cloud White 308 pen is un-inked. Unsurprisingly, the white/clear pen does stain when inked.

 

[DasKaltblut]

The replacement nib length issue is well know. It doesn't happen with the 309 however. It seems you missed the really interesting part of the Penbbs nib, which is that it is slightly upturned, so varying the angle of writing makes a difference in the width. Sorry you got a bum converter, mine have been flawless. (And I own 10 of these).

[Drone]

The replacement nib length issue is well know. It doesn't happen with the 309 however. It seems you missed the really interesting part of the Penbbs nib, which is that it is slightly upturned, so varying the angle of writing makes a difference in the width. Sorry you got a bum converter, mine have been flawless. (And I own 10 of these).

 

Yup, I "caught" the little Waverly-ish upturn on the Penbbs nib. But unless I modify my writing angle, so did the fibers on the coarser papers I encounter. In-general I still feel the nib is a bit fine for me as a daily user.

[truthpil]

Mine also came with a busted converter and a nib that was too dry to even write with. Mine was also one of the earlier models that has the 266 on the cap. Both the nib and converter issues are due to spotty quality control. My 309 came with the same nib but it writes perfectly smooth with a wet Western EF line.

[truthpil]

Drone, thanks for the warning about staining on the cloud model. I've been debating whether to get the 309 in that material, but now I definitely won't.

[DasKaltblut]

Drone, thanks for the warning about staining on the cloud model. I've been debating whether to get the 309 in that material, but now I definitely won't.

 

So that's weird because mine didn't stain - and neither did the "Summer" version I have which is like this but with extra blue stripes. Maybe due to ink choice? I had Ku-Jaku in mine. It did stain the top of the converter a bit however.

[Drone]

 

So that's weird because mine didn't stain - and neither did the "Summer" version I have which is like this but with extra blue stripes. Maybe due to ink choice? I had Ku-Jaku in mine. It did stain the top of the converter a bit however.

 

As I mentioned in my post I have been using Pilot/Namiki Blue in the white/clear 308 - and nothing else. Pilot/Namiki Blue is my work-horse ink. It does have some permanence, but it's not known for it. Pilot/Namiki Blue does contain Phenol (a.k.a. Carbonic or Carbolic Acid) in very mild solution as a biostatic agent (a preservative).

 

There are stains around the outside end of the section and some inside where the section meets the nib and feed. This is after a couple of days. I can probably get them out if I scrub the pen, but that risks damaging the finish. In a week or a month these stains will probably be permanent. That's not unusual. Some people actually like the staining - it gives the pen "character". I can see their point, but personally, the staining triggers my "Pen OCD".

[truthpil]

There are stains around the outside end of the section and some inside where the section meets the nib and feed. This is after a couple of days. I can probably get them out if I scrub the pen, but that risks damaging the finish. In a week or a month these stains will probably be permanent. That's not unusual. Some people actually like the staining - it gives the pen "character". I can see their point, but personally, the staining triggers my "Pen OCD".

That's interesting about the stains on the outside of the section. I know ink often gets trapped inside the section between the nib and feed housing and the section itself, but staining on the outside is quite annoying.

[Drone]

On 29-Aug-2018 I ordered this "grey" Penbbs 308 from the seller Offices_Supplies_Pen_Bobby on Amazon:

* Penbbs 266/308 Grey Color Fountain Pen, New Packaging, Converter Pen, F Nib

https://www.amazon.com/Penbbs-Fountain-Pen-Packaging-Converter/dp/B07GTXVCPG

Price: $16.98 and FREE Shipping. Ships from and sold by Offices_Supplies_Pen_Bobby.

Actual Fulfillment:

Order Placed: 29-Aug-2018 10AM EDT
Order Received: 10-Sep-2018 2PM EDT
Transit Time: 12 Calendar Days
Origin: Shanghai
Destination: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Shipped By: China-Post/EMS & USPS

So the pen came to me in less than two weeks. It was packaged well with bubble wrap around the nice black and red Penbbs box. Inside the box was the pen and a second nib in a small plastic bag. I believe the Penbbs model number for this grey beauty is: 308-41SF:



The pen came fitted with your typical Asian Fine nib stamped with the PEN BBS brand. The second loose nib looks like it is an Asian medium nib which would behave more like a Western fine nib. The loose nib has your generic Iridium Point (sans Germany) and filigree stamped on it. Under magnification, both nibs look like they're in pretty good shape. Here's a picture of both nibs side by side. The PEN BBS nib on the right is the one that came installed in the pen:



One big surprise with this 308 pen versus the last one I received is the converter. This pen direct from Shanghai has a significantly improved converter compared with the last pen which was purchased from Goldspot Pens. Here's a picture of the new converter installed in the new grey 308:



In the picture above, note the new nib I promptly swapped out the factory Penbbs nib with a JOWO 1.1mm stub from Goulet Pens. I did not have to file down the end of the JOWO 1.1mm stub to prevent it from hitting the inside of the cap. This nib felt like it sat further down inside the section compared with the last 308 pen I purchased. So far I can cap this 308 loaded with the new un-modified JOWO nib just fine.

Below is a writing sample with the JOWO 1.1mm stub. The ink is Pilot/Namiki Blue. The paper is the back side of a Staedler Engineering Pad sheet. The paper is very absorbent and not very FP friendly, but the feed keeps up with the nib just fine. I have not experienced any skipping or hard starts with the 1.1mm stub on the original Penbbs feed.



So the main points so far are:

(1) This new Penbbs 308 came to me direct from Shanghai with a much improved converter compared with the last Penbbs 308 I bought through Goldspot pens.

(2) I was able to transplant an un-modified JOWO #6 1.1mm stub nib into this 308 and unlike my last 308, the cap did not interfere with the nib when closed.

Some words about the grey pen material:

I really like the opaque grey plastic used in this pen; much more than the seemingly endless versions of transparent and semi-transparent materials Penbbs seems to be obsessed with. I wish Penbbs made more opaque pens. However it's just molded plastic and it looks and feels like it, more so than with the clear pens. When you pick this pen up it's obvious that it is a cheap pen made from cheap materials. But that's OK. The pen is not bad. It's actually pretty good, especially when you consider the price.

Conclusion:

For $16.98 including shipping, I like this pen. Add $15 for a new 1.1mm JOWO stub, and I like it a lot more. The extra #6 nib in the box with its broader tipping is a nice bonus. Add to that the new converter, and this pen is now a must-buy.

Postscript:

Is this another case of, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"? Hmmm...

* The Sailor 1911 Full-Size in Anchor Gray, $250-$290 Street Price

 

Above Image Link Attribution: https://goldspot.com/products/sailor-1911-large-anchor-gray-fountain-pen-broad-21k-gold-nib-rhodium-trim

Edited September 11, 2018 by Drone

[truthpil]

Thanks for the update, Drone!

 

The 308-41SF is called "Sand" color in Chinese, so it's interesting to see that it's just grey without any tan hue as I have seen in some online photos.

 

Do you have any non-stub #6 nibs to try in the pen? The reason I ask is because stub nibs have a shorter end and thus don't usually scratch the top of the inner cap on the 308 like other nibs do. My Goulet 1.1 stub always worked decently in my 266/308, but a JoWo EF or Knox OB would get pushed to the side every time I capped the pen.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with you about the need for more normal looking opaque Penbbs pens! I just can't whip out some wild "Hawaiian" pineapple colored thing in an important meeting. Thankfully there is a plain black option for the 308 now (if they'd only make a black 309!), but still the opaque options are limited.

[penzel_washinkton]

I just can't whip out some wild "Hawaiian" pineapple colored thing in an important meeting

 

Or those red cherries theme colored ones.