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Retrospective on 2020 / 2019 , a Chinese Fountain Pen Perspective


Mech-for-i

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Another year, and what a year gone by and what a year we all had to go through ; but I suppose we can all learn from the past and its about time to reflect on the past year , and in this case , since 2020 start with THE EVENT awe all know and we all got affected so much, this is going to be more a look back at the past couple of years instead of just 2020 .. and these are my take on the Chinese Fountain Pens from a hobbyist point of view ..

 

  • Attack of the Clones

well, we can thank Jinhao, Laoshi, Lanbitou and Moonman for that, while Lamy got their fair share of cloning upon their Safari, and the vintage models had been around for ages. Style cloning is still relatively minority among the market sector , but this last couple of years we are seeing way more , Moonman's M600, M800, then T2, and  now the M1000 ... Sadly the market is telling these Mfr that they just BUY it ...

 

  • Hooded Nib really made a comeback

Parker 51 always considered a classic, but it was still not much main stream anymore , even among the Chinese home market its veering off towards the layman open nib  ( and courtesy of too many Safari clones ) but these last few years, and especially the last couple of years , this really turn around , first its the Wing Sung with their re modeled 613, then 618, and finally the 601 , and no less Jinhao with their 51a , then even Kaco join in with their Retro, and finally Its Hero with their 616 Plus and some others along the way ...  and the final one .. well Parker with their re-issued ( ?? ) , re modeled 51

 

  • Wood is in fashion again

for a period in the l70's/  80's Wood bodied fountain pen was actually in vogue, I recall I even had a Hallmark ( yes the brand that give us all the greeting cards )   wood pen set with fountain pen, ballpoint and a mechanical pencil. I suppose it all start with those wood pen Delike and Moonman made , to be honest they are not than good a pen AFAIC , but they start the trend and we keep seeing more and more and now we had well Jinhao 9056 / Moonman M6 .. and quite a few others , you know the market is there when even Hero and the student stationary specialist brands all start to also offer wood bodied pens ( and not just fountain pens )

 

  • PenBBS, Selmy, LIY, Moonman ... and all the Acrylic(s)

It might not occur to those outside of the Chinese market, but Acrylic as a material for pen was never popular with the market, its dumped down as , well , just plastic , and with good reasons, past workmanship on Chinese fountain pen using this material can only be at best be put down as crude and the choice of material used was limited and not that great. But it all start to change with introduction of technology like CNC machining, automated shaping of materials, and even high end injection molding , it perhaps start really way back with the first acrylic original version Lorelei , but it was taken to new height in the last couple of years especially with PenBBS , but let's not forget the others

 

  • It's all about the COLOUR(s)

I am sure the Art Director Team of the TV series " Story of Yanxi Palace ( 延禧攻略 ) " never expect to inaugurate a  fashion trend , but they can be rest proud that they did it and did it in the most spectacular fashion, even to the point that they made the news in BBC International ( both fashion & art section ). Their use of the Morandi Colour scheme simply spill over to all fashion / accessory market , and the Fountain Pen sector see perhaps one of the most influenced .. witness multiple brand and multiple models that are finished in the said scheme , Hero 6055a even get to the point of offering the pen in 4 different Morandi Colour option and all 4 in either gross or matt finish. Guess what, if you see each and every student stationary brand had at least one or two model with this colour option , you know this is in fashion; and before that its the Macaron colours. This all bucks the tradition of all the pens offered usually either only in the classic options ( you know Black, Maroon, etc ) or cartoon bright colours , such development also free the brands from their usual self restriction on offering , well, colours, its the usual case that in the old days almost all brands had these mid range pens that you can had in any colour you like so long its black , but now we are just seeing way more

 

  • The market shift to the young and urban , fashionable side

Its quietly happening , might be not quite so apparent when most of us here was looking at the pens , but its what we do not usually care for that tells. When we take a look at Kaigelu, Picasso, Duke, and Hero, we see a long long list of gift market pens that are , well quite conservatively styled, and conservatively finished , even Jinhao ( 159, X450, X750 ) but the last few years this start to change and change for good. The market for fountain pens, even in China, is shifting to the younger generations and they are typically more liberal in their well fashion taste and are not shy in being different so to speak ... This manifest in pens from all the older brands now also offered up in more modern, contemporary and usually cleaner styling. The prime example must be Hero offering their 616 plus in those young colours of Lime Green, Magenta Pink. And we had Montagut, Duke, Picasso all start offering range specifically target the youth market that are styled way different than their traditional ones. Models like the Montagut Aurora, Pimio  965, and a whole new school of Hero(s). Oh and all those stealth black ..

 

  • OEM Mfr coming to the forefront

Hong Dian perhaps the prime example, but OEM Mfr and just some good old Stationary brands all start to go up market and outside of that mass consumer low end and put their own name up .. and this is not just Chinese , it happen with even the big names world wide , witness Sakura Color introduction of their Craft Lab sub series of products , N9 as mentioned on another thread on this forum sub section. and lo behold - Delike, Paili,and then some ... and the off shoot of this is ...

 

  • The switch to online / virtual retail , and the independent shop brand and their Doppelganger

even in China , and especially after the year 2020 , the market is fast switching to online retail , and the advance of this retail means spawn a lot of smaller independent brand , fashion, designer, shop brand and all .. some stick with original design of their own or exclusive design of their own ( Penton , Banju ) .. some had a mix of their own but OEM from others ( Selmy , Tramel ... etc ) but most of them are not actually pen Mfr , rather a brand that offer pens that re branded their own .. thus the offshoot of it , Doppelganger pens .. we can see the same pen with minor alteration or sometime without any alteration other than the branding part offered by multiple brand , and usually by the original OEM Mfr itself ( if it had its own retail brand ); with example like the Moonman N6 came to be after the stock of its origin, the Marupen, ran dry in stock

 

  • Shimmering ink came in and then quietly exit also

while its still around ... there are regular new offering , shimmering ink had its high and then now its just a regular side shoot offering , and for good reason, really most of us do not need nor want our writing in shimmering ink nor even our sketches , nor painting .. they had their use but the over hyped excitement ( for gods sake ) die down ad some sense of sane came back 

 

  • Chinese Fountain Pen made a name for themselves WORLD-WIDE

Let's face it honest, in the past , Chinese fountain pen never really consider a decent product bar some specific ones , but that last few years, especially the last couple of years this really made a turnover , Pens like the Wing Sung 601 really rock the hobbyist sector , and PenBBS just made a name for themselves. People who never before even bother with a Chinese fountain pen now looks to explore the range(s)

 

 

I am sure there are some I left untouched and you are welcomed to add your own ... let us all had a prosperous and HEALTHY 2021 ahead

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Thank you for an awesome overview and happy new year!

17 hours ago, Mech-for-i said:

and for good reason, really most of us do not need nor want our writing in shimmering ink nor even our sketches , nor painting .. they had their use but the over hyped excitement 

Yes, yes, yes🥳 At first affordable Chinese pens were good for these higher maintenance inks. Now a few bottles in and I'm done, don't even want them in Wing Sung or PenBBS, just for dip or Preppy 🙂 imho

 

As for the market forecast, I'm sure we will see the usual breadth in color and homage but I hope for more depth perhaps in original designs and/or build quality like Taiwanese brands: Penlux, TWSBI, Opus 88 and maybe getting into gold nibs? -but probably not as popular with the domestic market given the current offerings or maybe they will be white label products. Either way, I cannot deny the Chinese market looks exciting to watch as they continue to push boundaries and hopefully stir others to reassess or compete accordingly.

 

 

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Mech-for-i - Thanks for a wonderful wrap up of the year. Thanks for all your posts and the time and insight that you've shared with us the past year as well. I always enjoy your thoughts.

Happy New Year to you and all the pen fans out there. I'm sure this next year will be an exciting one.

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An excellent topic and analysis.  Over the years I have grown to have a real affinity for and a respect for Chinese fountain pens.  There seems to a never ending exploration of color and styling that was only available in upscale Japanese and European offerings.  The Chinese makers have brought pens to the market at the same time there has been a renewed interest and it seems to have exploded into amazing colors, styles, materials and price ranges.  And, the market is also seeing a need for ink beyond the basic four colors.  In some ways, Indian pen makers are seeing this expansion with their own unique and wonderful offerings.  So, I, like many others, have enjoyed the products of these manufacturers and have far too many pens.  But they are a learning experience and a joy to work with and fun to track the evolution of these writing instruments.  Look forward to a prosperous future for all.

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A really good analysis. As I first tried fountain pens, I bought quite a lot of different Chinese fountain pens as they're generally cheaper in price. Never buy the clones-The quality is really bad that you're spending your money on a piece of trash, especially those 3-packs packing just for 3usd. Kaco, hero(some of it), hongdian, moonman and penbbs are great pens with great value. Jianhao, wingsung and lanbitou make lower end pens which of course, lower quality. It doesn't mean it's bad but I would not use it. I'm glad to see more new brands coming out, but im also tired to see low quality clones on the market.

 

Quote

'The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth. ' George Orwell

 

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Mech, I so appreciate your overview for Chinese pens.  I am one who has quite

a few Chinese pens in my collection.  I continually find that the quality of the

Chinese pens becoming more consistent.  Though many do not think favorably

of these pens, I have been blessed with having pens that I can afford which

allow me to enjoy fountain pen writing.  My Picasso pens are at the top of

my list, along with PenBBS.   My Picasso Avignon 933 writes as if it has

a gold nib, and is smooth as butter.  Not only is it a beautiful pen, but always

captures the attention of others who think it is a very costly pen.  Not all of us

can afford to spend $300-$1,200 for a fountain pen.  The pens from China reach 

those whose wallets are fixed, and being one of "those", I am excited every time I

find a pen within my budget which looks attractive, writes nicely and adds to

my collection (LOL).  With fountain pens it is so interesting to see the diverse

likes and dislikes among users/collectors.

s-l1600.jpg

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Thank you for your clear perspective of the  pen production and trends of China factories. The quality and styles are changing to satisfy the demand and expectations of the users. 

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This was excellent! Thank you Mech! You are always a font of information.

"There are thousands of thoughts lying within a man that he does not know 'till he takes up the pen and writes."

- William Thackeray

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Thank you for a very interesting read, Mech-for-i. Must say I've much enjoyed the sea change in the Chinese market in recent years; some really very good pens on offer now.

 

On 1/6/2021 at 12:45 PM, Mech-for-i said:

...a prosperous and HEALTHY 2021 ahead

 

Yes, indeed, let's hope so. 

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  • 2 months later...

Just wanted to add another thumbs-up for the Picasso 933. I was very surprised at how good the F nib was on mine. I don't think I've ever had a Chinese steel F nib that was that smooth.

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