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Lugworm

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I'd bet this is a question with no right answer, as each person has a different idea of what 'best' means.

 

Maybe, if you were a bit more specific...

If you are to be ephemeral, leave a good scent.

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Just curiosity.  To what is new that might be half decent.

New Moon 3 appeals but too heavy.  Not really interested in demonstrators or vac fillers personally but they seem to be good.

Delike Alpha (without war and peace) might also suit me.  If there is such a thing.

My debt he paid, my death he died, that I might live.

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On 2/11/2021 at 5:04 AM, Lugworm said:

What are the best quality chinese pens on the market right now?

 

Most likely some models you and I haven't even heard of, and for which we wouldn't be prepared to pay the asking prices anyway. The term ”Chinese pens” is not, and should not be, considered synonymous with (or shorthand for) affordable mass-market products that are at least reasonably accessible to Western markets.

 

Fine Writing International has been producing relatively high-end fountain pen offerings for the Taiwanese (and, more broadly, Southeast Asian) market for several years now, and most fountain pen users in the world haven't heard of the brand until two or so years ago when the company expanded its marketing scope; and, even then, only pen models on the lower end are being offered for sale through retailers in the US and Europe. I'm convinced that, were it not for PenBBS haven't proven that there is sufficient overseas demand, in a market the brand helped in no small part to create over the past ten years, for “Chinese pens” selling north of US$50 apiece, then FWI probably wouldn't have bothered.

 

No doubt there are other brands in the same niche as FWI that haven't begun opening up to overseas markets; and there would be little impetus for them to do so, if by and large fountain pen hobbyists still equate the idea of Chinese pens with cheap and (by virtue of that) offering uncommonly good bang-for-buck for “beginners” and budget-conscious consumers, as opposed to well-crafted artisan products not intended for the mass market.

 

3 hours ago, Lugworm said:

Delike Alpha (without war and peace) might also suit me.  If there is such a thing.

 

 

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

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Honestly, I've been wondering this myself. I'd love to get my hands on one of the new Wing Sung / Victo 601A external nibs designs with the 14k nib.

 

And if I may be so bold, I assume "best" means: most delightful to use, ignoring cost.

 

Everyone knows the Hero 616 is the best for the money! ;-)

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There are a few really good ones in my opinion:

 

Moonman M2 (for the thick barrel, ink capabity and #5 nib)

Wing Sung 3003 (for the nib and nice build quality)

Wing Sung 601 (good work pen)

Wing Sung 6359 (will fall apart within one month, but it has a very nice EF nib)

 

I dislike penbbs pens because of their nibs, and find the Moonman #6 nibs also to be quite poor. Jinhao #6 nibs write reliably but are unexciting to me.

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On 2/10/2021 at 10:04 AM, Lugworm said:

What are the best quality chinese pens on the market right now?

 

I've heard good things about Penlux (MB 149 homage) except for the glued in Jowo (i don't own it though)

 

Current enjoyment

  • Opus 88 (pick the Jowo #6 size and add any special nib)
  • Wing Sung 601 (modern Parker 51 that you can take apart/maintain)
  • PenBBS 355 v2 (crazy but it works)
  • Moonman T1 (if only as a screw-in nib holder for a Bock 250)
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12 hours ago, josephholsten said:

Honestly, I've been wondering this myself. I'd love to get my hands on one of the new Wing Sung / Victo 601A external nibs designs with the 14k nib.

 

And if I may be so bold, I assume "best" means: most delightful to use, ignoring cost.

 

Everyone knows the Hero 616 is the best for the money! ;-)

 

Can't beat the 616 Doctor. A classic that everyone should have, beware of fakes though! 

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  • 7 months later...

I'm sure there are lots of very good Chinese pens, but the only ones which appeal to me are the various Parker Duofold lookalikes, some of which are fantastic pens.

 

I've tried a few Parker 51 inspired models but wasn't impressed with any of them - they all felt a bit cheap and nasty. Maybe the WS601 is better but they only come with a fine nib which isn't to my taste so I haven't tried one.  An original Parker 51 feels a lot more solid and writes beautifully, and can still be bought at very reasonable prices, so I don't understand why anybody would want an inferior copy when the real thing is available for not much more money.

 

The Duofold lookalikes are a different matter however. I have a few Jinhao 100, Kaigelu 316 and Moonman M600S models, all of which feel absolutely beautifully made.  I also have two expensive Parker Duofold Centennials and an International, and while these are very nice indeed, I can honestly say that the Jinhao, Kaigelu and Moonman feel just as good.  The Moonman is the nicest looking Chinese version by a small margin, but mine somehow doesn't seem to write quite as well as the Jinhao and Kaigelu, both of which write as nicely as the Parkers.  These are subjective judgements of course, heavily influenced by nib width and ink flow.  I like a medium nib with a good wet flow of ink, and both the Jinhao and Kaigelu provide that experience at a small fraction of the price of the Parker.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

You often only get a choice of Fine or Extra Fine Someone around here mentioned that with their script forms that is all that is needed.

Having said that I always found that the Jinhao #6 nib to be on the broad side of medium. You get the same nib no matter if you bought an X450 or a 100 Duofold clone. Sling the stock nib for whatever brand you favour.

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