Hongdian N7 Peacock and Rabbit

[J120]

Price range between $31-39 depending in the seller. The pens are available on Etsy, Ebay, and Aliexpress. I bought from Bobby because he had the speedpak two week shipping. 

 

This makes 4 total colorways and variations on this piston filler variety of this pen. Black and gold, orange, green, and Grey. I bought them all to compare.

 

I also bought some broad and 1.0 stubs from FPR to see if the #6 nib units would screw into this model 

[amberleadavis]

Tell us more, please. I'd also love to know if the other nibs fit.

[A Smug Dill]

16 minutes ago, J120 said:

I also bought some broad and 1.0 stubs from FPR to see if the #6 nib units would screw into this model

 

If it's anything like the HongDian N6, then the nib does not come out part and parcel of a threaded, removable unit.

[J120]

I saw Chrisrap52's review of the N1S so I am hoping the newer ones also have removable nib units. If not, I will take the loose FPR stubs and see what's possible. 

 

I have no issues with the Hongdian nibs and love the art. These would just make nice index card pens with stubs.

 

[J120]

Thank the fountain pens gods for speedpack shipping.  My 6 A1 (clipless) desk pens are arriving in less than 2 weeks and these hopefully will also. This is also exactly what everyone is talking about when the manufacturers out East take their skill and apply it to an original design. I am also on the side of knowing these are not intended for us but it is good to see a beautiful colorway not on a clone. 

[A Smug Dill]

8 minutes ago, J120 said:

I saw Chrisrap52's review of the N1S so I am hoping the newer ones also have removable nib units.

 

Indeed the N1-S does, and it isn't just a lazy design of a piston-filler that just takes the same nib unit with a (cartridge-piercing) post used in the N1. (There's also something else about that pen model that would be very desirable to certain fellow hobbyists.)

 

But the N6 isn't like that. I have no idea what the N7 is like, and I haven't looked the details up on Taobao. Given my recent experience with the official HongDian store on AliExpress — which still hasn't listed the N7 at this point — I certainly won't entertain buying anything from it again, and it's questionable whether I'll buy another HongDian pen again, from independent sellers who haven't let me down as badly when there were mistakes on their part.

 

(I'll write about my experience some other time, in some other thread. I just need to be careful not to wade into naming-and-shaming territory, when I relate the facts and events in that whole episode.)

[J120]

I understand.  It is a roll of the dice sometimes. The shipping on Taobao has gotten out of hand recently so the traditional mark up market is it until things balance out again. 

 

How out of hand? $145 order of Maruman notepads but a freight charge of $208.35.

Even bulk buying is not immune to these strange times

[Aramchek]

A few minutes ago I thought I shouldn't buy any more Chinese pens for at least a few months. 

So much for that! 

[J120]

I stopped lying to myself and just accepted the sickness and the gift of our Eastern overlords to produce new temptations monthly 

[A Smug Dill]

OK, no ebonite parts that I can see in (the marketing copy and product specifications for) the N7, so it will likely be similar to the N1-S and has a removable, threaded nib unit housing a 32mm nib.

 

Interesting note in the marketing copy regarding how the wispy pattern on the barrel is not “fully circular”, i.e. not (guaranteed to be) continuous and seamless all around the barrel. The note about the withholding of the piston maintenance tool is certainly contributing towards my liking the HongDian brand less and less.

 

[sansenri]

9 hours ago, J120 said:

This is also exactly what everyone is talking about when the manufacturers out East take their skill and apply it to an original design. I am also on the side of knowing these are not intended for us but it is good to see a beautiful colorway not on a clone. 

 

amen to that!

[J120]

I wonder what the issue with the hangup is with the maintenance tool.

Odd omission but there is always time down the line to address it and finding parts longterm does not appear to ever be an issue because they produce so many of the pens. 

[A Smug Dill]

51 minutes ago, J120 said:

I wonder what the issue with the hangup is with the maintenance tool.

 

 

The way I see it, it's a ploy.

[J120]

That seems excessive but there may be a an actual customer service department in China for the pens that we cannot take advantage of stateside. That's the only reason why I assume they are going through all this trouble to explain not including the tool. Open to other ideas

[A Smug Dill]

3 hours ago, J120 said:

That's the only reason why I assume they are going through all this trouble to explain not including the tool.

 

The tool is included in the retail package of the N6, as far as I was told — and that's the sticking point for me right now, because the official HongDian store on AliExpress has twice failed to send it to me, in spite of it having acknowledged that it was an inadvertent omission, which it is now refusing to rectify in my case. Also, the on-screen text in the official maintenance instruction video for the N1-S indicates that the tool is also included in the package for that pen model. So, the expectation of customers who had previously bought piston-filler models from HongDian would be that such a tool is included.

[J120]

That is very odd. I never get trouble from the official stores, only individual independent storefronts. An official store on AliExpress also gives me pause. Have you compared it or reached out to the Taobao official store?

[A Smug Dill]

12 minutes ago, J120 said:

Have you compared it or reached out to the Taobao official store?

 

No. Why would I reach out or deal with the official store on Taobao, when it makes no sense for me to buy from it given the prohibitive delivery charges-by-weight to Australia? I've looked into shopping on Taobao generally, but at every turn it's a case of the more I spend, the more (almost proportionately) they ‘conspire’ to charge me for shipping, so I can't win either by ordering little pieces piecemeal, or buy a whole lot at once.

 

[mke]

On 3/8/2022 at 2:36 PM, J120 said:

I bought from Bobby

Link please. Thank you.

 

[Jamerelbe]

12 hours ago, mke said:

Link please. Thank you.

 

Bobby used to have an Etsy Store (ChinesePen), but is no longer active on that platform. He now sells primarily through his eBay store (https://www.ebay.com/usr/office_supplies_pen/), and on aliexpress (https://stpenppschinesepen.aliexpress.com/store/5083212). Not sure which platform has the wider range (or better range) of offerings.  I haven't bought anything from Bobby recently (my Chinese pen purchases have reeeeeallly slowed down of late), but I never had a bad experience with any product I purchased from his (etsy and eBay) stores.

[J120]

Yes, Taobao is starting to kill the thrill by charging freight fees that eliminated the joy and advantages of no longer dealing with the middle man/woman/person that are independent sellers.  I was hoping it was a temporary side effect and maybe it will be shown to be that later in the year. 

 

The tool withholding still makes no sense but in time like most things it should be resolved by individual parts or some other random model coming with one that works on these just the same. Either way, I buy because I want them.in the collection.