Oaso K019- Updated Second Generation Capless with Eraser from Oaso

[J120]

Oaso are releasing another capless directed at the student market with a couple of updates and new features. (The Submarine Fruit Pie Series for short...translate it...interesting)

 

This K019 like the A109 before it makes use of the highly efficient inner seal chamber mechanism. After a few months with the A019, the mechanism is simple but shockingly efficient at keeping the nib wet and not leaking. 

 

This update comes with an ink eraser on the top of the pen. 

The clip acts as the retract mechanism on this model. 

 

There is a double sided "glue" type material on the grip section which will be interesting to compare to the gen-1 model. 

 

5 Colors-Pink, blue, green, yellow, black

 

$4.10 on Taobao but expect the traditional Western access points to double that and add on some shipping. 

 

So that's two options from Oaso so far, with Dianshi entering the fray with their DS-784, and Majohn taking care of the non-student market at the moment with their A series. Interesting times. 

 

[J120]

[LiquidInk]

Any feedback on if the gen 1 version leaked into shirt pocket from the nib down if body temperature gets warm/warm environment (I move between walk-in refrigerators and warm outside so temperature can swing quickly)? Was hesitant about this style of clip placement because I can't use it as a work pen if there's a risk of ink leaking. Had a other pens leak ink into cap if put in pocket nib down before but it stayed in cap so it didn't cause "damage". But capless pens I'm not sure about. 

[J120]

@LiquidInk

I've put two pens in my pocket, and another 5 in a pen bag for work and errands. They start first time everytime and no leaks in the past fee months for Gen. 1

Dianshi has a hatch mechanism capless I'm waiting to arrive that may be more for you if yiu prefer the extra coverage.  I have not received or tested that model but the eastern reviews are promising.  

[J120]

[LiquidInk]

On 11/11/2023 at 1:10 PM, J120 said:

@LiquidInk

I've put two pens in my pocket, and another 5 in a pen bag for work and errands. They start first time everytime and no leaks in the past fee months for Gen. 1

Dianshi has a hatch mechanism capless I'm waiting to arrive that may be more for you if yiu prefer the extra coverage.  I have not received or tested that model but the eastern reviews are promising.  

 

Thanks for response, I added one to my shopping cart for future purchase. Was worried about leaking because of nib orientation when clipped to pocket.

 

Saw a new "hatch" capless pen on aliexpress, not sure if it's that Dianshi you mentioned because I didn't see a brand in link, but no other pen seems to have a "hatch".

 

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805955307353.html

[inkstainedruth]

Okay, the question I have about these is "Why the eraser?"  Are the cartridges filled with some sort of special ink that can be erased?  Because the videos don't really show that one way or the other, and I can't read the captioning....

And honestly, the pens look really cheesy.  I mean, I get the concept of inexpensive student grade pens.  But I have a bunch of Parker Vectors (also "student grade") and they look to be way better designed and made.  

And it's now making me think of how Parker could have *really* had a winner with Parker 41s if they'd made them out of a better grade material than the 21s....  Mine hasn't cracked, but I also tend to baby it (even though it's a LOVELY writer with the M nib on it).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[J120]

32 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Okay, the question I have about these is "Why the eraser?"  Are the cartridges filled with some sort of special ink that can be erased?  Because the videos don't really show that one way or the other, and I can't read the captioning....

And honestly, the pens look really cheesy.  I mean, I get the concept of inexpensive student grade pens.  But I have a bunch of Parker Vectors (also "student grade") and they look to be way better designed and made.  

And it's now making me think of how Parker could have *really* had a winner with Parker 41s if they'd made them out of a better grade material than the 21s....  Mine hasn't cracked, but I also tend to baby it (even though it's a LOVELY writer with the M nib on it).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Erasable ink is sold on Aliexpress,  Ebay, Amazon, etsy, Taobao,  etc. Erasable ink comes in 2.6 and 3.4 mm ink catridges.  Insert catridge, erase at will, opens up the pen to the targeted market and adults who could buy the black and blue models in the spring floral are too pastel for one's taste.

 

This is a second generation of their first venture into the retractable school.pen market. All the larger manufacturers appear to be taking their gel/ballpoint retractable pen inventory and making fountain pens with the same bodies and colors. It appears there is a large demand out East because there are more interactions of retractable school pens popping up weekly of various quality and style. Majohn is the only manufacturer at the moment targeting the adults but you have to remember these are targeted at the Chinese student market. Platinum failed miserably at the price point with the Curidas if they were targeting college and high school users. So this is what is coming out of the east as a result of the demand and it is only going ro get more competitive. 

This is where they are at in the early days so within a year or two who knows what materials they will use. Dianshi just released a working hatch system on their first go. Food for thought. 

 

[J120]

45 minutes ago, LiquidInk said:

 

Thanks for response, I added one to my shopping cart for future purchase. Was worried about leaking because of nib orientation when clipped to pocket.

 

Saw a new "hatch" capless pen on aliexpress, not sure if it's that Dianshi you mentioned because I didn't see a brand in link, but no other pen seems to have a "hatch".

 

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805955307353.html

Yes, that is the Dianshi. No idea why they have to offer it like that on Aliexpress considering it's a Dinashi model and the box clearly has the company name on it. Odd but that is it.

[J120]

This latest variation from OASO on the K019 is awesome. The A019 seals, first time everytime, and has not leaked once.

 

It comes with erasable ink, which you can buy directly from OASO or from various sellers on AliExpress. 

 

The pen is larger and girthier than the A019 which makes it very comfortable to write with. I have not had issues with hand cramp with the A019 but the moment you put the K019 in your hand you know the difference that size makes. 

 

Then you get to the erasable ink. If you have used the various friction models this is no different, it's just a working fountain pen. I love it. It fixed a problem I did not have but this will enter the work pen rotation. 

 

Oaso is starting to do some really cool things within the "student pen" market and I hope they or Dianshi take a shot at Majohn to make some metal professional models. 

 

As I have said with the previous A019, only fountain pen people know you are carrying a student pen and it works, the plastics are not cheap, and the pen is so affordable and replaceable. 

 

24 could see some really cool things coming out of China. 

 

Bonus: There is no reason the Western retailers cannot carry Dianshi or Oaso. These models are not replicas, knockoffs, or any other adjective for a copy. If you are trying to get friends and loved ones interested in fountain pens, these are the type of pens you do it with. 

 

 

 

 

[J120]

72 Hour Update: 

 

1) The pen itself is great to hold in the hand due to the increased size, tough the gen-1 A019 was not uncomfortable, this version is just noticeable more comfortable. 

 

2) This is my first experience with erasable ink and the OASO provided work fine. I am going to have to consult the friends over at Jetpens but I find erasable ink to be very dry. Maybe it is supposed to be by nature to the chemical makeup that allows component B to break away with friction and attach to the masking agent. Either way, the ink flows more like a pencil that that dark wet ink smooth ink flow commonly enjoyed when using fountain pens. 

 

3) I ordered and am using the Aihao branded and I ordered some Landscape stationary thermal cartridges to compare quality of ink. This may just be the nature of thermal ink but I would like a wetter variety and will report back if I can find something on Taobao that matches that. 

 

Otherwise, pen works, no leaking, eraser works as advertised, fixed an issue I did not have. 

[J120]

It became apparent one week into testing 4-5 of the K019 models that the pen was designed great, it wrote as well as the smaller K016 but that the included thermal ink cartridges were not performing as intended. The highlight for me of the K019 is that it is a large pen. I had no hand cramp issues writing with the K016, but once you hold the K019, you feel the difference. 

 

I order these items in bulk from Taobao due to the freight costs, so I pulled out another set 5 pens, put in regular cartridges, and the pens were first time every time starters. So after ruling out a sealing issue, I concluded that the OASO thermal ink formula was not working in this model and I searched out a higher quality thermal ink. 

 

I came upon a well reviewed brand, Landscape Stationary, on Taobao that sold their variety of thermal ink in black, blue black, and blue. As has been the case for some years now, getting ink out of China without a third party site or seller is next to impossible. I had to go the AliExpress route and that always includes the markup for the time and shipping. 

 

The 10 pack tube is $1.10 on Taobao and 7.90 for a set of 10. I paid 17.99 for the same 100 piece set of 10 for all three colors. With freight, I would have gotten more ink for the 37.58 extra I paid the third party seller but without actually being able to bulk ship ink, I have no idea how much more I would have gotten or saved. Either way, it is good to have a reliable middle man for these type of transactions. 

 

As for the Landscape thermal ink, it solved the issue with the K019. The pens right first time every time now, the ink is wet and dark, and I now have a erasable capless model for work. A problem I did not have solved but it adds something new to the space. 

 

If you do not need thermal ink, you can just put regular Chinese 3.4mm cartridges in and have a large capless workhorse comparable in girth to the MajohnA3 and as long as the Platinum Curidas. The knock is on the clip so the pen does not lose length when it retracts. 

 

I hope OASO figures out what is going on with their thermal ink formula on the next pen because that really defeats the purpose and might cause those less inclined to source out a alternative solution to sour on the pen on first use. I think they should have released two separate models with and without the eraser. 14 our 20 pens hard starting using their thermal ink and I am pretty certain I did not get a bad batch. A definite QC issue but how that makes it out of testing is beyond me. You have to know the ink is not working properly or are just ignoring it. Sourcing from Landscape from the start would have resolved the issue but who knows the inner workings of Hero's underling brands. 

 

If you purchase the model as is, just be aware you will need a higher end thermal ink if you want it to write past two days and if you intend to use the eraser. If you use a traditional ink, it will write fine. Landscape Stationary is the only brand I have tried but I will update if I find additional alternatives. The school/work pen market is not slowing down so I am certain there will be more inks and pens of this variety hitting the market in the coming year. Godfather brand Hero is already entering using Dianshi's hatch mechanism so any month now their version should be out. 

 

 

[inkstainedruth]

Okay, I'll bite.  What is a "thermal ink"?  I don't believe I've run across the term before.  Is it something like the Noodler's "Polar" line, which are supposed to be good in very cold weather?  (I haven't tried any of those because I have no need for that sort of ink.)  Or is it something completely different?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[J120]

12 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Okay, I'll bite.  What is a "thermal ink"?  I don't believe I've run across the term before.  Is it something like the Noodler's "Polar" line, which are supposed to be good in very cold weather?  (I haven't tried any of those because I have no need for that sort of ink.)  Or is it something completely different?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

@inkstainedruth It is just erasable ink. The friction of from the eraser causes one of the binding agents to separate thus the color fades. Think Pilot friction pens. Same tech,  just fountain pen ink. The problem is that if the formula is bad, such as the included ink cartridges OASO is currently providing with the K019, then the ink too dry and unsuasible.  Thankfully, Lanbitou and Landscape Stationary make alternatives that do as intended. 

[Lithium466]

I bought some erasable thermal ink from Aliexpress, a beautiful blue. I think it's pigmented, or at least partly coloured from particulates in suspension.

Works well, just be careful with anything hot or abrasion. But you can use a standard eraser to get rid of all writing, which is kind of cool. Or just pop your writing in the oven for a few minutes, and gone! Or in a hot car...or spill hot tea, etc
(writing might recover if you put your writing in a freezer for a few minutes too, also kind of cool)

https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005006069472725.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.16.60d05e5bFd9ClN&gatewayAdapt=glo2fra

 

(shop around if you're interested to try, probably better options with or without free shipping)

[Dan Carmell]

@J120 I thought you’d enjoy this attached Reddit subpost and its  reference to a pen’s ‘novel’ seal. I responded and mentioned the K016 and how mine hasn’t dried out with intermittent use over several months. 
 

So has Ensso licensed or appropriated this technology? My glance at Enssso.com suggests a Kickstarter-based design group from Southern California. I guess this new Ensso is kind of a clone, since we’ve seen bolt action retractable FPs and that ‘novel’ seal you’ve been testing, both made in China first AFAIK. 

[J120]

@Dan Carmell It is always funny how selective the outrage can be. Oaso is two generations into using that sealing mechanism and we have been posting about it since they first started using it in 2023. 

 

The more the merrier and I look forward to the first Western company  "discovering the hatch" mechanism. There is a market for school/work pens and someone out West eventually will want to enter that Majohn price point you would think. A good OEM defeats the volume argument because Chinese companies have been supplying the traditional manufacturers with parts to assemble elsewhere for years. 

[antoniosz]

Thanks for making me buy it.  It is a nice (very comfortable) and reliable FP. But as usual in the F/EF range.  Does anyone know how to remove/exchange the nib.  Are typical tubular nibs of this kind compatible across models/brands. I do have several from Wing Sung 601 especially the smaller fude ones that I would like to try.
Any hintsw would be appreciated.  I made a separate post but no answers for few days now.

  

[Sailor Kenshin]

I may have seen these pens on Amazon for ten dollars each.

 

 @antoniosz, I was wondering the same thing.  I have a few of these click pens and almost all write well.

 

Maybe I will try to stub one.

[Dan Carmell]

2 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

Maybe I will try to stub one.

I pulled out my Dianshi and the 016 and 019 and looked at the nibs again and wow, there’s not a lot of tipping material there to work with. I compared it to the A2’s nib and it’s only a bit finer in appearance, but with much less tipping material. Challenging!

 

@antoniosz I saw your post and realized I’d stuck a cartridge in each of these pens and never investigated their nib units. They are sealed away in the hooded section, it seems. 
 

FYI The Dianshi and the 016 have been inked for months. I pick them up once a week at most for a writing session and they write from the first stroke. The K019 has only been here a few weeks, but it’s the same, a very fluid writer. And erasing is fun!