Two New Hongdian Pens

[Dan Carmell]

Ordered but not received are the 321 and A9 at about $10 and $20 USD, respectively. The 321 is a simple hooded nib pen with an interesting clip. The A9 borrows the colors and finish of the N10. Some vendors are selling the A9 for a much higher introductory price, so shop around. 

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

A9, wise choice, $20 for an ebonite feed with #8 nib.  Similar stuff from Italy costs 10x more. Ciao. 

[Dan Carmell]

13 minutes ago, Shanghai Knife Dude said:

A9, wise choice, $20 for an ebonite feed with #8 nib.  Similar stuff from Italy costs 10x more. Ciao. 

Ha, you are so alert! To be honest, I didn’t notice that the A9 had the #8 and hard rubber feed, but wow that does make it a bargain at that price. 
 

[Shanghai Knife Dude]

12 minutes ago, Dan Carmell said:

Ha, you are so alert! To be honest, I didn’t notice that the A9 had the #8 and hard rubber feed, but wow that does make it a bargain at that price. 
 

Ya, $20, it got to be kidding. 

 

That raises a question: why the northern Italian, Japanese so expensive? 10x Better? 

[mke]

15 hours ago, Shanghai Knife Dude said:

That raises a question: why the northern Italian, Japanese so expensive? 10x Better? 

 

There are a few possibilities but nothing has to do with being better.

1) More expensive work force due to higher salary.

2) More work by hand.

3) Less units per setup of the machine park.

4) Less quality outliers due to more stringent checks.

5) Warranty.

6) Owners of the companies want to earn more money per unit.

[mke]

Sorry, but I find these two models somewhat boring. I will wait for something like the models A6, D1, D5, ...

[Dan Carmell]

7 hours ago, mke said:

Sorry, but I find these two models somewhat boring. I will wait for something like the models A6, D1, D5, ...

Yes, neither is a stand-out really, although the A9 is a good bargain, considering the #8 nib and hard rubber feed. The A9 shares the same finish as the N10 and it isn’t really my cuppa. 

[jchch1950]

The 321 has a nice design and colours, but the lack of other nibs than EF is a limitation for me.